I can't get too excited - not only because there's not a lot to go on in that webpage, but also because the originals were so good it's hard to see them being improved on and because they were also essentially complete, so a story-based sequel makes less sense. However, I will keep an eye on it.
The wave of nostalgia this provoked, and reading the speculation you linked, started me wondering about getting the anthology of the Infinity Engine games now available, apparently patched to work with Windows 7:
http://www.gamersgate.co.uk/DDB-DBAM...ter-collection
At £5, it's hard to argue with the price.
Last edited by econ21; 03-01-2012 at 16:25.
My speculation is a rerelease with an updated version of the IE engine. Improved graphics and interface, at least up to IWD2 levels, and possibly with 3.5 rules. I wouldn't be surprised if they combined the entire thing into a single continuous game as well. That's been done by mods (as has the port to the IWD2 engine), so it shouldn't be too hard to do it with the real game.
I hope it's my long awaited continuous (and updated) game. An AI similar to DA:O would be nice as well as the ability to use both third and first person.
We'll see.
Wait, Is Infinity only top down? Well, as long as I can get to squad-style combat again...
Last edited by Vladimir; 03-01-2012 at 14:04.
Reinvent the British and you get a global finance center, edible food and better service. Reinvent the French and you may just get more Germans.
Ik hou van ferme grieten en dikke pintenOriginally Posted by Evil_Maniac From Mars
Down with dried flowers!
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
Yes, the Infinity Engine is strictly isometric. It was used for both BG games, Planescape, and both Icewind Dale games. The final and most 'advanced' version was used in Icewind Dale 2. The engine that followed it was the Aurora Engine, which started with Neverwinter Nights. It, and updated versions of it, was used for all NWN, KOTOR, NWN2, KOTOR2, and Jade Empire.
Personally, I prefer isometric for party-based games. Party management has never been good in any Bioware game since they left the Infinity Engine, and they only made it bearable by significantly reducing the size of the party. I think the best isometric (and party management) engine that was ever created was whatever was used for The Temple of Elemental Evil. That engine was truly superb, even if the game itself had some significant issues.
Last edited by TinCow; 03-01-2012 at 14:16.
Oh well...
Reading the news articles I get an impression that it may just be a mobile port. Decent enough for tablets I guess.
Unrelated but I posted server news in the Minecraft thread.
Reinvent the British and you get a global finance center, edible food and better service. Reinvent the French and you may just get more Germans.
Ik hou van ferme grieten en dikke pintenOriginally Posted by Evil_Maniac From Mars
Down with dried flowers!
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
HOW DO YOU HOOMANS SLEEP ?
A rerelease would be awesome! I love Baldur's Gate, but can't play it anymore because of the graphics and the old rules.
Hungry? Check out my cooking blog!
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I've lost track of the progress but I remember an attempt to remake Planescape with DA:O or NWN2...something like that.
Reinvent the British and you get a global finance center, edible food and better service. Reinvent the French and you may just get more Germans.
Ik hou van ferme grieten en dikke pintenOriginally Posted by Evil_Maniac From Mars
Down with dried flowers!
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
That music brought me back. I'd definitely buy a updated re-release of BG.
CR
Ja Mata, Tosa.
The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail; its roof may shake; the wind may blow through it; the storm may enter; the rain may enter; but the King of England cannot enter – all his force dares not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement! - William Pitt the Elder
I dunno about this.
The Infinity engine'd games are pretty much all legends and deserve their well earned status in the history of great gaming, and I enjoyed the ones I played.
But I absolutely loved the Aurora engine as implemented in NWN1. It was essentially everything I wanted in a D20 game. Pretty good gfx, outstanding interface and controls, and it still kept all the wonderful D20 rules and calculations safely under the hood and operating smoothly as a well oiled machine. KOTOR1 was also outstanding. KOTOR2's interface suffered, NWN2's interface was horrible (xiahou and I agree violently about this one), Jade Empire was boring.
To me, NWN1 was and remains the pinnacle of D20 gaming engines.
Yes, but those games allowed you control of, at most, the PC and one NPC. And in many cases it was just the PC solo. If they had tried to stuff 6 characters into that, like in the IE engine, it would have been very difficult to manage. The post-IE Bioware game that has best managed party NPCs is Dragon Age 2, and even there they only felt confident enough to pump it up to a 4 member party.
I'm not saying the Aurora engine, or any of the other post-IE engines, have had bad interfaces. Many were pretty decent. However, they were not as good for large parties as IE. Hence my lack of enthusiasm about using those engines for a BG remake. BG was a great game not only for the story and the pseuod-open-world freedom, but also for the combat. The combat could be highly sophisticated and difficult, and success often required good timing of multiple actions by multiple characters, as well as micromanagement of character positioning. That could not be replicated in any of the post-IE games, at least not with a party of 6.
I like the remake idea because the originals are just too old for me to enjoy to be honest.
I want a Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix kind of deal: 1080p quality sprites and interface, new voice acting, etc. but the exact same game otherwise.
It is Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, due out this summer. The main site is overloaded, but info via other sites indicates that it will include a graphical overhaul, mechanical overhaul, and new content written by some of the original creators. I'm certainly intrigued.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news...hanced-Edition
I'm excited for that. The original is just too old and decrepit for me to enjoy I'm afraid.
I have no problems with the aesthetics of the old game but I would like to see it updated for a newer version of DnD rules. With a full party wielding composite or short bows, I tended just to mow down everything machine gun style. I also didn't like the temptation to keep re-rolling or min-maxing stats at character creation. The NWN/IWD2 era rules seemed generally better; I am not up to date on 4.0.
I'm only interested in BG if it's a new Dark Alliance game. The PC game sucked.
If you havin' skyrim problems I feel bad for you son.. I dodged 99 arrows but my knee took one.
VENI, VIDI, NATES CALCE CONCIDI
I came, I saw, I kicked ass
He did. Virus was to destroy his computer automatically.
I agree with the infinity combat aspects. I really enjoy that type of squad level combat where bows rocked.
Reinvent the British and you get a global finance center, edible food and better service. Reinvent the French and you may just get more Germans.
Ik hou van ferme grieten en dikke pintenOriginally Posted by Evil_Maniac From Mars
Down with dried flowers!
Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
I really, really hope they update it to full 3.5 rules. 2nd Edition is really obsolete and inflexible, and it's a pain to go back to it after this long. I haven't played with 4th edition personally, but I listen to a lot of podcasts about it and it doesn't seem like it would fit well with the BG series. 3.5 seems to be the best fit. I would love to be able to replay the BG series as an armored mage.
I like 2nd edition better. Sure, it's inflexible but that's part of the fun.
When I see examples of characters builds for NWN 2, I cry a little inside - 16 Pale Master/5 Fighter/3 Broken Fist/6 Red Dragon Disciple/2 Clean Sock/15 Alice in Wonderland.
Give me good ol' inflexible 2nd edition over that any day of the week.
I prefer 2nd edition myself, too much flexibilty in RPG character creation nowadays! Still, at least 3.5 is not Bethesda's roleplaying experience where you can't really roleplay a character with well defined strengths and weaknesses. Yes, I know a party based game has more scope to allow for that, but I find it difficult to enjoy playing a character who can do everything in RPGs.
IMO, lack of flexibility stifles roleplaying. It's one thing to give people bonus for playing a 'preferred' method and penalties for creating characters that do odd things with their classes, but it's another thing to directly block characters from taking an alternate route if they want to. 2E actively hurts roleplaying IMO, because of some of its ridiculous restrictions. Why only blunt weapons for clerics? Really? A cleric is going to be excommunicated if they use a blade? Are you seriously telling me those flanged maces and spiked morning stars don't cut people? Why can't a wizard cast a spell in leather armor? Sure, maybe he has a higher chance of spell failure, but a total inability is ridiculous. 2E makes me play a character that the creators of the game designed, not that I designed myself. It's got about as much class variety in it as Diablo 2.
Last edited by TinCow; 03-16-2012 at 15:40.
I'd like a shot at an updated BG2. Years ago (a few years after it came out), I gave the sibling game Icewind Dale a try and struggled greatly with the interface mechanics so much that I gave up in frustration. So I figured that any possibility of trying the legendary BG2 would be equally futile.
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If you havin' skyrim problems I feel bad for you son.. I dodged 99 arrows but my knee took one.
VENI, VIDI, NATES CALCE CONCIDI
I came, I saw, I kicked ass
For a shooter you could argue that. But not for an RPG.
If you havin' skyrim problems I feel bad for you son.. I dodged 99 arrows but my knee took one.
VENI, VIDI, NATES CALCE CONCIDI
I came, I saw, I kicked ass
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