wanting to buy, have some preliminary concerns...
Pscion
Member Posts: 19
so, like many other people in these forums i am an old school BG series fan, and have been interested in finding out there was an EE for them. I am thinking of buying the EE games, and have a couple questions. i have been researching and reading forums for the past week, and haven't seen them answered elsewhere. i want to be sure of myself, and more importantly what I'm using my money for (since as some can imagine, every little bit makes a huge difference these days) so here goes... (answers should also be relevant to BG 2 if possible)
firstly, i see there are lots of places that offer it for sale, some for half or less what the typical price is (which immediately throws up red flags to me), is there any way to tell what sources are legitimate? and are there any notable differences between legitimate sources?
next, if i buy the game are the licenses transferable? that is, would one license give access to both android and windows versions?
also, i understand from what I've read that beam-dog is the current developer or holder of the game rights (is that right?), and that they are adding content; albeit slowly, but aren't allowed to modify much of the existent content. is there a short list of what they CAN modify of the original game?
lastly (for now), what are the methods and differences between client downloads (are installers encoded, or do i get a unique key?), and will it be relatively easy to use my game client on different machines of the same type? i don't touch anything with a logo that brings rotten fruit to mind (lolz jk) - so this only applies to windows and android devices.
firstly, i see there are lots of places that offer it for sale, some for half or less what the typical price is (which immediately throws up red flags to me), is there any way to tell what sources are legitimate? and are there any notable differences between legitimate sources?
next, if i buy the game are the licenses transferable? that is, would one license give access to both android and windows versions?
also, i understand from what I've read that beam-dog is the current developer or holder of the game rights (is that right?), and that they are adding content; albeit slowly, but aren't allowed to modify much of the existent content. is there a short list of what they CAN modify of the original game?
lastly (for now), what are the methods and differences between client downloads (are installers encoded, or do i get a unique key?), and will it be relatively easy to use my game client on different machines of the same type? i don't touch anything with a logo that brings rotten fruit to mind (lolz jk) - so this only applies to windows and android devices.
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Comments
First question: Steam and GOG usually offer discounts during year-end. Discounts of 60% or so is normal. I am not sure of "other places" you mentioned. Perhaps you can elaborate?
Second question: I am not sure but I don't think you can move BG:EE made for Android to Windows.
I can't answer the third question but for the final question, you can download Steam(if this the platform you will be using) on any computer, login and then reinstall them.
If I'm wrong, maybe the others can correct me
also, i didn't mean to use the same install files, but rather if i buy a license for PC BGEE i wondered if i could use the same key or license for an android install.
as for steam, personally i hate using any third source launcher for games to start with since it just seems unnecessary. can you get it without using steam? and if so, do you get an actual install package you can transfer?
Just gotta have a keen eye and common sense to avoid the shady stuff.
Also, just to note, Beamdog.com is also DRM-free. If you're looking for a DRM-free option but don't want to buy from GOG (for whatever reason), Beamdog.com is the place to go.
As for trusted retailers, the places that distribute our games on desktop are Steam, GOG, Beamdog.com, and the Mac App Store. We may have deals with one or two trusted retailers outside that group, but they'll be selling keys to Steam or GOG, not the games themselves. And not every retailer is legit, nor is every listing. I remember recently seeing our games listed on Amazon, when Beamdog did not put them there. The resulting purchases from that site were empty and potentially malicious.
That's all a round-about way of saying that if you're concerned about security and you want to make sure your purchase is legitimate, buy from one of the retailers listed above.
@Shrake907 I'll check that out, thanks
(If you're playing on iOS or Android, everything in the previous paragraph must be purchased separately, with the exception of Rasaad, who is included for free. Buying all of the in-app content will effectively put the price of the game on par with the desktop version.)
As for changes, they're truly too numerous to list in this post, but briefly here are the biggest changes I can think of:
Kits
BG:EE differs from the original release of BG1 in that it includes all of the classes and kits from BG2, plus several additional ones (Blackguard, Shadowdancer, Sun Soul Monk, Dark Moon Monk, and Dragon Disciple). It also includes the Half-Orc race that wasn't there in the original release of BG1.Proficiencies
BG:EE differs from the original release of BG1 in that it categorizes weapons by specific weapon type (i.e. Longsword), rather than group (i.e. Large Sword). This means that you'll need to plan your character's build more carefully if you want to use your preferred weapons throughout the game. Of course you can use any weapon you're not proficient with (as long as it's on the list for your class), but you'll suffer penalties just like you would in the original release of BG1.The specific benefits of Specialization and Mastery are also different from BG1 or BG2, arriving at a kind of happy medium between the two.
Bug Fixes
The old bullet list called out "over 400 improvements", which among other things included all of the bug fixes from the Fix Pack that CamDawg helped create. In addition to these, Beamdog has fixed hundreds of other small issues, as well as thousands (literally thousands) of reported bugs since BG:EE's release.Beamdog.net
If multiplayer is your thing, you don't need to distribute your IP address whenever you want to play with friends. There's a match-making system within the game that finds open games and allows you to join them from a list. You can still password-protect your game session to keep it to people you know, or turn off requests to join your game altogether if you have a full group or want to play solo.UI Improvements
Support for any resolution (the interface elements will scale to suit your monitor), configurable font sizes, redesigned journal screen, green overlays on scrolls you can write into your spellbook, and a host of other "quality of life" improvements. At this point I don't remember all of the changes that have been made (and there are more coming with the Siege of Dragonspear expansion!), so if you're interested in the UI changes, your best bet is probably to just play the game and experience it for yourself.Other small things
Drizzt's animation matches the colors described in R.A. Salvatore's books. Firebead Elvenhair will give you a scroll case if you complete his quest in Beregost. The list goes on. I hope this helps!