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Has anything been done to increase the difficulty of BGEE over the old vanilla BG1?

I ask because the addition of Half Orcs, new classes, and kits definitely makes the game easier, in addition to all three new added NPCs having either a kit or a new class.

Has anything been done to balance this out? Is the game harder? Do any enemies have kits or more powers now?

Comments

  • LapaLapa Member Posts: 73
    No
  • mjsmjs Member Posts: 742
    Well actually shank and carbos are assassin kits, not sure about anyone else
  • Lord_TansheronLord_Tansheron Member Posts: 4,212
    It's pretty easy in its vanilla state. I heartily recommend using SCS for a better experience, if you have played the game before.
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460

    It's pretty easy in its vanilla state. I heartily recommend using SCS for a better experience, if you have played the game before.

    +1

  • IkMarcIkMarc Member Posts: 552
    To the contrary, the standard difficulty setting is lower now.

    Then again, to today's standards the game is still quite challenging..
  • mjsmjs Member Posts: 742
    It's pretty easy for those of us who have played it a LOT, there are plenty of new players on the newbie board who really struggle
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    Bg is amazing in its difficulty that, even though random dice rolls determine EVERYTHING in the game, there is a difference of worlds between a new player and a seasoned one that has survived the especially difficult mod battles. You can learn and master this game, yet still luck plays a crucial role. (Use the best strategy ever, if you keep rolling 1s and your enemies roll all 20s you die)
  • Aasimar069Aasimar069 Member Posts: 803

    Most of the popular kits are stupidly powerful, and due to breaking dual-class prof mechanics even worse then BG2 did, you can now GM in BG1. Also Dorn is basically a powergamed PC character, in terms of how badly he dominates battles. There's also several new weapons, especially the Stupifier, that are borderline broken due to how easy to get and ridiculously powerful they.

    So no..the game is SIGNIFICANTLY, more easy then it was before.


    ... only because he's got 19 STR. But what's the point of taking an Half-orc except for the 19 STR bonus ?

    Oh yes role-play reasons ... but alone on a computer is not as enthusiastic as with real people...
  • SouthpawSouthpaw Member Posts: 2,026
    aye. I also think it's much easier. And easier than BGTutu (I remember meeting a Dire Wolf on the second map. Sometimes, two. In BGEE, you meet a gibberling.)

    That's why I play on Hard or Insane diff. (I should install SCS)
  • ZanathKariashiZanathKariashi Member Posts: 2,869
    @Aasimar069

    He's also an overpowered kit with no actual downsides, that is illegal for his race, and unlike Aerie, no justification. The 19 str is overkill on top of all that. At 17, he would've still been one of, if the overall strongest melee NPC in BG1, but not overwhelmingly so (Contrast Minsc and Dorn......Minsc's high str is his only redeeming quality since his other stats suck and his berserk is hard to use, and even though he's a ranger, people throw on heavy armor, making him a sub-par proto-berserker (that is actually closer to how the PnP berserker should work (assuming BG1 Vanilla immunities))...Dorn not only has the highest NPC str in the game, his kit is actually incredibly potent on top).

    His questline and story also have touches of Mary-sue, which is a major pet-peeve of mine. It's MY story, not your story Dorn, now shut-up and slaughter those gibberlings.
  • ArcalianArcalian Member Posts: 359
    Karoug was always hard, now I can't beat him at all. AT ALL.

    I may have to unlock cheat codes.
  • elminsterelminster Member, Developer Posts: 16,317
    Arcalian said:

    Karoug was always hard, now I can't beat him at all. AT ALL.

    I may have to unlock cheat codes.

    Wands of Paralysis are helpful against him. Especially if you cast doom + greater malison. I guess it depends on what you've got available.
  • ZanathKariashiZanathKariashi Member Posts: 2,869
    That is one thing I forgot about....they removed the Root of the Problem for some reason...the only blunt weapon with silver/cold iron flags. The rest are all slashing or piercing.
  • ArcalianArcalian Member Posts: 359
    elminster said:

    Arcalian said:

    Karoug was always hard, now I can't beat him at all. AT ALL.

    I may have to unlock cheat codes.

    Wands of Paralysis are helpful against him. Especially if you cast doom + greater malison. I guess it depends on what you've got available.
    Rasaad Yeslick Branwen Imoen Baeloth My Sorcerer

  • Aasimar069Aasimar069 Member Posts: 803
    Southpaw said:

    aye. I also think it's much easier. And easier than BGTutu (I remember meeting a Dire Wolf on the second map. Sometimes, two. In BGEE, you meet a gibberling.)

    That's why I play on Hard or Insane diff. (I should install SCS)


    BG Tutu is not the true vanilla BG difficulty either. The final fight is very unfair with super Semaj spamming greater malisson, magic dispell and flesh to stone.
  • WolkWolk Member Posts: 279
    Southpaw said:

    aye. I also think it's much easier. And easier than BGTutu (I remember meeting a Dire Wolf on the second map. Sometimes, two. In BGEE, you meet a gibberling.)

    That's why I play on Hard or Insane diff. (I should install SCS)

    I've met a Dire wolf on that map in the EE, it's more of a random encounter where you can meet many different monsters
  • Aasimar069Aasimar069 Member Posts: 803

    That is one thing I forgot about....they removed the Root of the Problem for some reason...the only blunt weapon with silver/cold iron flags. The rest are all slashing or piercing.

    They removed it because it was the root of the problem. Hey hey hoho ha ha !

  • MessiMessi Member Posts: 738
    Would definitely be nice if Overhaul somehow compensated all the extra kits and gear they are adding to the game. Which I think they will be thanks to DavidW!
  • LateralusLateralus Member Posts: 903
    I'm dissapointed with the selection of difficulty settings. The unmodified game should have more options. I would like to have the option to increase enimies HP totals, especially for villains. I would like the kids gloves removed from enemy spell casters, it's too predictable. And why not have the option to make things wildly random? If you are soloing you wont encounter a gang of bandits inside a zone, usually just one. Make the quantity and danger levels random...er
  • Lord_TansheronLord_Tansheron Member Posts: 4,212
    @Lateralis Please, please play the SCS mod :) It's exactly what you want.

    I do agree that there could be more options, but at some point it's a matter of time investment into coding/testing/balancing it all, and a matter of game/settings complexity. This is a fairly old game, meant for a more "casual" audience. Anyone more "hardcore" will very quickly go to mods to satisfy their needs - that's not necessarily a bad thing. It does mean however that the basic game settings are likely to remain just that: basic.
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    @Lateralus yeah play scs mod and enemy ai will surprise you!

    you will see a huge improvement on enemy intelligence:no more seperating mobs, enemies will agressively pursue your characters anf shout at each other to alert the whole group, will use their potions and wands, archers will go for unarmored mage like targets first, etc.

    Smarter mages component is a BIG improvement for enemy mages. Ditto for smarter priests. You can try with each option to see if it suits your tastes. If you choose full pre-buff option, enemy mage will come prepared at the start of the combat, spells like mirror image, shield, globe of invulnerability, stoneskin etc. will be previously casted. The mage will target his spells inteligently, wander around in between casting spells to foil melee attacks, use a cast/attack strategy, use up potions and wands, go invisible-flee-gulp potions to heal-come back later strategy, some mages even will have minor spell sequencers so they can use mirror image+invisibility in an emergency, or magic missilex2 to kill you. A mage even used wizard eye to spy on me and surprise-ambushed me!!! In short, the enemy will use all of his resources to the limit and will fight tooth and nail to defeat you.
  • LateralusLateralus Member Posts: 903
    lunar said:

    @Lateralus yeah play scs mod and enemy ai will surprise you!

    you will see a huge improvement on enemy intelligence:no more seperating mobs, enemies will agressively pursue your characters anf shout at each other to alert the whole group, will use their potions and wands, archers will go for unarmored mage like targets first, etc.

    Smarter mages component is a BIG improvement for enemy mages. Ditto for smarter priests. You can try with each option to see if it suits your tastes. If you choose full pre-buff option, enemy mage will come prepared at the start of the combat, spells like mirror image, shield, globe of invulnerability, stoneskin etc. will be previously casted. The mage will target his spells inteligently, wander around in between casting spells to foil melee attacks, use a cast/attack strategy, use up potions and wands, go invisible-flee-gulp potions to heal-come back later strategy, some mages even will have minor spell sequencers so they can use mirror image+invisibility in an emergency, or magic missilex2 to kill you. A mage even used wizard eye to spy on me and surprise-ambushed me!!! In short, the enemy will use all of his resources to the limit and will fight tooth and nail to defeat you.

    holy macro-roll (pun) I guess I need the scs mod. I don't know where to begin to make modifications, it seems extremely confusing and to be honest, I' d rather just play the game as is than deal with stressful computer stuff.

    I'm practically Amnish when is comes to that stuff (another pun)
  • lunarlunar Member Posts: 3,460
    @Lateralus

    It is not complex or stressful. Infact, installing mods are shockingly easy, you just copy mod files to required folder, run the exe file of the mod, a command window will open and ask you what components you would like to install, and you will choose and it will be installed. If you've ever installed a program on your pc, you can do this too :-)
  • LateralusLateralus Member Posts: 903
    @ lunar that doesn't sound too complicated, I'll give it a try. ummm where do I download the mod files that I need?
  • zur312zur312 Member Posts: 1,366
    probably from modding subforums
  • smeagolheartsmeagolheart Member Posts: 7,963
    Lateralus said:

    @ lunar that doesn't sound too complicated, I'll give it a try. ummm where do I download the mod files that I need?

    @Lateralus
    http://www.gibberlings3.net/scs/
  • LateralusLateralus Member Posts: 903

    Lateralus said:

    @ lunar that doesn't sound too complicated, I'll give it a try. ummm where do I download the mod files that I need?

    Thanks! I'll look into it, but being a MacBook user I hope it's still easy to do. I'm the type likes to turn things on and start playing immediately without any hassle.


    @Lateralus
    http://www.gibberlings3.net/scs/
  • Sese79Sese79 Member Posts: 478
    What I would like to now: is the core difficulty as hard as the advanced dungeons & dragons 2nd edition says it should be? (I mean with that for example: you have to roll your HP, there are no modifications regarding to damage and monsters' HP, friendly fire is possible, the monsters are not wandering alone - they attack in groups instead, etc.? Or is the core difficulty easier as it should be? Thanks.
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