It's a combination of low level, lack of resources, lack of power which makes BG1 very interesting for me in the first half of the game. When exploring the wilderness areas it improves the survival rate if the stealthers (e.g. Imoen, Kivan or Montaron) scout ahead. You don't waste up all your tricks before resting. This resource management (available consumables and character skills/spells) adds an element of planning (e.g. should I use that spell now? Or rather hold it back for the next group of bad guys?). I'm trying to get as far as safety allows without resting.
@beerflavour, I agree totally. I also prefer low to middle level play, because every new spell slot or weapon proficiency is a cause for celebration, finding a simple +1 longsword makes me want to shout "hallelujah", and the feeling of extreme vulnerability is electrifying. (Can be one shot by a kobold arrow, paralyzed and killed in two rounds by ghouls and vamp wolves, poisoned by spiders with no Slow Poison spell to be had, etc.). I also enjoy the giddy anticipation of getting the next level and becoming more powerful.
I used to spend hours at a time studying the spell descriptions in the BG manual planning out my character development. I'd go to bed reading it and fall asleep with the manual in my hands. Good times.
BG1 felt so much more like an actual D&D campaign you would play with your friends. And the world felt like a world. In BG2 you're just given a new location on your map that you can travel to, in BG1 you had to actually travel there. You didn't automatically travel from Candlekeep to Friendly Arm to Beregost. Exploring the in-between areas of BG1 was one of the best parts of the game. I love BG2, but I always felt like BG1 did just about everything better.
I agree with @Akuro to an extent. In early BG1, battles were tense because even for a fighter, every encounter could be your last, mages had to choose their spells very carefully and be very strategic in their usage, and +1 items (of any sort) were a rare and valuable bounty. Mind you, then you learn the game a bit and find out that both the Long Sword +2 and the Warhammer +2 are available quite early without much hassle...
Unfortunately, this kinda disappears towards the end of the game. I'm just wrapping up a play-through now, and Demonknight and all the mirror creatures went down easily before my party, while the Flaming Fist enforcers (summoned by my current Rep of 1... Evil playthrough. I had to pay 5000 gold a pop for potions of perception but since I've got way more money than I know what to do with anyway, that's not a problem) are fodder before me.
The only battle that was really a challenge was, of course, Aec'Letic. Even then, it's not too hard (they really should consider giving him more hit-dice... Right now it's a process of "Kill all the Cultists, then watch the demon die instantly from a Cloudkill, before the demon kills all your fighters").
I'm also not particularly afraid of the new classes, kits, spells, etc from BG2 making the game balance worse because 95% of all battles in BG1 can easily be won simply through the use of wands, Necklaces of Missiles (of which there are at least 2), arrows of detonation, potions of fiery burning, etc.
Like, BG1 packed an enormous amount of powerful magic into consumable items, to the point that you don't even need a Mage in your party to bring down magical death on your opponents. I'm just glad it didn't have Wands of Cloudkill or anything like that.
I really do think that TotSC should add in Potions of Extra Healing to its locations, though. By later levels, any fighter that's not Shar-Teel has to quaff 5 Potions of Healing just to get half their health back.
I'm not a dumb person, but BG2 easily gets me confused with all the magic and crazy monsters and stuff flying around half of the time. If it were turn-based, I might be able to follow, but this way, every battle is a classic example of a plan not surviving contact with the enemy and then descending into a mêlée-free-for-all, oftentimes followd by "sauve qui peut" Not that I don't like it.
Also, BG2 is somewhat over the top in its story and presentation. The locales sure are amazing and more imaginative than the BG1 stuff, but I like the pastoral feeling of the first game.
I'm not a dumb person, but BG2 easily gets me confused with all the magic and crazy monsters and stuff flying around half of the time. If it were turn-based, I might be able to follow, but this way, every battle is a classic example of a plan not surviving contact with the enemy and then descending into a mélée-free-for-all, oftentimes followd by "sauve qui peut" Not that I don't like it.
Also, BG2 is somewhat over the top in its story and presentation. The locales sure are amazing and more imaginative than the BG1 stuff, but I like the pastoral feeling of the first game.
I think the locales fit both games pretty well. It sort of reflects the growth your character is going through. By the time you get to some of the strange and crazy places in BGII, your character is probably hitting HLAs and is capable of wrecking most obstacles.
Comments
I used to spend hours at a time studying the spell descriptions in the BG manual planning out my character development. I'd go to bed reading it and fall asleep with the manual in my hands. Good times.
Unfortunately, this kinda disappears towards the end of the game. I'm just wrapping up a play-through now, and Demonknight and all the mirror creatures went down easily before my party, while the Flaming Fist enforcers (summoned by my current Rep of 1... Evil playthrough. I had to pay 5000 gold a pop for potions of perception but since I've got way more money than I know what to do with anyway, that's not a problem) are fodder before me.
The only battle that was really a challenge was, of course, Aec'Letic. Even then, it's not too hard (they really should consider giving him more hit-dice... Right now it's a process of "Kill all the Cultists, then watch the demon die instantly from a Cloudkill, before the demon kills all your fighters").
I'm also not particularly afraid of the new classes, kits, spells, etc from BG2 making the game balance worse because 95% of all battles in BG1 can easily be won simply through the use of wands, Necklaces of Missiles (of which there are at least 2), arrows of detonation, potions of fiery burning, etc.
Like, BG1 packed an enormous amount of powerful magic into consumable items, to the point that you don't even need a Mage in your party to bring down magical death on your opponents. I'm just glad it didn't have Wands of Cloudkill or anything like that.
I really do think that TotSC should add in Potions of Extra Healing to its locations, though. By later levels, any fighter that's not Shar-Teel has to quaff 5 Potions of Healing just to get half their health back.
Also, BG2 is somewhat over the top in its story and presentation. The locales sure are amazing and more imaginative than the BG1 stuff, but I like the pastoral feeling of the first game.