Beamdog Boss Reveals More About Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition

[Garrett Horvath]

Is anyone else severely disappointed? I don't know about most of you, but I've played through BG1 and BG2 enough to know everything there is to know about the game. Even years later I still know where all of the hidden goodies are.

How is this any different then the gog.com version that you can tweak and mod to use the latest engine with better graphics?

I was AT LEAST hoping for an expansion. A few new characters with voice acting is not going to be enough to get my purchase. Seems like this is just a way to capitalize on old fans who will buying anything BG2 related, even if it's just the same old game with a few new textures.

 

[Zom-B]

Am I missing something or does "hinting that other platforms could be announced" totally not jibe with "controllers not supported.

Unless Beamdog is just talking Mac, I think PS3 and Xbox pretty much require a controller. I don't think anyone is going to invest in the rigamarole that's required to have a M&K hooked up to their console.

So either this is just a blatant and cruel tease to console owners, or it's a really roundabout way of saying that you won't be able to use a control pad when playing on your PC, but when the inevitable bad port comes to consoles you'll be able to sort of play in a frustrating way with a controller.

 

[Steagony]

*reads the title of the article on the front page*

B... Baldur's Gate

HOOOOOOOOOLY TITS

*reads article, realizes it's the same game released again, kills self*

 

[DayDark]

Nobody would play that. It would be horrifically clunky. I play primarily on consoles but it does have limitations, and this is one of them.

I can play bg1-2 with only a mouse, I think I can manage the same with a controller, and this is if nothing is changed to accommodate the console, of course if it actually sees the light of day it will have some accommodation. The point is that even at its worst, it is still playable, and people do play it with controllers even on PC.

 

[Chairman Miaow]

Nobody would play that. It would be horrifically clunky. I play primarily on consoles but it does have limitations, and this is one of them.

I can play bg1-2 with only a mouse, I think I can manage the same with a controller, and this is if nothing is changed to accommodate the console, of course if it actually sees the light of day it will have some accommodation. The point is that even at its worst, it is still playable, and people do play it with controllers even on PC.

A mouse is hugely more mobile and precise than a control for that kind of thing. But never mind, I'm not going to agree with you, and you had made up your mind when you made that first post.

 

[isometry]

I'm glad that people are arguing over controller support. I play PC games with a controller whenever I can, including games like BG (using third party software to map the controller to mouse and keyboard). You may think it's clunky, but I find playing games with mouse and keyboard to be clunky, so to each his own - don't be so selfish that you fight against including ways for more people to enjoy the game.

 

[kayo of the Well]

.

 

[heebejeebes]

I hope some of the new content will include a decent rogue for BG2, and importing of choices from BG1. It always ticked me off when playing an evil character when Minsc appears in the starter dungeon after I killed him and his girlfriend in the first game.

 

[heebejeebes]

I

@Continuity That?s a colossal amount of bullshit. bg1-2 can both be played only using the mouse, consisting of only two buttons and motion. The games can literally be controlled through the in game interface. It take a tremendous lack of creativity to think such a system can't be adapetd to a controller.

Sorry if this sounds mean, but its nice to see gamepad users pissed off for once. PC games these days are console ports half the time and devs rarely care to alter the controls for us. I mean look at Mass Effect, you have 5 totally different commands bound to space bar REALLY?

 

[shemoanscazrex3]

Meh. Looks like something that will get people buying due to nostalgia because as I see it, there's no major new enhancements. I also hate the force me to play with mouse and keyboard thing. Even though a game like this I would definitely use that scheme not everyone is that comfortable with it. Oh well I've removed my windows partition so unless it comes to ps3, double meh

 

[gombie]

these rulesets are totally unnessecary in game formate. its like putting an abacus on an mobile phone instead of putting in an electronic one.

dice ruleset is for PnP (where you roll the dice), not for video games.

 

[CAPPINJACK]

Thats close enough to my sentiment. As was explained elsewhere the perspective that it cannot be done with a gamepad is lacking in substantiation. To dismiss it out of hand even though it would be a major improvement diminishes calling this an enhanced version. There is next to no effort involved in creating a gamepad control scheme for a game whos controls are unbearably simple. It has nothing to do with modifying the game or the user interface and has everything to do with saving face with PC gamers who would cry consolitis if it were added regardless how baseless that claim is.

Oh, it can be done. Will it be done well? Fuck no, all you need to do is look at every lame attempt to move an RTS to the console. I've yet to see one that's worked well. This would be no different. But hey, I am (and so many others are) just some racist PC gaming master race type person...

And by the way, screaming "PC gaming master race" just makes you look like a fucking idiot.

FYI, unlike you, I've written an input API that just wraps XInput (you know, the xbox controller API). It was substantially larger than 50 lines of code and that's just an API to make it accessible, never mind actually integrating it with a game or anything and that would take considerably more code. Even if they did a 1:1 mapping with a mouse (which would be just fucking awful) , they'd be looking at a major tweaking of the source code since this was all done way back before consoles started really taking off. A lot of pain for very little gain.

Step one: Open steam
Step two: Click games menu
Step Three: Click Add non steam game to library
Step Four: Select or browse to desired games location

I just added my GOG version of BG2 to be launched to steam in less time and effort than it took to write out the instructions. As for steam integration? wrong. You still have the steam overlay To access FLs and such. Metrics? Most old steam games dont have achievements or stat tracking anyway The only metrics left are steam tracking your player usage which no one in their right mind should be defending as a consumer benefit. So not buying the GoG version because your vested in steam amounts to typical steam laziness and lemming like gullibility and fanboyism

Ah you're one of 'those' people. GOG (and I'm on the forums there, so I see it often) has got a huge hate on for Steam. I've pointed out where I'm drawing that conclusion from, since you're clearly not intelligent enough to figure it out. Anyway, this version of Baldur's Gate isn't being made available on GOG. If it were, I'm sure a lot of people would buy it there or Steam. At least with GOG I don't need a client running, but if I do need a client running, I only want one fucking client, and right now, the only one that's worth a damn is Steam (suck it up princess, it's great client software).

the PC master race will rage at the consolitis of one of their favored games

And here we go with the stupidity again. Seriously, you're like a moronic child who just sticks his fingers in his ears and screams "LA LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU STUPID HEAD!". Fuck off.

No I WONT look at dark alliance.

And this is why you are so utterly, utterly wrong. You're not even willing to entertain the thought of reading up on the usability of a game just because... what? He might be right? You'd rather stick your head up your ass and go on with your irrational paranoia?

 

[viranimus]

Spoiler

Oh, it can be done. Will it be done well? Fuck no, all you need to do is look at every lame attempt to move an RTS to the console. I've yet to see one that's worked well. This would be no different. But hey, I am (and so many others are) just some racist PC gaming master race type person...

And by the way, screaming "PC gaming master race" just makes you look like a fucking idiot.

FYI, unlike you, I've written an input API that just wraps XInput (you know, the xbox controller API). It was substantially larger than 50 lines of code and that's just an API to make it accessible, never mind actually integrating it with a game or anything and that would take considerably more code. Even if they did a 1:1 mapping with a mouse (which would be just fucking awful) , they'd be looking at a major tweaking of the source code since this was all done way back before consoles started really taking off. A lot of pain for very little gain.

/sigh. Ok look. I have written an input API to force a 360 controller to recognize and interact with a neutered form of Debian for ARM physical architecture. It took 46 lines as base code. While that may or may not be more for a specified game under a windows platform the point of this is that it a response to someone blindly dismissing it because it is NOT some sort of massive overhaul to the entire game that would force even GUI alteration. So dont make assumptions you have no way of knowing.

However, I laughing my ever loving ass off at trying to call me an idiot, decry the insinuation of the PC master race, yet insinuate that consoles did not get popular until well AFTER the turn of the century in a span of 5 sentences. Pure comedy gold.

So not buying the GoG version because your vested in steam amounts to typical steam laziness and lemming like gullibility and fanboyism



Ah you're one of 'those' people. GOG (and I'm on the forums there, so I see it often) has got a huge hate on for Steam. I've pointed out where I'm drawing that conclusion from, since you're clearly not intelligent enough to figure it out. Anyway, this version of Baldur's Gate isn't being made available on GOG. If it were, I'm sure a lot of people would buy it there or Steam. At least with GOG I don't need a client running, but if I do need a client running, I only want one fucking client, and right now, the only one that's worth a damn is Steam (suck it up princess, it's great client software).

Again, more stepping over ignorance in order to call me ignorant? Look, the point of that is unless I am simply unaware of Steam having the ability to sell any incarnation of the BG IP. People who claim they have never played the game because they didnt get it on physical discs back at its launch and "because steam doesnt have it" they still have yet to play it, despite it being very available on GoG. As you pointed out there is no client required to run a GoG purchase (beyond its download and installation) and as I pointed out if you want to run a client for what ever reason running underneath the game you can launch the game via Steam. And what do you get with the gog version launched from steam? Your same single client you wanted. So anyone allowing steam not selling it to act as an excuse for not playing it is sheer unadulterated idiocy. Not buying a game on another superior(as in ownership vs licensing) digital distribution platform because its not your platform of choice is naivete and that stems from an over abundance of company loyalty and an amazing amount of laziness.

I dont hate steam. Hell I have over 100 titles in my own steam library supposedly "valued" at over 1500$. I clearly do not hate steam just to hate steam. However I call a spade, a spade when I see people acting like this coming to steam in 2012 is some sort of godsend as if there was no other means for them to play it and have been denied to do so for the last decade.

the PC master race will rage at the consolitis of one of their favored games


And here we go with the stupidity again. Seriously, you're like a moronic child who just sticks his fingers in his ears and screams "LA LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU STUPID HEAD!". Fuck off.

Again, Ill call a spade a spade. Any time you present any sort of notion that even suggests that WASD + Mouse controls are in any way inferior to a controller it starts irrational diatribes and fits of rage at the suggestion of "dumbing down" PC gaming even though that suggestion only exists in the mind of the individual getting bent out of shape.

And this is why you are so utterly, utterly wrong. You're not even willing to entertain the thought of reading up on the usability of a game just because... what? He might be right? You'd rather stick your head up your ass and go on with your irrational paranoia?

Dear god, why is it context is so lost these days?

Seriously... Could you let this call of ignorance and idiocy go if your not going to even acknowledge the context from where the statements came from? I did not say I would not play Dark alliance. I said I would not be shoehorned into playing a console game in exchange of the PC games, just to appease some delusional concept that adding controller support somehow damages PC gaming.

Let me give you the simplest point to make this abundantly clear. This is an "enhanced" edition. Adding controller support would "Enhance" the game by streamlining the controls into a more comfortable Human interface device. For the developer to outright dismiss the notion of potentially adding controller support is clear pandering to the irrational PC elitist who somehow thinks that adding an additional service layer that takes nominal effort to implement somehow will diminish and ruin "their" game. Its called Pandering because a blind man could see that if you say controller in relationship to a PC game it WILL be met with nerd rage much as has already been illustrated. They knew that, thats WHY it was said.