Interview Trent Oster interviewed about Icewind Dale:EE at RPGamer, admits he "screwed up" BG:EE

[Shevek]

I wish they would make some significant improvements rather than just stuff you can do through mods. One thing I always wanted was for quick weapon slots to let me switch between a sword/shield or dual wield and ranged. Its a small thing but would be nice.

 

[throwaway]

Thinking of replaying BG series, but unsure about the EE version of it... Is there any reason to favour it other than modern resolutions support?

The loot function and the easily served stats on the inventory screen are very convenient.

 

[Koschey]

Josh Sawyer has horror stories to tell about party wipes to the goblins waiting outside of Easthaven.

So how long until PoE gets a story mode?

 

[Roguey]

So how long until PoE gets a story mode?

Never, because he believes the solution to bad players is to explain the mechanics to them better as opposed to coddling them.

 

[Spectacle]

Well, Black Isle was trying to make something with Black Hound. If Beamdog will start working on BG3 maybe they will try to salvage it or make something similar?

The Black Hound was only ever going to be BG3 for license reasons, it would have been a completely separate game in practice.

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

I confess I don't know much about what was proposed as the 'Black Hound' plot, but I always thought it would be possible to make a BG3 that directly referenced the events of BG1 & 2 without immediately descending into 'munchkinism'. You wouldn't have to play the same character as the previous games, starting as a deity. Instead a new low-level adventure could see you as someone different, but in a world where the protagonist from BG2 is a new deity. This would gradually provide more insight into the implications of the events of BG2.

So perhaps there are new cults and temples being founded to worship the new God. You would come into conflict with these or join them and try to rise up the ranks. Or you could be a young adventurer who gradually comes across hints and rumours about a new war between two Gods, which is just beginning to spill over into the world you live in. Someone may try to recruit you for one of the sides. After pursuing Godhood in BG2 these narratives could give you an idea of how this affects other realms and ordinary people. You don't need to see any of the immortals in question, they could be distant background characters like Helm etc in BG but their machinations would have an impact on you.

 

[Infinitron]

I confess I don't know much about what was proposed as the 'Black Hound' plot, but I always thought it would be possible to make a BG3 that directly referenced the events of BG1 & 2 without immediately descending into 'munchkinism'. You wouldn't have to play the same character as the previous games, starting as a deity. Instead a new low-level adventure could see you as someone different, but in a world where the protagonist from BG2 is a new deity. This would gradually provide more insight into the implications of the events of BG2.

So perhaps there are new cults and temples being founded to worship the new God. You would come into conflict with these or join them and try to rise up the ranks. Or you could be a young adventurer who gradually comes across hints and rumours about a new war between two Gods, which is just beginning to spill over into the world you live in. Someone may try to recruit you for one of the sides. After pursuing Godhood in BG2 these narratives could give you an idea of how this affects other realms and ordinary people. You don't need to see any of the immortals in question, they could be distant background characters like Helm etc in BG but their machinations would have an impact on you.

Ziets had some ideas on this: http://new.spring.me/#!/GZiets/q/414930203056307948

The Black Hound's plot had nothing to do with the Baldur's Gate series and was actually going to have characters from the Icewind Dale games in it.

 

[Raapys]

Why not start as a deity though? Not many RPGs have tried that approach before. Or any, that I recall.

Edit: Yeah, what Ziets said. Ziets is awesome.

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

Ziets had some ideas on this: http://new.spring.me/#!/GZiets/q/414930203056307948

The Black Hound's plot had nothing to do with the Baldur's Gate series and was actually going to have characters from the Icewind Dale games in it.

Thanks, that was interesting. But damn, now I want to see that game he suggests!

 

[mondblut]

Huh, power of love and saving the world? I seem to remember quite clearly that I killed everything and became the God of Murder.

Getting to choose an ending movie in a typical bioware fashion does not suddenly make a game "turn the save the world story on its head". Even the fucking Frodo was about to do that if not for Gollum biting off his finger.

 

[Raapys]

Getting to choose an ending movie in a typical bioware fashion does not suddenly make a game "turn the save the world story on its head". Even the fucking Frodo was about to do that if not for Gollum biting off his finger.

I don't disagree with that, but you can p.much play an asshole throughout the entire game, both in terms of dialog options and going on killing sprees. I.e. p.much any dialog option about going after Irenicus lets you choose 'i dont give a shit about imoen'. You can also be an asshole to her and then dump her when you get her back.

And you're not technically saving the world; worst case you're just saving the faggoty elven city. But mostly you're just saving yourself.

 

[nikolokolus]

Ziets had some ideas on this: http://new.spring.me/#!/GZiets/q/414930203056307948

*snip*

I'd play that fucking game and I hate Forgotten Realms with the white, hot, hatred of a thousand burning suns.

 

[Saber-Scorpion]

Getting to choose an ending movie in a typical bioware fashion does not suddenly make a game "turn the save the world story on its head". Even the fucking Frodo was about to do that if not for Gollum biting off his finger.

I don't disagree with that, but you can p.much play an asshole throughout the entire game, both in terms of dialog options and going on killing sprees. I.e. p.much any dialog option about going after Irenicus lets you choose 'i dont give a shit about imoen'. You can also be an asshole to her and then dump her when you get her back.

And you're not technically saving the world; worst case you're just saving the faggoty elven city. But mostly you're just saving yourself.

Exactly; it's not a total subversion of the trope - I'm sure that was never the intention - but it does still subvert it in many ways. In most of these save the world stories and later Bioware games, you are the chosen one going after the big bad to stop him. In BG, the big bad is the one coming after you, to kill you or capture you and steal your soul. You're not trying to save the world unless you specifically choose to try to play the hero. By default, you're just trying to save yourself.

 

[Drakron]

Why not start as a deity though?

Because its a licensed product.

Bhall is dead in FR, sure other gods come back but there was no way WotC would allow it divert so much from their materials, plus you would be a deity and then what? Do you have any fucking idea of how powerful are even demigods in D6D? Those ONLY work if you would go Planar and barely.

 

[Martius]

The Black Hound was only ever going to be BG3 for license reasons, it would have been a completely separate game in practice.

I am aware of that. From what I can remember someone from Obsidian/Black Isle (maybe it was Sawyer, I am not sure about that) said it was in practise closer to Icewind Dale. I just thought if Beamdog would try something similar. I dont think there is any sense in trying to make direct sequel to BG2.

 

[StaticSpine]

So there is a possibility they remake PS:T, I'd buy it even if was shit, just for the effort

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

The Black Hound... was actually going to have characters from the Icewind Dale games in it.

I had never heard that. Do you have a source? Wasn't IWD set significantly before The Time of Troubles in FR continuity? I know BG3 was to have no plot connections to the first two, but I'd always assumed it was going to peripherally reference them.

 

[Jaesun]

Every time the mention of Baldur's Gate III come up I laugh.

Wizards of the Coast own the IP and Trademark to it. And I would bet they have been approached several times from people wanting to get the licence to make such a game....

The question is, does WotC want to make quick cash grab, and make a Mass Accessible Baldur's Gate (consoles obviously, with lot's of ACTION BUTTAN! for quick money and profits, to please the HASBRO Overlords, who own Wotc).

Or a Developer who pitches something that retains the..... feel of the original games.

I doubt we would EVER see a (proper) turn-based Baldurs Gate III. I'll bet money on that.

 

[pippin]

Dark Alliance was that Accesible BG, and while some people remember it fondly, it is clearly not what people was hoping it to be in the long run.
And yeah, IWD happens before BG. According to a person in BG's forums:

Baldur's Gate is set in 1368DR, BG2 begins few months later, in 1369.

Icewind Dale is set in 1281DR, i.e. before the Time of Troubles, along with the 'sequel', which begins in 1312DR

You could meet Xan's cousin in IWD, he even mentioned him in his diary, so it's not really unlikely that both series could be related. What's funnier for me is the fact that you could find weapons from PST in both BG and iWD, if I remember correctly.... granted, it was just fan service, but an in-world explanation about how those items got there could have been nice

 

[Roguey]

I had never heard that. Do you have a source? Wasn't IWD set significantly before The Time of Troubles in FR continuity? I know BG3 was to have no plot connections to the first two, but I'd always assumed it was going to peripherally reference them.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=48807

Maralie Fiddlebender would have been a companion. Gnomes live about 350 years.

 

[hoverdog]

The Black Hound was originally planned as the first game in a trilogy

 

[GarfunkeL]

Thinking of replaying BG series, but unsure about the EE version of it... Is there any reason to favour it other than modern resolutions support?

The loot function and the easily served stats on the inventory screen are very convenient.

But not enough, when all IE mods work on the original and only a handful of mods work with BG:EE. Which introduced a bevy of new bugs, most of which have now been quashed, though.

Still, the only reason to get EE instead of modding the originals is you have more money than time and you want to reward hacks for being hacks.

 

[Blackguard]

I wish they would make some significant improvements rather than just stuff you can do through mods. One thing I always wanted was for quick weapon slots to let me switch between a sword/shield or dual wield and ranged. Its a small thing but would be nice.

Yes, that would be nice. They've actually commented on that specific thing though and said making that change would break every single creature file.

 

[Shevek]

I wish they would make some significant improvements rather than just stuff you can do through mods. One thing I always wanted was for quick weapon slots to let me switch between a sword/shield or dual wield and ranged. Its a small thing but would be nice.

Yes, that would be nice. They've actually commented on that specific thing though and said making that change would break every single creature file.

Well, considering how much they are asking for these re-releases, they should be able to do that.

 

[Grunker]

Josh Sawyer has horror stories to tell about party wipes to the goblins waiting outside of Easthaven.

And, like I've said many times, you shouldn't try to sell 500-piece puzzle games to drooling retards by numbering the pieces so as to remove the challenge.