Still underlying problem which could potentially change (allowing a worm to eat your brain just sounds like a bad idea) still IMO exists in 1.0. Removing pushback to using tadpole powers have no impact on me as:
1) game is easy enough to break that I don’t need those powers
2) it just sounds like an awful idea for any character, unless that individual is into getting his brain eaten by worms.
IIRC, wasn't the concept of "Failing is Fun" an important design element in EA, ala Disco Elysium, or atleast trying to take that concept of DE's Failing fowards and implementing it here?
So if that was the case, I can kinda see what they were trying to do; Offer an interesting, varied playthrough based on your passed and failed rolls, along with different narrative routes like taking the easy way via tadpole powers or the harder way via skill checks.
Equally, for combat, if the game didn't crater in difficulty past EA, maybe you would need to dip into the powers to win, or provide more fights like the Gnoll fight.
Although for both cases, "save-reloading" exists.
As such, that concept didn't work because it was either too hard to pull off, feedback showed that most people prefered to "save-scum" instead of taking the loss or that narrative consequences that can lead to your character's death isn't satisfying for most people.
You might argue they changed their design based on feedback, I would argue encouraging players to use the tadpole was always the goal and you misread their intention.
To me, giving a tadpole a harsh consequence would go so much against design of BG3 as a whole. It's all about giving you as many options as possible at each given moment, and cares less about the consequences.
Then why design a ring that completely shut-off Illithid powers (Omeluum's ring in EA).
Also, wasn't the "Down by the River" motiff meant to revolve around a possible ending with your death and transformation while your dreaming with Daisy "Down by the river"?
As such, it does seem like the consequence free design is one that was due to player feedback.
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I'd very much like more data to work with. Such as an aforementioned Larian title that DOESN'T use this EA system
Well, I guess you have Divinity: Dragon Commander as their last non-EA game thats fairly recent.
