It's failed to be released to android and iOS, so that's an epic fail in my book.
Hardly an epic fail, when you consider that you're frankly lucky they plan to release them on those platforms at all. These are games which have to be adapted to a different platform in a way that doesn't cause size issues or slow things down. And then there's device specific things to consider. Wouldn't surprise me if Apple is holding things up too, like they always do with apps bigger than 1GB.
I think it was a funny post, they didn't actually mean it was an epic fail.
Yeah, more or less. While very little would make me happier to hear any news at this point, it is getting harder and harder to stay patient and keep a good attitude. Just take a look at a couple of my previous posts.
But in the meantime if it means I have a go-to subject to have a laugh at Beamdog's expense, then so much the better.
I think it was a funny post, they didn't actually mean it was an epic fail.
1) It's not like they said "LOL" or anything. 2) I never assume on the internet.
You kinda assumed that anyone making a joke would say something akin to LOL to bring the point home. I know I never would. The word makes me cringe on sight.
Of course, your post could be a joke in itself. Deadpan is a tricky art in the written word, as is satirical hypocrisy.
Unofficially (as in while standing in a urinal next to a dev) they are holding up the mobile versions because they are testing and about to implement the long awaited Playstation Vita versions first.
But keep that hush hush I was told not to tell anyone.
Unofficially (as in while standing in a urinal next to a dev) they are holding up the mobile versions because they are testing and about to implement the long awaited Playstation Vita versions first.
Who cares if it failed? If you enjoy it, you enjoy it. Baldur's Gate was finished for almost 10 years before the EEs, so the fact that anything is happening to these games is something to be thankful for in the first place. If SoD ends up being the pinnacle of this renaissance, then so be it. At least it even happened in the first place.
I don't know for sure but I think one of the main reasons is the age of the audience. The BG games are old. When I was in high school I rarely talked about movies, games and music that was 25 years old. That is not to say that I didn't appreciate it but it's already been talked about to death. SOD is just an expansion using the same 25 year old engine. Most teens are probably not interested because they are more into modern games like COD. Teens are the majority of people that get excited and post all over the internet about games and pop stars.
I remember when POE came out, I could tell the age of the users based on the comments about how the graphics look dated and the game looked like it was from the 90's. It didn't matter that it was a new game using a modern engine. They are simply not used to seeing Isometric games and don't see a reason for them. They connect isometric with old. Things like RTS, stealth, and hardcore RPG's have all but died now that the game industry focuses on the mainstream which means the lowest common denominator. In the end, the games that are talked about and sell massive amounts are the ones that require no patience, no learning curve and no intelligence.
Beamdog did try to appeal to this crowd with story mode but many gamers probably can't get around the idea of a game without flashy graphics unless it is hip in an ironic sort of way. Think minecraft.
Uhmmm ... Some of the more successful games as of late have been a lot less "no patience, no learning curve and no intelligence." The three that come to mind are Rocket League, the Doom remake, and Overwatch. Flashy graphics, sure, but otherwise those games actually have fairly demanding learning curves and intelligence. I would argue more so than Baldur's Gate.
A lot of people are getting bored of CoD and all that repetitive crap. Long overdue, but it's slowly happening.
Siege of Dragonspear's marketing was bad and frankly, the game is not that good. As a Baldur's Gate fan, yeah, I like it. But if I hadn't been into Infinity Engine games growing up, I would think the game was total trash. It's just not an appealing game. This is coming from a guy who has pre-ordered a Collector's Edition. The only thing appealing about it is nostalgia factor and "OOH it's a D&D game." Not a very big audience. I think for the audience it aimed at, it's done just fine. But overall? Pretty abysmal.
And we can sit here all day and say how RPGs are under-appreciated, how people just don't have the patience these days, but there are other RPGs out there making a splash. Not a huge splash, mind you, but a splash. Divinity: Original Sin did extremely well considering its fairly humble beginnings. It's not so different a format from Infinity Engine games. They just bothered to make something new and bold. SoD took zero risks besides some dialogues. The gameplay is not captivating these days. It's ancient and archaic and unimaginative. There's no good excuse for it, besides the fact that they've decided to stay on Infinity Engine so they really can't do much.
Hopefully it was successful enough to give Beamdog enough money to make something bold and interesting. And here's hoping they actually do it, because all we've seen so far is a lot of the same. You can't make so many variations on the same freaking characters over and over again and expect anyone to be interested. You can fit everyone in their little fantasy trope box. It's just not engaging or interesting. Meanwhile look at Overwatch ... Those characters have the depth of BG1 characters, hell, probably a bit less. But somehow they spark peoples' imagination, so people love it and there's publicity and hype and excitement generated even though there's barely anything there in those characters!
But...Overwatch had like a multimillion dollar advertising budget...from an AAA developer which handles some of the most popular games of recent time (Warcraft, Starcraft, Diablo) and has a huge dedicate fanbase and conventions just for themselves. Comparing their production to a small team of...under 100? With whatever fraction of the budget...tht comparison is a bit insane.
Like comparing the success of the Spice Girls with Rush, just because 1 Spice Girls album has sold more than all Rush albums combined. I'd still rather listen to Rush.
Personally I think SoD has done some amazing things to the BG forumla, but it is an expansion, it's aimed at fans of the current game not specifically to bring in new fans I'd imagine and in doing so has created a fresh takenon the IE gameplay and it has slotted in neatly with the rest of the series in my mind.
@spacejaws Right. But my point is, there is next to NO hype and interest around SoD's characters. The same can't be said for the original Baldur's Gate games -- there's plenty of fan art, fan fiction, and on and on into the night. Yeah of course not a massive amount like Blizzard gets, just like you said, but a lot for the size of its playerbase.
And this isn't just me expressing my disinterest in SoD's NPCs or anything. I really like Corwin, and Glint is fun as well. I'm genuinely somewhat surprised there is as little interest as there is.
@spacejaws Right. But my point is, there is next to NO hype and interest around SoD's characters. The same can't be said for the original Baldur's Gate games -- there's plenty of fan art, fan fiction, and on and on into the night. Yeah of course not a massive amount like Blizzard gets, just like you said, but a lot for the size of its playerbase.
And this isn't just me expressing my disinterest in SoD's NPCs or anything. I really like Corwin, and Glint is fun as well. I'm genuinely somewhat surprised there is as little interest as there is.
I am not sure it is entirely fair to compare 15 years of history there. All of the fan contributions took time to develop, it wasn't like this back in 2000 when I was playing the first times.
@mf2112 Call me a skeptic, but I really don't think Siege of Dragonspear is gonna have the long life that the rest of Baldur's Gate has. But I'll freely admit, when I say that I am running pretty much entirely on personal opinion rather than observation of the community as a whole.
That said, SoD was a throwback when it was released. The original Baldur's Gate series was not. I think that will make its legs less long.
@mf2112 Call me a skeptic, but I really don't think Siege of Dragonspear is gonna have the long life that the rest of Baldur's Gate has. But I'll freely admit, when I say that I am running pretty much entirely on personal opinion rather than observation of the community as a whole.
That said, SoD was a throwback when it was released. The original Baldur's Gate series was not. I think that will make its legs less long.
Overall I agree with you on that point, SoD is fun and I will play it through a few times, but replayability is definitely less than BG2, at least until someone does a nice BG2 mod package that ties things in better to the extent possible with the IE engine limitations. I don't look for this from Beamdog however, I think this is best done from the community at this point. I would prefer Beamdog move on to the next game. They left things open enough for us to finish the details for these games.
Whenever I play the BG games, I play all as one experience. Been doing that since BG2 came out. I have now added SOD as a regular to this line up. I don't think its failed at all.
You know, reading the discussion, I think I figured out why the game fails to catch me. It is, at this moment, pointless filler. It doesn't actually doanything, and that's because there's no SoD support in BG2. It answers a few nagging questions, yes, but with the exception of maybe fifteen minutes of content at the end of the game we're left with characters, events, and relationships that ultimately go nowhere. It's akin to using Yeslick and Shar-teel in BG1: decent characters, yes, but not good enough to stand on their own merits and not relevant in BG2.
On its own merit, SoD is a good game, but it doesn't fit with the Baldur's Gate series. Everything it does is lost in BG2, with the exception of a lackluster class and a handful of arbitrary trinkets you must have already earned to have a chance to re-earn them in BG2 (where they're not particularly special anymore). Our new friends were wonderful, but now they are gone without even a throwaway line to remember them by, and the character growth seen in returning characters is just lost (with the exception of Neera, whose drastic changes between games finally makes sense, if not her stated fling in Baldur's Gate). Probably most jarring, however, is that the game was written in a modern style with modern sensibilities, which make it speak to a different generation than the original games. The end result is that, despite its merits as a game, it doesn't work well as a Baldur's Gate game, due to the sheer inconsistency of it all. This inconsistency makes it feel more like a fanfic than canon.
Here's the catch, though. I don't think there's much that can be done about the tonal difference between new and old, but the rest of it could be relieved simply by adding SoD elements to BG2EE beyond the Shaman and some gear. They don't need to be playable, but some reference to them would go a long way to tying it all together. Hell, Irenicus comparing the Scion to Corwin alone would really help: "Yes. Of course you would resist beyond all reason, I knew it would be so before I captured you. Had I wanted gullible and weak-willed, I would have favored Caelar instead, but no. Indeed, it's that force of will that made you so enticing to me, made me covet that strong soul. And now it is mine. You will wither while I shall rise anew."
I've become a little disappointed with the bridge between SoD and bg2 as well. It didn't bother me that much initially, but the endgame segment in SoD with the murder trial was too short and uneventful..
Now with both lead writers having left the company as well, I'll be a little disappointed if they just leave it like this with no official word on what was planned.
You know, reading the discussion, I think I figured out why the game fails to catch me. It is, at this moment, pointless filler. It doesn't actually doanything, and that's because there's no SoD support in BG2.
Exactly so. I suppose we can be fair to the devs and note this was a losing proposition the moment SoD became a full interquel campaign (at WotC's request, apparently), because it meant jamming a whole storyline between two games without having the time or the resources to stitch it up properly.
To use just one example: the final battle of BG2 is now CHARNAME's second visit to Baator, since you've already been to Avernus in SoD. Yet the scene still plays out as if it's some horrific new development.
The actual connective tissue in SoD takes place entirely at the end of the campaign, when Irenicus murders Skie, pins it on you, and allows Imoen to bust you out with the canon party. Those are the only events that are directly relevant; the entire Dragonspear Crusade does absolutely nothing to get you to that point, because if none of that had happened, Skie's death would still have played out exactly the same.
By the same token, there's no special significance to Caelar that makes her a bridging nemesis between Sarevok and Irenicus: it's not like she or her uncle fought Bhaalites, or were involved in the Harper raid that took out CHARNAME's mother, or had anything at all to do with Irenicus' actual machinations (beyond Caelar simply being another test subject). She's just a random person whose storyline only intersects with yours because the DM says so.
I suspect there are plans to update BG2 to account for the changes to the saga by SoD.
I offer the fact that, three patches in, Mizhena still hasn't been expanded as evidence that Beamdog have no intention of adding or changing any content in the BG games.
I suspect there are plans to update BG2 to account for the changes to the saga by SoD.
I offer the fact that, three patches in, Mizhena still hasn't been expanded as evidence that Beamdog have no intention of adding or changing any content in the BG games.
When have that said they won't expand things? I'd like a source besides your own opinion and the fact that PATCHES typically are for bug fixes, not content changes or expanding content.
If I were them, I'd never change Mizhena (even ignoring the principle of the matter). Given how much scrutiny any such changes would face, it just seems like a losing proposition. I mean, who is really clamoring for more Mizhena content at this point? The natural move is to avoid talking about her except for occasional vague noises about "making sure we get it right," until everyone hopefully forgets this was ever an issue.
My point is that not all content changes are such minefields, and I don't think the inaction on that front is necessarily indicative of Beamdog's broader plans.
When have that said they won't expand things? I'd like a source besides your own opinion and the fact that PATCHES typically are for bug fixes, not content changes or expanding content.
Every kit Beamdog added to the EEs post-launch was added via patch. Hexxat's epilogue was tweaked post-launch via patch. Patches are actually the only way you could alter existing content short of rewriting the entire dialog.tlk from scratch, so I don't even know what you're on about here.
As for sources, I've got exactly as many as you do regarding the future of the EEs: none. What I do have are the following facts: the writing team that was actually responsible for SoD is gone, David Gaider and the upcoming new hires are working on the new project, IWD:EE still hasn't been patched to 2.0, and the next BG patch is, if not on hold, then not a priority (per dev comments that 2.4 won't be out anytime soon).
As for sources, I've got exactly as many as you do regarding the future of the EEs: none. What I do have are the following facts: the writing team that was actually responsible for SoD is gone, David Gaider and the upcoming new hires are working on the new project, IWD:EE still hasn't been patched to 2.0, and the next BG patch is, if not on hold, then not a priority (per dev comments that 2.4 won't be out anytime soon).
What exactly is needed from the SoD writing team in regards to the (potential) new BG2 content? What would Gaider have to play in that? I suggest to drop the jaded attitude.
What exactly is needed from the SoD writing team in regards to the (potential) new BG2 content? What would Gaider have to play in that? I suggest to drop the jaded attitude.
So your position is that BG2 might be expanded, but no actual writers are needed for that? Hmm.
What exactly is needed from the SoD writing team in regards to the (potential) new BG2 content? What would Gaider have to play in that? I suggest to drop the jaded attitude.
So your position is that BG2 might be expanded, but no actual writers are needed for that? Hmm.
My position is that they don't need massive amounts of input from writers. It's fairly obvious what needs to be changed and where. Have Gaider work it up in a few days, and it's done.
Comments
(But seriously, when can the tablet players get some love?)
But in the meantime if it means I have a go-to subject to have a laugh at Beamdog's expense, then so much the better.
Of course, your post could be a joke in itself. Deadpan is a tricky art in the written word, as is satirical hypocrisy.
But keep that hush hush I was told not to tell anyone.
A lot of people are getting bored of CoD and all that repetitive crap. Long overdue, but it's slowly happening.
Siege of Dragonspear's marketing was bad and frankly, the game is not that good. As a Baldur's Gate fan, yeah, I like it. But if I hadn't been into Infinity Engine games growing up, I would think the game was total trash. It's just not an appealing game. This is coming from a guy who has pre-ordered a Collector's Edition. The only thing appealing about it is nostalgia factor and "OOH it's a D&D game." Not a very big audience. I think for the audience it aimed at, it's done just fine. But overall? Pretty abysmal.
And we can sit here all day and say how RPGs are under-appreciated, how people just don't have the patience these days, but there are other RPGs out there making a splash. Not a huge splash, mind you, but a splash. Divinity: Original Sin did extremely well considering its fairly humble beginnings. It's not so different a format from Infinity Engine games. They just bothered to make something new and bold. SoD took zero risks besides some dialogues. The gameplay is not captivating these days. It's ancient and archaic and unimaginative. There's no good excuse for it, besides the fact that they've decided to stay on Infinity Engine so they really can't do much.
Hopefully it was successful enough to give Beamdog enough money to make something bold and interesting. And here's hoping they actually do it, because all we've seen so far is a lot of the same. You can't make so many variations on the same freaking characters over and over again and expect anyone to be interested. You can fit everyone in their little fantasy trope box. It's just not engaging or interesting. Meanwhile look at Overwatch ... Those characters have the depth of BG1 characters, hell, probably a bit less. But somehow they spark peoples' imagination, so people love it and there's publicity and hype and excitement generated even though there's barely anything there in those characters!
Like comparing the success of the Spice Girls with Rush, just because 1 Spice Girls album has sold more than all Rush albums combined. I'd still rather listen to Rush.
Personally I think SoD has done some amazing things to the BG forumla, but it is an expansion, it's aimed at fans of the current game not specifically to bring in new fans I'd imagine and in doing so has created a fresh takenon the IE gameplay and it has slotted in neatly with the rest of the series in my mind.
And I am totally up for more!
And this isn't just me expressing my disinterest in SoD's NPCs or anything. I really like Corwin, and Glint is fun as well. I'm genuinely somewhat surprised there is as little interest as there is.
That said, SoD was a throwback when it was released. The original Baldur's Gate series was not. I think that will make its legs less long.
Come to that, no one discusses the companions in Diablo III.
On its own merit, SoD is a good game, but it doesn't fit with the Baldur's Gate series. Everything it does is lost in BG2, with the exception of a lackluster class and a handful of arbitrary trinkets you must have already earned to have a chance to re-earn them in BG2 (where they're not particularly special anymore). Our new friends were wonderful, but now they are gone without even a throwaway line to remember them by, and the character growth seen in returning characters is just lost (with the exception of Neera, whose drastic changes between games finally makes sense, if not her stated fling in Baldur's Gate). Probably most jarring, however, is that the game was written in a modern style with modern sensibilities, which make it speak to a different generation than the original games. The end result is that, despite its merits as a game, it doesn't work well as a Baldur's Gate game, due to the sheer inconsistency of it all. This inconsistency makes it feel more like a fanfic than canon.
Here's the catch, though. I don't think there's much that can be done about the tonal difference between new and old, but the rest of it could be relieved simply by adding SoD elements to BG2EE beyond the Shaman and some gear. They don't need to be playable, but some reference to them would go a long way to tying it all together. Hell, Irenicus comparing the Scion to Corwin alone would really help: "Yes. Of course you would resist beyond all reason, I knew it would be so before I captured you. Had I wanted gullible and weak-willed, I would have favored Caelar instead, but no. Indeed, it's that force of will that made you so enticing to me, made me covet that strong soul. And now it is mine. You will wither while I shall rise anew."
Now with both lead writers having left the company as well, I'll be a little disappointed if they just leave it like this with no official word on what was planned.
To use just one example: the final battle of BG2 is now CHARNAME's second visit to Baator, since you've already been to Avernus in SoD. Yet the scene still plays out as if it's some horrific new development.
The actual connective tissue in SoD takes place entirely at the end of the campaign, when Irenicus murders Skie, pins it on you, and allows Imoen to bust you out with the canon party. Those are the only events that are directly relevant; the entire Dragonspear Crusade does absolutely nothing to get you to that point, because if none of that had happened, Skie's death would still have played out exactly the same.
By the same token, there's no special significance to Caelar that makes her a bridging nemesis between Sarevok and Irenicus: it's not like she or her uncle fought Bhaalites, or were involved in the Harper raid that took out CHARNAME's mother, or had anything at all to do with Irenicus' actual machinations (beyond Caelar simply being another test subject). She's just a random person whose storyline only intersects with yours because the DM says so. I offer the fact that, three patches in, Mizhena still hasn't been expanded as evidence that Beamdog have no intention of adding or changing any content in the BG games.
My point is that not all content changes are such minefields, and I don't think the inaction on that front is necessarily indicative of Beamdog's broader plans.
As for sources, I've got exactly as many as you do regarding the future of the EEs: none. What I do have are the following facts: the writing team that was actually responsible for SoD is gone, David Gaider and the upcoming new hires are working on the new project, IWD:EE still hasn't been patched to 2.0, and the next BG patch is, if not on hold, then not a priority (per dev comments that 2.4 won't be out anytime soon).
Make of that what you will.