Icewind Dale The Icewind Dale Series Thread

[EruDaan]

The twins could have been more interesting, but they were still a pretty big improvement over Belhifet.

I think what makes Belhifet interesting is the fact that he's a more "subtle" villian. Heck, until the last 33% of the game you even don't know that he is a demon or even a threat. His motive is (as far as I can remember) not revealed until the almost very last moment. He is not going around pounding on his chest and shouting how EEEVIL he is, how big his army is and how he intends to destroy everything and stuff. And he's not sitting in his fortress or tower or whatever, no he's travelling around the gameworld, always a step ahead of the player and only in the very end of the game the player is actually confronted with "Brother Poquelin"(sp?). Most of what he did and what he is, is told to the player by some of his minions / tools.

All in all he's a better endboss than the twins are which actually act very cliché. They murder innocents in front of the players eyes, they are threatening the group, they want to conquer the north, ally themselves with actual demons, an evil god and are building an army. Wow, what interesting and creative villians.

And yes, I think they could be made more interesting. Their motive is understandable. They want(ed) revenge for everything what went wrong with their lives. They want(ed) to create a society where half-breeds are accepted (uh oh, the twins are liberals!?) and treated with respect or at last are not hunted down like animals.
Yeah... and how are they trying to reach that goal? By making pacts with evil gods and summoning demons. Creating the horde, constisting of goblins, orcs, hobgoblins and every other savage human hating demi-humans. Allowing them to plunder and murder. Oh yes, the twins are really ambassadors of friendship and equallity. And yes, I know about the fact that they tried it peacefully at first but got laughed at by the self rightous northeners.

I'm not a gifted enough writer (or have the time at my hands) to actually lay out how the endgame could be made into more than a boss fight. But would'nt it be more interesting to allow the twins to see their (evil) ways (which, as I might add, were becoming more even darker after they made their pact with Cyric(?)? Or at last make them, while they breath their last breath, realise the irony that in the end they actually became the very same monsters the townspeople saw in them?

All in all - a nice ARPG with a cliché story, where everything that is not living near some traders / quest hub is automatically evul and must be hacked apart. Oh, and I kinda liked some of the encounters. When playing the game for the first time some of the encounters actually were quite hard for me to beat.

 

[Wyrmlord]

EruDaan
But they didn't want revenge.

They were pretty clear on one point. They believed that just the way it was fair game for humans to establish control through force and might, so it was fair game for freaks and aberrations to establish control through force and might.

Plundering, murdering, creating a horde,.etc wasn't a means to a benevolent end. It was the end. It was about power and control. The twins honestly admitted that's all they cared about. They did state equality was a goal, but they were honest enough to admit that their version of equality just means everyone using force and might to protect their status.

How does anyone conclude that the game wanted sympathy for bad guys when the good guys clearly said, "They were born of evil, and nothing but evil could come from them"? The story clearly suggests that the cambions should have been killed at birth. The people who thought cambions could be raised into good people were the ones who ruined everything.

 

[Erebus]

I think what makes Belhifet interesting is the fact that he's a more "subtle" villian. Heck, until the last 33% of the game you even don't know that he is a demon or even a threat. His motive is (as far as I can remember) not revealed until the almost very last moment.

I have to confess I don't even remember what he wanted. His appearance as the big bad is kind of an 11th hour event and it left me completely indifferent.

And yes, I think they could be made more interesting. Their motive is understandable. They want(ed) revenge for everything what went wrong with their lives. They want(ed) to create a society where half-breeds are accepted (uh oh, the twins are liberals!?) and treated with respect or at last are not hunted down like animals.
Yeah... and how are they trying to reach that goal? By making pacts with evil gods and summoning demons. Creating the horde, constisting of goblins, orcs, hobgoblins and every other savage human hating demi-humans.

Yeah, but you could argue that it wasn't just about hybrids, but about all the monster races despised by human (and elvish, dwarvish, gnomish...) civilization.

In a game less focused on combat than IWD 2, I think the twins might have been genuinely interesting antagonists. And the ending might have been about showing them their actions were wrong, but also facing the prejudices held by the human cities. I was kinda disappointed the game didn't offer me a chance to kick the asses (or possibly cut off the heads) of the authors of the "holy water" prank, if only to teach them not to be such morons.

 

[laclongquan]

There's so much potential for dilemma and paradox, but they are all WASTED! ... oh well, it's not like that's the point of Icewind Dale series, anyway.

 

[Maiandros]

*in for major newfag flaming*
Am i an anomaly that, finding the narrative/story shallow (sorry, there are very few games where i can use the word 'story' and not cringe [it is akin to tagging Sir Laurence Olivier and Justin Timberlake as both being 'actors']) , and as such that i did not get to enjoy the game? Because no matter the other elements comprising it, this shallowness of the plot felt jarring and detracting from enjoyment? Yes, plenty of loads, of efforts, of a good fight or two, but never a steady ongoing playing..i remember me sighing so often with what i was reading..turned a switch off each and every time..

to me this was a time, where happy was he that was emotionally/intellectually young..uncertain..not fully formed in matters of mentality and character. That person would have been on a par with the story level. As it was a similar time for its authors. Had one being past it..
unless i am as i said an anomaly..wouldn't be the first time

 

[Surf Solar]

You don't play Icewind Dale for the story.

 

[Maiandros]

You don't play Icewind Dale for the story.

Oh i didn't..it is just that it affected the rest..perhaps it is my horrid occupation, forcing me to underlay whatever a surface with mental a basis. When outside the looney bin that is..occupational hazards, haha ^^
(i teach philosophy and a couple of cultural studies modules in uni here. when it's open. not often an occasion. marvelous country Greece. do visit)

 

[Surf Solar]

I already visited your country twice. It was nice.


Perhaps it was me reading a lot on the codex about the Icewind Dale series before hand when I played it. I knew already it was a Dungeon Romper, so I didn't give many fucks (perhaps only one or two) about the story. Hell, I don't even remember what has happened storywise in IWD 1, same for IWD 2 if you guys wouldn't have recapped the story. This doesn't stop those both games from being very high on my "best games evar!11" list.

 

[EruDaan]

Problem is, that Icewind Dale I+II is not that differant from, mhm let's say, D2, Torchlight or Titan Quest... you have a game thats stright forward and where combat is the most importand thing. It is, gameplay wise, a simple game and so is the story.

 

[roshan]

Problem is, that Icewind Dale I+II is not that differant from, mhm let's say, D2, Torchlight or Titan Quest... you have a game thats stright forward and where combat is the most importand thing. It is, gameplay wise, a simple game and so is the story.

Are we to conclude that Icewind Dale is not much different from Half Life, since they're both straightforward and combat is the most important thing???

 

[tindrli]

does anyone have link for Unfinished Business V7 for Icewind dale?? Seems that G3 mirror site is only linked a V6 and sadly i cant find it anywhere

 

[Jaesun]

does anyone have link for Unfinished Business V7 for Icewind dale?? Seems that G3 mirror site is only linked a V6 and sadly i cant find it anywhere

http://www.camagna.net/g3mirror/index.html

it's v6 though. Are you sure there is a v7?

 

[Maiandros]

good question..gibberlings had been down a number of times i've recently tried downloading stuff..looks to be the case so now as well..
if no one can upload it for you, i will be happy to once i'm in a position to (ie find the backup cd amidst the clustefruck of chaos i call my basement)

Jaesun there was a v7, yes..released this year

 

[tindrli]

it's v6 though. Are you sure there is a v7?

G3: Version 7 of Unfinished Business for Icewind Dale Now Available


Like its predecessors for Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II, Unfinished Business for Icewind Dale aims to restore content and quests that were omitted from the game as shipped. The additional content in this mod is based on what I can piece together from various game resources and from talking with former developer JE Sawyer on the Obsidian forums. Version seven features two new components--The High Baptist's Flock and Restored Random Drops--a new German translation, an expansion of the Minor Item Restorations component along with some miscellaneous bugfixes.

 

[Maiandros]

p.s. Trent !!! If you are seeing this, i smell opportunity !!! Enhance us some more!

 

[Jaesun]

it's v6 though. Are you sure there is a v7?

G3: Version 7 of Unfinished Business for Icewind Dale Now Available


Like its predecessors for Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II, Unfinished Business for Icewind Dale aims to restore content and quests that were omitted from the game as shipped. The additional content in this mod is based on what I can piece together from various game resources and from talking with former developer JE Sawyer on the Obsidian forums. Version seven features two new components--The High Baptist's Flock and Restored Random Drops--a new German translation, an expansion of the Minor Item Restorations component along with some miscellaneous bugfixes.

You will have to wait until they finish moving their site (that's why it is down currently). Or someone else has a copy handy.

 

[tindrli]

Thanx for the Info. Maiandros your "Ultrabadass clusterfuck basement backup CD" is begging to be found and re-uploaded for CODEX!!!

 

[Maiandros]

ok,nws..will go down and check,if i have the 7 (is 6 still available?) i will pm you so as not to spam here ok?

 

[tindrli]

ok,nws..will go down and check,if i have the 7 (is 6 still available?) i will pm you so as not to spam here ok?

no prob.. V6 is available for download anytime in mirror

 

[EruDaan]

Are we to conclude that Icewind Dale is not much different from Half Life, since they're both straightforward and combat is the most important thing???

Why not? A flat Story is a flat story. And I'd say that certain game mechanics support certain story mechanics better than others. But storytelling and modern gaming is not actually something that comes together in a good way. Why ponder philosophical questions in a game when you can have exlposions, cool things and pretty colours?

 

[GordonHalfman]

I'm running the gog version on windows 7 and I'm getting a crash trying to enter upper dorns deep for the first time. I have only the G3 fixpack and widescreen mod installed. Has anyone come across that before?

 

[tindrli]

im in Dragons eye... will report when get there

 

[Corporate_Jew_Master]

I enjoyed it far more than BG1, even though the story was less than subpar. And I really don't get the worship of BG1 here. 2 was a great game but 1 was the epitome of boring, annoying shit characters and bad combat mixed in to create a giant festering turd that people keep licking for the past 10 years.

It also had better atmosphere and actually made you feel like you were in the cold north of Faerun, an actual interesting setting. And it was before the time of that giant faggot Drizzt

3rd Edition rules for IWD2 were also a big plus. 2nd Edition is horrible for video games even though it avoids the absolutely mary sue powergaming that 3 and 3.5 allow during the epic levels.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

BG1 worship isn't something that is typically associated with the Codex, though times and tastes change. Traditionally however, it was never held in high esteem here, quite the opposite.

 

[JarlFrank]

BG2 is vastly superior to BG1.