What would you wish on Baldurs Gate 3?

[Luis Antonio]

Well, I wanna see what the other Baldurs Gate players would say.

Same AD&D rules (2nd edition).
NPC's with relationships.
Possibilities of soloing the game.
HLA's.
Moddable Engine.
At least mention of every Child of Bhalls companions and perhaps mentioning some of the most famous mods (like, someone asking you if have you heard about Pontifex, or telling the tale of Chloe or something)
More Races (Drow, please)
More Classes (perhaps even from the mods. Man, them modders must win something after all)
DECENT HISTORYLINE not that ToB kill your brothers amen thing.

That's what I thought first. If they can dream, we may put it on screen.
Please, post your wishes.

[Xandax]

I think seeing a BG3 in 2.edition would be impossible. I have no doubt that it would be made using the latest ruleset on the market at the time of development. (currently 3.5 edition)

NPCs is always the sore point - in my opinnion - in cRPGs.
NPCs needs to be alive - thus I would really love to see a game where they move around and interact with each other and the game world. Also - I'd like to see various factions amongst the NPCs, so that if you help faction X alot, faction Y would be reluctant to have anything to do with you.
NPCs *need* to be alive otherwise the world can very quickly get a static feel where the PC is the only one "alive".

More races would be nice (although I always play human) - but I'm getting (pardon my language ) sick to death of drows. I'd like them to be somewhere else in the story - and please get them to take Drizzt with them

The storyline is the hot item in a possible BG3 - there are many pitfalls if they are to be somewhat relevant to the BG-series in more then name.
But a deep and epic story would be nice, however - what it should be about is difficult matter.

What I would really like to see - is some depth and scope again. Since BG2 most games "boats" of a 40-50 hour campaign. That is simply not enough if the game is to be focused on single player. I don't know why this standard has become de facto, but it annoys me tremendously. Take ressources from graphics if extra is needed, but please provide an epic game in both depth and scope.

[Volk]

BG1 and BG2 SPOILERS BELOW



3RD Edition rules

Prestige classes

Psyonics characters

More Classes

Races

Subraces

Use all the listed skills in the 3RD edition rules, specific knowledge skills jump, climb, ride so on so forth.

Medieval setting ala BG1 not the crapy futuristic one given by BG2, IMO BG2 looked horrible compared to the first one, PST for example made it possibile to have wierd outer planar things without making the game look like it was at least 1000 years in the future, in short keep it medieval, no paved streets great temples 50 foot tall walls around every citty you go to etc.

For the love of god make good items hard to get, again unlike in BG2 where you can buy all the good items from your first citty or find them in the second chapter ( celestial fury, carsomyr, bonus cd merchants, ribalds shop, 2 dragons to fight for items and dragon armors, plus a LOAD of magical items to sell for money or use to complement the ones you have, need i go on? ) , again this was a huge disapointment for in BG2.

Start from level ONE, i know that in BG2 the story was suposed to continue, but i never saw much continuation, you awoke in a dungeon getting tortured by some dumb bald fallen elf who had captured you after you defeated Serevok, thats just how i feel, but it could be easy to do, Irenicus tortured you for an unkown period of time, so for all the player knows his character was tortured enough to loose his levels gained in BG1, i hated how the game is spoiled by having level 4 spells and tough fighters right from the start.

For me getting those new spells, abilities ( end of chapters ) and making my fighters and thieves better in BG1 was one of the best feelings that truely made BG1 an RPG. You never get to see how a level 1 kit would do for example and you never get to play a low level character unless you use SK, and i for one dont like to cheat.

BG1 like spell sounds, i am not sure what they did in Soa, but i HATE the spellcasting sounds in Soa, and considering how spell based the game is i really didnt like that part either.

The option to have turn based combat like in TOEE, POR, or to have it like in BG1 and 2.

[fable]

For the love of god make good items hard to get, again unlike in BG2 where you can buy all the good items from your first citty or find them in the second chapter ( celestial fury, carsomyr, bonus cd merchants, ribalds shop, 2 dragons to fight for items and dragon armors, plus a LOAD of magical items to sell for money or use to complement the ones you have, need i go on? ) , again this was a huge disapointment for in BG2.

Very good idea, but I can't see it happening anytime, soon. The publishers (and frequently, the developers) of these games believe their audiences are comprised of 10-15 year old males. (I'm not making this up. I've spoken to several company reps who claim they've got sold research to back this conclusion.) These "kids" (supposedly) don't want a challenge, only the best weapons to do the most damage. This perhaps explains why incredible weapons were lying around everywhere in KotoR, which was even worse in that respect than BG2.

[Xandax]

[QUOTE=fable]For the love of god make good items hard to get, again unlike in BG2 where you can buy all the good items from your first citty or find them in the second chapter ( celestial fury, carsomyr, bonus cd merchants, ribalds shop, 2 dragons to fight for items and dragon armors, plus a LOAD of magical items to sell for money or use to complement the ones you have, need i go on? ) , again this was a huge disapointment for in BG2.

Very good idea, but I can't see it happening anytime, soon. The publishers (and frequently, the developers) of these games believe their audiences are comprised of 10-15 year old males. They (supposedly) don't want a challenge, only the best weapons to do the most damage. This perhaps explains why incredible weapons were lying around everywhere in KotoR, which was even worse in that respect than BG2.[/QUOTE]

I blame the consoles for this actually - sorry, but I do. I think the fusion of consoles and PCs have done more damage then good in terms of game quality.
But anyways....

It would be very nice if you didn't get some "Hackmaster +12" thrown into your inventory within the first 15 minutes of gameplay (just an example).

In BG2 you could (if you had the money) buy your first +4 weapon straight after leaving Irencius dungon. Way to early.
I found the quest for the Holy Avenger was good - and you felt like you had earned the sword ... well if the AI wasn't so exploitable in the "vanillia version".
This is also why I dislike ToB, because there it went completely overboard with highlevel items.
The same was the problem in especially NwN:HotU which also went overboard. I mean - at the end I was running with a +6 longsword.
It had the following abilities:
Vampiric regeneration +5
Haste
Acid bonus damage 2d6
keen
Spell resistance 20
Strenght drain DC 24
and it could for a short periode of time become a +9 blade by draining 6 consitution (which could be counted by putting on items that made you immune to ability drain


I would love to see a balanced game for one where tactics actually matter.
That is also why I like BG1 better then BG2, despite the advancements in the games. Because in BG1 you could actually be killed easily and when you found a +1 or +2 weapon you were happy.

[fable]

I think you're probably right about this as well, Xandax. The two reasons feed into one another. I don't doubt that the playing base for consoles is much lower than that of the PC, since the latter has functioned as a workstation du jour for roughly 15 years or more. People who work on a PC would (it seems to me) naturally gravitate towards using the platform for gaming, too.

[Nightmare]

I would like to see:

3rd Edition D&D rules (I'm not familiar with 3.5, so I can't speak for it)

A few kits for each of the classes, and especially the choice to be a Wild Mage.

NPCs that have personalities, dialogues, opinions, form relationships and friendships with each other and not just the PC. I'd also like so enough so that all the basics are covered (I sorely missed an evil thief, or a pure thief that you could keep for that matter, in BG2). As its been said, it must be alive.

Game length, somewhere in between PS:T and BG2.

Start at level one, and the level cap at around level 20 or so. And do it Throne of Bhaal style, meaning its actually very, very hard to hit the cap. Preferably, most parties would finish the game around level 15 or so. This means lots of low leveling (which can be quite fun, since you'll battle normal enemies that everyone else does, like Orcs and such). A good example of a low level game would be Icewind Dale, which did that perfectly, IMO.

I don't care excessively about good graphics. Icewind Dale was much more beautiful than many 3D games I've seen, and BG2 had a very nice feel to it that other games didn't have. Spell animations would rock, though. Those in BG2 were rather boring, compared to a game like Icewind Dale (or the cutscene spells from PS:T). Liked how in Icewind Dale a fireball didn't do instant damage to everyone...a character with the Boots of Speed could potentially outrun the expanding fireball. Not to mention that the fireballs in IWD look awesome.

The ability to have a party of 6 that you can control. This was the main drawback from Neverwinter Nights in my opinion.

Few uber-items. For me, BG2:SoA did this almost perfectly. There were only a few +4 or +5 weapons in the game, and most (Carsomyr or Crom Faeyr) were hard to get. It should stay like that. If there is an expansion coming out, then either only add one or two extra items or don't add them at all. My largest gripe about ToB is the abundance of uber-items.

Good portraits. I largely disliked many of them from NWN, liked most from BG/BG2, and I loved the style of the IWD ones.

A storyline that is related to the Bhaalspawn saga (so it won't be some cheap corporate trick), but that obviously doesn't continue it.

I don't really feel a need for more races...

Just my 2 gp.

[Xandax]

[QUOTE=Nightmare]<snip>
Few uber-items. For me, BG2:SoA did this almost perfectly. There were only a few +4 or +5 weapons in the game, and most (Carsomyr or Crom Faeyr) were hard to get. It should stay like that. If there is an expansion coming out, then either only add one or two extra items or don't add them at all. My largest gripe about ToB is the abundance of uber-items.
<snip>[/QUOTE]

I must say we have a differnet perception of the amount of high powered weapons in BG2:SoA.
I mean just out of the intro dungeon and you can buy your first +4 staff?

[Volk]

IWD, BG1, BG2, NWN SPOILERS BELOW.




Uber items dont need to have names, a +4 staff used against a heard of goblins is just as good as the upgraded carsomyr and its easyer to get, point is BG2 was hugely unbalanced and way to easy without tweaks even on the last difficulty setting as was TOB even if you did play them solo.

NWN was also easy but i enjoyed it a lot more you actualy need to work a bit at the begining to get some +1 gear but the ending is ridiculously easy even morag and the two dragons where a joke on the last difficuly. I dont agree to getting 2 levels automaticaly in the prologue, but thats a minor thing and you can start the game fresh from chapter 1 with a level 1 character like i do.

Now i remeber getting to the end of BG1 for the first time, oh man, Serevok and his goons beat the living daylight out of me and i was on very easy, and i had a good party too including a lot of items from Durlags tower, but a fighter/thief, mage, fighter/mage and another fighter, which are all a good 6 or 7 levels above your party will rip you to pices ( i dont remeber exactly but i belive Serevok was 15 or 16 and the rest of his people where the same level ). I ended up having to use the wand of summoning cheese to beat them because i couldnt take them head on, they would just cleave my party to bits.

Or Yixunommei from IWD, she gave me such a headache when i fought her for the first time, and the end boss was also incredibly hard too.

Thats what i want to see more of, but its pretty clear that Fable is right on the money about the issue as a whole, games will start to be designed to please more of the console gamers crowd and those who care nothing about a good game just how cheap they can be in it.

[trance]

-2nd edition rules, even though it won't happen.

-Improved NPC interaction. That was easily one of the best things about BG2, and it could have been even better if it was further developed.

-A NEW story. I do NOT want this to be a continuation of the Bhaal saga from the first two games. That story is done, it's over, let's move on. New main character, new everything. I would also view this as a safety procaution, so if they really screwed up BG3, it wouldn't mess up the story from the first two.

-New lands to explore. This one is pretty much a given, but you never know. Calimshan sounds good, or maybe the 'new world' of Maztica. I would, however, like for the game to take place on the same plane as the first two did.

-Lots of new spells. Lots.

-New classes that I would actually want to use.

I could probably go on for a long time, but these are the things that immediatly come to mind.

[Raumoheru]

i would LOVE more subraces

IWD2 did this very well, especially if u play a drow (sorry xandax) the people would be like "on no its a drow!!!" and "what are you doing here??"

make choices have bigger effects on things---> i.e. i am a paladin that got drunk and just killed a poor peasant but i am still a lawfull good holy messenger of god. yea right

DO NOT have items that are so specific! in D&D you can have any weapon with flaming, flaming burst, holy, unholy etc. so we shud be able make our own weapons like that.

The Experience is CRAP!!!! soloing with a monk through SoA gets me to level 40 at the end (with level cap remover) and you level waaay too fast! you get way to much XP for stupid little quest.

[Sytze]

I would like to see:

-A lot of dialogs
-A lot of banters and maybe a bit of romance
These two things really made the Baldurs Gate series strong, and I hope they keep the work up. NPC's like Edwin, Minsc, Jan and the Spectator Beholder made you play the game more than ones. And that is the strength of BG. I certainly hope to see more of that.

-A long list of kits of which to choose from. Or, like Morrowind does, a character whom can be fully customised. This way you can make your PC to your own wishes.

-I'd like to see Baldurs Gate III in 3D. Maybe it unfolds in a (very) bad way if they do 3D, but considering how Fable and Morrowind look, making the Forgotten Realms in 3D is a possibility, isn't it?

-Bigger fights. Maybe a fight between two armies and that you are being called upon to help one side in need. Something like Improved Oasis, only then in a larger scale. Or maybe I’ve been watching too much of LotR


I'm certainly looking forward to BG III, if it cane live up to his ancestors, that is. But in the meantime, I'll keep my fingers crossed...

[Volk]

IMO you shouldnt get EXP for fights at all, unless it was some sort of very difficult creature, like a demon or a dragon, so on, but i know that wont happen, because it might force people to role play and do quests for exp in stead of waching things to bits.

Coversation should be better also, for example a palladin in NWN can still threaten people for money, accept money for dooing good deeds, steal, persuade people for more money, i dont see why paladins would ask for money period, much less steal, ask for more money or threaten people.

Yes actions should have a huge effect on your class as well, paladins should become fallen as soon as they kill an good aligned innocent person ( detect evil anyone? ) and also unlike in NWN there has to be more ways to change your alignment from law to chaos, making it possibile to have ex bards barbarians and monks. This would actualy make you think about dooing some quests the lawfull way if your bard for example.

[Elvis]

[QUOTE=Sytze]
-I'd like to see Baldurs Gate III in 3D.
[/QUOTE]

Ditto!

This suggestion might be sacrilege to some, but I'd love to see the newest incarnation done in ultra high quality 3D.

The isometric view is still enjoyjoyable, yes, but it's had its day.

Why not move on and take advantage of all that today's graphics have to offer?

I don't think 3D would diminish the game in the least.

In fact, I think it would enhance the gameplay dramatically.

If the developers boldly forge into new territory by giving us a sensational new 3D interface, good on them, I say.

[Luis Antonio]

[QUOTE=Sytze]I would like to see:

-Bigger fights. Maybe a fight between two armies and that you are being called upon to help one side in need. Something like Improved Oasis, only then in a larger scale. Or maybe I’ve been watching too much of LotR
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, Sytze, I agree completely. This is a MUST have. And an slider that improves the tactics needed to beat every enemy, not only damage and saving throws.

[fable]

I would like to see quests given out with reasonable motivation. This was pretty much the case in PS:T and BG2--for example, in one BG2 quest, you were given the impression that anybody could step in to handle the mess (if they wanted to), while in a couple of others, you had availability and a full party on your side to impress two questgivers. Another quest was part of a deal by a certain organization that had previously offered its services, and kept trying to squeeze more support out of you in exchange for something you strongly desired. And in one quest, the ease with which you acquired it was actually part of a plot by an enemy to foil anyone with the potential to mess up a certain villain's plans.

This contrasts with the general way quests have been given to the PC and their party in CRPGs: "Hi, I don't know you from a hole in the ground, but I feel mysteriously compelled to ask you to return the Secret Amuet of Geshosenfuldampfmitschlumpfangesangenicht to me."

Hopefully, BG3 will avoid quests-without-motivation--but we'll see.

[Raumoheru]

[QUOTE=Sytze]I would like to see:

-A lot of dialogs
-A lot of banters and maybe a bit of romance
These two things really made the Baldurs Gate series strong, and I hope they keep the work up. NPC's like Edwin, Minsc, Jan and the Spectator Beholder made you play the game more than ones. And that is the strength of BG. I certainly hope to see more of that.

-A long list of kits of which to choose from. Or, like Morrowind does, a character whom can be fully customised. This way you can make your PC to your own wishes.

-I'd like to see Baldurs Gate III in 3D. Maybe it unfolds in a (very) bad way if they do 3D, but considering how Fable and Morrowind look, making the Forgotten Realms in 3D is a possibility, isn't it?

-Bigger fights. Maybe a fight between two armies and that you are being called upon to help one side in need. Something like Improved Oasis, only then in a larger scale. Or maybe I’ve been watching too much of LotR


I'm certainly looking forward to BG III, if it cane live up to his ancestors, that is. But in the meantime, I'll keep my fingers crossed...[/QUOTE]

i Would LOVE to see this too!!!
i didnt like exactly how Morrowind made its chars level up (need to gain ten ranks in any class skills) but i did like how they made skills level up (more ya use it the better you get). matter of fact i think D&D can take levels off completly!!! just go by skills like the white wolf series!!!

[Monolith]

[QUOTE=Sytze]I'd like to see Baldurs Gate III in 3D. [/QUOTE]

Oh, I hate that idea. Just imagine how much time they'd spend on graphics...


Well, my wishlist:

- back to Baldur's Gate ( the town)

- an overwhelming plot with enormous depth and suprises ( written by one or more professional writers who are familiar with the FR)

- an alive and somehow realistic world. Things happening all the time - without the need of the protagonist to interfe. Coincidences. Intrigues. Wars. And all of this happening independently from the PC. Just imagine the party getting a quest, some problems with wild animals somewhere in a small, nearby wood. After two hard weeks - the 'nearby wood' turned out to be a wild, concrete forest far to the north, the 'wild animals' became wild trolls who went berserk and the 'problems' turned out to be getting out alive with a pack of human-hating wood elves behind - the party arrives at what seems to be the burning remains of...well, the town they travelled through two weeks ago. "Woho", would the usual RPG-Player think. "The plot thickens!". Nope. The party only missed the little war between town A and town B. Town B won. That's it. Now the player can choose to interfere. But if the party didn't take that quest and stayed in town instead, the player would be involved in the war - and the outcome could be different. I think you got the point...

- real heroism, real reputation and...once again, a somehow realistic world ( now referring to quests). BG2 has something what is called reputation - but it is rather a number on which the reactions of NPCs base. What I mean:
People spreading the word of a small group of nobodies who - for instance - killed a dragon, a witch, rescued a famous ranger and saved a small village only because a little child asked them nicely. In BG2 it seems to be so natural, nothing special - just as if everybody did it every day. But it should be something great. *And* it shouldn't happen all the time. Trolls taking over a keep, witches tormenting a small village, evil druids doing whatever evil druids do to another small village, an evil cult lead by a beholder...because these quests are so great, they really should be some quests out of hundred others which aren't that...well, unbelievable and substantial. Being a thief who has to infiltrate the local jail in order to get out a companion can be interesting as well - there doesn't need to be a demon-lord with a whole army of undead creatures who want to take over the whole kingdom inside of that jail.

- alchemy, a more comlex spell-system ( the usual spells being the basement for individually changed, combined and more flexible spells. For instance: the fireball-spell being the improved 'light a torch'-spell, which also is the spell which the firewall-spell bases on) and more wizard-fights.

- more usage of fist-fights ( for instance: brawls in taverns)

- no more "death is the only solution". I want to decide if I let my enemies live, knock them out and leave them stripped or take them to the local authorities.

- the plot should depend on the class of the player. There should be at least three different ways to play though the game - the way of the fighter, the thief and the mage. At least these three...


Well, I know that this is a very naive wishlist. But I'm going to put this inside of the letter I send to Santa Claus at the end of the year, so I am rather optimistic.

[rebel3_6_1]

First, I agree that there should be a Drow race. I mean, you see drow running around all over the place in the Underdark and Sendai's Enclave, not to mention Drizz't. Shouldn't it be possible to have a Drow in your party?

Second, I also agree that huge battles are a must. There is nothing more exciting to me than the feeling that I'm part of a large army and we're trying to beat the hell out of another large army. I also think there should be dragons again. Fighting dragons was one of my favorite things in BG2.

I don't think there really needs to be a great deal of new magic as the magic in BG2 & TOB was pretty extensive. Maybe just a few new spells for the people who want them. One spell I would like to see is an Improved Magic Missile that could launch more than 5 missiles.

As far as the story goes, I think that it's a pretty common fact that the main character from BG 1 & 2 is done. The best idea is definitely to have a new character start at level 1 that is connected to the Bhaalspawn Saga. I think it would be cool if the character from BG 1 & 2 left the astral plane and raised an army and beset the sword coast, destroying everything in his path. This could also accommodate the huge battles. You could be a recruit in the combined sword coast army being put together to stop the new God of Murder's army.

Something I would really like to see is revisits to old areas from BG & Icewind Dale. There should be some new areas, but you should also have business in old cities like The Ten Towns, Baldur's Gate, and Athlatka. Revisiting towns from previous games makes it feel more like a sequel than an unrelated game with the same name to sell more copies. Also, some of the main character's companions from BG2 should be mentioned at different times. Some of the younger ones could even be part of the Sword Coast Army to fight against him or something.

Anyways, those are just some ideas.(Sorry it's so long, I've just been dreaming about another great RPG like BG2 for quite awhile.)

[Rob-hin]

No children of Bhaal again, perhaps something that comes forth from the BG saga, but no children of Bhaal please.


My only other wish, make it a true d&d experience like the BG saga did. Make me regred I ever finished it. Requirements:
- Good story
- Deep NPC's
- Choises that affect the story
- Keep it small and end big, no armies and stuff like that though
- Sub quests
- Running away, why is every fight doable, no one wins all the time
- More to come