Why do cameo NPCs from BG 1 not remember you?
Question2
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For example, quayle, faldorn, etc, they dont recognize you at all. Does BG 2 just assume you never met them at all?
I know Xvar does but hes one of the few.
I know Xvar does but hes one of the few.
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Imoen
Jaheira
Khalid
Minsc
Dynaheir
(Full party of 6).
Khalid and Dynaheir die between BG1 and BG2, so in BG2, only Imoen, Jaheira and Minsc remember you (you even start with them).
Do not forget that BG1 and BG2 are 2 different games, some players have one but not the other one. And there was not yet the possibility of importing saves like for Mass Effect or so (although you can import characters), so BG2 has no idea who you met before.
That being said, many cameo NPCs have lines for you to remind them you used to travel together, so I guess it's not all lost.
Actually, there is nothing like "canon party" in Baldur's Gate. The NPCs you mentioned
If I recall even people like Xzar and Montaron who were companions in BG1 but only return for a brief cameo have lines like that.
People like Quayle are the exception, not the rule. The Player Character canonically adventured with pretty much everybody. The 6 person party is more a gameplay limitation than anything relevant to the canon.
@Chronicler yes you are right. Most cameo NPCs in BG2 have lines for this. However you have to choose the right dialogue options to enjoy it. It's a very cool way from BioWare to push the cameo a bit further than a simple "apparition". It's part of these thousand great things in the trilogy that make it so polished and immersive. Unfortunately, these lines are not automatically delivered and you can even choose to not recognise them yourself. Unlike the "canon" NPCs who remind you right away why you are such great friends. Imoen even asks you if you feel alright in your head if you try to pretend not recognising her! Of course it's actually an opportunity for the player who did not play BG1 to have some background too, but it's done well enough to actually feel natural.
As for the in game explanation then i'd say it's simple, the Spawn is just not that special, if it wasn't pointed out that you were some sort of hero or they saw you actually fighting it's unlikely the average Joe would even think twice about it. There's no photo or video records so any info about the Spawn would be printed images so even if they saw a pamphlet they probably wouldn't recognize your character.
My view is that the developers were caught between not wanting to make people who never played BG feel left out. And at the same time not wanting those who played BG feel that it didn't matter.
So you end up with a bit of a mess.
The worst example is Xzar/Monteron.
It's quite possible to have played the whole game with them, from first people you meet to defeating Sarevok and then you see Xzar murdered in front of you and are then told to walk away.
Explanation, "oh they are evil zhents"
But if they were your NPC, they never did much evil and didn't betray you.
It would have been better, IMO, if they had taken the decision to not have any of the NPC from BG in BG2 unless you could recruit them again. Or simple cameos with a bit of dialog, like Garick.
with xzar you can mention if he should be dead as if he died in bg1
( even with edwin you have the same scenario )
viconia recognizes you right away
faldorn mentions how she may have been afraid of you in the best ( hinting at the idea that you were stronger than her back in bg 1 )
and coran talks to you as if you were good friends, you can even say to him : i thought i told you to stay out of my business - or something like that - and safana knows of you as well, although she does come pretty cold about it while coran is way more friendly about it
actually now that i think of it, i dont think garrick recognizes you ( in the temple district ) too busy being distracted by one of the paladins he is trying to go after i suppose
'We weren't the bravest adventurers on the Sword Coast, just the drunkest.'