Larian Studios - Website Tease

If any others want to list their ideal BG 3 game and what would be involved, like I did, I'd be interested to see them. Like, would you prefer turn based or real time? Do you want a 3D first person style game, or keep the classic isometric perspective?

What edition of D&D would you want to see used, and why? What other features or characteristics would you want to see?

I do like threads like this where people speculate about a hot upcoming rpg game and maybe we will see who got it closest or something when the game is finally revealed…

The list you posted for yourself is identical to mine I think…except the setting location, I think it can be set in the same area(s) as the first 2 Baldur's Gate games, don't think it needs to be a different area.

Originally Posted by Stingray
The list you posted for yourself is identical to mine I think…except the setting location, I think it can be set in the same area(s) as the Baldur's Gate games, don't think it needs to be a different area.

I see. Well, you obviously have superb taste in your rpg games!

Originally Posted by Arkadia7
If any others want to list their ideal BG 3 game and what would be involved, like I did, I'd be interested to see them. Like, would you prefer turn based or real time? Do you want a 3D first person style game, or keep the classic isometric perspective?

What edition of D&D would you want to see used, and why? What other features or characteristics would you want to see?

I do like threads like this where people speculate about a hot upcoming rpg game and maybe we will see who got it closest or something when the game is finally revealedÂ…

I'd never make the sequel to Fallout 2 into an FPS and call it Fallout 3.

If it's BG3 then it needs to be an isometric RPG with 2nd edition rules and RTWP.

But, a lot of that is flexible.

Isometric view by default, but there's no harm in allowing the player to rotate the camera? I'm thinking Dragon Age Origins was on the right track?

The RTWP system in BG had auto-pause to mimic turn based but it was poorly implemented and no substitute. It should be possible to do both well? PoE2 recently tried something like this? Does anyone know if their solution works well?

The ruleset is where I get indecisive. 2nd edition rules is BG, but we did see a move to 3rd edition rules in IWD2 and it was more fun for character building. At that point in time I was hyped for 4E games because of how much better 3E was over 2E but in the end 4E and 5E brought me nothing but disappointment. Maybe they never really got a fair chance? Maybe there's more to 5E than what we got with Sword Coast Legends?

We've also got Pathfinder using "3.5" and being well received, Realms Beyond using 3.5. 3.5 seems like a safe bet but we've also played it to death. New rules would be fresher and give us more to think about.

2E to be legit, 3.5 for the fan-favourite and 5E to carry the torch for D&D.

Is there a 6E? Maybe BG3 will be the unveiling of 6E! Made with help from Larian.

Originally Posted by Stingray
Nah, I'm projecting the "expected-case scenario" which is based on Larian's long track record of making a variety of different kinds of RPGs, every one of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

If it turns out best-case, then that's even better.

Frankly, it's ludicrous to mention Underworld Ascendant and Larian in the same breath and imply that they may put out something like that.

I'm starting to smell a little fanboyism, but that's cool.

It's not ludicrous to mention games like Underworld Ascendant when talking about sequels made this long after the originals, and no one implied that Larian is likely to do something similar. I don't expect a bad game from them, and I don't think Pessimeister does either, but I'm with him in that I wish they weren't using the Baldur's Gate name.

Like I said, I'm a big fan of Larian myself. I'd just prefer they did their own D&D game rather than resurrect a 20 year-old series for the name recognition.

Originally Posted by Arkadia7
Do you want a 3D first person style game, or keep the classic isometric perspective?

If Larian turned BG into a first/third person thing ala Bethesda or recent BioWare games, then even I might agree that this is the Underworld Ascendant level disaster that JDR fears. I don’t see it happening though.

Originally Posted by SirJames
The ruleset is where I get indecisive. 2nd edition rules is BG, but we did see a move to 3rd edition rules in IWD2 and it was more fun for character building. At that point in time I was hyped for 4E games because of how much better 3E was over 2E but in the end 4E and 5E brought me nothing but disappointment. […]
2E to be legit, 3.5 for the fan-favourite and 5E to carry the torch for D&D.

2E is just a terrible system, pure nostalgia is truly the only reason to use it, and I don't think there are enough of us oldsters to make it work.

3E and its variants is the deepest and most fully developed of the editions -- and its one big downside in P&P is that it can become very fiddly and get bogged down in details ("Am I flat-footed? Am I grappled? Oh no, somebody look up the defensive maneuver rules…") and that's a downside that just vanishes as soon as it can be done under the hood of a videogame system. On the merits, I think 3.0/3.5/PF is by far the best of them for a CRPG, as IWD2, NWN and P:K show well.

4E … bless its heart …

5E is a blast to play in P&P -- you still get a ton of customization, and it's ten times leaner and faster than 3.5, and a lot more newbie-friendly. But 5E was made to solve a problem that CRPGs don't really have -- since as I say, the fiddly bits are taken care of behind the scenes. I don't know if a 5E videogame is necessarily as bland as I hear Sword Coast Legends was (like most of us, I didn't play it) but you don't really get anything in trade for the loss in fine detail from 3.5.

So -- 3.5/Pathfinder, say I.

Originally Posted by SirJames
I'd never make the sequel to Fallout 2 into an FPS and call it Fallout 3.

If it's BG3 then it needs to be an isometric RPG with 2nd edition rules and RTWP.

But, a lot of that is flexible.

Isometric view by default, but there's no harm in allowing the player to rotate the camera? I'm thinking Dragon Age Origins was on the right track?

The RTWP system in BG had auto-pause to mimic turn based but it was poorly implemented and no substitute. It should be possible to do both well? PoE2 recently tried something like this? Does anyone know if their solution works well?

The ruleset is where I get indecisive. 2nd edition rules is BG, but we did see a move to 3rd edition rules in IWD2 and it was more fun for character building. At that point in time I was hyped for 4E games because of how much better 3E was over 2E but in the end 4E and 5E brought me nothing but disappointment. Maybe they never really got a fair chance? Maybe there's more to 5E than what we got with Sword Coast Legends?

We've also got Pathfinder using "3.5" and being well received, Realms Beyond using 3.5. 3.5 seems like a safe bet but we've also played it to death. New rules would be fresher and give us more to think about.

2E to be legit, 3.5 for the fan-favourite and 5E to carry the torch for D&D.

Is there a 6E? Maybe BG3 will be the unveiling of 6E! Made with help from Larian.

Interesting stuff. Yea, I also thought Dragon Age Origins was very well done in terms of the perspective and the camera rotation they allowed!

On the ruleset. I grew up on the AD&D rules, but I get that its too archaic or out of date these days for most people. I don't have a solid preference really, I just hope they keep the basic rules structure of D&D intact.

Originally Posted by JDR13

I will admit I don't want that either, but was just saying that (the 3D first person thing) to show how open I was to different perspectives! haha

Originally Posted by Arkadia7
If any others want to list their ideal BG 3 game and what would be involved, like I did, I'd be interested to see them.

• Isometric
• Turn-based
• Hand-crafted fights and wizard battles
• What-you-see-is-what-you-get loot approach
• Hand-crafted special loot with backstory
• Start at level 1
• Party of 6
• No or only slight tie-ins to the old BG games
• Exploration and Risk-vs-Reward

Originally Posted by Darkheart

• Isometric
• RTwP
• Hand-crafted fights and wizard battles
• What-you-see-is-what-you-get loot approach
• Hand-crafted special loot with backstory
• Start at level 1
• Party of 6
• No or only slight tie-ins to the old BG games
• Exploration and Risk-vs-Reward

Good list.

I would just add 'No (or very minimal) level-scaling'.

Originally Posted by Darkheart

• No or only slight tie-ins to the old BG games

The Baldur's Gate series was one unified story. If it's not about the Bhaalspawn, why not call the game Forgotten Realms: Some Other Guy?

This is why I think reviving the BG name is a bad idea. Trone of Bhaal should have been a full-fledged 3rd game rather than an expansion. It wasn't. But it ended the story.

A rumor's going around that BG3 is being announced Thursday morning (US Pacific time) at the Google Stadia event.

Event info: https://twitter.com/GoogleStadia/sta…84478389264389

Originally Posted by JDR13
Good list.

I would just add 'No (or very minimal) level-scaling'.

Nice list, would work for me just fine. Just would keep only "No" for level scaling. Dont like it in any form really. And would add a lot of c&c and meaningful skill checks out of combat. That would be nice.

Originally Posted by Hexprone
The Baldur's Gate series was one unified story. If it's not about the Bhaalspawn, why not call the game Forgotten Realms: Some Other Guy?

This is why I think reviving the BG name is a bad idea. Trone of Bhaal should have been a full-fledged 3rd game rather than an expansion. It wasn't. But it ended the story.

Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights sequels only loosely follow their predecessors. I see no problem with Baldur's Gate 3 doing the same. It's named after the city (which doesn't even appear in BG2), not after the protagonist.

I think there will be strong connection to the bhaalspawn saga, but it won't be a direct continuation of the story. As I speculated before, there will likely be a 120 years time jump towards the timeline of the 5th edition Realms.

Originally Posted by Stingray
A rumor's going around that BG3 is being announced Thursday morning (US Pacific time) at the Google Stadia event.

Event info: https://twitter.com/GoogleStadia/sta…84478389264389

Hah it's going to be a streaming only game funded by Google calling it now.

Anyway I already said my opinion.

RTwP= Day one purchase
Turn-Based = Will buy a few years later

I want a BG3 blobber like Wizardry and MM - surely we have the technology now!

I would go 5e over 3.5 or AD&D. I would be fine with any of those three. Character creation and advancement is great in 5e and not too complicated.

Six character party where you can make the entire group if you want. Most companions annoy me.

I would be happy with either Gold Box style exploration or isometric like BG1&2.

No level scaling.

No you are the chosen start or God. Your characters should be murder hobos and have to work for everything you get.

Make it a medium magic world. No Monty Hall.

After first 2 or 3 lvls make lvling a little slower. Don't need a new lvl every other fight.

Hand placed battles and loot mostly. Do have wandering encounters. Just like Gary Gygax would want.

Large world with amazing exploration.

Have some puzzles and don't go overboard like Bard's Tale 4 or I won't even play it.

Turn based like Temple of Elemental Evil (I can dream). I can live with RTwP.

Close this thread I just made the perfect BG3. I will wait for the check.

Sorry forgot, NO EXPLODING BARRELS!!

Or for a shorter post just make Skyrim with AD&D rules.