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

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

This guy was writing this lousy answer since you posted hours ago, Gargaune .
Like when he quoted and highlighted a typo in my post that I had already edited out half a hour before.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

This guy was writing this lousy answer since you posted hours ago, @Gargaune .
Like when quoted and highlighted a typo in my post that I had already edited out half a hour before.

Have you been sitting in this thread all day, loser?

I have an actual life, moron. I left a long time ago and replied just now. I probably did the same with your post too.

Speaking of edits, I've seen you ninja some of mine. Does this mean that you're sitting here clicking refresh every minute or so? Do day/night cycles mean that much to you?

 

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

Have you been sitting in this thread all day, loser?

I just came back to it seconds ago after a phone notification. Thanks for asking.

Also, let's add to your question a necessary "Says the guy who writes fucking vapid multi-quotes full of nothing that can kill your mousewheel if you don't approach them carefully".

I have an actual life, moron.

I bet that sucks like your arguments.

I left a long time ago and replied just now. I probably did the same with your post too.

Sure, that's why it included (and even highlighted) a typo I corrected seconds after posting, but the reply came 30 minutes later.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

I just came back to it seconds ago after a phone notification. Thanks for asking.

Also, let's add to your question a necessary "Says the guy who writes fucking vapid multi-quotes full of nothing that can kill your mousewheel if you don't approach them carefully".

How are you using a mouse wheel on a phone?

And I'm using about as many multiquotes as he is.

Sure, that's why it included (and even highlighted) a typo I corrected seconds after posting, but the reply came 30 minutes later.

If you want to believe I took 8 hours on a post that took 5 minutes to write, or 30 minutes in this case, be my guest.

It sounds like an assumption someone who's in this thread all day that would make though.

 

[Jermu]

this day/night cycle discussion is very thought-provoking and fruitful hope you can keep it up for 100 more pages

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

this day/night cycle discussion is very thought-provoking and fruitful hope you can keep it up for 100 more pages

We've been discussing it for 3 years. 100 pages? Try 700.

 

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

How are you using a mouse wheel on a phone?

I said I got a notification on the phone. Not that I posted from it (now).

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

How are you using a mouse wheel on a phone?

I said I got a notification on the phone. Not that I posted from it now.

Good to know.

 

[cpmartins]

HOW DOES LARIAN WRITING AT ANY LEVEL, AT ANY POINT IN ANY GAME THEY EVER MADE make any sense?

Fixed.

 

[Delterius]

HOW DOES LARIAN WRITING AT ANY LEVEL, AT ANY POINT IN ANY GAME THEY EVER MADE make any sense?

Fixed.

i know right they are perfect for writing the minsc game sequel

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

How does having a veteran of the Blood War as a level 1 companion / origin story make any sense?

Blame 5E.

Wizard's Avernus campaign is for levels 1-13.
https://www.inverse.com/article/559...ase-date-plot-setting-characters-and-vehicles

 

[cpmartins]

HOW DOES LARIAN WRITING AT ANY LEVEL, AT ANY POINT IN ANY GAME THEY EVER MADE make any sense?

Fixed.

i know right they are perfect for writing the minsc game sequel

You can aim a lot of criticism at Bioware writing at that time but at least it made sense, unlike larian verbal diarrhea. I never found myself wanting to jump off a bridge after five minutes of dialogue in those games.

 

[Cryomancer]

One thing which I really hope that Larian does is to make the mindflayer tadpole something more than merely cosmetic.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

One thing which I really hope that Larian does is to make the mindflayer tadpole something more than merely cosmetic.

Well, it already kinda is, but I can see it being developed as some sort of parallel to the bhaalspawn powers.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

One thing which I really hope that Larian does is to make the mindflayer tadpole something more than merely cosmetic.

It is. You can get mindflayer powers over time. Seems like there are several paths to take with dealing the worms too, so there's probably other options. I know you can also lose an eye trying to deal with them in Act One.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

I want to be a dragon mindflayer!

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

this day/night cycle discussion is very thought-provoking and fruitful hope you can keep it up for 100 more pages

We've been discussing it for 3 years. 100 pages? Try 700.

The day/night cycle discussion began May 2020 in the old BG3 thread, so we are nearing 1100 pages in which we have been discussing this topic: https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/baldurs-gate-3-pre-release-thread-early-access-released-go-to-new-thread.127856/page-484#post-6579997

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

The day/night cycle discussion began May 2000

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

The day/night cycle discussion began May 2000

It's up there with the "I want to be introduced as an npc who romances Coran" discussion.

 

[Rhobar121]

The day/night cycle discussion began May 2000

It's up there with the "I want to be introduced as an npc who romances Coran" discussion.

You know what's the worst? I'm able to believe that such a thread exists.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

The day/night cycle discussion began May 2000

It's up there with the "I want to be introduced as an npc who romances Coran" discussion.

You know what's the worst? I'm able to believe that such a thread exists.

It's a story from the Black Isle forums. There used to be a female fan who INSISTED on having Coran as a romanceable npc in BG2. She was so infamous for this that Bioware brought back Coran, but as a cameo... in which he's in a relationship with Safana, and is being actively being hunted by a forest beast who demands his affection.

 

[Gargaune]

Jesus Christ, grant me internet patience...

Edgy Non-Gamer, let's try this one more time, step by step. I'm gonna take our two subjects of contention, the day/night cycle and the camp, break each one of them down, and you tell me why that wouldn't work for BG3, okay? Nice and easy...

​

​

1) Day/Night Cycle

So right now the tadpole plot progression works that every time you take a rest, a "day" passes and increments your tadpole ticker, correct? Time doesn't pass while you're dicking around in the level, it's always sunny in Faerun, you rest when you need to replenish your abilities. Once that tadpole ticker counts past certain milestones, crazy shit starts happening and you've got narrative feedback that you're under pressure, have I got it right so far?

Okay, so now let's assume that time is passing dynamically in the game, you've got, for instance, two real time hours of daylight followed by two real time hours of night. The question is how do we handle the tadpole ticker in this scary new world? Well, we've got a couple of options:

​

a) Hot Real Time Tadpole Action​

​

Every four real world hours, meaning a full in-game day, that little tadpole eats another piece of juicy adventurer brain and the ticker goes up by one! Now this right here is your Mask of the Betrayer, the hardcore option. Fighting goblins? Tadpole's eating your brain! Exploring the countryside? Tadpole's eating your brain! Browsing a merchant's wares? Guess what, tadpole's eating your fucking brain!​

​

In effect, what's happening is that you're moving the tadpole plot progression from your strategic resource management layer - because that's what drives your rest frequency - to your actual playtime, every second you spend unpaused, you're on the clock... The next time you rest in your camp after the tadpole levels, the relevant event plays.​

​

You don't like this, do you? I know, it'd be the most accurate representation of the "lore", but that sort of pressure's not for everyone... And you know what? It's not for me either! I didn't like that part of MotB - I could manage it, but I wished it were different, which brings me to...​

​

​

b) Your Tadpole Levels with You​

​

I'm only throwing this in here as an academic exercise, so I won't waste too much time on it, but it's a MotB idea that could also apply to BG3 - your tadpole eats your brain as you gain experience, either full levels or intermediate marks, depending on how many events you want to write in. Leveled up? Cool, enjoy your new feat! That'll be one grey matter omelette with a side of fries, please. Again, your next rest after taking a tadpole level will play the event.​

​

Now this will move your tadpole stage progression from resource management to general completion... On the one hand, that's even less variable and much easier to design for than rest counters, but on the other, you could argue it punishes you for engaging with side content...​

​

So still not quite right for you? Well, don't worry, because I saved the best for last, you're gonna love this next option...​

​

​

c) NOTHING FUCKING CHANGES​

​

The tadpole eats your brain when you rest. Boom. You've got a dynamic day/night cycle as you play outside, but your tadpole ticker still increments when you take a nap, meaning the entire tadpole plot progresses exactly the same way Larian have it now, with it being tied to your need to replenish your resources. And since, without a fatigue mechanic, your rest frequency is governed by your resource use, it's literally the same in this regard.​

​

Now if you were to also implement a fatigue mechanic, that could present an interesting opportunity to also cap the maximum time per tadpole increment, gain a little extra control as a designer that way. But that's entirely optional, you don't have to if it frightens you.​

​

As for why the tadpole only eats your brain when you rest... Well, for whatever fucking reason the writer wants. You could say it's a gourmand tadpole and your brain's tastier while you're sleeping. Or - check this out - you could say nothing at all. We've already established that your transformation is not progressing per the usual rules for reasons that will be revealed later in the story. It's still "urgent", but slower and no one knows exactly how much time you have, so you can set that ticker to whatever the fuck you want. Part of a writer's job is to also know when not to explain shit. So, once more, nothing changes.​

So, bottom line here is that there's no inherent conflict between a day/night cycle and Larian's cinematic plot progression. You can either build it around different mechanics or you can even do it exactly the same way as it is right now. I can't believe I had to lay this shit out like this.


2) The Camp

Which you definitely didn't bring up...

I think the reason for the lack of a day/night cycle is more for narrative purposes. They want players to go back to camp, since that's where a lot of events take place.

Anyway. My point on this was that implementing a day/night cycle is no inherent impediment to it, you can still whisk the player to their magical pocket plane if that's where you want to play out your scenes. Like in the aforementioned Throne of Bhaal.

As for the camp's cinematic value... eh. I haven't played since the second EA build, I think, so maybe things have changed since then, but most of the interactions I saw then consisted of talking around the campfire and the bedspreads, things you can easily pull off with relative markers inside a clearance radius (i.e. a placeable camp object). And if you really want a scene banging Shadowheart in a moonlit forest clearing, you can always play an animation of you walking away from a compatible location. Plus, aside from muh immersion, a real camp opens up the possibility for topical random encounters.

The issue is that Larian are combining rest vignettes with a home base and I remain convinced that the main driver here is development expediency. I maintain that I'd prefer a less cinematic in situ camp over this approach, but I suppose Larian could make some cinematics that would capitalise on a bespoke home base, especially once you get to Baldur's Gate. The best approach would be to have both, of course, camps when you're out on the trail and a home base with a narrative thread and maybe mechanics bringing you back to it as required, but it is what it is.


But back on the original point, no, having a day/night cycle doesn't stop you having your abstract cinematic camp.



P.S. Just cause this takes the fucking cake...

Your fault for ninjaing my edit. You say I need to take a break, but here you are spamming refresh and making semantic arguments.

"Ninjaing your edit?" Get your silly ass back to Reddit. And no, changing "these" to "a lot of these" is no better when describing one out of three things.

I'm glad you think you can make a AAA game with all these features cheaply and think that you can design a 3D, cinematic game like a 2D game. Go do that.

Did I mention Reddit?


P.P.S. Notifications work, I saw you change that rating from

to

, you little fuck.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

Every four real world hours, meaning a full in-game day, that little tadpole eats another piece of juicy adventurer brain and the ticker goes up by one! Now this right here is your Mask of the Betrayer

Except MotB you could just feed it other people's brains. There was a whole spirit energy mechanic. Not the same.

In effect, what's happening is that you're moving the tadpole plot progression from your strategic resource management layer - because that's what drives your rest frequency - to your actual playtime, every second you spend unpaused, you're on the clock... The next time you rest in your camp after the tadpole levels, the relevant event plays.

Yes, put a real-time gameplay mechanic that's tied to the plot in a turn-based game. Wonderful.

c) NOTHING FUCKING CHANGES

Things do change. You still haven't handled afk ruining games due to a hidden timer. You've come up with a new time management minigame. And I'm not sure why you and other posters keep equating this to MotB, since it's a countdown to transformation, not a spirit meter that you can fill or run low on.

The fact that you need to come up with that multi-paragraph cope of how to work around it and then shout "nothing changes!" when you just added new systems to the game is proof that this is an issue.

The rest of your post amounts to going back into circles we've already covered. You've chosen to spew a rehashed version of your argument instead of just responding to my post.

Which you definitely didn't bring up...

I didn't bring up the idea of having an invisible camp that you carry with you, ala Kingmaker. That was you guys. Apologies if I misunderstood what you were referencing there, it's been a long conversation.

Anyway. My point on this was that implementing a day/night cycle is no inherent impediment to it

Again, there are other narrative reasons. The tadpoles.

"Ninjaing your edit?" Get your silly ass back to Reddit.

Nigger, I've been on this site for 20 years. We've said this sort of thing since the early 2000s. I don't even have a reddit account. Get your silly ass back to Reddit if you think they invented shit.

Did I mention Reddit?

Yes, because you have nothing of actual value to say.

 

[Non-Edgy Gamer]

P.P.S. Notifications work, I saw you change that rating from

to

, you little fuck.

Yes, the tldr was a troll, I'll admit. We do a little trolling here.

 

[KIss My Ass]

So does this have skill trees, paragon boards, and seasons like Diablo 4? Also when does it come out on PS5?