Feeling frustrated --
mythlady
Member Posts: 37
Hi everyone -- I'm new *only* to playing a game like this on the iPad. I have been playing for years, going back to the *original* Castle Wolfenstein and Duke Nukem, and then through Bard's Tale, Eye of the Beholder, Icewind Dale, Neverwinter, Baldur's Gate, etc. etc. and so many more. But this game on the iPad has me really frustrated, to the point of almost giving up. I've started over (from the beginning of Chapter 2) several times with different characters, Nalia, Hexxat, Jaheira, Yoshimo -- and the problem is, I can't complete a quest because I can't win a fight! I don't know what's wrong, but it seems that on any real quest, one or more of my party dies. I've tried Hexxat's quest in the graveyard, Nalia's (I can't get past a bunch of slavers), Jaheira's (stuck on the golems), on and on. I know in many games there's the equivalent of a "training dungeon," where you can build up your skills, but the sewers, for example, in this game were too hard -- again, wound up with many dead. I don't know if anybody can tell me what to do, but I just want to express frustration because I can't seem to get off the ground. 
Any ideas for a very old newbie?
Any ideas for a very old newbie?0
Comments
First of all, don't feel frustrated, instead imagine you're just learning.
Make sure you're playing on the easiest difficulty.
Make a badass character with solid stats. A half-orc berserker with 19 STR, 18 DEX and 19 CON is one of the best variants.
Quicksave reflexively.
Abuse rest, fire AoE spells from behind the fog of war, ect. Again quicksave a lot. And keep trying.
It's completely inderstandable this game can be hard for a beginner, don't worry - this is why our community is here - to help you.
More often than not games today are way too easy. Baldur’s Gate from the difficulty level and depth is the way a game should be done. We have nice graphical games but they lack the depth of Baldur’s Gate.
When you start, learn to pause.
Always pause and plan out your actions, when you think things are going well? Pause and check because you are probably wrong. In this game if you have a character with the wrong weapon or no action queued up they will just keep doing something stupid until they die.
Pause a lot during battle and micromanage a well coordinated attack. Step by step you'll learn to use all the classes' various skills, and make the best use of them.
Turn on feedback.
Go into the options and turn on the feedback for attacks. Without it, the game just tells you that you missed. With it on, you will see something like 14+3 and a hit or miss. This is crucial for letting you know why you are doing no damage (you may have the wrong weapon or are just not good enough). It will also help you know if what you are doing (a new skill or weapon) is a real improvement. You don’t need to know much of what else is going on, just check the figures and try things until they get better, the game will tell you what numbers you need.
Turn on AI!
Sure the AI isn’t perfect, but it is a million times better than doing nothing. Select each character in turn, go to their character sheet, customise and scripts. Then select what you will like them to do in combat. Make your mages cast spells and run away. Your warriors? Go in hard and your archers stay back archering away. These scripts will make the game a lot easier as you can often start combat and then sit back and watch as your NPC friends do a decent job of using their skills. It is also a good way to pick up new strategies. Enemy mages in particular have all the same skills as you, watch what they try to do! This really should be on by default because I have heard of a lot of people putting the game down because their characters just sit there getting slaughtered or they do not want to micro-manage every action.
Rest after every battle. Even if you HP is not low, still rest and save. This will stop you getting wiped out by a hard chance encounter (which does happen) and will allow your mages to restock their skills.
Somebody dead?
Use a resurrect spell or go to a church/temple in town and pony up the cash. Make sure to take their equipment with you. Chances are you will reload anyway to save the trouble, which is ok, because you saved after every battle.
In addition I encourage you to thoroughly read the game manuals:
http://www.beamdog.com/files/bg2ee/bg2eemanual1.pdf - it isn't called "Survival Guide" for nothing
http://www.beamdog.com/files/bg2ee/bg2eemanual2.pdf - you'll understand Melee and Magic mechanics much better
Also, there're many useful tips in these threads:
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/32046/understanding-baldur-s-gate-2
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/32400/making-bg2-as-easy-as-possible
Basic thing: take a walk around the town and enter the houses... maybe you will find something worth taking on your journey.
Negative levels were something I found difficult to deal with in BG2. You may or may not like Korgan, but hitting his berserk ability makes him immune to most effects for a narrow window (he can basically tank a beholder while he's berserk), and clerics get death ward which can keep your frontline fighters alive after fisticuffs with vampires and mummies. Don't be afraid of "kiting" your enemies around the screen sometimes, I used that exact tactic against mind flayers and their ilk if the melee got to be too difficult. A tactical retreat can sometimes turn into victory around the next corner with another arrow volley.
Anyway, Bengoshi said most of the important bits, just thought I'd chime in.
Good area of effect (AoE) crowd control Mage spells include
Horror, Glitterdust, Web, (all 2nd level)
Slow (3rd level)
Confusion, Emotion, and Teleport Field (4th level)
Chaos (5th level)
To name a few