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So I just finished Siege of Dragonspear... (Spoilers)

And here are my feelings on the game.


What I liked:

My PC is a mage, and this seems to be acknowledged a lot more in SoD. Being a magic user seems to provide alternative ways to solve problems which I found pretty cool.
Examples:
- Pretending to cast an 'anti-ageing spell' on the noblewoman in the Three Old Kegs so she'd give you her necklace - Suggesting an alternative ingredient to the Blue Moss in the dungeon of Korlasz for the old woman
- Halbazzer from sorceries sundries gives you an extra reward as 'one wizard to another.'
The only real example of this in the original game is Melicamp's quest when you attempt to Dispel his polymorph spell (which fails anyway), and the planar sphere quest/stronghold in SoA.

I liked way the game used Liia Jannath as Imoen's magical mentor, and tying her change of career into her desire to feel closer to Gorion. It also shows that she is starting to grow up and develop aspirations of her own, something that she lacked in Candlekeep, and explains why she is less bratty and childish in SoA and beyond (though being relentlessly tortured and having her soul stolen probably contributed as well...)

I enjoyed the quest with the priestess (Madele) that links the letter from Gorion in the first game to the priestess of Bhaal story in the second game. I also love her captor's journal (Akanna, the half-dragon), and how she evilly describes torturing Madele to the brink of madness, and eating her eyes after roasting them.

I loved the battle at the coalition camp and Dragonspear Castle. Choosing your units against specific enemy types, the scale of the battle and how epic it all felt; very exciting and immersive. It really felt like the characters were caught in the middle of a war.

Hephernann's portrait. He looks every inch the evil, arrogant, slimy bad guy. Pretty cool. I also liked what they did with Khalid's character.

The voice acting was decent. A shame about Jaheira though... I appreciate they couldn't find her voice actress but a convincing sound-alike would have been better than nothing at all.


What I didn't like:

The Enhanced Edition of Baldurs Gate stopped working on my laptop when the version 2.2 patch came out. I just could not get the game to run. Even when I converted back to the 1.3 beta and managed to get it to load (albeit without SoD), the game would crash every time battle ensued, so I was unable to play it (and still can't). I now have to play the game using my partner's laptop. I contacted Beamdog who blamed Steam, and I contacted Steam who blamed Beamdog. After trying everything I just kind of had to accept that this game was not going to work anymore on my machine (which is kind of bad, seeing as the original is a REALLY old game...)

I found a lot of the writing and quests to be infantile and amateurish. Some of it completely didn't make sense. Here are a few examples that baffled me:

- Dynaheir asks Edwin 'thou runnest - or should I say thou waddlest - away from the shining lady?'
Then captain Corwin says 'for the love of the gods, save that filth for a chamberpot.' What does that even mean?!

- The exchange between Glint and Safana... when Safana accuses him of calling her old and threatens to beat him when all he did was ask about her life... that made no sense to me at all. Why did she react that way? Safana is a sultry rapscallion lass and former pirate. She likes attention and isn't easily offended. She would would be more likely to flirt with and tease the gnome and make him embarrassed.

- And can someone explain why Minsc started whimpering after the goblin Shaman encounter? That joke sailed completely past my head.

Anyway...

I disliked the journal system, which I found confusing. Why include the quests from the base game? It's not like they are going to be used again in this game. Also, the way the journal updates for the tiniest little thing, and basically spoon-feeds you what to do, feels condescending.

The eight million quick save slots make no sense either. Confusing?! If you want more than one save slot just do it the long way, otherwise what is the point of having a quick save slot to begin with?

The interface is convoluted and difficult to navigate. It also looks quite garish, and I really wish they did what they had done with BG:EE and used the nice leather-effect SoA interface. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

There are inconsistencies with the plot of the original game. For example, Corwyn says that the Elfsong is a little fancy for her tastes, but in the original game the Elfsong is a dive (hence the thugs on the first floor) in the rough part of the city. Minsc behaves like a child (yeah, he's never been the sharpest tool in the box, but he's not a complete bufoon either), and Safana's new, sarcastic personality really grates on my nerves.

I absolutely HATED the ending. It was so hammy! The whole thing was just a regurgitation of the Iron Throne leaders murder from the base game, and felt massively rushed and unconvincing.


In conclusion:

Parts of SoD are quite fun, and the game is not quite as horrible as a lot of people make out, but I probably wouldn't play through it again.
RavenslightAbelRawgrimsemiticgoddessLiluraKuronasarevok57JuliusBorisovDanitheangeldevilSir_DahakaMush_MushGallowglass[Deleted User]CrevsDaakBaptor
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Comments

  • LiluraLilura Member Posts: 148

    My PC is a mage, and this seems to be acknowledged a lot more in SoD. Being a magic user seems to provide alternative ways to solve problems which I found pretty cool.
    Examples:
    - Pretending to cast an 'anti-ageing spell' on the noblewoman in the Three Old Kegs so she'd give you her necklace - Suggesting an alternative ingredient to the Blue Moss in the dungeon of Korlasz for the old woman
    - Halbazzer from sorceries sundries gives you an extra reward as 'one wizard to another.'
    The only real example of this in the original game is Melicamp's quest when you attempt to Dispel his polymorph spell (which fails anyway), and the planar sphere quest/stronghold in SoA.

    It's hilarious to me just how low the standards of Infinity Engine gamers are in this respect. Please play Swordflight for NWN: you will be blown away by its build-based reactivity!

    I agree with most of your points, though. Good post. The writing in Siege was awful, overall. It's great news to me that two of the writers have gone and Gaider is now onboard: writer of Irenicus, writer of Origins. Beamdog's writing can only go UP.

    RawgrimMagpieRandomsMush_Mush[Deleted User]
  • MagpieRandomsMagpieRandoms Member Posts: 72
    edited July 2016

    A million quicksave slots? There are 4 dude.

    I may have exaggerated a tad...

    Lilura said:

    My PC is a mage, and this seems to be acknowledged a lot more in SoD. Being a magic user seems to provide alternative ways to solve problems which I found pretty cool.
    Examples:
    - Pretending to cast an 'anti-ageing spell' on the noblewoman in the Three Old Kegs so she'd give you her necklace - Suggesting an alternative ingredient to the Blue Moss in the dungeon of Korlasz for the old woman
    - Halbazzer from sorceries sundries gives you an extra reward as 'one wizard to another.'
    The only real example of this in the original game is Melicamp's quest when you attempt to Dispel his polymorph spell (which fails anyway), and the planar sphere quest/stronghold in SoA.

    It's hilarious to me just how low the standards of Infinity Engine gamers are in this respect. Please play Swordflight for NWN: you will be blown away by its build-based reactivity!

    I agree with most of your points, though. Good post. The writing in Siege was awful, overall. It's great news to me that two of the writers have gone and Gaider is now onboard: writer of Irenicus, writer of Origins. Beamdog's writing can only go UP.

    Oo, I'll check it out, thanks!
    Lilura
  • rapsam2003rapsam2003 Member Posts: 1,636
    Lilura said:

    It's hilarious to me just how low the standards of Infinity Engine gamers are in this respect. Please play Swordflight for NWN: you will be blown away by its build-based reactivity!

    Considering that, in 1998, there really wasn't a way to have this activity, it's not surprising. That said, every modern fantasy game today basically refers to you based on your build.

    "Hello, mage."
    "Hail, swordsman!"

    Etc.

  • MagpieRandomsMagpieRandoms Member Posts: 72

    There's not 8 million quick saves, there's 4 that cycle through, overwriting as you go. Gives you several steps you can backtrack through if you mess up and forget something really important. One of my favorite changes.

    I already responded to a comment of this nature above. It was meant to be a tongue and cheek thing. It would definitely be an issue if there was actually eight million quick save slots, wouldn't it? I'm glad you like it. I don't. Horses for courses.
    sarevok57Lilura
  • LiluraLilura Member Posts: 148

    Bioware did the exact same thing with IWD2, adding chapter-specific saves as well as a backup quick save. I've never heard any complaints about IWD2 saves

    Actually, it was Black Isle who made IWD2. And they didn't add four Quicksave slots. This is a Beamdog-only thing and I also thought it was a lil' annoying. Not annoying enough for me to mention on my blog, but since someone brought it up here, why not?

    I could write an essay on the aspects of Siege that annoyed me, both a lil' and a lot. But I consciously focus on the positive stuff because I'm a very critical person by nature.
    semiticgoddess[Deleted User]
  • rapsam2003rapsam2003 Member Posts: 1,636
    edited August 2016
    Lilura said:

    What makes you think in 1998 there was no way to host reactivity? Fallout came out in 1997 and Fallout 2 in 1998. PS:T came out in 1999, Arcanum in 2001 and Mask of the Betrayer in 2007. They all came out before Siege and have more meaningful reactivity than Siege - a 2016 RPG.

    I'm not talking about fluffy, flavor-based reactivity that you quoted, btw. I'm talking reactivity as seen in the above-quoted campaigns.

    You'd be amazed how quickly programming tech advances in a year.

    Fallout wasn't class-based, but rather used the SPECIAL system. The series has always been based on that, not on classes.

    PS:T basically assumes you're a fighter until you complete the quests to change classes, so of course it can have class-based reactivity. Set a global variable for the life of the save game, and the game knows. Quite the lengthy process behind the scenes, I imagine. The rest of the reactivity is based on being TNO, which is really no different than BG2 reacting to you being the Bhaalspawn.

    Arcanum also is more stat-based than class-based. Plus it's engine was radically different. Hell, even the fact that Arcanum shipped with the WorldEdit tool was a 1-up on the Infinity Engine. I played a lot of Arcanum. And picking "mage" as a class isn't how it works so much as assigning magical aptitude points. The majority of the reactivity is based on race or on being the reincarnation of the old elvish prophet that is supposed to save the world. I will say that it is quite hilarious playing a Half-Ogre got a hilarious response from Virgil. Arcanum was probably the best game of the late-'90s/early-'00s era, but it never got as much recognition as the BG series or Fallout series, sadly. Probably didn't help that Troika went under in 2005.

    Mask of the Betrayer came out almost 10 years later, which is an eternity in terms of game/programming tech, so I don't think that's a valid comparison.

    Every 6 months, it's said, someone develops new technology in the programming realm. A lot happens in a year. SOD is held back by the fact the game uses an updated version of the Infinity Engine. Even with the updated engine, the mere fact that they used the same engine as IWD1 holds things back. It's a shame, really.

    ThacoBell
  • batoorbatoor Member Posts: 676
    edited August 2016
    I have to wonder why they made the Black mountain mines so damn hard compared to the rest of the game thoughT_T

    And it's not an optional dungeon! But other than that Arcanum is awesome.
  • VbibbiVbibbi Member Posts: 229
    I would love an Arcanum EE.
  • rapsam2003rapsam2003 Member Posts: 1,636
    Vbibbi said:

    I would love an Arcanum EE.

    Good luck with that. The company that made it went broke in '05.
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    @rapsam2003 Yeah, like Beamdog is the company that originally made Baldur's Gate. Oh wait...
    Mush_MushCrevsDaak
  • batoorbatoor Member Posts: 676
    Activision still holds the rights to Arcanum, so anything would be up to them and I really doubt they're going to do anything with it.

    Besides I would much rather see the sequel Tim Cain had planned if anything was to happen.
  • VbibbiVbibbi Member Posts: 229
    batoor said:

    Activision still holds the rights to Arcanum, so anything would be up to them and I really doubt they're going to do anything with it.

    Besides I would much rather see the sequel Tim Cain had planned if anything was to happen.

    What was it, journey to the center of the earth themed? That could be cool. Maybe with kickstater and crowdraising some company can eventually create it... :p
  • batoorbatoor Member Posts: 676
    edited August 2016
    Oh I have no idea, sorry I didn't mean to imply he had something detailed planned^^ http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/06/14/arcanum-interview

    Was just going by some ancient interview i looked up a year or two back, where he mentioned it briefly at the end. The game unfortunately wasn't a big success though, so I guess nothing ever materialized.
  • rapsam2003rapsam2003 Member Posts: 1,636

    @rapsam2003 Yeah, like Beamdog is the company that originally made Baldur's Gate. Oh wait...

    batoor said:

    Activision still holds the rights to Arcanum, so anything would be up to them and I really doubt they're going to do anything with it.

    Besides I would much rather see the sequel Tim Cain had planned if anything was to happen.

    This bolded part is why I said "Good luck". Maybe you shouldn't make assumptions, @FinneousPJ?
  • VbibbiVbibbi Member Posts: 229
    batoor said:

    Oh I have no idea, sorry I didn't mean to imply he had something detailed planned^^ http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/06/14/arcanum-interview

    Was just going by some ancient interview i looked up a year or two back, where he mentioned it briefly at the end. The game unfortunately wasn't a big success though, so I guess nothing ever materialized.

    Sorry I wasn't clear in my post. I heard that the planned sequel to Arcanum would be a "journey to the center of the earth" type of plotline. Obviously this was all before Troika folded. I'm not expecting anything, just think it would be fun if the game series was revived.
    batoor
  • batoorbatoor Member Posts: 676
    edited August 2016
    Well that's a surprise to me. I didn't know there was that much outlined, thanks! Damn that sounded interesting as well from what I can read about it.

    And yes I've always been a little down about Troika shutting down as well, it's a pity..
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870

    About Arcanum: none of these holds.

    All the more a reason to purchase the rights of Arcanum off Activision and bringing back the greatest Steampunk Fantasy cRPG of all times. My body is ready for further Arcanum titles, including an possible EE!
    FinneousPJVbibbiMush_Mush
  • VbibbiVbibbi Member Posts: 229

    About Arcanum: none of these holds.

    All the more a reason to purchase the rights of Arcanum off Activision and bringing back the greatest Steampunk Fantasy cRPG of all times. My body is ready for further Arcanum titles, including an possible EE!
    I'm not holding my breath or telling Beamdog that Arcanum is the next game they need to make. I know that they are already making something and have their own opinions on what they want to do. Just saying an EE version of the original or a sequel would be great. Full stop. :p

    Though I can say, keeping this on topic to Beamdog, it would be great if lots of companies took the idea behind the "EE" of older games and re-released enhanced editions of their older games. Possibly adding back in cut content, restoring features, fixing bugs, etc. It's probably not worth the cost or effort, but I can dream.
  • brunardobrunardo Member Posts: 526
    was a happy with the overall game and thought beamdog did a great job, the intro with wrapping up with sarevok cronies and ending was pleased with and having "hooded" man throughout was well thought of.
  • RawgrimRawgrim Member Posts: 621
    brunardo said:

    was a happy with the overall game and thought beamdog did a great job, the intro with wrapping up with sarevok cronies and ending was pleased with and having "hooded" man throughout was well thought of.

    You mean the hooded man that frames you for murder that almost ends with you getting killed? Despite the hooded man actually needs you alive so he can have your soul? Not well thought out, no. Kind of like trying to blow someone's head off with a shotgun because you need the person alive in a year.
  • rapsam2003rapsam2003 Member Posts: 1,636
    Rawgrim said:

    You mean the hooded man that frames you for murder that almost ends with you getting killed? Despite the hooded man actually needs you alive so he can have your soul? Not well thought out, no. Kind of like trying to blow someone's head off with a shotgun because you need the person alive in a year.

    This has been explained 100 times already. If CHARNAME couldn't survive the trial, then CHARNAME wasn't going to be worth much to Irenicus.

    Why do you people keep failing to understand this?!

    VallmyrPurudaya
  •  TheArtisan TheArtisan Member Posts: 3,277
    Even if you don't buy that excuse, I'm pretty sure it's heavily implied that if you're not able to convince the Dukes he's the one who pulls the strings for breaking you out, so it's pretty clear he had a fallback. So that argument is stupid.
    semiticgoddess
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