Can I just install and play this game?

TacoTaru

I've never played BG before. I did purchase some version of it a few years ago but trying to get it installed and then decide which mods I needed and figuring out how to install those made me stop before I started. Do I need mods for this edition? Do I need to "study" before playing or is it possible to have fun playing the game without knowing much about what you are doing? I don't want to get multiple hours into the game only to find I've made some bad choices which would force me to start over.

Thanks in advance for any help or guidance you might provide.

CaptRory

You'll be able to just install and go. There aren't any mods for it at the moment anyway.

TJ_Hooker

You didn't actually "need" mods for the original either. As far as "studying", yes in all likelihood you'll make a some sub-optimal choices your first time around, but it's not a big deal and you certainly won't need to restart because of them (unless you're super obsessive about getting the best possible outcome in every situation). So I'd recommend doing your first playthrough without any guide or walkthrough. However one thing you will probably want to study is the manual that comes with the game, as the DnD mechanics used in the games can be quite confusing to a first time player.

TacoTaru

Thanks Cap'n. I've been waiting a long time for this. Good thing I'll need to use up a bunch of vacation days in December.

TacoTaru

TJ_Hooker said:

However one thing you will probably want to study is the manual that comes with the game, as the DnD mechanics used in the games can be quite confusing to a first time player.

I encountered some of that at least in "The Dark Spire" on the Nintendo DS. I don't know how much of the D&D rules applied but it did have random rolls for character creation/level up as well as the lower AC being better.

CaptRory

The sort of mods you'd really want to use, are already included. Things like better resolutions, bug fixes, etc. on top of other enhancements.

Also, I feel your pain. It took me two days to get BG1+2 to run on my laptop, and I had to buy a digital copy of BG2 to do that. My main reason for buying BG:EE is to have one button push installation without headaches XD

Tokie

I remember picking this game up back in the days without knowing what DnD is. It was easy to play but hard to master.

Baldur's Gate for me is always about the companions chemistry and epic world exploration. Making bad choices and living with the consequences is part of the adventure!

Munro

If you ever played AD&D, playing Baldur's Gate will be extremely familiar. If you've played later D&D games it will be familiar, but a bit different. If none of the above, you might need a little bit of reading just to see how it works. In a nutshell: pseudo turn based, six second turns, armor class is like scoring in golf (negative is best!), THAC0 is how good you are at hitting stuff, and is also best in small numbers.