Baldur's Gate Saga - A Baby Tea LP Attempt - Part 7 Available
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To each their own, I prefer the two games to be stand-alone myself and to carry over my character from one to the next. Makes the gap between the two games seem more coherent to me.Baby Tea said:
And I do recommend that Banter pack mod if you've never tried it before, its quality is unquestionable and it further closes the gap in quality between the first and second games if that's what you're looking for. BG2 style banter and dialogue in the first game, hard to pass up!
That aside what I think is amazing is that we even have these sorts of options to choose between. The fact that 10 years down the line there are still persistent modding communities for both Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 speaks wonders of the games lasting appeal and quality. There's literally hundreds of mods out there for these games, many fairly recent and also of high quality, something very few other games I can think of can boast. Mods that add new characters, story arch, quests and locations. Game refinements, added dialogue, enhancements on existing elements! It's all there!
I was kinda hoping when Dragon Age came out we'd see a similar sort of community spring up, creating new characters and refinements to an already beloved story. Unfortunately though it seems like DA's modding community is more focused on nude mods and fancy armor graphics than anything else... maybe with time it'll change, or at least I hope so. I would love to see another RPG receive the sort of treatment the BG games have. NWN 1 and 2 are both amazing mod-wise, but are more focused on people creating their own story whereas I'd like to see another RPG where the modding community focuses on enhancing what's already there.
I'm glad to see so much positive feedback! I guess I'll hang in there for a bit more, yet!
Part 3: Gear, quests, levels, and Beregost
So Tanus and Imoen just ran into their new pals: Khalid and Jaheira. After a quick 'Hey how are you? What's that Gorion's Dead?! Aww. Wanna team up?' style talk, I've got two new party members! Huzzah! And, in classic RPG fashion, they need new gear. So let's go talk to the gnome who runs this joint.
I also run outside to the temple, quickly, so that I can identify those two rings and that one dagger. One is a Ring of Wizardry and the other a ring of Protection +1. Tanus gets the ring of Protection, and Imoen hangs onto the Ring of Wizardry...for later (Foreshadow!). All in all there is some loot changed out, and some people equiped. Details below for those interested:
Also:
I also move Khalid up in the party formation, making Tanus and Khalid the 'front line', and Jaheira and Imoen the archers (For now).
Now it's time to walk around and get some quests!
Just upstairs I get a lady asking me to kill an ogre and get her favorite belt back.
And another guy who asks me to clear his home in Beregost of spiders!
That guy at least gives you 6 antidotes to ward off poison!
Oh, by the way, the spiders are poisonous. Thanks, jerk.
And on the way out I run into Joia who tells me that right outside the walls of the inn, there are some hobgoblins who took her ring.
Geez, what is with people and losing clothing? Even the guy with the spider infestation wants me to get his boots! At any rate, since that quest doesn't cost me an 8 hour journey, we'll do that one first!
I just walked through these guys. No hits taken.
But I did grab the ring!
I also grabbed a ton of their gear, but since I sold it right away, I'm not going to bother listing it all.
Finally, I'm ready to leave the inn and head south!
Gotta go south!
8 hours later, and now we're back in an area we've been to before! But here is also where that pesky ogre is that stole that woman's belt! So I go off ogre hunting, and instead find a Xvart (Blue guy who yells), a wolf, and another dire wolf.
Geez, what is with the dire wolves?
It's a good thing I save my game, because I actually got one-shotted by some lucky hits twice.
Not too long after that lovely engagement, I run into the belt-wearing brute himself!
Khalid takes some hits, but he pulls through for a victory!
At this point, I went all the way back, gave the woman her belt, sold the loot from the Xvart and the ogre (Except the Chromatic orb scroll), and came right back. Nothing happened except Jaheira wins the contest for 'first level in the game'! Her Fighter and Druid levels are both now '2'! Sweet.
So we're back in that area, it's still night time, and we come to the crossroads:
We ran into a little resistance in the forms of 1 bandit, 2 gibberlings, and 1 kobold, but nothing even remotely serious. No hits taken. But we did stumble upon a caravan that had been raided! Nobody was around though.
Seriously, what is up with these wolves? A dread wolf now? After a brief skirmish, involving the spell 'doom' from Jaheria, and a few shots from Imoen's Magic Missile wand, we won with no hits taken!
With a final wave to this area that I'll probably never visit again, the party heads south to Beregost!
Coming up in part 4:
Spiders! Talking Chickens! Zombies! A witch! An angry father! Hopefully some levels! And maybe, just maybe, Nashkel!
Again, any and all feedback is welcome!
Especially my use of pictures! Too much? Not enough? Not enough detail in the writing? Too much?
Let me know!
--BT
Part 3: Gear, quests, levels, and Beregost
So Tanus and Imoen just ran into their new pals: Khalid and Jaheira. After a quick 'Hey how are you? What's that Gorion's Dead?! Aww. Wanna team up?' style talk, I've got two new party members! Huzzah! And, in classic RPG fashion, they need new gear. So let's go talk to the gnome who runs this joint.
Sold:
Dagger
2 Morningstars
Dagger +1
2 gems
Diamond (Big money!)
Jaheira's Leather armor
Bought:
Splint Mail
Sling
3 - 40 bullet stacks
Medium Shield
Dagger
2 Morningstars
Dagger +1
2 gems
Diamond (Big money!)
Jaheira's Leather armor
Bought:
Splint Mail
Sling
3 - 40 bullet stacks
Medium Shield
Jaheria: Half Elf Fighter/Druid multiclass
Splint Mail
Helm
Sling
120 bullets
Medium shield
Invisibility potion
Khalid: Half Elf Fighter
Splint Mail
Helm
Longsword
Medium Shield.
Splint Mail
Helm
Sling
120 bullets
Medium shield
Invisibility potion
Khalid: Half Elf Fighter
Splint Mail
Helm
Longsword
Medium Shield.
I also move Khalid up in the party formation, making Tanus and Khalid the 'front line', and Jaheira and Imoen the archers (For now).
Now it's time to walk around and get some quests!
Just upstairs I get a lady asking me to kill an ogre and get her favorite belt back.
Oh, by the way, the spiders are poisonous. Thanks, jerk.
And on the way out I run into Joia who tells me that right outside the walls of the inn, there are some hobgoblins who took her ring.
Geez, what is with people and losing clothing? Even the guy with the spider infestation wants me to get his boots! At any rate, since that quest doesn't cost me an 8 hour journey, we'll do that one first!
It doesn't take long to find them...
And it really doesn't take long to end them.
And it really doesn't take long to end them.
I just walked through these guys. No hits taken.
But I did grab the ring!
I also grabbed a ton of their gear, but since I sold it right away, I'm not going to bother listing it all.
Finally, I'm ready to leave the inn and head south!
Gotta go south!
8 hours later, and now we're back in an area we've been to before! But here is also where that pesky ogre is that stole that woman's belt! So I go off ogre hunting, and instead find a Xvart (Blue guy who yells), a wolf, and another dire wolf.
It's a good thing I save my game, because I actually got one-shotted by some lucky hits twice.
+1 Short sword
+1 scroll - Chromatic Orb
+1 scroll - Chromatic Orb
Not too long after that lovely engagement, I run into the belt-wearing brute himself!
Khalid takes some hits, but he pulls through for a victory!
At this point, I went all the way back, gave the woman her belt, sold the loot from the Xvart and the ogre (Except the Chromatic orb scroll), and came right back. Nothing happened except Jaheira wins the contest for 'first level in the game'! Her Fighter and Druid levels are both now '2'! Sweet.
So we're back in that area, it's still night time, and we come to the crossroads:
We ran into a little resistance in the forms of 1 bandit, 2 gibberlings, and 1 kobold, but nothing even remotely serious. No hits taken. But we did stumble upon a caravan that had been raided! Nobody was around though.
Coming up in part 4:
Spiders! Talking Chickens! Zombies! A witch! An angry father! Hopefully some levels! And maybe, just maybe, Nashkel!
Again, any and all feedback is welcome!
Especially my use of pictures! Too much? Not enough? Not enough detail in the writing? Too much?
Let me know!
--BT
Oh I agree completely.The Madman said:
The BG series is just...timeless, in my opinion.
Graphics aside, the game is unbeatable to me in story, depth, great characters, and replayability. And even though I said 'graphics aside', I love the graphics in the game.
And I'll have to give the banter pack a try sometime!
I will say that the gap between the games is fused with a quest and an in-game cutscene. It makes total sense, and keeps everything flowing very well. But, as you said, it's all personal taste!
Thanks for reading, at least!
Wouldn't mind a bit more detail in the writing, pictures seem fine though. Just what I think though, so other people might disagree.
Are your NPC portraits all done by you or did you find them elsewhere? I quite like the Imoen one, though not a huge fan of Jaheira's portrait.
I found'em somewhere.Amnestic said:
I think it was an 'alternate picture pack' or something. Yeah Jaheira's isn't the greatest, and neither is Minsc's to be honest, but I love Imoen's and a few others. I used Shadowkeeper a while ago to make her hair blond so it all fit with the portrait. It was awesome. I didn't do it with this game, though. I'll probably just leave it.
And thanks for the feedback! I'll try and write some more info down on what's going on!
Like I said, this is my first LP, so any feedback is good to hear!
--BT
Baldur's Gate isn't exactly the sort of game who's visuals lend themselves to video format. Fun to play, but not terribly exciting to watch. A text Let's Play like this with screenshots to convey what's going on is the best format when you're dealing with older games like this methinks, plus it allows for some fun narrative wiggle room to spice things up.Altorin said:I like my Let's Plays in video form. I commend you for what you're doing, but it's not my cup of tea, personally
A video lets play of Baldur's Gate, while I'm almost certain it's been done, (A quick look on Youtube confirms, yes, it has!) I can't help but think would be amazingly boring to watch.
you don't watch a let's play for the game. You watch it for the commentary.The Madman said:Baldur's Gate isn't exactly the sort of game who's visuals lend themselves to video format. Fun to play, but not terribly exciting to watch. A text Let's Play like this with screenshots to convey what's going on is the best format when you're dealing with older games like this methinks, plus it allows for some fun narrative wiggle room to spice things up.Altorin said:I like my Let's Plays in video form. I commend you for what you're doing, but it's not my cup of tea, personally
A video lets play of Baldur's Gate, while I'm almost certain it's been done, (A quick look on Youtube confirms, yes, it has!) I can't help but think would be amazingly boring to watch.
You watch it because of that social part of all of our brains that like to do things with other people.
A well crafted Let's Play video, with good commentary, feels like you're watching your friend play a game, which is cool by me. Sure, the commentator might not laugh at my jokes, but if he's funny enough, he doesn't need to.
It's the same reason I listen to commentary on DVD sets, because I like the feeling of watching/doing things with other people, and Let's Plays are the Video Game Extension of that.
The Spoony Experiment did a couple let's plays that were amazing because of the commentary, and the Mind of Freeman series is basically just a half-life let's play in gordon freeman's character, and it's also amazing. Those reviews/LPs formats, when applied to BG1/2, would be just as excellent
Man I spent many an hour glued to my PC with the BG saga. I think for one point in the summer I didn't eat for a week because I wanted to continue my adventures. I even bought a hamster at the pet shop that looked like the miniature giant space hamster and named it boo.
Baldur's Gate is based on the AD&D2 ruleset as I recall. Some of the rules (such as THAC0 - To Hit AC 0) can be a bit confusing at times. Having a lower Armour Class on your gear (say, 2 instead of 6) is better. There's a little rule FAQ here [http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/258273-baldurs-gate-ii-shadows-of-amn/faqs/8566] on gamefaqs if you want to read it.Korten12 said:
Also, Sorcerers can be mega overpowered and break the game ;p
Oh I know, I've actually been a fan of Spoony ever since someone on these forums linked to his let's play of SWAT 4 and I got hooked.Altorin said:
And I don't disagree that a fun host for something like this could make a video Let's Play of Baldur's Gate extremely entertaining, I just think certain games lend themselves better to certain medium. Could it be done? Sure. But a well written narrative approach can be just as entertaining and, in my oh so humble opinion, lends itself better to such a text-heavy game as Baldur's Gate.
Just a matter of personal tastes.
Isometric D&D rule breakdownAmnestic said:
Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale are based purely on AD&D 2nd edition
Baldur's Gate 2 is based on AD&D 2nd edition with some 3rd edition innovations.. Races, Classes etc.
Icewind Dale 2 is based on 3rd edition
Fallout and Fallout 2 are based on a heavily modified GURPS ruleset (inspired is a better word, originally they were going to be GURPS based, but the deal fell through so they changed a bunch of things but kept the general idea)
Not sure about Planescape Torment, as *gasp*, never played it.. Probably some form of AD&D 2nd edition
Temple of elemental evil is based entirely on 3.5, and is probably the best application of the D&D ruleset.. too bad the game is such garbage.
Don't give up!Korten12 said:
It's a shame how many people take one look at games like Baldur's Gate and give up the instant it starts to get confusing. And it can be confusing at first, especially if you don't have the manual to constantly turn to for help and, frankly, the in-game tutorials aren't exactly the greatest. But stick with it and I can guarantee that if you're the type to enjoy rpg, Baldur's Gate will soon not only grow on ya, but could very well become one of your all time favorites as it is so many other peoples.
Look up the mods linked in this topic as well, neither of the big ones mentioned (BGT nor Tutu) actually change the original game drastically, they only improve it, so pick one and give it a try. And as I mentioned multiple times above the Banter pack is also extremely good quality. These mods only enhance the game, and I'd recommend them even for just a first playthrough!
Also, play a Fighter or some other tough class like a Paladin or Ranger. Seriously. When the main character (You!) die in BG it's a game over, and early on it's easy to die 'alot', especially if you're not too sure what you're doing. Playing one of the 'tougher' class will help alleviate that quite a bit as well as being generally more easy to play as. And it's not like you'll be missing out either since you get plenty of opportunity to recruit casters into your group throughout the series, casters who in most cases can be resurrected if they die as opposed to 'you', who if you die it's game over. Oh, and learn to love the Quick Save key!
Good luck and enjoy!
Planescape uses a customized version of the 2nd edition, so you're right on.Altorin said:
And yeah, Temple of Elemental Evil has probably the best take on D&D combat to date. I didn't find the game itself that bad though, sure it wasn't great and honestly I think Troika would have done better choosing a different campaign to convert into a game, but the combat was fantastic and since it's a combat heavy game that alone carries it a fair distance. Also helps that it's got a great 2D meets 3D engine which I'd kill to see a game like Baldur's Gate ported into.
Fun game, not great, but certainly not garbage either.
The worst in BG1 are Basilisk I think. Suckers can turn you into stone with a single glance if you're not prepared to fight em, and there's one zone in the game absolutely full of the bastards plus a greater one hiding in the city of Baldur's Gate itself as I recall. Bastards!Altorin said:What's dumber is that a Maze spell cast on the main character is an instant game over, even if you're a wizard with 25 intelligence and could break free of a Maze spell in a quarter of a second in the gameThe Madman said:
In BG2 it's the triple whammy of vampires/beholders/mind flayers, each one as deadly as the next in their own way. Vampire'll level-drain ya dry, Beholders will do all sorts of nasty things, and Mind Flayers will flay your mind. Of course if you're prepared and know what to expect each can be overcome with relative ease; that's half of why I love Baldur's Gate so much. Strategy and preparation matter!
Still, if ya run into a pack of any of em unprepared you're in for one helluva fight! Brutal, but that's part of what makes killing em so satisfying.
I remember the Mind Flayers being the only thing that really gave me and my friend (doing a 2 character game, Monk and Wizard) real pause.. We had to fight every single fight like it was a boss fight.
But the boss fights, like the Dragons, were pathetically easy by comparison.. In fact, I ACCIDENTALLY killed the black dragon all by myself as a high level monk. I meant to just tank him a bit, but nope, dragon died.
I was just saying how it's dumb that Maze is a Game Over for Wizards, because even the dumbest wizard in the powergaming setup of BG is able to escape Maze Spells in Minutes.. and if you boost it up to 25 Int, they can escape form them almost instantaneously.. but in BG/BG2, Maze = instant death.
and ToEE, I just hated the fucking frogs at the beginning.. they would just swarm me, eat my healer, and I'd die.. I couldn't play it too long before just saying "You know what? fuck this game", but I was VERY excited to play it, because of the tutorial.. I could tell that it was an awesome gamejust from that, but I couldn't get far at all.. I'm going to have to give it another swing eventually, but it's pretty low on my priority list.
But the boss fights, like the Dragons, were pathetically easy by comparison.. In fact, I ACCIDENTALLY killed the black dragon all by myself as a high level monk. I meant to just tank him a bit, but nope, dragon died.
I was just saying how it's dumb that Maze is a Game Over for Wizards, because even the dumbest wizard in the powergaming setup of BG is able to escape Maze Spells in Minutes.. and if you boost it up to 25 Int, they can escape form them almost instantaneously.. but in BG/BG2, Maze = instant death.
and ToEE, I just hated the fucking frogs at the beginning.. they would just swarm me, eat my healer, and I'd die.. I couldn't play it too long before just saying "You know what? fuck this game", but I was VERY excited to play it, because of the tutorial.. I could tell that it was an awesome gamejust from that, but I couldn't get far at all.. I'm going to have to give it another swing eventually, but it's pretty low on my priority list.