Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Baldur's Gate 3 vs Solasta comparison

*Hands moving towards the keyboard* Must resist the urge....

Yes I have said that I like Horror (example Crypt area) and Action (Action in BG3 means fight) but you seem to have same kind of comedy as I do.

I have never even once laughed in Solasta. Boring talking and ugly dolls talking in Solasta.

I do not usually laugh in BG3 when playing single player if multiplayer then it depends on what happen etc.

However when this happened in BG3 Early Access single player (not laughing due to multiplayer situation) I laughed so much that it took like almost a minute before I stopped laughing . I put into it spoilers if someone has not played much Early Access BG3 and want to experience much BG3. Warning spoilers:

Actually awesome that you just accepted the outcome and rolled with it despite hitting the "brake release" - lol!

We had a situation like that a couple days ago, we were trying to save Counsellor Florrick from Wuakeens rest and while aiming my crossbow at the door to break it the arrow flew and hit a Flaming Fist solider in the back of the head. So we had a fight start, in the flaming Inn, with the Flaming Fist AND Counselor Florrick.

We almost all died and nobody believed me that it really was an accident. Probably because I had started too many fights.

We had to put down all the Flaming Fisters. Tragic.

? There so no gatekeeping here. I just don't enjoy "LOL" multiplayer games. Or most multiplayer games in general. Am I not permitted to say that?

And there is difference in a game having things I don't enjoy in it, and game revolving around things I don't enjoy in it. Indeed BGs allowed for multipler. I tried it once, and found it it didn't make for a good experience and never tried it again. Same with Arcanum. More importantly, playing singleplayer coop's existance never affected my enjoyment of the game. On the other hand Larian's more robust coop support spills to areas that affect my enjoyment of the game - companions having to double dip as "companions" and playable origins, affect how well they can fulfill a role of the companion, lack of ease of use features, which I assume are a result of a need to treat characters as individual's rather then a party, overall quest design, poorly fleshed out custom character, and campaign not tailored for a main PC.

Those things aren't bad in themselves, I had ok time in coop in D:OS1&2 and I am fine in accepting those games are not made for me - same as it was with NWN1.

But as you brought up again Baldur's Gate not being Baldur's Gate. Yeah, this sacrifice of good singleplayer experience for the sake of coop is one of those things that makes BG3 unlike Baldur's Gate1&2. BG1&2 had coop, true enough, and there are people who enjoyed it in coop, but it is not what the games are rememebered for, that wasn't their legacy. Baldur's Gate's achievement was morphing multiplayer Table-top system, into compelling singleplayer format. And before you throw: "It's your subjective opinion" google a review of the game, and see what the game is praised for. I googled some and multiplayer either isn't talked about at all, or is just briefly mentioned. I wonder why....

I didn't say that: I just don't find enjoyment in the gamestyle the person I have replied to described: trolling other players.
That's what Larian games excell at. That doesn't sound like roleplaying to me. It doesn't even sound like a good coop play to me, but then again there are only few multiplayer games, and with a very selective company, that I have enjoyed. I am fine that Blackheifer enjoys that. I am happy for him. To me it's something that would get very old, very quickly.

I don't think Solasta is an RPG to begin with - it's linear tactics game using DnD combat system. I don't think D:OS1&2 were particularly good RPGs but decent coop games. I am not even sure if Baldur's Gate1&2 were good RPGs, when put against fallout1&2 or Planescape - but they were pretty darn enjoyable campaigns which decent replayibility. Baldur's Gate3 shows a lot of promise, especially when compared against D:OS2. There are things I don't like - some tied to coop, other not - but that's not here or there.

Sure, you are entitled to your opinion. I was simply correcting your mistake when you declared that the Original games didn't include multiplayer and harmful actions towards your own party as an experience.

and at the time Multiplayer in general wasn't very popular and didn't really take off until WoW. That doesn't mean you get to gatekeep the experiences of those who did enjoy that aspect of the game by saying that they don't count as authentic Baldur's Gate experiences.

Although I think if Bioware had access to the Divinity Engine in 1998 they would have tossed the Infinity Engine.

And yet Bioware did a multiplayer centric DnD project - Neverwinder Nights.

Sure. "Baldur's Gates. Legendary RPGs series! 95 on metacritic. You could play multiplayer and throw fireball at each other! Wooooo" And Witcher3 got 10/10 for having Gwent.

Man, I would LOVE for other studios to make games in Divinity Engine. I can only dream of what Obsidian would pull off. Alas it is not to be.

I played BG1 and BG2 with my brother in LAN play and we enjoyed them like 10/10 games as kids you dont need to be adult to play games. This was when they were released BG1 was released 1998.

Neverwinter Nights 1 multiplayer? Less hostile ultra hardcore roleplaying with gamemasters that kill players mecilessly if they do not stay enough ultra hardcore in roleplay I have never before experienced in any situation pen or paper or other computer game such hostile nasty GM as in Neverwinter Nights 1 multiplayer servers. I was harrased so much by GM in multiplayer servers I began think fuck multiplayer in Neverwinter Nights 1.

BG1, BG2 and BG3 are all very good roleplaying games.

Well and then I played World of Warcraft MMO for over 3 years and that experience slaughtered the mediocre Neverwinter Nights multiplayer erperience. I played also Age of Conan MMO for over 6 months, and Neverwinter MMO based on Dnd 4th edtions for over one year and they all felt better then Neverwinter Nights multiplayer experience. Funny you mentioned trolls? I think the greatest trolls were the ultra hardcore roleplay GM in Neverwinter Nights 1.

Neverwinter Nights 1 was great in that regard you could play single play adventures created by other players though in that sense good.

I get in you want GM client and all that but I can not decide that and I have my serious doubts BG3 will have a GM client possible yes but Larian has so far not given any indication of that
It would be great add on if BG3 could get an adventure creator tool to create adventures, but Larian has so far not mentioned it with a word.

Hmm? No, just solid singleplayer campaign, please. I am highly unlikely to take advantage of any other “game modes” be it GM, or coop.

Well ok fine I understand what you want. However it would not hurt you if they create an adventure creator tool for BG3 not that I find it likely so far they have not mentioned that. You know you could play those player created adventures solo. Well and those who prefer multiplayer play them cooperative up to maximum 4 players.

I will post this post here and then answer that post with a new post down below it.

I would honestly have loved to have seen what they considered a faithful port of the ruleset.

Current status of the game is much better than it was since launch, but I had no idea what they mean by faithful. How much closer do they feel they can get to a truly faithful adaptation?

I don't think they are lying, I just think maybe its a matter of perception and maybe going "well this is hard to implement so we will leave it out for now"

Right where should I start?

Baldurs Gate 3.
+ In patch 5 they have fixed many issues no longer does food heal, but food used for resting. That is the tip of iceberg of fixes.
+ Character cretion visually wonderful and nice ok music.
+ fixed bugs.
+ Good mainstory.
+ Fixed balance issues Thief should not be S tier Eltie in Dnd. Now pushing opponents really require much strength and it is not easy as before. Backstabbing does not give anymore advantage rolls.
+ I can play this game with my brother and friends or solo run separately. It supports up to maximum 4 players cooperative play.
+ Well not in super early access in all places but now they have fixed the game more stable with patches and if you have good enough computer runs well on maximum graphics FULL HD for me (my monitor support maximum FULL HD resolution).
+ Good enough graphics AAA game. No it does not have Ray Tracing but that would then need super high system requirements for Ray tracing so whatever.
+ Fantastic music.
+ In patch 5 companions have now been fixed to bit less hostile attitude towards players.
+ Nice story driven movie like presentation.
+ You can play differntly example side with Goblins (Evil) or side with Thieflings regugees (good) or side with extreeme Druid view maybe in theory not sure about this one.
That is one example BG3 gives options.
+ Well I am more into Horror and Action (fight is Action in games) I laughed over a minute at the scene at Sawmill in BG3 when well... tried to help a Gnome but then hehee.
No and I did not take load after that eh mistake. Well and if you think of comedy multiplayer can also provide it.
+ Romance and love making to some degree. This is optional one does not need to this if not interested.
+ Interesting companions that look beautiful or handsome.
+ Challenge to some degree and now AI is better with new patch.
+ Already while so early Alpha it will at full release have more classes then Solasta.
+ Forgotten Realms world and full DnD 5th edition license.
+ Will have more DnD classes and races then Solasta at full release.
- While modding possible a bit unknown if one can create adventures.
- No day and night cycle.
- No adventure and/or dungeon creator and right now for me a bit hard to estimate how far is it to mod BG3.
- Camera control is not the best system out there.
My vote: 9/10

Solastsa:
+ Character creation you can roll stats or buypoint system. This gives opportunity to powergame.
+ In some regards more to Dnd rules.
+ Day and night cycle.
+ Decent main story. To bad I dont want to see the ugly doll characters when they try put it forward.
+ Dungeon creator players can create dungeons for other players to enjoy.
Neutral: Ok music but not impressive as in BG3.
Neutral the default settings were so ultra hardcore roleplay that I quicky disabled some things in the settings. In real pen and Paper when
I have played it has not been so ultra akward with somatic component and spellcasting when I have played or you simply can say it and it goes
fluidly.
Neutral: Badlands world and limited DnD 5th edition license.
- Ugly looking dolls. What is this? 15 year old graphics? The characters are ugly looking dolls. Their faces are same model regardless of what gender.
- Single player only and boring character never once have I had really heated argument among them despite all in my group do not share same alignment and views.
- Linear dungeon crawl.
- No matter what you do you can not affect main story. Factions? They give more like crafting or items but really does not affect much factions are
not in say open war with each other as example Goblins vs Thiefling Village in BG3.
- Boring talk and never have I laughed in Solasta so far.
- At some ares a bit unstable can crash to Windows.
- I tried again play Solasta today played 45 minutes until I got enough. My party is level 6 now on Monastery long gem quest.
- Riddles, riddles and riddles not my kind of fun.
- Confusing terrain sometimes.
- Find this and that.
- Bugs.
My vote: 7/10

It has been a long time since I gave reviews. What so I should give a shout to Solasta for being low budget game? Well for their budget well done, but BG3 is AAA game.

Although I admire Planescape, I don't think it is on the same scale of player agency with personal and regional choices and consequences like Fallout. I like Planescape system of truth/lie/changing alignment but it rarely has any consequence. In that sense, I think BG2 had more meaningful choices and consequences and more interesting companion interactions.

PST had more outcomes to the player's choices when it came to the main character, imo. In BG1 and BG2 there aren't any consequences to the choices you make in the main questline, and it doesn't matter what character you play. The only different outcomes are in the hell trials, and it still doesn't change how the events in ToB unfold. The yes/no question at the end of the saga is basically "which epilogue you want".

The end in Planescape is not much different, just little variations, nothing like Fallout, it doesn't matter if you are evil or good. Although your alignment changes in response on how you roleplay, it has minimal consequences. Also most of the choices you make have immediate self-limited consequences nothing far-reaching, just like most of BG2.

Sure, you can build characters based on intelligence or wisdom but the events unfold in the same way, meaning no extra gameplay or late consequences. The choice is to essentially skip a battle or not, and since combat there is very limited the difference between the 2 approaches are minimal. I honestly prefer to have choices that leads to new gameplay sections such as Bodhi vs Shadow Thieves.

In fact, PST is very rigid as well. If you kill Trias the first time you see him, you get that message that you've killed an important person to the game's plot and you have to reload.

Bah this Planescape fandom does not touch me. I was never intersted in Planescape games.

BG1 and BG2 are super classics. BG3 will be a classic. Solasta? Well not any classic material to me at best 7/10.

I'm 80 percent in agreement with @Terminator2020 's list. Solasta is linear, the world isn't as interesting as Faerun and, yes, BG3's graphics are gorgeous while Solasta's are passable.

But people are grading Solasta on a curve because it's a tiny, tiny studio operating without a full DnD license . They've produced an amazing prototype -- what could they do if they had Larian's writing team and a full license?

And even with a tiny studio that probably ran out of money before release:

a. the ruleset implementation is better
b. the movement mechanics are sooooo much better
c. the communication from the devs is better

There were some good improvements with Patch 5. I'm back to thinking Larian is listening. Eager to see what they do with reactions and ready actions.

But for all the improvement I still feel like I'm fighting the movement mechanic. I never feel like I'm control of where my toons show up.

I think you wrap it up nicely. That said, grid based movement in Solasta is rather awkward, and vertical movement, especially flying could use additional funtionality. Party control interface, however, is adequate. Unlike BG3.

Incidentally I agree with both statements.
Solasta grid-based movement IS rather awkward (it feels almost like playing a first-person "blobber" with isometric camera) and it's far from being my golden standard for the genre.... So it's quite telling (and somewhat hilarious) that I STILL think it manages to feel better than the Larina chain system most of the times.