So let me make clear, I do not reply as a mod on this but as an old school gamer that has been doing computer gaming longer than a lot of you have been alive.
Oh I can completely respect that Zentu! I'm 53, been my way around all the Infocom titles such as ZORK on my Commodore 64, 128 and Amiga. Add to that any D&D title you can think of that came after, the TSR/SSI Gold Box titles like Pool of Radiance, Dark Queen of Krynn, Curse of Asure Bonds etc, Dungeon Master, Sierra titles like King's Quest, Eye of the Beholder... you get the idea Im certain!
PUG gaming sucks for RPGs and always has. The concept of PUG gaming is awesome, you can meet new people and develop new friendships. The reality however seldom lives up to the potential. You usually end up with people that have a different playstyle or even just do not care beyond saying they are playing. The strength, IMO, of an RPG is the story and PUGs tend to not do well in story promotion during game play.
I am not saying that a PG group is always bad, there are always exceptions that prove the rule. However designing an RPG around the concept of PUG play is already done, it is called an MMO. The BG series and MOST CRPGs have been designed over the years with single player being the primary focus and then the addition of Co-op play added after. As for better multiplayer features, for sure they can, and I would love to see, be added. Easier character integration and item transfers. (Would work great for solo as well)
Most people I spoke to in the years leading up to launch was that they were hoping for a Baldurs Gate 2 experience with a MODERN multiplayer capabilities! This is where the ball really got dropped by Larian. I recognized the signs well before launch on that this game might be trouble as Larian UNDERESTIMATED or possibly even ignored the desires of a D&D online gaming community was yearning for an authentic D&D feel.
I would love to see a GM tool and other tools added to let players run their own campaigns within the system. Thought I doubt WoC will allow that considering they want you to use their system.
Then the game promotion for multiplayer mode should have been scrapped. With the money this game costs, I expected Larian to go all out and was let down as many more saw it the same way [/quote]
I said that I do not think Multiplayer is dead ...
With all due respect Zentu, dead assumes that multiplayer was alive in the first place. Most guilds have passed on this game. The playerbase has spoken. Some changes are being made and I completely respect that.
I am part of about 20 gaming guilds over various games, have run a number of them over the years. I am part of 4 fantasy guilds that all have active BG3 groups running. Sure we want to see more features but we understand that the launch of the game was not focused on the mini MMO scope and are okay with that. Our hope is it will be added later.
Very cool. We were also aware that they had to nail the single player mode, but man did they screw up MP. Badly.
Finally there seems to be a misconception, the mods on this forum do not work for Larian. We are volunteers that give up some of our free time to police bad behavior and spent a lot of time trying to kill off the spam attacks on the forums. However we are also gamers. I have a few hundred hours in BG3 and play it a lot more than I should. I have been vocal about things in the game I think Larian screwed up and will continue to be.
Yeah, this comment here gets my full respect. I was a volunteer mod for Cryptic / Neverwinter. Its a thankless job we do/did do out of love for the game and gaming community and the hope that the devs made a great game. Hell maybe even enjoy the backend and swing some rare swag in appreciation for time spent on the forums making it a better friendlier place!
