Great post @Mogan.

I might make a post dedicated to this but for me this issue boils down to this -- whether it feels like D&D depends on whether you are focusing on combat or on exploring and social interaction.

For me exploring and social interaction feel like D&D.

Exploring and social interaction

Lighting a torch, rooting through empty boxes *, pushing boulders, attacking weak beams, all of these feel like D&D. And in this regard BG3 has been ever better than BG2 -- in BG 1 / 2 infravision was a wasted spell and there were few ways to use out of the box solutions to problems. Social interactions also feel like D&D, the dice rolls, the persuasion and intimidation checks all feel true to form. And I like the writing.

Combat

But you are right about environmental effects. Combat feels like Larian. Meaning it's fun but it's not D&D. Environment is just Larian's thing. Did you freeze that pool of water, blow up that brine solution, find your way to high ground?

This mirrors DOS which was all about surfaces -- how do you get yourself on the surface you want to be on and your enemy of the surface they don't want to be on. If you are on a surface you don't want to be on is it better to nullify it or make the most of it? I just feels like the people who designed the combat didn't fully understand or appreciate D&D combat. Well, and we know this for a fact because Larian told us they didn't like D&D combat. And that's what upsetting people -- to succeed you need to think like a DOS fan and not, say, an IWD fan.

In IWD you get "advantage" by casting buffing spells, using magic items and/or through you class features. Good party builds / good use of spells won the day. In BG3 I use firebolt and magic missile more often than not. Let's blow up that barrel that seems to have made its way to just the right spot. And I'm not going to waste a spell slot on bless -- the AC is already lowered and combat is going to over soon anyway. Why lose a turn using Faerie Fire when you can just jump up a ledge to get advantage?


* (sorry, know it's not a popular opinion but I think empty containers give the feeling of a thorough search)

Last edited by KillerRabbit; 06/11/20 05:09 AM. Reason: me rite bad