Which Baldurs Gate?

Zulu

Ok, so following on from RopeDrinks thread, I'm looking to get into a more RPG rpg than I've played before. My only RPG experience so far has been the Mass Effect series, the Dragon Age series and Fallout 3. All of which I thoroughly enjoyed!

So people have recommended the balders gate game(s), so my question is - which one?

And/or would you recommend another RPG for me?
Thanks

KonFusion

The Neverwinter Nights series is pretty good too!

Just head over to GOG and check out the top rated RPG's if oldschool RPG's is what your after.

Witcher 1/2 are a definite.

Deus Ex. Fallout 1 & 2. There's loads!

Zulu

played witcher 1, but didn't finish it. It got too repetitive. Enjoyed it for a while. Is witcher 2 worth it?
Was thinking of pulling the trigger on the "enhanced edition" of b.gate.

MadYaker

If you want to get into RPGs then buy Skyrim. See you in a year!

Pushtrak

MadYaker wrote: »

If you want to get into RPGs then buy Skyrim. See you in a year!

There isn't a GOTY of that yet, is there? I'd suggest holding off for that. I'm not that patient, but if one has waited this long, might as well wait for the GOTY.

Overheal

Pushtrak wrote: »

There isn't a GOTY of that yet, is there? I'd suggest holding off for that. I'm not that patient, but if one has waited this long, might as well wait for the GOTY.

I dont see why. GOTY will just include DLC, which will be cheap by such time anyway, and for the average player not even necessary: I'm still playing vanilla skyrim, with 100 hours logged, and I've barely done anything with the thieves guild and nothing with the brotherhood. And thats just stuff Im thinking about. I'd say theres another 50 hours in the core game

Zulu

Sorry should have mentioned skyrim in the op. Played it for ages at first, then got a little bored with therrepetitiveness of it, stopped playing, and haven't gone back

Reekwind

Zulu wrote: »

So people have recommended the balders gate game(s), so my question is - which one?

It's not strictly necessary to have played the first to appreciate the second but I'd recommend it. Largely because BG1 is a really good game in its own right. Completely different to any modern RPG but much more interesting and nuanced

Here's a tip: buy both and you can use the EasyTutu mod to play BG1 in the BG2 engine. They're actually both on sale on GOG.com now

And once you're familiar with the BG series, the next step is Planescape: Torment. Stone cold classic

Pushtrak

Overheal wrote: »

I dont see why. GOTY will just include DLC, which will be cheap by such time anyway, and for the average player not even necessary: I'm still playing vanilla skyrim, with 100 hours logged, and I've barely done anything with the thieves guild and nothing with the brotherhood. And thats just stuff Im thinking about. I'd say theres another 50 hours in the core game

I guess its my console-centric thinking at fault here. DLC doesn't go down in prices for me, they get deals of the week or something.

Kiith

BG2 is the best RPG i've ever played, and is the one RPG i consistently come back to. So much to do, with an insane amount of quests and companions, some of who i've still never played through with. After that, i'd recommed Planescape, though it's engine is a bit older and can be a bit annoying at times. Fantastic game though, which i'm playing through at the moment.

Zulu wrote: »

Was thinking of pulling the trigger on the "enhanced edition" of b.gate.

Don't bother with the enhanced edition. Get the Baldurs Gate complete collection, and mod the 1st game to be played in the 2nd game's engine. It's simple to do, and it basically makes one absolutely massive game (consisting of 2 games and 2 expansions) which you can play through back to back. It's called BG1Tutu (www.pocketplane.net/tutu)

Mass Effect, Skyrim (or Morrowind which is better) and the Witcher series are also must play's. And System Shock 2, though it's more of a fps/rpg hybrid.

Meirleach

Well there's three hours left on this http://www.gog.com/promo/hasbro_stacking_weekend_promo_050413

You could pick up the baldurs gate series, neverwinter nights and most importantly planescape torment for not too many euros. If I'd seen this thread earlier I would have left you more than 3 hours!

mewso

I only recently got around to playing these classics and loved every minute of them. I would second buying 1 and 2 of BG so you can play the first one in the second engine. BG2 is universally considered the better of the 2 but the first is low level rpg'ing which is fun and a good way to get used to the mechanics of the game particularly as the second will be higher level and as a result tougher fights that require some thought which is great but harder if you are only starting.

I opted for easy tutu myself to play each game as a separate entity rather than both games as one huge game. With easy tutu and the mods available you basically get an enhanced Baldur's Gate anyway so I don't see the value of the Enhanced Edition myself. A good guide to install order of mods can be found here - http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showtopic=8122

With Easy Tutu (including Degrenefier) installed I added:-

Unfinished Business - for quests and stuff originally intended to be in the game but left out
NPC Project - for more chatter among your party, inspired I think by the fact that this was more common in BG2
Tweak Pack - I carefully went through what was available in this and picked some stuff I wanted like stackable potions, arrows etc. while skipping stuff like making areas available from the start which are locked out until a certain point in game normally. I didn't really want to change stuff that appeared to be by design but stacking arrows and so on is very handy.
Widescreen mod - didn't bump it up too high a resolution but you will obviously want it higher than the original.

Truly great games worth playing as much today as when they originally came out.

Zulu

Downloading as we speak, and just in time to coincide with the start of my thesis. Awesome. Thanks folks

quarryman

I've played these games a lot.

Play BG1 then BG2. Starting at level 1 and working your way from short swords and slings up to some of the uber-powerful weapons as you slowly upgrade and build your party is very satisfying. Also you'll feel the story develop rather than jumping in in BG2.

Without doubt you should play them Vanilla as much as possible, with the exception of the widescreen mod..

It doesn't change the game in any way but will make it feel a lot more modern. It's amazing how well it holds up.

COYVB

Bought the enhanced edition recently for iPad and can't hack it at all

Zillah

Playing Baldur's Gate 1 is the perfect way to burn yourself out on the series and ruin the chance to play and enjoy what is arguably the best RPG ever made (BG2). Give 1 a shot if you feel like it but if you find it boring just quit and go straight to BG2. They give you a little summary video at the start of 2 anyway.

Zulu

...just a small spanner in the works.

ride-the-spiral

Zillah wrote: »

Playing Baldur's Gate 1 is the perfect way to burn yourself out on the series and ruin the chance to play and enjoy what is arguably the best RPG ever made (BG2). Give 1 a shot if you feel like it but if you find it boring just quit and go straight to BG2. They give you a little summary video at the start of 2 anyway.

I found 1 to be more engrossing than 2 (Although 2 is still an amazing game.) I'd highly recommend playing it first though, 2 get's quite complicated at times and working up from 1 will give you a better grasp of the mechanics.

Kiith

I too found BG1 to be a lot more boring than 2. Maybe because i played 2 originally, and only went back to 1 afterwards.

Tar.Aldarion

Have to say BG1 was awesome.

Pushtrak

I've bypassed the question of whether to play BG first or go right to BG 2 by starting up Planescape Torment after taking advantage of that great offer linked a ways back.

Kiith

It's still a great game, but BG2 is better in pretty much every way. While Sarevok was a pretty entertaining bad guy, Irenicus is up there with the best of them.

Zillah

Pushtrak wrote: »

I've bypassed the question of whether to play BG first or go right to BG 2 by starting up Planescape Torment after taking advantage of that great offer linked a ways back.

I'm going to volunteer some advice here:
- Soldier on through the mortuary. That place is filled with the bodies of players that never escaped it, I'm sure. It is the worst way to start a game, so weird and dull. Just get passed it and the game gets more interesting.
- Don't be afraid to check a walkthrough for some stuff, there is a lot you can just fly right passed in this game.
- Pour points into Intelligence and Wisdom, they're by far the most fun stats in this game.
- Become a mage.
- Google how to become a mage. It is so easy to miss.

Pushtrak

Zillah wrote: »

I'm going to volunteer some advice here:
- Soldier on through the mortuary. That place is filled with the bodies of players that never escaped it, I'm sure. It is the worst way to start a game, so weird and dull. Just get passed it and the game gets more interesting.
- Don't be afraid to check a walkthrough for some stuff, there is a lot you can just fly right passed in this game.
- Pour points into Intelligence and Wisdom, they're by far the most fun stats in this game.
- Become a mage.
- Google how to become a mage. It is so easy to miss.

I've focused my points on Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma so far, putting an equal amount of the starting into those 3, so I had 16 of each. I've escaped the bit where you just start off. By pretty much just talking to someone at the main gate, and leaving that way.

I'm in the area immediately outside, have talked to lots of people who've given me some stuff to do, like trying to find some guy to deliver a message, trying to find some way to help someone stuck to get back to their own area.

Edit: If the Mortuary is dull by comparison of what comes later, then thats even better, as I still think its great. Morte is a funny fecker, for instance.

Zillah

Also, don't forget to endure. In enduring grow strong.

Reekwind

I'm not sure how anyone could find BG1 boring. In terms of storytelling and challenge it is head and shoulders above the sequel. And yes, Sarevok is the better villain

Zillah wrote: »

I'm going to volunteer some advice here:
- Soldier on through the mortuary. That place is filled with the bodies of players that never escaped it, I'm sure. It is the worst way to start a game, so weird and dull. Just get passed it and the game gets more interesting

'Weird and dull' or 'intriguing and sombre'? I'd suggest the latter. Irenicus' dungeon was boring, the mortuary was a great introduction to the Planescape multiverse

quarryman

Pushtrak wrote: »

I've focused my points on Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma so far, putting an equal amount of the starting into those 3, so I had 16 of each. I've escaped the bit where you just start off. By pretty much just talking to someone at the main gate, and leaving that way.

I'm in the area immediately outside, have talked to lots of people who've given me some stuff to do, like trying to find some guy to deliver a message, trying to find some way to help someone stuck to get back to their own area.

Edit: If the Mortuary is dull by comparison of what comes later, then thats even better, as I still think its great. Morte is a funny fecker, for instance.

You lucky bastard. I would love to be starting that game again for the 1st time. One of the greatest games I have EVER played. Here's my widescreen thread from 2008 (jaysus, 5 years ago).

Yeah, playing it again for the 1st time. Almost as if I had no memory of my previous playthroughs... hmm, that is a familiar concept for some reason...

Zillah

Sarevok was basically a villain from a children's cartoon. "Bwahaha I am evil and want to become an evil God"...he could seamlessly stand in for Skeletor when he was off getting his bones bleached. Irenicus was...I suppose I'll spoiler it

an elven mage, exiled from his own people and their wellspring of life, slowly losing all that he was and remembered - his bitterness manifests as a quest for revenge and reconnection with the elemental heart of elven-kind

. I don't know how you can even compare them, one is a cookie-cutter badguy, the other is complex and original.

Not to mention that he's voiced by the amazing David Warner. Ever pathetic, ever fools!

mewso

Have to agree with RopeDrink on everything said really.

I loved the 3 Gothics. Really really loved them. Gothic 3 patched up was a thing of beauty and obsession for me. Criticised for being too ambitious while I want more and more ambition. Just fix the problems and move forward. The original developers scaled things back with their next release, Risen (great game too in the same vein as Gothic 1 and 2), but I would love to see them attempt something on the scale of Gothic 3 again but given time to get it right. You can see where time constraints affected Gothic 3 as there are 3 huge areas and the northerly snow covered area is a total mess.

Like RopeDrink I put a lot of time into Skyrim (150+ hours) so I can't say I didn't get value for money but it really is lacking in so many ways. Simply limiting your choices of specialisation would have improved the game immeasurably. Being a master wizard, thief, fighter is not what rpgs should do.

I'm actually going through Neverwinter Nights at the moment and I enjoyed the original campaign (playing Shadows of Undrentide now). Not on a par with BG mainly because there is no party system bar being able to hire one henchman you have little control over. I believe the sequel addresses this and I grabbed it from the gog deal so much to look forward to.

I have also recently gotten a hold of Drakensang Complete from amazon (bizarrely not available on steam here but is in the US) which is a couple of rpgs based on the German Dark Eye role playing system. These guys were apparently strongly inspired by BG so I was intrigued. I'm hoping they will be fun.

One final series worthy of mention is Knights of the Old Republic. If you are a Star Wars fan they are must plays. I still haven't gotten round to the second one but the first is exceptional.

It's also worth noting that there is some serious music in these games. The music in Gothic 3, for example, is incredible. Doesn't get enough credit if you ask me. The composer, Kai Rosenkranz should be a bigger name in the business but seems to only get work from the Gothic devs. Shame really.

Oh yeah shame on you Zillah telling someone to skip the first BG. Doesn't matter which game is better I always say start at the beginning when it comes to games.

mewso

Forgot to mention the good times for crpgs are hopefully rolling around again. Drool :-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUleDEFkUtE

Tar.Aldarion

Looks lovely. As for the bad guys in baldurs gate, I dont remember interacting too much ith him, nmore travelling the world was awesome, getting companions and general stuff. Blew me away, and then I played co-op, mother of god!