Btw, this is a very valid set of questions, OP. I also have been wondering about this. If BG3 is a legitimate third installment of the BG video games franchise, why are we not seeing much, if any, discussion in this forum of those older games?
If I was being harsh, I'd suggest that is because Larian are appealing mostly to a different demographic with their rendition. Quite a few posters here have alluded to their love of the previous games but I have also noted several who have never played them (I do seem to recall a few studio workers in Panel from Hell saying they had never played the previous games too.). I'd also imagine a fair proportion of people posting across various forums are fans of Larian's previous work or just attracted by the cinematics, as well as the obligatory D&D fans looking for a CRPG experience. So for many people the previous games would be of little interest I guess.
I've certainly seen plenty of posts highlighting issues/mechanics such as Drath's above and I agree with every single one of those points. I don't really know what more can be said in that respect; they wold add immeasurably to immersion and the user experience but bringing them up sort of feels like having a conversation with a wall because we have no idea what Larian thinks about them. Some might say, 'not very much' because they were never implemented from the outset so they must have considered them obsolete.
I still play the original games from time to time though overfamiliarity can slightly taint the experience because nothing can quite match the sheer joy I had playing them the first few times.
You never forget your first time, as they say.
