What motivates you the most on your Adventure?

Rik_Kirtaniya

Whether it's just another interesting playthrough of the BG Saga, or it's your first playthrough of an RPG that is completely new to you, there are certain aspects which we find more enjoyable and "rewarding" than others, which we always look forward to in our adventure. It may be the joy of finding new, powerful weapons, fighting new monsters, or simply exploring the storyline, the various decisions and their consequences.

So, which particular aspect motivates you the most to keep on playing and enjoying the game?

mashedtaters

Does restartitus count as motivation?

Rik_Kirtaniya

mashedtaters said:

Does restartitus count as motivation?

Of course!

Zaghoul

Sometimes I think I make up about as much of the back and ongoing story as the game itself. It is that imagination BG is able to draw out of me that keeps me coming back to it again. It doesn't hurt that a new mod can bring new life to an old NPC, location, or an item as well.

booinyoureyes

What motivates you the most on your Adventure?

Kicking evil in the backside!

ThacoBell

Getting more specific, character interactions. I can engage with well written characters again and again. There was a period of about 4 years where I didn't play BG before the EEs came out. They were what got me back into the series. I remember hearing "Heya, its me, Imoen" and feeling like I was seeing an old friend after a long time apart.

mashedtaters

ThacoBell said:

Getting more specific, character interactions. I can engage with well written characters again and again. There was a period of about 4 years where I didn't play BG before the EEs came out. They were what got me back into the series. I remember hearing "Heya, its me, Imoen" and feeling like I was seeing an old friend after a long time apart.

True that. Weird how imaginary or fictional characters can elicit real emotional responses from us. I have the same thing with Kresselack and a plethora of other fictional characters from other works, such as Samwise from LOTR (book, not movie).

DrakeICN

I think games are boring if fights are to easy, or to grindy. I always adjust difficulty and refuse exploitations (unless, ironically, the game is crazy unbalanced, in which case I consider it necessary) and powergaming (like a hammer paladin in Diablo). I love making non-standard builds, especially if those are considered teh suck, like my Diablo II melee sorc (but I haven't played that shit in ages, I am philosophically opposed to the ridicolously low drop rates and now that Grim Dawn exist, why would anyone ever play the inferior Blizzard games ever again?)

Which is why I hate hate hate NWN; easy, boring and grindy. (And again, why would anyone play NWN now that DA:O exist... and why would anyone play DA:O now that infinitely much better PoE exist!!?)

UnderstandMouseMagic

ThacoBell said:

Getting more specific, character interactions. I can engage with well written characters again and again. There was a period of about 4 years where I didn't play BG before the EEs came out. They were what got me back into the series. I remember hearing "Heya, its me, Imoen" and feeling like I was seeing an old friend after a long time apart.

How strange.
I remember hearing, "Heya, it's me Imoen" after a long break from the game and wanting to kill something.

Bubb

While I love the story in the Baldur's Gate games, there's nothing like an epic level mage completely obliterating your enemies with the dozens of spells in your arsenal. Mages are just about the only class I've ever played just for this reason - I love the power progression, and your ultimate "cheesiness" by the end of ToB. When I was younger and first started playing Baldur's Gate 2, I was in absolute awe of Irenicus's magical abilities; I was quite disappointed when I learned I couldn't use them myself. After the encounter with Irenicus in the promenade, my catch phrase for charname quickly became YOU WILL SUFFER, YOU WILL ALL SUFFER!

deltago

Story telling is a close second, however if I'm not invested in the character I am playing than the story being told can be lost. I want my character to have personal growth. Having a story told while they do it makes it much better however.

StummvonBordwehr

@Rik_Kirtaniya: great poll. Really makes you see how other prefer their game.

I voted XP & levels but considered loot as well..

For me its the level progression of the character combined with the tomes/manuals/MoLtM/DoMT/Hell trials that makes my day. Seeing charname reach God like stats whilst the other Bhall spawn dies, is how I enjoy the game
(So my only complaint about the excellent Siege of Dragonspear is the lack of a tome/manual (a con and dex manual would have made my day - and players who think the 8 tomes of BG1 are more than enough dont have to pick them up...))

The approach to playing the game, also makes me think about and plan a play more than actually playing the game.

My introduction to mods opened a door to a new world for me - and I ended up planning my characters in spread sheets... RL has meant that I had to abandon my ascension planning - for a while.

And I have now confined my self to a iOS version and lurking around on the forum.... But the spread sheets will be back from their sleep one day!!

Seeing how others have voted, the magnitude of the game and the community really comes to show. We all play the game for different reasons, but the game (easily) contains this. Even the mods have no one sided approach - some mods add nothing but more diificulty, some seek to balance, some expand and explain and some seem to be nothing but OP loot. All for different tastes.

Most games cant give and contain so many options for your gaming approach - and this is why the BG trilogy imo is so enduring.

OrlonKronsteen

I like all these aspects pretty much equally, but I chose story and exploration because I include atmosphere and flavour in that category. My games are a mix of RP and power/meta gaming, and while some criticize the BG series for being a monty haul, those items are damn fun to use and add flavour to my builds. I would say the kits are also vital in keeping my interest. I don't think I'll ever be able to play a game again in which the classes are generic fighter, rogue, wizard, etc.. Give me a stalker, a blackguard, an undead hunter...

tbone1

Breasts. Because I have a Y chromosome.

Rik_Kirtaniya

StummvonBordwehr said:

@Rik_Kirtaniya: great poll. Really makes you see how other prefer their game.

Thanks @StummvonBordwehr!

Nimran

Oh man, that feeling I get when I lose myself in a character or storyline, and talk about it with other people... it’s hard for me to not talk about spoilers sometimes lol. It’s why I LOVE PnP DnD. I basically become my character, and it feels awesome! That said, I tend to not finish most RPGs though. Once they hit the “avoid or destroy the world-ending cataclysm” part, I immediately lose interest. I don’t want to save the world in every game I play.

Mantis37

Additionally the camaraderie of the no-reload crew .

semiticgoddess

Character growth is the only thing that feels truly rewarding to me. It's a concrete indication of progress in the game, and unlike monetary rewards, it feels like it's actually been earned. The plot and roleplaying and so forth are really important on the first X number of playthroughs, but after I've been through a game enough times, the only secrets left to dig up are related to powergaming or the game engine.

One of the main reasons I have difficulty enjoying the later stages of IWD2 is that character growth seems so much more sluggish, and critters give so much less experience (at least, as a percentage of your total XP). If my character isn't getting stronger, I don't feel like we're making progress.

tbone1

tbone1 said:

Breasts. Because I have a Y chromosome.

Seriously, I need to add JOKE to this? Please, people.

ThacoBell

tbone1 said:

tbone1 said:

Breasts. Because I have a Y chromosome.

Seriously, I need to add JOKE to this? Please, people.

Maybe it wasn't funny?

tbone1

ThacoBell said:

tbone1 said:

tbone1 said:

Breasts. Because I have a Y chromosome.

Seriously, I need to add JOKE to this? Please, people.

Maybe it wasn't funny?

Fair enough, but it was obviously an attempt at humor. Or so I thought.

Rik_Kirtaniya

tbone1 said:

ThacoBell said:

tbone1 said:

tbone1 said:

Breasts. Because I have a Y chromosome.

Seriously, I need to add JOKE to this? Please, people.

Maybe it wasn't funny?

Fair enough, but it was obviously an attempt at humor. Or so I thought.

Never mind, @tbone1. Jokes can misfire.

By the way, would you like to have a Helmet of Charm Protection?

ThacoBell

tbone1 said:

ThacoBell said:

tbone1 said:

tbone1 said:

Breasts. Because I have a Y chromosome.

Seriously, I need to add JOKE to this? Please, people.

Maybe it wasn't funny?

Fair enough, but it was obviously an attempt at humor. Or so I thought.

Try adding a "wah wah" at the end. Or a fart joke, those are ALWAYS classy.

StummvonBordwehr

tbone1 said:

ThacoBell said:

tbone1 said:

tbone1 said:

Breasts. Because I have a Y chromosome.

Seriously, I need to add JOKE to this? Please, people.

Maybe it wasn't funny?

Fair enough, but it was obviously an attempt at humor. Or so I thought.

@tbone1
It actually was a good joke imo. @semiticgod has recently posted a page from the Baldurs gate trilogy novels, and breasts seems to be important to the young Abdel - that reference made your joke well timed (besides mentioning breasts).

I will check out of this thread to see if I can find another thread where I can mansplain a joke...

toolarg

Mostly the rp part. I think of a new charname, his character, how would he react, crop a new portrait and play accordingly, sometimes making the choices even if I know ill lose the best rewards.