Thank you for a great game.

SionIV

First of all I would like to thank you for BG:EE and BG2:EE, they have been wonderful and I've spent over 1 500 hours on steam playing them. They are (were) in a rare category of games on my laptop that I never uninstalled, even though I needed more space. Sadly this isn't the case anymore, as I uninstalled them today.

I've been playing BG:EE/BG2:EE because of the improved gameplay and small improvements here and there. I was never interested in the new content, as I wanted the game to stay true to the original, which I didn't feel that the new content did. This is one of the few reasons that I didn't buy SoD, because I just wasn't interested in it. I figured that I could just ignore SoD and keep playing BG:EE instead.

This is where the problem appears, and my earlier fears (I made a post about them) were confirmed. My interface was changed, I now have an Experience Bar, and my game looked completely different than it did a couple of weeks ago. I can understand that you wanted to try something new for SoD, but I did not pay money for this game, this is not what I wanted when I bought the game. There are a few things that you can change in options, but far from everything.

People will come in and tell me that I can mod the game and change it back to the way I like it. But I didn't buy BG:EE so that I could mod it, I bought it so that I didn't need to use mods. If I wanted to mod a game I would have kept playing the original instead.

I'm certain that I'm a minority when it comes to my opinion, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm not enjoying the experience anymore. Playing a game should be a positive experience, and if I'm not enjoying myself, I'm not going to play the game. I prefer my Enhanced Editions to be somewhat faithful to the original, and I don't feel like that is the case with BG:EE anymore. I would like to put focus on the fact that I'm not saying it's a bad game, I just don't feel like I'm playing Baldur's Gate anymore. If this had been the product that was advertised on steam, I wouldn't have bought the game to start with. Ironically I'm kind of happy that it wasn't released like this on launch, because I got to enjoy a wonderful game for so many hours, a game that I'll look back at fondly.

I've just installed BGT for the first time in years, and I'm about to start on a new journey with my Dwarven Cleric. Thank you for an amazing experience.

Lord_Tansheron

Understandable position. This isn't really something you can discuss or argue about, just a matter of personal preference.

Me, I think I'll quickly get used to the new interface. It's new, it's unfamiliar, but I don't object simply on that principle. If it does turn out a downgrade to my experience, I have no problem modding the UI to something more palatable.

I'm more disappointed about Legacy of Bhaal being almost unplayable due to crippling bugs, since that feature is the only thing about this patch (and the SoD release) that actually interested me. I would have expected more from Beamdog's QA, but I suppose the real test will be in how quickly they release a fix. If it takes more than a few days (weeks or gods forbid months?!), I may quickly end up in a similarly miffed mood.

BelgarathMTH

It's probably too late to mention it, but you can revert to 1.3 if you have the Steam version. It's under properties-betas . Why the old 1.3 version is now listed as a "beta", I don't know. But anyway, you can revert to it on Steam. Also, GoG.com is still on 1.3, and the EE's are on sale this weekend for pennies on the dollar. If you already own the originals on GoG, they're 85% off. (75% if you didn't already have BG on GoG).

Lord_Tansheron

Silly as I am, I thought it best to buy directly from the developers. That'll teach me.

I guess I can mod things around to get back to 1.3 somehow, but I won't bother. I've resigned this weekend to doing other things now, and I just won't touch BG again until they release a fix.

Excalibur_2102

@SionIV that's a shame... I welcome the new UI personally, if only for the fact its more modable... But I never liked the Aesthetic of the BGEE UI anyway, and actually prefer the black SoD UI... Shame you don't want to try SoD as well, as ive heard nothing but good stuff about the actual content thus far...

Madrict

I know everyone has different opinions, but I highly recommend SoD...its is very enjoyable

Aewyrven

I think I'm lucky.... I played this game waaaay back when it came out, and they simply do not make games like this with the sheer customization depth and replayability. ..

I got lucky. Phone user. GLADLY paid the $10 for it.. and still on the 1.3 ver.

I don't mod, though back in the day I was an insane modder.

I love the more.. Pure. .. feel to the game current ver I have has. I want to get through it all at least once before I try a pure solo run and THEN start modding it...

Nostalgia I guess. Runs deep when I can come back over a decade later to a game my laptop struggled to run, swapping cds every few hours and now play it on my phone.

I wish someone (heck I'd try pick up the code books again and make one if I had a computer) would make a game as ballsy and awesome as this rather than the crappy coc games out there that flood the store.

BelgarathMTH

I'm seeing all over the forums that rolling back to 1.3 on Steam doesn't work - the game crashes either immediately, or during the Gorion-Sarevok cutscene. So, I guess that's not a solution for anybody that wants to stick to 1.3 after all.

There's still GoG.com, I guess. I'm lucky that I actually like 2.0, but I'm sympathetic to all the people who don't want it. I think that it should be an opt-in update, and not forced on anyone, although it is required for SoD. But the people who would prefer the product they originally bought, and not to buy or play SoD, should be able to do so.

Another solution I can think of for anyone who just really loves 1.3 and doesn't want to lose it, would be to look around Amazon and other websites for a disc version. It can probably be found pretty cheaply. I know it rankles to have to spend even another cent to replace something you already bought that has now been broken for you, without your consent. But if you really, really liked the old version, it might be worth it to you, especially if the cost is low enough.

I guess @SionIV 's solution of going back to the non-EE versions plus mods also works. If I was in this same group of disgruntled Beamdog customers, though, I wouldn't want to give up all the convenience and features from the old EE's. I guess each person has to deal with this new reality in their own way.

znancekivell

Aye, personal opinion is what matters most when it comes to the enjoyment of any hobby. If you feel like the changes with 2.0 conflict too much with what you view as the core of the game, then you should definitely take a break. If you're lucky Beamdog will update with options to use the original UI and remove certain new elements that you (we/us) dislike.

I came to Baldur's Gate only recently, within a year or so. Growing up our home computer could never run something like BG. I knew about the game, had friends who talked about the game, but never had a chance to play it. I saw it for sale last year and snatched it up, including BBEE2 and IWDEE. I have no nostalgia factor to keep me from playing the games, and I welcome all the updates as I find it makes the game easier to play and understand. Yet I understand the desire to play the game you did as a youth. Fond memories are a powerful aphrodisiac.

Wish you the best of luck mate!