Originally Posted by spectralhunter
Originally Posted by Newtinmpls
I never played BG1 or BG2, and am curious.

For those who want "true to the game [BG1&2]" specifically for issues OTHER than literal rules/gameplay, what are you looking for? I'd like to better understand this.

For me, memorable companions and the sense of exploration. Like they had lived of their own lives and in many instances we got to witness it. Many felt genuinely alive and just caricatures. You cared what happened to them. Sometimes I hated leaving some behind because my party was maxed out.

Exploration was great. The world felt huge because of the overland map. It took days to reach certain parts. Not like BG3 where everything feels right next to each other even though they aren't.

My character felt like he was living in that world and not just a visitor.

And the mechanics tried to emulate table top. Not perfectly. But they tried.

I was trying to think of the words to try to give an adequate answer to the question and I think you really nailed it. I would also like to add my own list, with some points in common:

- A day/night cycle complete with weather and a calendar/clock.
- The world felt alive. Myriad animals inhabited the wilderness, along with monsters and random encounters.
- BG 1 & 2 had moments of humour and silliness but it was not overdone. The characters were for the most part believable and not everyone had such extraordinary and mysterious backgrounds.
- No Origins characters. The focus was on you and your own character, not playing someone else's creation. I realise this is a contentious point but clearly the Origins characters are a big part of Larian's game design.
- 6 person party.
- A palpable sense of progression/achievement. Low level parties weren't exposed to a plethora of crazy monsters or locations from the outset. The right to face those foes and explore those places was gradually introduced.
- The world map was open without being a sandbox and was the antithesis of the theme park feel of BG3.
- Party interactions could happen anywhere and weren't triggered only when you rested. Which leads on to: you could rest anywhere, provided it was safe to do so (apart from in cities and towns where you had to find an inn).

For want of a better word, in my opinion I think the soul of Baldur's Gate games is missing from BG3. The tone, feel, theme...call it what you like, is very different. I acknowledge that is subjective. Larian seem to have infused it with their own particular brand of crazy, wacky 'fun' and it's all just too over the top for me. Many others will disagree with that sentiment and that is fine, I can respect that but I do not think this is shaping up to be a game that people will be playing in 20 years from now, bar some major changes in game design.