and that's why it feels special when you find the crazy cleric +2 hammer of awesomeness and probably keep it till the end, unlike when you find it again in BG2 and it's not as good as the weapons you already have and it's either only good for gold to save up for some +6 monstrosity or simply leaving it behind.
Shadows of Amn has a Holy Avenger. You spend your entire career as a Paladin hoping to obtain one of those . It also has a sentient weapon and a Vorpal Sword. And you don't buy any of them, obviously.
again i'll have to point back to idea that you're rewarded for exploring.
Which is like saying that the original Final Fantasy for the NES rewards you for killing monsters, it doesn't change the fact that said exploration is an exercise is grinding.
also i think there's enough in the shops and on the main quest line to equip your party well. i don't remember there being any earth shattering from an obscure side quest
You're really not going to get the money to buy anything at the shops unless you're completing these quests and looting the random bandits and bounty hunters hiding out in the wilderness though. As for the useful items that can't be found elsewhere, every stat tome and the Gauntlets of Weapon Expertise are some of the unmissables found in the wilderness. But there's a ton more than that, things that you might eventually replace, like Rings of Protection or +1 weapons and armour, and even unique stuff like the +2 Shortsword or +1 Two-handed sword.
well like i said i think the fact that there isn't something amazing every hundred yards that makes it interesting and the effort you have to put in to find something makes it better, just my opinion. and see above about talking to people, which in fairness you did say you do and i think there's enough in those rumours to find the better wilderness encounters.
I get the opposite reaction. The fact that you should expect to encounter quests and loot while randomly trekking through the wilderness makes it feel unrealistic, and the need to methodically cover the whole map to do so makes it irritating.
in BG2 everything is handed to you on a plate. copper coronet, people seeking you out etc. though that perhaps is the nature of the series. in BG after all you're a nobody you aren't going to be asked to slay dragons because you'll get smushed! you've got more of a reputation in BG2
What is it with you people and slaying dragons? I say that it's ridiculous that you have to waste your time walking over unexplored area in a square pattern fighting random encounters for your experience and loot, and you reply with it making sense not to be asked to slay dragons. Are those the other two possibilities?
as i said, patience is rewarded. you can't have it all, it's quite typical of RPGs for mages to start weak, take longer to level but then be awesome at higher levels. you have to again put that effort in to get the most out of them. you have magic missle, acid arrow, fireball and a couple of useful defensive spells at a low level. you aren't going to raining heaven from the skies for pete's sake!
Yeah, but the higher levels are in the sequel .
thieves level quickly, warriors steadily and mages slowly, it's known. and if you want identify...get a bard! bards are brilliant. actually in one playthrough i levelled a warrior to 4 then dual classed him to mage=high HP mage that swings a sword well and when out of spells puts on some armour...it was awesome!
I think that's actually the munchkin-approved build . Fighter to as high level as you can without risking experience capping yourself, then dual class to mage.
Incidentally, I've now been reminded of how ridiculous second edition multiclassing was .
as i said before, in BG you're a nobody who's only really good (in people's opinion) for fetching and carrying. the quests become much more involved when you've made a bit of a name for youself when you reach the city of Baldur's Gate
So? That doesn't mean you should be forced to waste your time walking in concentric squares to find experience and loot in the wilderness. Baldur's Gate has multiple quests that make more sense, or have more purpose to them, so obviously it can be done.
but i think that BG has more merit than you credit it for and i think that it's still a better game than BG2 and i love to chat on about baldur's gate
Man, I haven't had the opportunity to discuss Baldur's Gate in years. Anyway, as far as I'm concerned it pretty clearly goes Shadows of Amn > Baldur's Gate > Throne of Bhaal. Throne of Bhaal was a disappointment, really. Railroaded plot, no exploration, the lamest and most obvious villain in the series...
Baldur's Gate was awesome, except for the monotonous grinding. Tales of the Sword Coast was actually interesting, but since it didn't actually fit in with the main plot, I wasn't sure where to place it.
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Victorious in Bergioyn's legendary 'Reverse Mafia'. *MySmiley*
~Master Splinter
Victorious in Bergioyn's legendary 'Reverse Mafia'. *MySmiley*
So I gotta know if this is happening to anyone else...
30/04/2011 01:22:24 AM
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you must gather your party before venturing forth
30/04/2011 10:16:34 AM
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oh god....I hope that narrator makes lots of money. He DESERVES it
30/04/2011 10:01:01 PM
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This behaviour must not continue. Feel the burning stare of my HAMSTER and change your ways!
30/04/2011 11:43:38 PM
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the best. Particularly since follow-ups having come CLOSE :rollups:
01/05/2011 12:25:01 AM
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To me, yes, but then I'm currently playing it, so not as odd.
01/05/2011 12:25:17 AM
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live by the sword live a good long time!
01/05/2011 01:30:21 AM
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I've never played the first one - sounds like there are some good lines there too. *NM*
01/05/2011 09:44:48 PM
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...how could you play the follow-ups without playing the first one?
02/05/2011 01:18:12 AM
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I never played BG1 and still REALLY enjoyed BG2. The story seemed a clean enough break to "get it."
02/05/2011 01:14:23 PM
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Yeah, exactly... I don't really feel the loss.
02/05/2011 10:50:04 PM
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to put it simply, you're wrong about the gameplay.
03/05/2011 01:42:10 PM
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It might clarify things a bit if I say I've never played tabletop RPGs.
03/05/2011 10:21:34 PM
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Baldur's Gate requires level grinding though.
03/05/2011 11:47:30 PM
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you don't grind
04/05/2011 08:36:12 AM
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Depends on your perspective I guess.
04/05/2011 06:49:52 PM
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patience is rewarded
05/05/2011 09:54:15 AM
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Re: patience is rewarded
05/05/2011 07:31:01 PM
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so does every game, honestly. LIFE is level grinding.
04/05/2011 10:15:26 AM
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That's not true, and you know it's not true - you've talked about playing games that don't have it
04/05/2011 01:18:51 PM
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No. Specifically, I was commenting on Baldur's Gate compared to Shadows of Amn.
04/05/2011 07:04:55 PM
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I wasn't aware you were specifically comaring BG to SoA.
04/05/2011 07:43:32 PM
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Ah, sorry then. Yes, it was in reply to the improvements of BG2 to BG1.
05/05/2011 12:45:55 AM
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Re: Ah, sorry then. Yes, it was in reply to the improvements of BG2 to BG1.
05/05/2011 01:16:04 AM
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Re: Ah, sorry then. Yes, it was in reply to the improvements of BG2 to BG1.
05/05/2011 02:41:11 AM
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Re: Ah, sorry then. Yes, it was in reply to the improvements of BG2 to BG1.
05/05/2011 03:16:08 AM
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I do have the impression that SoA (and certainly ToB) swings a bit the other way regarding mages.
04/05/2011 09:40:12 PM
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Yes. It's not the fault of the games though, they're using D&D rules, so it comes with the territory
05/05/2011 12:25:21 AM
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Diablo 1 is vastly superior to Diablo 2. Just saying. *NM*
03/05/2011 02:22:44 PM
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As I said I haven't played the former, but I really rather doubt it. *NM*
03/05/2011 10:22:07 PM
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Diablo 1 wins in the story and atmosphere department.
03/05/2011 10:37:30 PM
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If you thought they both had a terrible gameplay...
04/05/2011 09:41:46 PM
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Because they're addicting and I'm exaggerating. I have completed both.
04/05/2011 10:04:40 PM
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