Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Suggestions & Feedback How does one capture the essence of the original Baldur's Gate? An honest opinion from longtime fan.

DAO was fucking great though wasn't it! It was not my first gaming love by a long mile, but I still hear the music in my head on random occassions, like washing my hair in the shower or cooking dinner hehe.

Baldur's Gate was like the last summer after highscool ended for me, and it hits some very potent nostalgia chords for that. IWD was in the dorms and intermitent. BG2 was the first apartment flying solo (but with like 3 other roommates.) I don't think I even slept in a bed that summer, basically just the futon or the Five Flagons Inn lol. I have equally fond memories of NWN. But my first true love in CRPG land was Might and Magic. III, IV and V to be specific, solidly my elementary era with B drives and hella floppy disks lol. The gameplay was basically identical across all 3, like frame by frame POV. Doesn't seem like much these days, but that three headed fountain is etched in my brain forever. When the clouds of Xeen and Darkside hit, I think I was like 13 and I had that double map for years and years. I played the gold box SSI games too and Ultima, Warcraft and Diablo, probably everything that ever was on Nintendo too, but when Baldur's Gate hit it just instantly siezed the throne.

BG1/2 was a genre masterwork. Like Civ or MOO in X4, Doom or Goldeneye in FPS. Shogun in Grande Strat. RE and SH2 in survival horror. The Super Mario Bros of Dungeons and Dragons basically, some big shoes to fill hehe.

I think the spirit of the Baldur's Gate can be summarized in one phrase for me: "Import/Export"

BG was the first game I ever played that just took that idea fully to the next level. I spent so much time scouring for portraits and drawing my own, trying to record stuff from old movies for the custom voices, making sure my pair of colors was perfect hehe. It was just genius in that way. It invited the player to be like one of the artists or designers on the team, and that was just rad. When NWN came out I sank a good 5 years into that one as well, and had assembled maybe 2500 portraits by the time all was said and done. I also spent a lot more time in the toolset, or with the dm client and building PWs then I ever did as a player there. Sadly it just didn't grab me in the same way on the tactical gameplay and full party angle the way BG did, but it certainly had it's run.

To me the custom character will always be the secret spice that made Baldur's Gate what it was. I want BG3 to deliver on that too, which is why it drives me half insane sometimes hehe. I had really hoped that each patch would showcase the Character creator getting more and more elaborate. I get sad every time I load up a new patch and see the same 4 voice sets, same heads, same dress and colors, same companions in a party of 4. I want the grand sweep and to see the full promise realized, but it's not there yet. Hopefully they get there some day!

Meantime though, Happy Thanksgiving!