Dungeon Siege 2 replay

[crpgnut]

I started up DS2 last night and I quickly grabbed a couple of mods that make life a little easier. One is called allsaves and it allows you to play from saved games from any version of DS2. It also allows you to pan the camera back from the native 50% to a whopping 120%, which makes finding stuff a lot easier, since the automap sucks in the game. I also grabbed another one that allows a bigger storage chest, since I'm not playing at 800X600 anymore. Dungeon Siege 2 allows you to edit the command line with your width and height measurements and it scales accordingly.

If you want to try DS2, you'll probably need to change your DEP settings or you'll get an ambiguous "protection stub" error that bombs the game. You can find the DEP under system controls, I think it's under the advanced tab.

[Motoki]

Hmm, you know I got the first game years ago when it first came out and while I didn't think it was terrible, I also didn't find it exceptional. It seemed average and forgettable and didn't stand out to me in any way.

I passed on DS2 when it came out, but since DArtagnan has been extolling its virtues around here of late I am wondering if maybe I should check it out. That is after I get through the 8,000 other games on my backlog (Thanks GOG for that).

[crpgnut]

Dungeon Siege 2 isn't really an action game per se. You have a party, you pause to set up commands and tactics, your companions all have a quest that is of great interest to them. It's kind of like Baldur's Gate or the first Icewind Dale. There is a lot of combat, but there is a lot of wandering around and completing quests too. There are tons of small hidden areas to find for the intrepid explorer. It's quite a bit deeper than Titan Quest or Sacred, at least from my memory. It has been a couple years since I played through the game.

Broken Wind, I've never played and it sounds like it may not have been as deep. Time will tell. Once I break wind, I'll update this thread :)

[DArtagnan]

Broken World is a good thing to have, because it introduces multiclasses and a few other nice-to-haves during any playthrough.

[JDR13]

It's kind of like Baldur's Gate or the first Icewind Dale. There is a lot of combat, but there is a lot of wandering around and completing quests too. There are tons of small hidden areas to find for the intrepid explorer.

Hmm.. I might have to give DS2 a try after hearing it described like that. The first DS bored me to tears, and so I never bothered to give DS2 a shot.

[Alrik Fassbauer]

I played the demo, and I found it quite a lot different.

Apart from the combat/battles, of course.

[crpgnut]

It's still less tactical than BG, but more tactical than the solo action games. For one thing there are certain powers that can only be used once they're charged up. You don't want to blow your mega attack on a group of fodder, then run around a corner and find a boss and his underlings. Dragon Age 1 might be a better comparison, JDR. The average battle doesn't take any brains and your party can kinda run around on its own. Once you start heading into areas of your level or higher, then you'll need to slow down and plan a little bit. Does the nature mage, heal wounded team members or does she help kill creatures faster? Should she waste mana keeping a pet active? These are the types of decisions that you'll face.

Another really fun thing for me, is all the hidden stuff. There are tons of little pressure plates, foliage covered pathways, barrels behind a switchback in the path, etc. If you just run from one battle to the next, you'll miss 40% of the loot. Most loot is garbage, but if you're a compulsive hoarder, there is a lot of stuff to go through.

There are quest markers, but they're just a general direction type of thing. You'll know you need to head east, but you won't know which path will lead you to your goal. Sometimes there's really not much at all to point to certain quests, you just have to look.

[JDR13]

Strangely enough, DS2 is pretty hard to find right now.

I checked Steam, Gamersgate, and Direct2Drive with no luck, and the retail version on Ebay and Amazon goes for more than what I'm willing to pay.

Any clue as to where I could grab either version for a decent price?

[Maylander]

It's not on Steam? I got my version from Steam for free because I pre-ordered DS3. Quite odd that they don't actually sell it.

[GhanBuriGhan]

Sure its on steam, price is ridiculous though: 55€! (same as DS III)

http://store.steampowered.com/app/39200/?snr=1_4_4__13

[DArtagnan]

Haha, at least they're not greedy about it :)

[crpgnut]

@GBG, there is a disclaimer saying that the only way to get DS2 is to buy the bundle.

Notice: Dungeon Siege and Dungeon Siege II are available only as a part of Dungeon Siege III offer.

[blatantninja]

Would like to try this out at some point. If it ever makes it to GOG (and DS1 for that matter, which would be great for U5:L and U6: P), I'll grab it.

[GhanBuriGhan]

@GBG, there is a disclaimer saying that the only way to get DS2 is to buy the bundle.

Notice: Dungeon Siege and Dungeon Siege II are available only as a part of Dungeon Siege III offer.

Oh you are right, my bad!

[dteowner]

I expect that, after the initial sales surge of DS3 dies down, the online places will "unbundle" the series and you'll be able to get DS2 all by itself.

[crpgnut]

I'd hope so. The game is fun, but quite dated by now. It's really a $9.99 type of game today. It could use some nice texture upgrades :D

[dteowner]

It's still less tactical than BG, but more tactical than the solo action games. For one thing there are certain powers that can only be used once they're charged up. You don't want to blow your mega attack on a group of fodder, then run around a corner and find a boss and his underlings. Dragon Age 1 might be a better comparison, JDR. The average battle doesn't take any brains and your party can kinda run around on its own. Once you start heading into areas of your level or higher, then you'll need to slow down and plan a little bit. Does the nature mage, heal wounded team members or does she help kill creatures faster? Should she waste mana keeping a pet active? These are the types of decisions that you'll face.

Another really fun thing for me, is all the hidden stuff. There are tons of little pressure plates, foliage covered pathways, barrels behind a switchback in the path, etc. If you just run from one battle to the next, you'll miss 40% of the loot. Most loot is garbage, but if you're a compulsive hoarder, there is a lot of stuff to go through.

There are quest markers, but they're just a general direction type of thing. You'll know you need to head east, but you won't know which path will lead you to your goal. Sometimes there's really not much at all to point to certain quests, you just have to look.I'd say Nut has nailed the description on every point. Not a big fan of "wut he sed" posts, so we'll call this, ummm, independent confirmation. ;)

[dteowner]

I'd hope so. The game is fun, but quite dated by now. It's really a $9.99 type of game today. It could use some nice texture upgrades :DActually, I loaded it up last night (I know, I know) and was pleasantly surprised how it looks with all the video options maxed. Not cutting edge by any means, but certainly good enough.

Somebody mentioned a user mod to increase the text font--at the highest screen resolution that mod would be pretty helpful.

[crpgnut]

The problem with the text font, and that was me btw, is that it truncates some of the longer texts. You'll see the first paragraph, part of the second and the end, but miss a swath of the middle. I rescind my recommendation for that mod, though it's nice most of the time. Running at high resolutions seems to work fairly well though, except for the text aspect. I might try turning my machine down to 1280X1024 and seeing how that looks though.

What settings did you go with, dte? I thought I had maxed out most things, but maybe I missed a few. I have a 1680X1050 monitor and a 1900X1200 one, but I'd love a nice 4:3 aspect monitor at the moment :)

[crpgnut]

Kinda bumping my own post here, but I'm shocked at how large this game is. I'd forgotten that. I'm 22nd level and I'm not out of the first chapter yet (there are 3 chapters total). The longer I play, the more I realize that it's basically a Titan Quest type of game, but with a deeper storyline. I actually want to kill the creep who has delusions of godhood.

I am having trouble with being a little too high level for the areas I'm in. This makes even boss fights a little trivial. Boss fights aren't as epic as they are in the Titan Quest type of games. Of course, TQ doesn't have companions or companion quests either, so it's a trade-off. I haven't messed with pets yet, but they're there for those who like them.

[Warmark]

I picked up Dungeon Siege II Deluxe Edition in a local shop for $15.00 after reading this post and I am very pleasantly surprised at the quality and the fun I'm having with it.
Never got beyond the halfway mark in DS1, but this game has a lot more variety to it and surprisingly looks pretty good even zoomed in when I bumped the graphics to widescreen settings.
Definitely more involved game-play than Diablo 2 with having a party to control, but much faster paced than a Baldur's Gate.

So yeah, this been a good pickup for sure.