Over a year behind in getting to this one, but what a blast! I love the slightly Eerie mood. And it all manages to be bizarre enough to be thoroughly entertaining. I think this one will stay on my build for a while!
Exciting! Might I humbly request again to offer these mod updates as components independent of the main Remix, for those of us too wedded to SCS (by force of habit if nothing else)?
Exciting! Might I humbly request again to offer these mod updates as components independent of the main Remix, for those of us too wedded to SCS (by force of habit if nothing else)?
No. Its baked into and across multiple Tactics Remix components.
Hi Lava, I played this mod without knowing much about Ravenloft setting and I have to thank you because I managed to understand its features.
Very nice level design, good story, interesting fights and quests.
I have played many times BG1 and 2, but thanks to you and to Acifer I am having an incredible time playing this run. Thank you
It’s a great mod, but unfortunately, you miss out on some quests without a walkthrough—for example, the side quest involving spending the night in the forest. Also, it would be really great if cave entrances or zone transition points were marked on the map. Thanks a lot.
It's all on purpose. There are some secrets I wanted people to notice on their 2nd, 3rd or even 6th run. I don't want to point a finger on every element and leave "you should look here now" signs. Ravenloft is a place where you get lost.
I'm glad there were parts you still enjoyed, though
I recently played through TBSOB and figured I'd leave some feedback. SPOILERS BELOW
TBSOB is a content mod that adds new areas, items, music, voice acting and a horror themed quest that starts out in the graveyard district of Athkatla. The story is a slow burn mystery with a unique pacing that will probably leave audiences split on it's replay value but should keep the majority of players entertained on a first playthrough. You explore areas and slowly find items and clues that will unlock deeper access to places you have already been or open up new places to visit on it's custom Barovia map. The mod has an old Castlevania vibe to it in my opinion.
The grindy nature of the mod pacing is intentional and enjoyable but this does have a negative effect on combat encounters. Mainly that they would be annoying if they were really challenging because you are constantly looking around trying to figure out where you are going. As a result, the combat is kind of stale in parts of the mod and almost feels like a quest mod that should have been in BG1EE rather than BG2EE. It will be interesting to see what Tactics Remix will bring to the table for the gameplay. I'm sure the added difficulty would be welcome to players who are playing this for the second time. There are a few standout encounters and the main boss encounter was really challenging and fun for me.
The Music in this mod is a mixture of old and new tracks. I think they all sound great and really add to the vibe of the mod. The new tracks sound especially good at supporting the mansion and the constant buzzing sound effects also add to the eerie environments.
The new items in this mod could be useful depending on your party setup but they are specialized pieces of loot. In terms of Balance, there was a single tome of intelligence and a few items that can boost armor and saving throws by a point. Also a cool new spell that I won't spoil here. Otherwise I would say they were pretty balanced and the above mentioned aren't too game changing in my opinion. Gold and XP rewards were balanced.
Backdrop art is a mixture of photoshop work from Beamdog's backdrops and new custom backdrops from Acifer. I noticed a small backdrop from Icewind dale 2 as well with some photoshop work done to it. I think the EE photoshoped backdrops do a good job of fitting in since they use art assets from the game while still providing new areas that are not recognizable to players. The Icewind Dale 2 backdrop was disappointing but it's a single small map that has had it's color tones shifted a bit. Acifer's custom backdrops for the forest pathway and the mansion exterior/interior are amazing. Especially the basement levels of the mansion but really everything he has done looks really nice here.
Voice acting didn't do it for me. The first mage you run into in the Graveyard district, sounded like a teenager recording some lines on his laptop. The chapter transition preamble felt out of place vocally. I would say the farmer and the main villain both sounded pretty good so it's a bit of a mixed bag for me. An option to have no voice acting would be very welcome in my opinion.
Story-4/5 Good (A uniqe style of storytelling for BG that has both pros and cons).
Art- 4/5 Good ( Some average work with a few stinkers and a few amazing areas as well. More good than bad overall.
Quest Design-4/5 Good (Slow paced puzzle like progress but rewarding in terms of exploration)
Music- 4/5 Good (Some really good tracks mixed with some that are already in the game).
Gameplay- 3/5 Above Average ( It's a mixture of average BG1 style gameplay and a very well done above average boss battle.) Hopefully Tactics Remix Can help here.
Items- 3/5 Above Average (A few pieces of interesting loot with minor balancing issues).
Voice Acting- 2.5/5 Below Average ( Respect for trying to do original voice work here but it falls short and pulls me out of the experience at times.)
Bugs- I didn't experience any quest bugs or crashes.
Overall I think I would give this mod a "B-" and possibly a solid "B" rating if Tactics Remix makes it more interesting in terms of replay value. The gameplay could have used a little more tinkering to better balance the combat challenge without being too intrusive in regards to exploration. I think this a good mod and worth installing in the future. I really like the main villain and the items that they use as well as the final battle. The finale was really well done because the gameplay, art, music, voice acting and story all came together and delivered. Thanks for sharing it with the community, I had fun playing it.
I had a lot of fun. Though, the post-AD&D anachronisms threw me off at times, such as locations that were invented for Curse of Strahd. Granted, I don't like 4e or 5e, where the whole shadow fell business started. But, that's just minor grognard grumbles, nothing that speaks against the quality of the mod. Agreed on great atmosphere and overall fun. The new monsters in particular were fun to fight as well, some icons I recognize from the Ravenloft Monstrous Appendices!
Comments
I did brief write-up, like an adventurer's journal. The episode is "Chuck: Update 30". The whole run is "Chuck and Sarah".
Its mods like this that keep things interesting and fresh after over 25 years!
No. Its baked into and across multiple Tactics Remix components.
Very nice level design, good story, interesting fights and quests.
I have played many times BG1 and 2, but thanks to you and to Acifer I am having an incredible time playing this run. Thank you
I'm glad there were parts you still enjoyed, though
TBSOB is a content mod that adds new areas, items, music, voice acting and a horror themed quest that starts out in the graveyard district of Athkatla. The story is a slow burn mystery with a unique pacing that will probably leave audiences split on it's replay value but should keep the majority of players entertained on a first playthrough. You explore areas and slowly find items and clues that will unlock deeper access to places you have already been or open up new places to visit on it's custom Barovia map. The mod has an old Castlevania vibe to it in my opinion.
The grindy nature of the mod pacing is intentional and enjoyable but this does have a negative effect on combat encounters. Mainly that they would be annoying if they were really challenging because you are constantly looking around trying to figure out where you are going. As a result, the combat is kind of stale in parts of the mod and almost feels like a quest mod that should have been in BG1EE rather than BG2EE. It will be interesting to see what Tactics Remix will bring to the table for the gameplay. I'm sure the added difficulty would be welcome to players who are playing this for the second time. There are a few standout encounters and the main boss encounter was really challenging and fun for me.
The Music in this mod is a mixture of old and new tracks. I think they all sound great and really add to the vibe of the mod. The new tracks sound especially good at supporting the mansion and the constant buzzing sound effects also add to the eerie environments.
The new items in this mod could be useful depending on your party setup but they are specialized pieces of loot. In terms of Balance, there was a single tome of intelligence and a few items that can boost armor and saving throws by a point. Also a cool new spell that I won't spoil here. Otherwise I would say they were pretty balanced and the above mentioned aren't too game changing in my opinion. Gold and XP rewards were balanced.
Backdrop art is a mixture of photoshop work from Beamdog's backdrops and new custom backdrops from Acifer. I noticed a small backdrop from Icewind dale 2 as well with some photoshop work done to it. I think the EE photoshoped backdrops do a good job of fitting in since they use art assets from the game while still providing new areas that are not recognizable to players. The Icewind Dale 2 backdrop was disappointing but it's a single small map that has had it's color tones shifted a bit. Acifer's custom backdrops for the forest pathway and the mansion exterior/interior are amazing. Especially the basement levels of the mansion but really everything he has done looks really nice here.
Voice acting didn't do it for me. The first mage you run into in the Graveyard district, sounded like a teenager recording some lines on his laptop. The chapter transition preamble felt out of place vocally. I would say the farmer and the main villain both sounded pretty good so it's a bit of a mixed bag for me. An option to have no voice acting would be very welcome in my opinion.
Story-4/5 Good (A uniqe style of storytelling for BG that has both pros and cons).
Art- 4/5 Good ( Some average work with a few stinkers and a few amazing areas as well. More good than bad overall.
Quest Design-4/5 Good (Slow paced puzzle like progress but rewarding in terms of exploration)
Music- 4/5 Good (Some really good tracks mixed with some that are already in the game).
Gameplay- 3/5 Above Average ( It's a mixture of average BG1 style gameplay and a very well done above average boss battle.) Hopefully Tactics Remix Can help here.
Items- 3/5 Above Average (A few pieces of interesting loot with minor balancing issues).
Voice Acting- 2.5/5 Below Average ( Respect for trying to do original voice work here but it falls short and pulls me out of the experience at times.)
Bugs- I didn't experience any quest bugs or crashes.
Overall I think I would give this mod a "B-" and possibly a solid "B" rating if Tactics Remix makes it more interesting in terms of replay value. The gameplay could have used a little more tinkering to better balance the combat challenge without being too intrusive in regards to exploration. I think this a good mod and worth installing in the future. I really like the main villain and the items that they use as well as the final battle. The finale was really well done because the gameplay, art, music, voice acting and story all came together and delivered. Thanks for sharing it with the community, I had fun playing it.