I like a mix of everything, but I weigh the value of each factor based on the actual execution and context within the rest of the game's design. This lets me focus feedback towards a narrow point, expanding as necessary.
My priorities would be as follows.
- Combat design
- Writing (I especially value inter-party dialogue, because if the party is going to travel together, the party should damn well care about each other. But I also heavily dislike writing that tries to present itself as sophisticated, only to fall flat by pushing melodrama)
- Visuals (I put less stock in the quality of said visuals because this is largely a question of budget. I care far more about the actual presentation, however.)
Everything else falls into one of the above three as side categories in some way.
The only reason I am really this critical with BG3 is that I feel that a lot of things in this game really clash with each other when it comes to the presentation. The companions currently feel disconnected from each other on a personal level due to an overall lack of party banter outside of making certain choices. The dialogue cinematics are nice, but the combat design and animations are flat out goofy in comparison, to the point where I don't accept immersion as a valid counterargument as it currently stands. At least Solasta and WotR have both made it abundantly clear where their priorities lie, so I accept their shortcomings and focus on their strengths there. But BG3's focus seems all over the place and contradictory in its current state, and the overall silence on the development isn't helping.
(Also, if there are going to be that many barrels lying around, I feel like the game's NPCs should actually acknowledge that fact through jokes or explaining why there are so many to begin with. That cracked wall and the blighted village entrance ambush are self-explanatory, but that doesn't really explain the prevalence everywhere else.)
Last edited by Saito Hikari; 30/05/21 09:26 PM.
