Baldur's Gate 3 - Gameplay & Interview Videos

largh said:

Does anyone else find the jumping they show in these preliminary gameplay videos disturbing? I get it if a mage can teleport, but a rogue that jumps tens of meters from low ground to the roof of a building is another matter…Fantasy is not realistic by definition, but that stuff kind of eats the immersion.

I really enjoyed D:OS2, but the race to get teleport skills for all characters as early as possible was not my favorite part of the game. IMO, teleporting makes the battlefield too dynamic. The chess-like positioning of shield-wall (f.ex. Expeditions Vikings) does not count because enemies can teleport behind the wall to beat up your ranged characters.

The original BG cames used teleporting (those annoying spiders), but sparingly and each time it did, my strategy was screwed and I panicked. That was a nice surprise and variation to the otherwise pretty monotonic battle. D:OS2, on the other hand, used it too much…

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I agree - although in this case it may be legit. "misty step". for example, which Sven uses (I only watched a few minutes) is a spell that is available to several classes - I'm playing a paladin in 5E, and his oath allows him access to this as a oath spell. Some rogues can also get access to it if the going the more 'magical' route. But yes, it should not be something that everyone gets (or needs to get).

Wow, a million times better than what I saw before a few months ago! They made massive improvements. I'm glad they got rid of that weird, awkward dialogue system they had going, for example, and went a more traditional route. Very good decision. And the game perspective and overall look is much better, they put what looks like a much more realistic style in the characters and the landscapes.

I also think the little things are impressive, like the new inspect weapon window, where it shows much more info on newly discovered weapons, and where they can be examined. That opens all sorts of cool possibilities regarding magical weapons and items and such, and reminds me of how Baldur's Gate did it.

One thing I thought was odd - how the main character's dialogue isn't spoken. The voice acting impressed me, but its kinda of a weird silence when the main character's lines are just silent. Maybe it would costs too much or something to voice act every possible line, but it was just something that seems a bit off to me.

Anyway, also thought how all the mini-adventures and choices available in the character interactions and how the system seems relatively intricate depending on what you do was very cool as well.

SSIGuy said:

Wait… are you and mercy the same person?!

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Not yet.

Looks pretty damn good to me, I'm excited for this one. Mainly because it's a turn based game with a DnD foundation, that's enough to get me drooling.

Not a "true" successor to BG2? Not a problem for me, we have PF:WotR to scratch that itch.

Hastar said:

Thanks for posting. Couchpotato had a link that showed a Githyanki. That alone will make me buy this game. Just the greatest humanoid ever invented by D&D and GRR Martin. Now if we could only chose one as a player character like in D&D 5e.

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Ghaaaaa!!!

Sorry… I still having trouble dealing with the idea that people can roll up Drow characters. (They're supposed to be a secret, special race of Elves you only find out about after taking a pounding from a bunch of fire giants. Then you slowly dig out information about them in a totally unexpected underworld… Arrrg!! )

The game's musical touchstones? (not sure what to call it) sound like divinity os2, they need to add a unique one so it sounds like baldurs gate.

Silver said:

The game's musical touchstones? (not sure what to call it) sound like divinity os2, they need to add a unique one so it sounds like baldurs gate.

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IT would be great if they could get some of the people who did the sound for BG2 to work on this? I just listened to some of the OST for BG2...so much nostalgia

It is honestly nice seeing them make an earnest effort to incorporate DND 5e rules such as inspiration die, but I have such reservations for Larian's mostly mediocre games that I don't see myself buying this before a sale.

Their games tend to be innovative in terms of mechanics (both good and bad), but that same panache for experimentation feels like there's nobody behind the scenes telling them, "No, that's too much; no, that's too clunky". Plus their narratives and writing have all been fairly dull to the point that I have to forcefully will myself to finish each game.

Zloth said:

Ghaaaaa!!!



Sorry… I still having trouble dealing with the idea that people can roll up Drow characters. (They're supposed to be a secret, special race of Elves you only find out about after taking a pounding from a bunch of fire giants. Then you slowly dig out information about them in a totally unexpected underworld… Arrrg!! )

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These years are long gone. Drow are just too popular.
I just hope for immersive reactivity and not something like “Oh, hello you beautiful Drow girl. How cool! Wanna get some ice cream?“.
But this is Larian, so I guess there will be an item with a permanent illusion spell making the Drow look like a surface elf.

Zloth said:

Ghaaaaa!!!

Sorry… I still having trouble dealing with the idea that people can roll up Drow characters. (They're supposed to be a secret, special race of Elves you only find out about after taking a pounding from a bunch of fire giants. Then you slowly dig out information about them in a totally unexpected underworld… Arrrg!! )

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Drow have been popular since NWN 2 and the Forgotten Realm novels. Nothing new.

Morrandir said:

.But this is Larian, so I guess there will be an item with a permanent illusion spell making the Drow look like a surface elf.

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True I didn't think about that but they might.

TomRon said:

Looks pretty damn good to me, I'm excited for this one. Mainly because it's a turn based game with a DnD foundation, that's enough to get me drooling.

Not a "true" successor to BG2? Not a problem for me, we have PF:WotR to scratch that itch.

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Agree I was skeptical when it was announced Larian was developing the game and the new presentations have made me enthusiastic to play the final release.

Wont be playing the Early Access version as I never do.

Morrandir said:

These years are long gone.

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Well not for me! It's only been 40 years... give me another couple of decades and I'll be over it.

Probably.

Not bad. The cut-scene facial animations don't look at that great though. I suppose that's something the industry is still trying to get right?

rjshae said:

Not bad. The cut-scene facial animations don't look at that great though. I suppose that's something the industry is still trying to get right?

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If you haven't, check the facial expressions in The Last of Us Part 2. Those seem like real, breathing people, so I'd say some of the industry is actually getting it right. More of a matter of what technology they're using and how many resources are investing in it, I guess.

I guess everyone cares about different things but facial animations during cutscenes are something I never gave a thought.

As for last of us 2. That’s a much smaller cinematic experience with a giant budget. That kind of thing would actually matter in a game like that.

Nereida said:

If you haven't, check the facial expressions in The Last of Us Part 2. Those seem like real, breathing people, so I'd say some of the industry is actually getting it right. More of a matter of what technology they're using and how many resources are investing in it, I guess.

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Well that type of technology ins't cheap. It also takes a bunch of resources for Mocap that most developers settle for automatic software like in Mass Effect Andromeda.

Anyway for a game like this that type of detail is not needed.

A little off-topic but does anyone know what was the budget for The Last of Us Part 2?

I'm guessing it wasn't cheap.

Wow, I liked what I saw! Much better impressions than before. Graphics and animations are top-notch, and dialogues also are surprisingly quite good for me!
I think now I dont even care if this game will be BG3 or D:OS 3, it just looks great, innovative and step forward for Larian.
Only concern I have , if it could keep my attention for long enough to make it through - I started D:OS2 , after first BG3 videos showed up, just because of itch to see how it would be there, and I gave up on it on chapter 3 or 4 I think, just lost excitement and will to continue. Hope it will not happen with BG3!

Zogar Sag said:

I started D:OS2 , after first BG3 videos showed up, just because of itch to see how it would be there, and I gave up on it on chapter 3 or 4 I think, just lost excitement and will to continue. Hope it will not happen with BG3!

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This happens to me all the time. I have started BG2 probably a dozen times but never managed to motivate myself to finish the game. A problem with RPGs for some of us I assume, although RPGs are pretty much the only games I play. I experienced the same as you with D:OS2 on a playthrough right after the release but started a new multiplayer playthrough with a friend this year. There wasn't a single boring moment and we felt that the game was too short! (although I admit we clicked through many non-important conversations without reading/listening). Worth trying if you have a friend who is having a similar schedule than you and willing to put 100+ hours into a computer game. There is hope that multiplayer will be a saver with BG3 too if it gets too boring to finish alone.

sakichop said:

I guess everyone cares about different things but facial animations during cutscenes are something I never gave a thought.

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For me it's immersion-breaking, so I'm bothered by it. They spend a lot of effort making the faces look plausibly realistic, then the unrealistic animation pushes it back into the uncanny valley. But I understand that it's a difficult element to get right -- people are wired to notice, in fine detail, human faces and how they communicate. It has to be nearly perfect.