Why is everyone on this board a hardcore DnD player. You kind of need to think in a broader perspective here to appeal to all audiences. I think surfaces are great, it gives more depth and strategic options to the game, and balance could be solved by allowing a 5th level on first act. Alot of fights are hard, but thats what i love about the game.
The game isnt all about staying true to the rulebook you know. Its supposed to be an enjoyable game to all audiences. Not everyone knows the rulebook by heart.
I love the game btw, needs to be said - cause most of these posts are critique.
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I certainly agree with some of what you said, but says who?
The game is supposed to be the successor to BG 1 and BG 2. Did you play those games? You could definitely beat it having no understanding of the underlying D&D mechanics (I certainly did when I was younger), but you are absolutely not going to be able to beat it on Hard mode. There is no reason BG 3 should be any different.
Not every game has to appeal to all audiences. This is one of them, in my opinion. What you are asking for is also functionally impossible, because a game that is universally enjoyable is a game with a lower difficulty (baring *significant* tweaking based on difficulty level) which will then make the game not enjoyable to others.
On balance, I would prefer BG 3 to stick to the spirit of BG 1 and BG 2. If you're on Hard mode, you have to know what you're doing.
