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Baldur's Gate (Steam Version) Questions

NokkenbuerNokkenbuer Member Posts: 146
edited July 2014 in General Discussion (Spoiler Warning!)
I am aware that some of these questions have been asked and (partially) answered before, but the threads for them are over a year old and I'm curious if there has been any change or news in regards to them. This thread addresses the Baldur's Gate series in respect to its availability on Steam.

Firstly, is there any plan to add Steam Achievements to either game? I am aware that the developers are quite limited in this department and (last I read) Atari and Valve deal with the Steam releases, but I'm curious if anyone on the forums have heard anything about this. I realize not everyone is for Steam Achievements, or achievements of any kind, on the Baldur's Gate games, but I think this addition will give the game another aspect, not to mention increased replayability.

Secondly, are there any plans to implement Steam Cloud saving on either of the games? I ask this because it can be a hassle at times transferring saved games between computers or devices, not to mention immersion-breaking for some. The implementation of Cloud saving is ultimately unnecessary, like Steam Achievements, but it certainly could improve the game for some.

Thirdly, is there any news regarding a possible development and/or release of the other games related to this series, such as the Neverwinter Nights series and Icewind Dale games, along with others in the Dungeons & Dragons universe like Planescape: Torment for Steam, perhaps as an Enhanced Edition? I am fully aware that the developers of Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition and its sequel are heavily restricted due to contractual issues, but is there any news from Black Isle Studios or BioWare? Anything that may hint at Enhanced Editions of these games, or at least rereleases of them onto the Steam platform? I would very much like to play these games and though I don't have much of an issue purchasing and playing them off of Steam, it would be considerably more convenient if I could.

I appreciate any information in regards to these three Steam-related questions. Overall, I'm very satisfied with these games and I'm glad to have discovered them on Steam despite having missed their original releases back in the 90's.

As for your opinions on the implementation or addition of the above features/games, feel free to post them here. Any discussion is welcome, and it'll keep the thread bumped.

EDIT: One last question. Will the new v1.3 patch for BG:EE be automatically applied to the Steam version? Or will there be a delay, or no update at all, for those playing through Steam?
Post edited by Nokkenbuer on

Comments

  • CrevsDaakCrevsDaak Member Posts: 7,155
    Nokkenbuer said:

    Firstly, is there any plan to add Steam Achievements to either game? I am aware that the developers are quite limited in this department and (last I read) Atari and Valve deal with the Steam releases, but I'm curious if anyone on the forums have heard anything about this. I realize not everyone is for Steam Achievements, or achievements of any kind, on the Baldur's Gate games, but I think this addition will give the game another aspect, not to mention increased replayability.

    The first one gets a big 'No' on it's face, first, because I think that most of the community won't appreciate achievements—they'll despise them. And the second 'No' will come from the devs—you don't know how evil the Infinity Engine is when you want it to track stuff outside the actual game.
    Nokkenbuer said:

    Thirdly, is there any news regarding a possible development and/or release of the other games related to this series, such as the Neverwinter Nights series and Icewind Dale games, along with others in the Dungeons & Dragons universe like Planescape: Torment for Steam, perhaps as an Enhanced Edition? I am fully aware that the developers of Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition and its sequel are heavily restricted due to contractual issues, but is there any news from Black Isle Studios or BioWare? Anything that may hint at Enhanced Editions of these games, or at least rereleases of them onto the Steam platform? I would very much like to play these games and though I don't have much of an issue purchasing and playing them off of Steam, it would be considerably more convenient if I could.

    EDIT: One last question. Will the new v1.3 patch for BG:EE be automatically applied to the Steam version? Or will there be a delay, or no update at all, for those playing through Steam?

    I'd say no and no. BG:EE and BG2:EE might be gone from Steam in some time, and I don't know if Beamdog is going to re-upload the games as them (and not Atari's) again. I am pretty sure they prefer to get the money from Beamdog.net instead of half of it from Steam. Anyway, a dev would give you a much better reply for this—since I am only assuming.
  • NokkenbuerNokkenbuer Member Posts: 146
    Thanks for what information you can provide, @CrevsDaak. I knew I'll probably be getting a lot of "no's" in this thread, but I might as well ask, if only to do so before someone else does.

    I would assume that the benefit of releasing any other Enhanced Editions or games onto Steam would be to reach a wider audience that would otherwise not be reached if released on its own. I don't see how it would be very problematic for any such game to be released both independently (or through a different website like Beamdog.net did with BG:EE) and through Steam to increase overall profits.
  • FablewyndFablewynd Member Posts: 79
    edited July 2014
    I tweeted Trent Oster two weeks ago, with a similar question. Here is his response:



    It's not off the table yet, but not coming in the foreseeable future.
    Post edited by Fablewynd on
  • NokkenbuerNokkenbuer Member Posts: 146
    Thanks for sharing, @Fablewynd. Though the prospects seem dim, perhaps there is some hope for it. I understand not everyone favors the addition of Steam Achievements or Trading Cards, but I think it could help boost sales and add a new dimension to the game. Anyway, people who don't like or want such content could simply ignore it, purchase a copy from Beamdog.net directly, or play offline (which I believe prevents the acquisition of these).
  • NokkenbuerNokkenbuer Member Posts: 146
    I recommend Firetooth +5, @Dee. By the way, congrats on the 6,666 posts milestone.
  • FablewyndFablewynd Member Posts: 79
    edited July 2014
    Dee said:

    I agree, though, that having achievements would help us track player activity on a more than anecdotal basis. There also are some players (many players, maybe?), certainly, who would enjoy having them.

    I know I would love to have them in, simply because having Baldur's Gate II: EE listed as my favourite game looks a bit bare with no Achievements/Badges on it :P Plus having 60/60 achievements exhibits just how much you enjoy playing the game.

    And, who wouldn't want a little Symbol of Bhaal badge displayed on their profile, and a nice Irenicus background :P

    I'm sure there would be some very talented community members who would be able to design some good cards/badges. Heck, Google 'Bhaal' and you get 4 different symbols from the games alone.
  • jackjackjackjack Member Posts: 3,251
    I'm not interested in achievements for these or any other games, and would much prefer the Devs concentrate on bug-fixing and new content.
    As to cloud saving, wasn't that an advertised feature at some point? I could mistaken about that, but as a PC and iPad user, I would love to have this capability.
    Thirdly, IWD3!
  • mlnevesemlnevese Member, Moderator Posts: 10,214
    edited July 2014
    I really can see what a great statistical tool achievements are for game developers, clearly showing what most people decided to do in the game and what most don't even bother to try. A fantastic tool for drawing the guidelines of your next game.

    As a player I'm not interested in achievements at all and actually think some of them are quite silly. Really every time a game gives me an achievement for doing something that I had to do anyway to complete the game I feel the urge to facepalm... And I certainly do not change the way I play just to get an achievement.

    I really prefer to receive recognition IN the game. Instead of giving me an achievement for saving a caravan surprise me when a thankful innkeeper in another city thanks me for saving his daughter who was in that caravan and offers me a discount in his services. Or make me a knight if I save a Noble who is favored by the king...

    I really have nothing against people who like achievements and would like them to be implemented, it's just that personally I don't care about achievements at all and it would make no difference to me if they were added to BG.
    Post edited by mlnevese on
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356
    Arghh. "Achievements" are absolutely juvenile: success in the game should be rewarded in the game, and if there's no reward for something in the game then it'd be distorting the game to add some "reward" outside the game. It'd also distort forum discussions, with hundreds of meaningless new threads about this irrelevant drivel.

    If the devs want to collect some activity stats, then fine, but please do it without displaying any player-visible "achievement".
  • NokkenbuerNokkenbuer Member Posts: 146
    @mlnevese‌, I would personally enjoy both being implemented. Anyway, I am confident the developers would be able to create unique and interesting achievements alongside the one's you're expected to get throughout the game. Remember, though, that achievements can also be a good way of showcasing the features of a game that may otherwise be overlooked, such as enabling the CLUAConsole or being struck by lightning, or
    finding the Ankheg Armor in Nashkel.



    @Gallowglass‌, people like you (who don't like achievements, or have no interest in them) can easily ignore or disable them by playing in offline mode, or not even have to worry about them if you're playing from Beamdog.net—unless in-game achievements are implemented, which I particularly don't have any interest in). The whole purpose of achievements on gaming platforms like Steam would be to showcase the depth and amount you've played a certain game pass the vague "Hours Played" counter, which can easily be racked up by idling or going AFK while the game is running. Additionally, it adds another aspect to the game which could attract more players, along with forming a new dimension of gameplay and increasing replayability. Achievements can also be useful for displaying hallmarks in a player's adventure, showcasing unique features which may be overlooked, and tracking statistics for players and developers alike to analyze.

    Yeah, there may be a number of threads made about it, but why shun away increased activity on the forum, so long as it isn't useless spam? Anyway, the developers could always implement a "Steam" or "Achievements" category, or a stickied thread for all Steam Achievement questions and answers to be cataloged. Overall, I don't really see a downside with the addition of Steam Achievements, especially when they can be easily ignored or disabled.

    I doubt Steam Achievements will be added to the games anyway, but it's a feature I support if considered for implementation. In the end, however, adding achievements can benefit both the players and developers, so I honestly can't see a downside in their addition.
  • elminsterelminster Member, Developer Posts: 16,317
    edited July 2014
    You should make a formal feature request for it then (just post a new discussion in the feature request section or move this one there and change your initial paragraph into something that is phrased more like a request).
  • NokkenbuerNokkenbuer Member Posts: 146
    Well, I took your advice, @elminster‌, and posted a thread in the "Features" category. Thoughts? I omitted some of the content from this thread since they weren't strictly requests.

    Thread: http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/33458/steam-improvements-feature-additions-to-steam-version
  • elminsterelminster Member, Developer Posts: 16,317
    @Nokkenbuer looks good :)
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