Is there any chance, in some point in the future, of getting the BGII voice sets and portraits in BGI, and vice versa? We have no plans to include the BG2 voice sets (or BG2 portraits) with BG1. The resources are separate for a reason (and in the case of portraits, including them would also rather spoil things for the BG2 NPCs). Once BG2EE is released, however, you should be able to fairly easily port the soundsets into BG1EE.
Does the new UI allow configuring weapon sets like in Icewind Dale? (Answer courtesy of @Cerevant) "No, the UI updates are mostly cosmetic...but it is purty "
Will you ever release an official mod interface or level editor? We have no current plans to release a modding tool of our own, but the tools that are out there are fairly robust and work just fine with the Enhanced Edition.
In particular, we're partial to Near Infinity and DLTCEP, as well as WeiDU for installation. Also, don't discount the value of a good text editor!
What's this I hear about an Open Beta? We're planning on doing something slightly (very) different with this next patch, due to the size and number of things it does.
In the next couple of weeks (and I won't say exactly when), we're going to release an Open Beta that includes the patch. This will allow you to test out the new features and bug fixes, and--if something breaks--you can go back to the live version while we fix the issue. We've done some substantial testing, but there are still a few things we're working out, including (among many other things) the new renderer and a spiffy new UI.
The Beta will be open to anyone who has purchased the game through Beamdog.com, and will be distributed via the Beamdog client. This allows us to send out fixes quickly if necessary, and also simplifies the process of installation for users. We know this means Mac users won't have access right away, and we're looking at possible solutions for that.
I'm sure that there will be a lot of questions about this, and I'm prepared to answer some of them, while others will have to wait for early September.
Just how new is this "new UI" everyone keeps talking about? It's mainly just a cleaner version of the existing UI that scales better for high-resolution displays and uses less screen space overall.
With the new multiplayer system, will I be able to set up my own dedicated server, or does the host have to actually be a player in the game? Multiplayer will work more or less the way it does now, except that when the host creates a game, it will show up on a list of games (by session name) that other players can view. As a player, you'll then be able to join the game by its name (instead of the host's IP address).
So you won't be able to set up your own server, no; you'll need to be a player in the game itself in order to host a game. We may look at other options down the line, but for the moment that's how it will work.
Why are you working on BG2EE instead of devoting all your efforts to releasing the Android version?
We have two sides of development. On one side is content development; that's where things like NPC and quest content, basic bug fixes, and new products like BG2EE get created. That work is on-going, and certainly won't stop any time soon. It's the work that ensures you do get a patch when a patch is needed (although sometimes you have to wait a while).
On the other side is engine development; that's where things like performance enhancements, renderer fixes, and platform compatibility happen. This is the side that works on stability for Windows, Mac, iPad, and Android.
So in other words, the Android version is being worked on by a separate team from BG2EE. I hope that clears things up a bit.
Comments
We have no plans to include the BG2 voice sets (or BG2 portraits) with BG1. The resources are separate for a reason (and in the case of portraits, including them would also rather spoil things for the BG2 NPCs). Once BG2EE is released, however, you should be able to fairly easily port the soundsets into BG1EE.
"No, the UI updates are mostly cosmetic...but it is purty
We have no current plans to release a modding tool of our own, but the tools that are out there are fairly robust and work just fine with the Enhanced Edition.
In particular, we're partial to Near Infinity and DLTCEP, as well as WeiDU for installation. Also, don't discount the value of a good text editor!
We're planning on doing something slightly (very) different with this next patch, due to the size and number of things it does.
In the next couple of weeks (and I won't say exactly when), we're going to release an Open Beta that includes the patch. This will allow you to test out the new features and bug fixes, and--if something breaks--you can go back to the live version while we fix the issue. We've done some substantial testing, but there are still a few things we're working out, including (among many other things) the new renderer and a spiffy new UI.
The Beta will be open to anyone who has purchased the game through Beamdog.com, and will be distributed via the Beamdog client. This allows us to send out fixes quickly if necessary, and also simplifies the process of installation for users. We know this means Mac users won't have access right away, and we're looking at possible solutions for that.
I'm sure that there will be a lot of questions about this, and I'm prepared to answer some of them, while others will have to wait for early September.
It's mainly just a cleaner version of the existing UI that scales better for high-resolution displays and uses less screen space overall.
Multiplayer will work more or less the way it does now, except that when the host creates a game, it will show up on a list of games (by session name) that other players can view. As a player, you'll then be able to join the game by its name (instead of the host's IP address).
So you won't be able to set up your own server, no; you'll need to be a player in the game itself in order to host a game. We may look at other options down the line, but for the moment that's how it will work.
We have two sides of development. On one side is content development; that's where things like NPC and quest content, basic bug fixes, and new products like BG2EE get created. That work is on-going, and certainly won't stop any time soon. It's the work that ensures you do get a patch when a patch is needed (although sometimes you have to wait a while).
On the other side is engine development; that's where things like performance enhancements, renderer fixes, and platform compatibility happen. This is the side that works on stability for Windows, Mac, iPad, and Android.
So in other words, the Android version is being worked on by a separate team from BG2EE. I hope that clears things up a bit.