Baldur's Gate #BaldurGate: Siege of Dragonspear

[Lilura]

Patch is out:
https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/52911/v2-1-update-release-notes-attached

He posted the patch notes as an attachment wtf xD

A 6.7mb document that would be 20kb in txt... oh well, the bugfixes are welcome!

 

[Lilura]

Bug Fixes - BG:SoD

This update features a number of general bug fixes that specifically resolve issues in the Siege of Dragonspear expansion.

Spoiler

• The in-game text that describes supported languages has been improved (22698)
• Innate healing abilities will no longer be used on distant allies during combat (22690)
• The map markers in Dead Man's Pass have been moved to their correct locations (22689)
• Wraiths now have the correct undead traits (22688)
• The game will no longer freeze in cut scene mode if Ashatiel spawns on a skull trap and dies (22674)
• The second Essence of Clarity in the Lich Outpost will now drop even on lower difficulties (22639)
• The assigned NPC scripts in PARTYAI.2da are now consistent between BG:EE and SoD (22631)
• Korlasz's defenders will now turn hostile if she is attacked or killed before starting dialogue (22624)
• Aura effects employed by enemies will now be used at the correct range (22622)
• An imported Dorn will no longer play "Leader" sound when fatigued (22621)
• The switch in BD4600 will now use the correct search map and polygon (22605)
• The Druid class description now clarifies that they are allowed to wear non-metallic armor and shields (22538)
• Shar-Teel will no longer remain in the party after Chapter 7 (22526)
• Minsc's fourth rare selection sound from BG:EE has been restored (22525)
• Chapter 9 cutscene will no longer be broken by the arrival of Tsolak's messenger (22523)
• Glint will no longer rejoin the party immediately after being kicked out (22504)
• Andrus Gath will no longer be summoned if rats are killed (22498)
• M'Khiin and Baeloth will now be present in Coastway Crossing (22497)
• Neeera's quest will now finish once she is given five items when she is not in the party (22354)
• M'Khiin will no longer repeat the wrong dialogue in the Underground River map (22351)
• Monsters in wilderness areas will now respawn less frequently (22340)
• Concentration checks when a spellcaster takes damage will now use the original Baldur's Gate behavior (22338)
• Archer opponents will no longer attempt to run away while entangled (22334)
• Coldhearth will now properly use Spell Shield (22331)
• Longbow on the small table at the Warrens' entrance will no longer not get stuck in the player's inventory (22323)
• The coalition camp attack will now begin correctly (22317)
• Neera's quest items will no longer disappear if dropped on the ground (22284)
• Familiars will no longer prevent the player from getting out of bed (22281)
• Only one Nobleman now appears in the Elfsong Tavern. (22278)
• Khalid and Neera will no longer be killed by the Spellstone at the Bridgefort (22274)
• Story mode will no longer grant the "Godlike" achievement on Steam (22254)
• Indoor rats and bats will no longer have tooltips (22250)
• Story Mode no longer allows party members to move or attack while Shadowstep is active (22248)
• Kaelet and Umar will no longer drop drowcraft items (22247)
• Korlasz will now recast her defensive spells if the party rests her area (22242)
• Corwin's voiceover has been cut to match the line, "Are you ready to leave the city?" (22224)
• Coldhearth will now say the correct line if the player talks to him after having completed his quest when Edwin is in the party (22220)
• Coldhearth will now give the Dread Hammer +2 as a reward even if Edwin interjects (22218)
• Dauston will no longer appear both inside and outside of the Flaming Fist compound (22212)
• The Sandthief's Ring on Safana will no longer be consumed after one use (22174)
• Dragonspear Castle's area art has been updated (22150)
• The player can no longer get trapped behind the door to Fanegonorom's room (22145)
• Glint will now say the correct romance lines (22102)
• Corwin will now say the correct romance lines (22101)
• Kaelet and Umar will no longer appear twice in the ogre camp (22055)
• You should not see English strings in the BG1 campaign if the language is not English (22046)
• The player can no longer walk on top of tents in Dragonspear Castle (22031)
• Glint's romance will now end correctly at the appropriate time (22004)
• Petrified companions will now be restored after finishing Korlasz's tomb. (21970)
• Cinematic movies will no longer have numbers displayed at the very end (21819)
• Thieves Cache quest now works correctly (21760)
• The party stash now has map markers in all camp areas (20758)
• M'Khiin will now speak in the spider cave (20361)
• Exiting from "reform party" will no longer cause the "reform party" window to remain forever (20349)
• Local Area Network description now displays its entire text (20290)
• Character Record will now display the active weapon style bonuses (19728)
• Mods that add kits no longer break because of 25STWEAP.2da (22694)

 

[Gauldur's Bait]

Not level scaling, just encounter scaling, which is fine i guess.

Sure. For a custom party with four characters (or more) however, starting with 500 000xp each it will take some time into for the encounter scaling to actually have an effect.

 

[Fowyr]

IGN Russia gives it an 8.5/10, though its text translates into a somewhat bizarre conclusion:
Members should be aware that this is a plot bridge between the games of the late 90-ies. I do not know what to say on this occasion, because it does not expect to make Beamdog this addon. A home from a single blank ( "Well, as we expected, Beamdog goof"), for obvious reasons, had to be abandoned. However, given the thrust Beamdog cut the branch on which it sits (see. Scandals over allegations of screenwriter and so on.), And a clear desire to practice necromancy and more, this uncomplicated philippic can be useful in the case of the following output independent of the company.

Bizzare, lol. There is a lot of critic of game (guy apparently played BG and BG2 30 times), talk about Mizhena and other SJW cancer and talk about linearity. He don't likes playing "new" Infinity Engine game in 2016 too. But, despite all shortcomings, he liked combat, story, quests and writing, so 8.5/10. This is why we can't have good things.

 

[varangos]

This is why we can't have good things.

no its because IGN

 

[Lilura]

IGN Russia gives it an 8.5/10, though its text translates into a somewhat bizarre conclusion:
Members should be aware that this is a plot bridge between the games of the late 90-ies. I do not know what to say on this occasion, because it does not expect to make Beamdog this addon. A home from a single blank ( "Well, as we expected, Beamdog goof"), for obvious reasons, had to be abandoned. However, given the thrust Beamdog cut the branch on which it sits (see. Scandals over allegations of screenwriter and so on.), And a clear desire to practice necromancy and more, this uncomplicated philippic can be useful in the case of the following output independent of the company.

This is actually some of the better IGN writing I have read.

 

[Jaesun]

What did IGN Russia Rate Fallout 3 and 4?

 

[Fowyr]

Failout 4:
http://ru.ign.com/fallout-4/review/
9.5
Failout 3:
not found

EDIT: Fallout 4 review is translated. Reading comments, original review will be soon. There is a lot of critique in comments, also:

На мой взгляд, и это лично моё мнение, получилась лучшая игра серии. Просто потому, что она самая атмосферная , красивая и современная. Да, раньше трава была зеленее и вода мокрее. Но кто последний раз когда запускал старый добрый фолыч? Да и пущай с ним, любую другую игру 90-х гг? Тот же Балдурс гейт? Я помню как невероятно впечатлили ФФ7 и ФФ8 с их супер стильной прорисовкой и офигительными заставками, они нереально вставляли. Но их место в музее, они устарели и морально, и технологически. Заново никто, даже фанат, коим я являюсь, играть в них не станет - не те впечатления.

translate: "Muh nostalgia glasses!"
Manboons never change.

 

[Jaesun]

 

[Ezrite]

At least that's how I took it. Instead of a flaming fist not allowing entry, they show the flaming fist (police) abusing refugees. The politicking in this game gives me cancer.

The whole "steal your shit and cause a ruckus on the street but they been forced out of there homes so sorry for them!" is very much how the leftish people think.

Also is it winter now? Since one part of the city got white shit on the tiles.

 

[Spectacle]

Guise, wartime refugees and the problems with dealing with them aren't anything new.

This is from a 2008 Japanese game.

In other news, Bashar Al-Assad's latest weapon is an invincible but emotionally fragile teen girl, armed with magical weapons and armor reportedly recovered from an ancient crypt found under recently reconquered Palmyra. The Islamic State had destroyed much of the historic city in their search for these artifacts, but only a pure maiden of the sacred bloodline could uncover the secret location. IS and other rebel groups are on the run across Syria, since none can face her wrath and survive.

 

[Reinhardt]

The whole "steal your shit and cause a ruckus on the street but they been forced out of there homes so sorry for them!" is very much how the leftish people think.

Well, it's YOUR money was stolen. If anything happens "leftish people" will sit in ducal palace and evil white policemanguards will protect them from dindu.

 

[Naveen]

The plot and writing are amateurish and disjointed. They could have used the assassination attempt as an excuse for why you lost your money ("well, they killed the treasurer and stole all your stuff") which would have given the main character another good reason to go after whatshername.
By the way, refugees buying stuff at the Sorcerer's Sundries

 

[Metal Hurlant]

They're buying stuff with your gold that was stolen from you.

 

[Naveen]

What!? That's the last straw! Time to go postal

It's no use, though. After doing that a Flaming Fist Battle Mage appears out of nowhere and casts Trap Soul on you, it's instadeath.

 

[Reinhardt]

After doing that a Flaming Fist Battle Mage appears out of nowhere and casts Trap Soul on you, it's instadeath.

And where said battlemage when WE fight crusade?

 

[Ezrite]

Well, it's YOUR money was stolen. If anything happens "leftish people" will sit in ducal palace and evil white policemanguards will protect them from dindu.

Im pissed that 150k fucking disappeared. THey could have pulled a normal "THE FUCKING ASSASSINS ATTACKED THE VAULT AND STOLE YOUR DOCUMENTS WITH THE FUCKING IRON BANK OF ESSOS BITCH" and not "lol gamble on doges, lol I bring back money, lol robed, lol refugees manage to waste your gold in like 2 fucking split seconds".

 

[Rivmusique]

You should calm down, it's not like you don't get it back.

 

[SionIV]

"Gregory A. Wilson, a Professor of English at St. John's University in New York City, will speak with Trent Oster and Phillip Daigle about SoD on his twitch channel."

https://twitter.com/gregoryawilson/status/720985233072504833?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

 

[Shadenuat]

Updated Journal
"Learn who makes strange noises in caves"
Quest title: "Blind Wyrmlings"

 

[Infinitron]

"Gregory A. Wilson, a Professor of English at St. John's University in New York City, will speak with Trent Oster and Phillip Daigle about SoD on his twitch channel."

https://twitter.com/gregoryawilson/status/720985233072504833?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

That's Arvan Eleron (don't read this thread Arv)

More reviews: http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/117097-baldurs-gate-siege-of-dragonspear-reviews-3.html

GameSpot gives it an 8/10:

Returning home to Baldur’s Gate makes Siege of Dragonspear one of the most enjoyable RPGs that I have played in a long time, both for the nostalgia factor of revisiting an all-time favorite and for the impressively designed and involving narrative that captures nearly everything that fans love about traditional D&D. Even though the engine creaks in spots, the overall experience is everything that a hardcore D&D fan could ask for, and a superb expansion of one of the most legendary franchises in all of roleplaying game history.

PC Gamer gives it a 71/100:

As a Baldur's Gate adventure, Siege of Dragonspear works well. While it's not entirely tonally consistent with the original series, it does a good job of inserting itself into the middle of the story without feeling like sacrilege. As a result, though, it requires that you still be invested in that story. The fact is, a decade and a half later, there are much smoother, more enjoyable RPG experiences available.

GamePressure gives it an 8.0/10:

I have to admit that at first I was quite indifferent – if not outright skeptical – towards the idea of bridging the gap between the first and the second Baldur's Gate, especially considering that Beamdog was the one to do it. I wasn't convinced even by the last year's recommendation from the legend of the industry that is Chris Avellone. All the bigger was my surprise when I saw with my own eyes how good a game Siege of Dragonspear turned out to be. Its best trait is the fact that... it's a genuine Baldur's Gate game. The expansion shares more than just the title with its great predecessors, and advertising the game as the bridge between the first and the second part is more than just a cheap marketing ploy. You can feel the soul of Baldur's Gate in Beamdog's latest work. Starting from the climate of the Sword Coast, through the old-school mechanical layer, to the possibility of embarking on one more trip with a group of old friends – all of this can make a more sentimental player shed a tear or two.

GameSkinny gives it a 5/10:

Anyone who loved the original Baldur's Gate through Throne Of Bhaal should of course pick up Siege Of Dragonspear despite the flaws. While there are disappointments (and I suppose there would have to be when dealing with more than a decade of waiting for a new game), this long-awaited expansion definitely has highlights as well, and it is growing on me the longer I play.

3Novices gives it an 87/100:

Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear fills in some of what happens to the Child of Bhaal between saving Baldur’s Gate and saving your soul from Irenicus, and it’s a hoot to revisit this world, using the old D&D rules from the 1990s. But Siege of Dragonspear hints at more — a studio that’s done with just enhancing older games and ready to carve out a place among the top storytellers in the RPG sector. Beamdog’s first effort at original storytelling is a good start, and I’m excited to see more in the future, even if it’s in the world of Baldur’s Gate.

And Multiplayer.it goes scoreless:

Controversy aside, Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear manages to make the most of what was intended: to fill a hole in time offering a new, long adventure to fans of the series. Although it is not at the levels of a new real chapter, despite the large amount of content it offers, is certainly a purchase you need to consider if you are very nostalgic. Sure, it's not a masterpiece, and, as pointed out in the article, has its problems, which we can not pass over in spite of the absurd controversy that accompanied the launch of the have attracted some sympathy. In conclusion, Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear is a good expansion, but for which no one really felt the need, but whose goal is understandable.

 

[Excidium II]

The link to BG2 is handled in such a stupid way.

Stop interplanar invasion -> go to sleep after celebration -> Irenicus kills Skie and steals her soul in a way that incriminates you -> they take you to judgement (CRPG classic, none of the choices seem to matter, nobody cares you saved the world again) -> you get arrested -> Imoen rescues you -> gathers all npcs that are in the BG2 Irenaecus dungeon (they all doubt your innocence by the way) -> get ambushed -> game ends

 

[Delterius]

The link to BG2 is handled in such a stupid way.

Says a lot about BG2's writing, doesn't it.

 

[Excidium II]

The link to BG2 is handled in such a stupid way.

Says a lot about BG2's writing, doesn't it.

Yeah but the whole crime shit is unecessary. They could just have yo go your way after the celebration and get ambushed, the end.

 

[Lilura]

Part IV of my Siege of Dragonspear Walkthrough has been posted.

Hard to believe this whipped up such a shitstorm:

Here is a decent bit of content: you're in a non-essential dungeon, just slaying undead, and you find these scepters to activate a scrying pool. From the pool of water you receive visions of Imoen, Irenicus and Caelar. Nothing mind-blowingly original but it's something.