[X] My Assistant

[SubRosa]

With the Enhanced Editions to Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 now out, and Gog.com having sales on both the originals and the Icewind Dale games, it seems like a good time to create a thread about our old friend the Infinity Engine.

I have Icewind Dale 1 from a long time ago, but never got too far with it back then. Other games like Diablo II and Star Trek Elite Forces caught my attention, and the old school D&D ruleset of Icewind felt too cumbersome for me. I tried installing ID1 again a few weeks ago, but could not get it to work on my Windows 7 box. So I finally broke down and bought it and ID2 off of Gog.com a few days ago. While I was at it, I discovered that Steam had a sale on the Baludur's Gate Enhanced Editions, so I bought those two. I wound up getting all four games for under $20.

I decided to start at the start, so so I rolled a toon to pwn Baldur's Gate 1. Terra started out as a regular Ranger, and I experimented with her using dual swords and a longbow. I found I liked the bow better, and thought about restarting her game to specialize as the Archer subclass. But I found EE Keeper, and instead I used it to change her class and move around her proficiency points a bit.

So far BG1 has been a blast. I still think the old school D&D rules are cumbersome and clunky. Especially where magic is concerned. I hate that memorizing spells business and having to rest to be able to cast them again. I much prefer mana point systems for mages. But gripes aside, it is still a good game, even after all these years. It feels a lot like the original Fallout rpg in its look and feel - the same isometric view and sprites. BG1 just has more party members and the D&D rules.

I have been using BruceVayne's soundsets in Oblivion for years, and many of them are BG characters. So now it is a kick to finally hear them in their original settings. I especially love Imoen and Viconia's voices. From "Good on you if you saved the day!" to "Nightsinger, give me power!". So far those are my two favorite NPCs as well. I loved Minsc in the tutorial, but have not found him yet - he's clear across the map from where we start!

My current gang is Terra (the PC), Imoen, Viconia, Neera (she's a new EE added NPC), and Kagain. I am a little light on the muscle, and am looking for another good melee fighter. I'd like to hire the new half-orc NPC Dorn, but I have not gotten the encounter where it happens yet. OTOH, the team is strong in ranged attacks, and when we all focus our fire on one target we can usually kill it on one round. Unless it is a boss. So fights against ordinary critters often consist of mowing them down before they can even reach Kagain.

So far I am not thrilled with Neera, but for now she is the only mage in town. I'd like to hire the new Drow mage the EE edition added, but he doesn't appear until 5th level. It is funny, my party seems to be going to the evil end of the spectrum. Maybe I should use EE Keeper to change Terra from Neutral Good to Neutral Evil!

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Apr 11 2022, 08:04 PM

[SubRosa]

Looks like the Gamestop version does require Steam. You will find out when you install it. If it needs it, it will install automagically. I didn't even know Gamestop sold PC games via download. I always think of them as a place for console games.

The Baldur's Gate Wiki has a handy Area Map. So too does Mike's RPG Center. Just click on the map and it takes you to the page on the area. The first site gives you more detailed info on everything in the areas. The second is nice because it has the points of interest clearly marked on them. And of course EE Keeper is your best bet for ubering up your toons...

I other news I decided to let Dorn go. I just don't like the 6 character group size. And for all that he's strong, he's kind of fragile. My other frontliners have twice the hit points. So now it is back to Scathach, Imoen, Viconia, Kagain, and Baeloth. So far I have to say Baeloth has been pure awesome sauce. Without the sauce though. He is just pure awesome. Now I know who his voice reminds me of. The Mark Hamill version of The Joker.

Scathach and crew have explorated the entire western half of the map from Candlekeep to the southern map edge. Now I am working on the last few areas in the east, with just Gullykin, Durlag's Tower, and Ulcaster to go. After that I will finally turn north, and maybe get cracking on the rest of the main quest.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jul 20 2014, 07:44 PM

[Renee]

I didn't even know Gamestop sold PC games via download. I always think of them as a place for console games.

Pretty much you are right. Now that I've been PC gaming for about 9 months, I realize how lame GameStop's PC sections are in stores. Tons of Nintendo, Xbox, and PS games, but the PC section usually only is comprised of the very top most popular games for PC. I could find Sims 3 in GameStop, but not BG, or the ES Anthology. So I've gotten in the habit of searching online for PC games.

Thanks for the links, and I can't wait to buff up my toons, grind their stats! I think last time I chose one of the pre-made character guys, but I'm pretty sure BG has a choice to roll our own toon. I forget, but I'm about to find out!

This post has been edited by Renee Gade IV: Jul 14 2014, 01:59 AM

[SubRosa]

You can roll your own drunks toons indeed!

[Renee]

Just got it from Beamdog. Installing now. GameStop is apparently broken. Wow 2.3 gigs.

Edit: It won't play on my old computer. DAngit. Keeps giving me crash errors. I'll try the gaming one instead, the one I got at Micro Center. I bet it'll work on there.

This post has been edited by Renee Gade IV: Jul 15 2014, 12:17 AM

[SubRosa]

It ought to work fine on a new box. I am using the Enhanced Edition on my Windows 7 gaming rig, and it runs like a charm.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jul 15 2014, 12:22 AM

[SubRosa]

I tried Durlag's Tower tonight. I understand that it was one of the expansion packs for BG1. I did not like it. It has too many narrow, winding corridors. Trying to get a party of even 5 through the hallways was a pain, as the characters kept deciding to go off in different directions. I only did the outside of the tower, and the above ground levels. After that I left, and headed for Ulcaster. That is the last area left to explore south of the Friendly Arm Inn.

[SubRosa]

I rolled another toon for BG1 EE. Meet Tuonetar, a Drow Fighter/Cleric. It was not easy making her, as the game does not allow elves to be Fighter/Clerics. So I started her as a half-elf, then saved the game, and used EE Keeper to change her to an elf. They don't have Drow in BG1EE. Viconia and Baeloth are just the Elf race, with an added Magic Resistance bonus. So I did the same with Tuonetar. I also gave her an Animate Dead spell to start with, so she can summon Darryl the Skeleton.

Finally, I took my Viconia soundset for Oblivion, and converted it to work in BG1EE. It works like a charm. I guess this means I won't be using Viconia this time around. That will give me an opportunity to try a different cleric npc, if I bother with another one at all. Since Tuonetar is a Good character for a change, I plan to try an all-good party with her. Imoeon of course, Minsc and Dynahair, and maybe Kivan.

[Acadian]

Sounds neat! I don't know if BG I supports it, but a very cool character in BG II is a multiclass ranger/cleric. The big draw here is that character gets access to both cleric and druid spells. Normally the ranger only gets a limited amount of druid spells, but by multiclassing with cleric, it unlocks them all. And the ranger enhances the cleric's melee ability as well. Again, I don't know know if BG I EE will support that; BG I would not but EE seems to be a real hybrid game.

[SubRosa]

I was experimenting with several classes, including Rangers. But I tend to play Rangers a lot in D&D based games, so I decided to take a break from one this time around. Besides, given her name Tuonetar isn't really the woodsy type. She's more the living dead type. That is why I gave her the Animate Dead spell to start with. That extra party member helps out quite a bit in these early levels.

[SubRosa]

Tuonetar and Ims mosied south from Friendly Arm Inn and discovered Beregost. There they helped out/enlisted Neera, bringing a (albeit wild) mage to the group. They knocked around the town, killing spiders, surviving assassins, and the lot. Naturally Imoen burgled every house as well!

A trip west to High Hedge found Kivan. He was a bit of a flash in the pan. He died in their first encounter! It was a black bear, and he was dead before I realized it. I didn't much like his voice though, so I left him dead rather than take him for resurrection.

I find that tends to be my biggest reason for keeping or rejecting party members. What their voice acting is like. I just cannot stand Jaheria's voice, which is why I could not wait to get rid of her. The same with Safana the one time I tried her out. OTOH I just love Imoen, Viconia, and Baeloth's voices. Minsc has a really fun voice pack too.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jul 19 2014, 08:29 PM

[Acadian]

Lol. Minsc and Boo are legendary! Happily, they are in both BG I and II. As are Jaheira, Imoen and Viconia. Once you someday get to BG II, there is a paladin named Keldorn Firecam; when it comes to the gritty noble heart of a knight, he is the real deal. I think, in general, they improved the personalities of the NPCs introduced in II.

I'm really glad you're enjoying the game. I know that I enjoy hearing how and what your characters are doing in BG.

[SubRosa]

I am still having a lot of fun with BG1. It was well worth the $10 I spent for it!

I discovered something today. Animated skeletons do not get experience points. So they make a great extra tank party member, without stealing the xp from the regular characters. They last for 8 or 9 hours, so you can summon one up at the beginning of an area and it will be good for the entire place. They don't like going through doors into new areas though. They tend to get stuck in the first side of the door, and you have to click on them and manually move them when you come back through again to get them following you once more.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jul 28 2014, 02:51 PM

[Renee]

I am still having a lot of fun with BG1. It was well worth the $10 I spent for it!

Wow, only $10. My 'copy' cost $19.95 I think from Beamdog.

I got BG working finally on my Micro Center computer. Haven't rolled a new toon yet, but I think I'm going to go with custom class, and make some sort of hybrid fighter/mage. Gonna be a 'he', and his name will be Sir Vayor. I figure since he'll be somewhat of a 'test' that he will be surveying the gameworld.

I like the fact that it's all dice rolls. It takes a different sort of concentration than ES or FO, which means I can make a snack and eat while playing BG, or read a book or some posts. It' an easily pausable game, BG is. The action is not so immediate.

[SubRosa]

I got mine from Steam during their Summer Sale last month. Both BG1 and 2 EEs were $20 together.

You cannot create your own custom classes like you can in Oblvion. You are stuck with what they offer. But you can do multi-class characters, which I think is what you mean. Tuonetar is my first stab at trying that out.

Oh, and while you do roll the dice for your stats, you can rearrange them however you want with the + and - buttons next to each number. So it is a good idea to just hit the reroll for a bit until you get someone with either an 18 strength, or just a lot of points in general, and then move them around how you like them.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jul 20 2014, 06:06 PM

[Renee]

I got ya. Well I'm rolling Sir Vayor now. He's a human, class is Paladin > Cavalier. This is the classic knight type. He is Lawful Good, just like the leader of my DnD party was way back in the '80s. *shrug* This is my mindset for tablegames, always has been. I've had CG and NG and various neutral characters join the party in the past, but the leader was always LG.

I rolled his stats, and you are right, it does allow us to change various numbers. ST = 13, DX = 14, CT = 12, IQ = 14, Wisdom = 16, and CH = 17. I gave him dual-proficiency with a longsword, and chose single proficiency with mace and sword + shield.

Yeah, I'm done! Rolled my first BG toon!

EDIT: Sir Vayor is running around Candlekeep so far. I think the last time I played BG I didn't know there's several things to do here in Candlekeep, so this time I'm just having SV do a few of these. He found a book for some woman in a stack of hay, and also got rid of some rats in a storehouse. He also got some cheap armor + helmet, and a small shield. Since he's got proficiency with longswords, he got one of these, too.

*cough* I'm using the easiest difficulty. Having some fun. Time sure is flying by.

This post has been edited by Renee Gade IV: Jul 20 2014, 10:18 PM

[SubRosa]

I hope you have fun surveying the game with Sir Vayor.

[SubRosa]

Today Tuonetar and company made their way south from Beregost to Nashkel, finishing several little quests along the way. At Nashkel they recruited Rasaad and Minsc, and found the Anhkeg armor. Continuing south, I left off at Nashkel Mines.

[Acadian]

I recall from the original BG I that Minsc was close to Dynaheir (a mage) and had devoted himself to looking out for 'his witch'. She died between BG I and BG II per the story. Would she fit into your party? I expect Minsc will encourage you to go get her.

http://baldursgate.wikia.com/wiki/Dynaheir

[SubRosa]

I am not sure what I will make of Dynaheir. I will just have to wait and see. I already have a mage in Neera, and don't think I really need a second one. If she was a sorcerer I would definitely go with Dyna. They are so much easier to use with than the other mages in D&D. It all depends on her voice as well. If it grates on me, she'll just have to go like Jaheria did. Of course I cannot just fire her, because then Minsc will leave as well. So I would have to arrange for her demise.

OTOH, I am loving Minsc. His dialogue is a hoot! He's also seriously good at killing things. So he's earned his spot on the team. Tuo let Rasaad go after today's gaming. He just wasn't measuring up. Tuonetar's animated skeleton seemed more potent in melee combat.

In other news, Tuonetar and crew 'splored all around Nashkel Mines today, but never went inside. Instead Neera brought up the subject of an old Wise Wild Mage named Adoy who might be able to help her control her magic. So Tuo packed up the team and headed east to Adoy's Enclave. That was pretty much a bust, though there was some serious killin' and a level up involved.

Now Tuo is headed west toward the Gnoll Stronghold where Dyna is being held. Rescuing her is next on the To Do list. The main quest will just have to wait its turn!

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Jul 22 2014, 04:39 PM

[Acadian]

Neat! I'm so pleased that you like Minsc! As long as your party is basically good, he can always fit in as a heavy front liner. And you're right, his personality and dialogue is a hoot! Dynaheir struck me as reasonably competent and neither inspired nor unpleasant. As you say, check her out, then either allow her to be killed and keep Minsc or opt to keep both of them. As I said, she gets killed in between BG I and II anyway. If you play a woman in BG II and have Minsc, he will eventually 'adopt' you as 'his witch' to replace the role that Dynaheir held for him.

And I agree that Jaheira is both grating to take and not particularly useful.