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Should BG II portraits be optional?

EleosEleos Member Posts: 48
edited August 2012 in Archive (Feature Requests)
I've noticed a lot of people requesting BGII portraits replace certain characters' BG portraits in BG:EE. (*cough* Viconia *cough*)

Would making this an option in the game menu or installer be an acceptable compromise?
  1. Should BG II portraits be an optional change52 votes
    1. BG II portraits should be optional in the game menu or installer
      82.69%
    2. BG II portraits should NOT be included in any way
      17.31%

Comments

  • EleosEleos Member Posts: 48
    I feel that the more options players have to customize the game with the original release, and not have to resort to mods or downloading portrait packs, the more satisfied we will be with it upon release.

    Power to the people! :P
  • MajocaMajoca Member Posts: 263
    edited August 2012
    I thought the baldurs gate 1 portraits were a lot better than the ones in the second game. Maybe it should be optional but I think its a feature which would not matter that much. If anything, new portraits should be made for character creation, or you can always make your own.
  • EleosEleos Member Posts: 48
    edited August 2012
    Majoca said:

    I thought the baldurs gate 1 portraits were a lot better than the ones in the second game.

    Okay, to each their own. My point is, why not give the option? It would appear to me from my cursory experience with the fans that the BG:II portraits are actually more popular, and so they would be good for BG:EE to do both, appealing to the hardcore purists, and those of us that like the changes in BGII better and change them to the BGII portraits anyway. Plus, they are already finished and would take barely any work to implement in the game.
    Majoca said:

    ...If anything, new portraits should be made for character creation, or you can always make your own.

    I'm not sure I follow you.

    Of course new portraits are being included for CHARNAME, but what does your comment have to do with the inclusion BGII portraits?
  • MajocaMajoca Member Posts: 263
    @Eleos I didnt realise the Baldurs gate 2 portrait were so popular, I always thought they looked cartoony and I preffered how the original character portraits looked realistic and "baldurs gatesy"

    "New portraits should be made for character creation" Portraits which are not used by NPC's portraits which people could use for there own character. You can always make your own, I am a photographer and my girlfriend wanted me to make one for her.

    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Fdbc7gY5xs/TooJDv6TSwI/AAAAAAAAAC0/cRh5Ta_4Mqw/s1600/Fucking+pwnt+ass+amy+jayne.jpg

    in large format you can see loads of imperfections but in small scale it looked great in game.
  • EleosEleos Member Posts: 48
    @Majoca - If I'm not completely mistaken, the BGII portraits will be included for use by the player character, much as they were in BG: Tutu. What I'd like to see is that they be an optional replacement for the original game's portraits. For instance, Jaheira's portrait would be switched from the original to the BG:II one. This would be completely optional and would allow the player to control the feel of the game.

    I prefer this personally because I first met Jaheira in BG:II and was surprised to see her with a different portrait in the first game. My initial encounter with each character in the second game was so strong it was really unsettling for me to go back and not change the portrait manually. I'm sure many other people have a similar gut reaction and would like the choice of what to look at without dinking around with mods or downloading each portrait and replacing them one by one.

    I'm totally fine with BG portraits being default, but I'm asking for an option. That is all.
  • MajocaMajoca Member Posts: 263
    edited August 2012
    @Eleos, fair enough your point is reasonable, but I disagree the original NPC's should have the original Portraits it just suites the game, I personally disliked the jaheria portrait in Baldurs gate 2 she looked alien and more elven, in the original it suites her attitude again its just my opinion and others may feel different and I respect that, however I can see that if someone who has played the 2nd game first they would want to have the original NPC's with the Baldurs gate 2 portraits.
  • EleosEleos Member Posts: 48
    @Majoca - Sure, I can see where some players want default portraits left alone. I find that completely reasonable. With the poll I just wanted to see how many others felt like their preference should at least be an option on the table.

    Thanks for the discussion!

  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    Some portraits I preferred from the first game, some from the second (Imoen and Jaheira from BG1, Viconia from BG2). i thought Imoen's portrait from BG1 fitted the more innocent and cheerful Imoen, and I honestly hated the "Hair Dye and Braids" the second game was afflicted with.
  • Daedalus87mDaedalus87m Member Posts: 92
    I've voted against it, because I don't want them to replace their normal portraits, but I'm tottaly game to add them for the PC character creation.

    I just think it's stupid to ask during installation if you want X or Y portraits, considering some people may have never played any BG game.
    IMO if you want a middle ground, they should allow people to customize NPC portraits, the same way you can do it with the PC. This way it's even easier to use custom portraits for them.
  • EleosEleos Member Posts: 48
    edited August 2012
    Daedalus87m said:


    ...IMO if you want a middle ground, they should allow people to customize NPC portraits, the same way you can do it with the PC. This way it's even easier to use custom portraits for them.

    That is why I mentioned the "game menu" option. I think the portraits should be available to use within the game itself and there should be an option to change the character's portrait without having to mess with game files outside the program. This would simplify the process while keeping everyone (mostly) happy.

    @LadyRhian - If the option was given in game for each character to have their portrait changed, this would allow us to pick and choose. Yes, I think I'm positive the installer idea is not as good as the ingame menu option.
  • DrugarDrugar Member Posts: 1,566
    Keep the portraits as is.
    Adding an option to the installer will only confuse newcomers and open the door for a thousand other installer-options which make the problem worse. BG1 style portraits for BG1, BG2 style portraits for BG1. Leave any changes to modders.
  • MoomintrollMoomintroll Member Posts: 1,498
    edited August 2012
    I agree that the portraits are fine as they are, given the options of the poll though I couldn't see why the option to change them shouldn't be available - I just thought it would be a really unnecessary addition.

    My own personal experience was BG2-->BG1, I thought "hey they changed the art in the second one," then I passed judgement and moved on.
  • KenKen Member Posts: 226
    Keep the portraits.. I feel the change of appearance also symbolizes a increase in experience as they all have had quite an adventure (lvl 1-9+)
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