Harder Better Faster Stronger!

etagloc

Everytime I read a thread its almost always about more power for the player. Or tweeks that would give you or one of the NPC's more power.

Like.
Why can't -xxxx- remove his or her ring/belt
Why do I get punished for being good (game took 1 dex or wisdom)
why can't I be a wildmage/fighter/Rogue/dragon disciple/cleric.
Why can't I find all the tome's from bg1 in Irenicus dungeon before I leave.

"all" this is possible to get with mods, but when I read posts and comments it seems like people want the game to give them all these options. (so it dosn't feel like "cheating"?)

no one ever complains about getting +2 strength ( woo! Yes now I can steamroll all the monster! )

All in all the game gives more than it takes anyway. Why want more?

In bg 1-2, even on Insane, you are never in any danger of being stuck due to difficulty.
Yes this game maybe a little harder them most modern games.

My point is, please don't put more power into the basic game. Sacrifice makes the game more exciting.

Or maybe im just ranting ;o)

Jarrakul

The fundamental issue behind many (not all) of these posts isn't power per se, but balance. Mechanics inherently encourage certain types of gameplay, and unbalanced mechanics generally do so in ways that aren't ideal (see my rant on page 4 of the race restrictions thread if you want more detail on this). But when balancing, it's a lot easier to swallow a weak character getting stronger than a strong character getting weaker. That's fine in isolation, but a sort of equilibrium also has to exist between the characters/builds and the challenges in the game (as you point out). Increasing overall power to promote character/build balance is internally fine, but without corresponding changes to the game's enemies, it destabilizes the equilibrium (which, as we all know, is somewhat tenuous already).

So basically I'm inclined to agree with you. Making characters/builds more powerful is generally bad (except perhaps for builds that are vastly below par) unless it's balanced by a corresponding increase in enemy power. And I have little or no sympathy for the folks who just want to be more overpowered than they already are.

reedmilfam

I, for one, do not want overpowered 'gifts' to my character to make him/her invulnerable. However, I do want a wider variety of 'good' items, so that I don't metagame basic proficiencies to ensure my CHARNAME can equip the items that enable him/her to actually hit the enemies that are coming down the pike. It really matters because of immunities (better THAC0 is a nice-to-have, but adequate arrows for late TOB enemies is a must). Rare uchigatana (aka katana) is one thing, but I think it's a little overkill in the rarity/expense (opinion on my part, I know).

My biggest bone to pick is on the TOTSC island. Without spoiling, there is an enemy there that is invulnerable to most weapons and the ones that do affect it do so via a hidden attribute that even a 1000-lore Bard can't see/detect. To make matters worse, there's a weapon that will hurt that enemy, but it's past a forced encounter (can't stealth by) and in a trapped (and locked) something that you can't access (breaks stealth) to use.

Anyway, smarter players than I have figured out how to get by that one, whereas my game ended there and I haven't started anew. My point, through all the forest of side-thoughts and whatnot, is that I feel all but forced to metagame, and that is why I want to not get stuck (you can't leave aforementioned island fight to come and fight another day).

CutlassJack

I care less about overall power than I do about 'Nifty.'

I never really powergame, but I do like items/things that add fun factor. Bringing Kits into BGEE made me really happy, for example. As did new magic items like the Stupefier.