/v/ - Video Games

>not playing the GoldBox titles

pleb

while Bioware developed the Infinity Engine, the following games weren't made by them:

Icewind Dale (Black Isle), Icewind Dale 2 (Black Isle), Neverwinter Nights 2 (Obsidian), Siege of Dragonspear (Beamdog, which to be fair is helmed by Trent Oster. Also, it's shit)

<are the enhanced editions worthwhile?

>BG1, BG2

not really, no.

>NWN

only if you want to access the modern online servers

>Icewind Dale

absolutely YES

bugfixes, better companion AI scripts, meaningful alterations that actually improve the game (the halfling and gnome female wizards no longer default to bearded male mage graphics, for instance), addition of the restored content mod, included Trial of the Luremaster, and no hamfisted progressive characters (I know what you're thinking but the dwarf in the first tavern is in the original)

<any expansions definitely worth skipping?

I don't know why you aren't planning on the NWN expansion packs, Shadows of Undrentide and Horde of the Underdark; they're actually really good.

<any sequels of BG past BG2 worth playing?

All one of them?

Siege of Dragonspear (technically an interquel, not a sequel) has a tranny talk to you about its transness, how it wanted to go trans, how it picked its name, etc etc entirely unprompted by you, the player. If you kill it, the game doesn't even have the decency to have it drop a belt of masculinity/femininity

Studio Larian (Divinity OS) seems to be gearing up to drop a BG3 announcement. MiteBCool

seems like you're torturing yourself for something. Whatever it is, I'm sure its not worth all this.

>>16540090

Thanks anon

>not playing the GoldBox titles

Are they actually worth investigating?

>while Bioware developed the Infinity Engine, the following games weren't made by them:

Noted. Does Dragonspear contribute much to the plot or should I just skip it?

>I don't know why you aren't planning on the NWN expansion packs, Shadows of Undrentide and Horde of the Underdark; they're actually really good.

I just missed them, wasn't an intentional omission.

>seems like you're torturing yourself for something. Whatever it is, I'm sure its not worth all this.

I don't know I kind of played a bunch of them in no particular order when I was a kid and don't remember much other than that I had fun with them. Are they just dated? What do you recommend? I haven't invested any time/money yet.

>>16540034

is this some sort of ironic shitpost?

dont play enhanced

dont play dragonspear

use gibberlings three mods

>>16540144

>is this some sort of ironic shitpost?

Nah I just haven't played a game other than Morrowind for the last 5 years.

>use gibberlings three mods

Any specific recs? Do they fix everything the enhanced editions were meant to address?

>>16540116

>Are they actually worth investigating?

if you can handle old graphics and gameplay, and looking at a booklet for bulk story text, they are quite satisfying.

they can be gotten on gog (or pirated via gog installer) in various collections

of note, the gog Forgotten Realms collection volume 2 contains the first 4 goldbox games (Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds, Secret of the Silver Blades, and Pools of Darkness), the goldbox compatible Hillsfar (can export to Azure Bonds), and the goldbox game maker toolkit so you can make your own (and play other people's. And there are a lot of good ones)

outside of Forgotten Realms, there's also goldbox games set in Krynn, Spelljammer, and Buck Rogers (the two Buck Rogers games are fucking awesome)

>Does Dragonspear contribute much to the plot or should I just skip it?

I guess it does explain what happened to get you on the road toward Amn at the start of BG2, but it's overall just bad

>I don't know I kind of played a bunch of them in no particular order when I was a kid and don't remember much other than that I had fun with them. Are they just dated? What do you recommend?

so that we understand eachother: they mostly aren't bad games, just bad remasters

most of the features added by the EE versions of BG1/2 are covered by mods, provided you don't mind exiting out to change your resolution. The new companions added are generally intolerable.

NWN's EE adds a completely oversized text zoom for high resolutions and an ENB filter that manages to piss everyone off. Also, access to the new servers. Old servers still exist though (you just need a server browser app), so it's up to you on this one

So at the very least I recommend the original versions of BG1/2. NWN is either way

I do however recommend the EE of Icewind Dale just for how they went the extra mile to perfect the experience rather than add new shit that lessens it overall

>>16540165

>Any specific recs? Do they fix everything the enhanced editions were meant to address?

BGTweaks, resolution mod, and optionally Unfinished Business for any given game (UB adds planned but unimplemented content)

for BG2, add the Ascension mod if you want to see what happens when David Gaider isn't busy being a faggot (many consider it the proper conclusion to Throne of Bhaal)

Here's the actual guide:

>play Icewind Dale for decent combat

>forget about the rest because they have shit combat and are bottom tier in roleplay aspect

>>16540181

>gog

I'll make a note of it and check it out. I haven't played rpgs on a pc that are that old but I also don't have a chance to play tabletops anymore so it might be a good substitute after I play through this other stuff.

>I guess it does explain what happened to get you on the road toward Amn at the start of BG2, but it's overall just bad

I'll skip it then.

>so that we understand eachother: they mostly aren't bad games, just bad remasters

I did misunderstand.

I'll investigate the mods for the other ones and play Icewind Dale expanded (I assume mods don't work with enhanced?) I didn't really plan on playing NWN online at first anyway.

>BGTweaks, resolution mod, and optionally Unfinished Business for any given game (UB adds planned but unimplemented content)

>for BG2, add the Ascension mod if you want to see what happens when David Gaider isn't busy being a faggot (many consider it the proper conclusion to Throne of Bhaal)

Noted.

>>16540236

What else do you recommend? I was thinking of replaying Planescape Torment after but I might do that later.

>>16540252

Yeah, PS:T is great, I'd recommend playing as a warrior because mage actually sucks in combat in comparison. If you're asking for D&D recommedations, then I don't have any.

Fallout 2, Age of Decadence and UnderRail have some great combat and decent roleplay.

>>16540252

>What else do you recommend?

Temple of Elemental Evil (by Troika)

perhaps the most faithful implementation of tabletop D&D in vidya form (outside of D&D Tactics, which is so autistically perfect they apologize in the tutorial for being unable to perfectly replicate a certain mechanic) and a 3e implementation of a classic as fuck 1e module

I want to fuck Ginko

>>16540034

Also you know Planescape is technically also apart of Forgotten realms because it a Multiverse hub that links all the D&D universes. So you better also play that game.

>>16540394

>odd opinion

it's because until recently the games don't run nice in pcsx2. Now every anon can learn how comfy couch co-op Champions of Norrath was provided you have a couch and friends to play with!

>>16540407

What if I don't have friends? Is there a party mechanic if you play it by yourself on pc?

>>16540394

>Sounds cool. Is it a D and D setting?

motherfucking Greyhawk

>>16540425

Now that sounds nice. Definitely have to check that out.

>>16540428

>Also do you remember Lavok's Planar Sphere? That was a link to Planscape.

Not at all.

I never used the AD&D planar manual. The only campaign I was a part of that went between planes was like 3.5, or maybe I just missed it.

>>16540447

There is a whole side quest where you travel the multiverse in Balders Gate 2. It's smack dab in the center of Athkatla. How did you miss it? It's probably the best part of the game.

oops possibly you need to be a mage class to access it. Maybe that's how you missed it.

>>16540464

iirc you can do it without being a mage but you can't keep it for your own

>>16540453

>>16540464

I thought you were referring to tabletop because you posted the manual. I still don't remember it but I haven't played most of the games in question for like 10 years.

>>16540394

Pretty much every mod has been updated to work with the EEs. There's probably some ancient abandoned BG1-era mods that definitely won't work but none come to mind.