Larian Studios Forums Beyond Divinity (English) Help/Tips/Tricks Getting frustrated.

I really agree with you Kiya. Larian should have let people DEAL with the game issues and difficulty and not bend over backwards for every stupid request made here.

Note: I'm not talking about the BUGS. They should be fixed. If they are bugs. There is a tendancy on every board I read these days for idiots to scream 'BUG!' every time something they don't understand comes up in a game.

Kiya: That last quote was funny. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

the Earth Elementals? Was the enemy class I feared most. Happily fighting at one moment - dead in the next <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
Kiya

Kiya, I couldn't agree more!!! Bravo! You nailed the problem and nailed it good! BD is its own game, not the sequel to DD (apparently there are those that believe this). I played DD through numerous times and to honest, would play it through again and again. I am a very long time gamer, played them all, and have to admit without question, DD was one of my top 3 games of all times!

Now Larian (God bless them!) releases BD, an off-shoot (NOT a sequel) to DD. My expectations? Some of the familiarity of the original, but with new places, features, and story.

Quite frankly, BD is everything they intended it to be and all I wanted it to be. Had they made it more or less the same as DD, people would have complained that is was "more of the same", but it seems that's all we read here lately. "But it should be like this" or "It should work this way" and why wasn't this included". What ever happened to playing the game for what it is? What if BD came out before DD? Would there be as much nitpicking? Yes, the skill system is very different from DD, but I, like others here, look at it as a challenge. And if I mess up (oh, and I do), a way to fix *MY* mistake for a price was thoughtfully built in. Sure beats starting over, that's for sure!

Outside of the known bugs (a lot have been fixed, still a lot to go, I'll admit), I am having a freakin' blast with this game!!! But the thing people have to step back and realize is it's just a game! It's sole purpose is to entertain, nothing more, nothing less. I have never seen people get so worked up over something that's supposed to provide them entertainment. Yikes!

I really enjoy coming to these forums and listened to what's going on. As you can see by my post count, I listen more than talk. But lately it's been a bit discouraging to read a lot of the bickering going on here.

So, to Kiya's point everyone, relax! Enjoy this awesome game for what it is. You can find beauty anywhere you look, if you just open your eyes.

And a very, very special thanks goes out to the hard working and dedicated folks at Larian. You have always listened to your critics and responded in a timely, professional way. I am in software development myself and can appreciate the effort put in by one and all. Keep up the great work!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />

Kiya - hang in there!! I can see your frustration and it's totally warranted. You are unquestionably a voice of reason here, as is Raze and a lot of others. It's because of people like you the reason I keep coming back here. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Yup, the earth elementals. I don't look forward to facing them.

I am going to wait for a modified patch though. If anyone is listening at Larian-don't rush it, sort out the battlefield bugs and so on and give us all something enjoyable to play.

I thank you all for your efforts too. Keep up the good work. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

I feel a tear coming to my eye! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

I couldn't agree less with kiya. One thing I've noticed about European games is that they overemphasize Challenge over Fun (German games are particularly bad in this respect). Whereas Japanese and North American games tend to balance Fun and Challenge fairly well.

If Larian's intended audience is a few hardcore gamers, then sure: provide the bare minimum of skill points, force the player to replay the game 20 times to try all the skill paths, require countless trial & error trap deaths etc. Most gamers are not going to put up with this.

This is definately not a slam against Larian. I think they were forced to push the game out prematurely (almost every game is nowadays), but they're doing a great job fixing the problems. Pretending that balance problems don't exist is NOT helping Larian.

Tom

People should be able to express their opinions, good or bad. You can't blame some players for having a particular opinion if Larian decides to accomodate them - are Larian not capable of evaluating the value of these changes?

Sure, free opinion is very important, Dhruin - their's as well as mine. But in following the threads - where Larians changed something and I read some reactions towards this => this brought me to the following conclusion: No one can please all. It's like doing the splits (hope this phrase it correct).

@Tom:About game balance => if this means combat, I'm not a good fighter, so I have probs with that. But, is it really the balance then, or is it my incapability? => this is the question, I address to myself. I don't know which German games are too difficult (Larians are Belgians <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> ) - maybe Gothic? In this case, was not appealing to me - but it appealed to others a lot.

If game balance means this => reading the quest log, going forwards logically, liking to experiment how crystals, alchemy, charms, levers work => this is something I love chewing upon. This is a challenge for me - my kind of having fun, just like reading a criminalistic novel and being proud, if I guessed correctly. I don't consider myself a hardcore RPG player - more a fan of the old style, the way how RPG were meant to be in former times, before Diablo came out.
Kiya

Skill pts => in trying out all skill paths - do you mean turning the hero into an invincible one? Oh, then why not include an "instant kill" button? I don't mind it, if skill pts would be more - I am not forced to use them - as I like to stick to my own playing style - and this would allow others to try out their's. But I bet! As soon as this option would be in teh game - another group pops up and is not satisfied with this.

What I would really like => if the bugs were fixed, if the Larians had the peace to concentrate on this <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" />

"Doing the splits" is prefectly fine phrasing. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> No, you can't please everyone - never can. In my experience, game boards invariably explode with complaints when a game is released - particularly one that makes some brave changes like BD has. I'm sure Larian realise this and I assume they are implementing changes they see some logic in - at least, I hope so. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thank you, Dhruin <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />
If I had a fairy approaching me and granting me 5 wishes after I made a choice => bugs or game balance. I'd choose bugs to have fixed first => crashes (I didn't encounter, but I read all your probs and am very sad about this)
morphing equipment => I didn't know this could pop up again. It was solved! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/puppyeyes.gif" alt="" />
overloading => I'd be very sad to lose an item (was solved in one version before <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" /> )
plot stoppers => the worst, you English can't know due to your version, were solved. And I wish, the new ones I see here, will be fixed. The alchemist bug popped up in the newer versions (from 1.2 on?)

Conclusion => I'm a dunce when it comes to programming, too abstract for me. But I have this picture about patch programming => a value is changed at location X by intention - and changes location Y (unnoticed), due to language versions, patch differences, OS differences etc. And now, reading the new probs some have with 1.41 (haven't installed it myself) - I ask myself, why? How for programmers to track this down? How was the gamer procedure? Did the gamer start the game at 1.1 and then patched up to 1.4 during the game - then to 1.41 much later? Or started from scratch with 1.4? Or, even worse => I started my German version with 1.0 - continued then with 1.1 - later 1.2 - later 1.3. Some Germans played with 1.2 at once - and then patched to 1.3 => there are differences.

So, how can QA and testing work, if the small team has to take all this (and far more) into consideration? I wonder how... this is why I wish peace for the Larians and to concentrate on bugs atm. Am I so wrong?
Kiya

Sigh, people still keep bringing up those darn Earth Elementals. I am still having nightmares <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/puppyeyes.gif" alt="" /> *rumble rumble* RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNN... SAVEEEE MEEEEEEEE.

Only thing I really wanted (which Larian did) was regenerating merchants. At least now bad fighters like me can stock up on pots <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohh.gif" alt="" />