There are many mechanics that were established by BG and is standard for CRPGs that Larian chose to not implement.
Like what? I genuinely can't think of any, besides real time combat. Again i never finished BG2, it felt too clunky to play when i tried and i dropped it.
A day/night cycle, for one. It's not glaringly absent right now because the only hub is the grove and the rest is wilderness, but i wonder how Baldur's Gate will turn out without it. Can't think of many games that did cities well, or indeed just did cities, without passage of time. It just makes them feel more alive all around.
