Just to clarify regarding romances, they are shorter than the canon BioWare romances. When we were designing them, we wanted them to feel satisfying without being overly long and complex, as the canon romances can often feel. I hope you'll enjoy them as much as we did putting them together for you.
this is definitely very disappointing to me. am i missing something? since when is "complex" a bad thing in a game like BG? a BIG part of the charm of BG2 romances was precisely their length because interaction was going throughout the whole (very long) adventure, and relationships HAD TIME TO DEVELOP AND EVOLVE. i don't see how premature "commitment" mid-SOA and occasional interjection afterward is satisfying honestly.
perhaps i'm mistaken but i didn't see many complaints regarding the length of the romances, but more on some of the requirements and bugs (jaheira). i really think you've missed the point with this direction.
@trinit There are a variety of players who play Baldur's Gate 2. Some of them (such as yourself I would wager) enjoy lengthy, drawn out interactions with the characters, taking up significant amounts of game time. Others prefer pithy, witty dialog that's deep but sparing. Others prefer no NPC dialog at all, preferring just to enjoy the combat and the quests.
With our romances we've tried to find a happy medium that is pithy, smart and deep but doesn't take over the game. I'm not going to say too much more, but there is definitely a lot of depth and character growth, and I don't think players will be disappointed.
@Kaeloree i'm sorry, but i don't see the relation between wittiness or verbal sparring, and the length of the romance in general. you are simply describing various types of interaction. also, no dialogue preference can't be qualified as an argument for romance- those players will obviously shut it down as soon as it starts.
and to be clear- i'm not defending hidden requirements or multitudes of personal quests or any other coding mess- just the satisfying length on par with existing NPC tracks, because those seem to cover the whole length of adventure very well.
but be that as it may, NPC interaction is in general one of the most praised aspects of BG series and i don't see how shortening that is an improvement, especially now that we have so many examples of romances in games that come of as fake or ridiculous because they evolve too quickly. making players care for their characters takes time.
a BIG part of the charm of BG2 romances was precisely their length because interaction was going throughout the whole (very long) adventure, and relationships HAD TIME TO DEVELOP AND EVOLVE. i don't see how premature "commitment" mid-SOA and occasional interjection afterward is satisfying honestly.
perhaps i'm mistaken but i didn't see many complaints regarding the length of the romances, but more on some of the requirements and bugs (jaheira). i really think you've missed the point with this direction.
I wouldn't mind the length of the Jaheira or Viconia romances if there was much in the way of development or evolution happening during them, but honestly, I don't see it at all. Jaheira has 35 lovetalks, maybe 10 of which have any real content. Viconia is perhaps a bit better, but there's still enough needless filler in that romance to drive me crazy whenever I attempt to play it (and fail, because I'm not sure how you can get through either romance without resorting to the console).
I know a lot of people dislike Anomen, but his is the romance I consider ideal. It may only be 18 talks, but they all more or less contribute something to his story, and I've never gotten the feeling that there wasn't sufficient time for the romance to develop.
Ok, AFAIK there was no answer for this question from devs side. I'm not sure if there ever gonna be Polish dubbing at all, I actually always presumed that it will be in the game but I'm still not sure of this, @ZelgadisGW formed earlier the same question that wasn't answered:
Do we gonna get Polish dubbing in the game? Is there any estimation of the date of this update? Is it possible that it will be in the next patch? Will there be more Polished BG:EE?:) and to be clear I'm not talking about text-translation because it is already in the game
And Now for Something Completely Different Also I was wondering about something else, regarding DLC; It was mentioned some time ago (before release) that "save in some DLC" then load on the game without this DLC will be possible, also that it will be possible to play together players with DLC, and players without DLC in one game. My question is: Is it possible? And how the game is handling DLC? Does it mean that there is a way to instantly add/remove DLCs and therefore mods (instead of WEIDU or maybe with help of WEIDU) or is it possible only with non-WEIDU modifications or only possible with DLCs or it was feature never implemented maybe?
Will Overhaul be addressing any unfinished content, such as [NPC X]? This falls into the same category as the contract issue mentioned above (changing or adding significant content for existing characters), but we also try not to comment too much on the story of the game. We have to leave some surprises, after all.
I wouldn't worry too much about the romance lengths, quality over quantity any day imo. If you want them to be longer, hopefully we'll see mods to lengthen them like we did with old NPCs in BG2 and Neera in BG:EE.
@Kaeloree I think this has been asked before and possibly answered but I couldn't find it in the Faq #2: Do the old new NPCs (Neera, Dorn and Rasaad) get their own quests in BG2:EE like they do in BG:EE? If so, how substantial these quests will be compared to the ones in BG:EE?
Will there be kit-specific items to make the weaker kits more competitive? I don't want to give anything away about what you might or might not find. So I'll say "You'll just have to wait until you play the game to find out."
Will the new NPCs talk to old NPCs? We have to be careful about how we touch the old content and its characters, but there is room for some interjections as needed. I wouldn't expect a Dorn/Viconia romance subplot, though.
Will the Blackguard have its own stronghold, or will it use one of the existing ones? So far we have not implemented any additional strongholds; I'm hesitant to give any more information than that.
What kind of DLC do you have planned? Right now we're focusing on the already scheduled content. But we are committed to making sure that any DLC we release will be substantial enough to be worthwhile.
Do the new NPCs (Dorn, Neera, Rasaad) have their own quests in BG2 like they did in BG1? Yes. You'll have to wait to see what's in them, but they are substantial. The majority of the new content (see also, "350,000 words of new dialogue") is tied to their quests.
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I don't like the answer you gave about [X Feature]. I understand, and not every answer is going to have as much information as you'd like. We have to keep some things secret so that you have something to discover when you actually play the game. The new NPCs will be satisfying; of that I have little doubt. You'll have to actually sit down and play the game to get what I'm talking about, but there's more to these characters than just what they think about moonlight.
So that being said--I'm not going to answer any questions about content or story. I don't want to spoil the experience for anyone who either hasn't played the original BG2 yet or who wants to be surprised by the new content when they play the enhanced edition.
Keep the questions coming, though; so far this has been a very positive thread.
It looks like the thread's getting a little long, actually. Probably what I'll do is archive this one and start a new one in the next day or so, just to keep things fresh. I encourage newcomers to the thread to check out the FAQ Thread, which archives all of the (substantial) answers in this thread.
If you have any more questions, try to post them today! I'll be closing this thread sometime tomorrow to get ready for the next round.
I totally get and understand that you don't want to post anything about content/story and I wouldn't want that either. However I just have to ask and will try to keep it as abstract as possible: will any of the planned but not implemented/unfinished quests from the original bg2 be dealt with? I know that that question has been asked previously in one form or another and you have been a little evasive in your answer, mentioning the contracts. If this actually means "No" its really okay if you simply say so, I'm sure most people here would understand. Choosing not to answer, on the other hand, will only make me (and others) raise my (our) expectation infinitely!
Is writing of a new content for BG2EE finished at 350,000 words? Or do You plan to throw more to the bag? I mean I like new characters, but I'm little worried that majority of new content will be tied strictly to them. I know You have to be careful with touching existing content but I wonder if You have any plans to expand plots that involve vanilla NPC's/organizations - like Saemon Havarian, Twisted Rune cabal etc. What I really meant to ask is if all new content concerns only newly introduced characters (Dorn, Neera, Rashaad) or did You add/expand some story to vanilla content as well?
EDIT: Personally I can't understand why the hell all those decision-makers responsible for preparing contract for BGEE and BG2EE (I don't know if it's Atari WoTC or anyone else) doesn't allow to expand existing content. I mean, I do understand their reluctance to change existing story, after all original team put a lot of sweat on writing it, but I think tying all loose ends will only benefit a story and will not diminish all hard work guys and gals from Interplay did back in the day.
Will Overhaul be addressing any unfinished content, such as [NPC X]? This falls into the same category as the contract issue mentioned above (changing or adding significant content for existing characters), but we also try not to comment too much on the story of the game. We have to leave some surprises, after all.
In BG2:EE, are you allowed to fully incorporate recruitable NPCs that were present in BG1 but do not make any appearance in Shadows of Amn (like Eldoth, Skie, Alora, Xan and others)?
Concerning the translation files in the next patch: Will the updated German text files (e.g. new classes and stuff) *and* the VOICE files be included in the next patch? Will there be translated voice files for Neera, Dorn and Rasaad?
Will Wooly Rupert, the Tyrannohamstersaurus of Ill Omen, or other (in)famous AD&D rodents make an appearance in BG2:EE? And will there be cheese for the lot of them?
Will we ever learn the story behind why intrepid adventurers left a ring of fire resistance in some mountain side crevice and an Ankheg plate mail casually tossed in a farmers field?
Will Planescape Torment also get an Extended Edition?
@Flashheart If you hadn't heard, PST is getting a "sequel" of sorts in the form of Torment: Tides of Numenera.. Not sure if that affects any proposed remake/ee of PST but just throwing that info out there in case you might have missed it so you can take heart that PST isn't "dead" regardless of whether they make an EE or not of it....
Will Planescape Torment also get an Extended Edition?
As has been previously noted, Overhaul Games has not acquired the rights to the Icewind Dale series or Planescape: Torment. All efforts are being focused on BGEE and BG2EE at this time.
Comments
this is definitely very disappointing to me. am i missing something? since when is "complex" a bad thing in a game like BG?
a BIG part of the charm of BG2 romances was precisely their length because interaction was going throughout the whole (very long) adventure, and relationships HAD TIME TO DEVELOP AND EVOLVE.
i don't see how premature "commitment" mid-SOA and occasional interjection afterward is satisfying honestly.
perhaps i'm mistaken but i didn't see many complaints regarding the length of the romances, but more on some of the requirements and bugs (jaheira). i really think you've missed the point with this direction.
With our romances we've tried to find a happy medium that is pithy, smart and deep but doesn't take over the game. I'm not going to say too much more, but there is definitely a lot of depth and character growth, and I don't think players will be disappointed.
also, no dialogue preference can't be qualified as an argument for romance- those players will obviously shut it down as soon as it starts.
and to be clear- i'm not defending hidden requirements or multitudes of personal quests or any other coding mess- just the satisfying length on par with existing NPC tracks, because those seem to cover the whole length of adventure very well.
but be that as it may, NPC interaction is in general one of the most praised aspects of BG series and i don't see how shortening that is an improvement, especially now that we have so many examples of romances in games that come of as fake or ridiculous because they evolve too quickly. making players care for their characters takes time.
thank you
I know a lot of people dislike Anomen, but his is the romance I consider ideal. It may only be 18 talks, but they all more or less contribute something to his story, and I've never gotten the feeling that there wasn't sufficient time for the romance to develop.
Do we gonna get Polish dubbing in the game?
Is there any estimation of the date of this update?
Is it possible that it will be in the next patch?
Will there be more Polished BG:EE?:)
and to be clear I'm not talking about text-translation because it is already in the game
And Now for Something Completely Different
Also I was wondering about something else, regarding DLC; It was mentioned some time ago (before release) that "save in some DLC" then load on the game without this DLC will be possible, also that it will be possible to play together players with DLC, and players without DLC in one game. My question is:
Is it possible? And how the game is handling DLC?
Does it mean that there is a way to instantly add/remove DLCs and therefore mods (instead of WEIDU or maybe with help of WEIDU) or is it possible only with non-WEIDU modifications or only possible with DLCs or it was feature never implemented maybe?
PS. I hope that I'm understandable enough.
I adore their portraits, but it doesn't take a genius to realize they don't fit the BGII style. At all.
@Kaeloree I think this has been asked before and possibly answered but I couldn't find it in the Faq #2: Do the old new NPCs (Neera, Dorn and Rasaad) get their own quests in BG2:EE like they do in BG:EE? If so, how substantial these quests will be compared to the ones in BG:EE?
I don't want to give anything away about what you might or might not find. So I'll say "You'll just have to wait until you play the game to find out."
Will the new NPCs talk to old NPCs?
We have to be careful about how we touch the old content and its characters, but there is room for some interjections as needed. I wouldn't expect a Dorn/Viconia romance subplot, though.
Will the Blackguard have its own stronghold, or will it use one of the existing ones?
So far we have not implemented any additional strongholds; I'm hesitant to give any more information than that.
What kind of DLC do you have planned?
Right now we're focusing on the already scheduled content. But we are committed to making sure that any DLC we release will be substantial enough to be worthwhile.
Do the new NPCs (Dorn, Neera, Rasaad) have their own quests in BG2 like they did in BG1?
Yes. You'll have to wait to see what's in them, but they are substantial. The majority of the new content (see also, "350,000 words of new dialogue") is tied to their quests.
---
I don't like the answer you gave about [X Feature].
I understand, and not every answer is going to have as much information as you'd like. We have to keep some things secret so that you have something to discover when you actually play the game. The new NPCs will be satisfying; of that I have little doubt. You'll have to actually sit down and play the game to get what I'm talking about, but there's more to these characters than just what they think about moonlight.
So that being said--I'm not going to answer any questions about content or story. I don't want to spoil the experience for anyone who either hasn't played the original BG2 yet or who wants to be surprised by the new content when they play the enhanced edition.
Keep the questions coming, though; so far this has been a very positive thread.
If you have any more questions, try to post them today! I'll be closing this thread sometime tomorrow to get ready for the next round.
What I really meant to ask is if all new content concerns only newly introduced characters (Dorn, Neera, Rashaad) or did You add/expand some story to vanilla content as well?
EDIT: Personally I can't understand why the hell all those decision-makers responsible for preparing contract for BGEE and BG2EE (I don't know if it's Atari WoTC or anyone else) doesn't allow to expand existing content. I mean, I do understand their reluctance to change existing story, after all original team put a lot of sweat on writing it, but I think tying all loose ends will only benefit a story and will not diminish all hard work guys and gals from Interplay did back in the day.
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/17651/portraits-of-the-protagonist
Thanks!
Will the updated German text files (e.g. new classes and stuff) *and* the VOICE files be included in the next patch?
Will there be translated voice files for Neera, Dorn and Rasaad?
Tragic overland flight collision. No survivors.
As has been previously noted, Overhaul Games has not acquired the rights to the Icewind Dale series or Planescape: Torment. All efforts are being focused on BGEE and BG2EE at this time.