BG3

[MrBrown]

Recent hotfix had some slight problems:

 

[Wormerine]

22 minutes ago, MrBrown said:

Recent hotfix had some slight problems:

 

If I saved using hotfix4 yesterday, that solves my question whenever I should buy Shadow Gambit, or not

[lobotomy42]

Okay, it's been slow going for me. I think I'm just about to finish Act 1. But I have to be honest, the last 5 hours or so crawling around the Underdark have felt incredibly underwhelming compared to the earlier stuff. The game feels like it peaked when

Spoiler

I defeated the goblin leaders and saved the tieflings

There it reach the height of interactivity, of different quest threads interlocking for a feeling of a real world, and also some of the most fleshed out character interactions.

But once I entered the Underdark, the game suddenly felt much emptier. Yes, there are some quests and quest-givers down there, but they feel much deader, and much more predictable *pick one of these two sides and murder the other* and *fetch me the thing I left behind* setups. Also my companions, who previously were spilling their guts left and right, suddenly clammed up and have very little to say. No more cross-party conversations while exploring, and no new dialogue options in camp. 

One nice thing in the Underdark was:

Spoiler

the sorcerer's tower, or whatever it was called.

It did some nice things with environmental story-telling, and I didn't feel bashed-over-the-head with obvious answers by the whole thing. It felt like the most authentically "Baldur's Gate" experience I've had in this whole game, reminiscent of a much smaller, quieter Durlag's Tower or another small self-contained story dungeon.

It was also nice that, AFAICT, there was no explicit quest or task assigned to the place. It was just up to the player to read the books and notes and make of it what they wanted.

Anyway, I'm curious -- does the storytelling pick back up again in Act 2 and 3? Do more things happen with the companions? Or is the quietness I'm suddenly experiencing indicative of the rest of the game, and the first 20 hours or so just happen to be where all the effort went?

[kanisatha]

15 hours ago, MrBrown said:

https://www.eurogamer.net/baldurs-gate-3-a-critical-success-with-critical-failures

Finally a somewhat balanced review of the game. Good on Eurogamer.

[HoonDing]

Can they patch the game in time before more and more people reach the endgame

From what I read it doesn't seem so easy to fix

[Wormerine]

1 hour ago, lobotomy42 said:

Okay, it's been slow going for me. I think I'm just about to finish Act 1. But I have to be honest, the last 5 hours or so crawling around the Underdark have felt incredibly underwhelming compared to the earlier stuff.
 

But once I entered the Underdark, the game suddenly felt much emptier.

Right? I was never a fan of underdark and grimforge - I hoped those areas were just unfinished in EA, but it wasn’t the case. I suppose those are Larian’s version of dungeons, but I find their combat design too sloppy to make for a satisfying gameplay. 

Someone said earlier that story picks up at the end of act2. I am about 15 hours into act2 and I am pretty much where I was after rescuing Halsin - reach the tower. 

Not much new from companions - they feel much closer to D:OS2 now. Each of them seems to have a story beat in the act (and granted, one of them was pretty awesome), but they are much, much quieter now, and their responses feel more formulaic. 

[lobotomy42]

14 minutes ago, Wormerine said:

Someone said earlier that story picks up at the end of act2. I am about 15 hours into act2 and I am pretty much where I was after rescuing Halsin - reach the tower.

Ugh, what? I had assumed the tower was right around the corner and would end Act 1. This is...not encouraging.

[ShadySands]

On 8/16/2023 at 6:53 AM, Sarex said:

For me failing in games is interesting when you fail forward (but even there it's hard to let go), but I don't think BG3 is one of those games. To me it doesn't feel good to miss content because of a failed check.

Yeah, most of the stuff I've missed out on by not rerolling hasn't been all that interesting. Hasn't been opening new paths or anything, more like just a fight I can't skip or some loot I'll miss.

Quote

Eurogamer review

Wow the amount of butthurt in the comments just because it didn't get a perfect score.

Edited August 17, 2023 by ShadySands

[kanisatha]

1 hour ago, ShadySands said:

Wow the amount of butthurt in the comments just because it didn't get a perfect score.

This is what I'm seeing in Steam forum comments and of course reddit as well: the "this is the greatest game ever made" crowd whining about and attacking and trying to shut down anyone who dares to disagree and have even the tiniest criticism of the game. And it's also what I as a critic of the game have often been subjected to in the Larian forum (although I also have been defended by at least some people, @Wormerine included ). What is it about BG3 specifically that's making so many people behave this way, I wonder?

[Wormerine]

I don’t think it is BG3 specific - I think that if game reaches wide enough audience, it will attract some individuals not willing to accept any slight against the game. 

And speaking of slights - Halsin got ousted from my party for a very silly reason. Hotbar still autoadds abilities whenever they are acquired. It’s been annoying - remove weapon skills => switch to torch, and switch back => weapons skills get shoved back into the hotbar. Annoying but I can work around that. 

What I am not willing to deal with is every Druid spell getting readded to the hotbar after using wildshape.  Now when I am writing it, I suppose it would be enough to keep the spells on the hotbar out of sight (it respects whatever arrangement of spells was made before shapeshifting). Still annoying. 

[InsaneCommander]

On 8/16/2023 at 7:43 PM, ShadySands said:

I feel like I'm playing a different game than most of the others on here. I like it okay, but looking forward to going back to Pathfinder.

I'm still in the beginning, but it doesn't look as good as most people consider it imo. It has a lot of small things that annoy me, but that didn't stop me from playing Kingmaker. I think I’ll definitely enjoy BG3 a lot, but I’m also looking forward to my next WotR pt.

So, there is a way to pickpocket with impunity. A character robs an npc and immediately goes to the camp. One of the others will be questioned, but can simply say they are innocent. It helps if you distract the target in conversation, but there was at least one occasion when the npc dropped out of dialogue to call a guard, so better teleport to the camp asap. Too much of hassle.

The game can’t decide whether it will show the companions’ reactions for more than a second. I’ve had to reload on some occasions, like when I thought someone had disapproved that I wouldn't trust Raphael. Another really annoying thing is when I reach a conversation but the companions are too far behind and can’t react to it.

[MrBrown]

13 hours ago, kanisatha said:

This is what I'm seeing in Steam forum comments and of course reddit as well: the "this is the greatest game ever made" crowd whining about and attacking and trying to shut down anyone who dares to disagree and have even the tiniest criticism of the game. And it's also what I as a critic of the game have often been subjected to in the Larian forum (although I also have been defended by at least some people, @Wormerine included ). What is it about BG3 specifically that's making so many people behave this way, I wonder?

Funnily enough, most reviews and comments I've read seem to agree with the main criticism of that Eurogamer reviewer, in that the game is good but Act 3 is lackluster compared to the start.

Most people just don't seem to consider it that big of a problem.

I've also seen a lot of people downplay it along the lines of "oh, that always happens with Larian".

Edited August 18, 2023 by MrBrown

[Hawke64]

17 hours ago, kanisatha said:

This is what I'm seeing in Steam forum comments and of course reddit as well: the "this is the greatest game ever made" crowd whining about and attacking and trying to shut down anyone who dares to disagree and have even the tiniest criticism of the game. And it's also what I as a critic of the game have often been subjected to in the Larian forum (although I also have been defended by at least some people, @Wormerine included ). What is it about BG3 specifically that's making so many people behave this way, I wonder?

I guess, there is some emotional investment in the studio and the game, so criticising it might be taken as a personal offence, especially on Larian's own forums. It is somehow disheartening that releasing an almost-complete MTX- and DRM-free AAA without DLC plans is seen as exceptional, instead of the bare minimum. Also, I am unsure how many people have reached the last act and the ending or whether other reviewers took into account the future patches.

---

Checked what would happen if Shadowheart is not recruited by the end of the first act - she catches up at the area transition and offers to team up. If still refused, the artifact teleports to the PC during the long rest between acts.

Also, I watched a speedrun with the mid-game ending (which I had achieved on my own). Most of the path was familiar, except breaking into the final area of Act 2. The whole run took about 10 minutes and was mostly glitch-free. Should try it myself, though I don't think that it would be possible to reach the "normal" ending quickly, considering the few unavoidable (?) boss battles.

Edited August 18, 2023 by Hawke64

[kanisatha]

5 hours ago, MrBrown said:

I've also seen a lot of people downplay it along the lines of "oh, that always happens with Larian".

Yes! ^This! And not just on this failing but on failing after failing. People go out of their way to give Larian a pass, which they absolutely would not do for, say, Bethesda or CDPR or even Obsidian. And this is true of even pro reviewers and gaming journalists who give up all objectivity when it comes to Larian.

[majestic]

12 minutes ago, kanisatha said:

Yes! ^This! And not just on this failing but on failing after failing. People go out of their way to give Larian a pass, which they absolutely would not do for, say, Bethesda or CDPR or even Obsidian. And this is true of even pro reviewers and gaming journalists who give up all objectivity when it comes to Larian.

The same Bethesda that gets passes for bugged games that aren't even games but just the basis for modders to actually create something interesing with them, the same Bethesda that keeps re-releasing Skyrim to make some extra money on every possible platform, including Smart Fridges?

Yeah. I'm sure Bethesda would never get a pass for anything.

Edited August 18, 2023 by majestic

[Wormerine]

 

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I backtracked for the swamp to hit level 4 before going forward and checked out a ruined village with some goblins. There I found some Ogres who gave me a horn after I successfully persuaded them, rescued a gnome from a windmill, and walked in on an unusual couple in a barn. Gale also ate one of my rings.

General thots:

-Shadowheart without spell slots is still great for the Guidance cantrip, absolutely beats Gale or Wyll for magic support

-when combat starts, Karlach is a beast at single target damage

-Astarion can disable most traps on a 2 with Shadowheart's Guidance. Must have combo for dungeon delving imo

-Bard doesn't have too much self-buffs for where I'm at and Healing Word is so much better than Cure Wounds

1 hour ago, majestic said:

The same Bethesda that gets passes for bugged games that aren't even games but just the basis for modders to actually create something interesing with them, the same Bethesda that keeps re-releasing Skyrim to make some extra money on every possible platform, including Smart Fridges?

Yeah. I'm sure Bethesda would never get a pass for anything.

Didn't they also do paid mods after Steam scrapped them? And yet somehow they aren't reviled for predatory bizness practices. Curious.

[Malcador]

21 hours ago, ShadySands said:

Wow the amount of butthurt in the comments just because it didn't get a perfect score.

Was going to say, that's modern gaming for you, but realized that it's pretty much always been that way.

[Humanoid]

1 hour ago, PK htiw klaw eriF said:

-Shadowheart without spell slots is still great for the Guidance cantrip, absolutely beats Gale or Wyll for magic support

For people who elect to not take a cleric/druid, there's a necklace that gives Guidance, accessible the same time you gain access to Druidtown for the first time.

[Gromnir]

the reason we posts as Gromnir is 'cause we were disappointed with interplay's bg2 forum. particular noobs, but anybody who had the temerity to suggest bg1 and the bioware developers were less than perfect, were treated like heretics or witches whose existence needed to be purged. so we posted Gromnir-style which annoyed the Defenders of the Faith even more than our observations 'bout bg1. worse, the biowarians were not only amused by the Gromnir schtick, but they got what we were doing and appeared to approve which annoyed the bg1 faithful even more.

we will observe outrage and groupthink take hold and calcify much quicker nowadays and the scope o' the problem feels larger with "innovations" such as social media magnifying the pestiferous qualities o' gamer anger.

regardless, is same issues but perhaps the scope is different.

HA! Good Fun!

 

[HoonDing]

Everytime I see Sven Wincke's smile I'm reminded of Lenny from Simpsons

[MrBrown]

Just got to Act3 and kinda getting bored by this game.

[majestic]

Well, my murderhobo (aptly called Murderhobo) drow bard is working his way through the first part of the game, lying, cheating, intimidating and being generally obnoxious. Stepped on a squirrel, killed a wounded bird, a lame woman and caused a venomous viper to bite a child. All with that stupid grin on the face the game does.

I didn't bite Gale's hand off though. Companions are useful.

Lae'zel loves me, but Shadowheart can't stand me. Some cleric of Shar she is. Pfeh.

Not going to lie, kind of looking forward to the acts you guys keep complaining about. Being smaller in scope and having less to do and less to explore is certainly not going to hurt my enjoyment of the game. Far from it.

[Bartimaeus]

21 minutes ago, majestic said:

Well, my murderhobo (aptly called Murderhobo) drow bard is working his way through the first part of the game, lying, cheating, intimidating and being generally obnoxious. Stepped on a squirrel, killed a wounded bird, a lame woman and caused a venomous viper to bite a child. All with that stupid grin on the face the game does.

I didn't bite Gale's hand off though. Companions are useful.

Lae'zel loves me, but Shadowheart can't stand me. Some cleric of Shar she is. Pfeh.

Not going to lie, kind of looking forward to the acts you guys keep complaining about. Being smaller in scope and having less to do and less to explore is certainly not going to hurt my enjoyment of the game. Far from it.

I keep playing about an hour at a time and feeling like I made zero progress because there are far too many little things to do. I, too, am looking forward to less dense parts of the game.

Though I am also playing the Dark Urge, I haven't done too many evil things. But true to my word, I did toss some awful bard that was torturing some squirrels(?) with her terrible music right off a cliff and she died upon impact, though she landed right in front of a bear who sniffed her and then went back to catching and eating fish. Yeah, I don't blame the bear for not wanting any part of that either. I rather appreciated that nobody else seemed to notice or care, which is just how it should be when it comes to murdering bards.

Edited August 19, 2023 by Bartimaeus

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I had to reload several times after stumbling across a phase spider queen who shoots venom. Ended up killing all the minions and luring her into a place she couldn't snipe from high up, and it only took all of my Bard's and Shadowhearts spell slots along with Wyll's warlock short rest slots. 10/10 encounter. 

Now to explore the cellar and then explore more of the west side of the map. Maybe I'll go beat Auntie Ethel's ass first though.

33 minutes ago, majestic said:

Well, my murderhobo (aptly called Murderhobo) drow bard is working his way through the first part of the game, lying, cheating, intimidating and being generally obnoxious. Stepped on a squirrel, killed a wounded bird, a lame woman and caused a venomous viper to bite a child. All with that stupid grin on the face the game does.

I didn't bite Gale's hand off though. Companions are useful.

Lae'zel loves me, but Shadowheart can't stand me. Some cleric of Shar she is. Pfeh.

Not going to lie, kind of looking forward to the acts you guys keep complaining about. Being smaller in scope and having less to do and less to explore is certainly not going to hurt my enjoyment of the game. Far from it.

I'm rolling a Hu-mon DU Bard and have done almost exactly the opposite of what you're doing, going for more of a(n anti-)heroic swashbuckler instead of an outright villain. All the companions seem to like me but Astarion and Lae'zel consistently get the most disapproval. Though Lae'zel was the first companion to come onto me, unless you count Astarion calling you "Darling".

I'm enjoying it a lot so far, but I was also a fan of both DOS games.

14 minutes ago, Bartimaeus said:

I keep playing about an hour at a time and feeling like I made zero progress because there are far too many little things to do. I, too, am looking forward to less dense parts of the game.

Though I am also playing the Dark Urge, I haven't done too many evil things. But true to my word, I did toss some awful bard that was torturing some squirrels(?) with her terrible music right off a cliff and she died upon impact, though she landed right in front of a bear who sniffed her and then went back to catching and eating fish. Yeah, I don't blame the bear for not wanting any part of that either. I rather appreciated that nobody else seemed to notice or care, which is just how it should be when it comes to murdering bards.

I played for 2 hours last night and I feel like I didn't do ****. Act 1 is very dense so far.

About your irrational hatred for innocent bards...

If it's that Tiefling Bard she's supposed to get murdered by the Dark Urge after one of your first rests. So now you'll get to murder Biff the Understudy instead, and maybe your imp butler will say something about that. You may have been too naughty and lost out on a bitchin cloak.