I actually had my jaw dropped for a minute straight while watching the teaser, literally, not because it´s a good teaser trailer, which it is, but because my current favorite game developer, and...
Exemplary
I actually had my jaw dropped for a minute straight while watching the teaser, literally, not because it´s a good teaser trailer, which it is, but because my current favorite game developer, and only candidate in my opinion for this project, is creating what could be the next big RPG.
There are many reasons as to why i really like Larian Studios, and if i remember correctly i have praised them here on Tildes before. In a world where the game industry is taking so many wrong paths catering to the fundamental economic systems in place currently around the globe(both within the game industry or not), and letting product quality take hit after hit because of it, Larian Studios has been a breath of fresh air into the market. They have been showing us that you can actually compete with the big boys like EA and other giants within the gaming industry as a indie developer without having to cave in and implement the many types of cash grab systems that are close to standard these days, with Divinity Original Sin 2 being both regarded as the best RPG in a very long time, but also being game of the year when it released in 2017, being the first CRPG game of the year in who knows how long, probably 15 years or so?
The CRPG, or rather computer role playing game genre have been struggling in later years on the main stream market, and Larian has been on the front line in revitalizing it. Not alone of course, but i would say they have been the cutting edge for a few reasons.
The CRPG genre is one of the oldest digital game genres there is, and one built around many rules adapted from table top RPG´s, because of this the games have been very similar(not necessarily a bad thing) with few ground breaking design choices over the years, or at least that´s my understanding. With the release of DOS1 back in 2014 Larian added new ideas without it hurting or disrespecting the genre and it´s community, rather the opposite. I have a very limited experience with tabletop rpg games, but what seems to be the appeal, at least for me, is it´s stimulation of our creativity. That when facing a problem or a certain enemy, common reason and some creativity usually works, creating this very open sandbox world where only your imagination is the real obstacle.
One way Larian made this possible in DOS1(and DOS2) is how materials and elements reacts with each other, creating new path ways to tackle a quest for example, or turn a fight around. I remember one of the first times i encountered this, mild spoilers ahead. When you first arrive in Cyseal, a port town in southern Rivellon as a source hunter, a hunter that targets magic and its users, you are supposed to solve a murder, and part of the quest is gathering clues and information. At some point i wanted to get into an individuals house, but the door was locked and the person who lives there is no where to be found. I check the door and realize that the lock is to hard to pick for my rogue/thief character, by a mile. This is usually when you give up and turn around thinking you could come back later when your thief is better at lock picking, or found the key, right? That´s when i noticed the door was made of wood, and i do have a couple of fireball scrolls in my bags, worth a shot i guess. And sure enough, after a couple of fireballs the door is on fire, and it´s hp is going down, letting me get inside. This made me experiment even more and realized that axes are the best option to cut down wooden doors, duuh:D, but it also hurts your weapon of choice, so i decided to bring a hatchet with me at all times as a tool rather then a weapon. Later i realized that the hatchet was going to be handy when crafting as well, i wont go into the crafting system, it deserves it's own thread, but the same philosophy applies, if it makes sense, it probably works, keeping the creativity and sandbox elements in place even there.
Like i said, it also affects how you deal with enemies, where you often get rewarded for thinking a bit outside of the box. I also remember my early on experience with this very fondly, and how rewarding it was. A good example would be the rain spell and it´s many uses, in and outside of combat. If you cast rain, everyone gets wet, and puddles of water is created on the ground, great. I just spent an action point making everyone a bit annoyed and craving umbrellas and boots? Nope, you just created a mine field for your opponents. As a couple of the enemies started to move towards me, ending up standing in the puddles i created i used a lightning spell on the water effectively stunning both since the water was connected between them. Another option would be to use a frost spell and freeze the puddles, creating a slippery surface that my enemies might slip on. Yet another possibility would be to use fire on those puddles, creating steam that the ranged enemies cannot see through, forcing the A.I to spend action points repositioning for a shot.
Mild spoilers ended
Creating a game where almost anything within its systems is possible through imagination, without breaking the game, must be a very hard thing to tackle, but also necessary if you want to create a "real RPG".
Since Larian mentioned that they are working on completely new things never seen before in CRPG´s with this title it makes me very curious. Larian is a developer that have the guts to push the boundaries and not be micro managed from above to make more money on safer design choices. We need more developers like these so that games keeps evolving, and in the end perhaps even creating entirely new genres and game modes in the future.
Another thing i want to mention is how well Larian communicates with their community, and letting us be part of the development. If you are interested in helping Larian from a community standpoint it is not only possible, it´s encouraged. They do a very good job at letting us be a source for ideas and they take our feedback very seriously. This is a big reason as to why Larian is able to push those boundaries in the first place i think.
USGamer had a pretty good interview with the Larian founder and creative director yesterday as well: Larian Studios Shares Its Vision for Baldur's Gate 3: "We Got the Keys to the Toy Box"
I tried Baldur’s Gate as a teenager but it was heavy on D&D stats and that was not my thing. Still isn’t, as even as a GM my only experience was with a hybrid of Call of Cthulhu (scenario) and...
I tried Baldur’s Gate as a teenager but it was heavy on D&D stats and that was not my thing. Still isn’t, as even as a GM my only experience was with a hybrid of Call of Cthulhu (scenario) and Storyteller (rules). I might give the new game a try, especially if there’s some kind of easier rules-light game mode. But I don’t expect anything like that to exist. Which, to make it very clear, I find totally understandable.
BG3 is supposedly going to be based on the D&D 5E ruleset, which is significantly less complicated and convoluted than 2E, which the previous games used IIRC. There is no THAC0 or other nonsense...
BG3 is supposedly going to be based on the D&D 5E ruleset, which is significantly less complicated and convoluted than 2E, which the previous games used IIRC. There is no THAC0 or other nonsense like that, and most things are comparatively straightforward.
You might dig powered by the apocalypse (PTBA) style games, they're designed around a much much simpler rule set. In particular, Monster of the Week is geared around Cthulhu type monster hunts,...
You might dig powered by the apocalypse (PTBA) style games, they're designed around a much much simpler rule set. In particular, Monster of the Week is geared around Cthulhu type monster hunts, there's probably other good fits as well.
I might like it. But my problem now is finding players, TBH. My CoC campaigns are very traditional, in a sense, because they are actually mind-bending and will make you feel intense fear and...
I might like it. But my problem now is finding players, TBH. My CoC campaigns are very traditional, in a sense, because they are actually mind-bending and will make you feel intense fear and dread, questioning existence itself. In such a scenario, you must be very careful with the kind of player you welcome. Any immaturity, psychological issue or toxic behavior is greatly potentialized.
Even without these considerations, it's always hard finding adults to play.
Very very true. I've had some luck of late simply convincing friends and acquaintances to start playing RPGs, rather than going the /r/lfg (or other) route. As always, I think the most important...
Even without these considerations, it's always hard finding adults to play.
Very very true. I've had some luck of late simply convincing friends and acquaintances to start playing RPGs, rather than going the /r/lfg (or other) route.
As always, I think the most important thing is to talk about what kind of game you want to play before you start playing (e.g., something like this)
Except goddamn mindflayers!!! ;) I am super excited about this game. BG and the other oldschool D&D/Forgotten Realms CRPGs like Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, etc. are amongst my all time...
Not much to see yet...
Except goddamn mindflayers!!! ;) I am super excited about this game. BG and the other oldschool D&D/Forgotten Realms CRPGs like Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, etc. are amongst my all time favorites computer games. And Larian makes damn good RPGs too, so I am hopeful this will live up to at least some of the expectations.
Guess this means it’s finally time for me to pick up Baldurs Gate Enhanced Editions 1 and 2. Been meaning to for quite awhile. And still trying to decide if I want it on PC or IOS. If I had it on...
Guess this means it’s finally time for me to pick up Baldurs Gate Enhanced Editions 1 and 2.
Been meaning to for quite awhile. And still trying to decide if I want it on PC or IOS.
If I had it on IOS, I could play on my IPad at work.
I actually had my jaw dropped for a minute straight while watching the teaser, literally, not because it´s a good teaser trailer, which it is, but because my current favorite game developer, and only candidate in my opinion for this project, is creating what could be the next big RPG.
There are many reasons as to why i really like Larian Studios, and if i remember correctly i have praised them here on Tildes before. In a world where the game industry is taking so many wrong paths catering to the fundamental economic systems in place currently around the globe(both within the game industry or not), and letting product quality take hit after hit because of it, Larian Studios has been a breath of fresh air into the market. They have been showing us that you can actually compete with the big boys like EA and other giants within the gaming industry as a indie developer without having to cave in and implement the many types of cash grab systems that are close to standard these days, with Divinity Original Sin 2 being both regarded as the best RPG in a very long time, but also being game of the year when it released in 2017, being the first CRPG game of the year in who knows how long, probably 15 years or so?
The CRPG, or rather computer role playing game genre have been struggling in later years on the main stream market, and Larian has been on the front line in revitalizing it. Not alone of course, but i would say they have been the cutting edge for a few reasons.
The CRPG genre is one of the oldest digital game genres there is, and one built around many rules adapted from table top RPG´s, because of this the games have been very similar(not necessarily a bad thing) with few ground breaking design choices over the years, or at least that´s my understanding. With the release of DOS1 back in 2014 Larian added new ideas without it hurting or disrespecting the genre and it´s community, rather the opposite. I have a very limited experience with tabletop rpg games, but what seems to be the appeal, at least for me, is it´s stimulation of our creativity. That when facing a problem or a certain enemy, common reason and some creativity usually works, creating this very open sandbox world where only your imagination is the real obstacle.
One way Larian made this possible in DOS1(and DOS2) is how materials and elements reacts with each other, creating new path ways to tackle a quest for example, or turn a fight around. I remember one of the first times i encountered this, mild spoilers ahead. When you first arrive in Cyseal, a port town in southern Rivellon as a source hunter, a hunter that targets magic and its users, you are supposed to solve a murder, and part of the quest is gathering clues and information. At some point i wanted to get into an individuals house, but the door was locked and the person who lives there is no where to be found. I check the door and realize that the lock is to hard to pick for my rogue/thief character, by a mile. This is usually when you give up and turn around thinking you could come back later when your thief is better at lock picking, or found the key, right? That´s when i noticed the door was made of wood, and i do have a couple of fireball scrolls in my bags, worth a shot i guess. And sure enough, after a couple of fireballs the door is on fire, and it´s hp is going down, letting me get inside. This made me experiment even more and realized that axes are the best option to cut down wooden doors, duuh:D, but it also hurts your weapon of choice, so i decided to bring a hatchet with me at all times as a tool rather then a weapon. Later i realized that the hatchet was going to be handy when crafting as well, i wont go into the crafting system, it deserves it's own thread, but the same philosophy applies, if it makes sense, it probably works, keeping the creativity and sandbox elements in place even there.
Like i said, it also affects how you deal with enemies, where you often get rewarded for thinking a bit outside of the box. I also remember my early on experience with this very fondly, and how rewarding it was. A good example would be the rain spell and it´s many uses, in and outside of combat. If you cast rain, everyone gets wet, and puddles of water is created on the ground, great. I just spent an action point making everyone a bit annoyed and craving umbrellas and boots? Nope, you just created a mine field for your opponents. As a couple of the enemies started to move towards me, ending up standing in the puddles i created i used a lightning spell on the water effectively stunning both since the water was connected between them. Another option would be to use a frost spell and freeze the puddles, creating a slippery surface that my enemies might slip on. Yet another possibility would be to use fire on those puddles, creating steam that the ranged enemies cannot see through, forcing the A.I to spend action points repositioning for a shot.
Mild spoilers ended
Creating a game where almost anything within its systems is possible through imagination, without breaking the game, must be a very hard thing to tackle, but also necessary if you want to create a "real RPG".
Since Larian mentioned that they are working on completely new things never seen before in CRPG´s with this title it makes me very curious. Larian is a developer that have the guts to push the boundaries and not be micro managed from above to make more money on safer design choices. We need more developers like these so that games keeps evolving, and in the end perhaps even creating entirely new genres and game modes in the future.
Another thing i want to mention is how well Larian communicates with their community, and letting us be part of the development. If you are interested in helping Larian from a community standpoint it is not only possible, it´s encouraged. They do a very good job at letting us be a source for ideas and they take our feedback very seriously. This is a big reason as to why Larian is able to push those boundaries in the first place i think.
USGamer had a pretty good interview with the Larian founder and creative director yesterday as well: Larian Studios Shares Its Vision for Baldur's Gate 3: "We Got the Keys to the Toy Box"
I tried Baldur’s Gate as a teenager but it was heavy on D&D stats and that was not my thing. Still isn’t, as even as a GM my only experience was with a hybrid of Call of Cthulhu (scenario) and Storyteller (rules). I might give the new game a try, especially if there’s some kind of easier rules-light game mode. But I don’t expect anything like that to exist. Which, to make it very clear, I find totally understandable.
BG3 is supposedly going to be based on the D&D 5E ruleset, which is significantly less complicated and convoluted than 2E, which the previous games used IIRC. There is no THAC0 or other nonsense like that, and most things are comparatively straightforward.
I might give it a try, but in my experience what D&D players call rules-light is still pretty complicated for my taste.
You might dig powered by the apocalypse (PTBA) style games, they're designed around a much much simpler rule set. In particular, Monster of the Week is geared around Cthulhu type monster hunts, there's probably other good fits as well.
I might like it. But my problem now is finding players, TBH. My CoC campaigns are very traditional, in a sense, because they are actually mind-bending and will make you feel intense fear and dread, questioning existence itself. In such a scenario, you must be very careful with the kind of player you welcome. Any immaturity, psychological issue or toxic behavior is greatly potentialized.
Even without these considerations, it's always hard finding adults to play.
Very very true. I've had some luck of late simply convincing friends and acquaintances to start playing RPGs, rather than going the /r/lfg (or other) route.
As always, I think the most important thing is to talk about what kind of game you want to play before you start playing (e.g., something like this)
LOL... too true. I am actually playing a D&D campaign right now as we speak on Roll20. We were just taking a short break. ;)
Awesome. I could not find a Call of Cthulhu campaign in Portuguese. I'm not very confident roleplaying in English.
Except goddamn mindflayers!!! ;) I am super excited about this game. BG and the other oldschool D&D/Forgotten Realms CRPGs like Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, etc. are amongst my all time favorites computer games. And Larian makes damn good RPGs too, so I am hopeful this will live up to at least some of the expectations.
Guess this means it’s finally time for me to pick up Baldurs Gate Enhanced Editions 1 and 2.
Been meaning to for quite awhile. And still trying to decide if I want it on PC or IOS.
If I had it on IOS, I could play on my IPad at work.
Larian posted this video today too: Baldur's Gate 3 - Community Update 01