Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Baldur's Gate 4

First of all this is not going to happen because WotC itself is not going to want this. They have very ambitious plans to release at least two D&D-based video games per year, and you cannot do that with just one studio making those games. That's why right now they have at least four different studios working on D&D games.

Secondly, as a fan of D&D games, I would NOT want just one studio working on D&D games because then I am stuck with whatever is the game vision of that one studio. And if that vision is not my vision, then I am screwed. Using Larian as an example, if Larian is the only studio making D&D games, then I will never get a RTwP D&D game. And that would be outrageously unacceptable to me.

Yeah, absolutely.

I have my issues, especially with D:OS2, but I do think they are absolutely worth developing further. I just don't think D:OS and DnD systems mix well.

OK, so the optimal future would be:
- WotC buys the Solasta devs and they make the next official DnD game with a much bigger budged.
- Larian makes DOS4 (bacause most people consider BG3 to be DOS3). It will be set in Rivallon. The story could be anything, they don´t care if it contradicts existing games.

spoiler alarm:
- The game will start with you being stranded on a beach after your ship broke.
- You can chose between several origin chars. All of them will be super special, even more than ever before. Like one of them combines all stuff from BG3, so one origin char is the child of a demon lord, is a vampire and he/she also had an affair with a diety and you just just escaped the lair of an evil mage who made you also a werewolf. And thats just one char and the others are even stranger.
- They lerned from BG3. Now shove and throw will be added to barrelmancy and necrofire everywhere.
- Dating all companions is not just an achievement. It is required to continue.
- The 4th wall breaks completely and companions/NPC will make constant jokes about video game characters.
- You will still not be able to make a full custom party without using some tricks.

I sincerely hope not. I want Tactical Adventures to remain as independent for as long as possible. They've already made a great (if terrible graphically and dialogue-wise, but almost so terrible it wraps around to being good) D&D game and its success + a future kickstarter should suffice to allow them to create a vastly improved sequel. Especially since they now have an engine and a vast amount of homebrew they can easily iterate on. Being bought by WotC would probably impose more restrictions than is worth it imo, and inevitably lead to the fate of all indie devs who are bought up by a big-name producer.

Honestly, I'm not even sure I want TA to acquire the full 5e license. At this point they've essentially created a full 5e system already in Solasta, just using the basic rules, and come up with some good--if unbalanced--content as a result of being forced to innovate. I suppose getting the license would allow them to use the official D&D logo and bring in customers through that association, as well as allowing players to recreate their tabletop characters, but is it worth it? (Idk if they'd have to pay for the license or WotC would essentially pay them to commission a D&D game...)

I am also happy that different companies are creating different types of games! That way different people can get games they like.😊 For me BG3 is one of my favorite games, and I am not interested in Solasta.

Aside:
Game franchises starting the same way is hardly new. So Larian games have you starting on a beach after a disaster lately. Ok... Every Elder Scrolls game has the protagonist starting out as a prisoner being released in some fashion (except Daggerfall). Now, I will say the similarities between BG3 and DOS2 openings are incredible:

Ship crashes on beach
Meet multiple companions on ship, choose to save them or not
Companions all introduced with same vignettes before deciding to join your party for Macguffin reasons
The ship is infested with a tentacled monster
You (and all of your companions) have something on/in you that inhibits your awesome powers
You are a prisoner of the apparent Main Antagonist or its lackeys
The tutorial is your escape
Some companion vignettes are recycled from DOS2 (Looking at the fucking entirety of Astarion)

Icelyn I don't always agree with your posts but they always bring a smile to my face. You are wonderfully consistent in wanting and advocating for choice, more choice, and extra choice on top of the choice when possible.

This is meant as a compliment in the most sincerest way.

(sincere way?) sincerest doesn't sound right.

😊

It could be cool if there was a franchise that had a new game by a different studio every 5-10 years. Like a "collaborative" franchise spanning multiple developers.
Bioware: Game 1
Obsidian: Game 2
Larian: Game 3
Owlcat: Game 4
etc...

I feel like they tried that with the new Star Wars movies and...uhhhh...those didn't turn out great.

I'd rather that a single studio stick with their franchise, expanding on their original designs/motivations/concepts in future games. And other studios create other franchises. This way, if the original game is good, the sequels are more likely to be of similar (or better) quality. And if the original game wasn't good, well then I probably wouldn't play the sequel by the other studio anyway...

(BG1&2 -> BG3 is not a good example of your suggestion, given the 20 year gap and the multiple changes of D&D editions)

Sounds like a geat way to piss off everyone.

I mean ... every studio wants to leave their own mark, every developer have some own vision ...
Its like directors for movies .... you know and like Tarantino, you know what to expect from his next piece ... now imagine Taika Waititi would be doing Pulp Fiction 2

I just finished the game and would like to give my fresh opinion.

-Would you want BG4 to have a save import feature from BG3, like the original Baldur's Gate games? How much of BG4 would you want to be dependent on your decisions in BG3?
Personally, I would like that very much. The mayor's past decisions should matter, and I hope to meet my BG 3 characters in BG 4. Even shortly

-What features that didn't make it into BG3 would you MOST want in BG4 that Larian could FEASIBLY implement?
I would like my own created character to be able to talk chosen dialog lines. I understand it takes a lot of effort, but that would be awesome. Now almost mute character gave me vibes from the first Dragon Age game (which is a great game).

-What features in BG3 that are necessary for that particular game would you want removed for BG4?
I hope inventory maintenance will be somehow easier to do. I played PS5 and it was (as you can imagine) a time-consuming and boring thing to do, but necessary.

-What is your dream feature or addition to BG4 that didn't make it in BG3?
After something major happened I always took a "comment tour" and talked to every companion. Most of the time all of them had a comment about the situation, but not always. I'm not sure if there is a bug (PS5 version still has a lot of them).
Also, I like to have sarcastic dialog options. In my play through I sometimes selected the dialog option which was "tactical" because I tried to avoid instant combat (I like to explore a little first and get a top of the situation) and some of my companions disapproved of my choices and I didn't have a opportunity to explain myself. I hope you get what I mean

-What parts of BG3 are so good that they MUST be included in a potential BG4?
I liked the cutscenes, original characters, and morally hard decision-making. Also wide range of romantic options was an awesome thing! And I hope the next game has at least that wide options.

-Any other thoughts on BG4, especially as we get closer to BG3's release?
Dragonborns. I was confused because I hadn't met any of them before Act 3. I hope the next game gives that race more "screentime" and the Dragonborn companion would be an incredible thing to have!

I wonder if AI , like ChatGTP could give something extra to the campsite conversations.
What could AI chat and texst-to-image rendering do to games like this in 5-10 years ?

Yep. Even now, too.

We already know that Larians next project will be science fiction and I might have missed it, but I didnt hear anything of them extending their team so they could do multiple projects at the same time.



... we wait another 6 years total ...



If the game starts at level 12, and can be the same character (for example needs to be the same time frame), why not.

Ideally probably a BG4 with levels 12-20, and a BG5 with level 20-x, with x being 30 or 40 or 50 or whatever.

If we start at level 1 again, then no.



Well, if nothing else - Mindflayer powers, obviously.

And the forced flag that everyone (but Drow) is from Baldur's Gate.



Ideal would of course be if we could actually travel the whole of Faerun.

Alternative idea, if you could travel beyond Faerun. Especially once you cross level 20.

By the way it was really weird that you couldnt revisit Baldur's Gate in BG2. And in Throne of Bhaal it got even more crowded.

BG4 for level 12-20 would be AMAZING, continue the story with Jergal and pissed off "the dead three"(they wouldn't let that humiliation slide...) + Githyanki revolution + illithids wanting to capitalize on Githyanki turmoil (Vincke, hire me! Obviously these my plot ideas are better than anything your writers ever came up with, and I spent a whole second thinking about it!)

I'd love Neverwinter Nights 3 and Icewind Dale 3 as well...

I feel bad for the Insurance actuaries for these cities - I mean everything seems to go wrong in Neverwinter and Baldur's Gate - who would want to live there?

Maybe you get the people who are like "surely, nothing else terrible could happen...right?"

It's like the people who figured out that the best time to go on vacation to a place is right after a terrorist attack, because everything is super cheap and security is really good.

Without reading a single damn thing aside from the title, I'll just say "Yes, please."

D&D Based is ok, but maybe lI'll call it with a New Brand Name and:

0) FIRST: QUALITY WITHOUT COMPROMISE! No commercial games.
1) Level 20.
2) Improved Inventory.
3) Free positioning for the party.
4) RTWP in addition to turn based.
5) A lot of DLC.
6) Arena Multiplayer Mode.
7) DM Toolset like Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2.
8) Dungeon Master Mode.
9) All the best graphics tech.
10) A new campaign setting, like Eberron, Ravenloft, Kara Tur.
11) UI improvement, autopauses like all the cRPG, customizable bags....
12) Abandon all common and shared heritage from Divinity Original Sin.
13) Day and Night cycle.
14) More companions.
15) Multi language voice dialogs, why not crowdfunded.
16) Great MOD Support.
17) Optional Isometric view with fully customizable zoom in, out etc....
18) A WORLD BUILDER!
19) Myth Level.
20) Then Baldur's Gate MMORPG.

Well first I'd extend the lifespan of the human I'm controlling to 120 years, the maximum possible for human beings, so I have time to create a gaming industry empire.

Then I'd slowly expand the company, working on more and more projects in parallel.

Each project of course should be cared for with the same care as for Baldurs Gate 3, creating the best quality game possible, and carefully sticking to what gamers love of the genre in question.

It would be various genres - fantasy, science fiction, horror, steampunk, cyberpunk, etc.

And it would be more and more types of games, too. Like, at some point I'd make a fantasy MMORPG. A battle royale. A space exploration game. A vampire themed game (I'd probably stay away from zombies). Etc.

Finally I'd make a foundation, compareable to the Zeiss foundation, and let the company be effectively run by workers, just like Zeiss is.

I'd very much like another D&D game from Larian, but I'd rather it weren't a continuation of BG3, but a new story with a level 1 PC. As for calling it BG4, I'd don't much care, assuming that the story focuses on the city of Baldur's Gate. If it doesn't, obviously another title would be more appropriate.