As an aside, I really dislike the term "canon party" because, as I said, there's enough ambiguity in the opening scene that you can interpret it in whatever way best suits your RP. The fact that Jaheira and Minsc are there doesn't mean they were in your party, it means Irenicus thinks they're important. And depending on your BG1 playthrough, he could be wrong.
That is just flat-out wrong. Jaheira and Minsc both comment on having traveled with you, no matter which responses you choose. If you claim not to recognize them, they assume you have amnesia due to the trauma you've been subjected to.
There is no ambiguity; BG2 assumes you had the "canon party", period. Go replay the segment if you don't believe me. As I said, both Jaheira and Minsc mention having traveled with you, which means you traveled with Khalid and Dynaheir as well.
They wouldn't necessarily have to add any new banters or quests; just keeping the BG1 default stuff would work fairly well, and I'd only want this for the characters who aren't explained in BG2 (i.e., Kivan). The only real difference is I'd like it if Minsc and Jaheira wouldn't show up in their cages if the player never met them in BG1.
@DJKajuru On the topic of Ajantis, it actually makes little sense that he would NOT stick with you. If you kick him out of your party in BG 1, he's sort of heart broken about it. He says something like "But... We were comrades... Bound by honor..."
It would be a huge and quite impossible job to change the NPCs in Irenicus's dungeon, as it is closely related to those characters' stories in BG2 and as many of the others are otherwise occupied. I'm not saying I wouldn't like this, I really would, but it's just too much to ask. BUT, I would like them to make it possible to play with the BG1 characters in ToB. Well, only those, who are still alive of course. This doesn't sound to be that much problematic. Although it would require quite a lot of work for the dialogues...
give me back Monty and Xzar (and maybe Coran and Safana) instead of the walking dead of BG2* and I'll be one happy player.
*both Minsc and Jaheira (and her retarded husband) came down with a sudden case of head ending up the wrong way round (there seems to be a lot of that going around!) in my game, after pissing off Edwin and Monty, respectively. ahh, such is life.
I might consider the option if it was there to run with my old party, but I also feel that (impossibilities aside) variety is the spice of life. I like doing multiple run-throughs to use more of the NPC cast in my party, and if we could just port over the old one I'd have to do even MORE run-throughs to experience all the content (or even a decent chunk of it) between the games.
Like I said, if the option was there I might be tempted, but at this point so much of BG2 is already crafted and set in place that I think you'd be uprooting too much of the game to alter it this dramatically.
People do realize that Ajantis is in BG2, right? He's one of the paladins you slaughter (disguised as monsters) for Lord Firkraag.
oh yes. and there was much rejoicing.
though I kinda wonder how the hell did he get back up from the whole "rotting in the sun near Friendly Arm Inn" state. (my BG1 playthroughs tend to result in a few... casualties along the road. especially if said casualty ask me if I'm good or evil, and when casually told to stick it up his backside, attacks.)
While it would be awesome to be able to have Montaron and Xzar in my BG2 party (kind of totally in love with those two), in reality... I just want a way to save them from dying. I never played BG1 until BGEE, so I never got invested in Monty and Xzar, and it's gutting to realise my adorable psychos die in BG2 and I can't do anything to stop it.
I'm down for having our old party members back - it doesn't need to be from the beginning. It's perfectly viable that after Sarevok's defeat your current party splits up for various reasons and you join up with Jaheira and Minsc and Imoen et all for a while. Maybe your BG1 part wasn't interested in the latest quest, or wanted to go home for a while and rest up from the events of BG1.
In the end, I'm fine either way. I just want an extra quest option to save Montaron and Xzar in BG2EE. Even if I can't get them to join my party.
The thing I never understood is why BG2 wiped your imported BG1 inventory clean upon starting a new game. Granted the party is locked up at the start, and there's even an ingame note saying the Irenicus sold your stuff, but it's a real kick in the guts to lose all your sweet loots like that.
My reasoning is that your BG1 loot has nothing compared to the stuff you can get in BG2 quite early in the game. Hell the Flail of ages +3 and Casomyr +5 are available as optional side quests immediately upon exiting irenicus' dungeon. It's not like there are balance issues to worry about, you're just going to start getting crazy OP gear quickly anyway. So why not let us keep all that equipment we worked so hard on, for an early ingame advantage?
@SirFrancealot: two three words: Cloak of Balduran. BG2 was quite light on magic resistance items (considering they can pretty easily break the game), but if you could import that monstrosity with the +25% MR from BG1, you could easily put together fun stuff like 100% magic resistance.
plus, you're in an oh so dangerous dungeon, kidnapped by a madman... casually picking up +2 weapons and slaughtering your way through it might feel a bit... weird.
Yes, consistency is very important to me. But the draw back on that is the devs would have to redo Dynaheir and Khalids deaths and some other NPC related things as well.
Khalid is the only one who really poses much of a problem because of the potential romance with Jaheira. The rest of the dialogue could probably be rewritten, from what I remember.
Nope. And there is missing an option for "no and I don't play with canon party". I don't see why everyone needs to follow the main character. They have their lives and that might not be journey to Amn.
Nope. And there is missing an option for "no and I don't play with canon party". I don't see why everyone needs to follow the main character. They have their lives and that might not be journey to Amn.
People aren't asking for "everyone" to "follow the main character". It would be nice, however, to have your party--presumably a group of people you have been through most of BG1 with--follow you to Amn.
That doesn't mean that everyone who isn't in the party needs to be in Amn. If Yeslick never joined CHARNAME in BG1, there's no need to include him in Amn. But if he's in the party that took down Sarevok, I don't see why he wouldn't be with you when Irenicus kidnaps you.
I think that it should be altered so that Boo get's impregnated and when you wake up in Chateau Irenicus instead of Minsc, Dead Khalid, Dead Dynahier, Jaheira, and Immy, you are surrounded by a pool of miniature giant space hampsters that multiply like Tribbles. Then, when the shadow thieves show up, they fire arrows at said hampsters, which reproduce more and more, until you a forced to the top of the pile, which begins to rise and forces you out of a sewer grate into the streets of athkala, where Minsc proceeds to have a massive coniption in which he tries to identify the real Boo.
I said yes, but its a very tentative yes. I like the idea of consistency and I wish I could keep the same party (or at least have the choice to). But that said, I've never had a huge problem with the "canon" party. And I often use most or all of the canon party, so this really isn't a HUGE issue to me.
And I love the interplay between the characters. I would rather have a talkative but pre-defined party; than one of my own choosing with no dialogue. In a perfect world we would have complete and well designed banters for any combination of characters. But there's no way a project of that scale is within Overhaul's capabilities. So I'm fine with just a straight port of the original game and canon characters.
Comments
What makes you think that all BG1 npc's would want to tag along with you forever?
There is no ambiguity; BG2 assumes you had the "canon party", period. Go replay the segment if you don't believe me. As I said, both Jaheira and Minsc mention having traveled with you, which means you traveled with Khalid and Dynaheir as well.
Kivan- He was a loner who sought revenge . He could have just left the party after Sarevok's defeat.
Xzar and Montaron - Oh come on, they're a bunch os low lives who had just joined you to investigate who was framing the zentharin.
Kagain, Shar Teel, Yeslick- These guys have so much personality that I wouldn't be surprised if they started their own party after traveling with you.
Coran,Safana, Eldoth - They were all opportunists.
Ajantis, Xan - Went back to their places of origin.
I don't see why some people keep saying that they should keep up with their original BG1 party when it sounds so realistic that certain npc's left.
On the topic of Ajantis, it actually makes little sense that he would NOT stick with you. If you kick him out of your party in BG 1, he's sort of heart broken about it. He says something like "But... We were comrades... Bound by honor..."
BUT, I would like them to make it possible to play with the BG1 characters in ToB. Well, only those, who are still alive of course. This doesn't sound to be that much problematic. Although it would require quite a lot of work for the dialogues...
*both Minsc and Jaheira (and her retarded husband) came down with a sudden case of head ending up the wrong way round (there seems to be a lot of that going around!) in my game, after pissing off Edwin and Monty, respectively. ahh, such is life.
Like I said, if the option was there I might be tempted, but at this point so much of BG2 is already crafted and set in place that I think you'd be uprooting too much of the game to alter it this dramatically.
It can be great (if implemented correcly and lore friendly), but I can live without it.
Actually, BG2 already assumes Khalid was in your party. Hence his body in the dungeon.
though I kinda wonder how the hell did he get back up from the whole "rotting in the sun near Friendly Arm Inn" state. (my BG1 playthroughs tend to result in a few... casualties along the road. especially if said casualty ask me if I'm good or evil, and when casually told to stick it up his backside, attacks.)
I'm down for having our old party members back - it doesn't need to be from the beginning. It's perfectly viable that after Sarevok's defeat your current party splits up for various reasons and you join up with Jaheira and Minsc and Imoen et all for a while. Maybe your BG1 part wasn't interested in the latest quest, or wanted to go home for a while and rest up from the events of BG1.
In the end, I'm fine either way. I just want an extra quest option to save Montaron and Xzar in BG2EE. Even if I can't get them to join my party.
My reasoning is that your BG1 loot has nothing compared to the stuff you can get in BG2 quite early in the game. Hell the Flail of ages +3 and Casomyr +5 are available as optional side quests immediately upon exiting irenicus' dungeon. It's not like there are balance issues to worry about, you're just going to start getting crazy OP gear quickly anyway. So why not let us keep all that equipment we worked so hard on, for an early ingame advantage?
twothree words: Cloak of Balduran. BG2 was quite light on magic resistance items (considering they can pretty easily break the game), but if you could import that monstrosity with the +25% MR from BG1, you couldeasilyput together fun stuff like 100% magic resistance.plus, you're in an oh so dangerous dungeon, kidnapped by a madman... casually picking up +2 weapons and slaughtering your way through it might feel a bit... weird.
That is how I feel about Ajantis. Or, if not save him, bring him back.
Anyway, it's unlikely, as much as it pains me.
That doesn't mean that everyone who isn't in the party needs to be in Amn. If Yeslick never joined CHARNAME in BG1, there's no need to include him in Amn. But if he's in the party that took down Sarevok, I don't see why he wouldn't be with you when Irenicus kidnaps you.
But that said, I've never had a huge problem with the "canon" party. And I often use most or all of the canon party, so this really isn't a HUGE issue to me.
And I love the interplay between the characters. I would rather have a talkative but pre-defined party; than one of my own choosing with no dialogue. In a perfect world we would have complete and well designed banters for any combination of characters. But there's no way a project of that scale is within Overhaul's capabilities. So I'm fine with just a straight port of the original game and canon characters.