The only UI improvement I want is an option to switch between ranged and dual-wield/sword+shield without going into the inventory every time. This was mentioned as being a likely addition during the announcement Q&As but it hasn't really been mentioned since (though to be fair, that's largely because very little has been mentioned since then AT ALL).
I'm rather neutral on all the other changes (especially if they can be switched on/off at will), but if they've spent all that time adding these things that I've never really heard anyone ask for and then leave out the one remaining UI annoyance that's been bugging me for 15 years now I'm personally going to be very disappointed!
I just want to create an archer that will actually USE those two dual-wielding pips! Is that really too much to ask?
what devs are doing is indeed cruel, when they were making announcement i thought that game will be in maximum 2 months, i was naive, but they were making this feeling that the game release is so close, and they were talking that after they will give more details, i was lied to !!
The devs never said anything to indicate release was close - indeed everything they said (e.g. we are still adjusting gameplay to make it better) suggested it wasn't.
As people tend to do, you believed what you wanted to believe.
The only UI improvement I want is an option to switch between ranged and dual-wield/sword+shield without going into the inventory every time. This was mentioned as being a likely addition during the announcement Q&As but it hasn't really been mentioned since (though to be fair, that's largely because very little has been mentioned since then AT ALL).
I'm rather neutral on all the other changes (especially if they can be switched on/off at will), but if they've spent all that time adding these things that I've never really heard anyone ask for and then leave out the one remaining UI annoyance that's been bugging me for 15 years now I'm personally going to be very disappointed!
I just want to create an archer that will actually USE those two dual-wielding pips! Is that really too much to ask?
Beating engine limitations sometimes can be a long battle, lasting for more than 15 years. Nobody knows if it can be won but they're trying, and this is what we can count on from them.
dunno where people got the feeling that you describe because i didn't
edit: since we talked about UI, there's a UI improvement i'd really like - the bestiary
I'd like to see something along the lines of the Civlopedia in the Civilization games, just an interface that lets us go in and read the description text of various things. There's been a couple of times in my current IWD where I've wanted to look at the description for paladin, but my undead hunter only has the kit specific information.
@Ancalagon44 Thumbs up for noticing them. Yeah, the drow driders (0:33):
About Jaheira: The fact she's in SoD is not new. There was a talk about not original voice over actress for her, based on her voice from the SoD gameplay footage.
Oh okay, didn't know that about Jaheira and her voice actress. Personally I can't stand Jaheira though!
Also note that the Dragon they are fighting against when Jaheira gets level drained. That looks like the dragon which you fight against in Icewind Dale 2 at the mouth of the River Caves.
Don't mind me, I'm just looking for any and all evidence that Beamdog is working on IWD2. A man can dream...
So, it's now time to forget about a 2015 release. If they're still adding features now, then there's no way they'll get through the remaining internal testing and then the closed wide-beta and then the public launch, in only a couple of months. We might still see pre-ordering start by year-end, but no way will we get to final release, there's not enough time left.
We're probably now looking at February or March as earliest feasible release.
It'd be nice that if they can't get SoD out in time for Chrimbo, then they at least release the BG1 patch so we can try out some of the new engine enhancements. Or get a Shaman CHARNAME ready
1) we have been assured that all BG1ee party members can be imported into the start of SoD, but
2) we have been warned that some BG1ee party members won't stay with us, and
3) we know (from Chris Avellone's interview a few weeks ago) that SoD has a prologue chapter in which we can re-visit (some of) BG City and see the aftermath of Sarevok's defeat,
... I suggest the following as a fairly likely story mechanism.
At the start of the prologue, we're in BG and have our full BG1ee party with us. Someone will promptly inform us that the surviving Grand Dukes (or maybe just Duke Eltan) wish to see us, but we're not forced to go to them immediately.
We can wander around a little to explore (but only within the city), and will hear reactions from various citizens about Sarevok being defeated (favorable reactions) and rumours of our protagonist being related to Sarevok (unfavorable reactions), and while we're doing this we'll probably get a couple of minor side-quests to tie up loose ends from the Sarevok plot. Maybe these will yield one significant item (perhaps the Bard Hat, since that's already been revealed and it's less of a spoiler to have revealed something which we'll find quite early).
When we've looked around (or earlier if we can't be bothered exploring), we'll go to see the Grand Dukes, and Duke Eltan will explain about the Shining Lady's Crusade and give us our main-plot quest of investigating it and stopping the threat to the city. Maybe we can say that we want to look around some more and delay acceptance, but we won't be able to progress with the plot (or leave the city, which has been sealed because of the danger from the advancing Crusade) until we accept this quest.
As soon as we accept this new quest from the Dukes, that's a logical story-point for our imported party to break up. The NPCs who are playable in SoD will agree to come with us on this new adventure, but others will explain that they're leaving - Xan needs to report back to Evereska, Xzar & Montaron have been ordered to Athkatla by the Zhentarim, Quayle has had enough of dangerous adventure and wants to retire to the circus, Yeslick has decided to try to restore his old clan's mine, Ajantis has been summoned to the Radiant Heart headquarters in Athkatla, and so on. (It'll be very interesting to see what explanations the writers have devised for each character.) Something special will probably happen with Skie at this point, because we know that a significant SoD quest will involve her (likely as a rescue objective rather than a joinable character), and perhaps something special with Imoen also, if it's true (as currently looks quite likely) that she's a guide or quest-giver (rather than a joinable character) for most or all of SoD.
Then what's left of our party travels (perhaps in cut-scene) to the Fist's camp on the road to Dragonspear Castle, and Chapter 1 of the main SoD story begins.
The other characters from BG1ee who are playable in SoD (but weren't imported as part of our party) will probably turn out to be already at the Fist camp (because they've already volunteered to assist, and have been sent there to await assignment), and that's where we'll be able to fill the gaps in our party and swap characters around. The new SoD NPCs might be there too, but I reckon more likely we'll meet them slightly later, one at a time, as the story progresses (because that'll be a more interesting and meaningful way of introducing them).
All this is speculative, of course, but I reckon it makes story sense and fits the known facts. I wonder if I'm calling it even remotely close?
I doubt very much that Imoen, your sister and an integral part of the "canon" party, is a guide or a quest-giver rather than a party member in SoD. I actually can't believe in it.
I doubt very much that Imoen, your sister and an integral part of the "canon" party, is a guide or a quest-giver rather than a party member in SoD. I actually can't believe in it.
Well, sure, we all know that she's integral to the main plot in BG2, but at this point we don't know that she's our sister, and she's not even necessarily with us (any more than the rest of the canon party are necessarily with us). We only know her special significance by meta-game hindsight.
My speculation about Imoen is based on the announcement video etc., in which we can see that Imoen is involved in SoD because she's telling the party about one of the areas, yet she's a blue-circled by-stander rather than a party member. At no point is she shown as a party member, even in snippets showing what we might guess to be the canonical Good group (i.e. the long-established "canon party"), her natural place being instead occupied by Safana.
Obviously I can only guess, but this has caused me to suspect that, in devising explanations for the starting situation of BG2, the writers have come up with a scenario in which Imoen is following some separate agenda of her own during a large part (or maybe even all) of SoD ... for example, maybe she's apprenticed to a senior Mage for a while to help with her re-training in her new class. I reckon she becomes joinable only near to the end of SoD, or perhaps even joins only by being thrown together with us in the final scene (i.e. when Irenicus bags us, to set up the starting scene of BG2). As a further speculation, perhaps the manner in which Imoen comes back to the party might have been written in such a way that it provides more motive (i.e. more than just the money) for Safana's actions in her BG2 cameo - perhaps we're given no choice but to replace Safana with Imoen in late-SoD, and Safana might well resent this.
Here's a wilder speculation about Imoen, also extrapolated from Chris Avellone's interview, in which he comments that our main antagonist (i.e. the Shining Lady) isn't really a villain like Sarevok or Irenicus, but is instead actually quite heroic, although with an agenda which conflicts with our own. Perhaps Imoen is away from our party during much of SoD because she allies with the Shining Lady instead! She doesn't attack us because we're old friends, and perhaps she helps us in a situation where we're both threatened by third-party enemies (e.g. a drow intervention), but she doesn't return to our side until there is eventually some sort of reconciliation between the city and the Shining Lady near to the end of SoD. If the conflict with the Shining Lady turns out to have all been a big misunderstanding, then our leading role in that mistake might tidily explain why we were leaving the area under "dark circumstances" (as the intro movie of BG2 says) at the point when Irenicus pops up and bags us. Imoen being on the other side, and it gradually becoming evident that the whole conflict is a mistake, would make for a story with lively moral and personal complications, giving it the potential for some decent depth.
Heck, I rather like that plot-line ... but yes, I realise that it'll very likely turn out that the writers have come up with some totally different way of handling it all.
I doubt very much that Imoen, your sister and an integral part of the "canon" party, is a guide or a quest-giver rather than a party member in SoD. I actually can't believe in it.
A character can be an important part of the story without being an actual party member.
Question: if a player kills certain canon party members, will there be a dialogue option that addresses this when they inevitably meet again?
I doubt it. There was never any such dialogue at the start of BG2, so there probably won't be any in BG:SoD. I guess the idea is that we're inevitably forced to swallow "canonical assumptions", and therefore may as well swallow them whole rather than piecemeal.
It would be cool if some of the people that tried the game at that last place left their impression somewhere. I want to hear about the game from normal players.
Question: if a player kills certain canon party members, will there be a dialogue option that addresses this when they inevitably meet again?
I doubt it. There was never any such dialogue at the start of BG2, so there probably won't be any in BG:SoD. I guess the idea is that we're inevitably forced to swallow "canonical assumptions", and therefore may as well swallow them whole rather than piecemeal.
But drizzt and zxar did have "aren't you supposed to be dead" options.
Question: if a player kills certain canon party members, will there be a dialogue option that addresses this when they inevitably meet again?
I doubt it. There was never any such dialogue at the start of BG2, so there probably won't be any in BG:SoD. I guess the idea is that we're inevitably forced to swallow "canonical assumptions", and therefore may as well swallow them whole rather than piecemeal.
Not true. Both Xzar and Edwin have a "I thought you were dead" option. I can see them adding similar ones to the other canon party members for SOD, with a "well I was raised duh" response. It works for everyone but Imoen, who should remain dead because story plot holes.
Question: if a player kills certain canon party members, will there be a dialogue option that addresses this when they inevitably meet again?
I doubt it. There was never any such dialogue at the start of BG2, so there probably won't be any in BG:SoD. I guess the idea is that we're inevitably forced to swallow "canonical assumptions", and therefore may as well swallow them whole rather than piecemeal.
But drizzt and zxar did have "aren't you supposed to be dead" options.
Oops, yes, thanks for the reminders, @lroumen and @deltago. The question was specifically about party members, so Drizzt isn't relevant, but obviously Xzar and Edwin are relevant. I had forgotten those dialogues, sorry. Still, I don't think most other NPCs have any such dialogues, so I wasn't completely wrong.
"We had three computers running Siege of Dragonspear demos and ran a panel on video game design as well. It was great to meet fans and hear how much they loved the enhanced edition games and how much they were looking forward to the new expansion."
Comments
I'm rather neutral on all the other changes (especially if they can be switched on/off at will), but if they've spent all that time adding these things that I've never really heard anyone ask for and then leave out the one remaining UI annoyance that's been bugging me for 15 years now I'm personally going to be very disappointed!
I just want to create an archer that will actually USE those two dual-wielding pips! Is that really too much to ask?
As people tend to do, you believed what you wanted to believe.
EDIT: I think the cyclops was also in IWD2, although Cyclopses may have also appeared in IWD:EE.
Oh and Jaheira confirmed. In the trailer at 26 seconds in, when fighting the dragon, the following text appears:
Jaheira: 2 levels drained.
About Jaheira: The fact she's in SoD is not new. There was a talk about not original voice over actress for her, based on her voice from the SoD gameplay footage.
Also note that the Dragon they are fighting against when Jaheira gets level drained. That looks like the dragon which you fight against in Icewind Dale 2 at the mouth of the River Caves.
Don't mind me, I'm just looking for any and all evidence that Beamdog is working on IWD2. A man can dream...
We're probably now looking at February or March as earliest feasible release.
1) we have been assured that all BG1ee party members can be imported into the start of SoD, but
2) we have been warned that some BG1ee party members won't stay with us, and
3) we know (from Chris Avellone's interview a few weeks ago) that SoD has a prologue chapter in which we can re-visit (some of) BG City and see the aftermath of Sarevok's defeat,
... I suggest the following as a fairly likely story mechanism.
At the start of the prologue, we're in BG and have our full BG1ee party with us. Someone will promptly inform us that the surviving Grand Dukes (or maybe just Duke Eltan) wish to see us, but we're not forced to go to them immediately.
We can wander around a little to explore (but only within the city), and will hear reactions from various citizens about Sarevok being defeated (favorable reactions) and rumours of our protagonist being related to Sarevok (unfavorable reactions), and while we're doing this we'll probably get a couple of minor side-quests to tie up loose ends from the Sarevok plot. Maybe these will yield one significant item (perhaps the Bard Hat, since that's already been revealed and it's less of a spoiler to have revealed something which we'll find quite early).
When we've looked around (or earlier if we can't be bothered exploring), we'll go to see the Grand Dukes, and Duke Eltan will explain about the Shining Lady's Crusade and give us our main-plot quest of investigating it and stopping the threat to the city. Maybe we can say that we want to look around some more and delay acceptance, but we won't be able to progress with the plot (or leave the city, which has been sealed because of the danger from the advancing Crusade) until we accept this quest.
As soon as we accept this new quest from the Dukes, that's a logical story-point for our imported party to break up. The NPCs who are playable in SoD will agree to come with us on this new adventure, but others will explain that they're leaving - Xan needs to report back to Evereska, Xzar & Montaron have been ordered to Athkatla by the Zhentarim, Quayle has had enough of dangerous adventure and wants to retire to the circus, Yeslick has decided to try to restore his old clan's mine, Ajantis has been summoned to the Radiant Heart headquarters in Athkatla, and so on. (It'll be very interesting to see what explanations the writers have devised for each character.) Something special will probably happen with Skie at this point, because we know that a significant SoD quest will involve her (likely as a rescue objective rather than a joinable character), and perhaps something special with Imoen also, if it's true (as currently looks quite likely) that she's a guide or quest-giver (rather than a joinable character) for most or all of SoD.
Then what's left of our party travels (perhaps in cut-scene) to the Fist's camp on the road to Dragonspear Castle, and Chapter 1 of the main SoD story begins.
The other characters from BG1ee who are playable in SoD (but weren't imported as part of our party) will probably turn out to be already at the Fist camp (because they've already volunteered to assist, and have been sent there to await assignment), and that's where we'll be able to fill the gaps in our party and swap characters around. The new SoD NPCs might be there too, but I reckon more likely we'll meet them slightly later, one at a time, as the story progresses (because that'll be a more interesting and meaningful way of introducing them).
All this is speculative, of course, but I reckon it makes story sense and fits the known facts. I wonder if I'm calling it even remotely close?
I doubt very much that Imoen, your sister and an integral part of the "canon" party, is a guide or a quest-giver rather than a party member in SoD. I actually can't believe in it.
My speculation about Imoen is based on the announcement video etc., in which we can see that Imoen is involved in SoD because she's telling the party about one of the areas, yet she's a blue-circled by-stander rather than a party member. At no point is she shown as a party member, even in snippets showing what we might guess to be the canonical Good group (i.e. the long-established "canon party"), her natural place being instead occupied by Safana.
Obviously I can only guess, but this has caused me to suspect that, in devising explanations for the starting situation of BG2, the writers have come up with a scenario in which Imoen is following some separate agenda of her own during a large part (or maybe even all) of SoD ... for example, maybe she's apprenticed to a senior Mage for a while to help with her re-training in her new class. I reckon she becomes joinable only near to the end of SoD, or perhaps even joins only by being thrown together with us in the final scene (i.e. when Irenicus bags us, to set up the starting scene of BG2). As a further speculation, perhaps the manner in which Imoen comes back to the party might have been written in such a way that it provides more motive (i.e. more than just the money) for Safana's actions in her BG2 cameo - perhaps we're given no choice but to replace Safana with Imoen in late-SoD, and Safana might well resent this.
Here's a wilder speculation about Imoen, also extrapolated from Chris Avellone's interview, in which he comments that our main antagonist (i.e. the Shining Lady) isn't really a villain like Sarevok or Irenicus, but is instead actually quite heroic, although with an agenda which conflicts with our own. Perhaps Imoen is away from our party during much of SoD because she allies with the Shining Lady instead! She doesn't attack us because we're old friends, and perhaps she helps us in a situation where we're both threatened by third-party enemies (e.g. a drow intervention), but she doesn't return to our side until there is eventually some sort of reconciliation between the city and the Shining Lady near to the end of SoD. If the conflict with the Shining Lady turns out to have all been a big misunderstanding, then our leading role in that mistake might tidily explain why we were leaving the area under "dark circumstances" (as the intro movie of BG2 says) at the point when Irenicus pops up and bags us. Imoen being on the other side, and it gradually becoming evident that the whole conflict is a mistake, would make for a story with lively moral and personal complications, giving it the potential for some decent depth.
Heck, I rather like that plot-line ... but yes, I realise that it'll very likely turn out that the writers have come up with some totally different way of handling it all.
"We had three computers running Siege of Dragonspear demos and ran a panel on video game design as well. It was great to meet fans and hear how much they loved the enhanced edition games and how much they were looking forward to the new expansion."