If you're just now joining us, we (the development team at Overhaul Games) are taking questions from you (the players). You can read the original thread here. You can read Volume 2 here
The FAQ thread here lists all of the important questions that have already been answered.
I'll note here that we cannot answer questions about content (we want to maintain the surprises where we can), and there may be other specific questions that we can't address right away, but we'll do our best to respond to questions as they come in (or, more likely, in clusters as we have time).
I'm sorry if this question is already been asked but, are the issues stopping BG/BG2 development gone forever or they might come back? Are there any changes regarding the contractual limitations that prevented you to modify the original content (i.e. adding banters to original NPCs)?
I follow a few different software projects like OpenMW, and XL Engine, and I really enjoy reading about the what the devs are working on, the challenges and strange things they find in code or otherwise. I spent a huge amount of time bug-fixing the missions for "Thief II: The Metal Age" and released them all as "AM16's Thief2 Fixed" and I have all kinds of stories of hunting down weird bugs and the challenges I faced. Not to mention finding little tidbits of content that was cut.
Have you guys ever considered a Dev Blog for BG? It seems like a great way to connect to those of us starving for news, and exciting us about the patch.
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.
I follow a few different software projects like OpenMW, and XL Engine, and I really enjoy reading about the what the devs are working on, the challenges and strange things they find in code or otherwise. I spent a huge amount of time bug-fixing the missions for "Thief II: The Metal Age" and released them all as "AM16's Thief2 Fixed" and I have all kinds of stories of hunting down weird bugs and the challenges I faced. Not to mention finding little tidbits of content that was cut.
Have you guys ever considered a Dev Blog for BG? It seems like a great way to connect to those of us starving for news, and exciting us about the patch.
We considered it, but when we realized that many of us weren't seeing our families as it was, we came up with this thread instead. Dev blogs are fun to read, but they take a lot of time to execute properly.
Does this game utilize EAX in the sound engine? Does it require Creative's ALchemy software to do so or does it natively detect it and utilize it without that, sort of like Battlefield 2 did in it's own audio settings(I mention this because Battlefield 2 also used OpenAL)?
Btw I just want to say I am really happy you guys decided to use OpenAL and not Miles 3D Audio for the audio engine. Valve used Miles when they recently redid their Half-Life 1 era games for cross-platform compatibility with Mac and Linux. The audio is now absolutely dead by comparison without any hardware processing or EAX and they don't seem to be listening to anybody's complaints on the forums about an option to use DirectSound again. OpenAL really is the best option for scalability
Even better if it's completely automated like it is. OpenAL effectively future-proofs the game's audio while retaining hardware rendering compatibility, I can't state enough how glad I am that they used it and I wish more game developers would too.
The other thing I meant to ask is if the patch will help the game work better on older integrated Intel graphics chips like the X3100. I have a ThinkPad X61 Tablet that I would love to play this game on but I think it doesn't support the right version of OpenAL or something along those lines, the game will attempt to run with a black screen and then just go back to desktop and continue to use resources as a background process until shut down in the task manager
@Dee: And for those who bought the game via Beamdog but used the self-contained installer rather than the Beamdog client? Is it just a matter of clicking the "Apply Update" button?
@Dee: And for those who bought the game via Beamdog but used the self-contained installer rather than the Beamdog client? Is it just a matter of clicking the "Apply Update" button?
If you're using the stand-alone installer for the normal version, you'll still need to use the Beamdog client to access the beta. It's an entirely separate program, which allows you to use either version at your leisure.
Will there be a lobby for multiplayer? How will hosting multiplayer games work? Will I be able to setup a dedicated server or can I only host a game if I'm an active player in that game?
If you're using the stand-alone installer for the normal version, you'll still need to use the Beamdog client to access the beta. It's an entirely separate program, which allows you to use either version at your leisure.
So basically, anyone who bought the game directly from Beamdog, specifically to avoid using any kind of external client, will either be forced to use said client or wait for some unknown point in the future when the open beta leads to an official release?
To hell with this. I've had enough. Better things to do and better products to spend my time and money on.
Is it really so difficult to release a mini-patch with all complited localizations? Beta testing is a long-term undertaking, and those who ALREADY bought the game, NOW want to play in their native language.
So basically, anyone who bought the game directly from Beamdog, specifically to avoid using any kind of external client, will either be forced to use said client or wait for some unknown point in the future when the open beta leads to an official release?
To hell with this. I've had enough. Better things to do and better products to spend my time and money on.
Oh, the horror! You need a small, light-weight client to participate in an *optional* open beta, noooooo... Also, you were planning on paying for the patch? 'Cause personally I was planning on getting it for free, thus leaving my money ready to be spent on other products.
Seriously, what is it with people constantly proclaiming (with great fanfare and indignation) that they are not going to wait for the patch, etc? Are people literally, physically waiting for it? Just sitting there staring at a wall, unable to do anything else in the interim? Unable to play the current BG:EE version anymore because the shadow of the upcoming patch looms over it, mysteriously making it impossible to play an otherwise entirely functional game?
Seriously, what is it with people constantly proclaiming (with great fanfare and indignation) that they are not going to wait for the patch, etc? Are people literally, physically waiting for it? Just sitting there staring at a wall, unable to do anything else in the interim?
In my case, that describes the situation pretty accurately. But can you blame me? - the patch will feature a new GUI and renderer.
So basically, anyone who bought the game directly from Beamdog, specifically to avoid using any kind of external client, will either be forced to use said client or wait for some unknown point in the future when the open beta leads to an official release
To prevent any confusion resulting from this statement: the only difference between the Beamdog client and the stand-alone client is that the Beamdog client can download more than one game. Once the game is downloaded, there is zero difference between the downloaded files, and the client does not need to be running once the download is complete.
Some additional technical details (subject to change):
* The Open Beta will appear as a new/different game in the Beamdog client, so you will be able to have both versions of the game on your system at the same time * You will be able to use existing save games in the Open Beta, but in the grandest IE tradition, you may miss some of the updates & fixes because of the resources saved in the save game itself. * You will *NOT* be able to use Open Beta save games in the public release (2014) version. * Because of the above, the open beta will have its own user data / save game folder
Some additional technical details (subject to change):
* The Open Beta will appear as a new/different game in the Beamdog client, so you will be able to have both versions of the game on your system at the same time * You will be able to use existing save games in the Open Beta, but in the grandest IE tradition, you may miss some of the updates & fixes because of the resources saved in the save game itself. * You will *NOT* be able to use Open Beta save games in the public release (2014) version. * Because of the above, the open beta will have its own user data / save game folder
*tongue firmly in cheek
So, what you're basically saying is that this is the real paid Open Beta of Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition?
And the one that was initially delayed from Sept. 2012 to Late October 2012 and which would never run reliably on old crappy Intel IGPs and some early gen Ipads was really just a paid open beta preview?
Ok, got it.
P.S. You Team Overhaul ladies and gents have my fondest sympathies. But I must say that this whole yearlong BG:EE 'release' experience has been, er, somewhat surreal from my perspective. I am very much looking forward to trying out the finished article Open Beta.
Are we going to be able to use our saved games in the Open Beta, or will we have to start over?
You will be able to use your existing saved games, although (as Cerevant pointed out above) some of the content-related fixes may not be apparent until you start a new game. If you bring your saved game into the beta, you won't be able to bring it back to the non-beta version (so here's an obligatory "Back-up your saves" warning).
Any game you start with the Beta might not be compatible with the existing live release version, simply because of how many things have been updated. It might work anyway, but we want to make it clear that it's not a guarantee.
Is it really so difficult to release a mini-patch with all complited localizations? Beta testing is a long-term undertaking, and those who ALREADY bought the game, NOW want to play in their native language.
I'm not brushing you off, but I need a little bit of time to find you the answer. As soon as I have one I'll post it here.
How much added content do you expect to add to BG2EE?
just a ballpark figure would be nice, fx 10, 20 or 30 hours of added game time.
And sorry if this question have already been answered somewhere elese
It's difficult to gauge "hours of playtime" for a game that is predominately text-based. I can tell you, however, that the new content clocks in at over 300,000 words. To put that in perspective, the vanilla game of BG2 was 1,249,612 words. So, not as big as the rest of the game, but pretty significant, I'd say. I think Phil mentioned a while ago that it's bigger than the original ToB expansion.
Will you make riddles easier for characters with high INT en WIS. So I can finaly solve the circus tent genie riddle without cheating.
I still struggle with that first riddle, although there's no plans on our end to make things easier for high-Intelligence characters. Perhaps your character is trying to solve it in his/her head, and simply needs to draw a diagram?
Dee
Member Posts: 10,437
Comments
Have Overhaul been working on it durning contractual issues all along?
Cool, but I'm more interested in the first part of my question. How is patch going right *now*.
Have you guys ever considered a Dev Blog for BG? It seems like a great way to connect to those of us starving for news, and exciting us about the patch.
300 xp requires 32 conversations.
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.
Btw I just want to say I am really happy you guys decided to use OpenAL and not Miles 3D Audio for the audio engine. Valve used Miles when they recently redid their Half-Life 1 era games for cross-platform compatibility with Mac and Linux. The audio is now absolutely dead by comparison without any hardware processing or EAX and they don't seem to be listening to anybody's complaints on the forums about an option to use DirectSound again. OpenAL really is the best option for scalability
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/comment/342738#Comment_342738
Even better if it's completely automated like it is. OpenAL effectively future-proofs the game's audio while retaining hardware rendering compatibility, I can't state enough how glad I am that they used it and I wish more game developers would too.
The other thing I meant to ask is if the patch will help the game work better on older integrated Intel graphics chips like the X3100. I have a ThinkPad X61 Tablet that I would love to play this game on but I think it doesn't support the right version of OpenAL or something along those lines, the game will attempt to run with a black screen and then just go back to desktop and continue to use resources as a background process until shut down in the task manager
To hell with this. I've had enough. Better things to do and better products to spend my time and money on.
Also, you were planning on paying for the patch? 'Cause personally I was planning on getting it for free, thus leaving my money ready to be spent on other products.
Seriously, what is it with people constantly proclaiming (with great fanfare and indignation) that they are not going to wait for the patch, etc? Are people literally, physically waiting for it? Just sitting there staring at a wall, unable to do anything else in the interim? Unable to play the current BG:EE version anymore because the shadow of the upcoming patch looms over it, mysteriously making it impossible to play an otherwise entirely functional game?
A NEW GUI! AND RENDERER!
just a ballpark figure would be nice, fx 10, 20 or 30 hours of added game time.
And sorry if this question have already been answered somewhere elese
Some additional technical details (subject to change):
* The Open Beta will appear as a new/different game in the Beamdog client, so you will be able to have both versions of the game on your system at the same time
* You will be able to use existing save games in the Open Beta, but in the grandest IE tradition, you may miss some of the updates & fixes because of the resources saved in the save game itself.
* You will *NOT* be able to use Open Beta save games in the public release (2014) version.
* Because of the above, the open beta will have its own user data / save game folder
So, what you're basically saying is that this is the real paid Open Beta of Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition?
And the one that was initially delayed from Sept. 2012 to Late October 2012 and which would never run reliably on old crappy Intel IGPs and some early gen Ipads was really just a paid open beta preview?
Ok, got it.
P.S. You Team Overhaul ladies and gents have my fondest sympathies. But I must say that this whole yearlong BG:EE 'release' experience has been, er, somewhat surreal from my perspective. I am very much looking forward to trying out the finished article Open Beta.
That genie gives you a second chance if you just admit you don't know the answer. The second question is easy.
That said, it is kinda frustrating that I cannot represent the genius intellect (19) of Charname cos player is too stooopid!
Any game you start with the Beta might not be compatible with the existing live release version, simply because of how many things have been updated. It might work anyway, but we want to make it clear that it's not a guarantee. I'm not brushing you off, but I need a little bit of time to find you the answer. As soon as I have one I'll post it here. It's difficult to gauge "hours of playtime" for a game that is predominately text-based. I can tell you, however, that the new content clocks in at over 300,000 words. To put that in perspective, the vanilla game of BG2 was 1,249,612 words. So, not as big as the rest of the game, but pretty significant, I'd say. I think Phil mentioned a while ago that it's bigger than the original ToB expansion. I still struggle with that first riddle, although there's no plans on our end to make things easier for high-Intelligence characters. Perhaps your character is trying to solve it in his/her head, and simply needs to draw a diagram?