Baldur's Gate I've never played DoS2. Should I be worried about Larian's version of BG?

[Reinhardt]

Both "it's serious adult very grown up story!" and "lol, we are so quirky, wink-wink!" ways are shit.

 

[moleman]

BG2 is a decidedly inferior game to BG1. I couldn't even finish BG2, and I've beat the first like four different times.

BG2 is ten million times better than the bland and boring BG1 though.

Iggy-binned.

...

Sorry, wrong account.

 

[underground nymph]

BG2 is a decidedly inferior game to BG1. I couldn't even finish BG2, and I've beat the first like four different times.

BG2 is ten million times better than the bland and boring BG1 though.

I can imagine someone 6 years old can come to such opinion while comparing a good book which is bg1 to the disneyland which is bg2 aka start of decline.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

Why do we even need BG3?

 

[barghwata]

Always the "Larian can't write" crowd, maybe my standards for game writing are too low or something but I don't give much of a fuck anymore about 'serious business' stories, probably because I can count the games who have genuinely good (as opposed to 'good for what it is') writing almost literally on one hand. And then add to that the fact that 99% of RPGs still go for the serious business kind of writing. And I am not even complaining here, 'good for what it is' is perfectly alright for me when playing a game, if I want to great story, I'll grab a book.

I find Larians whimsical approach much more refreshing and it actually creates a couple of memorable moments by virtue of its style alone, whereas I forget 99% of your average juvenile dramatic RPG writing right away. All that being said, its not even the case that Larians writing is whimsical alone, as for example the companion story of Jahan in DivOS was pretty serious (and quite interesting).

The problem with Larian isn't their comedic approach to writing, it's just that it's not even funny, it's tryhard comedy....... the divinity games try way too hard to make you laugh with cultural references and "ooh look at me i am so quirky" moments that it just comes across as cringy and awkward, i honestly got more laughs when playing Fallout and it wasn't even trying to make me laugh. Then again comedy is subjective so to each their own i guess.

As for what you said about serious writing, i agree.... writers in videogames shouldn't take themselves too seriously since most of them can't write for shit anyways, but they shouldn't think themselves soo funny either, writing good jokes that actually land isn't easy and requires actual talent.

 

[luj1]

What to expect of the gameplay: this is the real mistery here.

Not really, we saw the leaks from a year ago. It's DAI all over again. Dumbed down, voice acted postmodern garbage full of cutscenes.

 

[luj1]

I've never played DoS2. Should I be worried about Larian's version of BG?

Nah... As long as you don't have to play it, you shouldn't be worried.

 

[JarlFrank]

BG2 is a decidedly inferior game to BG1. I couldn't even finish BG2, and I've beat the first like four different times.

BG2 is ten million times better than the bland and boring BG1 though.

I can imagine someone 6 years old can come to such opinion while comparing a good book which is bg1 to the disneyland which is bg2 aka start of decline.

Nah, BG1 is the game that has "my first D&D campaign" written all over it, where everything is bland and generic and none of the more interesting parts of the setting are used. I haven't seen fantasy more blandly generic than BG1 in computer RPGs, it's just utterly devoid of anything interesting.

Meanwhile BG2 has the city of Athkatla, more interesting itemization and encounters, varied environs like the Underdark, an underwater city, etc. And BG2 has much better dungeons, too, compared to the few in BG1 which are made up of narrow labyrinthine hallways that are a pain to navigate with a 6 character party.

 

[JarlFrank]

 

[Morgoth]

Guise, time for a reminder.

BG1 > BG2. #Truthfact

 

[Darkzone]

...650 people working on the game spread across 4 continents, an aircraft carrier group and a nuclear submarine...

But do they have Arnold Schwarzenegger ( Chris Avellone ) ?

 

[Murk]

Always the "Larian can't write" crowd, maybe my standards for game writing are too low or something but I don't give much of a fuck anymore about 'serious business' stories, probably because I can count the games who have genuinely good (as opposed to 'good for what it is') writing almost literally on one hand. And then add to that the fact that 99% of RPGs still go for the serious business kind of writing. And I am not even complaining here, 'good for what it is' is perfectly alright for me when playing a game, if I want to great story, I'll grab a book.

I find Larians whimsical approach much more refreshing and it actually creates a couple of memorable moments by virtue of its style alone, whereas I forget 99% of your average juvenile dramatic RPG writing right away. All that being said, its not even the case that Larians writing is whimsical alone, as for example the companion story of Jahan in DivOS was pretty serious (and quite interesting).

After playing PoE2 and experiencing the writing in it, I'll take the Cheese Vendor.

Nevermind that BG 1/2 had a ton of nonsensical stuff in it -- "My hotel is as clean as an elven arse" or literally anything Minsc said.

 

[smaug]

BG2 is a decidedly inferior game to BG1. I couldn't even finish BG2, and I've beat the first like four different times.

BG2 is ten million times better than the bland and boring BG1 though.

I can imagine someone 6 years old can come to such opinion while comparing a good book which is bg1 to the disneyland which is bg2 aka start of decline.

BG1 is literally autistically running through mostly empty maps. It has some good content, encounters, and itemization, but the overall exploration is so laughably bad, BG2 wins easily in comparison.

 

[ItsChon]

BG2 is ten million times better than the bland and boring BG1 though.

Nah, BG1 is the game that has "my first D&D campaign" written all over it, where everything is bland and generic and none of the more interesting parts of the setting are used.

In what way? Bland and generic is not what I would use to describe Baldur's Gate, as there are tons of great quests and locations throughout the game. BG2 in contrast felt so bloated and exhausting in the opening hour. You're bombarded with shit from the get go, and have no real opportunity to get your bearings. The poster above that compared it to Disney Land is absolutely correct. The pacing is awful, and you're not given any reason to care about your current predicament. You can't just lean on the relationships that I might have built with the companions I'm given at the start of the game as a crutch for me to buy into the story you're trying to sell. I'm afraid I have to agree with Lilura here. The low level D&D adventure felt much more rewarding and entertaining than BG2. I will try to revisit the game, this time with a different character and not bother with importing mine from BG1, but I'm not expecting much.

literally autistically

Stop talking about yourself Smaug. You come out here with the most generic post that adds absolutely zero to the discussion.

 

[smaug]

BG2 is ten million times better than the bland and boring BG1 though.

Nah, BG1 is the game that has "my first D&D campaign" written all over it, where everything is bland and generic and none of the more interesting parts of the setting are used.

In what way? Bland and generic is not what I would use to describe Baldur's Gate, as there are tons of great quests and locations throughout the game. BG2 in contrast felt so bloated and exhausting in the opening hour. You're bombarded with shit from the get go, and have no real opportunity to get your bearings. The poster above that compared it to Disney Land is absolutely correct. The pacing is awful, and you're not given any reason to care about your current predicament. You can't just lean on the relationships that I might have built with the companions I'm given at the start of the game as a crutch for me to buy into the story you're trying to sell. I'm afraid I have to agree with Lilura here. The low level D&D adventure felt much more rewarding and entertaining than BG2. I will try to revisit the game, this time with a different character and not bother with importing mine from BG1, but I'm not expecting much.

literally autistically

Stop talking about yourself Smaug. You come out here with the most generic post that adds absolutely zero to the discussion.

Yea, hope you enjoy autistically running across areas with small and possibly not that interesting events.

Also, if your going to argue “You don’t have to explore all of the areas like an autist!” Well dipshit, if you’ve never played the game, you have no choice but to explore every corner, because you might just find an NPC or some quest shit.

 

[DraQ]

I'm worried that we're going to get a heavy dose of Larian's brand of "humor" in BG3 and that alone makes me nervous.

As opposed to Biowarean humour and writing?

I am more worried of Larian picking a hot potato, because there is no way they can satisfy people. Make it RTWP - it will be kludgy mess like the original, smarter portion of the audience will bitch. Make it TB, all the retards will be moaning about it not being like originals.

The only upside is that they might be able to hone their mechanics with some constraints preventing them from doing excruiciatingly dumb stuff with it so if this doesn't bankrupt them there might be valuable lessons in it - how to keep all the cool and novel stuff without immediately backflipping of a cliff.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

Hardcore BG 1 & 2 fans will hate BG 3 with all their heart and never forgive Larian. D:OS 1 & 2 fans will think BG 3 is OK.

With a heavy heart, this is the most likely future.

What I'm hoping will save us, is that Larian won't be designing the system, merely adapting. I think they have earned some credit in that regard. They did several things with D:OS 1&2 which hadn't been done, or people would have thought crazy to attempt. If they attempt to stay as true to the rules as possible, then we'll be alright. Outside of the zany setting, the writing of D:OS 1 while within Cyseal was only mildly inferior to BG1. Both games didn't take themselves overly seriously, to their benefit. Larian's attempts at improving their writing for DOS2 flopped, which speaks ill for BG3. It means that they didn't understand what the problem was, or were incapable of overcoming themselves. The outlook for BG3 in that regard is grim.

 

[d1r]

Why do we even need BG3?

Good question, considering that nothing that we did with our MC's in BG1 or BG2 will have any impact on fucking BG3. Absolutely disgusting.

 

[Tigranes]

Always the "Larian can't write" crowd, maybe my standards for game writing are too low or something but I don't give much of a fuck anymore about 'serious business' stories, probably because I can count the games who have genuinely good (as opposed to 'good for what it is') writing almost literally on one hand. And then add to that the fact that 99% of RPGs still go for the serious business kind of writing. And I am not even complaining here, 'good for what it is' is perfectly alright for me when playing a game, if I want to great story, I'll grab a book.

I find Larians whimsical approach much more refreshing and it actually creates a couple of memorable moments by virtue of its style alone, whereas I forget 99% of your average juvenile dramatic RPG writing right away. All that being said, its not even the case that Larians writing is whimsical alone, as for example the companion story of Jahan in DivOS was pretty serious (and quite interesting).

I don't care if it's serious or not. Larian's writing is unserious and bad, not bad because unserious.

They're not funny and their 'quirky' is cringy as shit and they need to stop.

 

[Fedora Master]

 

[gunman]

BG2 is a decidedly inferior game to BG1. I couldn't even finish BG2, and I've beat the first like four different times.

They are different in style, past the common engine and some NPCs. What is great about BG series is that they filled all the D&D CRPG player base needs, you will see half preferring BG1 while other half preferring BG2. BG1 is more about outdoors, starting from scratch, having an open world open for you to explore at your own leisure, while BG2 is more about powerplaying, +X weapons right from the start and spell galore. IMO both are great.

Unfortunately, after playing DoS and DoS2, I am afraid Larian will taint the series. It's not that I am afraid of the writing, but they have a style of making a world full of boring stuff. While the start of their games are great, halfway through you pray the game would end, because you know nothing will keep up your interest. It's only a bloating of the same stuff you encountered a thousands times before. It's not like in BG1&2. where even after you feel immortal, there are still encounters that are unique and dangerous if unprepared.

 

[Valky]

Ideally Larian will follow their past gameplay conventions and BG3 will be turn based, which at least saves the gameplay from being total shit. And if they are just adapting a D&D ruleset into superior turn based gameplay, the game will be good, since the gameplay is the only thing that matters. As DraQ put though, they are between a rock and a hard place because if they make the better game, the tasteless and mechanically braindead simps will complain.

 

[DalekFlay]

While we don't know jack shit yet, I would certainly hope (assume?) that Larian will not write BG3 as a Larian game.

 

[agris]

BG3 won’t be quirky / silly / that brand of cringe - look at the reveal trailer.

The game will probably be third person action perspective- look at luj1 ’s pics.

Larian has something to prove, they aren’t going to make DoS2:BG3. They’re gonna make a AAA action rpg heavily influenced by 5e ruleset, maybe even with similarities to rtwp/ phase based, albeit it with some tactical slant.

The combat system will be by far the best component of BG3, and it will be aRPG-ish.

Where it will fall down is: art style, presentation, writing, UI, non-number bloat challenge, and map/dungeon design.

I would list itemization as well given that the parasitic growth in Swen’s brain has given him item fever, but by virtue of being a 5E game, hopefully his brain mite’s preference for a constant stream of bland meaningless items will be obviated.

 

[ItsChon]

What pics? luj1 Care to share?