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Beamdog Update: July 2019

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  • deltagodeltago Member Posts: 7,811
    ThacoBell wrote: »
    @Cabal82 Its even worse than you think, because Beamdog went so far as to have a questline to resolve in BG2 planned and outlined, before just deciding not to do it.

    I think WotC nixed it more than Beamdog though.
    JuliusBorisovStummvonBordwehr
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    deltago wrote: »
    ThacoBell wrote: »
    @Cabal82 Its even worse than you think, because Beamdog went so far as to have a questline to resolve in BG2 planned and outlined, before just deciding not to do it.

    I think WotC nixed it more than Beamdog though.

    Hard to tell.
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    How did you manage that? And did it involve a plumber with a red hat? :p
    Cabal82[Deleted User]
  • ArthasArthas Member Posts: 1,091
    So...
    do we have an eta for

    - next patch 2.6?
    - the wild surge issue?
    [Deleted User]
  • StummvonBordwehrStummvonBordwehr Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 1,342
    Not to worry @ThacoBell I will do the asking for us then :D. I think the situation may be less grim.

    In a recent AskBeamdog, Luke said that Beamdog would consider taking on community mods and sell them as DLC’s - with the maintenance and all the legality stuff to boot. This mostly for consoles and mobile platforms (where there is a potential market). It would off course require consent and collaboration from the author - and a joint venture profit split. All manageable in a contractual form.

    I may be naive (a wishful thinker at least), but I see the newly stable and less hassle versions of SCS and ascension as an omen of things to come - and I heartily welcome it. I would love to see them as DLC for my mobile.

    I’d reckon If any took on closing the soultaker plot with a plot as described in the WildSurge, it would seem as a perfect mod for a community DLC as well. As I see it Beamdog has yet to deny the possibility of that loophole (or close it). I see the sudden leak of the plot as an indication of the opposite in fact.... well a vague indication.

    So I will not willing to abandon hope yet. It may be far fetched, but I can live with that (inside my plastic bubble with a tin foil hat).
  • AndreaColomboAndreaColombo Member Posts: 5,524
    A DLC that made the game adhere more closely to P&P rules (except the fun-killing ones, such as racial level caps or P&P Spell Immunity) would be something I’d put money toward. However, it would have to be a full package, i.e. include enemy A.I. that actually makes intelligent use of the P&P abilities. Kind of like aTWEAKS, but for the whole game.
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    @StummvonBordwehr Our only hope for Beamdog's Soultaker resolution is if @AndrewFoley becomes driven to pull a Gaider and make it a mod.
    Timbo0o0o0StummvonBordwehrleeux
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    In the meantime, @LavaDelVortel has released their own take on the soultaker plot in their mod here. Its their own take on resolving soultaker and is worth a look.
    Timbo0o0o0
  • ThelsThels Member Posts: 1,416
    ThacoBell wrote: »
    I won't be asking for Soultaker resolution anymore. It hasn't happend because WotC is actively forbidding any expansions for the EE games. Because of Larian's game.

    Sounds exactly like something WotC would do, yeah.
    AdulThacoBellMERLANCECrevsDaak
  • gugulug5000gugulug5000 Member Posts: 248
    Maybe we should just starting hounding Beamdog with "Is WotC letting you make expansions for the EEs yet?" instead. Surely it can't be a permanent policy.
    MERLANCE
  • StaranStaran Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 295
    How can Beamdog make new official content with neverwinter without the wotc license?
  • AmmarAmmar Member Posts: 1,295
    Thels wrote: »
    Maybe we should just starting hounding Beamdog with "Is WotC letting you make expansions for the EEs yet?" instead. Surely it can't be a permanent policy.

    WotC has a pretty strong "Out with the old!" policy.

    There used to be lots of tools out there for 3.5, including a program called e-tools that was an official 3.5 character builder. When 4th came out, all those 3.5 tools and documents disappeared almost overnight, following lots of take-down requests from WotC. Even e-tools, which at one point was the official character builder, could not be sold anymore.

    Yup. WotC not wanting any additional content for old BG in order to avoid distracting from BG 3 and 5th edition is in line with their past policy of wanting to push the latest edition exclusively. And they probably do not want another SoD like controversy (silly as it was) with the name "Baldur's Gate" at this point, when they are busy hyping BG 3.

    So even without evidence, WotC decisions being the cause for not releasing the new DLC was something I assume it is probably true.

    As an aside, this also means that Beamdog & employees likely have a very strong incentive not to anything that is less that enthusiastic about BG 3 and Larian.
    ThacoBellkanisatha
  • ThacoBellThacoBell Member Posts: 12,235
    Staran wrote: »
    How can Beamdog make new official content with neverwinter without the wotc license?

    WotC is only blocking classic BG content. NWN is still fine. Until they decide to make a NWN3.
  • AmmarAmmar Member Posts: 1,295
    Also WotC wisely does not give out blanket/exclusive license like the Star Wars license for EA. They approve individual products - so:
    1. They can multiple companies working on games based on their IP
    2. WotC can block development on specific games and specific DLCs without affecting other products

    SSI used to have an exclusive D&D license in the TST days.
  • StaranStaran Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 295
    ThacoBell wrote: »
    Staran wrote: »
    How can Beamdog make new official content with neverwinter without the wotc license?

    WotC is only blocking classic BG content. NWN is still fine. Until they decide to make a NWN3.
    Hopefully. Thanks
  • PokotaPokota Member Posts: 858
    Ammar wrote: »
    Also WotC wisely does not give out blanket/exclusive license like the Star Wars license for EA. They approve individual products - so:
    1. They can multiple companies working on games based on their IP
    2. WotC can block development on specific games and specific DLCs without affecting other products

    SSI used to have an exclusive D&D license in the TST days.

    Which is probably directly related to why WotC doesn't give out exclusive/blanket licenses anymore...
  • AmmarAmmar Member Posts: 1,295
    Pokota wrote: »
    Ammar wrote: »
    Also WotC wisely does not give out blanket/exclusive license like the Star Wars license for EA. They approve individual products - so:
    1. They can multiple companies working on games based on their IP
    2. WotC can block development on specific games and specific DLCs without affecting other products

    SSI used to have an exclusive D&D license in the TST days.

    Which is probably directly related to why WotC doesn't give out exclusive/blanket licenses anymore...

    Maybe? But there weren't many good or successful D&D games in the first years after SSI lost the license, compared to the Gold Box Era.
  • PokotaPokota Member Posts: 858
    Ammar wrote: »
    Pokota wrote: »
    Ammar wrote: »
    Also WotC wisely does not give out blanket/exclusive license like the Star Wars license for EA. They approve individual products - so:
    1. They can multiple companies working on games based on their IP
    2. WotC can block development on specific games and specific DLCs without affecting other products

    SSI used to have an exclusive D&D license in the TST days.

    Which is probably directly related to why WotC doesn't give out exclusive/blanket licenses anymore...

    Maybe? But there weren't many good or successful D&D games in the first years after SSI lost the license, compared to the Gold Box Era.
    I'm under the impression that you need the license to both develop and release, which would put the start of the Baldur's Gate development at the same time as SSI still having the OK to finish work on Darksun: Crimson Sands (if that game doesn't count, Ravenloft: Stone Prophet was 1995)
  • AmmarAmmar Member Posts: 1,295
    Pokota wrote: »
    Ammar wrote: »
    Pokota wrote: »
    Ammar wrote: »
    Also WotC wisely does not give out blanket/exclusive license like the Star Wars license for EA. They approve individual products - so:
    1. They can multiple companies working on games based on their IP
    2. WotC can block development on specific games and specific DLCs without affecting other products

    SSI used to have an exclusive D&D license in the TST days.

    Which is probably directly related to why WotC doesn't give out exclusive/blanket licenses anymore...

    Maybe? But there weren't many good or successful D&D games in the first years after SSI lost the license, compared to the Gold Box Era.
    I'm under the impression that you need the license to both develop and release, which would put the start of the Baldur's Gate development at the same time as SSI still having the OK to finish work on Darksun: Crimson Sands (if that game doesn't count, Ravenloft: Stone Prophet was 1995)

    I think SSI still retained a license, just not an exclusive one. They lost the exclusive license in 1994. But yes, BG was started in 95.

    But I think we would not have lost much if TSR had just transferred the license from SSI to Interplay. Though BG was a much bigger success than anticipated.
  • Fina92Fina92 Member Posts: 284
    ThacoBell wrote: »
    I won't be asking for Soultaker resolution anymore. It hasn't happend because WotC is actively forbidding any expansions for the EE games. Because of Larian's game.

    Does this also mean that we will never ever be able to get the new SoD NPC:s in BG2EE ? I had dared to hope that they would become available for purchase as a NPC-bundle in the future...
  • ElysianEchoesElysianEchoes Member Posts: 475
    They were able to add rasaad/Dorn/Neera so I don't think new NPCs are considered expansions. It's not impossible, I would say, for that to happen. I do think it's unlikely that Beamdog has that on their to do list.
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