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#298602 25/02/05 12:02 AM
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I have finnaly started to play BD. And I must say that I am little bit dissapointed.

Well... where to start. "Divine" was perfect game, and after Morrowind one of the best games ever made. But, what happened with the politics of "Divine" in BD?
I like FRP games, because they are FRPs and too much Hack-n-Slash really kill the game... "Divine" was really good in that part. Designers found just right place to put a little of core Role Play, and little of Hack-n-Slash... Why there are so much fight at the beginning of BD?! I played, and played, waited for some interesting city quests, and I came to Imp Village! Go bring back my key... where is the key? Somewhere in the forest!
What to say about those idiotic AI when rats and those Tibar (or something like that) attack, and when hit run... It would be ok, if they run to regroup, strenghten or something, but they make few steps and return... It really makes me mad, and I stopped playing the game four to five times just because of this!
Also... What are Tibar (or something like that) doing in Imp Village?! Why are they attacking me, and not attacking Imps!? Ok, I've not played too long, and maybe the game will show something that I miss, so I will not stay to long on this... And, cats again?! This was the problem with "Divine" also... Why are cats attacking? And then I have to kill poor little beings...
Why, when I talk to someone not so important he don't remember being talked! If I wasn't clear, ie. when walking around the Citadel, you came across the Deserter... I spoke to him and he told me not to arrest him, blah, blah... Then he realised that I am the Deserter too. If you try to talk to him again, he will start with "Oh.. no... please... don't bring me there again!" as we never talked!!! This is just example, and there are more that I can't remember!
There are also too many bugs! Twice it happened to pass through the walls, and Samuel told me that I done something that I haven't (probably thinking that I solved the quest, that I haven't because QUEST LOG is on French and I don't understand)...
The problem with dialogs... Well... nothing to say, everyone already know!

After all, I have to say that I expected much more! "Divine" was a candy, beautiful game, almost perfect!!! What happened with the team that made "Divine"!?

-->Don't misjudge me. BD is not bad game, actually it is VERY GOOD, but after "Divine" I really expected much, much more. There are a lot of really dull and stupid games around the scene, but BD is certainly not among these. BD is pretty good game, with interesting and extraordinary story, but I think that it should have waited for some months to be published.<--

Well, I hope that you will find your way through light and build "Divinity 2" just as GREAT as it should be!

I go now... To play BD! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

#298603 25/02/05 12:11 AM
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How far are you in the game ?

I admit that the first part is a bit too linear for me. But later it gets interesting. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />



When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it.
--Dilbert cartoon

"Interplay.some zombiefied unlife thing going on there" - skavenhorde at RPGWatch
#298604 25/02/05 01:20 AM
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hello Balder,

i'm sorry to hear of your disappointments. however, i feel if u accept the differences between the two (DD & BD), things hopefully should get better. the game design, story, emphasis, character development etc; all are quite or very different.

i'm not making any excuse to justify the differences. just to state the obvious. BD somehow is more story-driven than DD hence the need (my guess) to separate the whole game to diferent acts whereas in DD, almost everything is clumped in one act. plus, BD is somehow new in the sense that Larians are trying new stuff to make it more interesting than just repeating the old formula, which they may feel should be a safe path though less honest. just like a new shirt but same old design & cut.

as for the critters attacking u, i think that u may have accidentally clicked on one of them while u are on combat mode so it is perceived as a hostile move on your part. hence the critters attacking u. it is safer (this is my style of play) to go out in peace mode & only when u encounter enemies, u go into combat mode. no rush, just use pause mode then combat mode as well as choosing weapons or mode of attack.

hope that helps a bit. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />



......a gift from LaFille......
#298605 25/02/05 01:53 AM
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I also liked the very start of DD, with some quests around town that didn't involve any hack and slash. For BD the setting (breaking out of a prison) kind of limits how many non violent quests can reasonably be included. At least once you get to the citadel there start to be more and more variety of quests (assuming you wear the citadel disguise armour so most of the guards remain friendly).

There are more that just fetch or hack-and-slash type quests in the imp village.

In act 1 you got a confirmation message if you attacked a rat, making sure you want to attack all rats. In later acts there is no confirmation, so if you attack a friendly creature they will all turn hostile for the remainder of that act.

You should switch combat mode off in friendly areas like the imp village, or when going back over a region you previously cleared. Directing your characters by holding the left mouse button down, rather than repeatedly clicking, helps to avoid accidental attacks on friendly creatures.
If you quicksave on a regular basis you can reload if you attack a friendly creature.

There was a limit on the amount of dialog in the game, to keep the cost of localization down and make it more attractive to publishers in various regions.
While differing opening dialogs between first and subsequent conversations would be nice for all NPCs that had anything significant to say (especially if they were initially surprised by your approach, etc), this was only done with some NPCs (particularly with main plot quests).

Either there was originally going to be different cut scenes with Samuel depending on your progress, giving the guard Kegan white rum was originally going to be a required quest, or there was a miscommunication somewhere along the way.

Hopefully, DD2 will have more of everything (budget, beta testing, quests, etc). <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

#298606 25/02/05 10:38 AM
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I hope you're right... I am playing game just for few days, and I just escaped the Citadel. But I am completely sure that I haven't attacked those creatures... Those jumpy things I forgot name. I attacked rats, and then they attack me... it's ok, but I would never attack cat! No, sure, not even accidently.

And I forgot to put something about battlefields... They are interesting, for Diablo-like games, pure rogue-like RPGs, but I must say that they kill the gameplay of BD. FRPs are games of Role Play, different life, in different space and time, so Battlefields just ruin the realism of life...

As I said! I don't think BD is bad game, it is very good, but DD is much, much, much better and I hope Divinity 2 will be at least just as good... I just needed new story, new quests, not new gameplay!

Thanks for replies!

#298607 25/02/05 11:26 AM
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Personally, I *loved* the Imp Vilage. It's so tranquil there ...

Plus the incredibly sad song in there, which was so ... (run out of words).


When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it.
--Dilbert cartoon

"Interplay.some zombiefied unlife thing going on there" - skavenhorde at RPGWatch
#298608 25/02/05 11:37 AM
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Oh... yes... Music. Music is certainly the BEST part of DD and BD... I felt great when I saw .mp3 files in BD folder. It also includes DD music... Especially the title one <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for music LARIAN!

#298609 25/02/05 11:39 AM
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I thought it was .OGG ? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />


When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it.
--Dilbert cartoon

"Interplay.some zombiefied unlife thing going on there" - skavenhorde at RPGWatch
#298610 26/02/05 12:47 AM
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Actually it is .OGG... My mistake, but almost the same... :P

#298611 02/03/05 07:52 PM
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I played BD until I escaped the Citadel - by that point I was so fed up with the game I couldn't play it anymore. I have this problem with a LOT of games anymore - and I think I found the problem. They lack immersion. That's what Divine Divinity had - it pulled me in and actually PUT me into that world where it mattered. In Beyond Divinity, it felt fake and stale, too played out and unattractive drama. Beyond Divinity made a HORRIBLE first impression on me, and first impressions are a LOT to a game. You can't say "Oh it gets better later on," because a truly genuinely perfect game should have a breath-taking and involving beginning, something that makes you feal like purpose, or might have purpose. When I look at a fantasy game, I want an epic adventure that lets me know that my imagination is going to go wild and that I'm going to play something that's going to grip me to the edge of my seat with excitement from the beginning - not being stuck in a prison trying to escape! This is no start for an adventure. Ironically, Baldur's Gate 2 started the same way (imprisoned) and I could not keep myself playing - I didn't feel immersed or preped up to play enough after I found the beginning of the story, down-grading me, it's almost insulting to know that me, playing a main character, is but a prisoner without option.

On the other hand, the same prisoner scenario occured in the game "Gothic." At first, too, I played this game and quit after 30 minutes. I picked the game up 6 months later, and I realized that if I kept up 10 minutes more that it really didn't start out as bad as I thought it did. I had options. My character had a future - a chance to build up in the world they created and get to the top. But I felt challanged in a BREATHING virtual world to get up there - but they made that challange INTERESTING enough to keep playing and keep you on the edge of your seat. It let me imagination run wild because the world seemed REALISTIC and HERE. The only thing keeping this game from being probably the best Role Playing experience I have ever played is because it started out rough in those beginning 15 minutes.

I played Beyond Divinity for over a couple hours. It shouldn't get "great" after 5 hours of play, that's just unacceptable. While the story seemed interesting, they just didn't deliver it right. I hope they do a better job with Divinity 2.


Zephyr, God of the West Wind.
#298612 02/03/05 08:50 PM
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I have this problem with a LOT of games anymore - and I think I found the problem. They lack immersion.


I know what you mean. Too bad you didn't come into Act 3 and 4 - especially 4 is very interesting, imho.

I've already written down my opinions about the current "action" fahion, so I won't repeat myself again. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> If you are interested, then look into the PRG Chat, for example. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Alrik.


When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it.
--Dilbert cartoon

"Interplay.some zombiefied unlife thing going on there" - skavenhorde at RPGWatch
#298613 03/03/05 02:55 PM
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Yeah Act 4 is interesting(esp the end it paths the way wonderfully for dd2)....i was going to compare <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" /> and <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> in great detail...on my suggestions page i have done some of that..but i feel i can do a bit more...I feel that <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" /> is a good game..but <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> was just brilliant..i would say that <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> is the best game i have played. It was also the second game that i bought and the fourth that i plaed. It saddend me to find that it sells for a measly £5. It should retain its price at £10-15 if you ask me.

Tragic

#298614 03/03/05 07:37 PM
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hi,

I think those people who blame Beyond Divinity to be somewhat boring are not quite fair.
I'm an PC-oldie who started his PC gameplayer's career with the original DOOM back in the very early nineties. Diablo was something new, with collecting items, gaining experience, slashing enemies and very few quests. Therefore, I loved Might and Magic 6 and Diablo II very much, the same as with Dungeon Siege and Legends of Arrana.
But then came Divine Divinity; this game was georgous! Lots of interesting quests, magic items and weapons to collect and a magnificent soundtrack. I loved the game, although, I must admit, I could not defeat the very last boss. But till then I got so much fun and interesting hours!
Although, here is my only criticism: Sometimes it was extrem tiresome to run for endless kilometers through boring dungeons, which you had already emptied before, in order to fulfill an forgotten quest. I would like to have easy transmitter points available thoughout the levels, after you finished all the enemies in that level off!

Now I am in Beyond Divinity, Act III. And again I love the game. The quests again are ok, the enemies are tough but defeatable and the grafics and soundtrack is great again. Sure, the dungeon walls are most of the time identical with DD, but who cares? The athosphere is ok, thats all that matters. I'm still not sure whether I like to be bonded to the death knight, but this has some advantages too (see my posting at "Tips and Tricks").
And I congratulate the makers of BD that they made one major change, i.e. to make the game straightforeward from one act to another. This adds to the speed.
Also the battlefield are a good idea - especially as noboy has to use them.
I love BD and I'm waiting for for the next Larian game.

berodiver <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

#298615 03/03/05 09:05 PM
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Diablo was the first RPG I played... It was great then, but when I look it now it is a little bit pathetic... Not for that graphic, I still play Eye of the Beholder, but for that stupid gameplay... Diablo II was bad game... Even wrose than 1... Dungeon Siege IS one of the worst RPGs I ever played... Together with Neverwinter Nights. It is really shame that this game bear the logo of Dungeons&Dragons.

The best FRPs of all times are Angband, Eye of the Beholder 1,2,3, Baldur's Gate I and II, Arena, Daggerfall, Vampire the Masqerade, Gothic, Temple of Elemental Evil, Divine Divinity and on absolute throne: MORROWIND!!!

sorry if I forgot some...

I can't wait for Oblivion!

#298616 03/03/05 09:27 PM
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I'm currently playing Lands of Lore I and I'm quite astonished how much fun this is ! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Sad that Westwood got closed, sad also for Kyrandia. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" />


When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it.
--Dilbert cartoon

"Interplay.some zombiefied unlife thing going on there" - skavenhorde at RPGWatch
#298617 03/03/05 10:10 PM
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I felt the same way when I first started playing BD, I just simply liked DD better. I definitely like DD's setting better, more townes, interesting NPCs, etc... however, once I got to Act II, I started getting really addicted to the game. I like the battlefield addition, gives me something to do when I get stuck. I also like going through the adventure w/ the Death Knight, gives you a more interesting 1-2 punch in combat. I still like DD better overall, but BD does have some extra feautures that DD didn't have.

#298618 06/03/05 02:22 AM
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Well,i too thought that in <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" /> the enemies were tougher...which i prefer...but for me there wasnt enough variation..i would have liked to see places which were a bit more...well...happier..i.e more greenery to counter the lava/rocky terrain.

I liked the engine in <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> and was pleased to see it again.
The music was good and set the scene well.


#298619 30/04/05 09:36 AM
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I'm currently playing Lands of Lore I and I'm quite astonished how much fun this is ! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Ah, a classic! Countless hours did I spend playing this game. I should try again maybe <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/kitty.gif" alt="" />


I am in blood
Stepp'd in so far, that, should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o'er.
#298620 03/05/05 07:17 AM
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To me, BD wasn't (because i've finished it) a very good game. Alright the story starts with this duo with our hero and a deathknight. It can be an un
expected situation, but i felt this situation before. What link DD with BD? The campaign set. For the other things, i've never found things that links directly with DD (oh yes, Zandalor, but he isn't really Zandalor). The thought about to be summoned by the necromancer is not so bad, but in my experiences in D&D, GURPS and etc, this is an idea i've played several years ago. The matter it's not what is wrong or what is right, is to create a game that gives to the player a sensation to continue to play, to attain to new level, to gain some powerful weapons or artifacts. In BD i never felt such sensation. The first 3 act i was bored, but the last was interesting, giving me some thoughts before to do something. So, i prefer DD to BD, because it has a very deep impact for the interesting stories maded.

Bye

Last edited by Wollie76; 03/05/05 07:18 AM.
#298621 04/05/05 06:45 PM
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With the UK version of the game, you get a free copy of the novella "Child of Caos". If you read this book you will find out exactly how the 2 games link up...

In short....

In DD you couldnt kill the baby... so the Divine one raised it as his own, teaching the child the good ways... but the child turned evil regardless. So the divine one finds out about nemises, and bans the child to nemises (this would be your death knight) and casts a spell so that the child cannot leave nemises through a normal rift. On nemises magic doesnt work the same way as in rivellon, so the DK cant use magic initially, and has to learn how to use their magic and rifts.



Your existence alone, is excuse enough for the creation of the entire universe… Il you my darling Jeanne-Dré 

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