Baldur's Gate Baldur's Gate 3 Rumors [CONFIRMED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Ismaul]

Haven't you guys had enough after the shitty NWN, and the mediocre NWN2, Pillars, etc.? You want another guaranteed turd? 'Cause BG3 will most assuredly be that.

Hey I know what! What this franchise needs is a Bethesda-type "bringing it back to audiences with modern sensibilities". I heard game #3 in a series is the best moment to seize glory. You'll finally be able to "see the fear in the orc's eye when a fireball comes his way".

 

[Lady_Error]

Deadfire is great and even PoE1 was good with White March and all the updates/patches.

Though there needs to be someone else to make BG3 instead of Sawyer - and I'm pretty sure he is taking a timeout from being a lead on big projects anyway. But who else is there who can pull it off at Obsidian and/or inXile?

 

[Ismaul]

even PoE1 was good with White March and all the updates/patches.

I'll agree that PoE1 (haven't played 2) is better than NWN1-2 OC, and IMO better than BG2 (BG2's writing was cringe worthy and player motivations for quests were terrible, of the type "hey stranger please do my menial tasks and fix my marriage you're my only hope"). But PoE still is a very flawed game, despite doing some interesting things (such as personal reputation, ciphers, chanters, monks, the "souls are real" angle) and experimenting a little with the known formula. Arcanum for example has way more things going for it, and that is also a very flawed game with an even weaker combat system.

Do you really have any hope that a BG3 would be better? Despite the fact that, like PoE, it's tied to tradition, that it must emulate the originals' gameplay to cater to the perceived fanbase, but also sell tons to a larger audience because the only reason to use BG's name is the promise of recognition and money?

 

[Lady_Error]

If you dislike this type of games (saying that NWN1-2 was better than BG2), then why do you care about BG3 at all?

And yes, Deadfire is much better than the first game. For me personally, Deadfire is almost on par with BG2, which I enjoyed a lot - except for the weak-ass beginning, which is by the way awesome in Deadfire (being raided by pirates, fighting and stranding on an island).

 

[Tigranes]

Listen, it's time for Baldur's Gate to enter the 21st century, modernise itself, really appeal to the gamers of today. It needs all action gameplay. But let's not forget about its roots - we don't want to be insensitive. We can keep the third person camera, just zoom it in a bit, you know? Get closer to the action.

Besides, it would stay true to the spirit of the original Baldur's Gate games:

 

[Urthor]

I see Sawyer leaving, at this point Obsidian looks like it is all in on Tim and Leon's wonderful theme park ride and they sold the company based off the demo to Microsoft.

Speaking of which, is Sawyer on record saying that Kingdom Come is his favourite game of all time?

 

[Ismaul]

If you dislike this type of games (saying that NWN1-2 was better than BG2), then why do you care about BG3 at all?

I don't dislike D&D RPGs at all, au contraire. Also, nowhere did I say NWN1-2 were better than BG2; I said PoE1 > BG2 and NWN1-2, but that's a low bar to reach anyways IMO (RTwP makes for clusterfuck combat, and Bioware's writing/design is atrocious).

I only care about BG3 because it getting made means we most likely won't get another non-BG D&D RPG that could actually be good and different from the "everything and the kitchen sink" approach of Forgotten Realms. Plus, it's highly likely that those that want BG3 won't be satisfied with it anyways, so it's a pure loss. But hey, everyone just want to play it safe, publishers for the money and players for the nostalgia, while it's only if the devs take risks that we'll get a fresh take on a D&D game.

D&D being reduced to Forgotten Realms, and D&D cRPGs to Baldur's Gate is a real tragedy.

But I hope you guys enjoy Microsoft's Baldur's Gate: ObsiXile Dark Alliance. Xbox purchased separately.

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

If you dislike this type of games (saying that NWN1-2 was better than BG2), then why do you care about BG3 at all?

I don't dislike D&D RPGs at all, au contraire. Also, nowhere did I say NWN1-2 were better than BG2; I said PoE1 > BG2 and NWN1-2, but that's a low bar to reach anyways IMO (RTwP makes for clusterfuck combat, and Bioware's writing/design is atrocious).

I only care about BG3 because it getting made means we most likely won't get another non-BG D&D RPG that could actually be good and different from the "everything and the kitchen sink" approach of Forgotten Realms. Plus, it's highly likely that those that want BG3 won't be satisfied with it anyways, so it's a pure loss. But hey, everyone just want to play it safe, publishers for the money and players for the nostalgia, while it's only if the devs take risks that we'll get a fresh take on a D&D game.

D&D being reduced to Forgotten Realms, and D&D cRPGs to Baldur's Gate is a real tragedy.

But I hope you guys enjoy Microsoft's Baldur's Gate: ObsiXile Dark Alliance. Xbox purchased separately.

Dude, relax. Pathfinder is incredibly similar to D&D 3.5 and Kingmaker is great. Right now Realms Beyond, based on the 3.5 OGL, is very close to being fully funded on Kickstarter. Whoever’s making BG3, it’s irrelevant. The Open Gaming License has become our salvation.

 

[Ismaul]

Pathfinder's Golarion is but an alt-Forgotten Realms. Its goblins are fun though. But that isn't what I meant by a fresh take on D&D. Ravenloft, Dark Sun, Planescape, a homebrew setting... fuck even Eberron could make for an interesting alternative. The possibilities are endless.

But I guess D&D got too mainstream for its own good.

(Obviously I'll play Kingmaker at some point, heard good things about that Adventure Path back in the day. And I will most likely enjoy it, but I don't expect it to strike my imagination with its classic setting, classes, races, spells etc.)

 

[laclongquan]

1. Game mechanisms: BG3 need to overcome huge hurdle DnD 5e put forward. It's the same way BG1 and PST overcome the huge mess that is ADnD/DnD 2e.

2. Isometric view with rotatable background.

3. Quest with preferable more than 2 solutions and outcomes.

4. Writings with acceptable quality. This is actually a huge achievement compared to twenty years ago because of the flood of amateur writers who cant make it in novel publishing.. Please, just acceptable, not irritating, is fine. I dont need your best quality, I just need your best effort.

 

[Wunderbar]

If BG3 will ever happen, it will be DAO/KOTOR-like full 3d and third person.

 

[TemplarGR]

I'll agree that PoE1 (haven't played 2) is better than NWN1-2 OC, and IMO better than BG2 (BG2's writing was cringe worthy and player motivations for quests were terrible, of the type "hey stranger please do my menial tasks and fix my marriage you're my only hope"). But PoE still is a very flawed game, despite doing some interesting things (such as personal reputation, ciphers, chanters, monks, the "souls are real" angle) and experimenting a little with the known formula. Arcanum for example has way more things going for it, and that is also a very flawed game with an even weaker combat system.

Do you really have any hope that a BG3 would be better? Despite the fact that, like PoE, it's tied to tradition, that it must emulate the originals' gameplay to cater to the perceived fanbase, but also sell tons to a larger audience because the only reason to use BG's name is the promise of recognition and money?

Every game is flawed. There is no perfect game. If you are a cynic with no soul you can nitpick every game in existence and call everything shit.

Witcher 3 had terrible flaws like the shitty combat but we still loved it to death and is one of the greatest games ever made, because the good far outweighed the bad.

This was the case with the original Fallouts and Infinity Engine games. If anyone thinks those didn't have a legion of flaws, he is delusional beyond repair... Still they did many things right and are rightfully considered classics.

 

[TemplarGR]

We don't need Baldur's Gate 3. Let the classic rest in peace. Make a new game with similar traits like Pillars of Eternity but better.

Naming something Baldur's Gate 3 will only lead to disappointment. People won't give it a fair chance. People are sentimental creatures, they are not AI. They don't judge objectively.

They will see "Baldur's Gate 3" on the title, and will be expecting to feel the same kind of feelings they felt in the 90s when they were younglings with pure souls and not broken have-been adults with no soul... Which is impossible. Once they realize they can't recreate the feelings of youth they will be hating on the game.

Just let it rest.

 

[Kruno]

Baldur's Gate 3 will require 90% characters introducing themselves by saying "I am trans; hello".

 

[Ismaul]

Every game is flawed. There is no perfect game. If you are a cynic with no soul you can nitpick every game in existence and call everything shit.

You seem to think that I don't agree. But I do. I'm willing to put up with RTwP for example, if the game offers at least something non-mediocre in terms of setting / story / quest / design. Something I haven't seen and done way too many times before. I'm willing to put up with an average but not shitty story if the combat's interesting and fresh to me. PST, Arcanum, The Witcher 3, Divinity OS2 fit those definitions, despite their many flaws. IMO BG2 doesn't, that's all. It might have nice combat challenges despite RTwP, but the rest makes me want to gouge my eyes out (the companions and quests' writing and design are just way below the minimum threshold for me). But that's me. I mean, many people like anime lol.

Personally, I'd rather have a flawed game that tries new things than a rehash of the same old.

 

[YldriE]

Though there are some good ideas for a straight sequel (Lady Error's idea with the Bhaalspawn as the antagonist is quite good), in all the ways that matter the Baldur's Gate series is over and unlike Arcanum or Planescape Torment, the setting isn't unique enough that you absolutely need a sequel: any non-terrible sword&sorcery setting would do.

What gap, then, is a game named Baldur's Gate 3 supposed to fill? Is it the plot and characters? The setting? The title, the ruleset, the spell list? Does it need to be multiplayer? There has been a number of games in the meantime: Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2, Sword Coast Legends, Kingmaker, Original Sin 1 and 2, Tyranny, Pillars of Eternity, Tides of Numenera, even the original Dragon Age, and probably others I don't even know about. Some are 3D, some are humourous, some are moddable, their quality varies greatly, but surely at least some of them fit what you expect out of a hypothetical Baldur's Gate 3. Why don't they fit?

I think TemplarGR got it right: a Baldur's Gate 3 is sure to fail because you keep expecting the same "magic", except said magic is simply "it was twenty years ago". Just because you played it when you had a full head of hair and your joints weren't cranky doesn't make it good.

 

[Nazrim Eldrak]

I wrote this in page 16 in this thread.

But reading that Beamdog and Larian denying it, the only option is Obsidain or Inxile.
In this case 50% chance for each (1. and 2.).

I would say not so far away when we consider new information regarding Obisdian and Inxile bought by MS.

Observing this tweet


The chances are getting high that it will be
a) A console game
b) Very likely based on BG:DA

But one thing is still a questionmark:
Why buying both studios to make an hack&slash game?
Maybe there is more to it...

 

[TheImplodingVoice]

Wonder how many trans, disabled and mentally unstable character will be forced into the game if it does exist

 

[Lady_Error]

I think TemplarGR got it right: a Baldur's Gate 3 is sure to fail because you keep expecting the same "magic", except said magic is simply "it was twenty years ago". Just because you played it when you had a full head of hair and your joints weren't cranky doesn't make it good.

I disagree. Replayed BG2 last year and enjoyed it a lot. Played Deadfire this year and also enjoyed it a lot. Good games are good games, period.

 

[Nazrim Eldrak]

Infinitron

All my assumptions are based on the tweet that Brian Fargo tweeted.
I do not know if MS is really planing to make a BG3.

 

[TemplarGR]

I disagree. Replayed BG2 last year and enjoyed it a lot. Played Deadfire this year and also enjoyed it a lot. Good games are good games, period.

They ARE good games. But they will never become what fans expect them to become. You are the exception because you keep a balanced view and can see that PoE was a good game. Most cannot. For most, PoE was an abomination, not objectively speaking, but on an emotional level.

Remember, entertainment is first and foremost about emotions, not about brains. Stuff that is about activating our brains are mostly called "work". We don't use entertainment for our brains, we use it for our emotional well being, for having "fun". Sure, some games are more "brainy" than others, but still we judge games mostly based on how they make us feel.

For example look at Ubisoft games, they are technically stellar. They have great graphics, great combat systems, nice open worlds, lots of stuff to do. If we played them with our brains, we would be happy because they are technically sound products. But they have no SOUL, most of us find them mass market trash, empty inside, they don't make us feel anything. They fail to engage our emotional world. Which is why we look down on them.

Same with Skyrim. A nice open world game but many people couldn't connect with it emotionally so they called it garbage.

On the other hand, Witcher 3, while more or less the same open world thing, actually managed to engage with the players emotionally due to well written characters and story. People connected emotionally with this product and thus they rated it highly!

And that is the issue for most PoE haters: It didn't manage to connect with them emotionally, especially since they expected it to make them feel like Baldur's Gate did 20 years ago. On a technical level, PoE is even better than BG in many ways, but emotionally it is not.

So people who can judge more objectively can have fun with PoE but people who expected something else are put off by it. It is not rocket science.

Unrealistic expectations always lead to disappointment.

 

[Don Peste]

No no no, WTF people, I've been saying Obsi is making #BGIII (obviously a reboot) for one month already: https://rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/baldurs-gate-3-rumors.123972/page-12#post-5831758

So don't act surprised now! All the button shitfest belongs to me!

 

[hexer]

Is Beamdog making BG3?

 

[glass blackbird]

1. Game mechanisms: BG3 need to overcome huge hurdle DnD 5e put forward. It's the same way BG1 and PST overcome the huge mess that is ADnD/DnD 2e.

2. Isometric view with rotatable background.

3. Quest with preferable more than 2 solutions and outcomes.

4. Writings with acceptable quality. This is actually a huge achievement compared to twenty years ago because of the flood of amateur writers who cant make it in novel publishing.. Please, just acceptable, not irritating, is fine. I dont need your best quality, I just need your best effort.

I don't know much about 5e but really, when I played 4e I remember thinking it'd be perfect for a turn-based iso rpg. It'd be terrible for RTWP though

 

[Ismaul]

D&D and RTwP have always been a terrible match. 4E's only difference is that abilities/powers assume you're playing on a grid because they influence movement/positioning a lot (push/pull, triggers based on adjacency, etc.). But adding them in wouldn't change that much, the clusterfuck will remain a clusterfuck, and stuff would still remain lost in translation. Turn-based will always be more tactical and use precise positioning to its full extent; see ToEE for a 3E example, despite it not being about mobility as much as 4E.

It's a missed opportunity that there wasn't a TB 4E cRPG though.