Will you buy IWD 2 if it uses the latest BG EE engine instead of the 3rd edition rules it came with?
georgelappies
Member Posts: 179
Seeing that the source code for IWD 2 is also "lost". It should not be that difficult for Beamdog to extract the assets like they did for the other IE games, and make IWD 2 run with the latest BG EE engine?
- Will you buy IWD 2 if it uses the latest BG EE engine instead of the 3rd edition rules it came with?57 votes
- Definetly yes, more IWD areas to explore.66.67%
- Maybe, I will have to see how the move to 2'nd edition rules changes the game play first.26.32%
- Absolutely not, IWD 2 is a 3rd edition rules game and must stay 3'rd edition, even though this means that there never will be an EE version of IWD 2 then.7.02%
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And Infinity Engine with 2nd Edition rules, in my opinion, is still the best system to play Computer RPGs.
For me, that decision wouldn't depend on the ruleset used (I like both), but rather on how much they'd improve the actual game - encounters, experience gain, areas, quests and so on.
All I need for it is to run extremely smooth and loads ultra fast, unlike stock iwd2.
on a side note, your idea is very likely not how this works at all.
I am not referring to the game logic, hence the proposal to use the current BG EE 2.5.x engine.
So it will be like playing IWD 2 inside of the IWD EE current engine. Only classes currently available for instance in BG EE / BG 2 EE / IWD will be available and items would have to be changed to make sense in the 2.5 rule set.
It needs many improvements, bug fixes and expansions while not changing its core. A complete and enhanced version of IWD2 has the potential for being one of the best RPG ever.
As to the question, my guess is 95%+ of the people who liked IWD would buy IWD2EE no matter which edition it used. I'd prefer 3e but would definitely get IWD2EE either way.
So no I would not buy a 2nd edition version.
I really like the rules of BG/IWD, but Pillars of Eternity has some really nice ideas too. They make roles more distinct in some aspects.
I especially like the engagement system. Fighters can engage only up to 2 (or 3 if trained) targets in combat. They are kind of locked on to each other now and disengaging combat (changing your position, turning, running away) means attacks of opportunity for the enemies that are engaged currently. That means that you have to use crowd control for larger groups. Furthermore you have to be careful to pick up the right targets with your fighters and have a plan for those targets that flank you or you failed to engage. It is not so easy to just pick them up if you already have mobs on your tank, because it is harder to move/disengage then. That made fights and positioning more tactical.
That's something I miss in BG because basically mobs either attack the nearest player or just lock on to a specific target (I have the feeling thats more the case in IWD).
Also the tactical use of elements in Divinity Original Sin (summon rain to put out fire, or use lightning to hit all targets in a wet area) is really cool.
Combining stuff like that with the class system of BG would be perfect! I did not look at BG3 now, but I hope they keep the class system and pick up on some of those ideas.
Is it even good? I was always reluctant to try it, because I heard it has almost no story, tedious areas that are too long and at some point resembles hack & slay games. What are the differences, aside from the different rules, between IWD and IWD2?
The main, but not only, difference between the two is that IWD2 uses a NWN-style 3rd edition D&D ruleset instead of BG's 2e-inspired ruleset. As such, IWD2 provides an interesting glimpse at what could have been if BioWare had continued working with WotC on Forgotten Realms products after BG2/IWD2. There are pros and cons to the ruleset change but it's worth playing IWD2 for yourself to see what you think.
Also -- if you started reading this thread because of the poll, the last option is emotionally moving but factually incorrect. IWD2's 3e ruleset is not the reason there will never be an IWD2EE.
I think IWD2 is quite enjoyable: I like the story (even though it is linear) and its connections to IWD1, the setting is nice, there are several nice music tracks and many areas look beautiful. But for sure there are also badly designed and buggy areas/puzzles in the game, which can be very frustrating without a walkthrough. I would say it is the biggest difference between the games since in IWD1 the game feels to flow forward all the time even in large dungeon areas.
It might be good to add here that there is an upcoming fan-made IWD2:EE mod, which I am really looking forward to. One of the main points of that mod is to fix the bad parts of original IWD2. The mod has also a thread here at Beamdog forums: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/79872/icewind-dale-2-enhanced-edition-is-here-and-the-red-chimera-group-is-looking-for-playtesters/p1
I actually started to play IWD2 this week and it is pretty good so far. And I have to say that I should have tried it out earlier. My impressions so far are nothing like I stated before. The story is engaging and the there is a wide variety of areas and enemies. I also have the impression that the combat is a little harder than it has been in IWD. Perhaps that has something to do with the new ruleset. It really took a while to get used to the character creation especially the approach in multiclassing which encourages careful planning but also offers really cool combinations if you do it right.
I would definitely try IWD2 with 2nd edition rules although it probably would need some rebalancing here and there to keep its spirit. The combat feels a lot more difficult so far. You really have to lay out a plan for some encounters. Contrary to IWD where enemies were not a big thread aside from a few bosses.