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

[Xeon]

Yeah, I think I saw in one of his interviews recently that Divine Divinity was similar to Diablo because that's what was popular at the time and that's what would sell so they went with it so its probably similar with all their games.

 

[Kem0sabe]

Some answers:

• 100 hours completionist playthrough
• Same engine as their previous games, its version 4.5 to D:OS 2 DE's 3.5
• Direct sequel to the upcoming pnp campaign
• characters from previous games will be present
• Doesn't want to talk about party size
• Doesn't want to talk about gameplay perspective
• Lot's of environmental interaction
• No publisher, no external funding
• Multiplayer
• Doesn't want to talk about DM mode
• Doesn't want to talk about Mod tools
• PC and Stadia only confirmed platforms
• Doesn't want to commit to launch window
• Non linear in the line of BG2's gather x gold to proceed to next chapter kind of way
• No kickstarter

 

[LESS T_T]

Fextralife interview with some more details. Still lots of no comments and vague answers: https://fextralife.com/baldurs-gate-3-interview-with-larian-and-wizards-of-the-coast/



Some takeaways:

• The engine is actually "the next generation", almost 4.0 of Divinity Engine, supposedly taken "a completely new shift"
• Classes and sub-classes from the tabletop
• No save import from the classics (well of course)
• Didn't say no to the possibility of Early Access
• The party is very big focus
• Sounds like this is almost self-funding from Larian
• "This is what we’re trying to do with BG3, the video game is the game master we’re trying to give you as much possibility of doing things just like you would be able to in a tabletop, that’s literally the drive behind what we do."

Baldur’s Gate 3 Interview With Larian And Wizards Of The Coast

Catching up with Larian Studios Founder Sven Vincke and Mike Mearls of Wizards of the Coast and Creative Director of Dungeons & Dragons, we had a few burning questions in mind in the wake of the news that Larian Studios are working on Baldur’s Gate 3. The studio is well known for its Divinity Original Sin series, and we wanted to find out exactly how this whole thing fell into motion. It was Sven Vincke who originally approached Mike Mearls with the interest of developing BG3, but as we found out in this interview, a lot went into this collaboration.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Interview With Larian And Wizards Of The Coast
We knew fans would be eager to know how previous games would impact Baldur’s Gate 3, whether it would continue the story or use different time frames like their Divinity games. Vincke explained that there have been “several instalments of Baldur’s Gate involving the Forgotten Realm’s lore so you have Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2, as well as the tabletop campaigns”, with the newest one called called Descent into Avernus releasing on September 17th. Baldur’s Gate 3 will take place after these events “[meaning] you are going to see plenty of references to things that happened in city in the past” as well as seeing settings from BG1 was based on the Forgotten Realms, along with references to events that happened in the new campaign Descent into Avernus.

Vincke assures that this will be a new story for fans to enjoy, with “several characters from the campaign” so you will see some familiar faces if you’re fan of the series. We had a number of questions pertaining how their experience with Divinity would influence their development with Baldur’s Gate 3 as well further details features, multiplayer and more.

FL: What rule set will you be using?

Vincke: Based on the 5th Edition because we ported all the rules to the computer game and looked at what worked and what didn’t work. There are somethings that don’t work for video games. But there is also the aspect if you’re playing tabletop, the game master and imaginations is a large part of it. There are things that are just not described in the rule set that you could do and we obviously have to make it work inside of the video game, that is something that we have to add on top of it.

FL: Are you planning to add anything that you had done with Divinity to that, or will it be straight Dungeons and Dragons?

Vincke: No, if you are in combat you say “I take the table and I throw it at him” right so that is something that we have to describe in the video game also, that’s an interaction with the environment, things like that you will see we have gone quite far.

Mearls: We don’t have specific rules for all those interactions, its up to the game master to extend those rules.

FL: How linear are you planning on making it?

Vincke: It is similar to the original Baldur’s Gate, and especially in Baldur’s Gate 2 it has a really cool mechanic that I really liked and I referenced a lot throughout Divinity Original Sin to the team where it had earn I think it was 20,000 gold to be able to take a ship, that was the type of freedom that was present there which we offered in DOS and you will see in BG3.

FL: Can you create a save based on the actions based on your actions in the previous games Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2?

Vincke: No, as they are closed chapters.

Will BG3 have multiplayer?

Vincke: From DOS1 to DOS2 you saw a lot of change how we handled multiplayer. So from DOS2 to BG3 you will see an evolution on how we handle it. The party is a very big focus this time, the slogan of the game is “gather your party”. BG2 was very party focused, they had a lot of mechanics for that time, how they handled the party. So expect innovation in that direction. Yes it will have co-operative multiplayer.

We did asked more specifics on the mechanics of parties and how many would in a party but Vincke was not willing to share exact details at this stage.

FL: What engine are you using, is it the same as DOS2?

Vincke: It’s the next generation of our own engine, Dragon Commander was 1.0, DOS1 was 2.0, DOS2 was 3.0 and Definitive Edition was 3.5. Now we are heading to 4.0, a completely new shift, we’ve upgraded the engine, there’s a lot tech that has been developed for quite some time.

FL: In regards to the artstyle of the game is it going to be similar to Divinity or are you guys going in a different direction?

Vincke: You’ve seen the teaser trailer? That sets the tone.

FL: In terms of camera angles, are you going to use the top down isometric view or go with the approach that you had with the definite edition of DOS1?

Vincke:[Laughs]You’ll see.

FL: How long can we expect the game to be in terms of gameplay?

Vincke: I expect players to spends 100 hours, if they go through everything. We’re making it a more a length to what we had in DOS2, its hard to tell until everything is done but I would say approximately 100 hours.

FL: Are you going to keep the traditional D&D classes, will you maintain this or expand upon it?

Vincke: Yes. If you know D&D 5th Edition and start Baldur’s Gate 3, you will know what to do.

FL: Will you be able to take sub-classes like in other D&D games?

Vincke: Yes you will.

FL: Will you have any famous D&D players appear as Easter eggs in the game?

Vincke: No comment.

FL: This is a hugely anticipated sequel, how much pressure is that and how do you deal with that?

Vincke: Well there is obviously a lot of expectations, people have been waiting for this game for a very long time. We try not to think of the pressure, we focus on making a good of a game as we can, our team is very very talented. We have Dungeons & Dragons we have Wizard of the Coast helping us, the collaboration is very close, we also have the funding to do this also without the publisher pressure as we are doing it ourselves. We have all the ingredients to make a really good RPG, we could still fuck it up, but there’s a really big drive and passion within the team to make it really good, more so than what we saw with DOS2. For a lot of the members of our team, their first RPG was Baldur’s Gate. There are a lot of tabletop sessions going on continuously in the offices and the different studios, so there is a lot of drive in this.

This is what we’re trying to do with BG3, the video game is the game master we’re trying to give you as much possibility of doing things just like you would be able to in a tabletop, that’s literally the drive behind what we do.

FL: In Divinity Original Sin you added a Dungeon Master mode, are you going to add something similar to that?

Vincke: No comment.

FL: Are you going to have modding tools?

Vincke: No comment.

FL: What platforms will it be released on?

Vincke: PC and Stadia.

So far PC and Stadia are the only platforms announced for Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian were unable to comment on whether it will be open to further platform in future.

FL: What is your publishing time frame?

Vincke: We have a time frame we’re looking at, we know people have been waiting on this game for sometime, they will probably will wait a bit longer. We need to get it right, we won’t release it if it’s not right. This is a game we want to play ourselves also, so it’s something we’ve been waiting for ourselves for a long time. We are going to try really deliver on it, we’ll see how much time it takes. We announce now because we to want to talk with the community, really understand what they are looking for, match it against our vision of what we’re doing, then together evolve.

FL: Are you going to do an early access?

Vincke: What we are not doing is a Kickstarter. We will announce when the time is right.

FL: How do you guys know that Larian was the right studio?

Mearls: I was involved in the business side of things, once the deal was signed. It was funny because when I first was told “oh we’re working with Larian” I was running many DD campaigns, there was one DD campaign I was running, I asked people at the table if they were to make Baldur’s Gate 3 who would you want to make it? They all answered Larian. So that told me we were on the right track. I remember when we first started working together, started collaborating, it was just a natural thing. On a creative level I think we have very similar attitudes towards roleplaying games whether they be tabletop or digital computer RPG, and I think we also have a similar sense in idea of developing the community. Roleplaying gamers, it’s funny, we each tell our own story but I think like the role of telling our own stories together, that there just a natural sense of community. That’s what happens when you bring people together in a tabletop, or even in a video game, the idea of sharing what you’ve done or playing co-op. So I think its kind of reflected in how we work together, it feels like almost this adventuring party getting together and plotting out the next great D&D story.

One of our first meetings we just laid down a map of the Sword’s Coast in Baldur’s Gate, “what if we went here? What if we went to this location?” It just felt like a natural design jam, it just felt like the D&D team, it didn’t feel like outsiders coming in, it just felt natural. There’s stuff mechanically where we were thinking of making a change to one of classes of the tabletop game, so I sent email over to your side [Larian], Vicke said “oh we have something very similar, we’re already thinking of implementing”. Theres even some part we were working on in terms of the lore, that’s going to be coming back from the game to the sort of core of D&D, that might influence future tabletop stories. It feels very collaborative, if this wasn’t part of my career it would be something I would be dying to know about, it feels like a very natural partnership.

Divinity Original Sin has been spiritual successor of Baldur’s Gate, it has the same agency, you can do so many things in different ways. From talking with both Larian studios and Wizards of the Coast, this seems to be a match made in heaven. Baldur’s Gate 3 appears to be in very good hands, not only taking inspiration from the previous titles, but adding their own uniqueness with their story as they plan together the next great adventure.

 

[Ulrox]

Because the D:OS games may be popular, but their success still pales in comparison to giants such as Skyrim, The Witcher 3, and even Dragon Age.

:"Pales in comparison", divinity original sin 2 was top 5 or something most played for weeks on end when it released. Which, while not on the level of skyrim, is far better than any turn based rpg has ever done, and people on the codex, rather than be dismissive of this, should be happy, because it means that there's definately a market for this kind of rpg. Would be sad if gaming was as stagnant as it was back around 2008, wouldn't it?

 

[Lagole Gon]

Here's my idea for a quality popamole perspective compromise:
Pseudo-isometric combat + switchable pseudo-isometric/third person exploration and dialogues.

It can happen!

 

[volklore]

Does BG hold so much sway in the mainstream for Swen to think it's going to garner enough sales as an AAA game demands? Seems like a long-shot and fabulous optimism.

could be interpreted as trying to hide the major changes to the game's core gameplay/visual identity to the 'old guard' BG fan.

Piggy-backing off my previous statement - I think they are hiding it because they know only people who actually like BG already are currently interested in the project. They also know there will be a bloody riot if they announce it as an action game this early before cultivating attention from the mainstream, souring PR.

Well that is what makes me doubt my previous statement. I just fail to see how getting the BG license to make an actionRPG is a good strategy. That license isn't such a big flag-carrier in the mainstream, and the core of people who would 100 percent buy the game if it was even close to the originals in feel, would get majorly turned-off by A-RPG gameplay, no matter how long they hide the combat system.
Even by WoTC's perspective I fail to see how resurrecting BG to make an ARPG is a good idea : It wouldn't really speak to their Tabletop players or the core BG fanbase for a small chance of hitting the mainstream.

That said, there is no denying that resurrecting a dead licence is always a big hype generator, because fans hype it up a lot which causes traction in the mainstream.

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

Because the D:OS games may be popular, but their success still pales in comparison to giants such as Skyrim, The Witcher 3, and even Dragon Age.

:"Pales in comparison", divinity original sin 2 was top 5 or something most played for weeks on end when it released. Which, while not on the level of skyrim, is far better than any turn based rpg has ever done, and people on the codex, rather than be dismissive of this, should be happy, because it means that there's definately a market for this kind of rpg. Would be sad if gaming was as stagnant as it was back around 2008, wouldn't it?

It’s great that turn based is popular again, but it still has a ceiling. They’re spending three times as much as they did for D:OS2, they’ll need to generate a hell of a lot more sales. We’re not dismissing D:OS2’s success, we’re just looking at the scale of Larian’s investment in this project, which they’re betting the company’s continued existence on. I wish it were otherwise, but spending that much money on a turn based game would be an insanely risky investment.

 

[Lacrymas]

the core of people who would 100 percent buy the game if it was even close to the originals in feel, would get majorly turned-off by A-RPG gameplay, no matter how long they hide the combat system.

That's why I think they are hiding it. If they say it's an action game, all threads and all forums that have even a modicum of interest in the BG series are going to be flooded with rage and tears, since only people who already like and play BG know about its existence. Nobody would be able to see anything outside how Larian are ruining this franchise, souring PR quite badly. They have to first garner attention from the mainstream and then shit in our cornflakes when it doesn't matter anymore.

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

FUCK BG3 NIGGA, LILURA'S BACK.

ALL HAIL.

 

[Lutte]

I just fail to see how getting the BG license to make an actionRPG is a good strategy. That license isn't such a big flag-carrier in the mainstream

Haha oh wow. Did you say the same thing when Bethesda announced Fallout 3? It doesn't make sense to get the Fallout license to make a FPS. That license isn't such a big flag carrier in the mainstream.

BG is a much bigger phenomenon than Fallout ever was. Even people who didn't play it were more aware of its existence and memes than they were of fallout before Beth took over the IP.

 

[volklore]

I just fail to see how getting the BG license to make an actionRPG is a good strategy. That license isn't such a big flag-carrier in the mainstream

Haha oh wow. Did you say the same thing when Bethesda announced Fallout 3? It doesn't make sense to get the Fallout license to make a FPS. That license isn't such a big flag carrier in the mainstream.

BG is a much bigger phenomenon than Fallout ever was. Even people who didn't play it were more aware of its existence and memes than they were of fallout before Beth took over the IP.

Well thats assuming Larian is even close to post-Oblvion bethesda when it comes to mainstream appeal, which they aren't. Also it's bethesda making fallout into oblivion 2 with guns - ie still appealing to their own fanbase. If Larian made BG3 into DoS3, I would udnerstand the idea, to capitalize on the customer base DoS2 built for them. But going action could just as easily antagonize DoS2 fans than BG fans

 

[Lacrymas]

Except Bethesda were a big mainstream name already and it wouldn't have mattered what setting they chose. I'm not convinced Larian are on the same level. Also, another reason they won't reveal the gameplay - existing fans of Larian that came in droves due to D:OS2 would also expect turn-based combat, which means they'll literally piss off their ENTIRE CURRENT FANBASE in addition to the BG fanbase. Every social media, forum and YouTube video is going to talk about how Larian betray their fans and the BG legacy. Bethesda didn't have this problem when making Fallout 3, the Oblivion fanbase got what they want, another hiking simulator.

 

[Rahdulan]

They could always do both. I mean, question is whether you trust Larian to properly balance RTwP and turn-based.

 

[Lutte]

But going action could just as easily antagnoze DoS2 fans than BG fans

Forum goers tend to overestimate the importance of other vocal forum goers going autistically into systems details. They'd antagonize a minority but a lot of the people who played the DOS don't really care about turn based combat and whatever else. I have friends who aren't massive RPG buffs who bought DOS solely for the coop. I'm talking about the sort of people who'd play any mainstream pseudo RPG.
"antagonizing" fans doesn't mean shit. Most people don't consider brand purity when they buy games. They either like the game or they don't and you'll find most DOS players aren't the high brow discriminating taste you think they are.

Some people like the DOS for reasons that nobody would be willing to admit on the codex.
Like this thread :
https://www.reddit.com/r/DivinityOr...y_other_modern_games_like_dos2_aside/dsz6ban/
>There are other CRPGs in the subgenre (like Pillars of Eternity, Wasteland 2, etc.), but they all feel super dated. D:OS2 is a landmark game and will force all the developers to change.

>All those other games they mentioned as recommendations, I've avoided all of them because they have no voice acting for the most part. I wanted to try PoE, but I was really turned off that it did not have voice acting

>Don't know I just like it better. I never played old school rpgs, but I think Divinity's voice acting is one of the huge reasons I liked it so much, the narrator was especially enjoyable.

>there’s nothing out there like DOS 2. Closest I think may have been Neverwinter Nights 2

COOP is by far the main defining feature, and then production value a close second, for the appeal of DOS. Turn based helps making coop work, because RTWP is very unwieldy in multiplayer (I know, I did the BG in coop). But that wouldn't be a problem with a more action based game with AI controlled party and action based player characters.

Anyway you slice it, the DOS audience isn't the monocle shit you think you are looking at.

 

[volklore]

Except Bethesda were a big mainstream name already and it wouldn't have mattered what setting they chose. I'm not convinced Larian are on the same level. Also, another reason they won't reveal the gameplay - existing fans of Larian that came in droves due to D:OS2 would also expect turn-based combat, which means they'll literally piss off their ENTIRE CURRENT FANBASE in addition to the BG fanbase. Every social media, forum and YouTube video is going to talk about how Larian betray their fans and the BG legacy. Bethesda didn't have this problem when making Fallout 3, the Oblivion fanbase got what they want, another hiking simulator.

That's why I am doubting that that's what they are going for. But to be fair, lack of direction, strategy and self-awareness is pretty common even in medium sized companies.

 

[Ulrox]

Well thats assuming Larian is even close to post-Oblvion bethesda when it comes to mainstream appeal, which they aren't. Also it's bethesda making fallout into oblivion 2 with guns - ie still appealing to their own fanbase. If Larian made BG3 into DoS3, I would udnerstand the idea, to capitalize on the customer base DoS2 built for them. But going action could just as easily antagonize DoS2 fans than BG fans

I admit to being very worried back when Bethesda aquired the fallout licence, but I have been deeply impressed by them.

It's really amazing how much they fucked it all up. Fallout 76 is a great meme, and at this point, it's been soiled so much by Bethesda that I don't even wish for a retro, actual, fallout 3 that could be. It would simply pain me too much to play a game in this humiliating world again. Bethesda is a very special kind of developer to have done something like this to an IP.

 

[holla_cabezas_de_mierda]

getting ready for epic elf romancing

 

[Shadenuat]

• Doesn't want to talk about party size
• Doesn't want to talk about gameplay perspective

 

[Lilura]

... a lot of the people who played the DOS don't really care about turn based combat and whatever else.

Exactly. The Divinity fanbase is retarded and would only want TBT because it's what they're accustomed to. They don't know why TBT is innately superior and they don't know that RTwP was pernicious to the genre. There is a yawning gulf between Divinity "gamers" and ToEE/JA2 veterans; completely different species.

 

[vortex]

• No publisher, no external funding

Woah, not even from WOTC. So, they bought the licence and they're making it on their own.
Seems that Larian is doing well.

 

[Ulrox]

Forum goers tend to overestimate the importance of other vocal forum goers going autistically into systems details. They'd antagonize a minority but a lot of the people who played the DOS don't really care about turn based combat and whatever else. I have friends who aren't massive RPG buffs who bought DOS solely for the coop. I'm talking about the sort of people who'd play any mainstream pseudo RPG.
"antagonizing" fans doesn't mean shit. Most people don't consider brand purity when they buy games. They either like the game or they don't and you'll find most DOS players aren't the high brow discriminating taste you think they are.

I mean.......

 

[Starwars]

The gaming industry is in a pretty different place than when Bethesda did Fallout 3 as well.

There's been a huge retrowave since then. Just the name Baldur's Gate is pretty big, I think especially since it was mentioned all over the place when the Pillars' games came around. Given the combination of general Larian fans, RPG fans, D&D fans in general, BG fans and the army of retro hipster cunts eager to get on anything "cool, retro and nerdy" I think there is a pretty big potential customerbase. How big remains to be seen of course.

It's not the same but it's a similar phenomenon with Bloodlines. More of a cult game that's sort of penetrated the mainstream more and more as it's mentioned so much. And when the sequel comes out, everyone and their mom will want to get on it because it's that old, cool, mysterious "retro" (in the eyes of the public) cult game and it's now being modernized so that everyone in the world can share in that.

Even if the game turns out well, I will never cease to be put off by the practice to bring these old franchises back and suck the magic out of them. But hey, won't it be FUN to see the retarded easter egg about Minsc and his space hamster or whatever. Then we can all share in a laugh that yes, we know that these characters existed in the old games, oh my aren't we special.

 

[Lacrymas]

Anyway you slice it, the DOS audience isn't the monocle shit you think you are looking at.

Of course they aren't, they are D:OS fans after all. But you also shouldn't underestimate groupthink and fan rage, most people might not care whether it's TB, RTwP or whatever else, but will jump on the bandwagon of hate because it'd be the trendy thing to do. Look at Anthem, Fallout 76 and Andromeda. Especially in Andromeda's case, people jumped on the animation hate bandwagon due to groupthink, even though I think it's trivial and the game has much bigger problems. But after that hate started rolling, different aspects of the game started being analyzed, pouring more fuel into the fire. And now it's common knowledge Andromeda is shit, even if most people don't know why. It won't be that different in BG3's case if everywhere you turn, you see people criticizing the combat and the fan betrayal.

 

[Fairfax]

Except Bethesda were a big mainstream name already and it wouldn't have mattered what setting they chose. I'm not convinced Larian are on the same level.

Bethesda was big at that point, yes, but they didn't need a big IP to get there. The Elder Scrolls was a niche D&D rip-off for PC before Morrowind blew up on Xbox. The Witcher 1 and CDPR were even less relevant, and the series only became huge with The Witcher 2's word of mouth.

These are very different times and all that, but Larian has a significant head start with the D:OS series, Baldur's Gate legacy, and a period with PnP D&D booming. Even if they didn't have these benefits, D&D and FR have all the creative elements necessary for a best-selling RPG (much more than TES ever did). If an ARPG or DA:O-style BG3 doesn't do AAA numbers, Larian fucked up.

 

[hexer]

WOW! Lilura favorably reviewed my first game on her blog.
Thank you! I'm happy when I see others are happy because of my games