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

*Faralas massages Deon's forehead at the temples* There, there my friendly gamer. Take a deep breath and hold it! One..., two..., three... and exhale.

Repeat 4 more times.

Now, isn't that much better?


(ROFL)


I can just imagine your frustration, Deon. But don't despair! You'll be clicking away, monster mangling and quest solving soon enough.

I think the disparate nature of the opinions on this board reflects the game's diversity. Larian created a terrific game that draws two distinctly different types of gamers: Those who enjoy action RPGs and those who enjoy quest-driven, puzzle-solving RPGs. There are very few games on the market that attract two different types of gamers. And it seems everyone likes and/or dislikes certain aspects of the game depending upon which category they fall into.

I'm not a huge hack 'n slash gamer, but that doesn't mean I won't buy a game because portions of it are all action. Although, I cannot play Diablo for long periods of time, I still like the game. (Probably has to do with my failing eye-hand coordination. I'm oooolllllddddd <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shhh.gif" alt="" /> - LOL).

I'm looking forward to reading your impressions after you've had a chance to play the game. So, don't forget to come up for air at least once to let us know how you like the game. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />



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

I haven't checked this thread since a few weeks back, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the last post contained a quote from an earlier rant of mine... nice! Kinda makes this forum feel more homey, y'know?

Anyway, on to my impressions. I have been playing as solidly as I can since I got the game on Thursday (the 20th), and I must say that after having climbed out of bed at 6:30am this morning and playing all day, I am well impressed. From the posts I had been reading until just before I bought the game, I was quite sure I was going to have somewhat of an unfocused, unbalanced mishmash of a game that tried to please everyone and ended up pleasing no-one. Well guess what? Those impressions were HORRIBLY wrong! They were all completely and totally unrepresentative of the full game, because I have been playing for over 12 straight hours today and I have loved every minute.

Every minute! Even the minutes that were spent re-loading because I died from some trap or another despite having full health, even the minutes when I had to close the whole program when I died (I pressed the Load Game shortcut key shortly after the fatal blow was delivered and that somehow froze the game to the point where I couldn't even press Esc to go back to the main menu). Believe it, this game has hooked me like no other this year, EVEN FAR CRY!

Yeah, okay, so maybe I am exactly the type of gamer that Larian was targeting, and maybe I am really patient and not against reading manuals, trying things out, checking the forum for answers, and maybe the timing was just right since I have been playing with v1.44 installed from the beginning. Maybe all those things have conspired to give me the huge amount of enjoyment and satisfaction that I've had today, or maybe, just maybe Larian made fewer mistakes in game design choices and interface implementation than has been implied in the many dissatisfied posts I've read over the past 4 weeks.

Truly, this game kicks mountains of [nocando]! It is EXACTLY what I have been wanting in Divine Divinity's followup. I don't care that the graphics aren't completely 3D (in fact I prefer total 2D to the 2D/3D hybrid that BD is), I don't care that it is not a new game engine, and I REALLY don't care that this game is not going to be considered "cutting edge" anything by anyone that hasn't been living in a cave for the last 20 years. This game has heart and soul that just about every other game I've played lately just hasn't had. It is obvious in every facet of the game how much Larian loved putting Beyond Divinity together, and that makes a damn strong impression on me as the gamer that their efforts were ultimately directed at.

Granted, I am only at the Imp village, but in the 16+ hours it has taken me to get there, I have had so much fun that the hours have just flown by. The skill system isn't as awkward as I had feared it would be, and unlearning skills is not a major drain on my finances and neither have I needed to unlearn many of them. Monsters haven't been overly difficult to beat (I am playing on Tactical) and I am enjoying putting a lot of consideration into my character's develiopment and trying out various configurations until I find the one I like the most. There are SO MANY options in this game that I am going to play it over and over and over again, guaranteed! Don't want to fight? So sneak. Don't want to sneak? Then draw steel and gut some evildoers! Charging your enemies with your head down with no consideration for tactics not working? So change your tactics.

I think my point here is there is definitely more than one way to get to your goal in BD, and having that choice is making all the difference in the world. It means the developers respect me enough to give me the options and then leave it entirely up to me how I want to put them to use. As Swen said in the manual, sure they made some questionable design decisions, but it has been Larian's experience that gamers adapt very easily and they eventually come to see the benefits of having the game laid out the way it is, and that is proving to be very true, at least in my case.

About the only thing I can't get my mind around is how on earth Kiya got through the citadel without visiting the Battlefields. I won't say I am struggling, but even with my level 12 characters I sometimes come close to dying in combat, despite the ridiculous damage my DK can dish out. I have gained at least 5 levels by fighting in the battlefields, and find it hard to imagine people getting through it all with only level 7 (or whatever) characters. But there again, that is how versatile the game is, that someone at a relatively low level can make it through.

Wow, Larian, I am truly, truly impressed. BD has far surpassed my expectations, and I am going to be playing it for a LONG time to come. Thank you from the bottom of my gaming heart!!

Right, now it's back to the game... catch you on the flip side!

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


I liked total 2D alot better then this too...

That happened to me once, but I could quickload then open the load pane or go to the main menu.

She has a secret:

<span class='standouttext'>Spoiler : </span><span class='spoiler'> She knows most of the monsters personally and she brings them cookies. </span>


btw: great post <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Excellent post, Deon and I agree with all of your impressions and opinions. I have been glued to BD ever since I installed it although it took me a lot longer to get to the imp village than you. But that's because I'm the kind of gamer that restarts new games several times before I understand some of its features. The skillpoints really threw me off on my first run-through and I bungled it so much that starting over felt better than deleting and reusing the skillpoints I had already accumulated. Plus, I had missed some crucial areas in the beginning of the game because I was racing through the different areas just to get to the next place.

You're right, changing tactics is what it's all about if you want to get the 'full taste' of BD. There is more than one way to get through a scene and the ability to make choices in games is what hooks me the most. There are a lot of choices one can make in the BD universe.

Anyway, you've been able to give voice to my thoughts and feelings about BD. And it does have it's own charm -- that Larian touch that distinguishes their work from the rest of the crowd. Thanks for sharing your impressions. Excellent post!


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

Deon, I'm soooo relieved, you like the game. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" /> And who says, I didn't die in the Citadel without leveling up in the BF? I did - so what? I reloaded ... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />

This time I'm playing on tactical - nope, not by choice, by false clicking and not noticing <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shame.gif" alt="" /> - found it out in Act 3, wondering why I died all the time. Got my old Earth Elemental trauma again <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> - and now I'm in Act 4 as a puny lvl 25er and wondering how I will survive the end.

Morituri the salutant, Deon
Kiya <RIP>

Hi Kiya,

You must have died a LOT... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> What level were you when you made it to Act II?

Lvl 11 at Act 2 (nearly all in blue)
Lvl 18 at Act 3 (nearly all in black)
lvl 25 at the beginning of Act 4. (in silver) - I wish I could find other leggings though, they're leather - very good, but I'm dreaming of an uber-super shadow armour. I like her in those clothes.

with not ONE kill in the BF. All levels were made by XP from quests (and I know all very well) and killing the enemies there. I skipped the ghost and one gargoyle in Act 1. Didn't want to waste all my potions. I take the skills in exactly the same order as I know from old versions - with all restrictions. So, none from the BF traders. I have 2 holy water bowls and will only learn alchemy up to 4 for my end fights. And I'm careful with my charms. BF traders are only used for trading (and stealing). My pickpocket lvl is 4. Won't make that higher.

so => Shaman hammer only up to lvl 5 - bow only up to level 6. My DK is a 2-hander - this was always lvl 10.

So, in addition to playing a difficulty level I'm not accustomed to, I restrict myself even more. And now I don't mind the changes - I don't have to use them. Save one => I can't enjoy my riches in one inventory glance at once.
Kiya