I am not in total agreement here. Yes, work needs to be done on Bg3, especially ACT 3 and the Multiplayer system, as well as Modding tools. However, the bones of the game are very strong, and - unlike Starfield - I can see, feel and hear the work that was put into Bg3. I am confident that within 6 months to a year we will have a more polished game with additional features at no cost.
I'm not. And the reason is simply: Regardless of the amount of extra work put into the DE of DOS:2, they never really managed to make the back half of that game feel good.
DOS2 had a fundamental problem with the "class system" that was essentially unfixable which made the game less fun the higher your level. This has been endlessly covered and Larian knows its was an issue. I expect if they do go back to Divinity they will revisit this system and re-build it from the ground up so you are not replacing all your gear every level and so changing classes can't just be done by wearing different clothes.
They tried a few band aids but there was just no fix - as the bone structure of the game was flawed.
In my view both Bethesda and Larian have the same issue. They both suffer from the same thing. There is no real fundamental difference between them that makes one company good at making games and another bad at making games (because I don't buy that premise to begin with.) The simple fundamental answer for why *no game* seems to be able to release in a complete state is this: We *do not have institutions capable of creating games that want to be as ambitious as Starfield or BG3 on release.* They simply *do not exist.* The cost and challenge of making games this complex has simply not been mastered *by anyone*.
Hard disagree.
1) Bethesda doesn't listen to player feedback at all and it shows - Larian has shown multiple documented instances of doing just that.
2) Larian and Bethesda have totally different marketing approaches - (Larian spent way less but was much more effective - it's actually a fascinating study of what good marketing looks like.) - Bethesda is going for a full brute-force approach, dominate every platform and control the message - very expensive, doesn't work that well because social media dominance is weak and outdated as a marketing approach.
3) Larian's game isn't complete, but it's amazing. Starfield is a complete game, it's just bad.
4) Bethesda is relying on modders to improve the game. Larian modders are adding additional content to the extent they currently can.
5) Larian has a very consistent and clear philosophy that is informed by a history and love of gaming - with a dude (Swen)that walks around in plate armor, he is a nerd. Todd Howard is like the most milquetoast, vanilla dude, possibly the unholy union of Ron Howard and a glass of Plain Milk (kidding) - but he is very much a Sales Guy Happy Dude.
6) Bethesda is VERY corporate with a LOT of hierarchies and are answerable to the market. Larian has a far more horizontal structure and is the company is primarily held by Swen and his Wife, and are not answerable to wall street.
7) Bethesda never fixes bugs. They leave it to the community to do it. Larian has a great track record of squashing bugs, even years after the game has come out.
Nobody has a good roadmap for creating games like this. So companies frequently stumble on release and find themselves patching things in as the game goes along. It's why the best purchasing strategy may be to evaluate a game 6 months to a year after its initial release. By then, you can probably better evaluate its potential. For better or worse, some projects are so ambitious that the first year of release essentially acts as an extended EA period for them. Of course companies don't like my conclusion, because they would rather tons of people buy the game when it drops for the hype.
Outside of Larian, Fromsoftware killed it with Elden Ring, and the last 5 -6 games they made. They have a solid process that results in works of genius.
What this hyperbole tells me is that you are angry about the state of BG3, and I don't blame you. it's frustrating to run into bugs, and incomplete stuff, and systems that are a bit broken surrounded by incredible VA, story, and character development.
However, everything wrong with Bg3 is ultimately fixable given time. You can't fix the core problems of Starfield with mods and Bethesda sure as shit isn't going to do it.
