GameBanshee Forums

Time for another one of my patented easy to answer multiforum questions.

I was until very recently under the assumption that I was an "elder" amongst the fan group that surrounds the infinity engine games. I have been proven wrong in this assumption however.

I just wanted to pop by and ask what aspect of the game that you enjoy the most?

Is the development of your character, molding it into a fierce fighting power that can withstand the challange of any opponent the game provides?

Is it the sence of exploration as you enjoy the works of art that the developers have strained themselves so hard to produce (The sheer mass of written text in the game rivals a pocket book easily and the graphics have surely taken a lot of time and effort to develop)?

Or is it a roleplaying experience were you actually try to see the world trough the eyes of your "pixelated" self (A crude description I know but english is not my language of choice )?

Or is it perhaps the strategies and tactics that appeals to you, commanding the characters as an officer commands a small task force to solve a troubling operation (Rescuing Imoen can easily be likened to some fantasy hostage situation in my opinion)?

Just curious why the game seems to appeal to such a wide range of people.

I would pick two exploration and strategies/tactics.

------------------
(I would betray the world before i let the world betray me.) Cao Cao 192 a.d.

I would pick RPG and explore. Playing as a fatasy character thru a fanatasy world is alwasys fun, especially if the world created is fun to adventure in. I like the sense of a party fighting any creatures instead of a powerful character doing all the work even if it means tougher battle.

I've never played something AD&D based, but i'm fascinated about almost every point you mentioned.

for me, probably the most interesting thing is, exploration of a fantasy world, where there's so much backgroud to get in.

;~) looks like i'm really hungry ...

I like the RPG part ... exploring the story that others have worked so hard for to create. Although I've never really played AD&D save for a blue monday many years ago, I do know some stories ... and most of them simply ammount to a dungeon crawl: enter room, kill monsters, loot room, move to next room and repeat the above.

Baldur's Gate, the expansion and its sequal have so far succesfully risen far above that stigma. IceWind Dale was also cool to play, but really more a Power Gamers dream than an RPG. Still, I'm looking out for Heart of Winter.

I think I can count myself to RPG hard core. Only a few non-RPG games can be found in my inventory: better chess (I have ELO above 2000), patience, ...
An RPG is a fairy tale for me. A fairy tale, in which I can take an active part. The hero (or heroes) I am supervising is a part of me. Therefore, all parts of the game are important to me: generating characters, equipping them, and seeing that they progress well. My ultimate goals are:
1. Find out everything prepared for me by the authors of the game.
2. Find out the best strategy of playing the game.
3. "Understand" the game, i.e., be able to predict consequences of your actions, know the abilities (and weaknesses) of your opponents and so on.
On the other hand, I really hate evil quests, so called Big Fun (i.e., immediate death of the hero, etc.), necessity of retreating from (or giving up) the battle, forced weakenings (for example forced permanent ability losses) and other symptoms of miserable hack'n'slash affairs.

Krush kill and DESTROY !

Or maybe just the smiting of my foes through my greater arsenal.

I also quite enjoy the whole aspect of making a character into some demi-god.

Not forgetting a good story, that is almost as important as the other aspects.

I like the exploration part the most: large,diverse world inhabitated by a lot of monsters; different kingdoms/empires/races; a lot of weapons/armour/items to retrieve; lot of subquests; etc. ( you get my point). Of course, the most important thing is : a solid plot which poses a significant challenge. I have played countless RPG's which became very boring once I reached the final stages as my characters had grown more powerful than any enemy (including the end boss) by then. Luckily, with the BG series the difficulty curve keeps rising,there is no point where your party is almighty powerful (because of the XP-cap or something else?)

the many ways of combining your main Character is one of the best aspects of the game IMHO.

My name may say "Junior Member" but after I was introduced to RPG's about three years ago, I immediately realized that they would become my main hobby in the years to come.
Since then, I've played and mastered Final Fantasy 7, 8, and Tactics (soon to get 9, as soon as I have the money!), spent many a night up til 3 am playing Diablo and Diablo 2, become an active AD & D player, playing at various friend's houses countless times since then, and I've discovered what just might be my favorite set of computer games ever to be released:

The Bioware Infinity Engine CRPG's.

In answer to your question, I wouldn't pick one of the options above, I would have to say that all of them, together, is what makes the BG experience so cool, not just one feature.

Many different games have one or two of the features you mentioned, but to have a game that combines them all so well is a rare thing.

The character-slowly-developing-to-Demigod Status thing (which is referred to among my friends and fellow gamers as "pimping out my party") is something that can be found in the Final Fantasy and Diablo series as well, while FF Tactics gives you some strategy experience.

But Diablo and Diablo 2, while having a good story, especially the sequel, still can't come close to matching the immersion of the BG series.

And even though I must have my beloved Final Fantasy fix every couple of years, having an epic adventure set in an official AD & D setting is altogether different and just plain cool.

That is my favorite thing about the BG series, just the seamless way all these cool options are blended together, without them all it wouldn't be quite the same.

Just my opinion, cool topic by the way!


Later on,

------------------
~AVARIEL~

~~~}---------------

[This message has been edited by Avariel (edited 12-14-2000).]

Thank you for your points and responces. Posting this topic on a variety of forums around the net sure was intresting. It would seem that people enjoy the very same game trough a lot of different angles. I would salute the developers, if I but could, for creating a game that have drawn such a diverse blend of gamers into it's fold.

Trouble is that by appealing to so many they are also unable to create a game wich everyone feels completely comfortable with. Since it enjoyable everyone wants it to be "perfect" and just to add a little of that and little of this to make it so.

The more cooks the worse the soup, as the saying goes, as noone seems to want to add the same things to the game. Oh well... 'tis what makes us human methinks. ;-)

Thank you for your time once again.