Baldur's Gate Baldur's Gate 3 RELEASE THREAD

[Swen]

Since this game seemed to be so universally acclaimed (even pretty positively received around these parts), I blacked out all communication and recently started to play with hardly any knowledge about what was to come.
And I am left wondering what the fuzz was supposed to be about.

To me, BG3 is ... okay. Nothing more, nothing less. An average game. The game engine is competently done, I guess, but then again, it's the same engine already used for two other games, so it doesn't really come as a big surprise that they had the basics nailed down.

My most prevalent impression is: This isn't a Baldur's Gate game. All the things I remember fondly when I think of BG (and I'm not a huge fan and I think I finished BG1 three times, BG2 only twice), they're not present in BG3.
The most important part is the companions. You get only 4 instead of 6 (seven in total I guess, at least until act 2 is mostly concluded), they're a wild bunch of crazy backgrounds, yet they all start at level 1 (was this ever explained? If so, I missed it).
Where are the varied characters I can pick and chose a party from to my liking, from a variety of alignments and races/classes? Alignment doesn't even feature any longer, at least not prominently, and as for the others ... yeah, those you do get are a crazy bunch, like I wrote, but there's so few of them, you can't really be selective. I guess there's the hirelings, but those do not really count, as they are but facsimiles.
And where is all the banter, both with the player and especially during conversations with others?
What a let down.

Act 1 was quite disappointing, and felt very dragged out. Then I almost accidentally rushed the ending of Act 2 by stumbling into the Gauntlet of Shar as one of the first locations on the second map. I then intentionally headed back and mopped up everything that I'd left out, now I wonder if it would have even be possible to trigger the end-chapter-sequence without having really been to the Towers first. In any event, playing it this way felt anti-climactic.
I'm closing in on Act 3 now, but from what I read in the last few posts, I probably shouldn't expect getting awed. And then it'll be over. Okay...

I also hate the itemization, a metric shitton of magic items that are only useful very situationally, and a lot of situations do not even really apply due to the aforementioned limited range of follower options. When you finally get something worthwile, it's usually of the "I guess it's a LITTLE bit better than what I'd been using before. Probably."-variety. I don't think I ever found something so far which really excited me in any way. A shame, really. Maybe this is how modern D&D works, too, but things definitely feel a lot different from the olden days.

Navigating the environments also doesn't feel like BG in the slightest. I mean, that should probably have been obvious considering the Divinity heritage, but still ... they didn't even try. All this jumping around to reach some ledges and stuff ... ah well.

I'll probably finish this and never look back. I can only repeat, it's not a BG game. As a standalone/unrelated game, I'd probably look at least a little bit more favorable on it, but as it stands, the only connection to the rest of the series is miniscule fanservice attempts like Jaheira or Miniature Space Hamster Roast.

What a pity.

It's not RTWP so it's automatically better than the old overrated boomer trash.

 

[Fedora Master]

Sorry sir, just wondering whether you ever asked yourself if anything you post in this thread bear any value. Cause maybe you just fuck off.

It's not just this thread.

 

[Swen]

Sorry sir, just wondering whether you ever asked yourself if anything you post in this thread bear any value. Cause maybe you just fuck off.

It's not just this thread.

Infinitron deserves more respect.

 

[Fedora Master]

Sorry sir, just wondering whether you ever asked yourself if anything you post in this thread bear any value. Cause maybe you just fuck off.

It's not just this thread.

Infinitron deserves more respect.

Birds of a feather...

 

[Swen]

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Upstage a Bethesda release? Might as well give out medals for outsmarting retards.

 

[whydoibother]

CD Project Red vs Bioware rivalry (Witcher/Dragon Age 2 and 3) was fun, and I think most people scored it 2:0.
I never thought about about Witcher 3 vs Fallout 4 as a rivalry. And if it was, I am not sure Witcher won? I doubt it stole many players. It certainly failed to steal modders, despite the big modding push at the time.
Fallout 4 is basically formost a shooter and less so an RPG, and aethetically and just vibes-wise is a very different game. Whereas Dragon Age Inquisition was going for he same thing as TW3, and doing it worse.
Baldur's Gate 3 stole some of Starfield's players, because Starfield was mostly a hype-job, and BG3 took all the hype. I think it also stole some modders even before official modding support there's a lot of stuff being released. This may have been Starfield losing them, more so than BG3 gaining them.

 

[Vic]

I never thought about about Witcher 3 vs Fallout 4 as a rivalry.

I thought they meant Skyrim because that's what everybody compared the game to.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

feels good man

 

[whydoibother]

I didn't get in ;(
Do you have access to the modding kit? What scripting language is it, what file format for importing models/textures, can you import some scripting libraries for UI elements?

 

[Heroic Liberator]

I didn't get in ;(
Do you have access to the modding kit? What scripting language is it, what file format for importing models/textures, can you import some scripting libraries for UI elements?

Just got accepted today, so perhaps you might still have a chance if they decide to approve more people in the future.

As for mod stuff,

Spoiler

Playing with supported mods

Playing with supported mods is now possible with Patch 7, and you’ll be able to try out some of the mods made by Mod Authors during the Closed Alpha!

In-game:

1. From the game’s main menu, select the Mod Manager button
2. Browse the available mods
3. Selecting download on the ones you would like to install
4. The mods you've downloaded will now be installed and show up in the Installed tab and automatically be enabled
5. When you load up a save or start a new game, these mods will now be active! At any time you can return to the Installed tab to change your mods, be aware that playing a save game with missing mods might cause problems

Through the Hub

1. Visit https://baldursgate3.game/mods/
2. From your selected mod, click the Subscribe button
3. You’ll be prompted to sign into your Mod.io account
4. Once signed in, you’ll be able to see the mods you've subscribed to across all connected platforms
5. Start the game and the mod should be installed in the Mod Manager on the main menu!

For more information on how to play with supported mods, please visit our guide here:
https://baldursgate3.game/mods-how-to/

Can I play with third-party mods during the Closed Beta?


Once Patch 7 releases in September, you will be able to play with third-party mods as you would normally, however, during the Closed Beta, you may experience issues if you have third-party mods loaded.

If you’re joining the playtest, we recommend removing temporarily third-party mods so that you can experience all that Patch 7 has to offer without worrying about compatibility issues!

To learn more about how you can unload your mods temporarily, please click here.
Alternatively, if you use a mod manager, you can unload your mods directly.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

Also, whydoibother, there's this community update that talks more about modding stuff. Will check the files too once I finish downloading, but I'm assuming that I don't have the kit available since:

We are currently rolling out invites for the Baldur’s Gate 3 Toolkit on Steam to popular mod authors so they can explore the new modding environment, view the tools, and get familiar with the process of converting their mods and uploading them to the platform, or even try creating new ones.

At this early stage, participating mod authors will be able to provide us with direct feedback as we continue our internal development and testing. They will be using a live development environment, which means they’ll also get access to new features as they continue to be developed ahead of a full release.

 

[TheHeroOfTime]

Fallout 1 is the only good RPG. The other ones are just "ok gaems".

--------

 

[Swen]

 

[Alienman]

Here's to you. Shows millionaire streamer.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

My most prevalent impression is: This isn't a Baldur's Gate game.

BG3 isn't a true Baldur's Gate game; it has decent combat.

 

[PunchYouInTheFace]

Larian did something. RPGCuckdex coping. Every single time.

 

[MjKorz]

My most prevalent impression is: This isn't a Baldur's Gate game.

BG3 isn't a true Baldur's Gate game; it has decent combat.

If by "decent" you mean devoid of any challenge or tactical depth with a "PRESS X TO WIN" button in the form of a shove action that allows the player to throw enemies off ledges to their deaths or massive positional disadvantage while bypassing their actually meaningful defenses, then yes - you got that right.

 

[onemananadhisdroid]

Making shove a bonus action is a mistake. Same as fiddling deeply with the inherent action economy of a tabletop ruleset that has that action economy in place for reason.

Generally though: How dare any Proper True RPG ever implement tools that allow to be creative in encounters.

Maybe that was me. But the first time I loaded up the EA back in 2020, got to a crypt and saw suspicious looking bodies next to a lever, I picked them up, threw them into a fireball trap nearby. And squealed of joy when they rose as undead in the balls of fire upon pulling that lever. The same sequence in an Owlcat game would have had me grinding ten copypasta mobs of undead as the mandatory exercise. But at least I would have needed to brainlessly apply the same buff routine for each of 'em mobs, thus the sequence being a proper manly challenge.

 

[Barbarian]

Also, whydoibother, there's this community update that talks more about modding stuff. Will check the files too once I finish downloading, but I'm assuming that I don't have the kit available since:

We are currently rolling out invites for the Baldur’s Gate 3 Toolkit on Steam to popular mod authors so they can explore the new modding environment, view the tools, and get familiar with the process of converting their mods and uploading them to the platform, or even try creating new ones.

At this early stage, participating mod authors will be able to provide us with direct feedback as we continue our internal development and testing. They will be using a live development environment, which means they’ll also get access to new features as they continue to be developed ahead of a full release.

Can you spoil some of the officially supported mods? Is transmog one of them?

I imagine if it isn't then they must plan to add the feature in a future patch. It is perhaps the most requested.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

Can you spoil some of the officially supported mods? Is transmog one of them?

You can see them here.

 

[rezaf]

My most prevalent impression is: This isn't a Baldur's Gate game.

BG3 isn't a true Baldur's Gate game; it has decent combat.

Personally, I feel that Larian's combat engine is quite gimmicky, if that is a word.
Yes, it allows for creativity and stuff. But on the other hand, it sometimes makes this kind of creativity almost mandatory, even for trashmob type encounters.
In BG3, things start getting easier (too easy for some) towards and in Act 2, when character development and items allow you to do some decent stuff, but you could also say they merely start getting gimmicky in other ways.
You no longer have to pay such close attention to the environment and opportunities offered by it (barrels you could smash, things you could set ablaze etc.), instead attention shifts to spells and character actions. For me, that usually means I have one fun fight where I can use all the tools at my disposal, then I either long rest or fight boring battles where I can do jack shit that's special (or rely on consumables) until my hp run out and force me to long-rest after all.
It's been a while, but I think in DOS environmental stuff like barrels and the likes stayed relevant much longer.

Finally, I didn't say I felt the combat in BG1/2 was much better (my personal favorites for D&D combat were the GoldBox games and ToEE), just that there was a series standard this game does not adhere to.

 

[Barbarian]

Can you spoil some of the officially supported mods? Is transmog one of them?

You can see them here.

Thanks bro! Any word on how mods will work regarding achievements? I assume mods that are purely aesthetic won't disable them.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

Can you spoil some of the officially supported mods? Is transmog one of them?

You can see them here.

Thanks bro! Any word on how mods will work regarding achievements? I assume mods that are purely aesthetic won't disable them.

Not sure. And dunno if their mod platform will have an achievement enabler mod, but as of now (re: Nexus & co. mods) you can still earn achievements by getting this configuration mod for Script Extender. And that should still work while using Larian's mod manager in the future,

Changes that won’t be officially supported within our pipeline, like scripting changes or NSFW mods that wouldn't pass the moderation process due to platform-specific restrictions, may still be packed locally with mod.io’s toolset and uploaded to other mod distribution platforms!

This means that those mods can still be downloaded manually, and the game’s browser will still recognise them and allow you to manage them in the mod load order of the game. However, because they would be local and alter unsupported systems, there will not be embedded support for checking for updates and syncing to others in a multiplayer session. Additionally, we will not be able to provide full technical support in case of crashes.

 

[whydoibother]

Since its multi-platform, and to my understanding achievements have a monetary value on consoles (small amount of points, points can buy shit on the store), I doubt they will permit modded game achievements officially. Else the top mod on consoles will be "install this mod to get all achievements", and that just looks bad.