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IWD2 - Never got into it. Don't know why.

LiggLigg Member Posts: 187
edited November 2012 in Off-Topic
I found my IWD2 cd in a box I was unpacking. I only got halfway through the first time I played - then gave up. I don't know why it didn't click. Maybe it was:
The 3E rules I didn't understand.
The annoying spellbook illustrations - give me simple icons.
The lack of weapon restrictions for any class - I like that clerics can only use blunt weapons. Everyone needs pros and cons to be interesting.
The lack of humour? It seemed really dry.
Or something else? May be I just was expecting something different and I should have made the adjustment.

Does anyone rate this game and know how to play it for fun?

(I did like the difficulty - I found the fight for the goblin fortress good. And I loved the goblin wolf riders).
Post edited by Tanthalas on
ginger_hammerHaHaCharadeTJ_Hooker
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Comments

  • ginger_hammerginger_hammer Member Posts: 160
    I'm just finishing up IWD1 so will be onto IWD2 shortly - I must say that I don't like the 3E rules on character creation, no rolling and a fixed amount to dish out, plus no restrictions like you say puts me off. I'll give it a proper go though (I did complete the original game ages ago but can't remember now).
  • elminsterelminster Member, Developer Posts: 16,315
    edited November 2012
    This might fit better in the "off topic" section. In my opinion IWD2's Campaign starts out kind of boring and uninspiring. I did not mind 3rd edition rules at all, but there wasn't much there story wise to get me to want to do the next quest.
    jaldenCommunardMortiannaTJ_Hooker
  • TanthalasTanthalas Member Posts: 6,738
    In Targos there was a group of mercenaries there that provided me with one of the funniest moments in all the IE games.

    Buts its true that later on there wasn't much humor.
    Beetle
  • trinittrinit Member Posts: 705
    i really liked 3E conversion and icons. overall feel was kind of nice to me. it also had few nice details in conversation system etc.

    but, hack& slash killed it for me. iwd i went through and it was fine (i liked heart of winter, there was a story attempt in it as well as few really interesting quests. ice rose, the whole seer thing, anybody?).

    iwd2 was just... slaughtering any red circle in vicinity. most of the time i had no idea what the hell happened or what my immediate goal is. enter new area, kill, level up, repeat.

    i tried to start it again a few times but i get completely demotivated somewhere near ice temple. there is just no motivation for me to kill half the bestiary available to faerun. :/
    Communard
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    edited November 2012
    Like you said, it *is* kinda dry - I like the rules and design, but the atmosphere isn't that well developed:
    Goblins aren't really scary , the death priest is kinda dull , the spells aren't really fun , the voices are terribly boring...

    However, I love the custom parties and higher level combats!
  • klatuklatu Member Posts: 108
    It's been years since I played this game, so I'm a little murky on the details...

    The game itself it not very impressive, to say the least. It's a little like DA2 when it comes to dungeon recycling, the absurd amounts of ingame time that can pass makes you doubt the villains' effectiveness (They've had DECADES to realize their evil plan! Nothing is happening! In Fallout you got a Game Over screen after 13 years of stumbling through the desert, at least), the villains are boring, so are the majority of the enemies (goblins, goblins, goblins....) and the 3E rules didn't really work out for me (they force every character to be very generic and un-exceptional, IMO). Overall I though I was playing a bland and repetitive version of IWD 1.

    But it has its moments.
    I remember picking up a dead cat and a corpse at some point and stashing them safely away in my bag of holding (that fucking bag must have reeked!).
    Anyway... literally decades later ("your party has rested for 214 days and 5 hours"), in one of the blandly recycled dungeons, I meet this demon. And it starts talking to me. And one of my characters has this brainfart and dreamily tells this demon how sometimes he likes to play with the dead cat in his inventory and how the cat and the corpse play together and comfort him and tell him bedtime stories and... I forget.
    Point is, when even a hellish spawn of evil is utterly revolted by your mere presence, something is terribly off. Probably your sanity.
    ginger_hammer
  • awin123awin123 Member Posts: 55
    Targos had a few hilarious dialog options but after that it kinda dried up, the only reason I played the game was because of the 3ED ruleset because I really didn't find much else of value in the game overall.

    So I suppose that if you don't like the ruleset or the overall gameplay then you're kinda boned with IWD2 which sucks because it was a nice attempt at mixing 3ED with an isometric viewpoint.
    TJ_Hooker
  • Stargazer5781Stargazer5781 Member Posts: 183
    edited November 2012
    Not a fan of the 3E rules compared to the 2E rules. The lack of plot in IWD2 doesn't help either. It's inferior to IWD1 in every way imo, but it's still an enjoyable game for the most part.
    Post edited by Stargazer5781 on
  • Avenger_teambgAvenger_teambg Member, Developer Posts: 5,862
    It starts out good, but rapidly goes downhill. The only IE game i didn't finish ever.
    TJ_Hooker
  • HaHaCharadeHaHaCharade Member Posts: 1,643

    I'm just finishing up IWD1...

    I'm working on IWD right now too before BG: EE comes out. Where you at on it? I am just finishing up the Severed Hand. It takes me awhile cuz I'll reload areas till I get the drops I want, lol. I'm playing the following party (HoW Rules in place from the beginning):

    Half-Elf - Ranger/Cleric
    Gnome - Figher/Illusionist
    Dwarf - Fighter/ Thief
    Halfling - Fighter (He's my archer - Between a Halfling and an Elf, I wanted the higher Con)
    Human - Fighter
    Human - Mage

  • ginger_hammerginger_hammer Member Posts: 160
    I'm just on chapter 6 doing some clean up from the previous chapter. My party rocks out at:

    Human - Paladin
    Dwarf - Fighter/ Cleric (healer/basher)
    HalfElf - Fighter/ Thief (my archer)
    Human - Bard (just to identify on the move really)
    Gnome - Illusionist
    Human - Diviner
  • SeldarSeldar Member Posts: 438
    IWD is more like "move forward, kill, next area... move forward, kill, next area"

    I hate 3 parts in this game : Ice Temple / Black Forest (or something like that / Dragon's Eye...

    hum ok so in fact I hate 50% of the game lol

    The Severed Hand is my favorite place but it's true, IWD 1 was better.
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    In IW1 I could actually feel I was exploring dungeons! Dark corridors, many levels...

    I dunno know why they couldn't pursue the same principles in iwd2!
  • LiggLigg Member Posts: 187
    Oh to be in Lonelywood now that winter's there
    And whoever wakes in Lonelywood sees, some morning, unaware
    ... a corpse mangled by a werewolf.

    Ok, not quite the original poem. I think Lonelywood is one of the best creations of the entire Infinity Engine series. The music is beautiful. Every character has a story that you can interact with. The artwork is great. IWD is a great game - but it really takes off when you get to Lonelywood.
    Other people's parties posted here have inspired me. In fact I'm going to play it again.
  • gesellegeselle Member Posts: 325
    edited November 2012
    IWD 2 has its ups and downs. It starts very thrilling in Targos and stays this way until early chapter 2. The ice fortress is amazing by concept but tedious to play out especially if you don't know what to do. The monastery of the monks and the underdark is really really cool but the dark forest is not. Same counts for the dragon eye boring to play through and if you don't know what to do you will wait quite some time figuring out what to do. Last chapter again from the frozen battle fields till the severed hand is amazing.
    And npcs reacting to your race and class accordingly makes this whole game much more enjoyable. Rping a group of 6 bane priests turned out to be the most fun playthrough yet.

    edit: Btw. I liked the story pretty much, especially why the twins started the legion in the first place. A sad story and understandable why they try to conquer Targos and the other cities.

    Campaign has its ups and downs, but in all, it's a good game.
  • LemernisLemernis Member, Moderator Posts: 4,318
    Wasn't for me either. Tried them both but couldn't get into IWD and IWD2. But then again I also couldn't get into Planescape: Torrment either, which by everyone's account is an amazingly good game.
    Brude
  • ZeckulZeckul Member Posts: 1,036
    IWD2 was an unambitious project made at a time where Interplay was trying to cut risks and make some quick money. It's pretty amazing they managed to squeeze 3E rules in there as it required major engine rework. IMO the atmosphere suffered most as a result, it feels dry and shallow, much more even than Icewind Dale 1. However, combat is a well balanced, rich and tactically interesting experience in IWD2, probably more than in any other of the IE games.

    So if combat is what you like most about IE games, IWD2 should have you covered for a long time. Otherwise, it's safe to say that there are better titles in the series.
    Brude
  • GygaxianProseGygaxianProse Member Posts: 201
    @geselle: I largely agree. IWD2 has a great opening, but some areas drag.
    @Ligg: The 3E in IWD2 is fairly transparent in that the feats and such are painless. It plays very much like any other Infinity game.

    I remember IWD2 as having some of the best battles in the entire Infinity engine series. I enjoyed the hell out of it along those lines. Beware of dead orc shamans that are still sparkling from a call lightning....
  • reedmilfamreedmilfam Member Posts: 2,808
    Because it was linear, there were no meaningful character interactions and it was more 'battle, followed by battle'. It's why I have no interest in The Black Pits. It's not why I play BG. :D
    BrudeCommunardAyiekie
  • ARKdeEREHARKdeEREH Member Posts: 531
    edited November 2012
    I played through IWD1 thinking that I could import my character in IWD2 and planned everything I did around doing that. It never occurred to me that it wouldn't be possible since I thought they would be like Baldur's Gate. When I found that I couldn't import my character, it was a major turn-off. I tried to re-create my character anyway using Gatekeeper. This didn't really work because of the 3rd edition rules, which again was a major turn-off. I tried playing it anyway, but never made it past the 1st level because I didn't like the 3rd edition rules and hated having to start over.

    Having to either start over or learn a new and complicated rule set would be bad enough in their own right, but both together were too much considering that I had not expected or wanted either of them. Rather than try to force myself to tolerate IWD2, I just went back to playing BG2 instead and had a much more enjoyable experience.
  • gesellegeselle Member Posts: 325
    IWD 2 definately needed joinable NPCs, thus party interaction.
    ARKdeEREHPantalion
  • mlnevesemlnevese Member, Moderator Posts: 10,214
    IWD2 is the only infinity game I never finished. Just couldn't find a reason to go on playing...
  • SharGuidesMyHandSharGuidesMyHand Member Posts: 2,579
    I never got into it, but I DO know why - I utterly despite 3rd ed rules (same reason I never got into NWNs).
  • mch202mch202 Member Posts: 1,455
    Linear.

    This is the word to describe IWD2, plus the lake of interest in any of your NPCs or characters in the game made it the black sheep of the IE games.

    ARKdeEREHCommunard
  • CyhortCyhort Member Posts: 78
    I never got into it because there was no story or, you know, ROLE PLAYING. It was just a dungeon crawler. I need a story to keep me interested in games.
    mch202ARKdeEREHCommunardAyiekie
  • DJKajuruDJKajuru Member Posts: 3,300
    Cyhort said:

    I never got into it because there was no story or, you know, ROLE PLAYING. It was just a dungeon crawler. I need a story to keep me interested in games.

    The atmosphere is so good that I actually imagine some roleplaying going on . Specially among my party members.
  • reedmilfamreedmilfam Member Posts: 2,808
    DJKajuru said:

    The atmosphere is so good that I actually imagine some roleplaying going on . Specially among my party members.

    If you're role playing in your head, why do you need a game at all? It's day-dreaming, no? I know it's a fine line, but IWD2 (or the original) don't cross that line and were completely uninspiring.
  • Silver_MoonSilver_Moon Member Posts: 72
    Try this game! Great atmosphere and big hack and slash with D&D Rules. It uses DD3.5 Edition with perks, and all this stuf.
    I stopped played at the bridge, for me, Hack and slash in non stop way is too much violence. But game is good, and very deep in atmosphere.
  • PantalionPantalion Member Posts: 2,137
    Honestly, I couldn't even get into IWD either. Usually when the possibility comes up, it's already after I'm all BG'd out after playing through the whole campaign.
    waardenius
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