Originally Posted by RagnarokCzD
I honestly dont know what is so wrong about chain system ...
Sure, that's an easy one.

Games which make you control group of characters have tools that allow you to specify to what you want your characters to do. In short:
There is no way in Baldur's Gate3 to command multiple characters at once. That's is a horrific design for a game about commanding a group of characters.

Managing the party with chain system is tedius and unreliable. It only works (well somewhat, if companion AI won't get lost) if all you try to do is move entire party together. But try anything more sophisticated: like split them into two groups or have everyone set up in certain position where problems become clear. In traditional system, picking up couple individuals from the group and having them do something is quick and easy. An example of a very basic order:

You want to split your party, have melee fighters on the ground and archer spellcaster high top:

In the old system you shift click archer and mage and press the location you want them to go to. Then you can do the same, or what will be quicker box select remaining party members and give them their orders. That will literally be done in couple seconds. Want to reposition any of those two groups? Just select desired party member and tell them where to go - you can do this right after you have given first order - the unaffected party will continue the order, while the one you selected will go to a new specified place.

Chain system:

Use ungroup all. Drag portraits around and hope the chain will stick. Pick one in the group and tell them where to go. Group the other two and do the same. Doing just that will likely take more time then all of the above. Want to do anything more specific - either take them all one by one, or you need to wait until the first order is complete (doing anything will cancel whatever order was given) when seperate the two and then give a new order to the one you want to move. Esencially chaining is an extra step you have to do, that you don't have to do in the old system. And of course, in all that you pray that AI won't get confused, the folower won't go through the vision cone, or trap or hazard and force a reload. That can get improved with AI, but again it's all unnecessary complication, that wouldn't be needed if players had precise control over character's movement.

And that is a very basic example.

So Larian added chain/unchain all, stealth and unstealth all, which are great tools to have, but are far from matching an ability to command multiple characters. A traditional system works like that: you can select multiple characters and if there is skill they can all do you can order them all to do it. Larian would need to add a seperate button for each possible action and situation to match the same funcionality.

If you are new to those types of games, believe that is a big step back from what such titles tend to offer.

Here is an example. Imagine trying to do that with chaining system.



And you might say: well, that's real-time game, it's different. And yes you are right, but at the same time chaining doesn't add ANYTHING to the table, and takes away a lot. It is flatout a worse control system.

Last edited by Wormerine; 10/03/22 07:31 PM.