BG: Raise XP cap?

frakj

Having played (and modded) these games since the 90's, I have recently (re)discovered them and realize how extremely good they are, and how much fun and joy they still can give. The ports to android and PS4/5 in particular have made me remember why I loved these games in the first place.
However; since modding is more or less out of the question (android) or indeed out of the question (PS5) I have a request, though: either raise the xp cap of BG or make it an option like Max HP per level. The amount of xp available makes the cap feel like a restraint that takes away some of the fun. I don't mean to remove it altogether, since there ARE balance issues doing so. But with the cap increased to, say, 250 or 300k, most characters would attain 1 extra level, and that would be more than enough.
And no modding needed.

deadinside

Removing the XP cap is fun and all at first, but it really diminishes the challenge. I have also played these games since they came out, with all sorts of mods, XP cap remover among the must haves, but these days I have come to appreciate leaving the original intended challenge. In the original BG the cap feels about right. Doing BG content with the higher ToSC cap is rather boring to be honest, you just stomp over opponents. Enemies won't benefit from the higher XP cap (they have set levels and abilities), so it's really just about the power trip from the user's perspective. Now if that XP cap remover was accompanied by something that dynamically adjusted the levels of certain opponents, that would be fun.

DinoDin

deadinside wrote: »

Removing the XP cap is fun and all at first, but it really diminishes the challenge. I have also played these games since they came out, with all sorts of mods, XP cap remover among the must haves, but these days I have come to appreciate leaving the original intended challenge. In the original BG the cap feels about right. Doing BG content with the higher ToSC cap is rather boring to be honest, you just stomp over opponents. Enemies won't benefit from the higher XP cap (they have set levels and abilities), so it's really just about the power trip from the user's perspective. Now if that XP cap remover was accompanied by something that dynamically adjusted the levels of certain opponents, that would be fun.

Largely agree, and I say this as someone who used to play with a modded-xp cap remover. I think the same is true of XP cheesing as well (such as basilisk rushing). The low-level challenge and early game scarcity is part of the story, part of your journey in the overall saga.

Also, if you play the game at max party for the maximum amount of time, generally speaking you will barely cross the TotSC XP cap. I tend to hit the cap somewhere deep in Durlag's Tower on most such playthroughs, with literally only the final main plot sequence remaining. I.E. A six-person party should barely even cross the XP cap on an intended playthrough.

frakj

Well, I have finished Balduran's Isle and Durlag tower levels (not the dungeon) before chapter 6 and hit the cap, so it obviously depends on playstyle (core rules. Ankheg huntin' and other random encounters).
Also, I do not play these games for the tactical challenge in itself - some battles in BG are challenging more than enough for me (actually, I wish these games were turn-based, but that is a different matter). So I do not need to mod the game to make it harder. And being able to attain one level more wouldn't exactly make it that much easier, either. I probably will have my hide handed to me by the denizens of Durlag's or on Balduran's Isle from time to time anyway.
And as I said: I am not asking to have the xp cap removed, but inceased somewhat.

frakj

(Sorry, duplicate post)

sarevok57

i would say 250 000 XP is perfect, i have found that if you do absolutely every single quest and uncover every single piece of every area in the game, steal everything, power game ( for XP without grind ), all that jazz, as long as you didn't over grind, i would usually end up with 245 000 +/- XP the time i reached Sarevok in the underground temple with a party of 6

DinoDin

FWIW, one "hack" you can do on an un-modded game is to make a save game right as you hit the cap. Then play from there to the end without ever reloading. Including save+quitting, etc. I get that's a little tedious and there are some fights or sequences that aren't easy. You won't level up in BG1 but your extra experience will carryover to BG2 or SoD.

NB: I'm not 100% if this will work on android or PS5, fwiw. It should but no way for me to know. Since you may not level up anyways without grinding, this can be a partial solution.

frakj

A different approach might perhaps to cap at level instead, like in ToEE? Level 10 should be just fine (not all classes will reach that level anyway, if sarevok57 is right about the available xp (and I think he is)).

sarevok57

i believe it is possible to mod on an android phone, i think there was a discussion on the forums here talking about how you can do it

if you are lucky and have the options to look into your game files on your phone, you could even edit them on the pc version first and transfer them over afterwards worse case

jmerry

DinoDin wrote: »

FWIW, one "hack" you can do on an un-modded game is to make a save game right as you hit the cap. Then play from there to the end without ever reloading. Including save+quitting, etc. I get that's a little tedious and there are some fights or sequences that aren't easy. You won't level up in BG1 but your extra experience will carryover to BG2 or SoD.

A caveat: you can't do this forever. There's a hard asset limit in the game, and some things aren't entirely cleaned up in long play sessions ... suffice it to say, eventually things will break down. As a first warning sign, your party's selection circles disappear. And at the end, you die. Sidebar portraits disappear, black screen, game over, must reload from a save. (I haven't noticed any specific symptoms in the intervening phase. Also, details may differ between platforms.)

I have never actually managed to run that full ironman session all the way from the XP cap to the end of the campaign. Every time I've tried, that has happened to me before I've reached the end. (The way I play, I'd end the BG1 campaign at something like 275K XP for each party member)

frakj

Also, I must admit I am somewhat baffled by the fact that the EE adds content - and thus more xp - without raising the cap. Why add more, when there really is no point playing it? One can't get the xp carried over, nor do any items as far as I am aware of transfer to BG2...

atcDave

Most of the new content is a trivial amount of experience.

And that said, I absolutely always run without the cap anyway. Unless you’re doing a crazy amount of grinding, there’s still only about 1.2 million total experience in the game. So in a full party, most characters will not gain a single level with no cap. But I WANT to see the experience I earn.

Aerakar

atcDave wrote: »

Most of the new content is a trivial amount of experience.

And that said, I absolutely always run without the cap anyway. Unless you’re doing a crazy amount of grinding, there’s still only about 1.2 million total experience in the game. So in a full party, most characters will not gain a single level with no cap. But I WANT to see the experience I earn.

Agree with this. Unless you add multiple mods and numerous encounters the game only has so much XP. I usually do the entire game every time and even without the cap am looking at 200k xp for a full party each. With 4-5 members of course a bit more.

What makes the game easier is not the XP, but the gold/items you accumulate over the course of the game. Even with the level cap you are still powerful by the end.