Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition Announced

[Zeckul]

Reinstalled IWD. If anyone else is going to, here's a good guide to mods. http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showtopic=24870

And after all that, don't forget to install bigger fonts and the DirectDraw Glitch fix. http://bitpatch.com/ie_ddrawfix.html

 

You still won't be able to use WASD or arrows to move the camera. Only numpad keys move it, and they only do it in big jerking motions, which is unusable, so forget about moving the camera with your keyboard. Sigh.

 

So at the end of the day, the only problem EE could fix is the camera. And while they do that, they'll make most mods unusable. Just great.

No one should need to be using DirectDraw at this point. Open the config.exe and check OpenGL acceleration. Use the widescreen mod to set your resolution, ideally to something not too far from the original supported resolutions. 1280x720 seems like a good compromise for 16:9 screens; I used a custom resolution of 960x600 for my old 16:10 monitor.

 

Only problem I ran into that way was that the game wouldn't scale to fit the monitor, but you can go in your driver options to force it to do so.

[Zeckul]

I started up Icewind Dale just to create my party and I can't believe how spoiled I've been by EE and Tutu.

 

No sorcerer? No style proficiency? You're throwing me off my game here, people!

Perhaps, but the druid spells, man! Ain't no party like a druid party in IWD.

[Tale]

 

I started up Icewind Dale just to create my party and I can't believe how spoiled I've been by EE and Tutu.

 

No sorcerer? No style proficiency? You're throwing me off my game here, people!

Perhaps, but the druid spells, man! Ain't no party like a druid party in IWD.

 

Baldur's Gate gives me a bad taste for Druids. Jaheira's fine as a character, but her weapon proficiencies are pure crap. I'm sporting +2/3 daggers at this point in BG 2 and she's got a +1 scimitar.

 

I think the first time I played through Throne of Bhaal, I might have finally found her a +2 club.

[Guest Slinky]

I have always made Jaheira use slings because of that.

[Monte Carlo]

I always ShadowKeeper her weapon profs to scimitars, spears and staves. Occasionally slings. I had quite a good run with her dual-wielding scimitars and daggers, too.

 

Her weapon profs as per vanilla are a joke.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Level1NPCs FTW. Turning Khalid into a Fighter/Mage and Minsc into a Barbarian is awesome.

[Bester]

http://mikesrpgcenter.com/bgate2/weapons/scimitars.html

http://mikesrpgcenter.com/bgate2/weapons/clubs.html

 

Either kill Drizzt and keep his stuff, or... wait a second, why would you kill Drizzt? He's a legendary warrior who saved the North more times that I can remember? You know what, kill Jaheira instead and get yourself a worthy companion.

 

Either that, or stop forcing yourself to swallow the same game mechanics over and over again? Don't you want to play it different this time? You've played Jaheira a million times, nothing exciting there. But she can be improved if you really need her companionship. Just get ShadowKeeper and change her. That's what I do before each new playthrough. I think about what companions I want with me. Then I think what roles I want them to fill. Then I think of classes that I want them to be. Then I roll each class separately through "new game" - I roll their stats, choose their spells, proficiencies etc. Then I save that savefile. And once that companion joins me, I just reassign all values from that savegame to my companion.

 

And before I do that, I also look at the tables of weapons that will be available to me.

 

So this way, last time I played, I was a thief/fighter dual-wielding katanas (there's a +5 in SoA).

Minsc - cavalier with carsomyr. (+5)

Solafein - barbarian dual-wielding long/bastard swords. (plenty of good blades)

Viconia - fighter dualed into a cleric at level 8. Dual-weilding maces/flails. (same here)

Edwin - fighter dualed into a mage at level 8. Dual-weilding axes. (same here)

Fade - illusionist, not a melee character.

 

Yeah, so it doesn't fit their biography and all that. But nobody has to know! Now you're experiencing new mechanics and the old companions.

Edited September 11, 2014 by Bester

[Tale]

You've played Jaheira a million times

This is actually only my second full-run of BG2.

 

Lots of stuff I remember still, especially the frustrating bits (you want me to fight two stone golems and a clay at the same time with only two people that can hit them, what?!). For everything else there's Jan Jansen, who I never used before.

[Monte Carlo]

Level1NPCs FTW. Turning Khalid into a Fighter/Mage and Minsc into a Barbarian is awesome.

 

Even more awesome with the mod that allows you to dual-class barbarians. Minsc as Barbarian / Thief totally stirs s**t up.

[Nepenthe]

 So this way, last time I played, I was a thief/fighter dual-wielding katanas (there's a +5 in SoA).

Since when is there a +5 katana in either soa or tob?

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

 

So this way, last time I played, I was a thief/fighter dual-wielding katanas (there's a +5 in SoA).

Since when is there a +5 katana in either soa or tob?

There isn't in any vanilla. Item Upgrades and Baldurash add one each and Lol's rezmod adds a super powered +6 one.

 

 

 

Level1NPCs FTW. Turning Khalid into a Fighter/Mage and Minsc into a Barbarian is awesome.

Even more awesome with the mod that allows you to dual-class barbarians. Minsc as Barbarian / Thief totally stirs s**t up.

Have you tried Revised HLAs from Refinements? IMO the Barbarian HLAs are good enough to not want to dual.

Edited September 11, 2014 by KaineParker

[Bester]

 

 So this way, last time I played, I was a thief/fighter dual-wielding katanas (there's a +5 in SoA).

Since when is there a +5 katana in either soa or tob?

 

 

Oh sorry, you're right, not in vanilla. But with mods, you can upgrade Celestial Fury to +5 through Cromwell. I always play with those mods, I even forgot some people didn't.

[IndiraLightfoot]

Icewind Dale EE is now available at Beamdog, with all the goodies from BG2 EE.

[Tale]

Icewind Dale EE is now available at Beamdog, with all the goodies from BG2 EE.

Also Steam and GOG.

[ShadySands]

Icewind Dale EE is now available at Beamdog, with all the goodies from BG2 EE.

 

They added romances to Icewind Dale too? 

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

 

Icewind Dale EE is now available at Beamdog, with all the goodies from BG2 EE.

 

 

They added romances to Icewind Dale too? 

.....please no.

[rjshae]

 

 

Icewind Dale EE is now available at Beamdog, with all the goodies from BG2 EE.

 

They added romances to Icewind Dale too? 

.....please no.

 

Bromancing the Bone; an intelligent club becomes a member of your party, forming a weapons set with Harry the Horned Helm and Sheela the Salivating Shield. Recharging the items requires a visit to the Last Bed and Brothel.

[HoonDing]

Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition.

Now with 70% less Cold Wights.

[Agiel]

...or if you want to bypass the pathfinding issues endemic of Infinity Engine games, you could play the Icewind Dale module for Neverwinter Nights 2.

[ManifestedISO]

The Dog is Beaming it to my hard drive right now. Although Wasteland 2 has been fun lately, might have to wait to play IWD. Who am I kidding, I'll make a party tonight, boo yah. 

[Labadal]

People buying Icewind Dale EE? Did they even fix the balance with encounters considering they have added so much stuff the player can use for their characters?

[Tale]

It seems easier so far. By which I mean that the first group of Goblins didn't instantkill any of my characters this time around.

 

I'm fine with that if it means I can have a Sorcerer, Assassin, and Berserker Halfling in the party. The Cavalier and Priest of Tyr are just icing.

[ManifestedISO]

Same, I chose some classes I've never played. And all evil alignments. We'll see how tough that first ogre is now. 

[prodigydancer]

Berserker Halfling

"Excitable little fellow," said Gandalf, as they sat down again. "Gets funny queer fits, but he is one of the best, one of the best-as fierce as a dragon in a pinch."

 

Sorry, just couldn't resist.

[ManifestedISO]

Do not play as a Wild Mage. You'd think an extra spell per level is worth the trouble, but, it isn't. You will never copy a scroll to your spellbook on the first or second try, and the "small" chance of any spell going wild feels more like "large."

 

Monks haul ass. It's like they come with Boots of Speed, which is good for putting the knuckles of fury to a spell-caster. Haven't played this class since whenever the first IE game that had it.

 

  There are some superbly entertaining character voice sets. I think they're original, but I chuckle every time I select my female thief: "You are annoying me on sooo many levels right now."