Thinking of buying: questions.

robert deniro · Post by **robert deniro** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 5:35 am

I`m thinking of buying IWD 2, I just wanted to know how big is this game world if I get all the expansion packs. How many hours or days of gameplay does it take before it becomes repetitive and boring.

Also are there any servers where people play online and is online play any good?

Thanks.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 5:45 am

I don't think online play is any good.
There is no expansion for IWDII.
Personally, and I'm not alone in this, I can hardly be bothered to finish the game. After three chapters, I just loose intrest. The chapters don't give me the impression of building on each other.

AvatarOfLight · Post by **AvatarOfLight** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 6:25 am

Indeed. There is no expansion whatsoever.

I really don't even remember how many hours of gameplay IWD 2 offered. The question you should ask yourself is, do I like exploring areas and taking down hordes of monsters by micro-managing a party of 6. If the answer to that question is yes: IWD2 is one of the best purchases ever. Admittedly it's repetitive, I didn't mind, you probably will.

Tate · Post by **Tate** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:25 am

I'm not sure if I read that IWD2 advertised 60-80 hours of gameplay, or if that was IWD1.

kmonster · Post by **kmonster** » Fri Jun 27, 2008 1:08 pm

I guess I had about 150-200 hours fun. Some players had more, some players less.

shadow85 · Post by **shadow85** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 2:38 pm

I have just finished IWD II for the first time, and I must say that I did enjoying battling to the end and fighting Isaar and Madae, but for some reason I was left feeling empty.

Maybe because I found the end battle far too easy, not one of my characters came close to dying during the whole battle. If only BG II had as many good items as IWD2 I would consider playing it again.

I bought pretty much every big item in the game and still had 1.5 million gold left over when I finished, I dont remember BGII being that easy.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 3:07 pm

For some reason, the lack of items is one way I remember IWDII: I had tons of gold, but hardly any decent magic items. It felt "un-D&D" like.

shadow85 · Post by **shadow85** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:39 am

GawainBS wrote:For some reason, the lack of items is one way I remember IWDII: I had tons of gold, but hardly any decent magic items. It felt "un-D&D" like.

Oh it might have been all the mods then that I used. I found loads of items, to buy and also found.

luz · Post by **luz** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 12:06 am

I've always been left with massive amounts of gold at the end of any of the IWD or BG games, which I guess comes from being keen to pick up EVERYTHING and selling anything we didn't need rather than just dropping it.
What DOES ANNOY THE HELL OUT OF ME about IWDII is how disturbingly difficult it is. When you spend 3 hours fighting the same fight over and over again on Easy mode, there's something wrong. I never had this same issue with the original IWD or with either of the Baldur's Gates or Neverwinter Nights. It kind of ruins the fun when you end up wanting to throw your computer out the window lol
But that's just my opinion.

kmonster · Post by **kmonster** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 6:01 am

IWD2 isn't too hard, I played my first run at normal difficulty and my party got only erased once in a battle, but the second attempt succeeded.
IWD2 offers a a lot more freedom at party creation and party development than the other IE games and therefore far more freedom to make an ineffective party.

luz · Post by **luz** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 11:58 pm

kmonster wrote:IWD2 isn't too hard, I played my first run at normal difficulty and my party got only erased once in a battle, but the second attempt succeeded.
IWD2 offers a a lot more freedom at party creation and party development than the other IE games and therefore far more freedom to make an ineffective party.

That same party worked pretty darned well in the original IWD. What leads you to think it's the gamer's fault? I've played dozens of videogames and never had issues like the ones I get from IWDII, with the possible exception of Turok.

GawainBS · Post by **GawainBS** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 2:37 am

IWDII uses and entirely different ruleset than IWD, so having a good party in one of them isn't a garantuee that the same party will fare well in the other.
Kmonster didn't say it was the gamer's fault, only the party's, to an extent. Maybe (and this is my guess too) you had a less-than-efficient party for IWDII.

kmonster · Post by **kmonster** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 5:02 pm

luz wrote:That same party worked pretty darned well in the original IWD. What leads you to think it's the gamer's fault? I've played dozens of videogames and never had issues like the ones I get from IWDII, with the possible exception of Turok.

You posted your party in another thread, so I know how weak it was. You obviously didn't take much time for reading the manual. Many others don't care reading it, but very few have the bad luck you had with your decisions.

Claudius · Post by **Claudius** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 5:14 pm

I played with the default party hands of fury and thought it was pretty easy.

I had a tank barbarian that killed like mad. A druid I switched into a sorceror who rocked. A fighter mage thief cleric (which was a poor move) who was pretty useless other than a high AC/buffs. Another thief/fighter/mage (10 starting dex as a thief lol) who was nearly totally useless...by the end I was casting fireshield and just sacrificing him to monsters to deal damage lol. A mage who was ok. And a cleric who was great. The stats were not ideal and the feats at creation were sad.

But just by tactically using the sorc, cleric, mage spells effectively and using the AC decoy sometimes made it pretty easy. The barb killed truckloads of mobs too although he got charmed easily.

luz · Post by **luz** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:38 am

kmonster wrote:You posted your party in another thread, so I know how weak it was. You obviously didn't take much time for reading the manual. Many others don't care reading it, but very few have the bad luck you had with your decisions.

Really? So why are there people complaining all up and downt he net about how hard IWDII is?
When you say I "posted my party in another thread", what thread would this be? One I wrote two years ago, or three years ago? Obviously you failed to check when any posts that mentioned party members were made.FYI, I've played IWDII 3 times- just to see if any of those parties could possibly make it any easier. And, no matter what, I always run into the same issues.
Very few people have had my bad luck? Do an internet search on why IWDII is hated so much. Besides the whole lack of storyline thing. If you're referring to the two fights (one in IWD and one in BG) that I posted questions on three years ago, I don't see how that has anything to do with this.
And I have read the manual, but thanks for assuming things you don't know

I'm just pointing out why I don't think he should buy the game. If I wasn't such a glutton for punishment, I'd have sold it already. :laugh:
Edited to add: If I'm coming off rude, it's because I feel like I'm being attacked for not thinking the same as other people on this board.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:12 am

@Kmonster,
you are getting near flaming in your posts, please watch your tone.

Moreover guys, do try to keep this thread on topic.

kmonster · Post by **kmonster** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 3:33 pm

luz wrote: When you say I "posted my party in another thread", what thread would this be? One I wrote two years ago, or three years ago? Obviously you failed to check when any posts that mentioned party members were made.FYI, I've played IWDII 3 times- just to see if any of those parties could possibly make it any easier. And, no matter what, I always run into the same issues.

I was referring to the party you posted in the guardian thread, I didn't think that someone who's annoyed by a game does play through it three times. The party you described in your "just curious" thread isn't very effective either.
Most important for an easy game is having a cleric who levels as fast as possible and isn't crippled by multiclassing, both parties didn't have one, one party didn't even have a pure arcane caster. Your characters also had high values in useless stats and low values in important ones.
It's obvious that you get a hard game with such parties, I don't know if your 3rd party was totally different.
I only know that even playing one of the pregenrated parties without bothering to multiclass is far easier than the two parties you mentioned, and you can create far more powerful parties. I played normal difficulty and my party lost only one battle on my first game.

Very few people have had my bad luck? Do an internet search on why IWDII is hated so much. Besides the whole lack of storyline thing.

The many user reviews I found on the net were mostly positive and no one really hated this game. There is an at least solid storyline in the game and I found the background stories very interesting.

And I have read the manual, but thanks for assuming things you don't know

Since your paladins didn't even have enough wisdom to cast their high level spells I assumed that you "didn't take much time for reading the manual", this wasn't meant as attack or accusation, starting to play directly or after reading the manual only once is common behaviour for many players, I usually read my game manuals several times. Sorry for the wrong conclusion.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:07 pm

OK guys, like I said, please stick to the topic at hand, the OP asked:

I just wanted to know how big is this game world if I get all the expansion packs. How many hours or days of gameplay does it take before it becomes repetitive and boring.

Also are there any servers where people play online and is online play any good?

He did not ask for an in depth analysis of party composition. However, if you'd like to begin another thread on the most effective party possible, feel free to do so.