First impressions

fable · Post by **fable** » Sat Apr 24, 2004 8:21 am

I've only played for a couple of hours, but it feels very good.

Pros: Greater interactive use of the terrain. Neat new skills system that's much more logically organized than its predecessor. Attractive icons for assigning to skills. Better voiceovers in general (except for the Death Knight, who's woefully over-acted). Excellent new art for tiles. Zoom in and out. Writing ventures further into snark and poignancy. Default difficulty level (3rd out of 4 in increasing difficulty) gives you tougher opponents.

Cons: Buggy. Crashed about every 30 minutes for me; I saved a lot. Interface controls look artistically bad: low resolution, poor texturing. Switching inventories is not logical; it doesn't change when you click or use hotkeys to switch characters, but only when you click an arrow.

All the other features from DD are present, so I'm pleased. I'll keep you updated.

fable · Post by **fable** » Sun Apr 25, 2004 2:17 pm

Great dialog. They seem to have taken a cue from BG2, and increased the range of emotional interaction with NPCs. I've gotten some wonderfully snarky comments from opponents right before they launched into battle ("I've got a mace head with your name on it!"), while there's one NPC, Edmond, that hits a seriousness and pathos (in part thanks to great voice acting) which adds a level of seriousness that I hadn't seen in DD.

Little multiple choice in dialog, though. I suspect there won't be much.

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 12:01 pm

I'm very much enjoying the mix of the tightly plotted first act with the randomly generated Act I battlefield. The battlefields are more combat-oriented, with far less subtlety (as you'd expect) and some very nice "goodies" when you fulfill a quest. The battlefield quests themselves are generated randomly a host of possibilities, so there's no telling what will show up; and they also make good places to drop heavy items for a while, since you can always return to the same location no matter how far you travel in Act I between any two points. One thing to remember, though: you won't be able to access the same battlefield if you move into the next act of BD, so you don't want to leave anything behind.

Excellent voices, except the Death Knight, who overacts terribly. I've been told they received complaints that the original Death Knight's voice was not "emotive" enough. Too bad.

The game's much more stable on XP, by the way. I've only had two crashes in about 12 hours of gameplay, using that OS.

Ned Flanders · Post by **Ned Flanders** » Fri May 07, 2004 5:04 pm

The newest review for BD (ign), linked on GB's title page, was pretty informative. It's a 4 page detailed review which has piqued my interest. Still never played DD though.

They had a lot of good things to say and had their fair share of gripes, with respect to gameplay; however, such gripes have always been a 'to each their own' sort of thing.

Anyway, I thought it would be interesting if you would read the ign review and post 'your own two cents' here on what they had to say, if only for my own selfish benefit as I've always respected your opinions on games.

fable · Post by **fable** » Sun May 09, 2004 8:12 pm

Best I can say is, I tend to agree pretty much with the content of that review. Skills need a lot of balancing, and there are still a fair share of bugs. (Nowhere near as many as in TOEE, though, which I reviewed for GB. Now, there was a buggy game!)

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Tue May 18, 2004 6:48 pm

I picked this up the other day (it also included DD, so I'll be checking that out eventually as well).

As for some first impressions, passable graphics, a tad blocky, but better then some others I've seen. I like the return to the isometric view, makes me feel all nostalgic. The interface is sufficient. I personally don't need much more, though adding an option for more could be beneficial.

The combat is pretty straight forward, but took me a bit to get used to.

My main gripes, which I'll go into more detail when I write up a review for this game, is the voice acting and the lack of an auto-save feature(that I've seen).

Mister Popo · Post by **Mister Popo** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 7:51 am

Originally posted by Ned Flanders
The newest review for BD (ign), linked on GB's title page, was pretty informative. It's a 4 page detailed review which has piqued my interest. Still never played DD though.

They had a lot of good things to say and had their fair share of gripes, with respect to gameplay; however, such gripes have always been a 'to each their own' sort of thing.

Anyway, I thought it would be interesting if you would read the ign review and post 'your own two cents' here on what they had to say, if only for my own selfish benefit as I've always respected your opinions on games.

Been a way for a while as I didn't have a lot of time to play my RPG's but now I have time and a couple of questions.

Fable, is this game worth while, I know you were luke warm about DD saying it was good, but by no means great. Does the fact that DD and BD now come in a combo box have added value? Are the problems you encounter patchable?
And ofcourse the age old question, when in the market for a new game, is this the one I want or should I wait for something else.

(Although I think the upcomming RPG's are all more along the lines of Fable and/or Jade empire)

Biggest reason for asking here and Fable is because the local gaming press here (Netherlands) give it an 8, which is such a iffy grade.

fable · Post by **fable** » Mon Jun 14, 2004 8:09 am

Fable, is this game worth while, I know you were luke warm about DD saying it was good, but by no means great.

I wasn't lukewarm. I thought DD was a very good game, but not great. There are more points on the critical spectrum than "eh" and "wow."

Check out the review at IGN on Beyond Divinity. I think the writer pretty much covers my feelings, as well: it's a good game, with a lot of potential, but has some severe balance problems. There's a lot of depth to it, and the bugs are just about gone, now. I don't know why Larian has chosen to avoid fixing all the balance issues in the game, but that's put a damper on my enthusiasm for it.

If you can get it as a package deal with Divine Divinity, go for it. The first game is actually more fun to play, though the second has a lot more intensity and strategy going for it.

Mister Popo · Post by **Mister Popo** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 2:33 am

I downloaded the demo for BD, and I have to say, that although it does offer a couple of good points, like the atmosphere and dialogue, the game doesn't seem to have the right feel.

I don't like the gameplay, it's very clumsy as is management of the different features the game offers. The inventory system could be better, the team management is really lacking and the combat system plays a lot like the BG system, with pausing to decide which action to take, but somehow doesn't work satisfactory because of the left and right mouse button interface.

The graphics aren't really good, the surroundings definetly have a certain feel, which is enhanced by the music and certain parts of interactivity with the enviroment do indeed offer some realism that's compelling, but on the whole the Infinity engine offered better results.

I do like the plot, or at least what I've played of it, and I do like the skills and the system it takes, although I had a couple of problems with custom characters, such as my Survivor Deathknight with a couple of alterations (but starting with the survivor skillsystem) not being able to choose survivor skills. But that's probably just buggy.

So I guess I'm jumping on the bandwagon here

Chanak · Post by **Chanak** » Sun Sep 26, 2004 5:36 am

I've been playing BD as time permits for the past few weeks. The game has a "different" feel which I appreciate, earning it a good mark in my originality book. The voice acting...well, some of it is decent. I concur with fable: the Deathknight is awful, and overdone. He sounds like an actor trying his over-best to portray a New York street punk.

Kiyana · Post by **Kiyana** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 4:48 am

skills?

Hi Fables,

You seem to know some things about the game, so maybe you can help me with two questions....

Since two days I am totally addicted to BD. Although I have read the manual three times something is still not clear to me. During the game you meet several teachers for new skills. In my "skil-screen" I can see what kind of skills I have learned and what is still to be learned. Two main questions:

First: I learned one handed melee accuracy 5 time (so the counter is on 5 now). I want to learn this more, but this is not possible. For critical hits it goes up to 6 and after that adding more value is not possible. How does this work?

Second: the teachers I meet tell me that they can learn me skills. In the overview of their teachingskill they mention a level, f.i. Thieving - lockpicking level 6. What does this level mean? Is it the level I have to be before I can learn, or is it the highest level you can reach with this skill? I don't understand and the manual tell me nothing...

Thanks for your help!
Kiyana

fable · Post by **fable** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:11 am

You start out with zero in a given skill, such as lockpicking. If you find a teacher that can teach you lockpicking level 6, it means you can pay them five times to raise that skill through level 5. You'll then have to look again for another trainer with more advanced skills to move it up any higher.

That should answer both your questions, but if it doesn't, please let me know.

Kiyana · Post by **Kiyana** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 6:17 am

skills

Hi Fable,

Thanks for the answer. Still, it is not really clear to me (maybe it's a language problem since I am Dutch). From your example I understand that I can pay the teacher 5 times and my skill will be raised to level 5 (in any case this is not working in my game). Do you mean that I have really learned the skill or that I have the possibility to raise (the counter) up to 5? And....how do I know to what level I learned? In my case I have an awful lot of many so I am learning about every skill I meet during the game (you never know when they might come in handy). In my skilloverview I can see which skills I can learn but I do not know what level....

I hope you understand my problem... (sorry about the english....).

Thanks!
Karin

fable · Post by **fable** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 7:29 am

From your example I understand that I can pay the teacher 5 times and my skill will be raised to level 5 (in any case this is not working in my game).

Learning a skill from a trainer gives you the possibility of adding character points to it. Have you allocated your character's skill points to it, after it was learned? Think of it this way: the trainer gives you the possibility of growth in that skill. Once you have the possibility, the character has to allocate skill points to it.

I hope that's not too confusing.

And....how do I know to what level I learned?

It's been a while since I played, but if you check your manual, it should say where you can find out the level for each skill your character has learned.

Cort-John · Post by **Cort-John** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 11:02 am

Hello all,

Well, I received Beyond Divinity for christmas and, being the insane RPG player that I am, I immediately installed it and began playing. At first, I must admit, I was not overtly pleased with it. I am an avid fan of the Baldur's Gate style of play, interaction, and rules system, and this idea of having a limited use 'side-kick' was new (by limited I mean in such ways as armour etc).

However, I very quickly have changed my mind. The playing style, although different, is rather enjoyable because of its uniqueness. I will still admit frustration with the so-called 'manual' as it provides VERY limited information. But, coming here to good ole GameBanshee has given me the answers to all those little questions.

Now, I am still somewhat confused by the ranking system when it comes to resistances, skill levels, etc, but I trust I will become used to it in a very short time.

The 'Battlefield' idea is just great! I don't know how many times I've sat down at an RPG and just didn't feel like running through a bunch of quests at that moment. So, into the battlefield I go to wreck havoc and pick up some good weapons etc.

However, the best part of this game (in my opinion of course) is the trading system. I love it! Now it seems much more realistic when compared with Baldur's Gate (which I regularly ended the game with hundreds of thousands of gold pieces). The merchants only have a limited amount of gold at any one time, so I can't just walk up to one and unload everything. Instead, I find myself 'trading up' in such a way that I sell and bunch of small items to pick up a better item that, although I probably won't use, will come in handy when I next trade up. I also enjoyed the idea of picking up manuscripts I couldn't read until I learned the language (even though I figured it out after picking up the first book, but that's just because I am addicted to Cryptograms as well LOL

)

So, basically, although I approached this game with trepidation as I am VERY picky on my RPG styles, I am now an avid fan. I am currently unsure if this beats Baldur's Gate (or Icewind Dale etc), but I know that it will rank in my top list of games to play.

Anywho, just thought I would drop in my own 2-cents on the game and hope you all had a great holiday (no matter what religion) and wish you all the best in the new year.

Cort-John Hertay

*don't ask about the penguin*

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Dec 29, 2004 1:12 pm

Glad you liked it.

It's still kinda buggy: pickpocketing is waaay over the top, while lockpicking remains broken. A variety of things that could have been explained better (or explained at all) during the early part of the game never were, and some of the skills are fairly opaque, or only useful during one part of your journey. Still, it's pretty good, and a lot more "interactive" than most RPGs.