Questa discussione ha avuto 32 risposte

[vbibbi]

I'm watching some YouTube playthroughs of the expansion. Only just left BG and met Caelar. I have to say, it looks pretty good so far, it does integrate well into BG1's style and story (though the Hooded Man is a bit anvilicious and I'm not sure he's needed. I know he appears a few times). The one thing I've noticed which doesn't mesh as well is the dialogue. Having just replayed vanilla BG and playing through BG2 now, it's not that the PC's dialogue options were fine literature, and usually broke out into the lawful good saintly option or the curt practical response of self-interest and greed. With a few variations.

 

The expansion has those options with the added "funny" neutral option now. And while the dialogue options look really funny, they seem out of place in the game, especially when the PC didn't have that kind of witticism available either before or after SoD takes place. The dialogue strongly resembles that of purple!Hawke in DA2 in its irreverence, casual sociopathy, and being genre savvy. So it's a little out of place in the setting, IMO. It would be really funny in another game, since purple!Hawke was my favorite Hawke, but pulls me out of the setting and feels anachronistic.

 

But so far I am still enjoying watching the playthrough. And from the little I've seen of Safana, I don't see how her character has changed from the vanilla game.

[ussnorway]

snip...

 

But so far I am still enjoying watching the playthrough. And from the little I've seen of Safana, I don't see how her character has changed from the vanilla game.

 

I think most people have her in mind for Skie whom does get a new plot twist (no spoiler)... Sanfana is fleshed out more but not that someone not used to her would notice.

[Seraphim24]

The simple fact is that Beamdog had only released remasters mostly up to this point (mostly, because they obviously added new stuff in them as well)

 

Siege of Dragonspear is basically their first like "big game" I think and as a consequence it would attract a lot of attention solely for that reason. If it hadn't been such a big game I doubt anyone would of noticed one way or another to be honest.

[vbibbi]

I think most people have her in mind for Skie whom does get a new plot twist (no spoiler)... Sanfana is fleshed out more but not that someone not used to her would notice.

 

Ah, that could very well be. I do know of Skie's involvement a little, and I could see it being OOC from the NPC we meet in BG1, but I could also assume character development due to the assassination of her father, Eldoth's assumed abandonment, etc. Speaking of which, was there an explanation for why Duke Entar had mysteriously gotten over his sudden case of death? I did a quick search and see that according to FR lore he was resurrected, but I didn't see any mention of the fact that he had been killed by the Iron Throne in SoD...

 

The simple fact is that Beamdog had only released remasters mostly up to this point (mostly, because they obviously added new stuff in them as well)

 

Siege of Dragonspear is basically their first like "big game" I think and as a consequence it would attract a lot of attention solely for that reason. If it hadn't been such a big game I doubt anyone would of noticed one way or another to be honest.

 

Well, they got on everyone's radar with the enhanced editions, although TBH it appears as though they capitalized on the long standing modding community and used some of those systems. So it almost seems like a company is putting out an official mod and getting paid for it, while there are dozens of modders who have been making their mods for over a decade for free. And some of those mods are on an equivalent level of professionalism and polish.

 

But really, I feel like SoD is the expansion no one asked for or expected. It's not like the beginning of BG2 doesn't provide enough context for how we got to Irenicus' dungeon. Now, if Beamdog had expanded content in both games, say by making more of the BG1 NPCs available as companions in BG2 or adding more quests and zones, that would be good. I have played with Neera and Rasaad and they're both fairly interesting. They stick out as new NPCs in BG1, though, due to their lengthy quests and dialogue which the vanilla companions don't have.

 

 

 

This isn't to say I'm not enjoying watching it or wish they hadn't made the expansion. But it's my view of why the public might not be inclined to automatically favor the game. They have nostalgia glasses on an old game series that has defined most good RPGs in the past few decades, but are also accustomed to better graphics and game mechanics in current games. It's a difficult position for anyone who wants to build on the series.

[Seraphim24]

This isn't to say I'm not enjoying watching it or wish they hadn't made the expansion. But it's my view of why the public might not be inclined to automatically favor the game. They have nostalgia glasses on an old game series that has defined most good RPGs in the past few decades, but are also accustomed to better graphics and game mechanics in current games. It's a difficult position for anyone who wants to build on the series.

 

Are you sure that isn't just you seeing it that way?

 

My sense is many people are positively ecstatic, with the public in general being unaware of the series as a whole or the story or one way or another.

[vbibbi]

Are you sure that isn't just you seeing it that way?

 

My sense is many people are positively ecstatic, with the public in general being unaware of the series as a whole or the story or one way or another.

 

It's not just me, no. If the general public is not aware of Baldur's Gate, I am fairly certain they are not going to buy something billed as an expansion pack set between two games they haven't played. And the Infinity Engine is not going to appeal to people used to playing on PS or Xbox.

 

 

http://www.pcgamer.c...onspear-review/

"As a historical artefact, Baldur's Gate is important. As an RPG, it's huge and expressive. As a moment-to-moment experience, it can be a bit of a chore. Siege of Dragonspear is an expansion for Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition. As an add-on—albeit one that takes the form of a lengthy, full campaign—it's forced me to reevaluate if Baldur's Gate is worth expanding."

 

 

http://www.gamerevol...-of-dragonspear

"If you’re like me, a twenty-something just old enough to have played Baldur’s Gate but who was too young at the time to remember much about it, Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear is going to seem like a great idea. You’ll remember how it made you feel when its opening cinematic played, with ominous music and a horned demon exacting violence against an out-matched, scarcely armored man, and you’ll say, “This is the expansion for me."....Tapping into nostalgia, though, can be risky when you deviate from the formula of the source material."

 

 

http://www.destructo...ar-352947.phtml

"Gameplay is classic Baldur's Gate, which is a mixed bag at this point."

 

 

 

https://www.rockpape...onspear-review/

"Nostalgia is a tricky thing. It persuades us that what we want is what we once had, but all too often deflects what that actually was....Polished up a bit by the Enhanced Edition or not, the Infinity Engine seriously creaks these days."

 

 

http://www.gamespot....r/1900-6416408/

"Returning home to Baldur’s Gate makes Siege of Dragonspear one of the most enjoyable RPGs that I have played in a long time, both for the nostalgia factor of revisiting an all-time favorite and for the impressively designed and involving narrative that captures nearly everything that fans love about traditional D&D. Even though the engine creaks in spots, the overall experience is everything that a hardcore D&D fan could ask for, and a superb expansion of one of the most legendary franchises in all of roleplaying game history."

[Seraphim24]

It's not just me, no. If the general public is not aware of Baldur's Gate, I am fairly certain they are not going to buy something billed as an expansion pack set between two games they haven't played. And the Infinity Engine is not going to appeal to people used to playing on PS or Xbox.

 

 

http://www.pcgamer.c...onspear-review/

"As a historical artefact, Baldur's Gate is important. As an RPG, it's huge and expressive. As a moment-to-moment experience, it can be a bit of a chore. Siege of Dragonspear is an expansion for Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition. As an add-on—albeit one that takes the form of a lengthy, full campaign—it's forced me to reevaluate if Baldur's Gate is worth expanding."

 

 

http://www.gamerevol...-of-dragonspear

"If you’re like me, a twenty-something just old enough to have played Baldur’s Gate but who was too young at the time to remember much about it, Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear is going to seem like a great idea. You’ll remember how it made you feel when its opening cinematic played, with ominous music and a horned demon exacting violence against an out-matched, scarcely armored man, and you’ll say, “This is the expansion for me."....Tapping into nostalgia, though, can be risky when you deviate from the formula of the source material."

 

 

http://www.destructo...ar-352947.phtml

"Gameplay is classic Baldur's Gate, which is a mixed bag at this point."

 

 

 

https://www.rockpape...onspear-review/

"Nostalgia is a tricky thing. It persuades us that what we want is what we once had, but all too often deflects what that actually was....Polished up a bit by the Enhanced Edition or not, the Infinity Engine seriously creaks these days."

 

 

http://www.gamespot....r/1900-6416408/

"Returning home to Baldur’s Gate makes Siege of Dragonspear one of the most enjoyable RPGs that I have played in a long time, both for the nostalgia factor of revisiting an all-time favorite and for the impressively designed and involving narrative that captures nearly everything that fans love about traditional D&D. Even though the engine creaks in spots, the overall experience is everything that a hardcore D&D fan could ask for, and a superb expansion of one of the most legendary franchises in all of roleplaying game history."

 

Ok so you basically just quoted all the major game websites, which as anyone knows consists almost entirely of that demographic when gaming websites were a thing.

 

I'm fairly certain most people nowadays rely almost entirely on social media or just people they talk to in order to determine what games to play, although to be more precise, it's more likely they are poly-media and don't really fixate on a "game" any more than other thing.

 

Anyway, I imagine one way or another sales will determine the course of this or that, and not the consensus opinions among gamers which is in fact a selective slice of said population.

[vbibbi]

Ok so you basically just quoted all the major game websites, which as anyone knows consists almost entirely of that demographic when gaming websites were a thing.

 

I'm fairly certain most people nowadays rely almost entirely on social media or just people they talk to in order to determine what games to play, although to be more precise, it's more likely they are poly-media and don't really fixate on a "game" any more than other thing.

 

Anyway, I imagine one way or another sales will determine the course of this or that, and not the consensus opinions among gamers which is in fact a selective slice of said population.

 

Okay so you basically are not going to take any sources I've cited as relevant evidence, claiming that major game websites are not valid sources of opinions about games. Would you rather I have cited the user reviews on metacritic, which is clearly unbiased and reflects players? Or are you going to provide any counter argument, maybe send me links to all of your facebook and twitter friends who have said "I luv dis game lulz"

 

What is your point, here? I'm providing my opinion on what I have seen of the game, and what some major news outlets have written on the game. You are claiming that gamers' opinions are not going to matter to the success of the game, just sales. Well...if gamers' opinions are negative, they are not going to buy the game. And since this is a very niche market, the majority of consumers who would be interested in an expansion set between two games over a decade old are going to be these gamers.

 

And nowhere am I saying I want the expansion to do poorly or think that it is doing poorly. So I don't know where you're going with this.