Baldur's Gate 3 - Early Access Review @ PC Gamer

PC Gamer reviewed Baldur's Gate 3:

Baldur's Gate 3 | Early Access Review

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The mechanics definitely interest me, given it's a D&D game, but the art style and overall presentation feels flat and slightly generic as if somehow I've seen it all many times before, DOS games notwithstanding. That's just me though. I don't like having only four character parties in a D&D game and I'm also not so keen on having party member selections locked in after Act I is complete. For me, that's a very unappealing design decision which effectively decouples itself from its lineage a little too greatly, missing a vital ingredient on what made the originals fun to play.

Still, I'd be curious to hear from Watchers who are playing Early Access, what specific connections (if any apart from the obvious FR locations) can be found to the original games. Any familiar characters?
The chap at 3:53 in the video reminded me a bit of Valygar for instance. Has anyone spotted any other similarities?

I have seen Volo so far.

It's a cross between DOS and Dragon Age.

The visuals are beautiful. Just don't expect a perfect release version game yet, it's EA.

I don't really care much for the D&D rules and dice roll, but I understand it enough to play and ignore that aspect.

I also do not care much for the camera, just like in DOS 1 and 2. I wish they would make it 3rd person and move with WSAD and give more control of the camera, but it's what Larian does, turned based isometric camera.

I still rate DOS 1 in the top best 10 RPG games of all time, so this could still be that caliber game, we'll see.

It's the best new RPG out there right now, of course it's the ONLY new RPG game out there.

Originally Posted by Hyperion
I also do not care much for the camera, just like in DOS 1 and 2. I wish they would make it 3rd person and move with WSAD and give more control of the camera, but it's what Larian does, turned based isometric camera.

This is confusing. It is a third person camera. It's not a first person camera. You're not a bird.

You may want to play around with the keybindings and set something up that works better for you. You actually have pretty complete control over the camera. You can rotate it (a couple of different ways), pan it, zoom in and out, move it with WASD just as you say… all of that.

Originally Posted by JFarrell71
This is confusing. It is a third person camera. It's not a first person camera. You're not a bird.

No, it is not a 3rd person camera. It is an isometric camera. With a 3rd person camera, the camera follows the character and you can tilt the camera up so you can see more of your environment.

If this game goes into tactical mode, you are actually a bird because you are looking straight down or nearly straight down like a bird's eye view. When you go out of tactical mode, it is still an isometric camera, only with a lower tilt so that it can sort of mimic 3rd person a little, with no camera tilt up, but it is not 3rd person.

"You may want to play around with the keybindings and set something up that works better for you. You actually have pretty complete control over the camera. You can rotate it (a couple of different ways), pan it, zoom in and out, move it with WASD just as you say… all of that."

Yes, I've done all of that. I'm not talking about moving the camera with WSAD, I'm doing that. I'm talking about moving the character with WSAD and having the camera follow you. I cannot find any way to do that and I don't know anyone else who knows how to do it.

I still love the game, just talking some wish list stuff I'll probably never get, but I'm not the only one speaking about the camera, there are lots of people on Steam saying pretty much the same thing, especially the fact that you cannot tilt the camera up to make it easier to see what is in front of you at more of a distance. .

I get what Hyperion means. Some games have the option of making the camera sticky to your character. So if you click to move the character the camera follows. What I have to do is click to where the character is going then also move the camera to keep up with them, sometimes rotating around.

I know other games let you stick and unstick the camera, depending on preference, in regards to that.

It would be a nice option. I feel I am doing a lot of extra key strokes to manage both movement and camera. Not a huge deal but I do miss have the camera auto follow along.

If that is an option I haven't been able to find it. I had to use google to find out how to group and un-group followers so I could move them independently as well. I suspect more of that stuff will be in the game later.

EDIT: Also I personally would prefer moving my character with WASD (or arrow keys which is how I do it) and having the camera follow.

Originally Posted by Hyperion
If this game goes into tactical mode, you are actually a bird because you are looking straight down or nearly straight down like a bird's eye view. When you go out of tactical mode, it is still an isometric camera, only with a lower tilt so that it can sort of mimic 3rd person a little, with no camera tilt up, but it is not 3rd person.

Obviously. I wrote "It's not a first person camera; you are not a bird" precisely because this is the view you have of the game.

I get what you mean, though. I think the camera you describe would be incredibly ill suited to combat, but your preference is your preference. I remember fighting to get comfortable with that sort of camera in games like NWN1&2 and never could. I think they made the right decision for the sort of game this is.

Originally Posted by wolfgrimdark
I get what Hyperion means. Some games have the option of making the camera sticky to your character. So if you click to move the character the camera follows. What I have to do is click to where the character is going then also move the camera to keep up with them, sometimes rotating around.

I know other games let you stick and unstick the camera, depending on preference, in regards to that.

It would be a nice option. I feel I am doing a lot of extra key strokes to manage both movement and camera. Not a huge deal but I do miss have the camera auto follow along.

Just press F1 (or click on the portrait of your character) and then the camera will follow your character. But the camera will stop following you character if you press WASD.

Originally Posted by wolfgrimdark
I had to use google to find out how to group and un-group followers so I could move them independently as well. I suspect more of that stuff will be in the game later.

I did the same thing. I think their system of "chaining" is the most elegant I've come across, but it's been a while since I've played DOS and I forgot that's how they do it. I was nonplussed about how to get my pair to move together.

Originally Posted by Hyperion
I wish they would make it 3rd person and move with WSAD and give more control of the camera.

???
That's exactly what you can do, plus rotate with mouse mid button. It's real 3D and a huge step up from the isometric fixed games.

Originally Posted by gabrielarantest
Just press F1 (or click on the portrait of your character) and then the camera will follow your character. But the camera will stop following you character if you press WASD.

Thanks - I didn't know that (clearly lol).

I tried the game on Stadia and Mac trackpad. A bit surprised that it worked - kind of. Developing must be horribly complicated these days as people can have so many different ways of controlling the game. Has anyone tried on a touch screen?

Originally Posted by Pessimeister
I'm also not so keen on having party member selections locked in after Act I is complete.

What? That's aweful. Why would they do that? To increase the holy replayability?

Primarily to save money on development I suppose. Laziness, ease of transition from using the DOS:2 engine.

Just to clarify where I read this - it was in the Romance & Companionship edition of the Larian Gazette. The quote:

Will companions be interchangeable during long rest?
Yes, at the start of your adventure your recruited companions will be at camp when not in the adventuring party, and can be swapped in and out at camp. Just like friends in real life! After the first act however you are going to have to commit, also just like in real life.

Here's a thread about it on the official forums:
http://forums.larian.com/ubbthreads….685#Post675685

Quite an unfortunate decision from my perspective if shown to be true as it really misses the mark on a key component that made the first two games so memorable. For some players who use the same party all the time, this won't really bother. But for those of us who enjoy regularly introducing new party members and constantly experimenting with setups, it's certainly not cool.

Larian used to be my favorite developer but I can't say I love the way they develop games. Reality is that you shouldn't even bother to play the game as there will be an ultimate edition a year after release that is the actual game. EA with Larian does not end at release.

Sorry, but the title image of the video shows an absolutely repulsive PoS female whatever race she should be? Typical Larian. They just present you an alluiring Birthday Cake, and when you cut the cake, turns out the filling inside is simple stinking SHT.

Originally Posted by Pessimeister
Quite an unfortunate decision from my perspective if shown to be true as it really misses the mark on a key component that made the first two games so memorable. For some players who use the same party all the time, this won't really bother. But for those of us who enjoy regularly introducing new party members and constantly experimenting with setups, it's certainly not cool.

Indeed. I wasn't aware until you posted that. It's a real head-scratcher since they didn't impose such a restriction in their previous titles, and it's especially puzzling that they would choose to do this in a D&D game.

I'm hoping this turns out to be a misquote. If not, my interest in this game just took a major hit.

Hmm… No day/night cycle, a locked party of four characters, and Larian writing? Can't say I'm feeling all that optimistic for a BG experience.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Indeed. I wasn't aware until you posted that. It's a real head-scratcher since they didn't impose such a restriction in their previous titles, and it's especially puzzling that they would choose to do this in a D&D game.

I'm hoping this turns out to be a misquote. If not, my interest in this game just took a major hit.

At some point after Fort Joy you have to choose your permanent party setup in D:OS 2 as well.