Baldur's Gate 3 - the 2nd thread

[Tale]

I'm torn. Baldur's Gate 2 is such a treasure to me. But Divinity: Original Since 2 was just... okay.

I've got to hear more on the writing, particularly the characters. I've forgotten every character from DOS2 already. It's not impossible for them to accomplish it. Baldur's Gate 1 characters weren't so memorable either. Not until 2 made them so.

[ShadySands]

Is the lower stat cap at character creation a 5th edition thing or a Larian one? 

Totally unrelated but I think I may have failed nearly every skill and attribute check right up until I died not so gloriously in battle.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

52 minutes ago, ShadySands said:

Is the lower stat cap at character creation a 5th edition thing or a Larian one? 

Totally unrelated but I think I may have failed nearly every skill and attribute check right up until I died not so gloriously in battle.

In 5e using point buy, the stat cap at character creation is 15 + racial bonuses. Attribute increases are determined by class level (most get 5, Fighters and Rogues get more, split multiclassing is a bitch), and attribute increases can be swapped out for a feat (some of which increase attributes) which is the only way in 5e to get feats. There's a soft cap of 20 that is the max without using abilities or magic items, and a hard cap of 30. 

It's kind of a clustercuss, like a lot of 5e is.

[Theonlygarby]

I like being eased into fantasy games and before even starting the game it's all squid people and dragons.

[Humanoid]

If this was single player then I'd have huge reservations about it. But I'm desperate for more co-op RPGs (excluding ARPGs) so the question for me isn't whether to get it, but whether to risk going the full Brazilian to get this for about half the price. Hmm.

[Tale]

1 hour ago, KaineParker said:

In 5e using point buy, the stat cap at character creation is 15 + racial bonuses. Attribute increases are determined by class level (most get 5, Fighters and Rogues get more, split multiclassing is a bitch), and attribute increases can be swapped out for a feat (some of which increase attributes) which is the only way in 5e to get feats. There's a soft cap of 20 that is the max without using abilities or magic items, and a hard cap of 30. 

It's kind of a clustercuss, like a lot of 5e is.

In the game I was part of before the pandemic I liked it. It felt like we were less reliant on ups. Part of that may just be how our DM ran the game.

 

[LadyCrimson]

8 hours ago, ShadySands said:

I played for about an hour and half and didn't like it

I'll try again eventually

Since playing is very different from watching, I'm curious what exactly you didn't like.

As I watched more and more, the combat stood out to me the most.  It looked like it would get fairly tedious, and I don't mean just because I'm not fond of turn-based.  But overly long in some cases and the camera stuff.  And the UI when there are many in the fight is overly cluttered imo (easily reworked probably).

Like here, at around the 5:05 minute mark:

 

Edited October 7, 2020 by LadyCrimson

[IndiraLightfoot]

I insta-bought it, obviously. I've played like 1h 30 min, but mostly fiddling with settings and making my first character. I haven't played DOS2, and I played the first half of Act 1 in DOS1, so to me, this is all pretty new stuff. I find that I have a real hard time with movement, camera movement, different levels, and doing this on my laptop makes it even more wonky. I'll report back. Laterz!

[Mamoulian War]

1 hour ago, LadyCrimson said:

Since playing is very different from watching, I'm curious what exactly you didn't like.

As I watched more and more, the combat stood out to me the most.  It looked like it would get fairly tedious, and I don't mean just because I'm not fond of turn-based.  But overly long in some cases and the camera stuff.  And the UI when there are many in the fight is overly cluttered imo (easily reworked probably).

Like here, at around the 5:05 minute mark:

 

Maybe this might give you some answers.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/10/baldurs-gate-3-early-access-mediocre-rpg-amazing-rendering-engine/

Author compares it to Michael Bay movies, hmm... 

[Oner]

1 hour ago, Mamoulian War said:

Maybe this might give you some answers.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/10/baldurs-gate-3-early-access-mediocre-rpg-amazing-rendering-engine/

Author compares it to Michael Bay movies, hmm... 

I haven't played the game yet, but the guy who boasts about 40 years of DnD experience complaining about the githyanki acting like a githyanki makes me scratch my head.

[Mamoulian War]

1 hour ago, Oner said:

I haven't played the game yet, but the guy who boasts about 40 years of DnD experience complaining about the githyanki acting like a githyanki makes me scratch my head.

You might be onto something, though I do not have a clue about lorewise correct gith behaviour  I am just a PF pleb, and there are no gith races probably due to copyright.

[melkathi]

 

Please be careful and do properly distinguish between Gith and Githyanki (and Githzerai)

 

 

signed:

someone who isn't old enough to have 40 years experience of DnD

Edited October 7, 2020 by melkathi

[BruceVC]

27 minutes ago, Mamoulian War said:

You might be onto something, though I do not have a clue about lorewise correct gith behaviour  I am just a PF pleb, and there are no gith races probably due to copyright.

 Mamie, stop being naughty again. You cannot call yourself  " hardcore " AD&D if you not knowledgeable on the Gith race !!! Everyone knows about Gith lore, its like ....mmm.... 

[melkathi]

29 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

 Mamie, stop being naughty again. You cannot call yourself  " hardcore " AD&D if you not *knowledgeable* on the Gith race !!! Everyone *knows* about Gith lore, its like ....mmm.... 

It's like *knowing* the teachings of Zerthimon.

 

Also, fixed your post.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

9 hours ago, Tale said:

In the game I was part of before the pandemic I liked it. It felt like we were less reliant on ups. Part of that may just be how our DM ran the game.

In 5e they tried to design around bounded accuracy, so even high level enemies have an AC of like 19 and can be hit by a level 1 scrub. The meta of this makes very difficult monsters something possible for a comparitively low-level party to take care of, and hordes of low level monsters a death sentence for groups without aoe damage. If Larian does have stat rolls instead of point buy that can hilariously unbalance the game by potentially having characters hit the soft attribute cap at level 1 and pick up a number of feats they normally wouldn't get.

There's a lot I don't like about 5e, and I ended up going to Pathfinder 2e which I've found plays easier once you parse the rules, so someone who currently plays 5e could tell you more.

Edited October 7, 2020 by KaineParker

[Mamoulian War]

54 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

 Mamie, stop being naughty again. You cannot call yourself  " hardcore " AD&D if you not knowledgeable on the Gith race !!! Everyone knows about Gith lore, its like ....mmm.... 

Hmm, please refresh me, when did I say anything at least resembling that ...

Spoiler

[LadyCrimson]

4 hours ago, Mamoulian War said:

Maybe this might give you some answers.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/10/baldurs-gate-3-early-access-mediocre-rpg-amazing-rendering-engine/

Author compares it to Michael Bay movies, hmm... 

I definitely noticed dem checks, and they're quite frequent.  The cute animated dice roll is cute, but yeah ... most people I saw either failed them or reloaded a few times. I know if I was playing I'd likely be save-scumming like mad during a 1st playthru.  

Another early-ish fight I saw has you encountering an event where before you're allowed to fight, the camera kept swinging rapidly/violently between this bunch here to this bunch up there, as they either fought or battle-cried, to some guy jumping off a wall to an enemy etc.   It was all whiplash inducing, that camera.

[Gromnir]

3 hours ago, Oner said:

I haven't played the game yet, but the guy who boasts about 40 years of DnD experience complaining about the githyanki acting like a githyanki makes me scratch my head.

our issues with the article were starting early as the author's rosey-hued recollection o' bg1 baffled us. the bg 1 companions were little more than a collection o' catchphrases. am thinking the identification o' the original bg game as the most well liked is questionable, but even if such were true, we would not hold up the companions as being a noteworthy positive.  the admission larian were following d&d rules regarding movement, after spending a page grumbling 'bout bg3 movement, were also curious from a guy who were touting decades o' d&d experience.

however, the githyanki comment is, if true, valid. why have a githyanki companion? or rather, why have all the companions open hostile. am thinking it is likely each companion introduced early in the game may have a legit reason for being hostile or general unpleasant.  get three companions early and they is all backstabbing grumble monkeys? didn't need make the companion a githyanki, and even if for the story larian were trying to tell they genuine wanted a githyanki companion, that don't mean all the early companions need be so unlikable... though have not played bg2 ea so am taking the author's concerns as legit. didn't need be a githyanki, or rather, didn't need all have the same antisocial issues as the githyanki unless the authors wanted such.

will hold off judgement 'bout the game, but based on reviews so far the writing is uninspired and as much as many folks were approving o' bg3's low-level d&d and a slower progression than similar d&d pc games o' the past couple decades, a few o' the combat related concerns is utter predictable. unlike obsidian's pillars games, which attempted to make even low level combat compelling with multiple and useful abilities accessible from the start o' the game for every class and character build, d&d combat is still, after all these decades, notoriously punishing and unsatisfying at low levels. combine worst aspects o' bg1 and toee combat? non magic wielders is relegated to their auto-attack and if there is more than three enemies in a turn-based combat encounter, it can feel soul numbing slow.

am also genuine baffled how a party o' n00b adventurers is taking on multiple intellect devourers, but such could be explained with narrative... devourers is injured or recent concussed or... dunno. 

will wait a bit.

HA! Good Fun!

[ShadySands]

Yeah, the checks are plentiful and I keep failing them. Save scumming will likely be a lot of work with my luck.

The guy who wrote that it's kind of a miserable experience had some points, I think. Some of the spell effects are a bit over the top and irritating too.

Controls and UI are a bit wonky and I don't understand why I can't target a characters portrait to use my spells and scrolls because fallen characters sometimes get lost in the clutter on the ground. Or kind of sink into the ground but I'm going to assume those are just beta issues.

 

 

[LadyCrimson]

LOL ... it's a trap!

https://clips.twitch.tv/HumblePatientSageRlyTho

Edit: how does one unlock yet not unlock in D&D? Is the second supposed to be "couldn't disarm?"

Edited October 7, 2020 by LadyCrimson

[Wormerine]

 

[Gromnir]

ps keep in mind we do not personal have a problem with unlikable or antagonistic companions. unlikable and antagonistic characters is frequent more compelling. nevertheless am recognizing not only is our opinion a bit o' an outlier, but even Gromnir would get annoyed if all companions were uniform overt, unpleasant and caustic.

HA! Good Fun!

 

[MrBrown]

32 minutes ago, ShadySands said:

Yeah, the checks are plentiful and I keep failing them. Save scumming will likely be a lot of work with my luck.

Did they go for random checks? This game is going to be a major annoyance... 5e has very few modifiers for skills, so you probably can't top out a skill to always get a  good %.

 

(Rogues can get some big bonuses to thievery type skills though)

[Hurlshort]

41 minutes ago, Gromnir said:

ps keep in mind we do not personal have a problem with unlikable or antagonistic companions. unlikable and antagonistic characters is frequent more compelling. nevertheless am recognizing not only is our opinion a bit o' an outlier, but even Gromnir would get annoyed if all companions were uniform overt, unpleasant and caustic.

HA! Good Fun!

 

Gromnir is the original an antagonistic companion.

[Zoraptor]

4 hours ago, ShadySands said:

Some of the spell effects are a bit over the top and irritating too.

After DivOS2 I'd be very happy with 'a bit over the top and irritating'. Though I guess that was mainly the way every fight devolved into an epileptic seizure inducing clash of environmental effects rather than direct spell effects.