should i get this first?

epitaph · Post by **epitaph** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 5:29 am

I want to get a baldurs gate game looks gd but should i start with the first 1-Baldur's Gate & The Tales of the Sword Coast? thanx

Chrizum · Post by **Chrizum** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 6:32 am

Storywise, you really should begin with BG1, but beginning with BG2 won't be too mysterious, everything becomes quite clear pretty soon.
BG1 is a must play though, so I'd really start with that one. Playing BG2 first, and BG1 later may hurt your eyes pretty bad

Phantom Lord · Post by **Phantom Lord** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 6:44 am

Start with BG1 and maybe use TuTu for getting the BG2 interface. You can import your BG1 char into BG2 - this may be interesting if you plan a long-term character development, besides from having a stronger char in BG2 as well.

BG1 is essential to understand the first part of the story and certainly worthwhile to play.

fable · Post by **fable** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 7:18 am

The games are really quite different, once you get beyond the obvious surface similiarities.

BG1 has very superficial party NPCs. Their dialog and their attitudes are what you might expect of pre-teens involved in RPGs. Maps don't autolabel, so a large area with many entrances can be real hassle. You walk over a great deal of empty terrain between major locations; some enjoy that, most don't (which was why Bioware eliminated it from BG2). Levels are low, making battles more realistic--less a matter of "my +5 super slaying thingee vs their Magical Atomic Kill-All spell." Quests are often short, and many are unimaginative FedX types.

BG2 has excellently written party NPCs, with a lot of dialog that brings them to life. One or two will even very occasionally even take control of situations. Maps autolabel. Movement between areas is done automatically. Quests are sometimes very elaborate, and rather sophisticated. Levels of growth are higher, so you have comicbook style magic and weapons being employed: overkill, IMO.

Given the choice, I strongly prefer BG2, but writing matters a great deal to me. And there's much to be said for BG1.

epitaph · Post by **epitaph** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 8:54 am

im still pretty stuck! i dont want 2 be boared by the 1st 1 nd not get the 2nd 1.nd miss out on a gd game!any more help would be great. thanx for the info so far

epitaph · Post by **epitaph** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 8:58 am

ooh and phantom lord what is Tu Tu?is it a patch?

fable · Post by **fable** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 9:03 am

Tutu is a player-made mod that lets you essentially run BG1 (plus another major player-made mod) using a BG2-like engine. In effect, you get the benefits of BG2 (autolabeled maps, easy observance of everything on the ground) while playing BG1. It's quite good, though still somewhat buggy. You can get it at the Pocket Plane Group.

Hope that helps. It was kind of difficult reading your next to last post. Could you please use standard English, which is accepted here in the forum? I apologize in advance if English isn't your first language--but you give the impression you know it well enough to do with it what you want. Thanks.

epitaph · Post by **epitaph** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 9:10 am

im still pretty stuck! i dont want to be boared by the first one and not get the second one.and miss out on a good game!any more help would be great. thanx for the information so far

sorry about that hope thos is better so TuTu is soft ware?
fable u seem to know a lot what 1 should i get.
thanks again

Andyr · Post by **Andyr** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 9:27 am

Tutu is a mod at http://www.pocketplane.net/tutu - you need BG1 and BG2 to play it. I'd recommend it but if you are new to BG1 and mods you might want to play the game as it comes from the box first.

krunchyfrogg · Post by **krunchyfrogg** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 9:34 am

A lot of people like BGI better than BGII

fable · Post by **fable** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 9:37 am

Well, and even more prefer BG2 to BG1.

So what? This isn't selection-by-numbers, Krunchyfrogg. Tell him why you prefer BG1 to BG2.

Phantom Lord · Post by **Phantom Lord** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 10:06 am

BG1, especially with the addon installed, is a very good game. It's weaknesses compared to BG2 are its higher degree of linearity and the lack of depth in plot and characters. But 'compared to BG2' means compared to the best game of this type there is (OK, besides Planescape:Torment, but that's a different story).

BG1 is certainly worthwhile, introduces NPCs you will meet again and tells a part of the story you should know to understand the big picture.

If you haven't played either, start with BG1 (with or without TuTu, your on the safe side without because TuTu may cause some problems, especially if you're new to installing BG games).

Andyr · Post by **Andyr** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 11:10 am

BG1 is in my opinion a better game because it has a better story. I would recommend Tutu because it removes BG2's advantage over the prequel (namely the engine difference) and makes it in my view the best part of the series.

Tutu is no more buggy than other high-quality BG2 mods. The vast majority of bugs are the result of people not following installation instructions mentioned in the ReadMe.

krunchyfrogg · Post by **krunchyfrogg** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 10:03 pm

To be honest, I think I like both games, for different reasons. BGI gets a slight nod, but thats only my personal preference of liking the lower levels more than high leveled characters.

The story in BGI is that you're basically a nobody, and you're going to find out who you really are and become somebody.

In BGII, people are after you because you're somebody.

I guess I prefer the whole initial mystery of BGI better.

SP101 · Post by **SP101** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 11:02 pm

[QUOTE=krunchyfrogg]The story in BGI is that you're basically a nobody, and you're going to find out who you really are and become somebody.

In BGII, people are after you because you're somebody.[/QUOTE]

Wow... that's a short and cleaver (clever?) summary!

krunchyfrogg · Post by **krunchyfrogg** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 3:55 pm

thanks!

Erenor · Post by **Erenor** » Mon Apr 18, 2005 7:56 pm

Baldur's Gate has a better storyline and a few more interesting quests that aren't as overwhelming. Baldur's Gate II has a lot more options, but exploring is almost impossible. If you like exploring the unknown, go for BG first. If you'd rather enjoy a better game engine and more NPC interaction, etc, go for BGII first.