Larian Studios Forums Beyond Divinity (English) General Please post impressions.

Well I must say the atmoshere is better here now. Reading all those post was really depressing and was thinking people where hating the game. Glad to see I was wrong. Personally I have some reservations myself and I will post them in the suggestions sections when I finish the game. I will do the same with the good points of the game so the team will have a fair and ballanced view (the al franken fair and ballanced not the fox fair and ballanced) of my opinion.

Oh no, not Al Franken. Please say it isn't so. I'd much rather have Bill O'Reilly Fair and Balanced <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

*steps in the no spin zone* <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/silly.gif" alt="" />

Well I live in belgium so I don't know that much american culture. I just tought his comedy and book were hilarious. As for the politics I don't care It's not my country

Edit: I'll revise and repost my thoughts tomorrow. I do not wish to tread on toes.

P.S: I think you'll find nobody hates Larian or their games... we're just judgemental, and after spending money on a game (Which to some of us is a lot of money), we feel we are entitled to said opinion.

As I write these first impressions of BD, I am reminded of my post re: DD when I finished playing the game. They appear to be about the same. It took me a while to get used to DD's interface and all of its bells and whistles (adding items together, etc.). I didn't expect BD to be a carbon copy of DD, nor its interface, so it's going to take me a while to get used to some of the additions and modifications. So far, I like the changes - including the skill point choices. As it was in DD, those points are precious (as pointed out by the developer in the game manual) and how you use them will largely determine how well your character relates to his/her environment. There is a bit of a challenge in there, a challenge that I enjoy.

Most impressive: that the Larians took the time to tweak the voice overs at the last minute. A task of monumental undertaking. The NPCs are more 'sophisticated' in tone than in the demo. So, from this change alone, it was well worth the wait.

But more importantly, (and even more impressive by my standards) Larian set out to cast a wide net in terms of attracting players. From a marketing point of view, that's risky because RPGs and Tactical/Strategy based games differ on several levels -- including players. I applaud Larian for having the mettle and vision to tackle such an ambitious project. I think this particular team bent over backwards to please as many players as they could. And, as we are all discovering (especially as we read the posts in this particular forum), not everyone will or can be pleased. There will always be disgruntled consumers who find flaws and faults in a game's design. It's the old "Monday morning" quarter-back mentality. That's when every mistake becomes so crystal clear. Well, mistakes, faults and flaws are a facet of everyday life. It's up to us to decide how much time we want to devote dwelling on them. I'd rather spend time playing a game or designing one.

Btw, video and PC games are an $8 billion dollar a year industry and that figure is growing by leaps and bounds. On the average it takes between 2-5 years for a company to produce one game (from conception to marketing). I'm looking forward to my journey through <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beyond.gif" alt="" />

Well, I'm sure to have more impressions as time goes on. These are simply the first.

Faralas <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mage.gif" alt="" />

Repost it please. I just spent 5 minutes reading and I thought you had many valid points. Yeah the Larian apologists will have a crack at you, but you get that on every game MB. I suspect that when someone has invested months and years of their time at a companies web site, it gets hard to admit a games shortfallings for fear of realising that it was a waste of time!
After lurking at more game MBs than I care to remember I've started to learn when a game has problems, it's the bickering and flaming and arguments about not being allowed opinions that give it away. Temple of Elemental Evil and Master of Orion 3 are two recent examples. I think I can add BD to that list. It's not quite as bad as them but a game stoping bug has hit me and I'm pretty annoyed.

Thanks for the support, i'm just a bit 'nervous' if that's the right word. Like you, i'm a serial lurker (prefer to read than write) and will post only if I feel compelled to. I hate arguing over the net however, especially when I actually loved Divine Divinity. I just have some 'gripes' which make Beyond Divnity more frustrating than fun. (although it is still a good game, imo, just not as good as DD was).

Oh, pooh! LOL I was in the middle of responding to a comment you made in your original post only to find you've edited it! Drat that. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Oh well - you should keep your post up there. Feedback is feedback. And every opinion counts. I do agree with you on one point and I would not recommend BD as an 'intro' game into the world of RPGs. Divine Divinity is a good game to start out with. Then again, I'm quite fond of that game, so consider me biased! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Well, I hope you reconsider posting your thoughts.


Faralas <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mage.gif" alt="" />

I'm glad your post was so long, MonkehmaN - it was very interesting, thank you <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />. And yes, I agree => I don't think it's a game for all. And yes, it involves a lot of patience.

And it's REALLY a pity, you deleted it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/puppyeyes.gif" alt="" /> - how can I answer to some details now? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" /> (and enjoy the humour again?)
Kiya

I think your opinion is profound - I recall moments, where I was as frustrated as you (DON'T mention these earth elementals and their damn earthquake = reminds me of my Aleroth catacombs hate))- I recall how satisfied I was, when I finally killed one. From all acts I had my strongest probs with Act 3 (as you had: infiltrating and helping at the same time => moral probs)
I still don't quite agree about the strength/endurance part though, but maybe because I don't play warriors - and pushing up my agility/survival helped me when I was caught up in melee and couldn't run off quickly enough.
I've always seen my "paladin" or the disciple more as an untrained new apprentice/trainee, thrown into a hard world and trying to survive. Not as a hero in classical sense.
Looking forward to your post revision,
Kiya

Yes its very true, compared to the original Divine Divinty, this game is not as good (but then again few games are) but if i stop comparing it to the original Divine Divinity...the game is excellent.
I agree with all the negative points mentioned in these forums and i could come up with quite a few of my own but i think i'll better mention the good points because everybody seems to ignore them:
First thing that comes to mind is the music, its made by the same composer and its absolutely great, id say better than in the original.
The game is a lot of fun to play (if you quit comparing it constantly to DD that is), offers more than most of the games of its kind, i like the dialogues a lot, story is intriguing at points, its challenging, varied, great graphics that are of a very high artistic level.
My point is despite this game didnt impress me as much as the original did, i dont regret buying it for a second, its a great game in its own right and it seems the game keeps getting better as i play it.

No, my second name is NOT "Franken".

The only thing wrong with ToEE was that it was way too short. I literally finished the game in one weekend. At least I won't have that problem with BD. I've been playing as much as I can since Thursday evening and I'm not even all the way through Act I.

I just wish the interface was more polished. 3D graphics don't have to be on par with the best and latest shooters, but there are certain things I expect in s game. . .like being able to select characters by pointing at them (or at least their selection circles), and grouping them by drawing a rectangle around them, vs having to always move the cursor up to the corner of the screen (or use the KB). Being able to zoom is good, but I miss the overall rotating go anywhere controls of NWN. It's hard to put into words. . .the game just feels RAW, like a company's first attempt, even moreso than DD, IMHO. I guess me (and others) expected more refinement at this point.

[color:"orange"]I haven't seen any respawning in the Battlefields yet...[/color]

No, but the battlefields are an alternative for those that wanted respawning. They are a separate optional area to kill monsters. After completing the game, act 5 is all battlefields (the screenshot I saw looks like a building with multiple BF entrances), so I think each time you enter one, the whole thing is respawned.


[color:"orange"]I'd be very surprised if after learning how to use a sword well, you switched the battleaxe and all of the sudden forgot how to wield a sword effectively in real life.[/color]

In real life you can not forget skills, but then you also can not talk to an instructor briefly, click a few buttons and dramatically improve you sword wielding abilities with no work on your part. The method to unlearn skills could have been worked into the game in a more immerse way, though (which would probably have its own downsides).

Realistically, there should be some overlap in similar skills, but this would be a big problem trying to balance the game. The specialities are extra benefits for a particular weapon class; your basic stats provide the general abilities. Where that distinction should be drawn is a matter of opinion.


[color:"orange"]Touch a key and you can magically teleport there anytime, etc. Has to be a better way. Also, all of the bugs in the battlefields contribute to the feeling that it was a quick hack.[/color]

So you don't have a problem with all of the other magical teleports in the game, just for the battlefields? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/silly.gif" alt="" /> It could have been worked into the story better, but I think it was designed to be a distinct area.

About the bugs: at one point the Larians mentioned the random quest generator might not make it into the game. The battlefields were planned from the start, AFAIK, but I think it took a little more development time than they were anticipating.

I see, well you don't really attack the game as being bad in a whole but your criticism does come over quite negative. However I do agree that bad points about the game should be pointed out like you do , just not that flamotory. Constructive criticism still works the best.

Anyway, now that I understand this situation better I think we can bury the hatchet.

That's how I feel about any game I play, Kiya. Getting through a tough battle scene or killing a high level monster *is* the fun, the heart and the soul of RPGs for me. I don't celebrate my daily victories with as much fanfare as when I beat the crap out of an evil dungeon lord. The adrenalin rush is ..., ooooooh - did I say this out loud? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shhh.gif" alt="" />

Faralas <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mage.gif" alt="" />

What other teleports are you referring to? I think the pyramids are cool, and don't forget they are an object you have to carry around, and activate in order to teleport.

The battlefields teleport doesn't require actually carrying around the keys, you just touch a key and then after that you have the innate ability to teleport there... Bit cheesier.

Ohnos, a fellow Las Vegas lurker.

The imp historian and the necromancer seem to be able to teleport without apparent physical mechanism to do so. Actually the (minor, IMO) technical distinction didn't even occur to me.

You are partially correct. . .although I am no longer a Vegas LURKER, I am a Vegas POSTER. This is only my 10th post though, so I have a ways to go to catch up with you. It may not take that long though. . .I spend my evenings playing BD, but I can browse and post these forums during the day when I at what I laughingly call "my job."

I'd really like to see input from Larian about some of the dubious changes/removals they made from DD. Especially the now mysterious nature of the charms and the jumbling of the inventory system.