JS: What lessons were learned from the first title that will be applied to Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition?
TO: We learned a number of lessons during the development of Baldurs Gate: Enhanced Edition. The major lessons were around the complexity of the code and how even minor changes can be a huge challenge.
We've since grown to understand the entire codebase in a much deeper manner, and have understood a number of the underlying tech decisions made by the original developers which do not work well in the computing environments of today. At the time they made sense, but modern computing has changed drastically from the late 90s.
One of the biggest changes going forward is the addition of a group of highly talented and highly experienced members of the Baldur's Gate modding community to our team. These experienced modders have become a core part of our team and allowed us to accomplish much more than we previously could.
We've also become much more diligent about testing. Our practices for testing, reporting, fixing, and regressing bugs has drastically improved, and has almost reached military-level precision. Alex, one of our lead testers, has started saluting me. A one hand raised salute, but a salute nonetheless.
JS: While the Enhanced Editions are generally well regarded amongst fans, there are some critics. One criticism is that since Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition was upgraded with the Baldur's Gate II engine, what is the benefit or point of Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition over the original? Similarly, what sets Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition apart from the original game with mods and patches applied?
TO: With Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition the volume of new features and improvements is almost endless. To put it simply, you cannot reach the level of the polish, functionality, and amazing new story additions through any other means.
If you were a fan of the original game or you've heard about Baldur's Gate II, but never played it, you need to get the Enhanced Edition. We've taken a great game, added a ton of new, interesting content, bundled in the Throne of Bhaal expansion and added a ton of new features, including a new full screen display mode, which lets you see all the glory of the re-mastered area artwork we've managed to put together.
The user interface has been cleaned up and vastly improved, we have multiplayer matching that actually works, and you'll be able to play with friends on iPad or Android while you're on your PC or Mac, and vice-versa. And when you get the game, you can start playing it immediately because there's no need to mess around with fix-packs or other mods before it's "ready" to play.
