Game News Baldur's Gate 3 Community Update #18: Baldur's Date - August 31st

[Zeriel]

I don't know why Larian is intent on making unlikable characters.

Dumb observation. They aren't unlikeable on purpose. Larian devs simply lack writing talent.

I'm not sure it's even "lack writing talent". Their target audience likes this smarm. We just aren't the target audience. It's more accurate to simply say I find the culture they're rooted in repulsive, and their tastes abhorrent.

Although this thread is a textbook example of how tastes can differ. Like every single thing Non-Edgy Gamer says about DOS1 relative to DOS2 and BG3 I feel the exact opposite. I found the writing in Divine Divinity and DKS charming, it just gets worse over time as it gets more... "modern", and DOS2, the moment where they hired a bunch of gaming journos and dangerhairs and were inordinately proud of demoting their lead writer was the moment where the wheels fall off for me and I lose all interest in their writing whatsoever. It was so bad I never really got far into DOS2, because I couldn't take anything seriously, not even in the funny Larian way.

 

[Catacombs]

Despite J.K. Simmons doing the voice, let's not forget he masterfully played a sinister teacher on Whiplash:

 

[Immortal]

and yet people seem to think the bg series was the greatest story ever written. yeah because the belgians sure can't tackle the thespian nature of minsc

have you met minsc and edwin? larianland is just faerun with cocaine.

Really pitching your tentpoles to Minsc over here.
Him, Xan and Sarevok were all based off Bioware employee's actual DnD characters that they were fucking around with.

Minsc represents the quintessential 2E 'joke character' - this is pure cozy Beers and Chips table top fun.
In BG1 he was a harmless joke and nothing more, he has like 4 dialogue pids....?

Now, if your argument is about taking a random throwaway joke NPC and expanding him into some kind of Icon where he's becoming a forced corporate meme, his bald head being slapped into trailers and MTG cards, that's fair.. but that's a symptom of Nuu-DnD and WOTC trying to shove it down your throat, don't sully BG.

Also.. Fuck you Edwin is hilarious - especially in SOD, where he's the only breath of fresh air, a metaphorical chauvinist life raft holdover from the 90's - while I'm drowning in all of beamdog's angsty female self-insertion bullshit.

 

[Zeriel]

People always use the examples of the outliers in BG 1 & 2 that are there as a burst of comedic effect on an otherwise serious narrative & world tapestry to somehow argue it's totally fine for the modern games to be that retarded and silly ALL the time.

It's a completely dishonest argument. And yes, the fact that Bioware made such rare flares of silliness more common and edgy as the years went on was a mistake, not a good thing. But they certainly weren't a dominating feature of the game or the storyline as it was experienced back then.

 

[Immortal]

People always use the examples of the outliers in BG 1 & 2 that are there as a burst of comedic effect on an otherwise serious narrative & world tapestry to somehow argue it's totally fine for the modern games to be that retarded and silly ALL the time.

It's a completely dishonest argument. And yes, the fact that Bioware made such rare flares of silliness more common and edgy as the years went on was a mistake, not a good thing. But they certainly weren't a dominating feature of the game or the storyline as it was experienced back then.

I mean the story is basically just a Highlander rip off.. But it's effective narratively.
It lets you explore an open world - get chased by bounty hunters, hunt down other bhaal spawn and in theory 'gain powers' as you do it.

It works well.. Feels a lot better than DoS2 / PoE where you are constantly meandering forward, tugged by a leash from Act to Act by "Unknown Forces" because reasons.
BG3 is just plain retarded. Opening act is you battling demons on a flying Illithid space ship zooming through Avernus at level 1. What gay bullshit.

I wanna wake up in an inn, grab the nearest dwarf and go kill some fucking rats.

 

[Delterius]

Really pitching your tentpoles to Minsc over here.
Him, Xan and Sarevok were all based off Bioware employee's actual DnD characters that they were fucking around with.

Interesting that reminds me of the rest of the baldurs gate aka the most serious coming of age story ever written.

BG 1 and 2 are mediocre fantasy adventures with a light tone and over acting. I like them but I don't like pretending there's a lot to them.

 

[vortex]

Interesting that reminds me of the rest of the baldurs gate aka the most serious coming of age story ever written.

BG 1 and 2 are mediocre fantasy adventures with a light tone and over acting. I like them but I don't like pretending there's a lot to them.

Problem gets in the way when modern writers try something which was already mediocre they end end up writing something bad.

 

[Delterius]

Interesting that reminds me of the rest of the baldurs gate aka the most serious coming of age story ever written.

BG 1 and 2 are mediocre fantasy adventures with a light tone and over acting. I like them but I don't like pretending there's a lot to them.

Problem gets in the way when modern writers try something which was already mediocre they end end up writing something bad.

The codex is the sort of website that starts praising dragon age 2 because dragon age 3 came out. Pardon me if I'm not jumping on this particular bandwagon.

Larian's writing is mediocre and corny. Which makes them perfect for Baldur's Gate. Or really any kind of core D&D that isn't full of pretense. Facts are facts.

 

[Zed]

I'm pretty sure almost every Codexer who's played it will tell you BG3 is a better game than D:OS 2 right now. The ruleset alone guarantees it. Consider that Solasta, a game with lol-tier writing, is considered worthwhile and fun by many (#4 in GOTY 2021) for the same reason.

And BG3's writing might enjoy a similar advantage. Faerun instead of Rivellon? Instantly better.

A big difference is that DOS2 is largely inoffensive with story and characters. Kinda bland, like a bad fantasy novel.

BG3 characters and writing are repulsive.

Where DOS2 doesn't make an effort, BG3 does, and it's terrible.

 

[Immortal]

Interesting that reminds me of the rest of the baldurs gate aka the most serious coming of age story ever written.

BG 1 and 2 are mediocre fantasy adventures with a light tone and over acting. I like them but I don't like pretending there's a lot to them.

Problem gets in the way when modern writers try something which was already mediocre they end end up writing something bad.

The codex is the sort of website that starts praising dragon age 2 because dragon age 3 came out. Pardon me if I'm not jumping on this particular bandwagon.

Larian's writing is mediocre and corny. Which makes them perfect for Baldur's Gate. Or really any kind of core D&D that isn't full of pretense. Facts are facts.

Nobody is praising Dragon Age 2. You are mixing Codex up with... actually wait, what community unironically praises Dragon Age 2?
I see more praise for DA:I - this was a retarded example.

Really pitching your tentpoles to Minsc over here.
Him, Xan and Sarevok were all based off Bioware employee's actual DnD characters that they were fucking around with.

Interesting that reminds me of the rest of the baldurs gate aka the most serious coming of age story ever written.
BG 1 and 2 are mediocre fantasy adventures with a light tone and over acting.

mediocre compared to what?
Where are all these amazingly written Forgotten Realms fantasy games that you hold in such high prestige?

 

[Delterius]

Where are all these amazingly written Forgotten Realms fantasy games that you hold in such high prestige?

interesting assumption there. that i think bg is merely ok to mediocre, at best serviceable must mean i think forgotten realms isn't a carrier wave to all the worst ideas that plague the genre.

neither the realms and baldur's gate are prestigious art. nor do they have to be. this website used to recognize that all the way to the moment black cat called lesifoere out for thinking themselves an intellectual for enjoying planescape: torment. it's been downhill since then.

 

[Immortal]

I don't actually value this setting at all and all writing around it is shit

Got it. Opinion discarded.

 

[Delterius]

Neither the realms nor baldur's gate are prestigious art. And they don't have to be.

I hold the drizzt setting in extremely high regard and the truth hurts me.

 

[Immortal]

Heh.... imagine people on an rpg forum enjoying DnD settings.. what a bunch of losers..
Not me though, I have very prestigious tastes, Heh..

We can keep going.

 

[Delterius]

y-you hate baldur's gate!! how dare yoou!

neither the realms and baldur's gate are prestigious art. nor do they have to be.

damn someone can't read

 

[The_Mask]

Look deep down in your heart, and know what Delt is saying is true.

 

[Immortal]

y-you hate baldur's gate!! how dare yoou!

neither the realms and baldur's gate are prestigious art. nor do they have to be.

damn someone can't read

What makes something good writing vs bad writing?
What is "prestigious art" ? Give me an example of a 'well written game' (I've asked this twice and you refusing to give an example is telling)

If it's enjoyable to engage with and people enjoy the lore or the setting, is that not "good writing"?
If a new company comes along and creates something that has a completely different tone of the original and people don't like it - isn't that "less good writing" ?


Also you can keep going with the "Heh, me smart you ~le angry~ snark_meme_2.png Heh Heh.. Heh." shit - but it's not you actually clarifying anything.

 

[Delterius]

What makes something good writing vs bad writing?

lots of things

whats is even the point really. pulp and genre fiction is pulp and genre fiction. they are fine the way they are which is why i read them. i also play stuff like baldurs gate not expecting it to be, say, the setting that nirn canonically isn't. and i think the belgians are perfectly fine writing for that sort of thing. the real 'i am le smart redditor' larping is in pretending otherwise.

 

[Immortal]

What makes something good writing vs bad writing?

lots of things

whats is even the point really. pulp and genre fiction is pulp and genre fiction. i read those. i play stuff like baldurs gate. and i think the belgians are perfectly fine writing for it.

If you're saying it's "shit writing" but you still enjoy it - okay fine:
(Even though you keep dodging the question of what you consider a well written game)

My point is this:

BG / IWD / IWD2 / NWN2 all have a similar starting experience.
It's an a-typical Forgotten Realms fanfare which I enjoy.

Now you repeatedly keep saying "belgians can do it too, minsc is retarded and so is DOS2!" - but that doesn't actually seem to be the case so far - BG3 does not feel at all tonally like the other games.
It's simultaneously more ridiculous and also takes itself way more seriously - basically just repeating what Zed said previously - it's crossing the threshold into retardocringeshit for me.

 

[Delterius]

If your saying it's "shit writing" but you still enjoy it

are you in the habit of making people repeat themselves 7 times? we must be half of the way there

a similar starting experience.

meh tbqh. the game has been on open beta since your grandad was a sperm and you're still bemoaning the fucking reveal?

 

[Immortal]

If your saying it's "shit writing" but you still enjoy it

are you in the habit of making people repeat themselves 7 times? we must be half of the way there

I don't interpret "wow look at this complete garbage writing" as "yea I love this!" -
As for me not reading these ~7 posts~ explaining everything - I'm gonna exert effort to go read your post history?

You are barely interesting enough to even have this conversation.

a similar starting experience.

meh tbqh. the game has been on open beta since your grandad was a sperm and you're still bemoaning the fucking reveal?

You: "BELGIANS CAN DO IT TOO!"
Me: "yaaa.. well I played the only act available and not-so-much imo"
You: why are we even talking about act 1 STILL!? Blah Blah SPERM Blah

You okay buddy?
When did you become so retarded..?

 

[The_Mask]

You okay buddy?
When did you become so retarded..?

I'm starting to want you to write down why the BG games are so great.

Just so you can be "barely interesting to talk to".

 

[Delterius]

"yea I love this!"

eh i think its ok

You are barely interesting enough to even have this conversation.

response #7 btw

the honor of minsc, edwin and silke the thespian extraodinaire must be avenged

 

[Immortal]

You are barely interesting enough to even have this conversation.

response #7 btw

the honor of minsc, edwin and silke the thespian extraodinaire must be avenged

I've already explained why Edwin must be avenged.
Read my post history.

 

[Nazrim Eldrak]

I would at least change the word "bow" to "kneel".

Here is why..

Just try it yourself.
Saying "bow" will make your mouth end like a kiss shape, while "kneel" will make your mouth more like a grin.