Pros

It's another IE game.

Classes and races were good

Nice soundtrack

Tips of that hat content, which is stuff like some books you find that detail your adventures in the first game.

 

Cons

3.0 rules

Not very mod friendly. Not too many mods have been done to this game.

nbelievable main villains (I felt no pity for them even though it was obvious you were meant to

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No, you weren't.

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Mr. Sawyer, share with us yuor insights into creating this game?

 

Lead Designer of this right?

One thing I'll give it over IWD1 is that the ratio of interestingly-laid-out all-out battles to oh-look-here's-another-pack-of-wights-to-bash was substantially higher. The monotony of boring battles has killed every attempt I've made to replay IWD1 (or finish the expansions).

Can't say I thought the 3rd edition rules were spectacular, but they were certainly better implemented in IWD 2 than NWN.

 

I didn't really find the game challenging enough. Either the puzzles were too easy or the combat didn't require any special tactics, not like some of the ToB bosses did.

 

I suppose it would be unfair to critisize the game for being yet another boring dungeon crawl, seeing as that was the way it was packaged, but meh... that was my biggest grief with the game.

I never played any of the Icewind Dales because I dont like Dungeon crawler hack n slashers.

 

 

 

Was it meant to something more than that or was it a concept aimed at the H&S crowd from the beginning?

Some areas, like Targos and the Severed Hand, had a lot of open roleplaying. Like the ghost in the tavern in Targos, or the means to complete the final fight with Isair and Madae. Other instances, not so much.

I liked IWD2, but the story left much to be desired, and at times the game just threw too many opponents at you, which wouldn't have been all that bad, if only you had gotten xp for killing 'em (remembers the tedious hook horror grinding *shiver*)

I never played any of the Icewind Dales because I dont like Dungeon crawler hack n slashers.

you must have played about two games in the last 10 years

I never played any of the Icewind Dales because I dont like Dungeon crawler hack n slashers.

 

 

 

Was it meant to something more than that or was it a concept aimed at the H&S crowd from the beginning?

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Hack and slash crowd.

 

The first one felt kind of like a cheap Baldur's Gate mod.

Mr. Sawyer, share with us yuor insights into creating this game?

 

Lead Designer of this right?

Making the game was very difficult because of the circumstances at Black Isle during its development. Icewind Dale II started development the same day that TORN was cancelled and five people were laid off. It was the first time that people had been laid off in Black Isle, so it wasn't exactly a happy beginning. A lot of other people left shortly after development started because IWD2 looked like it would be an embarassment. Seventh-ish IE game, still using 2nd Ed. rules, with a development cycle of about four months. One of those people was the lead designer, so I did double duty on IWD2 while FR6/The Black Hound sort of simmered in the background.

 

The four months eventually turned into ten. It was less of a death march and more of a death race. I felt like I wasn't exactly leading people as much as shooting them out of cannons in a general direction. The levels were very inconsistent in feel because, while there was time to do "course correction", there was no time to do level overhauls -- especially from an art perspective. Also, some of the area designs were just very difficult to do in the IE. Fell Wood was not the sort of puzzle area that Dave Maldonado imagined it would be. Rob Holloway did his own scripting for his extremely ambitious Ice Palace and Dragon's Eye levels, but it was a staggering amount of work.

 

We were also overly concerned with jam-packing every level with stuff because of how short HoW turned out. Areas like the Horde Fortress probably could have been half as long and much more satisfying. If we had 2/3 the number of areas, but they were all the quality of Targos and the Severed Hand, I think the game would have been much more well-received.

 

In terms of technology, I think IWD2 did a great job. Sure, the pathfinding was still Ebola-ridden and the networking code was its usually junky self, but most of the 3E stuff we implemented was solid. I don't think it was mod-unfriendly. I mean, except for the fact that it broke a lot of the existing IE mod tools (lol). I think that people just got tired of modding IE games at that point. Icewind Gate looked neat, but it ran out of steam.

 

As far as the story goes, you weren't "supposed" to feel anything specifically about the twins. They weren't written as bad guys or good guys, but as antagonists. I knew that some people would feel sympathetic for them and some people would think they were buttheads and I thought that was a good goal.

Was that mod to play BG2 in IWD2 ever fully completed?

The only thing I wished for IWD2 was the chance to join the twins efforts.

Was that mod to play BG2 in IWD2 ever fully completed?

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I wonder the same thing.

 

I'd like to play IWD1 in IWD2's engine as well. Guess that'll never happen...

Icewind Dale is the only IE game I've played and enjoyed from beginning to end. And I don't consider myself to be a hack'n'slash fanatic (I dislike Diablo & clones of all my heart) but something about that game grabbed me and didn't let go until it was over (way too soon for my taste). Maybe the snow? )

 

Icewind Dale 2 had that same feeling in the first few maps, but somewhere along the way my interest in the game waned and I never finished it. Not sure why and I've been thinking about giving it another shot.

am not going to abuse the obsidian folks with our content complaints further... they has suffered enough, even if they deserved to suffer.

 

however, we recently attempted to replay (well, not actually "replay" as we never finished it before,) and the damned thing has such terrible slowdowns even on a relatively fast machine that we just couldn't endure a second attempt at a game we thought were mighty under whelming. and yes, all our drivers is updated. am simply disappointed at how clunky the game is.

 

HA! Good Fun!

Sorry, have to ask: What's FR6?

Was that mod to play BG2 in IWD2 ever fully completed?

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I wonder the same thing.

 

I'd like to play IWD1 in IWD2's engine as well. Guess that'll never happen...

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I think the project reached the beta phase and then died.

Forgotten Realms 6, I guess - another codename for Jefferson/Black Hound/BG3

Maybe it means it was the 6th attempt at a FR game.

 

Baldur's Gate - IWD - BG 2 - IWD2 - ? - TBH

Forgotten Realms 6, I guess - another codename for Jefferson/Black Hound/BG3

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Ah, thanks.

IWD2 must be one of the best games created under such difficult circumstances. I've heard people complain about J.E:s work with it as lead designer, followed by doubts about his competence as a game maker at obsidian (some people don't know what they are talking about IMO).

 

I've also read somewhere that Sawyer doesn't like the game himself. I probably like the game more myself then, I've replayed it 5 or 6 times

Edited January 22, 200620 yr by Zagor

I am not proud of any of the games I've worked on, so it's not that surprising that people conclude I'm incompetent from looking at my work.

You have a fan in me, JE! *huggles*

 

Would you feel proud about Jefferson and Van Buren if they came to fruition, if there were no external obstacles?

I am not proud of any of the games I've worked on, so it's not that surprising that people conclude I'm incompetent from looking at my work.

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I seriously hope that changes. I know we have butt heads on a few things but I think you did great work in IWD 2 all things considering. I am sure Obsidian Ent will definitely give you opportunity to make great games that will be fully worthy of pride.