Baldur's Gate

[Humodour]

So I'm going to play through BG1 and then export my character to BG2.

 

I'm thinking of playing as Fighter and then multiclassing to a Druid in BG2. I may play as a Blade instead, though. Not sure. Advice/opinions/ideas?

 

I will get all the books of knowledge this way, too, including the 3 wisdom ones! Whoohoo!

 

What are your favourite party members from BG1?

 

What about BG2? The characters I like are:

Jan (only thief in the game to get HLAs, and also a back-up mage and kind of funny)

Imoen (core)

Viconia (core)

Sarevok (core)

Minsc (funny, but Sarevok kind of replaces him yeah?)

Jaheira (kind of annoying)

Haer'Dalis (kind of annoying)

Mazzy (kind of annoying)

Aerie (kind of annoying)

Nalia (redundant because of Imoen)

The rest don't work for me or don't work with the party (Keldorn kills Viconia, Edwin and Minsc slap each-other) but suggest them if you want, I'll consider them!

[Shryke]

was never all that fond of druids in BG

 

though i did use Jaheira, coz her Harper's Call thing was kinda handy, and the Elemental Prince HLA's were pretty cool too

 

for NPC's, i'd maybe suggest Jan and maybe Valygar

[Tigranes]

I nearly always play some sort of mage or thief. I use BG1Tutu, which I'm sure you already know about, but if not, definitely use it before you start the game.

 

I loved Minsc and Edwin in BG2, so it always gives me a big dilemma when I play BG1. For one thing, Dynaheir is bloody annoying, and her portrait looks like some sort of shamanistic prostitute on opium. These days I just cheat to take them both, and in my role-playing justify that my assassin has carefully crafted a situation where the Gnolls kill Dynaheir and the player is made to look like he tried his best. Khalid and Jaheira are good, Kivan is nice and Viconia isn't bad either.

 

In BG2 I like Edwin and I always take him, even if I'm a mage. Hey, more mages the better. Jan is funny, though he is hit-and-miss for people, Minsc is great, so is Korgan. Kheldon is probably the only paladin I like, Sarevok/Yoshimo are great too. I don't think I've *ever* taken Mazzy, Aerie, Nalia or Haer'Dalis for any length of time, just because they're more annoying than an obsidian religion debate + Codex discussion on sexual deviance + those bits on chocolate chip cookies that look like chocolate chips but are actually grapefruits, making for an altogether disappointing experience.

 

What mods are you using? In fact, from what you say it sounds like vanilla BG2 - can it be true? I don't think I've played vanilla in years. There are several mods which I would consider almost 'patches' in how well they are integrated and how they add to the gameplay, such as the Banter Pack.

[Nick_i_am]

I'd gut Viconia if I ever bothered to play that far.

[Shryke]

yeah i was never too fond of Viconia

 

as annoying as he was, i always preferred to have Anomen as the cleric in my party

[astr0creep]

I never liked BG1 too much.

 

It's too slow and a lifetime passes between level ups.

The story is pretty good but found myself entering cheat codes to get more powerful so the game would end faster.

 

BG2 was much better in that regard. Actually, BG2 is better than BG1 in every single way.

[Enoch]

I always take a Druid along in BG2 because the "Insect Plague" spell is basically a win button for all the mage battles. My standard BG2 party was Keldorn, Anomen, Jahiera, Jan, and Imoen. Although if I'm playing a cleric, I'll swap Anomen out for someone else (probably one of the Rangers).

 

I liked that BG1 was a lower-level adventure, which I generally find more compelling. But besides that it was pure tedium ("mowing" the FOW away on yet another mostly-empty wilderness area) with a ridiculous storyline and cardboard-cutout character design.

[Slowtrain]

I never liked BG1 too much.

 

It's too slow and a lifetime passes between level ups.

The story is pretty good but found myself entering cheat codes to get more powerful so the game would end faster.

 

BG2 was much better in that regard. Actually, BG2 is better than BG1 in every single way.

 

 

Interesting. My biggest problem with BG1 was that I always had max level before I even got to Baldu'r Gate. Once there was no more leveling, it was hard to keep any interest in finishing the game. If anything, given the level 6 cap, I would have said that leveling happens way too fast.

[Humodour]

I never liked BG1 too much.

 

It's too slow and a lifetime passes between level ups.

The story is pretty good but found myself entering cheat codes to get more powerful so the game would end faster.

 

BG2 was much better in that regard. Actually, BG2 is better than BG1 in every single way.

 

Out of my thread! Shoo!

 

Thanks for the input guys. Will respond tomorrow.

 

But quickly, what's TuTu? Is it just using BG2's art in BG1? Because I much prefer BG1's art (from side panels to character avatars/dolls).

 

CrashGirl: the xpack doubles the xp cap, IIRC, making it a bit more balanced in that regard.

Edited April 21, 2008 by Krezack

[Moatilliatta]

BGTUTU is BG1 in BG2 engine and as such BG2 spells, classes etc. It does make BG1 somewhat more playable.

[Tigranes]

Egads!

 

BG1Tutu is an engine conversion pack or something. Basically, you play BG1, in BG2's engine! However, you can retain BG1 loading screens, BG1 GUI, BG1 music. Basically, it's all BG1, except you can use higher resolutions, you can pick kits and such from the very start, and so forth. Other than that, you are able to keep it as 'authentic' as you want, or just change a few things like walking speeds. It also facilitates exporting/importing between the two games.

 

You need both games installed on your HD to make it work. Check out the page at Pocket Plane Games. Get BG1Tutu and the Fixpack. Follow the instructions closely. It is a bit of a pain to install, but not difficult and I assure you it is worth it to play BG1 at 1024x768 resolutions, for example.

 

Also check out BG1/BG2 unfinished business and banter pack from the same site. They are high-quality, polished mods that will feel like patches, or I wouldn't recommend to anyone and everyone.

[Nick_i_am]

Yeah, lets you use BG2 classes from the outset and gives you the option to increase the resolution.

[Pidesco]

I never liked BG1 too much.

 

It's too slow and a lifetime passes between level ups.

The story is pretty good but found myself entering cheat codes to get more powerful so the game would end faster.

 

BG2 was much better in that regard. Actually, BG2 is better than BG1 in every single way.

 

Out of my thread! Shoo!

 

Thanks for the input guys. Will respond tomorrow.

 

But quickly, what's TuTu? Is it just using BG2's art in BG1? Because I much prefer BG1's art (from side panels to character avatars/dolls).

 

CrashGirl: the xpack doubles the xp cap, IIRC, making it a bit more balanced in that regard.

 

TuTu lets you play BG1 on BG2's engine, thus allowing you to use kits, BG2's level cap, higher resolutions and other BG2 features.

[Slowtrain]

What are your favourite party members from BG1?

 

I don't really have any favorites as such. But my standard party was:

 

Imoen

Jahiera

Khalid

Minsc

Dynaheir

 

 

Pretty vanilla but I was always good aligned for the most part and these were usually the nocs I encountered first so I would just take them keepthem and develop them, plus its a pretty powerful party especilly if my player character was a cleric, which was often the case.

 

I liked most of the npc party members in BG a whole lot better than in BG2. Not only was there a wide variety, but they didn't turn my crpg party into a Dr. Phil encounter group, unlike BG2.

[Pidesco]

BG1: Xan, Tiax, Minsc. My first party was me as a female half elf ranger, Imoen, Jaheira, Khalid, Minsc, Dynaheir.

 

 

BG2: Jan, Minsc, Edwin. My first party was me as a male human fighter, Jaheira, Minsc, Imoen/Yoshimo, Aerie, and Valygar? (I'm not sure about Valygar).

 

 

Edit: Yes, Valygar. I still have my original BG saves.

[taks]

once you get up to the higher levels in BG2, the differences between characters such as minsc or sarevok are almost negligible. not that sarevok isn't "better," which he is, it's just that they are all so over-powering compared to the baddies you match up against that the differences don't really matter anymore. the game becomes a lot more about magic abilities (and equipment) than individual stats/abilities.

 

personally, i always play good-aligned characters, and i'm usually a mage. when i'm not, i prefer edwin as my mage in spite of the fact he's evil, but with the "friendly npcs" add-on to keep him from battling minsc all the time. early on, the fact that he's the only mage with 18 INT, plus his extra spells, makes a bit of a difference, though later on (like after HLAs kick in), it's not that much of a benefit anymore.

 

taks

[Deadly_Nightshade]

I'd gut Viconia if I ever bothered to play that far.

 

Why? Viconia was not that bad - or at least I did not think she was.

[random n00b]

I prefer BGT myself over TuTu, but I reckon it leads more towards "mod" than true conversion since it adds some new bits (especially in the transition from BG1 to BG2), but all for the sake of continuity.

 

And yeah, get the BG2 fix pack. It's a must, really. The BG2 tweak pack has some interesting components as well, but that may not be your cup of tea if you are going purist. The shapeshifter rebalance alone makes it worth downloading and makes Cernd actually useful.

 

NPCs I went for efficiency in BG1 since they are mostly lacking in the personality department (BG1NPC somewhat fixes this, *hint* *hint*). In BG2 it depends on what mods I have installed and the alignment of <CHARNAME>.

[GreasyDogMeat]

Deffinitly play with Tutu, gives BG1/TotSC a very nice updated look and feel.

 

I've also heard almost nothing but good feedback for the Banter Pack. Adds tons of new NPC interjections & back & forth conversations between NPCs. It IS fan written, however I've heard it is true to the characters and gives BG 1 more of that BG 2 NPC feel.

 

Tutu - http://www.pocketplane.net/mambo/index.php...3&Itemid=98

Unfinished Business. Think of this as a Restoration Project for BG 1, finishing a number of quests that didn't make it into BG 1 - http://www.pocketplane.net/mambo/index.php...&Itemid=114

NPC Banters - http://www.gibberlings3.net/bg1npc/index.php

Numerous other Mods - http://www.sorcerers.net/Games/BG/index_mods.php I HIGHLY recommend Ease of Use. The great thing about is that you get to choose which features of it to install. So, if you only like the idea of higher arrow stacks, you can choose to only install that and not the other features. I love mods that give a choice to the player.

 

You might want to spend a bit looking at some of the cool mods for BG 1. Even if you are a purist, like myself, you can find some awesome stuff that improves BG 1 immensely (I can't imagine playing BG 1 without Tutu).

[Nick_i_am]

Why? Viconia was not that bad - or at least I did not think she was.

 

I can't even remember, I just know I had a good reason a few years ago.

 

EDIT: wait, I remember, google image her.

Edited April 21, 2008 by Nick_i_am

[Spider]

The only site you need in regards to BG modding (since it links to all the others):

 

http://modlist.pocketplane.net/index.php?a...t&cat_id=97

 

Personally I wouldn't dream of playing BG2 without Ease-of-Use (although that one is in the tweaks pack now, so get that instead) and Tactics. Especially tactics is what makes me come back to game from time to time. Be warned though, some of the fights in Tactics are not to be trifled with (I can't remember ever beating Improved Faldorn, although I'm not sure I've tried since the difficulty was toned down in the latest release).

 

And yeah, Tutu is practically a must for me to play BG1.

 

Also, the Fighter/druid dual class is one of my favorite builds. Prepare to spend some time re-rolling when you make the character though, since you need high Str, Wis and Cha just to be able to dual (unless you cheat up the stats of course). I think it's worth it though. Of course, I usually go with a Berserker/Druid.

[aries101]

I think you really should re-consider about kicking Jaheira out of the game. I won't go into much detail here, but there's a very nice quest for you, if you decide to

romance Jaheira

Also, later in the BG2 game, you will be glad to have picked at least three people that are capable of casting spells and such.

 

My favorite party for BG1 was also:

 

Imoen

Jaheira

Khalid

Dynaheir

Minsc

Dynaheir

 

Others played with Branwen or the other ranger (Corgan?).

 

Currently I'm playing BG2 and having a lot of fun with Next time I play BG1+BG2 I think I might just play as a Bard...

[Kelverin]

Don't know if you have played the game before, but I would play it as it was originally intended. Just patched with expansions.

 

I always had fun with

 

PC - With the other 4 NPC's you can play whatever you wish and still have a balanced party

Xzar > anyone

Kagain

Viconia

Montaron

Random NPC that you take a fancy to.

Edited April 21, 2008 by Kelverin

[Pidesco]

^Evil bastard!

[Deadly_Nightshade]

wait, I remember, google image her.

 

BG2:

 

BG1:

 

She's a Drow who could have gotten better avatar art - other then that I cannot see what you mean.