I have some more impressions now that I have been playing more. It is growing on me for sure. Took a bit to get used to the graphics as I tend to prefer nice visuals. The camera has been the hardest, along with the more 2D look, but once you get immersed into the game it fades.
I don't mind isometric games but prefer the more modern ones like Kingmaker and WOTR, which have more camera control and sense of depth to them. With a very set camera all the art work has to account for that. Nothing new to people who have played this style though.
In regards to BG1 and POE1 - I see both resemblances. This isn't an AD&D game so that will limit the BG1 comparison. But outside of that I do get the "feel" of the BG1 game in the atmosphere and style. There are also things from POE1 I enjoy, like when resting at an Inn you have to select a room. They cost different amounts and have different benefits like POE1. Also you can put party members in different rooms so they can get the most benefit out of the buffs for their class, which is a nice plus.
They added powders to the game, made by gathering herbs, drying them over a heat source, like a candle, then crushing them. Powders can flavor stew or make poisons that can be tossed at an enemy or planted on them in stealth mode.
There is a lot more depth to the game then I first though in both mechanics and character building. It is very well done and so far no major problems or bugs but I am also early on.
Exploring was another issue I saw raised in comments but from what I recall BG1 also had plenty of empty space as I was obsessive about exploring everything and remember lots of "clearing" the fog of war and often finding little of interest. This game won't have the same content amount as higher budget games, and BG1 may have had more, but I think people tend to remember the content and forget that BG1 also had a lot of empty space as well.
I am really enjoying the story so far and the companions. More than I had expected. Again this isn't going to be on the same level of bigger titles by any means but for what it is ... it is pretty good.
Also I really like the greed aspect a lot! Adds another later to the game and makes you really consider every decision you make in regards to how it will affect greed levels (and the devs indicated both paths are viable - non-greedy and greedy).
From what I have seen so far simple looting is not raising greed for the party or overall. Not sure about personal greed. What seems to affect greed a lot more are decisions made in dialogue.
Like as a thief you can use shady dealings to exhort gold and better rewards but that is being greedy.
In one quest I could thank a messenger for bringing me a summons to the king and leave it at that, or I could give them a 10gp tip which then increased my good reputation by 1 and reduced party greed by 2.
I think whether looting affects greed somewhat depends on the circumstances around the loot but I admit I don't understand the full nuances of looting and if there are hidden things going on. I checked the greed meter before and after looting and there is no difference. Nor any message. So looting of killed enemies, if it does affect greed, it is for a hidden metric and not the meters you can see for the party or the world at large. I haven't stolen anything so don't know if that would display anything.
All the warnings and hints I have gotten in the game have been mainly about being careful about the choices I make in the game and dialogue.
Oh another cool thing - the royalty acts like typical stuck up royalty. I won't spoil the details but I can say you can't mouth of to royalty like you can in some games and have no repercussions. You mouth of to royalty in this game and sometimes you will pay for it.
Which can be hard to resist as some of the dialogue choices are great and amusing.
CONS:
- Rough graphics that can take some getting used to
- Hard to understand the greed mechanic but I think this is partly by design to add some mystery to the game so players don't "work it" completely. I rather like it but some might consider it a con.
PROS:
- Good character building
- Fun story
- Interesting mechanics with greed, powders, and brewing.
- Cool companions so far
- Decent combat but then I am not a big combat person as most folks around here know.
I don't mind isometric games but prefer the more modern ones like Kingmaker and WOTR, which have more camera control and sense of depth to them. With a very set camera all the art work has to account for that. Nothing new to people who have played this style though.
In regards to BG1 and POE1 - I see both resemblances. This isn't an AD&D game so that will limit the BG1 comparison. But outside of that I do get the "feel" of the BG1 game in the atmosphere and style. There are also things from POE1 I enjoy, like when resting at an Inn you have to select a room. They cost different amounts and have different benefits like POE1. Also you can put party members in different rooms so they can get the most benefit out of the buffs for their class, which is a nice plus.
They added powders to the game, made by gathering herbs, drying them over a heat source, like a candle, then crushing them. Powders can flavor stew or make poisons that can be tossed at an enemy or planted on them in stealth mode.
There is a lot more depth to the game then I first though in both mechanics and character building. It is very well done and so far no major problems or bugs but I am also early on.
Exploring was another issue I saw raised in comments but from what I recall BG1 also had plenty of empty space as I was obsessive about exploring everything and remember lots of "clearing" the fog of war and often finding little of interest. This game won't have the same content amount as higher budget games, and BG1 may have had more, but I think people tend to remember the content and forget that BG1 also had a lot of empty space as well.
I am really enjoying the story so far and the companions. More than I had expected. Again this isn't going to be on the same level of bigger titles by any means but for what it is ... it is pretty good.
Also I really like the greed aspect a lot! Adds another later to the game and makes you really consider every decision you make in regards to how it will affect greed levels (and the devs indicated both paths are viable - non-greedy and greedy).
From what I have seen so far simple looting is not raising greed for the party or overall. Not sure about personal greed. What seems to affect greed a lot more are decisions made in dialogue.
Like as a thief you can use shady dealings to exhort gold and better rewards but that is being greedy.
In one quest I could thank a messenger for bringing me a summons to the king and leave it at that, or I could give them a 10gp tip which then increased my good reputation by 1 and reduced party greed by 2.
I think whether looting affects greed somewhat depends on the circumstances around the loot but I admit I don't understand the full nuances of looting and if there are hidden things going on. I checked the greed meter before and after looting and there is no difference. Nor any message. So looting of killed enemies, if it does affect greed, it is for a hidden metric and not the meters you can see for the party or the world at large. I haven't stolen anything so don't know if that would display anything.
All the warnings and hints I have gotten in the game have been mainly about being careful about the choices I make in the game and dialogue.
Oh another cool thing - the royalty acts like typical stuck up royalty. I won't spoil the details but I can say you can't mouth of to royalty like you can in some games and have no repercussions. You mouth of to royalty in this game and sometimes you will pay for it.
Which can be hard to resist as some of the dialogue choices are great and amusing.
CONS:
- Rough graphics that can take some getting used to
- Hard to understand the greed mechanic but I think this is partly by design to add some mystery to the game so players don't "work it" completely. I rather like it but some might consider it a con.
PROS:
- Good character building
- Fun story
- Interesting mechanics with greed, powders, and brewing.
- Cool companions so far
- Decent combat but then I am not a big combat person as most folks around here know.