After finishing the game, I agree with most of the quality of life and balancing suggestions in OPs list as far as technical issues go. While the pure turn based system with no pause can be time consuming and tedious, it can be immensely rewarding when you do it well, as it often feels like a lot is riding on your every move both in and out of combat. However, I did wish the "Force Switch to Turn Based" option would trigger faster on many occasions- times when I accidently ran headlong into a trap and didn't have time to stop before the rest of the party joined in the fun and suicided on the other traps around me. BG3 has a different kind of delicate and complex turn based feel that I enjoyed learning how to navigate, but I could see the micro managing tedium turning off a lot of players- especially those new to DnD or the game in general. Small note: I wish there was a macro to make the whole party commit to turn by turn jump. That was the only micro-management that really began to become a chore for me.
I'm much more interested in conveying my experience with the story and characters because it is already SO GOOD, and it can only get better. First the characters: Voice acting: 10/10, Dialogue: Sassy and interesting af/10 Facial Expressions: SurprisinglyGood/10 Romance progression: Neckbeard/10 (but still good) ^(Spoilers) I saved the Tiefling camp party night until I had exhausted all the other storylines and content. I played out most of the character progression dialogues available in EA as well. First of all, don't get me wrong- I LOVE the fact that you all didn't make it a weird sexless universe like Outer Worlds or the new Star Wars movies. It was truly surprising though, to find that literally everyone (except Lae-zel for now at least) wanted to bang me. For some characters it made sense, but for the rest it just came across like a cheap harem anime. Astarion for one, makes sense, because I let him suck my damn neck which progressed our intimacy (if uncomfortably so), and he's always teasing and plays the flirting type by default. Shadowheart made sense just barely since she shared her love of a particular flower and smiled at you (the only time in game I think??). But there could have been a little bit more foreplay with her so to speak, maybe a flirty dialogue option or two along the way that either landed or fell flat between you both. Those times where characters react to your actions would be a good time to insert a flirty line option. What I'm suggesting is that high "approval" shouldn't necessarily equal "I want to bang." I do like seeing the approval system as a way of finding out what character alignments are like as opposed to just stating "chaotic neutral, etc". The romantic progression just needs to be fleshed out a little more for Gale, Shadowheart, and probably Lae-zel. The only sexual thing we know about Gale is that he tried to smooth talk Shadowheart in the beginning, which I thought was fun. I would have enjoyed seeing that interaction played out more (because sassy Shadowheart dialogue is a singular joy). Until the camp night, Gale's only concern is the tadpole and secret wizard affairs, showing zero desire for you one way or the other. He admired your actions sometimes and was thankful for your help if you gave it- but I never picked up sexual interest from him until camp. I don't know about Wyll because he's one of the few who didn't immediately offer to jump my bones despite high approval, and I ended up choosing Shadowheart. For feedback purposes, it might help to include that I'm playing a female tiefling.
All that being said, the story and the way it unfolds is incredible. I was constantly impressed with how convincing the characters and the world became. I think you guys have some real magic on your hands with this game. Here's to hoping the technical kinks get ironed out quickly and the relationships between characters grow and unfold in believable, fun, and satisfying ways.
