Author Topic: BG, and what made it better  (Read 7304 times)

Offline Marauder

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BG, and what made it better
« on: January 08, 2006, 12:58:04 PM »
I like BG much more than BGII, as i know many others do. But the big question is; why? Lets find out! Opinions, please!
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Offline Chiz

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2006, 02:35:21 PM »
Because of the NPC's. Seriously, I get a kick every time they have a personality.

Offline Marauder

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2006, 03:23:53 PM »
hm, yes, that might be it... Also, BG has 25 npc's, BGII has 17...
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Offline jester

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2006, 03:45:07 PM »
Low level campaigns are trickier and more of a group experience. A 27th level sorcereror doesn't need mules or bodyguards. BG had a better geography, than the point and jump feeling of the guided tours in BG2. Arcanum combined clever blocking with unlimited map travel. This is what I liked most. I especially liked the mod who we do not speak of way back when modding only dawned for BG and item packs were all the rage. Why? It added new areas to explore.
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Offline Eral

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2006, 05:44:36 PM »
The story unfolded logically and interestingly. You had a sense of tracking down a mystery: who was behind the Iron throne? etc.
NPC's said hilarious stuff.
Khalid was alive. (Sorry, I am a Khalid fan. Loved the stutter and the axe.) Maps were meant to be explored - particularly if you wanted the random fights/ side-quests. Side-quests varied a lot, and you had to be at a high enough level to complete them.
Random encounters were challenging and often funny -I remember some bandits by a lake that I had to skirt around for a really long time before I was strong enough to beat them.
Wide range of evil and good party members to choose from.
Having to steal from houses when no-one was looking.
Multiple ways of dealing with conflicts, depending on your response. The Ogre bounty hunter in BG City will always be my favourite.
Getting more XP if you were evil - supporting the adage "Goodness is its own reward." (Well actually, that annoyed me, but I still thought it was a good game strategy, because the temptation to be evil was stronger.You had to choose b/w cheap goods and rep or XP.)

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Offline Dark Raven

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #5 on: January 09, 2006, 04:52:30 PM »
I't like the good old days of pnp games I used to play. I like the npcs, even BG1's are nothing more than pack mules, it had great looking places for you to travel, I like the woods and Durlags Tower. The music was great and it had a well written story.
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Offline Rodman49

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #6 on: January 17, 2006, 04:06:00 PM »
I don't know, BG was good but I'd have to say BG2 is far superior, although this could be the result of having a ton of mods installed - which eliminate most of the tedious things and bugs about the game.  I mean your PC is just so much more of a beast and party interactions seem to be just as good as BG (I'd like a little more rioting and infighting in BG2).  Additionally there is a whole lot more area to explore, especially for someone like me who knows jack about the Forgotten Realms universe - the plot seems a little less linear too, I mean I never expected to be in a city of those lizardmen like things, that totally caught me by surprise (that's where I am currently now, this is really my first time through).

Offline Western Paladin

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #7 on: January 17, 2006, 05:41:02 PM »
The Baldur's Gate II engine is superior - fast walking, pausing on the inventory screen, better graphics, and the Tab key. ( ;) ) However, the original Baldur's Gate has a better main plot line, which I find sucks me in more right until the very last sword stroke. Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal couldn't - the munchkin in me loves Angurvadal +5 and always will (he even made a mini-mod that I use to make it slightly better), but the plausibility lawyer in me wonders how the hell Tethyr still exists with greater earth elementals, mature green dragons, and Kuo-Toa elites running around everywhere.

Baldur's Gate II's side quests are also of highly varying quality. I like Nalia's keep (even though it's just hack and slash), the Planar Sphere, the Unseeing Eye, and Trademeet; but others, like the Shadow Thieves, are deathly boring. Also, when the NPCs talk too much, it rubs my imagination and my conceptions the wrong way and fills everything with "canon". (I'm aware that I'm very vain when it comes to my imagination and very reluctant to give up any of my pre-conceived notions but I'm not sure what I can do about it.)
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Offline Kulyok

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2006, 06:12:11 AM »
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Baldur's Gate II's side quests are also of highly varying quality. I like Nalia's keep (even though it's just hack and slash), the Planar Sphere, the Unseeing Eye, and Trademeet; but others, like the Shadow Thieves, are deathly boring. Also, when the NPCs talk too much, it rubs my imagination and my conceptions the wrong way and fills everything with "canon". (I'm aware that I'm very vain when it comes to my imagination and very reluctant to give up any of my pre-conceived notions but I'm not sure what I can do about it.)

Could you please elaborate? I sometimes feel the same when NPCs talk about, for example, my destiny and my essence (and their version differs from mine), but when they talk about the weather, love and stuff, it's generally OK. What is it like with you?

Offline SimDing0™

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #9 on: January 18, 2006, 06:13:08 AM »
fast walking
Too fast.

Quote
better graphics
Worse.

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and the Tab key.
Gay.


That is all. :)

Offline Echon

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #10 on: January 18, 2006, 07:27:06 AM »
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better graphics
Worse.

At least the trees are not 2D. I think BG2's graphics are both better and worse, overall.

Quote
Quote
and the Tab key.
Gay.

I would probably like it if it was limited to obvious doors and containers and excluded everything that is supposed to be hidden.

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Offline Lu

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #11 on: January 18, 2006, 07:46:18 AM »
Quote
pausing on the inventory screen
   Lame

Offline Eral

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #12 on: January 18, 2006, 02:31:08 PM »
No, no: pausing on the inventory screen was completely necessary and should be patched into BG 1.
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Offline Echon

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #13 on: January 18, 2006, 02:32:14 PM »
Fortunately that is not possible.

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Offline Rodman49

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #14 on: January 18, 2006, 04:26:14 PM »
Hmm, I just beat BG using BGTutu, since I'm a fan of the second games engine way more than the first.

Offline Borsook

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #15 on: January 18, 2006, 05:20:34 PM »
For me BG1 has a sense of freedom and non-linearity that BG2 lacks most of the time. And I prefer the BG1 story...
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Offline Ghreyfain

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #16 on: January 18, 2006, 05:25:22 PM »
Hmm, I just beat BG using BGTutu, since I'm a fan of the second games engine way more than the first.

Yup, that's why Tutu > BG1 > BG2. :)
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Offline discharger12

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #17 on: January 18, 2006, 05:59:24 PM »
Fortunately that is not possible.

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Offline Lu

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #18 on: January 18, 2006, 06:27:39 PM »
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pausing on the inventory screen was completely necessary and should be patched into BG 1
   It's convenient, sure enough. But is it not against common sense, being able to pick up stuff in your backpack, and even pass it from one party member to another during combat? IIRC, there was an article on the Web, in which one of Bioware members explained that they had to make the game pause on the inventory screen due to some technical reasons. The guy definitely looked kinda guilty in the article

Offline Drew

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #19 on: January 18, 2006, 06:56:33 PM »
Yeah, but it really isn't believable that it would take you 2 rounds to unsheathe your dagger, either. :-\  And it probably isn't actually in your backpack, either.  This is why they pause the screen when you open up inventory in BG2.  I'd say the BG2 implementation is actually less unrealistic than BG1.
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Offline Veloxyll

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #20 on: January 18, 2006, 08:37:48 PM »
You should have your dagger in a quickweapon slot anyhow. Otherwise it is in your backpack :P
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Offline Drew

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #21 on: January 18, 2006, 08:53:51 PM »
My fighter/mage/thief only had one quick weapon slot.
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Offline Veloxyll

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #22 on: January 18, 2006, 11:08:55 PM »
Well it's hardly my fault your character doesn't have any places to hold extra weapons now is it!
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Offline Drew

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #23 on: January 19, 2006, 10:34:03 AM »
That's true.  But it points to the flaw of a non-pausing inventory screen.   Dropping your bow and taking out your dagger should be a free action or close to it.
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Offline Lu

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Re: BG, and what made it better
« Reply #24 on: January 19, 2006, 10:48:03 AM »
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My fighter/mage/thief only had one quick weapon slot
  They added another quick weapon slot in TotSC, didn't they? I still think that checking what you have in your backpack while in combat should mean instant death

 

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