Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Am I the only one looking forward to this game?

I was sure that I was going to find this thread "Am I the only one looking forward to this game?" full of people complaining about the game. You never disappoint, guys.

Anyway, I wasn´t convinced that Larian studio is going to be up to the task, but after the gameplay I am more optimistic, to be honest. I was expecting a videogame based on D&D5e, not a mod of a fantastic previous game, so I´m eager to put my hands in BG3.

This almost .... almost, sounds like a cleverly disguised shot at Larian/BG3.

When I said fantastic previous game I meant BG1-BG2, so no, it´s not a shot ha ha ha

I think a lot of people are looking forward to the game, but we may not all be looking forward to the same things.

I'm looking forward to a well-crafted tale set against a broad canvas, with both freedom to act and interesting choices.
I'm looking forward to a fantastic single-player experience that is not hobbled by compromises to support other modes.
I'm looking forward to being offered inventive and novel ways of interacting with and affecting the world and story.
I'm looking forward to immersing my imagined self in the Forgotten Realms, and the spirit of the D&D milieu.

I care not for the game to closely parallel BG2
I care not for the game to closely parallel D:OS2
I care not if the game follows 5e or diverges.

This may or may not be the game Larian are making, and may or may not match what anyone else wants.
I shall remain cautiously optimistic until proven otherwise.

I'm not only just looking forward to it but its my main anticipated game along with Cyberpunk 2077. I'm a huge fan of heavily storydriven, deep rpgs. And the game that made me into this kind of gamer was Kotor! Since then i became a huge fan of BioWare and most of its products, including Baldurs Gate 2 Shadows of Amn. For me the main features of a videogame are: story ( not only main story but side stories as well and Shadows of Amn had probably the best side stories i have experienced in my gaming life), storytelling (like dialigues and various forms of interactions with the game and its characters), characters and role playing depth (player agency). And so far, from what i have seen from larians interwievs and gameplay presentation, BG 3 will excell in all of the features stated above. I'll admit that i prefer rtwp combat over tb and also a little bit darker atmosphere and art. But if larian deliveres with all of the features stated above then i have absolutely nothing to complain about.

I'm looking forward to BG3, Wrath of the Righteous, Solasta, and the Exapansion of Age of Wonders: Planetfall. Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't interest me, I don't care for ARPGs.

I'm excited for Baldur's Gate 3, Mount & Blade: Bannerlord. Vampire The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Trials Of Mana (SoM 3 remake), the supposed System Shock remake out this year, Dying Light 2, and Torchlight 3.

This is my list of games that I am looking forward to Baldur's Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous, Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2

OP, I'm super hyped for the games early access

Really hope controller use is setup though.

Make no mistake: we (the ones waiting for this game) are many! But haters always make more noise

i generlay dont like talking in "we".
but for what its worth.
No matter what website that ive been on, when it comes to the polls, the side of "catuious optimism" tends to be winning out in a landslide.

I'm looking forward to it! Just wanted to get that out of the way.

I grew up with Baldur's Gate, it (and the other infinity engine games) are very dear to me. I'm a fanboy, okay? I've played DOS 1 & 2 and enjoyed my time with them, but for me Baldur's Gate is on another level. Larian deciding to name their new DnD game Baldur's gate 3, that comes with a lot of expectations. More pressure, more scrutiny. I think that's fair, really. I'm sure Larian knew what they were doing, and I applaud their ambition.

First impressions from the gameplay demo.. It looks a bit too familiar. In a bad way. I couldn't shake the feeling it felt like looking at a cross between DOS 2 and NWN 2. Which sounds kinda cool and interesting in its own right, but... This game is calling itself Baldur's Gate 3. And I couldn't help but feel like, if I didn't know it was BG 3, and if I was to only glance over it and not look too closely I'd think someting like " Damn, Divinity Original Sin 3 looks really good". Which, again, sounds all fine and well in it's own right, but again, this isn't DOS 3. The over-the-top animations, the colour palette, etc.. Can't say I like it a lot. I don't mind it in DOS, but I don't love DOS. This isn't DOS, this game is Baldur's Gate 3..

Now this BG 3 isn't gonna be anything like we might have imagined a BG 3 being like, 20 years ago. Or 10 years ago, even. This is still gonna be a Larian game. And I'm ok with that. I might prefer realtimewithpause, etc etc. And I'm fine with this game being TB etc etc. I'm at peace with those kinda things. But I hoped the game would ooze a little bit less DOS, and feel a little bit more.. new? And same? New, but playing on the nostalgia strings in just the right ways. Modern, but respecting its roots. Fresh, but in touch with its legacy.

I don't envy Larian their job, making a sequel to a cult classic like this. Super difficult, I am sure. But that's what they've decided to go for. Difficult, but not impossible, I'd like to think. And I think Larian can pull it off, I really do. And so do they, otherwise they would've just made DOS 3 instead. I know terms like style, aesthetics, atmosphere and such, are really vague. But that doesn't make them any less important. Challenging to get right, but important that they try.

One of my biggest worries (and still is, a little) was that we'd get a great game, but it'd be DOS 3 with some DND injected into it and a coat of Forgotten Realms paint on it. Potentially a really good game, but not quite... Baldur's Gate 3. And this worry of mine isn't dispelled completely. I think they could do more to leave some of the DOS DNA behind and make BG 3 it's own game. Of course Larian tapping into what they do well makes complete sense, and of course some things in DOS can work quite well (with more, less or no modifications) in a sequel to the Baldur's Gate games.

They can still work on the presentation of the game, add that little bit of dirt or whatever, that bit of extra "weight" to the animations, or somesuch. For example I think the UI could improve, it could look more pleasting to the eye (particularly from a nostalgic infinity engine point of view) while simultaneously supporting all the needs of a next generation Larian Baldur's Gate game. I'm a sucker for the beautiful hand drawn portraits, myself. Pretty Please?

All in all, cautious optimism is the way I'm feeling. Lots of promise, still not liking evertything I've seen (so much we haven't seen, still) and still lots of time for Larian to work and polish on what hopefully can become the best modern CRPG yet, reaching lofty heights that I personally feel neither DOS 2 or the two PoE games didn't quite manage to do, even if they got close.

That's the kind of hopes and expectations you get when you name your game Baldur's Gate 3!

These comparisons are made with thick, rose-tinted glasses that warrants some context, cause DO2 is objectively a superior game to BG1-2 in every conceivable way. The original series impressed so much largely because it overdelivered on expectations relative to the simplistic game design of its day. Game design and competition has evolved significantly since then and making that much of a standout game has become almost inconceivably harder. Besides, we were young and naive back and easily impressed. I suspect most people making this comparison mostly miss who they were and how they felt back then.


This is a common complaint, mostly bundled in with "muh RTwP-combat" (which I suspect, more often than not, is a cover for "I hatez turn-based combats" which again ignores that D&D 5e is a hugely complex system incompatible with RTwP-combat). I never saw anyone even attempt to give a proper objective reasoning for their sentiments beyond it looking too much like DOS. Surely it's not the 2D sprites you crave for! The NWN-series that followed BG1-2, was a huge letdown (NWN2 in particular), so I can see why you would make this comparison when holding the original series on such an unrealistic pedestal.


Bioware themselves doesn't make games like we might have imagined in much less time than that: From BG to NWN to DA:O to DA2 to DA:I. All hugely different games. In a way, you criticise the sequel from another studio for not being the same and being the same simultaneously. Larian has promised to play on the "nostalgia strings", but expect that to be in the storyline as it should and not purely in a game design sense. Do not expect too much of this to be spoiled though. But let's look at a couple of aspects: The storyline is roughly similar in obvious ways; from Bhaal-spawn with unique powers changing you from within, to "mindflayer-spawn" with special powers changing you from within. The party interaction of BG3, which was what made BG1-2 come alive for me more than anything, has promise to overshadow the original. The intrigue of draining your party companion(s) of blood alone shows this clearly, and this is but one small part of several unique origin stories and unique "generic" stories. As for cameos: Volo is returning. Minsc and Boo spent the last 100 years or so petrified and is alive in the setting. I would be surprised if everyone's favorite drow, Drizzt, won't make a reappearance. Same for the underdark with their mindflayer colonies (though maybe for the sequel I suspect is coming).



If you have seen the demo and Q&A, most of your points are addressed. Larian mentioned developing a system for dirt and grime for characters. The UI is pre-alpha, but vastly superior to that of the infinity engine which didn't even feature a mini-map and would be way to simplistic. It is less intrusive, yet much more detailed. DOS has custom portrait mods and given it was part of the original series, we can expect that to make a comeback.

My advice would be to knock BG1-2 off your pedestal to where it belongs and stop worrying so much. You are setting yourself up for disappointment over pure nostalgia. Ironically it sounds like you would prefer Beamdog studio who has made the enhanced editions of the original series to do the game. They would give you everything you verbalise, and you would have been utterly disappointed with the result. Careful what you wish for, huh? Larian has promised to make this YOUR adventure, but their campaign which will have an appropriately darker theme than the DOS-series. And they are working closely with WotC to make it authentic.

The one and only real concern I have, is how well the hugely complex pen and paper/dice system translates into fun gameplay. But even there, things like the animated dice roll on special occasions, creative use of Mage Hand cantrip to push foes off of ledges sounds like a lot of fun in a game that promises unparalleled verticality unlike the flat-earth of the original series.

Great post, CPT_SLOW !

And here I thought I made it super clear that I am very aware of the thick, rose-tinted nostalgia glasses!

Regarding the advice to knock BG of my pedestal and stop worrying so much... Most of us have some things we put on our pedestals, don't we? For whatever reason. If not a game, then a book or an old car or something. Maybe BG never made it to your pedestal Seraphael, or maybe you're just good at taking stuff off of it. But for me it's a little harder than that, not something I can approach with pure logic and sheer rationality. But despite the pedestal -and- me being older now, I'm not impossible to please, or impress. In fact I'd say overall I'm pretty good at managing my expectations, and approaching things with an optimistic mindset.

Games have evolved and progressed massively over the past decades, being such a young medium and with technology advancing so fast. Of course DOS is objectively superior, compared to games a decade and a half older. But it's not really about that. And neither do I believe that "playing on the nostalgia strings" is restricted to writing/narrative. I think it's doable in both game design as well as visuals. While simultaneously breaking new ground and supporting modern/different functionality? Hell yeah it's possible. Very difficult, but possible. And this is the area where I hope Larian surprises me and really rises to the challenge. The challenge of the nostalgia strings

I don't think there's a danger of Larian concentrating too much on playing the nostalgia strings just right and then neglecting other parts of the game. They've shown they can make good games, and I'm sure they're trying their hardest to make this one their best work yet. But I hope that in their mission to develop their best game so far, they still have time for those sweet little nostalgia strings.

I know I write a bit vaguely, broad strokes, not going into much detail. It's probably because I'm not really super interested in specific technical details (yeah the added verticality looks really cool and like a lot of fun), I'm trying to write about how I... feel? And that's just it. Nostalgia aside, it doesn't really matter how they do it. If Larian can make me -feel- (they didn't quite manage to, in DOS), then BG 3 is pretty much up on that infamous pedestal straight away.


Am I setting myself up for disappointment? We'll see!

Oh and thanks Rafoca!

EDIT: I felt like I missed to respond to too many things here, sorry about that. But prefering Beamdog for making BG3? Nah

That's fine, but it just isn't very helpful. As I wrote elsewhere (which you may or may not have read), the best thing you can do is make a new post about a specific feature you think would accomplish what you're hoping to feel (or if someone else has already started one, just chime in).

I'm, personally, hoping this somewhat scratches the D&D itch I have. My campaign was put on hold, and then one of the players stopped logging into discord.
He's known in that circle of friends (I was the new guy) for disappearing for months at a time, so no worries, but it does mean the campaign is on hiatus.

Well, the thread was about looking forward to BG 3, so that's what I tried to write about. I couldn't find the post you refered to, but etonbears post in this thread really resonated with me:



DISCLAIMER: Having written about the careful playing of the nostalgia strings, I still concur with the part about not caring for the game to closely parallel BG2. With emphasis on closely. BG 2 is a game that is aged in so many ways, there's not much to gain by trying to emulate it too closely. Just a little bit, just enough

First of all: great post. I share a lot of your feelings, both positive and negative. I wish this forum had a "thumbs up" feature.

As to nostalgia... BG1&2 are classics. Some things might age, and date, but still remain excellent. I might have nostalgia for BG1&2, but people I introduced it throughout the years and loved it didn't. No one claims BGs were perfect, but they were great and they have legacy Larian has to live up to, otherwise they will disappoint many people who fell in love with the series.

I am keeping my fingers crossed and looking forward to what they make.

Still too much for me. I'd wait for for a humble bundle and then give every cent to charity.

Why yes, I am disgruntled. Why do you ask?