Baldur's Gate Baldur's Gate 3 Pre-Release Thread [EARLY ACCESS RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Murk]

we can always agree that IWD1 is prettiest at everything.

I agree, and I was always curious why it was the case other than just... well "taste", but Josh "He-Who-Broke-The-Scales" Sawyer answered this in one of his talks where he was still selling PoE as a better system -- apparently bioware rarely if ever painted over their 3d renders for gameworld areas where-as black isle (and later Obsidian) would nearly always paint over the 3d render to give it a lot more detail and intricacy.

It definitely worked, cuz IWD 1's maps (and 2's) look way better than either of the BGs.

 

[Elex]

Yeah a mistake, they are not in a tour for show the game to press right now.

they just love trains and sleep in hotels.

 

[luj1]

Sven will be in disbelief when this bombs

 

[curry]

I amazed to find out someone thinks BG2 aesthetics are better than BG1. Apart from the more detailed maps and effects, it's pretty much universally accepted in the community that BG1 fundamentals are vastly superior.

But even if you don't agree, there's just no way you can argue with regards to paperdolls and avatars. Here BG1 wins with such a huge margin it should be obvious to everyone.

Music and voice acting was also better in BG.

 

[Chippy]

I amazed to find out someone thinks BG2 aesthetics are better than BG1. Apart from the more detailed maps and effects, it's pretty much universally accepted in the community that BG1 fundamentals are vastly superior.

But even if you don't agree, there's just no way you can argue with regards to paperdolls and avatars. Here BG1 wins with such a huge margin it should be obvious to everyone.

Music and voice acting was also better in BG.

The original spell voice overs have been lost to time (I think there was a mod to restore them) but they were much more impressive. "Potentis pah" kind of grated after a while.

 

[luj1]

>Sven unveils the disgrace
>the fuckkkkkk is that
>Sven: don't you guys like tEcHnOloGy? Look how the genre eVoLvEd!!
>um nope

 

[fantadomat]

The first thing I noticed in BG2 was the fact that portraits were way more lamer than the ones in BG1.
It was like they used a filter of gayness when creating them.

]

If it keep going like that, this is what we're going to get in BG3...

 

[Sentinel]

Can they make the game with the same art style as BG2? I mean literally the same art style, the same character models, the same animations and stuff only in modern 3d, wouldn't it be glorious?

Stop trying to act like you have good aesthetic taste; you don't. The UI, anims, paperdolls, icons and character models are objectively superior in BG (that's BG, not BG2).

Here, let me give you a few examples:

BG vs. BG2:

BG:

BG2:

BG:

BG2:

BG:

BG2:

In respect to backdrops, BG lacks the fidelity and color depth of BG2, but that's just a technical limitation of the time. In all respects, its aesthetics exhibit superior taste.

Also, BG laid down all groundwork whereas BG2 leeched off BG + IWD.

So the fact you cite BG2 over BG just shows what an idiot you are.

Everything you mentioned is subjective, retard, but i happen to agree some things are better in BG compared to BG2

No, she is actually right and you are fucking moron if you can't see it.

One of the first things i do in all games that use that God awful BG2 shit is replace everything with the BG originals.

you must love BG2EE then, since it does it automatically for you.

 

[Background Character]

Unrelated but I always hated how Irenicus sells your loot and you can get some (but not all of it) back

Fuck you Irenicus, you don't fuck with a man's loot like that

 

[DalekFlay]

I agree, and I was always curious why it was the case other than just... well "taste", but Josh "He-Who-Broke-The-Scales" Sawyer answered this in one of his talks where he was still selling PoE as a better system -- apparently bioware rarely if ever painted over their 3d renders for gameworld areas where-as black isle (and later Obsidian) would nearly always paint over the 3d render to give it a lot more detail and intricacy.

It definitely worked, cuz IWD 1's maps (and 2's) look way better than either of the BGs.

I always wondered why they looked better. Good info.

 

[Morroweird]

The first thing I noticed in BG2 was the fact that portraits were way more lamer than the ones in BG1.
It was like they used a filter of gayness when creating them.

Spoiler

I could never get over what they did to Jaheira

 

[Harthwain]

The first thing I noticed in BG2 was the fact that portraits were way more lamer than the ones in BG1.
It was like they used a filter of gayness when creating them.

Spoiler

I could never get over what they did to Jaheira

In 1 she looks barely like a woman and you could easily mistake her for a human. In 2 she may not look amazing or anything, but at least you can tell what you're looking at.

Other than that I like potraits from BG2 more than their BG1 counterparts, with the exception of Edwin, but even Edwin's BG2 portait isn't bad.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

But even if you don't agree, there's just no way you can argue with regards to paperdolls and avatars. Here BG1 wins with such a huge margin it should be obvious to everyone.

Really, as someone who never grew up on BG1 avatar "art" most of them feels like heavily edited cosplayer photos. With the cosplayers being nerds that tried too hard to "look cool in fantasy settings."

I guess this is just Codex's older is better mentality.

 

[Morroweird]

Really, as someone who never grew up on BG1 avatar "art" most of them feels like heavily edited cosplayer photos. With the cosplayers being nerds that tried too hard to "look cool in fantasy settings."

The fairly realistic style is a big part of their charm and the somewhat quirky look of some of these individuals just adds to that. And for players who don't fancy that there is also a selection of standard square-jawed hero-types. The 'glamorous' airbrushed style of BGII, along with the somewhat pouty poses was IMO a step down.

In 1 she looks barely like a woman

and you could easily mistake her for a human

which is quite common for a half-elf, isn't it?

 

[Harthwain]

In 1 she looks barely like a woman

OK. That might have been a bit too far. *Ekhm* She looks like an ugly woman.

and you could easily mistake her for a human

which is quite common for a half-elf, isn't it?

I wouldn't know. Is it? Or should it be so in this case? It's not like there is a reason to keep this particular character's identity a secret from the player.

 

[Nifft Batuff]

The first thing I noticed in BG2 was the fact that portraits were way more lamer than the ones in BG1.
It was like they used a filter of gayness when creating them.

Spoiler

I could never get over what they did to Jaheira

The left one is blatantly a photo. The right one is a drawing (or a heavily retouched photo)

 

[Lacrymas]

Isn't it a photo taken of one of the devs' wife/girlfriend?

 

[Morroweird]

I wouldn't know. Is it? Or should it be so in this case? It's not like there is a reason to keep this particular character's identity a secret from the player.

I think there's a fairly common trope in which the human genes are stronger in mixed-breed types, the rapid breeders that we are, and the ancestry can only be seen in small traces

The left one is blatantly a photo.

Isn't it a photo taken of one of the devs' wife/girlfriend?

I always thought the BG I portraits were well executed illustrations in the photorealist style. But it's possible they are based on photos. Maybe there was a mention of it in some post-mortem interviews? Not easy to find.

 

[hell bovine]

In 2 she may not look amazing or anything, but at least you can tell what you're looking at.

Yes, a photoshop victim. That's why her head is tilted, to give an illusion her face isn't basically badly done copy paste.

BG1 portrait is a paintover of a human photo.

Isn't it a photo taken of one of the devs' wife/girlfriend?

Some of them might be. I *think* I've seen the original photo in one of the old portrait packs for BG1, but it has been over a decade, so it's likely wrong. But I seem to remember going "Jaheira is a lingerie model?!" because she had much less armor on (that, or it was a porn actress I guess).

 

[Grotesque]

I would love to see the real dev faces the BG1 portraits were based on.

When I first played BG1 back in the day, I was blown away by the quality and the plausibility, the candid realism in those portraits. They were on a level not seen by me until that date. They didn't look "gamey" at all but retained a certain level of whimsical aura to them.

So when I heard years later that the portraits were based on real life faces, I was pleasantly surprised.

But what happened since the 90's?
Because nowadays, when a play a game with backer based portraits as a kickstarter pledge level reward, I can see it from a mile away that the physiognomy of the NPC is based on a puffed up burger loving "virginal" dude.
And that makes the BG1 portraits more valuable and cherished.

 

[Lacrymas]

I always thought the BG I portraits were well executed illustrations in the photorealist style. But it's possible they are based on photos. Maybe there was a mention of it in some post-mortem interviews? Not easy to find.

Some (most?) of them are retouched photos. I'm 99% sure Ajantis and Jaheira are. Ajantis is Muzyka actually and I think Jaheira is his wife.

EDIT: No, Imoen's portrait is the wife of one of the artists.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

When I first played BG1 back in the day, I was blown away by the quality and the plausibility,

Man the first time I played BG 1 my impression was "Jesus Christ these are ugly."

Its even how I learn to mod in the first place. Finding replacement for BG portraits.

I guess its the difference with people who played game since early 90s with me who first played BG in 2005 and had exposure to other media first (I had my first PC back then and it can only run old games).

 

[Roguey]

The BG2 portrait artist was a coomer who traced porn, yes.

Gaider remarked that one of the artists watched porn at work and nobody cared.

 

[d1r]

Just imagine how much unreleased Viconia erotica he has on his hard drive.

And we will never see it...

 

[Harthwain]

The BG2 portrait artist was a coomer who traced porn, yes.

Gaider remarked that one of the artists watched porn at work and nobody cared.

He was doing research, obviously.