Baldur's Gate 3...confirmed!

[Arkhios]

Well.... PC is obviously one. Divinity 2 was eventually brought to PS4 and XB1.

And the Enhanced Editions of Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, etc are all coming to consoles in September (including Switch).

So.... I mean... I expect PC release first with a possible release on XB1, PS4 and maybe Switch within a year of the PC launch.

Daymn... I might have to finally get a Switch myself... if for no other reason, then that.

[swamp_slug]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI4v6hC_rjM

So I think this explains why Mike has been silent for so long, Larian stuck him in an Iron Flask!

[jaappleton]

I am in the same boat. I positively *love* BG saga... but it's over. And I'm kinda sad because of it. At the same time, BG: ToB was contentious in it's own time. It's still objectively a great game. Not on par with SoA... but still, more than good. Great, even.

And I want those memories intact. Call me purist, call me elitist... you might not be too far off the mark. But there will never be another Irenicus, Minsc, Imoen, Sarevok... and even Jan Jansen, Ilmater rest his black soul.

Much like Glyphstone, I would prefer altogether new game. I am not objecting to resurrecting Infinity engine... making it anew, even.

But let Baldur's Gate rest on it's well deserved laurels.

I think a big part of the hype for the game is using the Baldur's Gate name. Even if its in the same universe, and you meet an older version of some of the familiar characters.

They did a few recent D&D games. They SUCKED. Daggerfall, some other one where I can't even remember the name...

BG is a name. One people have faith in.

Though I just remember... Spelljammer ships in the trailer....

Will we finally discover that Boo is, truly, a miniature giant space hamster as Minsc always claimed?!

[GloatingSwine]

Also listed on GoG.

I'm not sure how much Google are actually involved. Larian are self publishing it.

Probably expect console ports after the PC version launches too, like they've done with D:OS2.

I think a big part of the hype for the game is using the Baldur's Gate name. Even if its in the same universe, and you meet an older version of some of the familiar characters.

A lot older.

It's going to be set just after Descent to Avernus, which is about 100 years after the events of the first game.

(That doesn't stop Minsc, the comics are also set 100 years after the events of the game, but a wild magic surge swaps a statue of him and Boo for the real thing. If they reference the comics though, Coran is still around and has worked his way into a position of some importance in the city.)

[LibraryOgre]

Also, in the trailer, in the far off distance in the sky... Nautiloids.

(That’s legit been confirmed by the devs.)

Spelljammer ships!

SPELLJAMMER.

Nautiloids are mentioned in Mind Flayer write-ups in 5e, already. I was happy to see them, since they play a part in my summer campaign.

[Starbuck_II]

I still think it is odd that for all the "4E is an MMO" talk back in 2008, they never made 4E videogames.

They did actually, I have a DS game for it. It wasn't official trademarked, but had all the details.
Was pretty good, everyone had role. So did enemies.

Dawn of Heroes
(points of light like the campaign setting in 4.0 books)

[Honest Tiefling]

I think a big part of the hype for the game is using the Baldur's Gate name. Even if its in the same universe, and you meet an older version of some of the familiar characters.

I might be in the minority, but I'd rather they leverage the name to get a good story out and actually successful than digging up the old protagonist if they have no idea how to make that story work. Especially since it'd be hard to write it as your character is likely dead or a god. Quite different starting states.

I do also wonder if I'll need knowledge of Descent into Avernus to make sense of the game. I'm worried I'll need a lot of background in the published adventures to make sense of anything, and I purposefully try to remain ignorant of those.

[Jama7301]

They did actually, I have a DS game for it. It wasn't official trademarked, but had all the details.
Was pretty good, everyone had role. So did enemies.

Dawn of Heroes
(points of light like the campaign setting in 4.0 books)

Beg pardon?

Welp, I have something to look into after work now.

[Kyutaru]

Beg pardon?

Welp, I have something to look into after work now.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverwinter_(video_game)

Neverwinter is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Cryptic Studios and released by Perfect World Entertainment for Microsoft Windows in 2013, Xbox One in 2015, and PlayStation 4 in 2016. Based on the fictional Forgotten Realms city of Neverwinter from Dungeons & Dragons, Neverwinter is a standalone game and not part of the previous Neverwinter Nights series.

Neverwinter is based on a modified version of the Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition rules set. This includes the use of healing powers and action points, the latter of which is implemented through a system referred to as dailies, allowing a player to perform a special ability by accumulating enough action points through combat.

[NRSASD]

Here's Larian Studios' first official community announcement about Baldur's Gate III. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI4v6hC_rjM

This reassures me quite a bit actually. While it's still quite goofy, I think both WOTC and Larian understand what a hallowed place Baldur's Gate occupies for their fans.

Will they succeed at making a worthy sequel? Maybe. Will they give it their all or die trying? Definitely.

[Jama7301]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverwinter_(video_game)

Neverwinter is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Cryptic Studios and released by Perfect World Entertainment for Microsoft Windows in 2013, Xbox One in 2015, and PlayStation 4 in 2016. Based on the fictional Forgotten Realms city of Neverwinter from Dungeons & Dragons, Neverwinter is a standalone game and not part of the previous Neverwinter Nights series.

Neverwinter is based on a modified version of the Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition rules set. This includes the use of healing powers and action points, the latter of which is implemented through a system referred to as dailies, allowing a player to perform a special ability by accumulating enough action points through combat.

Yeah, I've heard of that one. I was just kind of bewildered that the friggin' DS got one.

Didn't know that Neverwinter was based off 4e though. I created a character and never got further than that though.

[Kane0]

4e inspired more than anything, its still largely an MMO system

[Kyutaru]

4e inspired more than anything, its still largely an MMO system

So is 4e. The game uses at-wills, short use encounter powers, and activated dailies over the course of a dungeon with many encounters. It's just an accelerated form of D&D since it's meant to faster paced.

The 3rd edition version took many liberties too in D&D Online. Same with just about every Bioware game including Baldur's Gate, heck real time with pause is anti-tabletop from the start. It's tricky to get something to perfectly match what works well in another format.

[Kish]

activated dailies

See, that is why it's not accurate to say 4ed is designed like a morepig. Neverwinter doesn't have actual "you use this once a day" powers because it doesn't have days any more than most morepigs--it has "we call our Limit Break powers dailies because 4ed."

4ed was designed very much to fit a computer game--a single-player offline CRPG. The designers even said outright that they did that on purpose so it would be easier to make computer games. And then all it got was a morepig, which had to change every mechanic related to rest. (And apparently a DS game; don't know anything about that.)

[Erloas]

Yeah, as much as I love various board, table top, console, and PC games mechanics I can't say there is any one that I really want faithfully reproduced exactly from one to the other, they have different advantages and disadvantages so trying to copy them exactly is just asking for a sub-par product compared to what it could be. (Even PC to console, the design difference between expected mouse and keyboard control versus controller means most games are best on one or the other.)

So to me, a good CRPG, borrowing heavily from D&D design, but not afraid of making changes, is a lot better than saying "we can't change this thing at all because this is exactly how it works with paper and dice."

[Kane0]

I would like to see rolling to hit stay though...

[Cikomyr]

I would like to see rolling to hit stay though...

Like Tyranny or Pillars?

[Nadevoc]

Also, in the trailer, in the far off distance in the sky... Nautiloids.

(That’s legit been confirmed by the devs.)

Spelljammer ships!

SPELLJAMMER.

Bleh. This dampens my excitement somewhat. Spelljammer has never appealed to me in the slightest and I don't want it crammed into Baldur's Gate, especially since it suggests (to me at least) there's quite possibly a significant tonal shift from the previous BG games. Larian has shown they can definitely make a game like this mechanically fun, but I'll echo concerns about the writing. If you use the Baldur's Gate name, there are some expectations that come with it.

[Aotrs Commander]

Here's Larian Studios' first official community announcement about Baldur's Gate III. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LI4v6hC_rjM

Pfftahahahahahahahaha!

Well, sudden a very great deal about Larien becomes very clear...

[No brains]

I wouldn't mind another Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, but that's why some call me No brains.

[JadedDM]

Bleh. This dampens my excitement somewhat. Spelljammer has never appealed to me in the slightest and I don't want it crammed into Baldur's Gate, especially since it suggests (to me at least) there's quite possibly a significant tonal shift from the previous BG games. Larian has shown they can definitely make a game like this mechanically fun, but I'll echo concerns about the writing. If you use the Baldur's Gate name, there are some expectations that come with it.

But...there's a tradition of having Spelljammer references in the BG series. Wasn't there a spelljammer ship in BG2, in the Underdark? And of course, there's Boo, the Miniature Giant Space Hamster.

[Honest Tiefling]

Pfftahahahahahahahaha!

Well, sudden a very great deal about Larien becomes very clear...

You do have to admit one thing...They simply don't understand how the average DnD player thinks. I mean, impulsive, violent decisions followed by frantic escapes while annoying NPCs WITHOUT LOOTING? It's almost as if they've never played a single game in their life! At least take a coffee mug.

[Nadevoc]

But...there's a tradition of having Spelljammer references in the BG series. Wasn't there a spelljammer ship in BG2, in the Underdark? And of course, there's Boo, the Miniature Giant Space Hamster.

Boo is a hamster. His grandiose backstory is given to us by a half-mad fully-addled barbarian who's been hit in the head many, many times. I think there was a planar ship at some point in BG2. I don't remember the details, but it definitely didn't have the goofy over-the-topness that seems so core to Spelljammer. So maybe there was a reference to it, and I missed it because I don't like Spelljammer and thus won't get all the references.

But my big point is that Spelljammer is tonally very different than Baldur's Gate. And if they're teasing Spelljammer *this early* as opposed to having an easter egg or two, that means there's a good chance that the tone of this game will not match previous BG games at all.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

You do have to admit one thing...They simply don't understand how the average DnD player thinks. I mean, impulsive, violent decisions followed by frantic escapes while annoying NPCs WITHOUT LOOTING? It's almost as if they've never played a single game in their life! At least take a coffee mug.

But... but they DID loot. They looted the Iron Flask. That's, like, an Artifact tier item. I mean, in theory you could get Wishes out of that thing if you use it right. Plus, yanno, what is IN the Iron Flask. Does that count as loot or a kill?

The rest of the stuff is trash tier, not worth the encumbrance rating. Especially not when apparently his armor already put him up a couple of tiers of encumbrance already. Unless there was a set of the Manuals and Tomes on a bookshelf somewhere I missed, he grabbed the important loot.

[JadedDM]

Boo is a hamster. His grandiose backstory is given to us by a half-mad fully-addled barbarian who's been hit in the head many, many times. I think there was a planar ship at some point in BG2. I don't remember the details, but it definitely didn't have the goofy over-the-topness that seems so core to Spelljammer. So maybe there was a reference to it, and I missed it because I don't like Spelljammer and thus won't get all the references.

But my big point is that Spelljammer is tonally very different than Baldur's Gate. And if they're teasing Spelljammer *this early* as opposed to having an easter egg or two, that means there's a good chance that the tone of this game will not match previous BG games at all.

Are you arguing that a "half-mad fully addled barbarian who's been hit in the head many, many times" who has a pet Miniature Giant Space Hamster is not "goofy over-the-topness?"

Wait, are you arguing that the series of Baldur's Gate is not "goofy over-the-topness?" The same series that has a scene where rookie adventurers attack you, get their asses kicked, then reload their last save and decide not to attack you the second time? The same series where certain NPCs complain if you click on them too much? The same series with characters like Noober, Minsc, Xzar and Tiax? The same game with dialogue lines like, "I could take Drizzit with both hands tied behind my back!" and "GO FOR THE EYES, BOO! GO FOR THE EYES!"?

...

I think we may have played very different games then.

[Anteros]

Are you arguing that a "half-mad fully addled barbarian who's been hit in the head many, many times" who has a pet Miniature Giant Space Hamster is not "goofy over-the-topness?"

Wait, are you arguing that the series of Baldur's Gate is not "goofy over-the-topness?" The same series that has a scene where rookie adventurers attack you, get their asses kicked, then reload their last save and decide not to attack you the second time? The same series where certain NPCs complain if you click on them too much? The same series with characters like Noober, Minsc, Xzar and Tiax? The same game with dialogue lines like, "I could take Drizzit with both hands tied behind my back!" and "GO FOR THE EYES, BOO! GO FOR THE EYES!"?

...

I think we may have played very different games then.

I think the difference is that Baldurs gate also has good dramatic and serious moments and tells a compelling overall story while "goofy over-the-topness" is basically all that Larian writes. It's basically the difference between moments of levity to relieve tension in a drama vs a Monty Python sketch. And I'm saying this as someone who loves the Divinity series.

Writing is simply not their forte. There's never a good overarching story, the characters are flat, and the humor is always too "lul so random" to really hit the mark. They'll give us a good game in the Baldurs Gate setting with mediocre writing. That's what they always do.

[NRSASD]

Writing is simply not their forte. There's never a good overarching story, the characters are flat, and the humor is always too "lul so random" to really hit the mark. They'll give us a good game in the Baldurs Gate setting with mediocre writing. That's what they always do.

Which will be a crying shame if true. Hopefully they'll change tack and land a serious plot with the occasional goofy aside. Fingers crossed!

[Cespenar]

I don't want to be overly negative, but if they were capable of great writing, I don't think they would have hold it back in their earlier games. And since I don't think they are self observant enough to notice that and hire extra help, I can't think of a way for them to deliver, simply. Collab with Wizards is cool and all, but that's probably mainly for setting consistency.

I'm just saying, I'll keep my expectations lower than I would have if it was Obsidian et al. I hope to eat my words, though.

[Aotrs Commander]

Well, while I never finished Divine Divnity 1, and DivDiv 2 I finished but was a bit unremarkable, DS:O 1 & 2 were fun enough - and certainly provided me with a combined total of 280 hour's worth.

Rare is the game I play through more than once, even rarer more than twice (PS:T being one), so if it provide me with a hundred hours or so at some point down the line, I'm fine with it.

Especially since I was just thinking "well, crap, that's it now, once I've played Kingmkaer, no new games on the horizon."

Honestly, I liked BG2 well enough, but for me the holy grail has always been Planescape: Torment. PoE 1 and 2 have been close enough to BG2 I couldn't tell you which I liked better, I don't think; but really only Tides of Numera has come close to PS:T's level. And while that hit the right level of tone and setting, the game mechanics and lack of combat made it way too short. In going to turn-based and avoiding chaff encounters¹, Tides just forgot to put combats in, like, bearly at all. Larien, meanwhile, just did a much better job in DS:O 1/2 by making all the combats more like boss fights by making them interesting and hard enough that you never wanted to "auto-attack to death." (Basically, even, the sort of combats i run myself for choice when playing TT.)



One thing I do hope do is crib the idea fro D:OS 2 of allowing you to basically choose your companion's class (or at very least, like Deadfire, choose from a small pool of options). I would like the option to do like Deadfire and have be able to make up your own minions as well - I don't tend to even use that option much, but I love that it's there. Party composition is half the fun of an RPG like this, and I do like the option of being able to customise my companions so I'm not stuck with a) a character I don't like because of their class and/or b) otherwise losing out roleplaying interaction with companions.

(Most RPGs, I find that if I DO replay them - like BG2 - I'm going to have the exact same (main) companions as last time, since they were ones that didn't, well, suck. KotR 1/2, ME 1-3 and Dragon Age 1 at least having the advantage of being able to freely swap them out and generally having a higher standard - or, at least, having a camp sort of situation where you could talk to them and have some level of interaction if they were not in your active party. BG2, I basically ignored everyone aside from Minsk, Jahiera, Aerie. Mazzy and Imeon (and Yoshino the first time²).)

So, yeah, the idea of having companions not locked into one class is, I think, a really good idea and even adds some extra replayability value.



¹The sort of thing it's okay to have in RTwP because while in RTwP, you are sacrificing control for a bit more simulationism, it does mean when you're not controlling each character individually and you get through combats faster. It also tacitly encourages you to just go "ah screw it, can't be arsed" and auto-attack something to death if the fight isn't interesting. Having played DS:O 1 and 2 only a few months ago, and then playing PoE2 now, I am VERY much noticing that I'm only actively controlling 2 1/2 of my five characters in PoE 2. So for the first time ever, I find myself going "hmm, okay, so that IS a good point for turn-based." Mind you, I suspect this is because DS:O 1/2 did a good job of making you always have something to DO with your characters other than "click to melee."

²Second and subsequent playthrough, he gets a Finger of Death in the pub at the first opportunity...

[Rodin]

I don't want to be overly negative, but if they were capable of great writing, I don't think they would have hold it back in their earlier games. And since I don't think they are self observant enough to notice that and hire extra help, I can't think of a way for them to deliver, simply. Collab with Wizards is cool and all, but that's probably mainly for setting consistency.

I'm just saying, I'll keep my expectations lower than I would have if it was Obsidian et al. I hope to eat my words, though.

Meh. I've found Obsidian's writing to be about on par with D:OS2, to be honest. At least for their isometric stuff. It's all serviceable enough but never really breaks through to where the characters are really memorable.

Then again, it could just be that style of game not resonating with me. The last character to make me care about them in this specific sub-genre would be...Deekin? Yeah, Deekin. I couldn't even tell you the names of the characters from Tyranny or Pillars of Exile.

Meanwhile, I'm playing CrossCode and getting absolutely blown away by it.