>>4031460
I have no nostalgia for the bhaalspawn triolgy
It's a game I think about years later. I'm only 29, I played it when I was like 23-24 on a whim as prep for bg3 on core rules, but it's the last time I felt truly immersed in a video game like I had to get up multiple times to walk around to to mull over a decision.
The gameplay is far far far far more interesting and actually worth discussing than most 3d RPGs like gothic or elder scrolls. Music/art was instantly iconic.
Boomers were eating good.
It's ironic that I played it in anticipation for bg3 but it kinda ruined bg3 for me.
I ended up being mixed on that game and I think I would have liked it more if I haven't played the previous games

>>4031460
The main story of BG2 is extremely weak and underwhelming, not helped by the ocean of cut content and last minute rewrites. It's carried entirely by Irenicus's VA.

The side content is where all the good stuff is kept.

>>4031469
Main quest is pretty good until the fish and elf city bits
Those are awful and dull

>>4031471
The problem is the actual "main quest" is extremely short and amounts to a chase.

>front-loaded information in Irenicus's Dungeon
>literally nothing for 50+ hours
>Spellhold, which amounts to a cutscene and a few conversations,
>nothing for the next 20 hours,
>Suldanesselar + Hell which wrap up the main story

That's it. Those "Irenicus" dreams? They were made up at the end of development when BioWare realized Irencus is a tertiary character that barely appears.

BG1 is superior to BG2 in every aspect.

>>4031498
no it's not. also, they're basically one game

>>4031460
Bioware topped it with Dragon Age Origins, if we're talking about similar RPGs. BG2 is flawed but still one of the greats. Very impressive leap forward from BG1.

>>4031535
DAO was above average I guess, but nowhere near BG2.

>>4031535
>Bioware topped it with Dragon Age Origins
Disagree.
>BG2 is flawed but still one of the greats
Agree.
>Very impressive leap forward from BG1.
Disagree. It was a refinement and an expansion but not revolutionary. Nowadays I’d consider it more of a sidegrade to BG1, not better in every way, just different. Back in the day I liked it more than 1, but nowadays I’ve came around to preferring 1 over it. The epic bloat and tighter focus necessarily lost some of the “comfy low level adventuring party tromping through the woods” feel of the more open first game. And DnD always works better at low levels.

>>4031578
>>very impressive leap forward
>Disagree.
>not revolutionary
>not better in every way
Tough crowd.

>>4031590
It’s a good game, a classic, and I like it.

>>4031461
Same goes for me. I played BG 1 and 2 both for the first time in 2019 and I was blown away. Never experienced such a good RPG.

Persona 4 Golden was better.

>>4031460
>builds
lol c'mon

>>4031817
I'm not a person who likes "builds" in general, but I still find what you can really do in BG pretty boring in that respect. There's really no thought that goes into a character other than the initial class choice and your willingness to suffer through X levels of dual classing. I guess weapon proficiency too to some extent
I really consider it just a game that works as more than the sum of its parts, because there's not a lot of things about it I really like individually

File: shatner_horrified.jpg (127 KB, 1418x934)

127 KB JPG

>that cringey faggot companion with the pet hamster
Blech.

>>4032201
Also the fact its really easy to spam reroll for 20 minutes to have god stats

>>4032316
I have a love-hate relationship with that. Due to the limitations of what ability scores can do in that edition it's not that bad, and it does feel nice to be the character that rolled good stats in a very primitive sense, but I do feel like the rat that's been tricked to just keep pressing the "sometimes get cheese" button over and over.

>>4032316
>I deliberately broke the game so the game is bad
Powergamers never learn.

>>4032366
>game is badly designed
Yes.

>>4032366
The difference between rolling for absurdly high stats and just putting your relevant stats high with a decent roll is probably just a few lore points at the end of the day anyway. Of all the mechanics to complain about, I'd put it pretty low priority

>>4032382
>The difference between rolling for absurdly high stats and just putting your relevant stats high with a decent roll is probably just a few lore points at the end of the day anyway.
Not the point.

>>4032316
That's the dumbest thing in the game
>you want max stats or no?
Well damn mister I think I'll take them max stats, considering how lower stats only means more annoying game!

>>4032411
I'm tempted to just press ctrl+8 whenever I see that screen just to spite it.

>>4032382
That, and you can use items to fix/override a bunch of stats anyway
>19str belt from Ribald
>18 dex gloves from the ghouls in the sewers
>18 cha ring from Aerie's introduction
All that really matters are CON, INT and WIS, and the latter two are only useful for casters and not dying to mind flayers (where 18 is functionally identical to 16)

>>4032656
Con also improves 3 of your saves as a dwarf/halfling and 2 as a gnome, and I think you need 18 to get the full 5 bonus (but it also can't take your save below 0 before bonuses, so there might be some class related reasons you don't actually need 18), but I might be wrong. Also if you start at 18 and collect the tomes/tears of bhaal/lum the mad shit you could get to a point where you get regeneration from high con (I think that starts at 20) which is pretty convenient.
Dex on the other hand barely does anything after 18. I think you need to get to like 21 or 22 to get another AC point
As for charisma, I think it's just a handful of dialogue choices and slightly better quest rewards. I don't even remember any significant cases outside of some early game bg1 stuff.

TWELVE, FUCKING, YEARS!

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/12-years-of-baldurs-gate-trilogy-modding.156787/

>>4031460
Neverwinter Nights 2 is the greatest of all time.

Half-orc assassin or Half-orc fighter/thief for my next playthrough?

>>4033122
Having to live with thief saves and thaco forever is just something I prefer to avoid. If I'm playing one I generally would prefer to have it be part of a dual class or multiclass. Fighter levels also makes use any item more fun

Custom party with three paladins and three clerics.

>>4032857
it's great, but what way is it better than bg2 come on

>>4031461
same here. i played it when i was 20, 8 years ago and there's nothing that compares imo. only three rpgs that immersed me as much were morrowind, vtm:b and ultima 7. but bg 1 and 2 are the ultimate crpg experience.

>>4033303
>it's great, but what way is it better than bg2 come on
Better multiplayer, all I can think of. Or maybe he hates 2nd ed and loves 3rd ed.

>>4031460
It was mediocre and hamstrung by the infinity engine being hacks of hacks of hacks of hacks to the point it makes the Fallout 3 engine look like assembly code.

>>4034571
buzzword buzzword buzzword buzzword buzzword buzzword buzzword buzzword

>>4031578
>And DnD always works better at low levels
>>4031472
>The problem is the actual "main quest" is extremely short and amounts to a chase.
Both pretty much sum up my thoughts. BG2 is a still a good, sometimes even great, game but the first game still stands above it by a long-shot.

For me, the flow of 2 was basically this
>start game and get some lore dumped on me about Irenicus and that I got kidnapped somehow
>Imoen gets kidnapped and I'm dumped into a massive city with a million things to do and companions with timed quests (that also bring you to areas only accessible through them)
>game half telling me to explore half telling me to hurry up since Imoen is captured and getting tortured
>headcannon that she is fine but just being captured so i'm able to do all of ch2 content which takes 40-50+ hours
>barely none of the side content involves story, so just dicking around for awhile
>side with vampires to progress and take out thieves guild very quickly
>spellhold section feels awkward and is quick to progress, get some info finally on why Jon is doing what he's doing
>fish area is quick and boring
>underdark area had some cool ideas but didn't quite hit the mark, not much told about Jon's motives still
>Suldanessellar feels very shallow/rushed, but finally get some explanation on Jon
>stop him, go to hell which again feels extremely rushed (although the concept was good)
>game ends
At the end of the day, I just didn't really care about Irenicus whatsoever as a villain. Stealing my soul felt like such a weak hook to try to get me to care about the grander story. When I think about the game, I think about doing a million side-quests in chapter 2. When I think about BG1, I think about the big journey I went on with my party all throughout the lands uncovering mysteries, solving problems for various factions, etc. I still think BG2 is a fine game but I still vastly prefer 1 over it at the end of the day.

>>4033122
Fighter/thief.
The damage bonus from having high strength isn't multiplied by backstabs but the weapon proficiency bonus is. F/T should have a bit more staying power too.

>>4031578
Bg2 focusing on side quests with meat on them and companions literally shaped all RPGs going forward.
You take a bg1 side quest which is go to an area and get into a fight get the reward go to the next vs a bg2 where a NPC runs up to you and it's multi stage with a few locations with least 2 different outcome and rewards and it's like oh wait the bg2 one is how like every game after goes is crazy

>>4041161
>Bg2 focusing on companions literally shaped all RPGs going forward.
>and it's like oh wait the bg2 one is how like every game after goes is crazy
Though I still like the game, every modern cRPG aping BG2's formula is an absolute monkey's paw curse on the genre.
>devs now spend significant amounts of time and effort on their donut steel OCs and make them integral to the story
>ability to create a custom party falls by the wayside in many games, either non-existent, or devs are actively hostile to it (since it implies rejection of their companions) and requires clunky workarounds
>game's focus shifts from adventuring to a ridiculous plot written by failed tv/movie writer rejects about the chosen one saving the universe
>less exploration, more stumbling from spectacular setpiece to spectacular setpiece
>players now expect cringy romance in every game, culminating in "BG3" being a faggotry simulation with a viral marketing campaign about bestiality, featuring one of the developer's self-insert characters
>younger players now expect full voice acting because they're illiterate and reading is hard
>D&D itself is now actively hostile to its original fanbase of nerds, now extremely casualized and (((woke)))

>>4041248
I don't disagree with you that their wasn't some negatives to it, but I'm just saying bg2 quest design is like how modern games do it.
Even when you walk back to the quest giver and they run up and give you more information for a last minute twist on the situation which like every RPG does constantly
That's just bg2

>>4031460
Its not even the best RPG of its year.
It doesnt have the best RPG cast, not the best RPG quests, not the best writing/dialogue, certainly not the best combat, gameplay or level design, not the best art direction or visuals, not the best soundtrack, not the most reactive, not the most freedom, not the most depth, not the most choice & consequences, not the most replay value.

BG2 is a mediocre game that has aged poorly, it has shit tier gameplay, boring slog main quest, its extremely long and tedious, it has a lot of bad quests, it has a lot of bad and unrealized characters, the dialogue is juvenile and amatuerish and feels like kidergarten compared to PST, the story is shit compared to Xenogears, the cast is terrible compared to FF9 and those are all games that came near its release, it released the same year as Diablo 2 which has much better gameplay and replay value, it released the same year as Deus Ex which demolishes it as a thought provoking artisitc game and has far superior game design as well. Like this Bioware slop has never been anything more than 6/10 on a good day and with today's many new games and RPGs this game has very low value and borderline nothing interesting to offer.
If you consider this game as the best then you exposed yourself as a prime Redditor trash who never evolved past 18 years old edgelord phase 1 dudebro gamer.

>>4042048
>choice & consequences
Stopped reading here

>>4042048
>the story is shit compared to Xenogears
look, i agree with most of what you wrote, but that's a bannable take.

>>4031460
From a nobody to a Demi-god, and every bit of the journey feels logical, and all the progress feels earned.

Nothing else has surpassed it yet, and all modern western rpgs are derivative from it.

>>4040131

Wow DISAGREE.

Irenicus is a fantastic villain and the game really builds him up at the start with all the evil shit in his laboratory, him arrogantly kicking the shit out of the Cowled Wizards, etc.

The fact that Imoen was kidnapped is handled elegantly by having both her AND Irenicus taken captive by the Cowled Wizards, meaning you don't have to feel too guilty about time spent on sidequests - if Irenicus had grabbed her, said "I'm taking you back to my rape dungeon" and poofed out of existence, you'd be acutely aware of the need to find them as fast as possible but this approach gives you leeway.

The side content is fantastic, it is the meat of the game, doing dozens of varied D&D quests, learning about the Forgotten Realms mythos, just constantly discovering cool shit and the scripted events and timed quests really make you feel like you are in a living, breathing city.

The game changes after you head out to Spellhold and becomes more like Icewind Dale - and that's a good thing btw since as you said, you can easily spend 60 hours hoovering up every last crumb of Ch2 content.

Fish area is just fun killing high level mobs.

Underdark is fantastic, doubly so if you have Viconia in your party, triply so if you are romancing. The insight it gives into her attitude is exceptional.

BG2 is a nearly perfect game, the only shortcoming is the lack of foreshadowing for Suldanessellar and the Tree. I think there is just one mention of it by a pirate in the Docks area, could've used a few books of lore and Irenicus diaries to set it up more.

>>4045784
>meaning you don't have to feel too guilty about time spent on sidequests
this is just horseshit to justify your opinion and you know it lol. it's fine to like the game, but at least try and be objective about it.

>>4031578
>>4040131
>And DnD always works better at low levels
I don't care for this sentiment. I like playing games with high level DnD because to actually do that in the tabletop is always a fucking chore, while video games do the work for you with the worst parts. Also I don't think it's a coincidence that many of the most popular DnD games (or campaigns within them) are ones that go into high level stuff.

>>4045846
I'm serious. The game lets you know that Imoen is in a magical prison run by an arm of the Amnian government. By doing so, the game is implicitly telling you that Imoen isn't (so far as your in-game character knows) going to get 1 finger cut off for every hour of game time that passes until you rescue her.

>>4045846
>>4047692
Maybe he's roleplaying a carefree guy
>nah she'll be aight for a month or two

>>4047692
I don't know. I was probably 12 when I first played the game and I never believed the cowled wizards were in control there since they clearly had nothing they could do to stop Irenicus

>>4047813
You will CEASE your shitposting and come with us!

>>4047955
I CANNOT BE MUTED
I CANNOT BE BANNED
UNDERSTAND THIS AS YOU SEETHE, EVER PATHETIC, EVER JANNIES

>>4031460
Honestly the combat becomes an unengaging routine, which favors being pre-emptive instead of reactive, meaning savescumming is super effective. In that way it's probably rewarding for folks who like replaying games, planning out memorized encounters ahead of time. But the game wasn't really built for tactics.

That said my first playthrough of BG2 was really fucking fun all around.

>>4048751
yes, you can break encounters by engaging in fights without talking to them. this is a very simple thing to fix, though - stop being a faggot and play the game the way it was meant to be played. you don't HAVE to abuse broken mechanics in video games. you do it because you're a pussy who can't stand losing.

SCS has been installing for an hour and it's still only on smarter mages...

>>4045784
I really like the game, but I think Irenicus as a villain is largely carried by his voice actor doing a great job. There are some good ideas behind his goals, backstory, and motivations, but the game doesn't execute them particularly well, so he falls a bit flat in that regard. He's also a pretty underwhelming opponent mechanically. He's only really memorable because some of his lines are delivered really well.

>>4053771
You post sooner than I had anticipated.

File: Neera.png (2.25 MB, 1222x1221)

2.25 MB PNG

I played BG1:EE for the first time recently and I enjoyed it. Neera was my favourite companion, even if her gameplay was wildly unpredictable. I was going to play Siege of Dragonspear before BG2:EE but I read that's it's trash for a variety of reasons. Does anyone think it's good or will I have dodged a bullet by skipping it?

>>4053945
If you want to play a game made 16 years later by literal gamergate writers at the height of ESG who are clueless about the setting, plot, characters and level-appropriate monsters, go ahead. Otherwise skip it and pretend you didn't waste 5 bucks on legitimizing their fanfic.

>>4053945
>Siege of Dragonspear
It's good

>>4054046
Lol

>>4053945
If you liked Neera then you might actually enjoy SoD considering both are Beamdog additions.

>>4054650
I know Neera was added to BG1 in the enhanced edition, but wasn't that because she was an original companion in BG2?

>>4055163
no quirky chungus Neeera was added in both games by beamdog

>>4055164
I didn't know that. She felt like a natural addition in BG1EE. I assume the hafl-roc Dorn, the monk, Baeloth the drow wizard and perhaps others were also added by Beamdog? Tbh, I didn't really like the classic companions like Minsc, Jaheira and Khalid. I ran Neera, Imoen, Yeslick the dwarf cleric, Kagain the dwarf mercenary and Ajantis the paladin.

>>4055172
>She felt like a natural addition in BG1EE

lol, in a game where companions have almost no content or voiced dialogue and very short quest. A fully voiced, quirky millennial humor OC like Neera with special animated introduction and BG2 tier quest with player sexual romance didnt seem out of place to you? You just didnt have point of reference and didnt pay attention.

>>4055172
The added companions are closer to what the companions are like in BG2

>lol sod is good
>lol neera is good
>lol old stuff bad
fucking normies...

>>4055163
U wot m8?

This game is objectively total crap. Its like 90% rushed and cut content, it introduced cringe romances, it introduced broken pre-order fomo bonuses, in introduced the whole pre-buff and direct your blob into other blobs thing. I can't imagine anyone that isn't a complete schizo and retard having a single positive thing to say about this game. As soon as someone praises BG2 I know something is wrong with them and that they shouldn't be listened to.

>>4031460
It's my favorite old-school RPG. There's been other games that have come out that have better combat or better story, but for some reason playing this game is very comfy. Part of it is nostalgia I'm sure, but I get the urge to play it once every year.

>>4055263
My deepest apologies for not knowing the companion roster of a game I have not yet played, good sir.
>>4055179
>lol, in a game where companions have almost no content or voiced dialogue and very short quest.
True. I did consider they simply liked some companions more and thus put more work into them - Minsc, Neera, etc. The dwarves also bickered quite bit when they were in the party together though, and Yeslick was rooted in the story through the Nashkel mines, his former clanhold. Some others who were original talked lots too.
>A fully voiced, quirky millennial humor OC like Neera
She didn't feel that "current year", quirky or tryhard funny to me, beyond being a wild mage high school dropout raised in a forest.
>player sexual romance
This is not a bad thing?
>You just didnt have point of reference
True, I suppose.

I'm probably going to stick SoD then and eventually go straight to BG2.

>>4055263
Ah, quoted the wrong post. My reply was meant for the anon below you. Your reading comprehension of the posts in this thread could use some work, however.

>>4055613
yeah, dont really care what you think. normie on.

>>4055602
>playing SoD
So your opinion is worthless.

>>4055667
>lol sod is good
I asked if SoD was good. Most people here seemed negative about it. I don't know why you think people said it was good.
>lol neera is good
Yeah, I liked her character and playstyle. People like different things. I hope that's allowed, arbiter of rpgs.
>lol old stuff bad
This thread is about how old stuff is great though?

>>4055690
Skip SoD, I meant skip. I hope the rest of the sentence made that clear.

>>4053945
If you play Siege of Dragonspear, you will permanently ruin one of the greatest works of digital art for yourself.

Baldur's Gate is a perfect three-course meal:
Entree: BG1
Main: BG2, Shadows of Amn
Dessert: Throne of Bhaal

It is meticulously crafted and as close to an Epic as digital art can be. A first playthrough of Baldur's Gate 2 is a transcendental experience, on par with seeing the Mona Liza for the first time.

By playing Siege of Dragonspear, you ignore the chef and you ask the guy that cleans the toilets in the Michelin restaurant to take a fat shit on your plate. You then proceed to eat that fat shit between BG1 and BG2.

>>4057591
There's nothing perfect about Throne of Bhaal

I enjoyed the improved AI of SCS and wider variety of spells that mages and priests get, but I admit I refused to play mage chess after awhile and just got Keldorn to dispel everything (I didn't choose to install the option to nerf it). Fuck mage chess

>>4057591
I think the Mona Liza is overrated but thanks for your analysis, looking forward to BG2 then.

>>4057755
Throne of Bhaal is what it needs to be: a dungeon crawler that pushes the levelling system and Infinity Engine to its absolute limits, with a wink to thank you for spending so much time in BG1/BG2.

>muh... but... my favorite influencer said that Icewind Dale does that
None of these people have actually played IWD/IWD2.

Yes, ToB would have been better if it had a riveting story and exploration, the same way a chocolate mousse would have been better with some chocolate flakes on top. But it does its job perfectly well. The main course is BG2.

>>4053945
I liked Neera (and Dorn) in BG1:EE. I played Siege of Dragonspear and it was dog shit like everyone says and Neera became really annoying. Also, she started dating someone else between SoD and SoA because I guess ruining Safana in SoD wasn't enough for Beamdog.

>>4058299
BG2 has a perfectly fine ending without ToB, so arguably its not even necessary to play it. Everything that happens in ToB is ignored anyway if you decide to try BG3.

>>4058557
>if you decide to try BG3
why would anybody do that

>>4059456
Because it's a fun game and you (faggot) like to be "le contrarian" on 4chan.

>>4057591
You're completely wrong. BG2, despite being a wonderful game, is just one giant sidequest and has nothing to do with the Bhaalspawn Crisis storyline.

You can go BG1 -> ToB and, aside from missing the party members' storylines, be completely up to date with the wider story.

>>4058557
>BG2 has a perfectly fine ending without ToB
Are you serious. BG2 has no ending, it literally ends with a mysterious cabal planning the doom of the main character. You couldn't signal "to be continues" any more if you tried.

>>4060561
hi swen

>>4060565
And if they hadn't put in that cinematic the ending would have been perfectly fine.

>>4060623
No, it wouldn't, because it closes off nothing of the overall Bhaalspawn storyline.

>>4060564
I didn't even consider the bhaalspawn stuff during BG2, then ToB begins and I'm like "oh right ok"

>>4060676
>I didn't even consider the bhaalspawn stuff during BG2

Which was a result of the massive amount of cut content. BG1's ending cinematic is literally portraying how there are multiple Bhaalspawn around. Then nothing happens in BG2 on that front until the game reminds you of it at the ending cinematic.

>>4060678
>>4060676
>cont.

It's also BioWare's tradition of "the middle game is completely disconnected from the first and third."

>>4060678
>Which was a result of the massive amount of cut content
Source for cut bhaalspawn content?

>>4060681
Various old, defunct forums where members of BioWare would actually post + actual emails I had with them back in the day. There used to be a time when they would just write you back.

As a fun fact - remember that dream scene in Spellhold where Imoen says "he has shown me how to make it [The Bhaal Essence] vulnerable?" The planned reveal was supposed to be it was Cyric aiding Imoen covertly, but that was completely cut and relegated to a single cameo in ToB.

>>4060690
Remember anything about bhaalspawn content?

>>4060692
1. The obvious one - Imoen wasn't supposed to be one at all and was supposed to die in Spellhold. This was changed basically last minute.
2. As a result they needed someone to take HER soul as well. So Bodhi suddenly became Irenicus's sister. As a result, her storyline was changed drastically because...
3. She wasn't supposed to always betray you and was a valid choice in the Guild War. Plus...
4.... she was planned to be a romance. You can still see it in the awful novelization, since it's based on the original script.

>>4060695
>1. The obvious one - Imoen wasn't supposed to be one at all and was supposed to die in Spellhold. This was changed basically last minute.
I've seen David Gaider saying he doesn't recall any plans to have Imoen die there, and he has said one plan was to have Imoen turned into the monster form and attack the elven city.

But I'm interested in any sources for these claims.

>>4060701
David Gaider wasn't the writer for BG2.

>>4060716
The lead writer? No, he was not.

Ever? It's possible.
In the near future? Absolutely not.
We're going through some sort of period of cultural death and decay, especially in the game dev space, that such an earnestly ambitious project with such easily attackable subject matter that sticks to and refines generic YA fantasy tropes instead of "subverting" them that no, there's not even a snowball's chance in hell that the current year devs could make anything coming near to topping it. It would end up either as a soulless imitation or a cynical subversion.
AAA studios make games for shareholders and Modern Audiences™ (whatever that means) and are basically steered by MBA types who don't really give a shit about games apart from being another vehicle for financial speculation. The devs are there just to toe the line and do what they are told. Also the "Big IPs" have ended up becoming anchors around their necks for any creativity for multiple reasons.
Indie studios are a crapshoot to begin with, but even if one were to somehow have both the creative integrity and the resources to make something great, it's very unlikely they could get together the perfect storm of talent that could create something that special. Both the creative side and technical side of creating something like bg is baffling when you look into it. The amount of effort is something you just don't see anymore. The devs weren't flunked-out IT guys, political activists, nepohires or failed writers but had actual careers (in the case of bg, medical doctors) they could go into but instead chose to work on what was essentially a passion project. Very different stock than the majority of modern devs.
The only hope would be to get extremely lucky with an AA studio with enough resources that for some reason chose to do such a niche project and had enough talented people to pull it off. You can hate Expedition 33 (pls no derail) but at least they were competent with the resources they had.

>>4060925
E33 is kind of a good example of the perfect storm since it included both passionate novices, somewhat experienced gamedevs and people succesful in other highly (and more) competetive fields, a good mix which resulted in success.

>>4060925
>>4060967
PoE 1&2 had all the resources needed (okay, talent is debatable) but dropped the ball creatively, ending up with a dull and sterile feel to it.
It's one of the most painful /vrpg/ ironies but also goes to show that you can't just brute force something special into existence.

>>4060999
call me crazy but I really think the extremely fluid and responsive sprite models and paperdolls play a much larger part in the feel of Infinity Engine games than often given credit for. 3D models just never work the same.
Also divine triples checked.

>>4061006
I'd love to see cool spritework like that in some new crpg

>>4031472
While I loved it back then, what puts me off is how narratively-logically, you should immediately rush the story instead of doing the side quests. The money is easy to gather.

But if you do, you are too high level for the side stuff and related loot once you come back. The game really is built with the assumption you sit on your ass letting Imoen wait in the ugly insane rapist's hands

File: are you gonna tell me a s(...).jpg (42 KB, 249x381)

42 KB JPG

>>4031578
>“comfy low level adventuring party tromping through the woods” feel
I loved that.

>>4032316
Ponder that back then we didn't have autorollers.
stat totals around 92-93 took TIME (fuck, what a waste of time it was).

>>4033147
>thief saves and thaco
>not thief number of attacks per round

>>4041039
>The damage bonus from having high strength isn't multiplied by backstabs
wasn't it multiplied in the original BG1? IIRC giving Coran the gauntlets of ogre power was pretty nice even if he had ass 3x multi

>>4041248
>viral marketing campaign about bestiality
bear video was funny and everyone can laugh at the silly pervy game even when we didn't play it.
If it makes you mad, it's a you problem.

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48 KB JPG

>>4058514
>and Dorn
FUCK YOU
FUCK YOU, anon
RRRReeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

>>4060565
derp, I frogot about that completely over the 25 years

>>4060701
Well, let's just say that when writing a story, the first draft and later-abandoned ideas in it aren't the secret best version.

Imoen was last-minute addition in BG1 too btw. They realised that gameplay-wise, there is lack of good-aligned thief early on (though dunno why neutral one aka Safana would be a problem, after all, you are asking for a criminal why fret over alignment). And they probably also made her for the role of stealth non specialist wizard companion which was another thing missing in the game. I was proud to have found about that and exploited it before I found out BG2 canonicised it.

IIRC they threw together her lines from some unused bits that were supposed to be an NPC. I guess the trollops and plugtails part is there due to that? Funny how she evolved into a popular important companion.

>>4061006
>call me crazy but I really think the extremely fluid and responsive sprite models and paperdolls play a much larger part in the feel of Infinity Engine games than often given credit for
I also didn't like the character models in PoE, but I think they just weren't made particularly well and clashed with the backgrounds. I think it's actually the background's fault partially, because the idiots rendered it in low resolution and never put out higher res patches.
But the character models didn't have much soul or charisma.

In Kingmaker and WotR, the models are simple but blend into the (actually 3D-rendered, so it is a different approach from PoE) world better. So I don't think sprites are necessary though they could look great perhaps.

File: grace.gif (36 KB, 54x86)

36 KB GIF

>>4064349
PST sprites and the character picture 3D renders were kino (that high-class harlot render, man)