PC Gamer has some information on BG 3

Muteki · Post by **Muteki** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 3:27 pm

I just got he latest issue of PC Gamer today. Inside it has some information.

The setting is currently slated to take place in the early days of Baldurs Gate. They will have an online poll for the fans to see which areas they should include.
The article also states that some familiar ancestors of characters might show up.

They will be moving to a 3d engine, possibly the same one used in Dragon Age. They also might create their own. No develepor has been named, and they promise to not make it an Action/RPG like the console Baldur Gate.

They will be using the DnD 3.5 rules. Atari doesn't know if they will have Real Time combat or Turn based, but they are learning heavily to one of the forms, but did not release any information past that.

That's all the article really states. If I had a scanner I would scan it for everyone.

EDIT
It's not the DragonSHard engine, it's the Dragon AGE engine. Oops, my bad.

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 4:07 pm

Well whenever anyone finds out which forums thay'll be looking at when deciding on turnbased/realtime combat, or when they get the site up for areas to be included suggestions please post it here. And I'm just fine with the story being pre- bhaalspawn saga. That means no NPCs from previous games and a completely new story. So far atari's dion just fine in my book.

me0w · Post by **me0w** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 4:20 pm

[QUOTE=Muteki]They will be moving to a 3d engine
That's all the article really states.[/QUOTE]

I hate the gaming industry so ****ing much, I hope everyone dies.

What the **** is up with 3d, who the hell likes this 3d ****, I hate it!! ARRGG!!! BG2 is the best game engine (I kinda like Fallout too, I'd say there same level, for the typ'a games they run) ARRRG!! WHY 3D?!?!? I hope Interplay or whoever look at this post, no one likes 3d, NWN WAS ****. I couldn't play for more than an hour, its like there insulting us.

maker #1 "wow look, all these idiots play graphicly amazing games like HL2, wow wee, its really cool, they don't care how the game plays they just want sexy graphics"

maker #2 "Hows about we get a really good game series like BG and get some ****ty 3d stuff and chuck it together then name it BG3 even though its just a forgotten realms game, wow, but won't that really piss off long time interplay fans like me0w"

maker #1 "Yeah, I'm sure he will be avid with rage, but hey, look we got all these new 15 year olds who love this game even though they suck at it and can't kill basic enemies, and don't even fully explore the game"

maker #2 "Wow, your so cool, now we got these 'great' idea's lets go a piss on everyones faces by making it, and its 3d!! YAY"

me0w "Oh god, I hope all you kunts perish a gruesome death, something beffiting such game series ruiners!"

sparky_kat · Post by **sparky_kat** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 4:37 pm

i kinda agree with me0w, i really dont want to see baldurs gate go 3D, i honestly think it would take away from the game, we LOVE and are used to the way it is now, dont ruin something good, like the old saying goes... *clears throat*
"IF IT AINT BROKE....... DONT FIX IT!!!!!!!"

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 4:59 pm

I hear you and I dislike most games gone 3D in later incarnations because it just doesn't look right, and with the type of game BG is there's no reason to go 3D aside from being able to say, "we've got this new 3D engine, ain't it pretty." And frankly I'm hardly impressed with most 3D. If you're gonna make a game of BG caliber 3D at least make sure it's done well please, because the the decision to make the game 3D will probably not be overturned as much as we'd like. Sure I'd love to see the next generation infinity engine or something like it, but one of the selling points in a lot of recent PC games has been how many polygons per model our 3D engine has. I have yet to see dragonshard's engine, but I hope it's worthy of BGIII.

Muteki · Post by **Muteki** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 9:23 pm

I think the 3d wouldn't be too bad as long as its done more along the lines of Knights of the old Republic. I enjoyed the layout and appearance of KOTOR and wouldn't mind seeing some of the buildings in Baldurs Gate. They didn't mention how many party members there would be, but they did mention group based combat and "Henchmen." It could end up being just like NWN party set up (god forbid it) or be more along the lines of KOTOR. Anything is still possible for the engine, but I wouldn't doubt them using Dragon Age's game Engine.

Nightmare · Post by **Nightmare** » Mon Aug 16, 2004 10:30 pm

As long as it allows an easy interface for party control, I'm ambivalent towards it going 3D.

They'd better make combat turn-based, though. Wouldn't be D&D any other way.

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Tue Aug 17, 2004 12:45 am

me0w: watch your language please.

#3 - Profanity and/or sexually explicit posts are unacceptable. Purposely posting profanity in a way as to avoid our filter will not be tolerated. In extreme cases, we may even file complaints with your ISP or hosting company.

Note the part about profanity.

__________________
GameBanshee - Make Your Gaming Scream
Forum rules

me0w · Post by **me0w** » Tue Aug 17, 2004 6:49 am

heh, sorry, was angry. I really don't like them ruining games. (I consider 3d ruining) I just hated NWN so much, it was a poor poor game, henchmen system was so ****. 3d just reminds me of that, and makes it no longer BG.

To be honest, maybe 3d is successfull, maybe it is good, but frankly, its not Baldur's Gate, its just not. The way they have it its a prelude to BG1, but really, I doubt its direct in this, its a Forgotten Realms game, based before the events of BG1.

Thats not BG!! Its highly likely it won't be set there!!

Arrg, this is a mockery! We'll be fighting **** and have to see its damn sharp edges because they can't enough polygons due to system requirement, or they go hardcore and make it look sexy and we all gotta upgrade machines.

The crappest thing about this, is even in 3d, I'm sure I'll buy it.

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Tue Aug 17, 2004 7:29 am

I feel your pain. I have a machine that's a few years old, and it met all the system requirements for NWN, but it still ran like a slow stop-motion animation. And even after all that it still looked like crap. I hate to say this, but from what I remember of the demo(never played the actual game) Dungeon Siege looked better than NWN and that ran great on my machine. You are right however about 3D being what sells games nowadays, it's a lot less about gameplay. But we're all still gonna buy it, of course unless I need to buy a new computer because that's not happening any time soon as much as I'd like it to.

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Tue Aug 17, 2004 7:43 am

[QUOTE=me0w]heh, sorry, was angry. <snip>[/QUOTE]
You might have been, but as I've asked you -please watch the language.

Try previewing your posts before actually posting them, and notice how many words you have filtered out by the language filter. Even in the post where you appologize you have 2 filtered words.

Also, on a different note - 3D graphics dosen't automatically ruin a game. Poorly done 3D graphics can, however so can poorly done 2D. I'm much more interested in the viewpoint (isometric, 3rd person 1st person) then the graphics engine per se.

__________________
GameBanshee - Make Your Gaming Scream
Forum rules

Aztaroth · Post by **Aztaroth** » Tue Aug 17, 2004 8:25 am

Xandax is right, 3d isn't a *direct* route to failiure. More often than not, however, 3d games would do better as 2d games. Most RTS's for example, could easily be 2d (like Warlords Battlecry I,II, and III, although they pretty much suck anyway). 2d FPS's are horrible.

Monolith · Post by **Monolith** » Tue Aug 17, 2004 9:09 am

The Dragon Age 3D-Engine reminds me of the aurora-engine. But it looks good and is not finished yet. I wouldn't have any problems with a good looking 3D-Engine, as long as the viewpoint is isometric *and* it allows party-based playing. ( although I fear that the time they need to work out such an engine will be lacking later....)

I like the idea of BG3 being set before BG1 and BG2. A prequel? I think so: "The article also states that some familiar ancestors of characters might show up."
Maybe Gorion?

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Tue Aug 17, 2004 3:23 pm

Personally I'd be less concerned about 3D and more concerned about how likely they are to keep their word in terms of ensuring it won't be an action RPG...

BG2 is a great game because of story depth, complexity, NPC interaction, and character development. IMO, were these things changed in a new game it would have far more impact than the type of game engine used.

Just my POV anyway

me0w · Post by **me0w** » Tue Aug 17, 2004 3:43 pm

"Ancestors" of certain characters, now I pray this wont be like Minsc's and Edwin's ancestors, because that would be hardcore cheesy. However I have a feeling, quite strong that were gonna up at with the time when all the gods were made mortal, and yo' daddy Mr Bhaal is gonna die, and I guess you play as him, or as the person who slays him, or something like that, thats what I'm thinking... It seems quite likely, as they said specificly characters ancestors..

Skuld · Post by **Skuld** » Tue Aug 17, 2004 4:27 pm

@ meow: I find it highly unlikely that it'll be set in the time when all the gods were made mortal, because wouldn't that require everyone to be ridiculously high levels? And also as "cool" as it sounds I wouldn't wanna play as a god. That whole concept, providing you're playing at ridiculously high levels, goes totally against most CRPGs and even action rpgs. And by ancestors I think you're more likely to see ancestors of khalid, jaheira, montaron, and xzar because they're members of longstanding organizations within the realms. I'd think you're less likely to see ancestors of say minsc, dynaheir, edwin, sharteel, and viconia to name a few. Although I can see them adding a darkelf just for the sake of having one in the game.

moltovir · Post by **moltovir** » Wed Aug 18, 2004 3:26 am

I don't know why, but i've always wanted to play Elminster in his young years, when he was still an apprentice mage and not the uberpower Chosen of Mystra he is now. But alot of players like fighter-types, so i don't think this idea has even the slightest chance of working out

@me0w: what you say is that you want to play as the necromancer Cyric who intends to be a god? Sounds too much like ToB to me.

Ares2382 · Post by **Ares2382** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 8:44 am

I don't think moving to 3D is a bad thing. I mean it's how the entire game is put together that will determine if it's good or bad. Actually what I hope is that the game will look like Temple of Elemental Evil, but that's not likely going to happen. What would be even better if the combat system in BG3 was similar to TOEE, add to that a great storyline with plenty of dialogue and party interaction and you will have one of the greatest games of all time, possibly better then BG2(and maybe better then Planescape:Torment). But it's too early to say anything right now, this game is far away from being coming out, IF it's even coming out.

UncleScratchy · Post by **UncleScratchy** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 10:21 am

[QUOTE=me0w]heh, sorry, was angry. I really don't like them ruining games. (I consider 3d ruining) I just hated NWN so much, it was a poor poor game, henchmen system was so ****. 3d just reminds me of that, and makes it no longer BG...[/QUOTE]

I'm in me0w's camp on this one. I have a strong feeling that a 3D engine will make BG3 another NWN disaster. 3D probably means you won't be able to make a 6 person party - so I predict its going to be more of a MW type solo action game. My other fear is that it will end up becoming another massive multiplayer on-line type game. The isometric view allows for party building and game play that doesn't require obscene hi-end system requirements. I don't see that happening with 3D. I don't have a good feeling about this endeavor, it sounds like it might be screwed up from the get go. I'd rather forgo the 3D and have a game that has a good story line, interesting characters, sensible equipment, relatively simple game controls and reasonable system requirements (I can't even run the PC Gamer demo disk games on my 2 yr old Pentium 4 system because of the rediculous minimum system requirements the game makers are using).

CrownHead · Post by **CrownHead** » Thu Aug 19, 2004 10:50 am

[QUOTE=me0w]"Ancestors" of certain characters, now I pray this wont be like Minsc's and Edwin's ancestors, because that would be hardcore cheesy. However I have a feeling, quite strong that were gonna up at with the time when all the gods were made mortal, and yo' daddy Mr Bhaal is gonna die, and I guess you play as him, or as the person who slays him, or something like that, thats what I'm thinking... It seems quite likely, as they said specificly characters ancestors..[/QUOTE]

Unfortunately, this probably won't happen. If I remember correctly it was Cyric who murdered Bhaal in an ambush on a bridge. Not sure about the second part of that, but I do know that it was Cyric.

I'm pretty sure you won't play as Bhaal either because when the gods were made mortal, they were still godlike in power, and starting out a game at level 30 isn't gonna get much positive feedback from gamers. And Bhaal was an Assassin/Fighter if I remember correctly, so you wouldn't get a chance to choose his class either.

On a side note you probably are right about the era in which the game takes place.