Baldur's Gate 4???

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Fri Sep 03, 2004 3:57 am

Van Burren was the codename for the Fallout 3 being developed under Interplay before they killed off Black Isle and the Van Burren project.

Nightmare · Post by **Nightmare** » Sat Sep 04, 2004 12:10 am

BG3 was also being made by Black Isle under the codenamed "Jefferson", IIRC. But that ended when Black Isle was killed, too.

Adahn · Post by **Adahn** » Sat Sep 04, 2004 4:12 am

Why do they always kill good gaming enterprizes like Black Isle or Westwood? I mean hell, they made millions didn't they? With the Baldur's Gate series, the Icewind Dale series and Planescape: Torment. Just like Westwood with all the Red Alerts. Those are some of the best games ever why the heck to they go under? I just don't get it...

Paranitis · Post by **Paranitis** » Sat Sep 04, 2004 4:55 am

Because to stay on top you have to constantly be releasing newer and newer material..if you let a month slip by without something new coming out then you tank, lol

Adahn · Post by **Adahn** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 3:45 am

[QUOTE=Paranitis]Because to stay on top you have to constantly be releasing newer and newer material..if you let a month slip by without something new coming out then you tank, lol[/QUOTE]

Ok but... It's not that simple.Or is it?

Nightmare · Post by **Nightmare** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 11:18 am

[QUOTE=Adahn]Why do they always kill good gaming enterprizes like Black Isle or Westwood? I mean hell, they made millions didn't they? With the Baldur's Gate series, the Icewind Dale series and Planescape: Torment. Just like Westwood with all the Red Alerts. Those are some of the best games ever why the heck to they go under? I just don't get it...[/QUOTE]

Westwood was bought because of the successfuly C&C legacy...why they were liquidated, I don't know.

Black Isle was just the division of Interplay that was the producer for the Baldur's Gate series, and prior to Black Isle/Interplay's downfall, they had a falling out with Bioware.

Black Isle made the first IWD which wasn't as successful as the second, I think. I think the second was also made by someone else... BIS did also make PS:T, but that had poor sales...very unfortunate for being one of the best CRPGs ever.

fable · Post by **fable** » Sun Sep 05, 2004 11:50 am

PS:T wasn't a failure. It wasn't a howling success either, however, and that's what Interplay was counting upon. PS:T brought in enough money to cover its development and then some, but not enough to be called a popular hit. As a result, no successor was planned, and the team that did it was put on another project that ultimately was shelved. After that, they were understandably a bit disgruntled, so Interplay did the intelligent thing and fired or laid off nearly all of them.

Rob-hin · Post by **Rob-hin** » Mon Sep 06, 2004 8:03 am

there is a lott of speculation about the story of BG here.
Many of them have connections to BG related items, Cowled wizards, Lord of Murder, you name 'em. Don't forget that BG plays in the Forgotten Realms, a realm about which countles books have been writen. There are SO many things, so many hooks for a story that speculation almost is a waste of time.

araknid70 · Post by **araknid70** » Mon Sep 06, 2004 9:18 am

I'm getting rather tired of fighting dragons, liches, mindflayers, humans, elves, drow, dwarves, abishai, glabrezu, balors and cornugons. In other words, common Faerunian entities (considering that the BG series somehow finds millions of ways to gate the denizens of the Lower Planes to the Prime Material Plane).

Personally I don't see why another CRPG based on the planes can't be produced. After all the relative unpopularity of PST stemmed from its lack of advertisement and a small demographic (i.e. pariah players who actually dare to blaspheme that intelligence and computer games are not mutually exclusive

), and not on the unique setting per se. There's no requirement for the new game to be based so much upon text or philosophical discussions; I would be perfectly happy with unique settings, and interesting situations, characters and items, plus a decent plot. Making a game about the inner planes would be fine by me.

Such an endeavour's probably quite difficult, but that's the challenge, isn't it? After all the BG series and its IE counterparts have a reputation for quality design and extensive effort. I would be exceedingly irritated and disappointed to see the next BG or BGs become commercial udders for the corporate milkman.

Paranitis · Post by **Paranitis** » Mon Sep 06, 2004 12:00 pm

Many of them have connections to BG related items, Cowled wizards, Lord of Murder, you name 'em. Don't forget that BG plays in the Forgotten Realms, a realm about which countles books have been writen. There are SO many things, so many hooks for a story that speculation almost is a waste of time.

While this is true..that there are tons of different sources of ideas based on how many FR books are published..BG3 HAS to 100% deal with something about Baldur's Gate..yet stay true to the world. You can't all of a sudden say that the people of Dambrath or Mulhorand are invading the city of Baldur's Gate because there are a lot more places they would need to cross to get to Baldur's Gate.

That being said..you need to somewhat localize where the possible threat is coming from. Now if you have someone BBEG from Mulhorand or Dambrath show up in Baldur's Gate then start to get the local gnome/kobold/goblin/otheruglyrandommidget tribes to attack Baldur's Gate then that is fine..because it deals with the specific setting.

OTHERWISE you would need to change the name from Baldur's Gate to something else..as examples I give you "Icewind Dale", "Neverwinter Nights", and "Pools of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor".

Personally I wouldn't mind seeing a game based in The Vast, The Dragon Coast, The Dalelands, or The Border Kingdoms.

asure · Post by **asure** » Sat Nov 27, 2004 11:33 pm

What!!!
Baldur Gate 4?

BG3 had been cancelled. BG4 will be a forever fantasy.

Ellester · Post by **Ellester** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 12:54 pm

The BG name could be argued that it is already a franchise. We have already got:

Baldur’s Gate
Tales of the Sword Coast
Baldur’s Gate 2
Throne of Bhaal
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2
Baldurs Gate Cell Phone Game
Baldur’s Gate 3 (in production)

To me it looks like Baldur’s Gate is already a franchise. Lots of people refuse to believe some of these products are Baldur’s Gate material, but the fact remains the Baldur’s Gate name is on these products.

Baldur’s Gate will continue to be a franchise as long as the products sell. BG4, 5, etc… another console game, *gasp* even a rts could all happen if the name continues to sell products.

rebel3_6_1 · Post by **rebel3_6_1** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 4:53 pm

There's a Baldur's Gate cell phone game???!!! Why didn't I know about this???!!! Can someone please tell me if I can use it (I've got a motorola v400), and if I can, where can I get it?

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 5:12 pm

[QUOTE=rebel3_6_1]There's a Baldur's Gate cell phone game???!!![/QUOTE]

Stop and think for a second. How do you think they'd get all the controls into a cell phone, much less all the screen detail?

Answer: They don't. It's simply a cheap knockoff use of the franchise name on a game that exists in a D&D universe, with one character, on a dungeon crawl.

Come on, folks! Stop living down to the expectations of marketing personnel!

rebel3_6_1 · Post by **rebel3_6_1** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 5:27 pm

aww.....

. I was so excited that I might finally have something fun to do during school......

Adahn · Post by **Adahn** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 4:29 am

[QUOTE=rebel3_6_1]aww.....

. I was so excited that I might finally have something fun to do during school......[/QUOTE]

Hey Rebel don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll find something else to do, besides, a Baldur's Gate Cellphone game? Don't make me laugh, it'd probably be crap like Fable sais. With cheap 8-bit graphics.

Luis Antonio · Post by **Luis Antonio** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 7:17 am

[QUOTE=Adahn]Hey Rebel don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll find something else to do, besides, a Baldur's Gate Cellphone game? Don't make me laugh, it'd probably be crap like Fable sais. With cheap 8-bit graphics.[/QUOTE]

Whats wrong with 8 bit graphics????

but I have to tell you guys that the way things are going a BG cellphone game is something that may happen soon enough. Of course, with bad graphics and only combat, I guess, but yes, it is possible.

rebel3_6_1 · Post by **rebel3_6_1** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 3:48 pm

Well, I could deal with 8-bit graphics. Just make it kinda like the original zelda or something. I would be happy as long as I got to walk around and kill things

.

Ekental · Post by **Ekental** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 4:17 pm

Hey... there are some really good games with no graphics at all... like NetHack i.e.

Nways what is it with this BG3??!!! The story is finished... there's nothing more to kill things about.

The only way that BG3 could possibly come out is if Obsidian made it. Atm Obsidian is busy making KOTR2 and NWN2.

Yes they could make a BG3 years from now (Not made by the same company as BG1-2 but maybe with some of the same people) but there's so little to do that the game would have as much to do with BG as FF3 has to do with FF7. It's already been mentioned that BG fans would go into epilepsy if there was storline deviation... so chances are its not gonna happen. Which company would be willing to take the risk?

fable · Post by **fable** » Sat Dec 04, 2004 4:30 pm

[QUOTE=Ekental]Hey... there are some really good games with no graphics at all... like NetHack i.e.
[/QUOTE]

And quite a few that are simply classified as "retro-RPGs." Probably the best known company nowadays producing these is Spiderweb Software. Though there are many, many more.

I'm also not quite sure why some intelligent people sallivate over the idea of a BG3. It's simply a game title; it's no guide to content. If you want to continue playing BG adventures, there are tons of mods available, especially for BG2, and many of them are very good. If you want other games, there are many fine ones to play.