Stealth while you're in there. Nobody minds. If that bothers you from an RP perspective, have one of your other characters talk to a guard (i.e. "distracting" them while you hide)
No one minds if you stealth (nor do I mind doing it), but once you open a certain door, they turn hostile (red circle) and it propagates throughout the entire temple such that unless your entire party is invis/stealthed, they get attacked.
Then you have to find some way to move the blockhead standing in the way of your actions.
While I agree with everyone that the tight corridors are a PITA and that pathing Sucks, I'd ask exactly how difficult you think it might be to actually stand 2X2 in a 10' wide corridor (and that not every building in the world has 10' wide corridors) and swing swords and maces (and two handed weapons especially)? I'm actually surprisingly cool with the fact that not every combat is in wide open spaces where the sky's the limit.
I can agree with the theory, but there's a difference between a challenging situation and a poorly implemented one. Advancing and fighting through narrow corridors should offer both difficulties and advantages for an adventuring party: like you say you can't exactly stand shoulder to shoulder and swing two handed weapons, but on the other hand with tower shield tanks up front you have an excellent defensible situation where you can't be flanked. So while this might be exciting in theory as stated, the problem is that nothing of it is represented in the game mechanics - the bothersome navigation and constant backtracking is all there is.
Something that annoys me in a somewhat similar fashion (usually to the player's advantage) in regards to the wide open battles is how easily you can kite just about any melee opponent with enough space. Even if they're faster than you they have to stop to attack, and often you can nullify an attack by outpacing it before it lands. Also commonly observed when enemies panic. The only advantage here is obviously that you can simply decide not to kite.
@Shin - you are right. There are absolutely game mechanics that are wonky and the narrow corridor situation is one of them.
I do want to mention that standing in a door way offers some protection on the order of what you describe with the tower shield defense. Not in that it changes your opponent's chance to hit, but you can block them up with your tanks such that you can limit the stream of baddies coming into your ranks.
Is it perfect? No. Are the narrow Corridors a PITA? Yes. Should they be? Probably (in my opinion anyway). Should they be AS much of a PITA as they are? Admittedly not.
There is a slightly more narrow one (still two rows of three, but closer together) you can access if you shift+rightclick on one of the current formation buttons.
I wonder if a slightly narrower party formation would help. The default formation has them walking close together, but even closer together may help in walking through tight hallways.
I think if you are talking about walking anywhere, merely fixing the horrible pathing would make things run more smoothly. At least for me they would.
Having tried BG 2 now. I think I'd find the silence of my companions quite unbearable in BG 1.
Other than that, my gripes about BG 1 applies to BG 2.
1) Battles that require metagame knowledge and cheesy tactics. 2) The ridiculous amount of stuff you can carry. 3) Narrow corridors and pathfinding. 4) No armour whilst casting spells. 5) Ugly portraits, especially for the girls.
Sirines are suckers for ranged weapons, especially poison arrows/bolts (like most spellcasters are). Just make sure your party is rested, so their aim is accurate.
For me, the parts I hate most: 1. Firewine Ruins - annoying pain in the arse. 2. Any area with spiders - they're just so yucky. 3. Baldur's Gate itself - feels like just a larger, more tedious version of Beregost. TBH, probably my greatest let-down in RPing history came when I finally arrived at Baldur's for the very first time, and saw that it really didn't offer a whole lot new that I hadn't already encountered. 4. Baldur's Gate sewers - again, a tedious rehash of past areas, at a time when I just want to move along with the plot.
Having tried BG 2 now. I think I'd find the silence of my companions quite unbearable in BG 1.
Other than that, my gripes about BG 1 applies to BG 2.
1) Battles that require metagame knowledge and cheesy tactics. 2) The ridiculous amount of stuff you can carry. 3) Narrow corridors and pathfinding. 4) No armour whilst casting spells. 5) Ugly portraits, especially for the girls.
Gee I was getting all ready to click agree, until you got to points 4 and 5.
I strongly agree with your first point, I hate having to know something a coming battle to win it. Fortunately, I think this is pretty uncommon in the core game. But many mods make this a bigger problem.
As an old school AD&D player the no mage spells in armor just feels right to me.
As for the female portraits, I just always use others or make my own. Over 200 portraits, both male and female, in my portraits folder. I can't imagine doing it any other way anymore!
Much of the content is optional, so at least the tedium for many parts of the game can be avoided. I can simply choose not to do them.
In a standard playthrough, I guess the most tedious forced part for me is probably the return to Candlekeep in chapter 6, and completing that dungeon. That and avoiding the Flaming Fist in BG city in chapter 7 (however I usually make a bee-line to plot resolution at that point).
I don't have time to play anymore, and probably won't for some time to come (just too busy). But the method I tried of ropleplaying every character (that's an important distinction) and using card flips/dice rolls in "Let the Fates Decide" pretty much removes the rote aspect. Every situation in the game then becomes a choice where all the actors participate and each decides what they will do; and chance also plays a strong role in determining what characters do. So even familiar encounters can have unexpected outcomes. (I journaled my game to illustrate the idea, and the journaling takes a long time. But journaling is optional.)
So if I ever feel a need to refresh the experience of the game, I know I can play it that way. I'm glad that I now have this way to play the game. It is a bit more demanding, though.
Sirines aren't hard. Take Minsc and the Helm of Charm Protection. I do this as a fighter build with high dots in Archery... Send Minsc in berserked, while you as the archer wearing the helm with charm protection zap them from a distance with arrows. Works like a charm. Keep the rest of the party elsewhere while you two battle.
Is there a helm of charm protection in BG1?? I've totally missed this for fourteen years apparently.
@the_spyder: swapping those items is easy...here's the trick...position your entire party between the 2 guards & the doors they are guarding...make sure no other guards are in your field of vision...whack the two guards...no one else should turn hostile...move your party into the storage room, close the doors...finish up & walk out...
I'm fairly certain that in order to steal the item from the temple you can simply go at night time. When you enter at night time there are less guards and they wander. So, the guard that typically just stands in front of the item to be stolen will actually walk out of line of sight sometimes and when he does the temple doesn't turn hostile when you loot the item.
Sirines aren't hard. Take Minsc and the Helm of Charm Protection. I do this as a fighter build with high dots in Archery... Send Minsc in berserked, while you as the archer wearing the helm with charm protection zap them from a distance with arrows. Works like a charm. Keep the rest of the party elsewhere while you two battle.
Is there a helm of charm protection in BG1?? I've totally missed this for fourteen years apparently.
Feldepost's Inn sells it.
I don't think this is the case. I just checked the inn with a new character and I didn't see it.
Gee I was getting all ready to click agree, until you got to points 4 and 5.
I strongly agree with your first point, I hate having to know something a coming battle to win it. Fortunately, I think this is pretty uncommon in the core game. But many mods make this a bigger problem.
As an old school AD&D player the no mage spells in armor just feels right to me.
As for the female portraits, I just always use others or make my own. Over 200 portraits, both male and female, in my portraits folder. I can't imagine doing it any other way anymore!
For some reason, I never got a notification for your reply... anyways. Regarding metagame knowledge, the main problem occurs when you get attacked by very powerful enemies upon entering a new area. This means you have no chance to scout and no legitimate chance to prepare. For some encounters that means certain death for a noob like me who also doesn't use short-term buffs until a battle has begun (RP reason).
As for mage + armor, in most games I've come across, there's either no restrictions for armor and spell casting, or if they do, it's much more of a soft-restriction, where spell casting is enhanced by mage-specific items like a power orb, so you wouldn't want to use a shield anyway, or if wearing armour reduces the power of your spells, or causes a chance of spell-failure. I can understand a pure spellcaster like Gandalf not being allowed to wear armour, but Fighter/Mages and similar types should be allowed to wear at least some armour, perhaps below the Plate Mail level.
Finally, for the portraits, I think they are growing on me. It took me a while cos I've been used to newer games where characters have almost photo-realistic animations and every female is inevitably very attractive. The BG portraits have 'character' which reflects their NPCs well, but I didn't really appreciate that until BG 2, when the NPCs 'come to life'. I kinda regret using customs for Imoen and Aerie now.
I've had a couple where I never got notification, not sure why.
There are a couple times when an enemy may be right through a door or something, and the way the game is designed you can't really know until you go through the door. But I think even then, in most cases, if you have to reload, its easy enough for me to rationalize "we would have seen/heard what lies ahead and buffed first." Funny thing is, I've had a couple of non-events where I got buffed for a battle that never happened; then we have to rest after never firing a shot! And some buffs are long enough running to just always have them going; Protection from Fear, Protection from Evil, Stoneskin, a few others.
I think the mage/armor thing is just generational in nature. Old farts like me never expect a mage to be able to wear armor.
I mostly don't touch the NPC portraits, but funny you'd mention the only two exceptions where I do. I always switch Imoen in BG to her BG2 portrait. And years ago, I found an alternate Aerie that is based on the same portrait, but has her in a more wizard robe looking thing, that looks better to me. But I always use non-stock portraits for my PC(s).
I've had a couple where I never got notification, not sure why.
I've always assumed that if someone quotes you, as I've done here, you won't get a notification. But if someone tags you like this @Heindrich1988 you will.
Comments
Then you have to find some way to move the blockhead standing in the way of your actions.
But thanks for the suggestion.
So while this might be exciting in theory as stated, the problem is that nothing of it is represented in the game mechanics - the bothersome navigation and constant backtracking is all there is.
Something that annoys me in a somewhat similar fashion (usually to the player's advantage) in regards to the wide open battles is how easily you can kite just about any melee opponent with enough space. Even if they're faster than you they have to stop to attack, and often you can nullify an attack by outpacing it before it lands. Also commonly observed when enemies panic. The only advantage here is obviously that you can simply decide not to kite.
I do want to mention that standing in a door way offers some protection on the order of what you describe with the tower shield defense. Not in that it changes your opponent's chance to hit, but you can block them up with your tanks such that you can limit the stream of baddies coming into your ranks.
Is it perfect? No. Are the narrow Corridors a PITA? Yes. Should they be? Probably (in my opinion anyway). Should they be AS much of a PITA as they are? Admittedly not.
i dislike it that alora is realy late into the game
i dislike the fact that theres never a good romance for shorties but thats pretty minor
i dilike having to use dorn to get that chainmail and how far u have to be to get it
on reflection most of my gripes are halfling related
Other than that, my gripes about BG 1 applies to BG 2.
1) Battles that require metagame knowledge and cheesy tactics.
2) The ridiculous amount of stuff you can carry.
3) Narrow corridors and pathfinding.
4) No armour whilst casting spells.
5) Ugly portraits, especially for the girls.
For me, the parts I hate most:
1. Firewine Ruins - annoying pain in the arse.
2. Any area with spiders - they're just so yucky.
3. Baldur's Gate itself - feels like just a larger, more tedious version of Beregost. TBH, probably my greatest let-down in RPing history came when I finally arrived at Baldur's for the very first time, and saw that it really didn't offer a whole lot new that I hadn't already encountered.
4. Baldur's Gate sewers - again, a tedious rehash of past areas, at a time when I just want to move along with the plot.
I strongly agree with your first point, I hate having to know something a coming battle to win it. Fortunately, I think this is pretty uncommon in the core game. But many mods make this a bigger problem.
As an old school AD&D player the no mage spells in armor just feels right to me.
As for the female portraits, I just always use others or make my own. Over 200 portraits, both male and female, in my portraits folder. I can't imagine doing it any other way anymore!
In a standard playthrough, I guess the most tedious forced part for me is probably the return to Candlekeep in chapter 6, and completing that dungeon. That and avoiding the Flaming Fist in BG city in chapter 7 (however I usually make a bee-line to plot resolution at that point).
I don't have time to play anymore, and probably won't for some time to come (just too busy). But the method I tried of ropleplaying every character (that's an important distinction) and using card flips/dice rolls in "Let the Fates Decide" pretty much removes the rote aspect. Every situation in the game then becomes a choice where all the actors participate and each decides what they will do; and chance also plays a strong role in determining what characters do. So even familiar encounters can have unexpected outcomes. (I journaled my game to illustrate the idea, and the journaling takes a long time. But journaling is optional.)
So if I ever feel a need to refresh the experience of the game, I know I can play it that way. I'm glad that I now have this way to play the game. It is a bit more demanding, though.
swapping those items is easy...here's the trick...position your entire party between the 2 guards & the doors they are guarding...make sure no other guards are in your field of vision...whack the two guards...no one else should turn hostile...move your party into the storage room, close the doors...finish up & walk out...
As for mage + armor, in most games I've come across, there's either no restrictions for armor and spell casting, or if they do, it's much more of a soft-restriction, where spell casting is enhanced by mage-specific items like a power orb, so you wouldn't want to use a shield anyway, or if wearing armour reduces the power of your spells, or causes a chance of spell-failure. I can understand a pure spellcaster like Gandalf not being allowed to wear armour, but Fighter/Mages and similar types should be allowed to wear at least some armour, perhaps below the Plate Mail level.
Finally, for the portraits, I think they are growing on me. It took me a while cos I've been used to newer games where characters have almost photo-realistic animations and every female is inevitably very attractive. The BG portraits have 'character' which reflects their NPCs well, but I didn't really appreciate that until BG 2, when the NPCs 'come to life'. I kinda regret using customs for Imoen and Aerie now.
There are a couple times when an enemy may be right through a door or something, and the way the game is designed you can't really know until you go through the door. But I think even then, in most cases, if you have to reload, its easy enough for me to rationalize "we would have seen/heard what lies ahead and buffed first." Funny thing is, I've had a couple of non-events where I got buffed for a battle that never happened; then we have to rest after never firing a shot! And some buffs are long enough running to just always have them going; Protection from Fear, Protection from Evil, Stoneskin, a few others.
I think the mage/armor thing is just generational in nature. Old farts like me never expect a mage to be able to wear armor.
I mostly don't touch the NPC portraits, but funny you'd mention the only two exceptions where I do. I always switch Imoen in BG to her BG2 portrait. And years ago, I found an alternate Aerie that is based on the same portrait, but has her in a more wizard robe looking thing, that looks better to me. But I always use non-stock portraits for my PC(s).