Finally got Baldur's Gate after hearing people crow about what a fantastic RPG it was for years, and am deeply embarrassed to admit I'm not having fun. The combat is MUCH more difficult than I expected, travel is very slow, and wild beasts keep killing my party.
Half the random sacks, crates and boxes turn out to be empty and I DEEPLY resent having my time wasted walking over to them. Exploring cities, houses and inn rooms seem pointless for this reason since 90% of loot containers turn out to be empty or locked too tight to pick, and 90% of people encountered are random commoners and guards instead of potential companions, quest-givers, etc.
(Right now I'm in Beregost. Gorion got killed, I met up with Imoen, we met up with Xzar and Montaron who want to go south to investigate the iron mine shortage, then met up with Jaheira and Khalid who also want to explore the iron mine problem southbound. We're passing through Bereghost on our way to Naskel now.)
Problem? Every Baldur's Gate fan I've encountered says you should explore as much as possible in so you get more stuff, quests, companions, etc. I want to follow their advice, but I'm really not enjoying exploring. It's slow, boring, doesn't yield much stuff, keeps getting me killed, etc.
I just want to follow the game's main story, solve the iron problem down south and then go where the main story takes me from there. I feel guilty for not enjoying exploring the way everyone says I should, but I'm seriously regretting buying the game right now. That's how much I hate it.
Any suggestions?
Explore or Stick to Basic Plot?
Débuté par
Guest_Faerunner_*
, août 01 2013 07:43
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#2
Posté 01 août 2013 - 08:22
Grond0
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The problem with only doing the main story is that you won't get a lot of XP. If you are finding combat difficult now you would find your party is much too low level for future encounters (unless you are willing to keep re-loading).
In terms of combat you will find things far easier if you designate just one member of your party as the tank. They should have the best dexterity, armour and protective items and engage enemies in melee combat. Meanwhile the others back away and use missiles and spells to help out. It's not true in BG2, but in BG1 missiles tend to do more damage than melee - as well as not exposing your party to return attacks.
If you do find travel slow then you might want to consider getting either of the BGT or Tutu mods. These let you play BG1 with the BG2 game engine, that includes faster walking.
If you don't like exploring you could also consider using a walkthrough so that you know what crucial pieces of equipment you need to collect without exploring every empty container.
In terms of combat you will find things far easier if you designate just one member of your party as the tank. They should have the best dexterity, armour and protective items and engage enemies in melee combat. Meanwhile the others back away and use missiles and spells to help out. It's not true in BG2, but in BG1 missiles tend to do more damage than melee - as well as not exposing your party to return attacks.
If you do find travel slow then you might want to consider getting either of the BGT or Tutu mods. These let you play BG1 with the BG2 game engine, that includes faster walking.
If you don't like exploring you could also consider using a walkthrough so that you know what crucial pieces of equipment you need to collect without exploring every empty container.
#3
Posté 01 août 2013 - 08:46
Gate70
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I understand the sentiment and can remember the same frustrations when the game was released. If you continue I half expect you to run into NPC issues - you already have a party of 6 and decisions of sticking with them or swapping them over for others was a dilemma for me. The counter to all this is that the game delivers huge replay value as a result.
A quick run through is easily possible if you understand the game mechanics, Grond0 has covered much of the basics. Wild beasts don't have to be killed but once you get to level 4 or so they aren't much danger to an organised party.
Taking your party of 6 into Nashkel mine at level 1-2 might prove to be an issue unless you can have a tank character (Khalid or your protagonist although Montaron/Jaheira can be made to perform in this role).
I wouldn't bother exploring too many houses in the towns, there may be a few items of interest but nothing in the game is essential. Try sticking to the edges of wilderness maps so you can flee if necessary.
A quick run through is easily possible if you understand the game mechanics, Grond0 has covered much of the basics. Wild beasts don't have to be killed but once you get to level 4 or so they aren't much danger to an organised party.
Taking your party of 6 into Nashkel mine at level 1-2 might prove to be an issue unless you can have a tank character (Khalid or your protagonist although Montaron/Jaheira can be made to perform in this role).
I wouldn't bother exploring too many houses in the towns, there may be a few items of interest but nothing in the game is essential. Try sticking to the edges of wilderness maps so you can flee if necessary.
Modifié par Gate70, 01 août 2013 - 08:47 .
#4
Guest_Faerunner_*
Posté 01 août 2013 - 10:44
Guest_Faerunner_*
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Grond0 wrote...
The problem with only doing the main story is that you won't get a lot of XP. If you are finding combat difficult now you would find your party is much too low level for future encounters (unless you are willing to keep re-loading).
Oh, I see. I worried about that, but thank you for confirming it.
Okay, so I'll have to explore anyway... joy.
Yeah, I've got Khalid with the best armor and shield that I can afford now, but group enemies still go for the fragile thieves and mages. I'm also not fond of having to micro-manage all six party members for every battle in order not to get massacred, but I guess that's just par for the course this game. (Got spoiled by the tactics slots in DA:O.)In terms of combat you will find things far easier if you designate just one member of your party as the tank. They should have the best dexterity, armour and protective items and engage enemies in melee combat. Meanwhile the others back away and use missiles and spells to help out. It's not true in BG2, but in BG1 missiles tend to do more damage than melee - as well as not exposing your party to return attacks.
Yeah, I'm playing Tutu right now. Sorry, should have specified. It is significantly faster than vanilla BG and it's massively time-saving for this reason, but I still stumbled into the downward cycle. I'm easily killed in battle, so I scour loot containers hoping to afford better weapons and armor, but it's very time-consuming and un-rewarding, so I don't bother scouring for loot, so I can't afford better weapons/armor, so I keep getting killed in battle, so I don't want to explore more because I don't want to get killed as much... and you can see how this plummeted rapidly.If you do find travel slow then you might want to consider getting either of the BGT or Tutu mods. These let you play BG1 with the BG2 game engine, that includes faster walking.
Thanks, that just might work. I wanted to avoid walkthroughs to avoid major spoilers, but the opening to BGII pretty much gave away every major plot twist in the first game, so what more is there to lose?If you don't like exploring you could also consider using a walkthrough so that you know what crucial pieces of equipment you need to collect without exploring every empty container.
Gate70 wrote...
I understand the sentiment and can remember the same frustrations when the game was released. If you continue I half expect you to run into NPC issues - you already have a party of 6 and decisions of sticking with them or swapping them over for others was a dilemma for me. The counter to all this is that the game delivers huge replay value as a result.
Thanks, I already ran into that problem. Ran into Garrick in Beregost and Kivan west of town, but everyone already in the party is paired off (CHARNAME and Imoen, Jeheira and Khalid, Xzar and Montaron). Ideally, I'd happily kick out the two evil nuts, but they also want to explore the iron mine situation down south and I'm afraid they won't still be there if I decide to pick them up later, so I'm stuck.
Assuming I can survive enough wild beast attacks enough to level up to 4, it's something to look forward to. (Seriously, I've been killed by bears, wolves, dire wolves, vampiric wolf packs! I'm a ranger and I'm growing to hate the wilderness because I'm tired of being killed by wild animals. Hobgoblins aren't as challenging!)Wild beasts don't have to be killed but once you get to level 4 or so they aren't much danger to an organised party.
Thanks for the advice. Would that work though? Are we allowed to travel mid-combat? Would the foes just follow us?I wouldn't bother exploring too many houses in the towns, there may be a few items of interest but nothing in the game is essential. Try sticking to the edges of wilderness maps so you can flee if necessary.
Modifié par Faerunner, 01 août 2013 - 10:47 .
#5
Posté 02 août 2013 - 03:04
Grond0
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Nearly all enemies will attack the closest target they see, so you just need to make sure that your tank is always travelling slightly ahead in order to be that target. Try experimenting with the party formation buttons to find one that works with you to make that easier. Thieves (and rangers) can scout ahead using stealth, but won't be good enough to do that without hassle at low level.Faerunner wrote...
Yeah, I've got Khalid with the best armor and shield that I can afford now, but group enemies still go for the fragile thieves and mages. I'm also not fond of having to micro-manage all six party members for every battle in order not to get massacred, but I guess that's just par for the course this game. (Got spoiled by the tactics slots in DA:O.)
You can travel mid-combat and enemies won't follow you off the edge of the map. They may do so when travelling within maps, e.g. in and out of houses.Thanks for the advice. Would that work though? Are we allowed to travel mid-combat? Would the foes just follow us?I wouldn't bother exploring too many houses in the towns, there may be a few items of interest but nothing in the game is essential. Try sticking to the edges of wilderness maps so you can flee if necessary.
