BG + BG2 were cool relative to their time and age. I loved them, too, but they are not state of the art anymore.

Technology and game design have evolved since then, this also includes (of course) the things developers can do when implementing game mechanics.

I have played BG2 for a while again during the last few days - and I honestly have to say: the magic is gone. BG2 feels clunky, unpolished, unwelcoming - but this is seen from the perspective of a post D:OS2-gamer, of course.

What I'm trying to say: being stuck in the past and wanting things to stay the same forever doesn't work. I see BG3, since we have good dice rolling (weighted dice, ability to improve dice roll outcomes) which enables player agency instead of having your story dictated by RNG, as it was at the start of EA, as a culmination, or a "best of", between D&D and the advances video game science and technology have made since BG2 came out.

And no, neither Solasta nor WotR are really good comparisons, both are, in comparison with BG3 even as it is now in EA, very "unpolished", with Solasta feeling more like a "tabletop simulator" instead of an actual, deep, AAA-level computer game.

Yes, both are really good games, but they are not even in the same ballpark, production-value and game-design wise, as BG3.

And also, yes, I agree that BG3 is not unsimilar to D:OS2 - but in my most honest opinion this is a good thing. D:OS2 is still one of the best video game RPGs that were ever produced. Modern and still a somewhat "old school" RPG.

Honestly, D&D rules are good as a guideline and general idea, but they don't make a AAA level video game. It's just too bland when playing alone, much more spice is needed, which Larian adds by utilizing the virtues already implemented in D:OS2 and then some.

Also, coming back to D:OS2 once again: this game was groundbreaking. In my opinion D:OS2 actually reshaped the meaning of the term "CRPG", because it really brought together the best of both worlds: CRPG gameplay on one hand, the possibilities of video games in the 21st century on the other hand. It is a game that welcomes even people who are usually put off by the stoutness of what "CRPG" meant in the past, which is also a good thing. Still it's not "toned down" or "dumbed down", quite the opposite. It just leaves out the artificial elitism which only serves as a "gatekeeper".

Last edited by Firesong; 09/10/21 10:05 AM.
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