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

[RPK]

Only irredeemable optimists thought this was going to be anything like BG outside of the same series of ruleset.

Speaking of, I don't think Solasta can compete with this.

of course not, they probably have a tenth of the budget.

 

[Lacrymas]

They still haven't shown how the world map works(or if there's one at all) and if we will be able to travel between locations freely

There are waypoints like in D:OS.

 

[Dodo1610]

They still haven't shown how the world map works(or if there's one at all) and if we will be able to travel between locations freely

There is no overworld map.

 

[Shrimp]

Speaking of, I don't think Solasta can compete with this.

I can't imagine anyone thought what essentially is an upstart indie company (even if the names behind it have prior industry experience) could compete on even foot with Larian's iteration of BG3 given their 'momentum' after DOS2's release as well as the funding I assume WOTC is providing them.
Either way I'm going to play (and hopefully enjoy) both games. Both of them seem to be bringing verticality a lot more into game experience which I think could have a good long-term impact on the genre. In my opinion that's exactly the kind of innovation that'd benefit these types of games without having them veer too far from their original concepts

 

[Robber Baron]

They still haven't shown how the world map works(or if there's one at all) and if we will be able to travel between locations freely

There are waypoints like in D:OS.

They still haven't shown how the world map works(or if there's one at all) and if we will be able to travel between locations freely

There is no overworld map.

a shame

Spoiler

 

[Lacrymas]

I can't imagine anyone thought what essentially is an upstart indie company (even if the names behind it have prior industry experience) could compete on even foot with Larian's iteration of BG3 given their 'momentum' after DOS2's release as well as the funding I assume WOTC is providing them.
Either way I'm going to play (and hopefully enjoy) both games. Both of them seem to be bringing verticality a lot more into game experience which I think could have a good long-term impact on the genre. In my opinion that's exactly the kind of innovation that'd benefit these types of games without having them veer too far from their original concepts

I'm not saying Solasta should compete in popularity or monetary success, but in encounter and area design. Gameplay in general. BG3 just looks like a better version of the same concept.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.ign.com/articles/baldurs-gate-3-gameplay-12-things-we-learned

Baldur's Gate 3: 12 Things We Learned From the Latest Gameplay

More Baldur’s Gate 3 gameplay was shown today as part of Dungeons & Dragons Live and IGN’s Summer of Gaming. Founder of Larian Studios, Swen Vincke, streamed himself playing the game for 90 minutes, and the journey revealed many interesting new features, changes, and improvements from when we last saw Baldur’s Gate 3 in action in February.

For the important highlights from the stream, keep reading to discover 12 new things we learned about Baldur’s Gate 3.

A re-written narrator
One of the most controversial features of the original gameplay reveal was that the narrator spoke in past tense, as if retelling the story of Baldur’s Gate 3 around a campfire long after the events of the game had passed. Many fans found this an odd approach, and so Larian has re-written the narrator with a more traditional present-tense voice. Now, the narration and your dialogue options make it feel as if it is you making the decisions.

A new initiative order
The Initiative system has been adjusted a little since we last saw it in February, and it is now a hybrid of two Dungeons and Dragons systems: traditional and side initiative. Originally, Baldur’s Gate 3 planned to use side initiative, in which an entire party - yours or the enemy’s - takes their turn, and then the action swaps to the other party. This allows for more intricate combinations of attacks, as multiple friendly characters can attack together.

The new system, however, opts for a traditional initiative order based on individuals. An example of this may be an order of two of your party members followed by three enemies and then another party member.

But elements of side initiative do remain. Should you have two or more of your party members clustered together in the initiative order, you can activate them in whichever order you’d like. You can even bounce back and forth between them should they have actions remaining. This allows for combining character abilities, but also maintains a speedy back-and-forth between sides.

Reactions
In tabletop Dungeons and Dragons, characters can make reaction moves to interrupt an enemy attack. These are represented in Baldur’s Gate 3 by a condition you set on each character. When that condition is triggered, your character automatically makes the reaction move. We saw this early in the stream when a party member had Opportunity Attack set as their reaction, which was triggered by an enemy coming too close.

Feather Fall was also shown as a reaction; when activated, it will kick in if you fall from a great height, ensuring that you gracefully land without taking damage. The stream showed this being used to survive a jump into the subterranean Underdark, which would usually be a fatal fall. The maps in Baldur’s Gate 3 are significantly more vertical than most RPGs, and so Feather Fall looks like it will come in pretty useful.

Inspiration
The Dungeons and Dragons mechanic Inspiration is in Baldur’s Gate 3, which allows you to re-roll a skill check if you’d like to take a stab at rolling a higher number. How Inspiration is earned has not yet been fully revealed, but Inspiration points can be held onto and used when you feel they’re most useful.

Environmental skill checks
We’ve already seen how skill checks are part of conversations, and that they require you to actively roll dice to discover the outcomes. However, it appears that passive skill checks are also a thing that are activated while exploring the world. During the section of the stream spent exploring the Underdark, player character Lae’zel is seen automatically making a passive Nature check upon discovering a Torchstalk plant. The player doesn’t have to manually roll for the check, but because it succeeds Lae’zel then speaks dialogue explaining that the Torchstalk will explode if approached. A failed check would not reveal that information, and so players could accidentally blow themselves up.

Destructible environments
Another form of passive skill check is Investigation, which again is automatically rolled when exploring the world. An example was seen in the stream when one party member, Gale, was exploring a dungeon and discovered a crack in the wall thanks to a successful Investigation check. This indicates a weak wall that can be broken down. Destructible elements of the environment - which can also include bridges - will require the right kind of equipment; a sword won’t break bricks, but a warhammer can. Alternatively, spells or explosives can be used, too, such as barrels of explosive powder.

UI changes
The UI has received an overhaul since we last saw it, making it more distinct from the style used for Larian’s previous game, Divinity: Original Sin 2. The actions hotbar has been redesigned, with a more distinct split between your character’s natural actions - such as jumping and pushing - and their class skills such as spells. The tool tip cards for each also have new artwork and presentation.

We also saw some neat quality of life adjustments, too, such as the line drawn to show your characters movement being highlighted in red if it takes them through dangerous terrain.

Multi-level spell casting
Within that UI we also saw that spellcasting, like in the tabletop rules for Dungeons & Dragons, is based on level tiers. For example, the player character knew the spell Thunderwave, but was able to choose to cast it at level one or the more powerful level two. It appears that our choices in regards to abilities will be deep.

Stealth
Characters are able to sneak, and a visual indicator on the cursor shows how well you can be seen by enemies. A full sun icon indicates you are fully visible, a half-sun denotes partial visibility, and an empty sun means you are completely concealed.

For particularly tricky sections, it was shown that you can manually enter turn-based mode at any time to complete moves one by one. This was demonstrated for use in a difficult exploration area, but you can see how this helps you see where enemies are looking and plan ahead one step at a time while in stealth.

The best of the Monster Manual
The stream showed off some iconic D&D enemies, including goblins, giant spiders, and Hook Horrors lurking in the Underdark. Also briefly noted was a Spectator, a form of the widely recognised Beholder monsters. Simply put, alongside the Mindflayers we’ll be going toe-to-toe with some of D&D’s best monsters. Sometimes even literally; one segment of the stream provided the option of kissing a goblin’s toe rather than fighting them.

Volothamp Geddarm is back
Volothamp Geddarm - better known to D&D fans as Volo - is in Baldur’s Gate 3. One of the longest serving characters in the Forgotten Realms lore, we got a short look at Volo bumbling around with some drunken goblins. Larian promises that you will be given the opportunity to recruit him as a camp follower should you wish. The term ‘camp follower’ suggests that you can have more people at your camp than just your main party members, too.

Choice and consequence
As ever with Larian, choice and consequence is at the heart of the game. Almost everything done in the stream was based on a choice from a collection of options. Early on we saw a gnome strapped to a windmill by goblins, and it was the player’s choice how to approach the situation. Later, a goblin leader demanded that Lae’zel kiss his foot, with a plethora of options provided with how to get out of the situation (viewers of the stream opted to force him to kiss Lae’zel’s foot, which ended… badly at first, but better after some violent coercion.)

It appears that every story beat, regardless of if they seem small or huge, has elements of choice and consequence. On the heavier side, the stream properly introduced us to Raphael the Cambion, a devil looking to take your soul in exchange for removing the Mindflayer tadpole from your head. Your approach to him can range from obedient to careless, and the suggestion is your attitude with him could have longstanding consequences.

For more from Baldur’s Gate 3, check out the news that it’s releasing in early access really soon, and that its story is confirmed to connect to the first two games. And if you missed it, be sure to see the original gameplay demo from February to see some more features in action.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/baldurs-gate-3-console-ports-not-ruled-out/1100-6478712/

Baldur's Gate 3 Console Ports Not Ruled Out
Baldur's Gate 3 is launching on PC and Stadia first, with the studio focused on those two platforms for now.

Baldur's Gate III is currently only being developed for PC and Google's Stadia, with an early access launch on the former hopefully kicking off this August. Larian Studios' previous title, Divinity: Original Sin 2, eventually arrived on most consoles, including Nintendo Switch, but no such plans are in place for the Baldur's Gate sequel just yet.

As part of Play For All, GameSpot recently got the chance to sit down with Baldur's Gate III creative director Swen Vincke, who said he and his team haven't even tried to run the game on current-gen consoles. Although he didn't rule out ports to consoles in the future, specifically next-gen ones, Vincke says the studio is just focused on PC and Stadia right now.

"Our focus right now is PC and Stadia," Vincke stated. "We're going to first focus very hard on getting those two to work, and then we'll see what happens." You can watch the full interview above.

Baldur's Gate III is a massive project for Larian Studios, which makes the narrow platform focus sensible. Vincke explains during the interview that the early access release planned for August is as large as the entirety of Divinity: Original Sin 2, with the full launch being considerably larger still.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/baldurs-gate-3-early-access-content-will-be-as-lar/1100-6478706/

Baldur's Gate 3 Early Access Content Will Be As Large As Divinity: Original Sin 2
Even though it's launching in early access, don't expect there to be little to do in Baldur's Gate 3 in August.

Baldur's Gate III is launching in early access in August (hopefully), and developer Larian Studios has spoken before about how it will include most of the game's first act. This act, however, will be as large as the entirety of Divinity: Original Sin 2, according to creative director Swen Vincke.

Speaking to GameSpot as part of Play For All, Vincke said he didn't have an exact number to share, but that players can expect to "be busy" when it launches. "That's early access--the actual complete game is going to be much bigger than that," Vincke continued. You can watch the full interview below.

Vincke also explained that the first act will have a lot of what Larian Studios hopes to have locked for the game's eventual release, but that some content that you'll be able to play could still be cut as development continues. You'll be restricted to a certain level cap during early access, but Vincke says the exact number is still being decided on.

After early access, Vincke says he and his team are ready to react to player feedback, making changes that make sense while introducing more mechanics and features. We'll release more classes, we'll release probably extra origin stories, separate regions," Vincke continued. "You'll see more and more features come online, more mechanics, the user-interface will be going through changes. Pretty much everything you expect from early access will be happening with this game."

Baldur's Gate III is hopefully launching in early access on PC in August, and is currently also scheduled to launch on Google Stadia. Console versions are not currently in development, according to Larian Studios.

 

[Dodo1610]

Honestly one of the most impressing technical detail about his game is the complete lack of loading screens. Think about just how much time of this presentation would have spent in loading if they used Unity. Can't they license their engine to other devs so we get better RPG?

 

[Lacrymas]

this act, however, will be as large as the entirety of Divinity: Original Sin 2

What?! I'm sure he meant as large as D:OS2's first act.

 

[Ulfhednar]

I think they might have 'borrowed' some ideas from Solasta... the first gameplay trailer didn't have anywhere near the vertical elements this one did. If Solasta wants to have it's biggest impact possible, they should drop their game before BG3 release.

 

[Dodo1610]

I think they might have 'borrowed' some ideas from Solasta... the first gameplay trailer didn't have anywhere near the vertical elements this one did. If Solasta wants to have it's biggest impact possible, they should drop their game before BG3 release.

They will the Solasta is announced for early 21 while BG3 might not even be out until 22.

 

[Alienman]

Underdark = Unterreich, mmmmm I don't think I like that.

EDIT: That separate presentation seems like it's behind a pay-wall.

I hope they are not calling the people living there untermenschen

 

[Dodo1610]

this act, however, will be as large as the entirety of Divinity: Original Sin 2

What?! I'm sure he meant as large as D:OS2's first act.

Swen literally says it in this interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yecUvbMnkhM

 

[ChildInTime]

I... liked what I saw. That actually looked pretty good for pre-alpha.

Except it wasn't Baldur's Gate in any way, shape or form, but details details.

 

[Ulysa]

Well, about gameplay time, one have to remember a fight in this game that lasts 5 minutes coud be done in 30 secs in real time, and add all those cinematics that also would be faster with text.

Anyway, I still find the whole thing too boring but I will probably enjoy it in maybe 3 years when I don't have anything better to play also maybe then my saltiness over the misuse of BG3 name will pass.

 

[Thac0]

Was a bit worried about Volo since I misheard Swen and thought he was a companion. He is as important als Elminster, him exploding from a random crit would feel bad.
He is just a camp follower tho, I wonder if that is just for fluff or if those carry gameplay benefits?

 

[Shrimp]

He says the early access version should contain 'Divinity: Original Sin 2 amounts of content' but shortly after he also says one should expect the main story part of the EE version to be 15-20 hours, which goes in line with my own experiences with both DOS1 and DOS2's first acts (Cyseal and Fort Joy) since those are the parts that were accessible during the early access versions of those games.
I feel that he's either exaggerating when talking about the volume of content, he's talking about the size of the explorable portion of the game or the first part will have a large amount of different options/outcomes (that, for all we know, just could be a different cutscene) that he's referring to as content since it'd require a new playthrough to witness.

 

[AwesomeButton]

I'm watching the stream again, and it came to my mind, that this is a textbook demo of why a well-drawn 2D portrait conveys much more about a character than acted out dialogues between detailed 3D models with next to no facial animation.

 

[NJClaw]

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-02-27-baldurs-gate-3-interview

https://gamingbolt.com/baldurs-gate-3-has-a-triple-a-budget-and-team-says-developer

The game has the budget and budget is what makes it AAA. Its ugly due to bad art direction but that doesnt matter.
You could argue its indie(pendent) due to being self published (as Larian is not a normal publisher) which would make it triple I but noone uses that terminology.

1) AAA games don't Early Access. These things are mutually exclusive. If your company feels the need to early access a game, then that game cannot possibly be AAA, because AAA means it has the budget to be developed without having to ask for players to buy it as it is being developed.

"AAA games don't Early Access"?

"AAA means it has the budget to be developed without having to ask for players to buy it as it is being developed"

Are you aware that you talk about MOTHERFUCKING FALLOUT 76 in your signature? Was that not AAA enough?

 

[AwesomeButton]

I see the writing has retained its high class. Characters asking themselves questions and then answering. Player input is overrated anyway. This ingenious approach saves effort to writers and players at the same time!

 

[Thac0]

I see the writing has retained its high class. Characters asking themselves questions and then answering. Player input is overrated anyway. This ingenious approach saves effort to writers and players at the same time!

I never expected adequate writing from Larian, what I saw was only slightly above my expectations.
What I hoped for was good combat and adequate representation of the pen and paper systems and that they delivered in this demo.

 

[Ulfhednar]

Watched it again and realized they missed a real opportunity with Raphael to set up a Firkraag-esque questline. No real point in having a devil show up to your campfire dressed as a nobleman if he's just gonna give up the ruse...

 

[Saravan]

I see the writing has retained its high class. Characters asking themselves questions and then answering. Player input is overrated anyway. This ingenious approach saves effort to writers and players at the same time!

 

[Alienman]

Has there been any mentions how long the EA phase will last?

 

[Shrimp]

Has there been any mentions how long the EA phase will last?

None as far as I know. We don't have an expected release date either.
As a point of reference D:OS1 was in early access for about 6 months and D:OS2 was in early access for pretty much exactly one year.