"I presume BG EE will address the current problems that arise when you play BG on a modern machine: nVidia graphics problems, poor widescreen scaling with the widescreen mod? "
"I'd be happy if they get BG2 to run at a resolution up to around 1920x1080 with improved scaling without pixelization. "
I think that the "central" thing EE will do is deal with all these sorts of problems.
Consider Trent's response to this question: "Any word on how the game looks compared to Baldur's Gate with widescreen mod right now? Same or different/better?"
"it will be better. We've got the code to rework the UI and rendering"
Another notable Q and A: "will #bgee feature the good old 2d isometric gfx, or will the infinity engine get a true 3d notch? Btw congrats with announcing"
"#bgee will be all 2D. We're using the hardware for acceleration."
Another: "Will #BGEE work properly on higher end gpu cards and in W7? My old copies of BG and BG2 have ALOT of graphical errors"
"We've got the code!"
"so, this means #bgee will be bg with today's graphic and sound standards?
"
"If by today's graphics standards you mean lots of 3D rendering, no. We're 2D isometric all the way"
Also, regarding the UI: "There have been great for interface improvements since BG. #bgee will be getting some help in this area. "
I think BGEE is, at its heart, about: 1. Updating the engine to be less problematic and prettier on modern hardware
2. Fixing up the UI and other little "aging" concerns of BG
3. Getting multiplayer working, as well as dealing with any other bugs
Considering that they're trying to keep old mods working and even old save games working means that this is almost like a "really big" patch and re-release than a remake. Personally, I think that's easily the best approach. I have no idea why people think that EE should change the rules from 2nd to 3.5th edition. They're basically repainting the walls and fixing some broken stuff up, and people are basically asking them to replace the foundation and rebuild the support beams. Ridiculous. I wouldn't even want such a big change out of a full blown remake, much less for a re-release like this.
However, I think the -ulterior- motive here is to, obviously, set the ground for BG3. The new material, characters, etc. - these are equal parts training grounds, testing grounds, and proving grounds. They're training their team to make BG-style content. They're testing the ability of their current team to do so. And they're trying to show us, the fans, that they're able to do so.
It's actually genius in a way. Worst comes to worst, the new content is optional. You can just sit back and enjoy the updated re-release. If, however, the new content is actually decent.. they fan the flames of the BG fanbase.. leading to a Kickstarter campaign for a new Baldur's Gate.
