Baldur's Gate Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access Thread [GAME RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Infinitron]

Swen where the fuck is my monk class

There's still one more chance!

 

[Kem0sabe]

The city looks properly huge, likely far surpassing in scope and content the Witcher 3, which is the gold standard for rpg city environments.

 

[Infinitron]

Hmm, okay: https://www.pcgamer.com/baldurs-gate-3-mashed-animation-pcgs-2023/

The making of the PC Gaming Show's Baldur's Gate 3 animated short​

Don't worry, Astarion is just as enchanting in two dimensions.

Getting beaten up by a frog, trading spleens with a hag, and watching a rogue party member commit cold-blooded murder before you can get a word in—all par for the course for any reckless Dungeons & Dragons adventure. At least, it seems, when the party of would-be champions and reluctant heroes of Baldur’s Gate 3 are at the helm.

Now close on the horizon, Larian’s upcoming RPG was given the cartoon treatment by irreverent geek culture parody troupe Mashed as part of the PC Gaming Show 2023. We’re used to seeing the haughty and high-cheekboned Astarion with the ever-belligerent Lae’zel and the rest of their chums in photo-realistic 3D. But maybe their second home is among the animated world's blocky colors and flat shapes. As Mashed's director of comedy and animation Tom Jenkins explains, taking the characters of Baldur's Gate 3 there was a case of simplifying their designs so the team could make them as expressive as possible within its animation style.

"Each character has their own distinct look and style," Jenkins says. "Astarion was slimmed down to help emphasize his class as a rogue, with large expressive features to emphasize his sarcastic and deadpan tone. Gale had a similar approach, but as a mage, we wanted to underline that magical foundation of his character, so we added a loose flowing robe that ripples as he casts spells and rallies the party, and small details like not being able to see his feet so he almost glides through scenes."

Jenkins breaks down the whole production process into seven steps, from creating an initial idea to fleshing it out with preliminary moving images and finally putting on the final touches. The script, he says, is the first element the team completes before work on everything else can start. "Once that happens, we get the voice actors to record their lines—and once we review, we then ask for re-records depending on the intent in the script and the energy and tone we want to convey."

After creating character designs, storyboards, and an animatic (a draft of the animation that locks down movements, expressions, and camera movement), animating begins earnestly. It’s done in three separate stages, starting with a rough cut. "It’s arguably the most challenging part of the animation, giving all the characters actual movement, defining the way they move, and their real key expressions," Jenkins says. "Then goes to clean up, which is refining and cleaning up the loose, sketchy rough animation into something a lot more refined, lip sync for the voice lines and basically what you see in the end, just without color." That's added before scene backgrounds, and sound brings the up-to-now mute characters to life.

"We bring everything together by combining the character animation with the backgrounds, and then also do visual effects," which could be anything from fires crackling, water bubbling, or any other environmental effect, Jenkins says. "Once all animation, compositing, and VFX are complete, we send the animation to our sound designer/composer who adds all the sound in the video," as well as the musical score.

With each character voiced by the same actors used in the game, and the script provided by Larian, the final piece doesn’t feel far removed from what you might find when trekking across the Forgotten Realms, even if it is a parody at heart. "While the game itself is serious and dramatic, games themselves run on game logic, which is fun to satirize and play around with in terms of its conventions," Jenkins says. "What you see play out isn't far off from the experience of actual players while they hang out together playing the game. So you combine that relatable experience with the characters' personalities and the D&D/RPG setting to hit a really rich vein comedy-wise."

It's exactly that kind of comedy that Mashed has taken to surreal places in the past, whether by turning Mario and Luigi into super-buff anime adversaries or creating a perpetually self-cloning Sonic. It didn’t push the Baldur’s Gate 3 crew quite that far, but Jenkins isn't done with the Forgotten Realms. "I'm looking forward to heading back into the world of Baldur's Gate with some mates as a bard, as (often terrible) one-liners and questionable singing are very on-brand for me." Sounds like he’ll fit right in.

 

[RegionalHobo]

who knows, perhaps sven writting tm will ruin this but damm the game looks good

 

[bobocrunch]

That frog video is one of the worst things I've ever seen. 'We want the Critical Role audience' distilled.

 

[Gargaune]

Brace yourselves, I'm not here to whine, I want to give credit where it's due - it's very refreshing to see level-headed game developers talking frankly and seriously about their work, and the smart-casual office dress is a welcome touch, too. No, really, this is a good video, they all came across as very credible and it helps to build up some confidence and anticipa...

Wait...

What's this?

Oh, God damnit!

 

[Drakortha]

no day/night cycles.

 

[Takamori]

I guess I'm sniffing a massive tank of copium but the last Panel from hell they will show the remaining content like monk and missing races (dragonborn) and what will be available from the other source books (Xanatar, Tasha etc etc). But with each promo I'm guessing this game will be a one way stride and go consume other game.

 

[TwoEdge]

Wait, Schick has left Bethesda for Larian? This is potentially huge, although his LinkedIn lists him as narrative designer expert, which sounds very hands-off. Does anyone know the extent of his involvement?

 

[Strig]

I hate how flamboyant everything is in this game. The art direction is absolute ass. Why is Baldur's Gate in the middle of a coastal mountain range? On every map I've ever seen it was located on a plain near a river mouth and the descriptions only mentioned cliffs dividing the lower and upper parts of the city. Why does it look like it's vaguely inspired by the Mediterranean architecture instead of a more northern feel, let's say a Hanseatic city? I can't stand how in-your-face everything has to be with these people, no room for subtlety, magical creatures spill out of every nook and tranny, every building looks like it houses nobles or at least is a temple. Flying carpets, a fucking Dumbo, random giants... what is this shite?

 

[Drakortha]

I hate how flamboyant everything is in this game. The art direction is absolute ass. Why is Baldur's Gate in the middle of a coastal mountain range? On every map I've ever seen it was located on a plain near a river mouth and the descritpions only mentioned cliffs dividing the lower and upper parts of the city. Why does it look like it's vaguely inspired by the Mediterranean architecture instead of a more northern feel, let's say a Hanseatic city? I can't stand how in-your-face everything has to be with these people, no room for subtlety, magical creatures spill out of every nook and tranny, every building looks like it houses nobles or at least is a temple. Flying carpets, a fucking Dumbo, random giants... what is this shite?

This is what everyone wanted when they paid full retail price for early access.

It was shite since the beginning. No day/night cycles should have been a big enough red flag and enough of a reason to hold off pre-ordering this garbage. But consumers don't care about the quality of the product they are buying. They will consume new shiny thing because it's new and shiny, every single time.

 

[stendhal]

In the trailer Astarion was casting Fireball from a rooftop, right? As an arcane trickster, he would have to be level 13, so I guess this kinda indicates (confirms?) level 13-14 as max level. Guess we will see some 7th level spells then.

 

[d1r]

In the trailer Astarion was casting Fireball from a rooftop, right? As an arcane trickster, he would have to be level 13, so I guess this kinda indicates (confirms?) level 13-14 as max level. Guess we will see some 7th level spells then.

Thieves can use scrolls, can't they?

 

[ADULF HITLOR FAN KLUB]

what is this shite?

Original Sin 3.

 

[Swen]

I hate how flamboyant everything is in this game. The art direction is absolute ass. Why is Baldur's Gate in the middle of a coastal mountain range? On every map I've ever seen it was located on a plain near a river mouth and the descriptions only mentioned cliffs dividing the lower and upper parts of the city. Why does it look like it's vaguely inspired by the Mediterranean architecture instead of a more northern feel, let's say a Hanseatic city? I can't stand how in-your-face everything has to be with these people, no room for subtlety, magical creatures spill out of every nook and tranny, every building looks like it houses nobles or at least is a temple. Flying carpets, a fucking Dumbo, random giants... what is this shite?

You dumb nogger

The literal creator of Baldur's Gate gave his fiat to me and agrees what I made is the real Baldur's Gate.

 

[stendhal]

In the trailer Astarion was casting Fireball from a rooftop, right? As an arcane trickster, he would have to be level 13, so I guess this kinda indicates (confirms?) level 13-14 as max level. Guess we will see some 7th level spells then.

Thieves can use scrolls, can't they?

You are correct. I had the impression that spells from scrolls had different casting animations. A bummer.

 

[Fargus]

Didn't know Greenwood lives in such squalor and he looks like a schizophreniac in his natural environment. Even post soviet appartments from 90s look cozier than this shit

Will there actually be any new companions? Really tired of seeing the same five posterboy cucks and goblinas since 2020.

Swen you cocksucker, where are my romancible tielfling babes?

 

[MerchantKing]

Romance? That's where you and a woman compare stock portfolios and decide whether or not combining your portfolios would be mutually profitable right? I don't ever see that happening in this game.

 

[whydoibother]

Elder Scrolls Online

 

[Infinitron]

View attachment 37305

Elder Scrolls Online

View attachment 37306

Yeah, Lawrence the Loremaster left Zenimax and has been quietly working with Larian for a while. Somebody spotted him standing in the back in a photo of the BG3 devteam back in 2021.

 

[d1r]

View attachment 37305

Elder Scrolls Online

View attachment 37306

Yeah, Lawrence the Loremaster left Zenimax and has been quietly working with Larian for a while. Somebody spotted him standing in the back in a photo of the BG3 devteam a while back.

Is this a good or bad thing?

 

[Infinitron]

Yeah, Lawrence the Loremaster left Zenimax and has been quietly working with Larian for a while. Somebody spotted him standing in the back in a photo of the BG3 devteam a while back.

Is this a good or bad thing?

He's one of those tabletop veterans who has been floating around the gaming industry forever, never really making that much of an impression. As long as they have him in an advisory role writing lore sourcebooks and stuff, he's probably okay.

 

[TwoEdge]

I'm a fan. The dude helped Gygax write and edit the first DMG and wrote the White Plume Mountain module for Greyhawk that gets accolades to this day. He was also there for some of Microprose's best years and is a friend and collaborator of prominent figures such as Sid Meier and Ken Rolston. I'm biased, but I think he has talent if not fame. I'd say his involvement could be quite positive, but again, not sure what's his role here.

 

[La vie sexuelle]

Brace yourselves, I'm not here to whine, I want to give credit where it's due - it's very refreshing to see level-headed game developers talking frankly and seriously about their work, and the smart-casual office dress is a welcome touch, too. No, really, this is a good video, they all came across as very credible and it helps to build up some confidence and anticipa...

Wait...

What's this?

Oh, God damnit!

For sake of Saint Isidore of Seville...Baldur's Gate finally became Critical Role. I can only imagine what could happen if production would last longer...

 

[Infinitron]

Summed up in a Community Update: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1086940/view/3649651368763455642

Community Update #19: Mechs and the City
Return to Baldur's Gate for the first time in 20 years as the city prepares for war

Our goggles are on, our posture is aerodynamic; like a gnome hurled through the air by a barbarian with a mean overhead throw, Baldur’s Gate 3 is rapidly hurtling toward launch.

This weekend, we unveiled the city of Baldur's Gate for the very first time, with a glimpse behind its walls and around its familiar labyrinthine streets. It's been about 20 years since we last had a pint in the Elfsong Tavern or crawled through the sewers beneath the city streets and, as you might have spotted during the PC Gaming Show, many of these locations are back, and many news ones are waiting to be discovered for the first time - giving you a chance to explore the menacing roads of the Outer City, the opulent estates of the Upper City, and the dark alleys and pubs of the Lower City.

But the Baldur's Gate that we've built is a lot more than faithful geography. As a modern adaptation of an iconic fantasy setting, this city couldn’t be a mere backdrop. It needed to feel more like a complex organism: alive, changeable, and interconnected. Your journey, and your story, has been heading in this direction since the start of the game. You’ve finally arrived.

Welcome To Baldur's Gate

Though your journey hasn’t been easy, you arrive at a city preparing for war. As the Steel Watch patrols Baldur’s Gate’s labyrinthian streets, the printing press prepares the daily news cycle. There are factions within the city vying for control, all disagreeing on what to make of outside threats, and new faces within the city walls. Opportunity in times of struggle is rife. What you make of it, and what it makes of you, will be determined by your choices up to the city walls, and beyond their shadow.

We’ve built a truly next-gen fantasy city, and upped the stakes. Our latest trailer gives you a sense of that scale, showing rolling vistas of grand buildings that recede into the horizon, boisterous docks with harbours thick with ships, and lively town centres populated with over a thousand individual characters. You can explore all of it.

On cobbled streets, bustling crowds go about their day, each one with a story to unravel, a secret to uncover, or a personal reaction to be stirred. Peer further down those steep hills and you might spot a distant bell tower that you can climb for a panoramic view of the city. Make a wrong turn to the visiting circus and explore your deep-seated clown phobia. Or you could case the local inn, where sinister rumours lurk in secret back rooms. In short, Baldur's Gate is your oyster. It is its own vast, complex organism inside of a game already filled with opportunities for exploration. What your role is within it is entirely up to you.

Our scope for the city is big. But it's also grown substantially over the past year.

From the very beginning, we envisioned a Baldur’s Gate that players could navigate however they chose - whether that’s flying to the hidden rooftop nest of Gale's pet tressym, burrowing into a locked prison cell as a giant badger, or slipping into the Counting House in the form of a little cloud (not technically considered breaking and entering as per Faerûnian property law). But in our original prototype, the city was actually much more compartmentalised - a series of small, contained regions connected by teleporters. And so it remained until midway into developing the city, when we decided to make some major changes.

"[Swen] said, like, can't we just connect everything?" reminisces World Building Director Farhang Namdar. "And that was an interesting day."

What's come out of that decision is something we’re very proud of. The districts of Baldur's Gate are now three seamless open worlds. No matter whether you’re investigating underground crypts, climbing the stairs of a towering citadel, or descending into hidden cellars, open-ended exploration reigns supreme. No longer are they broken up into much smaller chunks. This - though ambitious - means that we were finally able to achieve that grand sense of hustle and bustle, where all the stories within the city were truly interconnected. There’s plenty to discover, and to be distracted by, and nothing is off-limits. We wanted every house to have real characters who had stories, and who could offer quests with secrets to uncover.

Hello to Jason Isaacs

Like the city itself, the political landscape of Baldur's Gate is something that must be deftly navigated. While the streets may appear orderly, maintained in check by a security force of hulking automatons, beneath the surface lies an undeniable undercurrent of turmoil. Duke Ravengard has disappeared, and in his wake a power vacuum has emerged, leaving an opportunity for ambitious factions and individuals to seize control and shape the fate of the city.

Enter Lord Enver Gortash, commander of a clockwork army of Steel Watchers. Raised by a devil, a leader among loners, Enver Gortash freed himself of his bonds to envision wonders and become a master of both men and mechanisms.

Jason had this to say about the nefarious politician: "It was a thrill to join the Baldur’s Gate universe but I fear that the magnificent Lord Enver Gortash is being mischaracterized as a villain. In a brutal world of betrayals and butchery, he’s learned to lie better and backstab first. The joy in voicing him - apart from the obvious pleasure in getting to look so glorious - was that the creative team and I got to play loose enough to find ways that he could enjoy the ride and make the players hate him more!"

First revealed during last week's Summer Game Fest, Larian Studios is thrilled to announce that acclaimed actor and all-round great bad-guy Jason Isaacs is taking on the role of this dark and charismatic sovereign. Best known for playing classic antagonists such as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, Captain Hook in 2003’s Peter Pan, and Captain Gabriel Lorca in Star Trek: Discovery, Isaacs adds a layer of depth to the characters you’ll meet here, bringing with him decades of experience in acting the villain to the recording booth and even modifying lines of dialogue between takes.

Through Gortash, players will help define the future of the legendary city, deciding who to align with in the struggle for the soul of Baldur's Gate.

We know, you want to know if you can romance Lord Enver Gortash… We get it.

The Road Ahead
In this year’s PCGaming Show, to celebrate the beginning of the end, we worked with Mashed to create this fun little animated short written by our very own Emily Gera, starring the original voice cast for Baldur’s Gate 3! Frooooooog. We hope you enjoy watching it as much as we did. Players of Act 1 will find a few easter eggs designed just for you. Awwww!

Baldur’s Gate 3 is much, much bigger than we had envisioned when we started this journey roughly 5 years ago. Looking at what’s in Act 1 Early Access right now, it’s fair to say that you’ve really only seen a glimmer of the full experience to come. In July, you’ll begin to get a more complete look not just at how far Baldur’s Gate 3 has come, but where it’s been heading all these years in development. We know you’re really eager to hear about all the playable races & classes in the game. It’s coming.

Spoilers! We also understand that many of you are cautious about spoilers and we don’t intend to spoil anything between now and launch as we release some new exciting video assets and information into the wild. We’ll try and give you a heads up about the nature of something before you see it, so you can make an informed decision as to whether it’s something you’d like to learn about, or wait to experience yourself at launch.

With regards to any other platforms Baldur’s 3 will release on, our plan is to release the game in order of platform readiness. Once we’re sure about dates, we’ll let you know. You can rest assured we’ll try to make BG3 run on every platform we can, but it’s a gigantic, truly next-generation RPG with split screen, multiplayer and incredible breadth & density and we don’t want to compromise.

With that said - ONWARD, to Baldur’s Gate! We’ll
see you in another community update in the not too distant future.

We’re nearly there.