Handled imperfectly? Bah, that quest is just bad. The way Clara dies, how the player is supposed to trust Hexxat with the Cloak, etc. are all just defying logic. Not a single line of reaction from any NPC. I would have thought Minsc would complain with me recruiting some unknown vampire. But I digress. The quest needs to be reworked.
Handled imperfectly? Bah, that quest is just bad. The way Clara dies, how the player is supposed to trust Hexxat with the Cloak, etc. are all just defying logic. Not a single line of reaction from any NPC. I would have thought Minsc would complain with me recruiting some unknown vampire. But I digress. The quest needs to be reworked.
I'm less critical of it than you are, but that's a fair point. My first BG2EE run has been evil, so I didn't care much, but it doesn't quite work if you're playing Good.
Though, isn't this less of a "quest needs to be reworked" than a "add a few lines of dialogue" issue?
Nothing that you've listed is present in the character as she stands, though. Why not ask for a brand new NPC that fits those criteria, AND doesn't interfere with an existing NPC, AND works better from a gameplay viewpoint?
Because I am interested in Clara. Which is all the reason necessary.
If you're really going to pursue that angle of writing, give me an example of how it would work. What possible justification could Clara, failed actress and former prostitute, have in following the offspring of the God of Murder into a dungeon? Morbid curiosity? What justification could the protagonist have for taking her along? None of it makes sense.
If you gave any indication of asking the question with honest intentions, I'd be happy to answer it.
Do you honestly think it didn't occur to ANY of the developers to make Clara a permanent party member? It's easy for the pro-Clara people to daydream about making her a permanent, "true" NPC, but it's pretty clear from how BG2EE was launched that the developers opted against it.
They're already said they're not opposed to the idea of making Clara an DLC NPC. You're wrong. Now please stop, and leave the thread, instead of trying to start arguments.
If you gave any indication of asking the question with honest intentions, I'd be happy to answer it.
Humor me. You don't know my intentions. I'm not some random internet troll, I'm a bored college student sitting at his desk, eating chips and procrastinating on his homework. Besides possibly overreacting to your suggestion that I just not buy the DLC, I'm really not trying to start a flame war here.
I HAVE read your views on how to make Clara an interesting NPC. They're legitimately good ideas, in a vacuum. I just don't think they fit with Baldur's Gate. In your first post in this thread, you basically described the protagonist of an interesting story. But Clara ISN'T the protagonist, Charname is. A character like Keldorn works because, other than the occasional departure to take care of his own business, he's an established presence as a paladin (if that makes sense). The Clara you described needs a lot of character development to reach her potential, something that this game's framework simply doesn't provide.
Your reaction to the suggestion of relying on the unofficial mod is a perfect example of one of the points I'm trying to make. You brushed it aside because it doesn't match the image of Clara that you, specifically, have. Who's to say that an official DLC would be any better received? You're interested in the POTENTIAL of Clara, which is fine. Why not realize that potential in a brand new NPC?
Humor me. You don't know my intentions. I'm not some random internet troll, I'm a bored college student sitting at his desk, eating chips and procrastinating on his homework.
Wonderful. Here's what I am: I'm an adult. Talk to me like one. Do not make insinuations about how I'm "projecting" onto an NPC, when I have always made a very clear distinction between what is known of Clara, and what ideas I might have about how to further develop Clara. Do not make assumptions about what I think about a character. Do not tell me what I should and should not be interested in. Do not tell me that my interest in Clara as a character is not real. Do not assume your opinion is better than mine.
In other words, be polite and respectful. It's not much to ask, and I'd be happy to answer your question or discuss the ideas I had about the character then.
I am tired of people jumping in to every thread about Clara to complain and moan about how much they hate the idea and make wild assumptions about why people are interested in the character. It should be possible to discuss Clara, or for that matter any other NPC in the game, without people jumping in to say what a bad person you are for wanting to know more about that NPC or how your interest in that NPC is somehow illegitimate. It's rude, it's ridiculous, and it's against the rules of the forum.
You brushed it aside because it doesn't match the image of Clara that you, specifically, have.
No, I brushed it aside because ridiculously superhuman stats and special snowflake thief classes don't much interest me (besides, we already have Hexxat). Ridiculously superhuman stats also violate what we canonically know about Clara. It may be this mod explains it away in a clever manner; I can't say, I haven't played it. But nothing about it as presented particularly interested me.
Who's to say that an official DLC would be any better received?
What difference does it make? If a Clara DLC had her with 21 wisdom and a special snowflake thief class, I'd probably not be interested then, either.
I also wouldn't be much interested in a brand new thief with 21 wisom and a special snowflake thief class.
As I said before, I'll judge whether to buy a DLC on its own merits. And before you tediously ask "But then why Clara instead of something new?" again:
1) Because I have an interest in Clara the character right now. 2) Because I do not owe you an explanation or an apology over what DLC I might be interested in.
Comments
But I digress. The quest needs to be reworked.
Though, isn't this less of a "quest needs to be reworked" than a "add a few lines of dialogue" issue?
http://www.shsforums.net/topic/56877-mod-clara-the-mistshadow-bg2ee/
So, yeah, I think its pretty much a waste of time for the devs to even do anything for Clara at this point since the Clara mod is at 50% completion.
Follow the rules of the forum. Stop making arguments in a thread which was not for arguments. Because I am interested in Clara. Which is all the reason necessary. If you gave any indication of asking the question with honest intentions, I'd be happy to answer it. They're already said they're not opposed to the idea of making Clara an DLC NPC. You're wrong. Now please stop, and leave the thread, instead of trying to start arguments.
I HAVE read your views on how to make Clara an interesting NPC. They're legitimately good ideas, in a vacuum. I just don't think they fit with Baldur's Gate. In your first post in this thread, you basically described the protagonist of an interesting story. But Clara ISN'T the protagonist, Charname is. A character like Keldorn works because, other than the occasional departure to take care of his own business, he's an established presence as a paladin (if that makes sense). The Clara you described needs a lot of character development to reach her potential, something that this game's framework simply doesn't provide.
Your reaction to the suggestion of relying on the unofficial mod is a perfect example of one of the points I'm trying to make. You brushed it aside because it doesn't match the image of Clara that you, specifically, have. Who's to say that an official DLC would be any better received? You're interested in the POTENTIAL of Clara, which is fine. Why not realize that potential in a brand new NPC?
In other words, be polite and respectful. It's not much to ask, and I'd be happy to answer your question or discuss the ideas I had about the character then.
I am tired of people jumping in to every thread about Clara to complain and moan about how much they hate the idea and make wild assumptions about why people are interested in the character. It should be possible to discuss Clara, or for that matter any other NPC in the game, without people jumping in to say what a bad person you are for wanting to know more about that NPC or how your interest in that NPC is somehow illegitimate. It's rude, it's ridiculous, and it's against the rules of the forum. No, I brushed it aside because ridiculously superhuman stats and special snowflake thief classes don't much interest me (besides, we already have Hexxat). Ridiculously superhuman stats also violate what we canonically know about Clara. It may be this mod explains it away in a clever manner; I can't say, I haven't played it. But nothing about it as presented particularly interested me. What difference does it make? If a Clara DLC had her with 21 wisdom and a special snowflake thief class, I'd probably not be interested then, either.
I also wouldn't be much interested in a brand new thief with 21 wisom and a special snowflake thief class.
As I said before, I'll judge whether to buy a DLC on its own merits. And before you tediously ask "But then why Clara instead of something new?" again:
1) Because I have an interest in Clara the character right now.
2) Because I do not owe you an explanation or an apology over what DLC I might be interested in.
Thread closed.