Luckmann

My one major request continues to be more CNPC choices. 8 characters where the team consists of 6 characters is absolutely abysmal. Even by BG2:s standard, an amazing game already regrettably marred by a lack of choices in terms of party and general party character, the choices in PoE appears to be the bare minimum. Second suggestion would be to always and forever keep any possible expansion content fully integrated into the game. No "tack-on" content that is entirely separate from the main game. For a horror examples of this, look at DA:O - Awakening, where even the added mechanics were self-contained in the attached module, or the DLC companions for ME2, that lacked even basic dialogues in the style all release companions were moulded after. Any content added should fit seamlessly into the game, and preferably any expansion should add content both around and inside the main module/universe/game. New companions should be integrated, have banter at approximately the same places as pre-existing ones, new mechanics should be available throughout the game, etc, etc. Lastly, I guess class kits and a more pronounced effect of race - race-specific Talents, Abilities, etc - would be nice. I was always a big fan of kits, and especially with added CNPC:s, it would add additional differentiation. I won't be truly happy until I can play a full group of Chanters, all of different kits, all of the same race. Actually true for any class, any race. Some have said multiclassing/dual-classing, and I wouldn't be opposed to it, but I think it'd be too hard to work in properly by now, and I can see how it'd open up a can of worms balance-wise, and how they want to keep each character distinct in their capabilities, thus limiting them to a single class per character. Could be nice.

As per the topic, are these the same thing? Because I can't find any information about what the Kickstarter in-game item is. I'm very much "Gotta catch 'em all" when it comes to games and I always want the "full" game experience without things cut out. There's nothing I hate more than when a game starts screwing me over, making it impossible for me to acquire items because I missed some real-life event or couldn't fly half across the world, couldn't buy four different pre-order versions of the game or this and that. Ultimately, it doesn't incentivize participation, it promotes exclusion and fuels piracy out of necessity. I was unable to participate in the Kickstarter, but now I'm looking at actually pre-ordering when I may have some cash over, and I just thought I'd check. If I pre-order now, do I get the whole thing, or do I get shafted on the bling? And if the pre-order in-game items and the Kickstarter in-game item are not the same, then what's the Kickstarter item going to be? I've been out of the loop for quite some time, so I apologize if this is something that's otherwise considered ubiquitous knowledge. Just thought I'd ask.

After I beat BGII a few times, I cheated hard and extensively with the console, creating a party so massively overpowered that I was never challenged by any enemies and also using the instant-kill key command. I did this just so I could wander around at my leisure, fully exploring every environment and interacting with every character without any concerns for my ability to continue the game. After beating BGII a few times, why would you need to do that in order to have no concerns about your ability to continue the game?

I just want to chime in and say that I would absolutely love a DeviantArt Contest for portraits. It wouldn't just promote the game, but as has been stated, possibly create hundreds of appropriate portraits. Just don't forget that entries should also be judged by how close they are to the chosen art-style. Winning entries should fit seamlessly into the game and be appropriately awesome.

You seem to be confusing Baldur's Gate 2 with Baldur's Gate. Both had quality, though, although the characters in Baldur's Gate 2 clearly had more substance. However, there's a balance between quantity and quality that is important. It is very easy to regurgitate the old "Quality over quantity" argument, but quantity is a quality on it's own. While no-one would advocate having 70 nameless, genderless and identity-less nobodies, I do not think that you would find many people that would find it interesting to have a set 6-person party that can never be changed, with the argument that "Oh, but the characters are really, really well-developed". Or, to take the argument to it's logical extreme, 3 really good characters.. in a 6-person party.. of 3 persons. The fact of the matter is that we want both. We want an adequate amount of characters with an adequate amount of character development and interaction. What signifies "adequate" is different to each person, but saying "Quality over quantity" as a winning oneliner as if someone is disagreeing with that, or saying the opposite, is just silly and infantile. With only 8 available characters in the game and a party-size of 6, there just won't be any interesting combinations that you can make; it leaves exactly 3 characters to fiddle with, for whatever purpose. No themed parties, no RP-centric choices without risking to deeply cripple yourself (unless you're roleplaying someone that is willing to take on just anyone), no meaningful variety between playthroughs. The lack of companions has far-reaching consequences in how the game is played and experienced, and what choices you have available. It is not a simple question of "Quality over quantity". I very much enjoy having a good range of choices when it comes to characters and my party, party interaction, and my party structure, something no game has been able to really fulfill for what now amounts to decades. As for hirelings... soulless automatons need not apply. I'm obviously talking about actual characters here. I thought it was obvious from what I wrote, but perhaps I should've clarified that.

Har. You're so funny.

Only 8? With a party of 6, that doesn't leave much for variety. Planescape: Torment had 7, for reference, and I think a lot of people remember how little variety there were between playthroughs as to who you ended up taking with you. Even Knights of the Old Republic had 9, and they only allowed you to take 2 at a time! Baldur's Gate II had 17(!) and still suffered greatly from a lack of varied combinations that you could do, with anything resembling a themed party being all but out of the question. So really.. only 8? :|

How about a "Yes" option? Nothing more, nothing less. Yes.

Where is the simple "Yes" answer?

I consider the two inseparable. Story is an intrinsic part of RPG gameplay.

Playing a game is much like reading a book. You're supposed to learn the jargon, the various meanings and so on, as you play the game. So please, just throw all these themes right over me.

I first read this as "monkey sink". After entering the thread, I was sorely disappointed.

I want the intro to punch me in the face, oil to come out of my speakers and my monitor to be covered in a thick, grimy layer.

I refuse to vote in this poll. It seems to be written by a 7-year-old.

All ammunition should definitely be limited. However, I'd like it if arrows can be stacked amply.

Then I think you will have a bad time when trying to fight some mages. i dont think game mechanics will force us to have certain type of charactersReally? Most games do. It's entirely possible to play a Mage-less game of Baldur's Gate 2, or a Cleric-less game of Icewind Dale 2. But let's not pretend that it wouldn't be several degrees harder than actually playing with a well-rounded team. Gunpowder weaponry has a clear and specific use. If you do not use that option that is presented to you, I think it's a fairly reasonable assumption that it will be much harder to progress. Not insurmountable, for sure. But the specific reason people are even using these primitive gunpowder weapons is to blast through spell protection.

Facebook is doing viral marketing now? I thought it was too big for that by now.

Encounters specifically designed to be unwinnable is a cop-out, boring, badwrongfun. I'm perfectly alright with punishingly hard or nearly impossible - hell, they may just be theoretically impossible, that's just how it is - in the game. But to design something to be unwinnable from the get-go, as in having resistances or immunities nothing else has, give it infinite health, basically anything like that; no way in hell. Those are the things that will make me tip the table over and crush the DVD. And your poll is bad and you should feel bad. There's not a single option for me to vote for.

Then I think you will have a bad time when trying to fight some mages.

Endings done right: Throne of Bhaal, Knights of the Old Republic, Arcanum, Mass Effect 2. Endings done wrong: Mask of the Betrayer, Knights of the Old Republic 2, Mass Effect 3.

One. Single. Spell? Finger of Death. Icewind Dale 2. "You. Die." "You? Die." "YOU DIE!" "You there. Die!" And so on. :D Admittedly, it's actually a pretty boring spell by itself. But I found that particular scenario hilarious. Lots of other spells were used much more in other games, many other spells were more useful, but I just loved Finger of Death as a dedicated Necromancer. Boy I hope I can be a dedicated necromancer in this game without having to be a hand-holding summoner.

As someone that loves Arcane Tricksters/Arcane Archers with a healthy does of social utility, it's hard to not agree. Dear lord, no. Who the hell would want to be a gypsy?

Only reason I'm mildly looking forward to it is because they supposedly externalized some stuff, which might result in some interesting modding capabilities, especially if they finally externalized the whole class/creation system (which would finally allow us to make multiclasses with kits and so on). But other than that, it just seems like a pretty cheap mod hack-job. They can't really change much. I was hoping that they'd end up actually adding a lot more stuff, changing things around, messing with the rules a bit, etc. It largely seems like a wasted opportunity, what with the restrictions put on them. The odds of me seeing the NPC's I want added to Baldur's Gate II is more or less nil. "One-time" per installation and it might be removed. Those things are about as bad as bad can get from a DRM standpoint. Minimal form of DRM is CD-keys.

Please dear god let me pull the Eldoth, Garrick and Me Bard troupe again. :D

Baldur's Gate 1. Always Baldur's Gate 1.