Just Finished SoA. What a Rush. *SPOILERS

[sonny]

Finally finished SoA for the 1st time. Took a few reloads to get through it with my entire party alive, but I did it!!! What a great ending.

When I watched the movie and saw Irenicus pushed into the fires of hell, I jumped out of my chair and and let out a holler that could and was heard through out the house. (problem was, it was 4:30 AM)

So I guess I need to start posting in the ToB forum now. Hope all you guys go there to. Already have questions

If it's OK, I would like to offer a little comment about this game.

Early in the day yesterday (about 5 hrs before I finished SoA) I was watching my youngest grandson playing Oblivion and his character was walking around in this city and I keep thinking (somethings wrong here) and then it dawned on me. There were no sounds. He was in this big city and there were no sounds! In BG, you feel like you're in a city, you here people talking, selling their wares "walnuts, hot walnuts", "apples, apples" and you hear the wood creaking on the ships that are docked, and see the rats running across the streets, etc. You feel like you are there.

I know I preaching to the choir here, but this is really a great game and I'm looking forward to playing it again with a few mods added. So I'll be back on this forum then looking for advice.

Also will be checking back with you guys for advice on some other games I have on the shelf next to my PC starring at me. IWD The Ultimate Collection and Planescape. Like which one to play first

Well on to the ToB forum, like I said, I already have a couple questions.

Thanks so very much for all the help and all your patience over the past few months

[Dante2377]

I think once you play BG2, the Icewind Dale games will be very linear and disappointing. The 3rd Edition game engine has its benefits, but BG2 is an overall better game.

If you finish SOA+ToB for the first time, there's SO many ways to replay BG2 and have it act as a different game. Play an evil party with Edwin, Korgan, Viconia, Jan, etc. Maybe install the Valen mod. Side with the vampires. etc.

congrats on finishing the first time, that end movie is something the first time through!

Dante

[CFM]

In BG, you feel like you're in a city, you here people talking, selling their wares "walnuts, hot walnuts", "apples, apples" and you hear the wood creaking on the ships that are docked, and see the rats running across the streets, etc. You feel like you are there.

Atmosphere. The best games got the best atmosphere to lose yourself in, producing a sensational escapism effect. Long live pc gaming.

Also will be checking back with you guys for advice on some other games I have on the shelf next to my PC starring at me. IWD The Ultimate Collection and Planescape. Like which one to play first

I'd do PST first, just because the blotchy graphics are a bit hard on the eyes. IWD can be played at higher screen resolutions, which will make PST look really bad afterwards. And being a shorter game, PST will be a quick notch in your gaming belt.

PST's story is the best you'll ever come across. Period.

IWD is a fun romp in the tundra. Linear, yes. Also no NPC's like Minsc and Jaheira (you create an entire party at the start). But the combats are totally engaging and fun. And it has great atmopshere (there's that word again). The music is holy-crap good.

When I watched the movie and saw Irenicus pushed into the fires of hell, I jumped out of my chair and and let out a holler that could and was heard through out the house. (problem was, it was 4:30 AM)

If you replay SoA/ToB, and are looking for mods, consider the ToB mod called "Ascension". It was actually made by one of the main Bioware designers of ToB, as a side project on his own time. "Ascension" enhances the ending to ToB, and is described as being what the ending would have been, if Bioware had more time to work on ToB. Irenicus rocks!

[sonny]

Atmosphere. The best games got the best atmosphere to lose yourself in, producing a sensational escapism effect. Long live pc gaming.

I agree 100% with that. In the BG games you feel like you're there. It's really great late at night when the house is real quite

I'd do PST first, just because the blotchy graphics are a bit hard on the eyes. IWD can be played at higher screen resolutions, which will make PST look really bad afterwards. And being a shorter game, PST will be a quick notch in your gaming belt.

PST's story is the best you'll ever come across. Period.

Yea, I need to play these two after I finish ToB, if for no other reason but to satisfy my curiosity about them. Plus the fact that my wife paid over 100.00 USD's for Planescape on amazon.com. Wonder why that game cost so much more then the other older games?

If you replay SoA/ToB, and are looking for mods, consider the ToB mod called "Ascension". It was actually made by one of the main Bioware designers of ToB, as a side project on his own time. "Ascension" enhances the ending to ToB, and is described as being what the ending would have been, if Bioware had more time to work on ToB. Irenicus rocks!

There in lies the problem, when I think about playing other games. I CAN NOT WAIT to start a new game of BG and BGII with some mods added

You know a grown man (old man at that) should not be having this much fun:laugh:

Thanks again for all the help

[VonDondu]

Don't expect Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale to be just like Baldur's Gate. They have a very different feel.

Icewind Dale is combat-oriented and very linear. It's a great dungeon crawl. The dialogue is entertaining, and I think the plot makes a whole lot more sense than the plot of BG1 or BG2. However, IWD does not feel very personal or interactive. The characters in your party have no "character" at all. When you play them, it's just like pushing chess pieces across the board, so to speak. The last time I played IWD, I missed the personalities of BG2, so I gave my party members the names, portraits, and soundsets of NPCs from BG2. Imoen (Thief dualled to Mage) was the leader of the party, and she was accompanied by Aerie, Jan, Minsc, Jaheira, and Yoshimo (Fighter dualled to Thief). That made the game a lot more enjoyable.

Planescape: Torment is not a combat-oriented game. You can try to play it that way if you feel like it (it's a game that lets you play almost any way you want to), but the combat just isn't as exciting as the combat in BG1, BG2, or IWD. You play a character with amnesia named The Nameless One, and you can do practically anything you want with him. It's a very personalized game. He starts out as a Neutral character--you don't choose his alignment--and his alignment is slowly determined by the way you play him. It's awesome. When the game first begins, you might feel like your character is in danger, but I advise you not to go on a killing spree. Just sneak around, look for clues that might help to explain what the hell is going on, and find a way out of the Mortuary.

The Mortuary is a gruesome place with lots of gory graphics, and some people quit playing the game almost immediately because they're so grossed out. But if you continue playing the game, you might understand why the game is so concerned, literally, with flesh and blood.

You will also find that the game is extremely concerned about philosophy and spirituality. You don't need hair-trigger mouse-tracking reflexes to play PS:T; what you need is lots of time to think and figure things out. There's enough text in the game to fill up a long novel. If you get into the game, you will feel like you're playing a part in an interesting story.

It's not about saving the world or killing the bad guys; it's about putting your character's life back on track and restoring his memories. I was very moved by the entire experience, and that's the main reason why I say that PS:T is one of the best games ever created.