Does anyone still play the vanilla versions?

Stormvessel

Having put so much time into BGEE I have decided to do a full trilogy run vanilla. Just for the hell of it. I installed it from the D&D anthology collection and didn't add anything to it - immediately started it up. I am noticing that while the pathfinding is much worse and it's lacking some of the newer content, it actually has a kind charm to it that's hard to put my finger on. I am playing it in 4:3 upscaled forced from my VGA control panel so there are black bars on the sides, but other than that it's just like it was originally back in '99 I would assume.

I am playing a Dwarven Fighter/Cleric and am using Kagain, Monteron, Xzar, Edwin, and Quayle. Never used Quayle before but I really think he's underated. His stats stink but he's still an illusionist/cleric. I am giving Monteron the gauntlets of Ogre Power and Kagain the dex gauntlets. So far things are going very well.

I am sure I will go back to the EE editions again. But I never played the originals when they were released and felt it was a kind of pilgrimage for me to play through my favorite video game(s) of all time the way they were originally. So far I find it surprisingly appealing from an aesthetic standpoint. I wonder why that is.

Do any of you guys ever go back and play vanilla? Not Tutu, but straight out of the box vanilla?

megamike15

I find bg1 unplayable with out tutu or ee.

Zanso

Nope. Tried IWD 2 (have played it through couple times ages ago), but noticed one thing that bothered me the most: you can't move the screen with your cursor scroll pressed If I remember correctly tutu doesn't have this feature either?

lroumen

Still have vanilla installed (bg1+totsc and bg2+tob). Dependent on my mood I may pay rise instead of the bgee versions. I just like the gui look better as well as the old in game movies.

Bgee versions I have vanilla (beamdog) and modded (steam) and even then modded differently on different pcs.

Daevelon

I think it's worthy playing the vanilla versions just for nostalgic or modding reasons.
Anyway, de gustibus

BelgarathMTH

Nowadays, I only play the EE's, but I've run the original vanilla BG a few times over the years, so I know what you mean about its "charm". The stone interface was great, and I still kind of wish they'd used the original BG sprite models in the EE's- the armor and weapons animations were fantastic. I miss how the chain mail sparkled in the sun, and how the quarterstaves were thick and looked like they were made of real wooden poles.

The challenge levels of many encounters were higher, especially in the end game. I really struggled with helmed horrors and skeleton warrior archers in the maze below the thieves' guild, and the final encounter with Sarevok was just this side of impossible to win.

I enjoyed the feature of not being able to pause the game on the inventory screen, forcing careful planning of quickslot use, and I even enjoyed the challenge of managing 20 projectiles per quiver slot limited ranged artillery, as running out of ammo was a constant worry that added tension and suspense to the danger of being out in the wilderness.

Erg

I prefer Tutu, but I like vanilla more than BG:EE, so I may consider a BG1 vanilla run in the future.

Also, I prefer IWD to IWD-in-BG2.

However, at the moment, I'm simply unable to stop playing Morrowind. I've been playing nothing but Morrowind for more than a month already.

doggy

I play the original ones once in a while. Always forget that there is no auto pause on the inventory screen. Powerword: Reload. Gets struck by lightning. Powerword: Reload. Is reminded to eat. I really enjoy it. And not too many mods. The good old days.

Stormvessel

megamike15 said:

I find bg1 unplayable with out tutu or ee.

I am almost halfway through and I can assure you it's very playable. By unplayable I assume you mean old and outdated, because it works just fine with minimal bugs or other such issues.

megamike15

Stormvessel said:

megamike15 said:

I find bg1 unplayable with out tutu or ee.

I am almost halfway through and I can assure you it's very playable. By unplayable I assume you mean old and outdated, because it works just fine with minimal bugs or other such issues.

yeah thats what i mean.

Tresset

There are quite a few people out there who vehemently disapprove of the Enhanced Editions. Most of them do not join the forums here I would imagine.

lroumen

I like the enhanced editions very much but some of the charm that kept me playing the game for so long is just different now...

mashedtaters

Tresset said:

There are quite a few people out there who vehemently disapprove of the Enhanced Editions. Most of them do not join the forums here I would imagine.

That is true, a lot of people still play the original but they don't edit:necessarily hang out on these forums. And there are lots of people who are very against BGEE in favor of BGTutu or BGT.

I did play BG1 vanilla, but only after all the tutu mods had come out. I did not like playing it that much, mainly because I had grown up on IWD1&2. I did not enjoy going back in time from those old games to even greater inconveniences.

I did not finish that run, and instead installed tutu, which is just freaking amazing for being created by fans. I am still so impressed by the modders that put that wonderful mod together and produced it for the benefit of the community just because they like the game so much. I love BGTutu. I support BGEE because this is where the future of the infinity engine games are at, but BGTutu was the forerunner for BGEE. I don't think that there would be a BGEE without all the awesome modders who have made this game more enjoyable over the years.

Son_of_Imoen

I'm still busy with a vanilla IWD run, started before I bought the Enhanced Edition of Icewind Dale.

dunbar

I enjoy the basic game because it is just that, basic. So I often use it to try out new characters as it seems to expose their flaws more than the EE. Also, with the box set I can take it anywhere and play it on any computer without needing internet access (I was living in Africa when BG first came out so I got to know it as just a box full of discs that didn't need all the trappings of modern technology - other than a computer of course!).

Jaheiras_Witness

I don't know about describing it as "vanilla" but I play classic BG2 (not the so-called "EE") but with a truckload of mods. In my opinion the BG fan community has done far more to enhance the games without charging a penny than Beamdog has for paid products.

SirBatince

Did a solo fighter recently in the real bg1.

8-hour rests were hilarious. I'd just drop a random item on the ground and then cast larlochs minor drain at it, then rest again and repeat until I get my full hp back. Then eventually I had DUHM and vamp touch to make it even faster.

Durlag's tower in 640x420 and slow rests is a complete nightmare.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Stormvessel

typo_tilly said:

If my 5th BG CD can still be read, I plan to go through the original games again with nothing except the last official patches. Mostly for nostalgia but also difficulty. You see less on the screen, you can carry far less ammunition and loot, and you don't have access to kits or extra classes in BG1.

Here's a tip - be a Dwarf. Really helps mitigate some of the difficulty when you have 20 con and shorty saves.

CoM_Solaufein

Not at all. Those good old 6 disk CDs have been retired. Never play that again.

EnialusMeliamne

No. While I am thankful for the analog versions of Baldur's Gate, AND for all of the wonderful mods that were used in my playing of the game, the new EE's work so much more stable for me on my Mac. That, and I like a lot of the new material.

Alexisisinneed

I tried a vanilla run a few months back. Had a full mp party going with a paladin, Fighter/cleric, fighter, thief/mage, mage, and a druid. I mean it was fun, but all the things like carrying more ammo and gem bags and stuff took all the fun out of it. I guess I was spoiled lol.

Stormvessel

Alexisisinneed said:

I tried a vanilla run a few months back. Had a full mp party going with a paladin, Fighter/cleric, fighter, thief/mage, mage, and a druid. I mean it was fun, but all the things like carrying more ammo and gem bags and stuff took all the fun out of it. I guess I was spoiled lol.

I am having a blast with my vanilla run. Having to plan ahead is half the fun. Plus without sorcerers you have to take a much more methodical approach to magic - which suits my play-style just fine (I am sick of Baeloth anyway).

My Dwarf Fighter/Cleric is a mean machine. His paralyze/poison/death save is 3 for crying out loud! When I get 20 con after using the tome I will equip the claw and he will be incredibly powerful. I generally solo everything now - just keep everyone back and use him to take out random mobs. His AC is -5 but it's about to be higher after I use the dex tome and equip the claw.

Dwarves. So full of win.

James_M

Sticking with the EE versions - they look so much better! To keep the balance similar to the originals, I do not sell any of the added content items/dropped items for gold, do not pick-up items or gold in the added NPC quests, or use any of the over-powered added items, or import a weapon into BG2EE. You can play "BG2" in BG2EE if you try, and it's worth it.

Seldar

I still love the BG1 vanilla style (old stones GUI, characters' appaerance, spells' visual effects...)

But, ouch, it's really too hard to play it in 640*480, everything looks so big

BG2 vanilla, I prefer the EE on all points

Stormvessel

I look at this as being a pilgrimage for me. Baldur's Gate is my favorite video game of all time. And the incredible thing is that I never even got into the saga until BGEE was released. No nostalgia at work here in my case - my love for the series is rooted in pure quality by the standards of today.

What I didn't expect is that I would enjoy the original version as much as I am. It's incredibly fun even if it is a tad archaic. I dig these old games and in fact, I play older games than this (Ultima IV anyone?). Really enjoying myself.

Cloutier

IIRC vanilla Sarevok had 95+ magic resistance. That makes it a completely different fight.

Erg

Cloutier said:

IIRC vanilla Sarevok had 95+ magic resistance. That makes it a completely different fight.

Take a look at this old thread. It's both relevant to the current topic and, in the second page, there is a detailed discussion about the different versions of Sarevok, including the differences between vanilla with and without TotSC.

Stormvessel

Wow. How about that? I know I'm not crazy then. The guy who made the thread is just like me. Eerie.

Stormvessel

Erg said:

I prefer Tutu, but I like vanilla more than BG:EE, so I may consider a BG1 vanilla run in the future.

Also, I prefer IWD to IWD-in-BG2.

However, at the moment, I'm simply unable to stop playing Morrowind. I've been playing nothing but Morrowind for more than a month already.

Holy crap, how did I miss your Morrowind remark?

Check this thread I made about that marvelous game:

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/33428/elder-scrolls-iii-morrowind/p1

lunar

I am addicted to playing modded bg2 on my Ipad, all available thanks to ee. I only use my pc to mod and transfer files/saves to my Ipad.