Since this topic is already a 90 page shitstorm let's add a bit more to it. I think 5 member party size is the optimum. Prove me wrong over the next 90 pages. Have fun!
Um, when it comes to opinions, it's your job to prove yourself right, not someone else's job to prove you wrong.
Just kidding obviously. Never understood why some people on the forum are so determined 6 people in party is a determining factor for anything. I've read pages and pages of people trying to prove their point about it. The only one that actually makes sense is party compositions might be a tad more intereseting with 6 characters since you have more classes to mix together. But ...that's it. Everything else is really a matter of taste.
Is it? Maybe you missed ALL the reasons I've given previously as to why Party of 6 makes more sense for this game. It isn't just a matter of taste.
What about:
1. Party of 6 allows for Party of 4 actual Players in multiplayer mode and 2 origin characters, thus allowing people to play together and still have a couple of character slots so you can do origin character story missions/quests and so forth - allowing for origin character dialogues and so forth with a full party of 4 players. 2. Party of 6 allows for more party dialogues. I did the party of 6 mod where you tweak the max party size number. I hate mods, but I made an exception because I cared about this one so much. Turns out, your characters have a lot more dialogues and seem more like a cohesive party and unit when you have 1 Custom Character and the 5 origin characters all traveling together in one party at one time. Yes, they actually talk more when you have all of them together. 3. Party of 6 allows for less frustration in tougher combats. For example, if a duergar shoves Lae'zel 30+ feet into lava for a 1-Hit KO, you still have 5 other party members, meaning you aren't quite as hindered in the fight as you would be with only 3. Instead of losing 1/4th of your team in just one stupid move, you only lose 1/6th. Still a sucky thing, but you can live with it. 4. You can carry more with a party of 6, meaning you don't have to manage items as much, constantly shifting things around or sending one item at a time to camp because you just can't pick up that beloved spoon you spotted in the treasure chest in the basement of the toll house. When I was traveling with the party of 6, I could easily spread out the items and keep going without having to stop and manage them so much. (This one wasn't as big a deal for me, but it was still something.) 5. Party of 6 makes it so you don't have to constantly return to camp and switch out party members when wanting to do an origin character side quest like Lae'zel and Zorru or Wyll and Spike. You can keep all the current origin characters with you all the time and not have to worry about constantly switching them out. 6. It makes more sense that if you are going to go face a squad of gith who have a dragon, that you might bring everyone you have with you for the fight. Makes no sense to be "full up" with a party of 4 and then go to face some super tough enemies one-on-one. If I'm going to enter a phase spider matriarch's lair or face a horde of goblins, I might want to bring a bigger party. 7. Combat would be actually more balanced with a 5e ruleset if they implemented party of 6 instead of party of 4. EVERY combat currently is a Deadly encounter if they were to actually implement 5e rules and stats for monsters. 3 Imps against 2 Level 1 characters is insane. 3 Imps against 5 level 1 characters (4 custom and Lae'zel and/or Shadowheart) is not so insane. Same with 3 intellect devourers. Same with skeleton magic users. Same with actual bandits/mercenaries. Same with gnolls on the road. Same with 4 githyanki. Same with phase spiders.
I could go on and on and on and on, as I have in this thread, but I think that should be enough to show that it's more than taste. There are a LOT of gameplay elements that are currently hindered by a party size of 4. Again, party of 4 limits people who want a party of 6 while party of 6 does not hinder a party of 4.
So why?
1)You're missing the point of origin characters here.And you talk about 2 different subjects. 1.a)To some extent I agree, don't get me wrong. It's cool to have the impression your party is " living it's own life" despite following your "left clicks". But you don't have to have 6 characters to achieve this effect. You just need at least 2 origin characters. What if you have 4 of them? In the same party? Because yes, they are playable.
1.b)If you have 4 players in the same team everyone can still play as one of the origins characters and have his " side quests" as your own missions to follow. And that's the entire idea behind origin characters to begin with. Everyone can be a hero of their own story. From Larian perspective they are making as many games as they are making origin characters.
This option is not available in EA of BG3 so far( or at least it wasn't when I played the game last time) but it did make some quite interesting scenarios in DOS:2 multiplayer(Origin characters missions if played by the player could be played out entirely differently than if the character was a companion.Some quests were requiring certain origin characters to murder an NPC a different origin character had to protect). Their in-party dialogues would still activate even if players are using them as main characters. Players will be the ones making those dialogues happen once trigerred (assumably randomly) by in game scripts.
Only issue was you could take 4 origins characters with you. Others would die at act 1 so that would lead to a set of limitations when it comes to origin characters stories(Not like their story would lead to their death or something since you can't really replace them). But that's last bit is off topic.
2) I won't argue here. Didn't try the mod but yeah seems logical if you have more characters they talk more. That aspect would make it more interesting in solo/ duo. From 3+ players you can probably come back to #1.
3) Linking game difficulty or balance to the number of available characters is a bit silly. You balance the game around the max amount of characters not the other way around.
4) I'm tempted to dismiss this as a balance issue[More items = more money]. But it could be a valid argument for more QoL when it comes to item management. Either easier transfer of items to camp or ....backpacks.
5)Oh don't worry about switching them all out, they will most likely all die apart from the ones in your current active party. So you will never complete their side quest until your next playthrough. Just an assumption based on Dos:2 origin characters fate. Sven said " at the end of ACT 1 players will have to commit when it comes to their companions". Whatever that means.
6) Makes sense to some extent. Bigger fights could use a "highlight" in the form of more allies following you for a particular fight. It can be done on " case by case" basis though, doesn't require a 6 man party. Like...if story wise it's justified to " bring as many people as we can" then....why only bring 2 more guys? Why not every one?
7)Again, I completed the game on release while sleeping 3 times max for the most part. The hag+the patrol kinda bit the living shit out of me. Started sleeping a bit more often in the underdark. Cleric OP. Phase spiders -> Tough but cleric rolls over them head first.
After me you want 6 characters party and because of that fact alone you start seeing some things as they were unconditionally supporting this idea. But they really aren't. I'm not advocating AGAINST it. I'm just stating all arguments used above can be used to say the exact opposite with ease.
6 characters cause more party banter so more immersion, more classes,so it's kinda cool and Larian please give us the option to make it happen and pls balance the game for it ?Or at least make a difficulty level that kinda balances out the possibility of having 3 barbarians ( god forbid backed by a cleric+sorc+ thief covering the sorc?). It won't be perfect but at least we can play the way we want? Yeah sure. But don't try to prove there's more than this to it cause there really isn't.
There are a few issues mentioned in this thread or even in your last post that are far from ignorable but 6 man party isn't a solution to it. It's a seperate subject. A seperate request. Not an ultimate truth.
Alt+ left click in the inventory on an item while the camp stash is opened transfers the item there. Make it a reality.
