Baldur's Gate 3

[Ag3ma]

I was having a look at Baldur's Gate and came across the companions:

https://baldursgate3.wiki.fextralife.com/Companions

Assuming this is true, it seriously dampens my interest. Can't I have a companion with an interesting backstory who doesn't have a nuclear bomb in their chest, used to be a vampire or has made a pact with an archdemon? Why do they all have their own massive existential crisis? Can't they just have a debt to a crime lord, were double-crossed by a one-time partner, have some lost love they're pining over, etc.?

The problem with everything being huge and world-shattering is that the player just becomes desensitised so that nothing is huge and world-shattering. That dude with the nuclear bomb in him ends up no more interesting than if he had an intestinal tapeworm infection that you needed to cure for some bonus XP and a relation increase.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

I was having a look at Baldur's Gate and came across the companions:

https://baldursgate3.wiki.fextralife.com/Companions

Assuming this is true, it seriously dampens my interest. Can't I have a companion with an interesting backstory who doesn't have a nuclear bomb in their chest, used to be a vampire or has made a pact with an archdemon? Why do they all have their own massive existential crisis? Can't they just have a debt to a crime lord, were double-crossed by a one-time partner, have some lost love they're pining over, etc.?

The problem with everything being huge and world-shattering is that the player just becomes desensitised so that nothing is huge and world-shattering. That dude with the nuclear bomb in him ends up no more interesting than if he had an intestinal tapeworm infection that you needed to cure for some bonus XP and a relation increase.

I think you're making some leaps there.
Astarion, Lae'Zal, Karlach, and Wyll all seem to have small-scale personal stakes. Gale is the one with the nuclear bomb, but the only one. The rest we don't know yet and more importantly how it will actually be presented.
Clearly the point of these backstories and conflicts is so that they have side quests, but also so that if you choose to play as them you have a more directed story (in fact I was strongly considering playing as one at first because it's more like what I'm comfortable with but I also want to push myself out side of my comfort zone).

The reception to this game has been wild. I just figured it would be niche because it's a freaking D&D cRPG type. But the other day I was listening to a podcast interview with one of the lead devs and they were asking him about his reaction to the game being called some new-standard for all RPGs or some nonsense and he is like, wtf, we just making a game lol.
I know we talk about "discourse" and hype and reaction being out of hand but... y'all, it's really out of hand lol.

 

[Ag3ma]

I think you're making some leaps there.

It's all there in the link I supplied, but I might have mildly exaggerated for effect. It says they are the recruitable NPCs (unless you count generic hirelings), so presumably you can resolve all their absurdly huge personal issues. Apparently there ain't no heroes to be found who just happened to brought up on a farm by loving, supportive parents and turned out to be really, really good with a sword.

 

[Dreiko]

I was having a look at Baldur's Gate and came across the companions:

https://baldursgate3.wiki.fextralife.com/Companions

Assuming this is true, it seriously dampens my interest. Can't I have a companion with an interesting backstory who doesn't have a nuclear bomb in their chest, used to be a vampire or has made a pact with an archdemon? Why do they all have their own massive existential crisis? Can't they just have a debt to a crime lord, were double-crossed by a one-time partner, have some lost love they're pining over, etc.?

The problem with everything being huge and world-shattering is that the player just becomes desensitised so that nothing is huge and world-shattering. That dude with the nuclear bomb in him ends up no more interesting than if he had an intestinal tapeworm infection that you needed to cure for some bonus XP and a relation increase.

These are not just companions. They're origins. You're meant to be able to play as them too. That's why they have big important and interesting stories. There's also other companions that aren't origins you could team up with. Like that infamous bear, that's some druid dude. Just form a party of those other non-origin ones.

It’s practical, proactive advice, but it would’ve been even moreso if they had stated it before early access that any progress wouldn’t carry over to the full release.

I don't think they knew this back like 4 years ago when they started. They prolly had no idea how much their game would grow since they ended up hiring a bunch more people in the meantime to expand the game.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

It's all there in the link I supplied, but I might have mildly exaggerated for effect. It says they are the recruitable NPCs (unless you count generic hirelings), so presumably you can resolve all their absurdly huge personal issues. Apparently there ain't no heroes to be found who just happened to brought up on a farm by loving, supportive parents and turned out to be really, really good with a sword.

Looks pretty par for the course for companions compared to Divinity. Look up Fane for example. Most of the stuff seems pretty standard for the most part. A character making a pack with a demon or lich happens literally every DnD run I've ever been a part of, DMs love tempting players with that. It wouldn't feel like DnD if that wasn't an issue.

 

[Ag3ma]

These are not just companions. They're origins. You're meant to be able to play as them too. That's why they have big important and interesting stories. There's also other companions that aren't origins you could team up with. Like that infamous bear, that's some druid dude. Just form a party of those other non-origin ones.

Well, that makes sense if they can be your main character.

But there are only four other recruitbable NPCs I can find listed: a drow evil paladin, Jaheira and Misc from previous games, and Haldin who's a druid (Jaheira is also a druid - well, fighter/druid- as I recall.) That's not exactly an exciting world of options.

 

[Ag3ma]

A character making a pack with a demon or lich happens literally every DnD run I've ever been a part of, DMs love tempting players with that. It wouldn't feel like DnD if that wasn't an issue.

Your D&D maybe, but it's literally never happened in any D&D game I've roleplayed.

 

[Dreiko]

Well, that makes sense if they can be your main character.

But there are only four other recruitbable NPCs I can find listed: a drow evil paladin, Jaheira and Misc from previous games, and Haldin who's a druid (Jaheira is also a druid - well, fighter/druid- as I recall.) That's not exactly an exciting world of options.

Yeah man I dunno, I kinda consider this spoilers so I've not looked.

 

[CriticalGaming]

Roll for initiative!!!!!

 

[Satinavian]

It’s practical, proactive advice, but it would’ve been even moreso if they had stated it before early access that any progress wouldn’t carry over to the full release.

I think they did state it on various occasions at least during EA. It was not exactly a secret or surprise.

 

[Satinavian]

Assuming this is true, it seriously dampens my interest. Can't I have a companion with an interesting backstory who doesn't have a nuclear bomb in their chest, used to be a vampire or has made a pact with an archdemon? Why do they all have their own massive existential crisis? Can't they just have a debt to a crime lord, were double-crossed by a one-time partner, have some lost love they're pining over, etc.?

Well, warlocks always have a pact, that is just part of the class. It is like a cleric having a god. So much for Wyll.
Shadowheart seems like some generic cleric with a generic plot device mission, nothing special at all.
Lae'zel has nothing special either beside coming from a faraway place.
Halzin and Mithandra don't seem to have anything special, but their entries are a bit short.
Minsc and Jaheira are just recurring characters from the old game and seem to not have gotten any addtional weirdness.

So it is basically just Astarion (Vampire), Gale (magic corruption) and Kharlach (implant).

Of course the entries are short, so the others may have some issues as well, but we don't know yet.

 

[BrawlMan]

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[CriticalGaming]

 

[FakeSympathy]

Well I have been playing for a bit, and safe to say I am enjoying the crap out of the game so far. I'm glad short and long rests were added. The bedrolls in DOS2 were a tad bit OP. Here, the rests seems more balanced.

My half-elf Paladin will definitely stick with being a goody two-shoes; maybe get down with shadowheart

 

[Ag3ma]

I'm not much past the tutorial, seems pretty good so far but I'm yet to experience anything that really wows me.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

Have a feeling TotK will be unseated as front runner for GotY.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

"But these people are making ROLE-PLAYING GAMES in ALL CAPS in such an impressive way that it basically is it's own category of game."

Exactly, it's both a huge compliment and yet extremely sad. This is supposed to be par for the course for an RPG, this is what these games are supposed to be.

Also, love how he mentions this isn't a "podcast" game. Yeah, if you can play a game and listen to a podcast, it's probably not a good game. Any piece of media should strive to be good enough that it demands your full attention. If I can do something else while playing a game or watching a movie, then it's not very good.

 

[Dreiko]

"But these people are making ROLE-PLAYING GAMES in ALL CAPS in such an impressive way that it basically is it's own category of game."

Exactly, it's both a huge compliment and yet extremely sad. This is supposed to be par for the course for an RPG, this is what these games are supposed to be.

Also, love how he mentions this isn't a "podcast" game. Yeah, if you can play a game and listen to a podcast, it's probably not a good game. Any piece of media should strive to be good enough that it demands your full attention. If I can do something else while playing a game or watching a movie, then it's not very good.

I never listen to podcasts while playing games, outside of magic the gathering arena. And that one only when I'm not doing draft.

I think a lot of people play timewaster grindy mindless games which is why such a concept even exists.


I think there have always been games that demand your full attention and then some, people just fail to find them a lot of the time.

 

[Ag3ma]

Any piece of media should strive to be good enough that it demands your full attention. If I can do something else while playing a game or watching a movie, then it's not very good.

I would suggest that this is an unnecessarily restrictive idea of what a game (or any other piece of media) should be.

That people do two things at once (even for instance something as simple as listen to music and read a book) suggests that's what they want to do, and so they might not always want media that completely consumes their attention alone, but stuff that "fills the gaps", or "background noise".

The best games for filling your attention are action games, because you generally can't afford to be doing something else otherwise you get distracted and miss things, get shot, etc. Anything turn based or readily pausible lends itself extremely well to being done alongside distractions.

 

[Old_Hunter_77]

I would suggest that this is an unnecessarily restrictive idea of what a game (or any other piece of media) should be.

That people do two things at once (even for instance something as simple as listen to music and read a book) suggests that's what they want to do, and so they might not always want media that completely consumes their attention alone, but stuff that "fills the gaps", or "background noise".

The best games for filling your attention are action games, because you generally can't afford to be doing something else otherwise you get distracted and miss things, get shot, etc. Anything turn based or readily pausible lends itself extremely well to being done alongside distractions.

Right?
As of this moment, it looks like BG3 is inviting all the "I'm better than you" smug nerd takes. It's like Elden Ring * 10 if this keeps up. It's the assholes that insist on only listening to music on vinyl or lecturing you for your chicken not being free range or whatever bullshit hoity-toity snobbery we encounter, but in game form. That's just the internet vibe I'm getting all over the place. So I kinda hate this game now.
I'll get over that feeling by the time I can play it I'm sure (PS5) but the initial reactions are unbearable.