Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition Announced

[Nepenthe]

 

 

Day One purchase on Steam for me.

 

So you are going to support and pay 20$ for a slamdunk made by people who are not even the original developers? They no longer have that flimsy "Two of us worked at Bioware at one point guise!" excuse for IWD.

Here they just ported the previous EE changes, some mods and content from previous BGs (which will probably wreck the game). But at least you will get that STORY MODE difficulty so you can enjoy the meat of this game eh?

 

Yes, that's exactly what I'm going to do. I would like to say I'm sorry how I spend my money offends you, but I won't because I'd be lying.

Yarp, I'm also guilty of using platforms where bgs and iwds don't work at the moment... Happy to pay them for that, too! >

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

 

IMO, a remastering of PST would need to add stuff the original lacked, like equipable armor.

No. Just no.

 

PS:T was 200% of pure perfection as it was. And this is one of the reasons why I won't even touch a "remake" if it's ever made. It's just won't be the same thing. When you're developing a remake the temptation to "improve" something is just too great. Unfortunately, in the case of PS:T remake "improving" anything means insta-ruining the whole thing.

 

I jumped out of my lolocopter.

 

PST is easily the weakest IE game in terms of combat. PST is only fun if you're playing a High Wisdom character, which is counter-intuitive to available classes to TNO. Claiming that PST is "200% of pure perfection" is deluded, and I say this as someone who loves the game.

[Monte Carlo]

I'll go further. I accuse PS:T of high-minded elitism, of contempt to the player, from the moment you boot it up.

 

It's an arrogant in-joke: create a fighter in good faith and give TNO fighter stats. Mwuahahaha (go the designers). You are hobbled. Screwed. Unable to progress. It's a joke predicated on some sort of insider knowledge of the setting and the design goals.

 

When you have Obz devs like MCA shaking their heads at obtuse design and banging on about how unfair it is to have bad builds that baffle the player, they need look no further than Planescape: Torment. Bad design permeates the piece like body odour.

[Bill Gates' Son]

I have to be honest.  This won't be a popular opinion here, but it's how I feel.  I was never a fan of Icewind Dale, or Icewind Dale 2, for that matter.  I thought thety were easily the two weakest entries of the Infinity Engine games.  While the combat in them was good, better than BG, BG2, or PS:T, the story... ZZZZzzzzzzzzzz.

 

 

While the story wasn't the biggest focus in IWD, I actually enjoyed it more than BG's story.  Some of the characters and story dungeons in IWD where well done.  That, along with the game's beautiful art style and atmosphere made the game memorable to me.

 

It doesn't seem like they're adding much content, but it would interesting playing through the game again with some of the BG2 kits.

Edited August 31, 2014 by Bill Gates' Son

[Gromnir]

 

 

IMO, a remastering of PST would need to add stuff the original lacked, like equipable armor.

No. Just no.

 

PS:T was 200% of pure perfection as it was. And this is one of the reasons why I won't even touch a "remake" if it's ever made. It's just won't be the same thing. When you're developing a remake the temptation to "improve" something is just too great. Unfortunately, in the case of PS:T remake "improving" anything means insta-ruining the whole thing.

 

I jumped out of my lolocopter.

 

PST is easily the weakest IE game in terms of combat. PST is only fun if you're playing a High Wisdom character, which is counter-intuitive to available classes to TNO. Claiming that PST is "200% of pure perfection" is deluded, and I say this as someone who loves the game.

 

ps:t is... weird. it were intended to be weird, but it went weird different than simply "unusual." we loved ps:t-- is our favorite crpg. However, when somebody inevitably claims that ps:t were a complete pile o' steamy p00p, we have a hard time disagreeing.

 

claims that ps:t sucked:  

 

combat sucked-- yeah, combat were pretty gawdawful. we can detail why combat were bad, but probable only vol and chris avellone actual thought ps:t combat were good. dear lord, is it possible that vol is a chris avellone doppelganger? 

 

tno-- we had a few friends, some female, that wanted to know why in a modern (modern for 1999) crpg they had to play as a male zombie. no choice o' sex or appearance or hair color. paperdoll were unaffected by gear change save for anime over-sized weapons.

 

wisdom for the win-- wth? you cannot choose to play a cleric. you start the game as a fighter. there is no magical defense adjustment for high wisdom. who in their right mind would pump points into wisdom in a ie game wherein you weren't playing a cleric? well, the answer is as follows: anybody playing ps:t. not only did you get upwards o' +33% experience point bonus simple by maxing wisdom, but many quests were unlocked by wisdom. is not hyperbole to suggest that you played 1/3 less o' game by keeping wisdom less than 14.

 

bugs/memory leak-- if you didn't play in winter 1999, you might not know how buggy the game were. sooo many broken quests, and for many, you could not play game for more than an hour at a time w/o the dreaded memory leak forcing a complete restart.

 

philosophy for dummies-- hey, we like depth o' character, but a large number o' characters in ps:t were like those horrible college campus undergrads who hang out at coffee shops and wanna discuss sarte or nietzsche but clearly have no f'ing clue what they is talking 'bout. middle-class, socialist brats that we just wanted to punch in the face. "existential your way out of a broken f'ing nose you pretentious little sh!te." shoulda' been a dialogue option for every freaking ps:t dialogue.

 

etc.

 

again, we actual liked ps:t more than any crpg we has played before or since, but it sucked. in many ways it were a horrible game with broken mechanics and immature and pretentious writing. anybody that wanna argue that ps:t were an awful game gets no fight from Gromnir... 'cept the recognition that we liked ps:t a great deal.

 

HA! Good Fun!

Edited August 31, 2014 by Gromnir

[nipsen]

I'll go further. I accuse PS:T of high-minded elitism, of contempt to the player, from the moment you boot it up.

 

I'll go even further. I accuse the PS:T developers of secretly wanting to make high-minded elitists look hilariously dumb when commenting on the game on the internet, many years after it was made.

[bonarbill]

I'm one of the people who actually enjoyed the combat in Planescape Torment (personally the combat felt the same as BG to me but the game had better spell effects), so that along with its story made it my favorite out of the IE games.  hehe

Edited August 31, 2014 by bonarbill

[prodigydancer]

I'm one of the people who actually enjoyed the combat in Planescape Torment (personally the combat felt the same as BG to me but the game had better spell effects), so that along with its story made it my favorite out of the IE games.  hehe

+1

PS:T combat was certainly good enough for a game that could be completed in a non-violent way. But trolls can't find anything substantial to criticize so they resort to nitpicking. What they fail to realize is that PS:T, being widely recognized as (at the very least) one of the top contenders for #1 CRPG of all times and fondly remembered now 15 years after release, hardly needs to be validated by their personal approval.

Edited August 31, 2014 by prodigydancer

[bonarbill]

 

I'm one of the people who actually enjoyed the combat in Planescape Torment (personally the combat felt the same as BG to me but the game had better spell effects), so that along with its story made it my favorite out of the IE games.  hehe

+1

PS:T combat was certainly good enough for a game that could be completed in a non-violent way. But trolls can't find anything substantial to criticize so they just try to nitpick. What they fail to realize is that PS:T, being widely recognized as (at the very least) one of the top contenders for #1 CRPG of all times, hardly needs to be validated by their personal approval.

 

 

Yeah, the game combat it's nearly identical to the other AD&D games, so I didn't think it was worse than the other IE games.  However, I'll admit the encounter design isn't as good.  You don't get to fight any of the cool adventering parties like in BG1.

[Woldan]

You don't get to fight any of the cool adventering parties like in BG1.

Only BG1? Remember, in BG2 we had to fight a grave robbing adventurer group in the Windspear hills, in the ruins. Also there was another hostile adventurer group in the temple district in the closed off estate to the east (two mages, one kensai, a priest, a thief, one minotaurs and an Orog. - really hard fight and awesome loot), plus the group in the temple district sewers.

There was also another adventurer group encounter at Waukeens promenade, on the second floor of a tavern to the north-east. There was a barbarian named ''Orkslicer'' who had a cursed two handed berserk sword. And I'm sure I forgot one or two of those encounters.

 

Anyway, not fighting an enemy adventurer group is actually one of my biggest gripe in all the RPGs after Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, IMO the ultimate and most entertaining battle is against another group just like yours. Extremely hard, fun battle and great loot.

Edited August 31, 2014 by Woldan

[prodigydancer]

You don't get to fight any of the cool adventering parties like in BG1.

Yeah, those were epic. I think all IE games were great but they filled different niches. BG was great because of free roaming and exploration. PS:T - because of its story and unusual setting. BG2/ToB - because of its overall refinement and focus on high-level adventures. And IWD/IWD2 were just very good hack-n-slash games.

[ManifestedISO]

 

I'll go further. I accuse PS:T of high-minded elitism, of contempt to the player, from the moment you boot it up.

 

I'll go even further. I accuse the PS:T developers of secretly wanting to make high-minded elitists look hilariously dumb when commenting on the game on the internet, many years after it was made.

 

 

Can't tell if serious. Monte drives right over H-ME's in a steel panzer of righteous vengeance.  

[Volourn]

"being widely recognized as (at the very least) one of the top contenders for #1 CRPG"

 

Define 'widely recognized'. Considering its sales are rather lacking comapred to other CRPGs I'm not impressed that out of the 100 people who played 10 of them thinks it's 'the best ever'.

 

 

LMAO

[Tigranes]

More pointless money-grubbing from Beamdog, more distractions for players who could be playing a great RPG instead of a great RPG loaded with an ugly UI and pointless 'improvements'. 

 

I suppose the good thing is that they'll run out of IE games to make pointless changes to after a couple more.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

 

You don't get to fight any of the cool adventering parties like in BG1.

Only BG1? Remember, in BG2 we had to fight a grave robbing adventurer group in the Windspear hills, in the ruins. Also there was another hostile adventurer group in the temple district in the closed off estate to the east (two mages, one kensai, a priest, a thief, one minotaurs and an Orog. - really hard fight and awesome loot), plus the group in the temple district sewers.

There was also another adventurer group encounter at Waukeens promenade, on the second floor of a tavern to the north-east. There was a barbarian named ''Orkslicer'' who had a cursed two handed berserk sword. And I'm sure I forgot one or two of those encounters.

 

Anyway, not fighting an enemy adventurer group is actually one of my biggest gripe in all the RPGs after Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, IMO the ultimate and most entertaining battle is against another group just like yours. Extremely hard, fun battle and great loot.

In NWN2 OC there is a random encounters with an adventuring party. Edited August 31, 2014 by KaineParker

[Gromnir]

 

 

I'm one of the people who actually enjoyed the combat in Planescape Torment (personally the combat felt the same as BG to me but the game had better spell effects), so that along with its story made it my favorite out of the IE games.  hehe

+1

PS:T combat was certainly good enough for a game that could be completed in a non-violent way. But trolls can't find anything substantial to criticize so they just try to nitpick. What they fail to realize is that PS:T, being widely recognized as (at the very least) one of the top contenders for #1 CRPG of all times, hardly needs to be validated by their personal approval.

 

 

Yeah, the game combat it's nearly identical to the other AD&D games, so I didn't think it was worse than the other IE games.  However, I'll admit the encounter design isn't as good.  You don't get to fight any of the cool adventering parties like in BG1.

 

...

 

so...

 

you are distinguishing combat encounter design from your rating/grading o' combat quality?

 

...

 

you is gonna need explain that to us.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[mkreku]

Icewind Dale is still the only Infinity engine based game I've ever completed. I like snow.

 

I still remember this feeling of "If only I get out of this screen, maybe the game will open up?" I got from each and every map in that game. I've never played a game that gave me so much claustrophobia as Icewind Dale. The game never did open up. It's a corridor of tiny maps, from beginning to end, with a completely unnecessary world map (there is no world).

 

Did I mention how much I dislike the Infinity engine? I disliked it then, I dislike it now.

[nipsen]

*nods* My biggest problem with many of the infinity engine games as well. I always really liked the large areas. Because they... made sense. You could picture the whole town, and where everything was. Then when you walk away from the large areas, you start to wonder if the world becomes smaller and smaller somehow.

 

Other areas really made up for it, though. When you have some sort of entrance on the edge of a mountain, and you can somehow manage to make a walk down a corridor look like you're navigating around the spire on the inside, while your characters would be able to look outside through these natural windows..? That's impressive. Shouldn't be possible in 2d - but still worked out. Managing to create height, areas on top of peaks, and depth, down in lairs and swamps, and so on, in Icewind Dale 2. That was great as well.

 

But I could bear to be without having "you must gather your party before venturing forth" stuck as a loop inside my head when playing, yes..

 

 

 

I'll go further. I accuse PS:T of high-minded elitism, of contempt to the player, from the moment you boot it up.

 

I'll go even further. I accuse the PS:T developers of secretly wanting to make high-minded elitists look hilariously dumb when commenting on the game on the internet, many years after it was made.

 

 

Can't tell if serious. Monte drives right over H-ME's in a steel panzer of righteous vengeance.  

 

Mm. Yes, but I think we may both have been in the wrong here. Driving over people would suggest actually intending to crush them, or registering their existence. And now that I have thought about it, I think it's more accurate to say that he happens to flatten them, as they unluckily came to be underneath the fuming panzer iron.

[Nepenthe]

 

 

I'll go further. I accuse PS:T of high-minded elitism, of contempt to the player, from the moment you boot it up.

 

I'll go even further. I accuse the PS:T developers of secretly wanting to make high-minded elitists look hilariously dumb when commenting on the game on the internet, many years after it was made.

 

 

Can't tell if serious. Monte drives right over H-ME's in a steel panzer of righteous vengeance.  

 

 

I assumed he was talking about somebody else. I can peg Monte as an elitist, but never high-minded

 

Now, Tigranes, on the other hand... :D

 

[Tigranes]

But but it's my job to be high-minded and absolutely disposable when the apocalypse hits!

[Hiro Protagonist II]

IWD1 works perfectly well for me. Rock solid stable. Won't be needing this version. Will be good to check out their bug forum to see how things go when this is released.

[BruceVC]

IWD1 works perfectly well for me. Rock solid stable. Won't be needing this version. Will be good to check out their bug forum to see how things go when this is released.

 

Hi Hiro  "waves", you have been quiet lately ?

 

You haven't been commenting on the Romance thread,  you should come and give us your opinion on all matters related to Romance in RPG?

[Nepenthe]

Well, I like the thought of real dual-wielding.

[Erez]

It will be a good coop game, they will need to add content if they want to make it a good single player. like someone else mention to create more interactions.

I would also go as far as too add more npcs interactions or deeper Npcs if you will. the original game felt very flat and empty even for an icey wasteland. 

The soundtrack is great but needs to be extended as its too short- Although i guess putting skyrim soundtrack in the background or 2 steps from hell could solve that issue.

Skyrim soundtrack is Jeremy soule best work after all and its what make that game the best jogging simulator ever. 

[Gromnir]

am understanding it would never happen, and clearly beamdog wouldn't be the folks to do it anyway, but the game that would genuine benefit from an enhanced edition is toee. troika had the beginnings of an excellent d&d, squad-based, tactical combat game. unfortunate, troika complete dropped the ball on execution. they chose mediocre source material and then treated the module as if they were thirteen-year-old dms who had never actual dm'd a d&d session. troika did almost nothing to flesh-out the source material save for adding a brothel and a gay pirate... and then troika got angry 'cause brothel were predictably removed.

 

toee coulda' been a great game if the folks designing the role-play encounters were even the least bit competent.

 

toee coulda' been a great game if it weren't so complete buggy.

 

toee coulda' been a great game if troika had finished what they started and made a great d&d combat simulator... but they half-arsed it with questionable spell/feat implementations and poor AoO and reach weapons mechanics and similar such mistakes.

 

it would not take a great deal o' effort to transform toee from a buggy mess with after-thought role-play elements into an excellent crpg... but it would take more than the simple community bug fixes we has seen. toee would be a fantastic candidate for an enhanced edition, as implausible/impossible as that kinda project would be.

 

HA! Good Fun! 

Edited September 1, 2014 by Gromnir