What makes BG:EE different from a modded version of the original?
rattmann
Member Posts: 19
I'm not trying to troll here or anything- I'm genuinely confused about the differences between this and a sufficiently modded version of the original. True, BG:EE may have numerous bugfixes, widescreen support, and additional NPCs (among many other things), but from what I've seen online, existing mods can do all of those things far more efficiently and for a lower cost. There's even a mod that lets you play the original games on the iPad and Android, so I'd really like to know what BG:EE can do that mods can't do. (I'm mostly focused on gameplay-related changes; cosmetic things like new cinematics and artwork are nice, but it's far from my biggest concern.)
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..Fortunatelly it truly isn't much of a Devs Vs. Modders type of a situation. In perfect world, most of the very good mods will be converted to EE eventually(Banter packs and suches.) I really, really hope conversion of existing mods will be easy, simple and fast.
The problem I have with most mods is that they significantly and arbitrarily alter the original game. Eg: Tutu removes items, gives some NPCs bizarre weapon profiencies, and quadruples or quintuples the size of random encounters.
This is in addition to the BG2 engine itself, which was not designed with BG1 in mind at all.
And to be honest, I can't quite shake the feeling that Beamdog might be in over their heads and that making an enhanced edition might be a job better suited for veteran studios such as Obsidian. I'm desperately hoping that this is just rampant paranoia on my part, though- it would be awful if my fears were proven right.
Begin modding BG I and you might end up with party NPC interaction that blows equivalent aspects of games like BG2, ME1, DA:O, DAII out of the water in quality and quantity both. This is pretty significant when you consider the rather short supply Vanilla delivers in this regard.
Begin modding BG I and you might also end up in a dynsfunctional downward spiral of imbalanced +1000 composite long bow dropping boring mob packs, severe XP surplus, terrible combat and frequent game breaking crashes. All depending on which mods you end up picking.
Forsooth, modding is hardly ever easy, convinient plug and play type of a joyride.(Tho it has to be said, settling with Tutu and 1-3 essentials is pretty much just that) One has to read em .txt files, do some detective work in various obscure forums, perform blood rites in alar of mod gods, tweak and adjust, adjust and tweak. Suffer headaches and waste time. Task worthy of spergy PC Master Race!;p
I don't doubt that for a second- what I'm concerned about is that even with veterans like Trent Oster, they might lack the funds and the resources to ensure that BG:EE will be able to become more than just a remake of the original. Experience isn't all that helpful when you've nearly run out of money and have to cut a feature you promised fans a few months earlier. Considering the status of the games, they'll become a laughingstock of the industry if BG:EE isn't nearly perfect in every respect.
What's the message, then? Now you've gotten me all curious.
Not to mention new items, spells, and the load of bug fixes, and did I mention, you still get all your mods, and probably a slew of new ones, giving how much easier they will be to make?
The way to get the development of 2D isometric D&D RPGs running again is by buying these two games Overhaul is making. As it is, the hardest part is already done, the legal struggle with Wizards of the Coast to just get a chance. If they reach their quota for sales on BG:EE and BG2:EE, we get to see more epicly complex games like Icewind Dale and Baldur's Gate come to life on our computers instead of Runescape and World of Warcraft clones.
@GemHound
But isn't Obsidian doing exactly the same thing with Project Eternity?
BG:EE will chop away all of that DIY nonsense, and sell a package that actually runs. For the first time since Windows 95.