I understand that similarities between DOS2 and the BG3 gameplay are currently too much and quite obvious, but let's stop for a while and think about this:
- There is not a more suitable developer in the world for the new BG game than Larian. With all due respect towards the other titles like POE2 or Pathfinder - no one currently possesses more talent, budget, passion or experience than them. Compared to this they will still be indie-like computer games.
But Larian aren't making anything that resembles the Baldur's Gate series in any way. So how can it be said that Larian are the most suitable developer to deliver precisely what they have no interest in delivering and are literally not even attempting to deliver?
Having experience and a large budget counts for nothing if it isn't applied towards making a game that is faithful to the Baldur's Gate name. And Larian aren't making such a game, they're putting the DOS formula into a D&D setting involving Baldur's Gate and calling it "Baldur's Gate 3" to tap the name's fame to boost sales. Larian have confirmed many times over and in many interviews that their "BG3" shares no semblance with the Baldur's Gate PC series in any way. And it therefore shouldn't be called "Baldur's Gate 3".
- There is still so much time before seeing how the real product will look like, let's use the chance and chip in as much as we can to get it done. Everyone acts like this was a final product already.
- Let's not overreact - the presented gameplay is obviously not truly reflective of the whole story, just a showcase of the foundations.
Given that it has been proven countless times that the further development progresses, the more futile feedback and criticisms are, the 'you can't criticize it because it's too early in development' phrase should never be said by anybody. And when it is said, the motivation for saying it should be suspect. It's often said by fans of a game's direction who don't want feedback and criticism to shape the game, and who try to stop feedback they don't like from being spoken to a developer until it's already too late for anything to possibly be changed.
If people don't speak out now, there will be no point in speaking out later. The earlier people speak out, the most chance there is that something will improve.
We are all in this together, let's buckle up, prepare for the ride and help Larian deliver the best possible experience for everyone.
Larian are clearly not trying to deliver the best-possible experience for everyone, but are trying to exploit the goodwill that the Baldur's Gate series name conjured up to promote their DOS gameplay and get more people buying both "BG3" and their DOS games. Swen stated so in an interview:
"... so, the chance to do that, and to bring what basically is our RPG identity to Baldur's Gate as a franchise was an opportunity too good to resist. And so, what it will do for us... uh, what we think it will do for us is it's going to show a larger segment of people, because I think Baldur's Gate 3 will reach more people than Divinity will have done... it will show a larger segment of the population what our RPGs feel like and hopefully bring them to play our other games also."
Calling their game "Baldur's Gate 3" when it has absolutely nothing in common with the original Baldur's Gate series is only being done as a cash-grab.
