Baldur's Gate I&II Enhanced Edition Suggestions

VWood

Hi, I have recently purchased Baldur's Gate I&II Enhanced Edition and I have to say that the technical editions and new options are great and much of it, like the multi coloured circles, make gameplay easier. However, I was originally not going to purchase these games because of the narrative changes and editions that have been made and only did so in order to get the originals.

I have seen mostly positive reviews of Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition and Planescape Torment: Enhanced Edition and one of the of the things that tend to be seen as positive with these games, and I agree, is that they don't contain any narrative content that isn't original. For example new areas, characters and stories.
This is one of the chief criticisms that have been levelled at Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition and Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition.
My suggestion would be to release an update that gives an option to remove these new characters, areas and other narrative changes from the core game and to make them available as optional DLC. I think this would go very well with the fans, myself included.

I don't quite understand why the old character models from the original games can't be used. Since the original games are still being sold can't those art assets be carried over? This is just me hoping since I really like those old sprites, spell effects and sound effects from Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale. The only way to enjoy those now is to play the original Baldur's Gate since the Heart of Winter expansion completely removes them even from the original Icewind Dale.
If you add in an option to use the old effects then they could also be made available for Balur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition which would be a nice novel experience.

I have yet to purchase the Icewind Dale and Planescape Torment Enhanced Editions but I am looking forward to doing so.
Also, thank you for selling your games DRM-free!

Doubledimas

There is a mod available (here) to disable the EE-added NPC's (and thus their quests and areas).

JuliusBorisov

There're no "narrative" changes to the content of original BG and BG2 in BG:EE and BG2:EE. If you don't use new characters, you don't see new areas and stories.

@Doubledimas has already linked a mod to disable the EE NPCs.

There's also a mod currently in the works by @AndreaColombo and @Soulmarine which will let you use the old character models from original BG1.

VWood

Thank you to Doubledimas and JuliusBorisov for the links, I appreciate it.

Just to clarify, narrative is defined by Marriam-Webster as:
1 : something that is narrated : story, account He is writing a detailed narrative of his life on the island.
2 : the art or practice of narration
… depended not on narrative but on intensity derived from the verity to make the book jump. —Stanley Kauffmann
3 : the representation in art of an event or story; also : an example of such a representation the narrative of St. Joan of Arc

The new characters and areas qualify as narrative, which is why I called it a narrative change. Having to play the game in such a way that you consciously avoid the new characters simply to experience the original narrative is unpleasant.

Programmdude

I like Neera and Dorn, but meeting Neera in BG1/BG2, Dorn in BG1 and Rasaad in BG2 can be a bit disruptive when you don't want to have them in your party, mostly because of the cutscenes or forced combat.
On an unrelated note, assuming BG1->SoD->BG2 is canon, and you romance Neera, why would you fall in love only to have her hook up with some other guy after you get captured before BG2?