Different gaming experience

Edwin · Post by **Edwin** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 7:02 am

I want to know your opinion on this.....
Usually when i play i try to keep my party from the beginning until the end of the game. So if a character permanently dies i reload the game to have him back. Also when a character gets petrified i try to find a scroll of stone to flesh to release him.....but if i'm in a location far from a merchant with that scroll i reload.
What do you do in these situations (or similar)?? In my new game i want to play in a way as close as possible to reality......so if a character permanently dies i will not reload...if someone gets petrified i will look for a scroll, but if i will not find it, i'll lose the character and the stuff.....

nael · Post by **nael** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 7:09 am

what exactly do you mean by reality? if you are using stoen to flesh scrolls i am guessing you are not talkign about real life as we live day to day. so, if one spell is allowed, why not resurrection as well? now i could see if a character gets petrified and blown to pieces (permanent death) and not reloading but rather gettign a new NPC would be somethign to do.

Edwin · Post by **Edwin** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 7:15 am

Yes, taking new NPC or having a party of 5 instead of 6 is want i want to do.....but i also want to know how you currently deal with these situations

nael · Post by **nael** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 7:21 am

i think i have only had a charcter unresurrectable maybe twice and i just reloaded. both times were beholders turning soemone to stone and somethign else hitting them.
i am currently playign through...yet again...and i have never died as many times as i have in this game. my characters are dying from like wail of the banshee and such things. maybe it is the harder difficulty settign i dunno, but that spell has never worked on me before. and if i were to go through and leave behind the fallen, i would end up soloing.
but as far as raising the dead...it is part of the game world and i see nothign wrong with that. if you don't allow that, then you shouldn't allow any magic at all, items or spells.
now THAT would be a challenge!

[ 08-03-2001: Message edited by: nael ]

Edwin · Post by **Edwin** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 7:34 am

Yes, raising the dead is right. It's in the rules.....but sometimes they die and cannot be resurrected (like jahiera says).
About not using this ability...well that's not a challenge, that means not using NPC (they all die at least once!!!)

Anatres · Post by **Anatres** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 7:50 am

I always carry (when I can afford it) a Rod of Resurrection (or two) and never play with a pure elf (can't be resurrected) until a Cleric in my party learns the spell.

If I don't have a character that has 'Stone-to-Flesh' memorized someone will have 'Protection from Petrification' memorized or in a castable scroll. Leaders, usually tanks, get this spell cast on them before combat as a matter of normal pre-combat buffing.

As far as those times when someone gets smashed beyond resurrection then I reload. After playing through the whole series with different combinations of NPCs I usually do most of my replaying with multiplayer parties only (that way I can create my whole party and I usually play these parties with four members only).

Fezek · Post by **Fezek** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 7:53 am

For me life without thr rod of resurrection, would be a hard life indeed. Three of my members(Jan, HaerD,Viconia) have a combined HP total which is 35 points higher than my main dude. My guys often get their bottoms whupped! The part of the game I "dislike" the most is when my characters get wiped off the earth. If that happens, I reload. But if they "just" die, then I always use the Rod of Res. That is my limit with reality.

For reference;
Half-orc, kensai- 120 HP
Minsc-------------95HP
Jaheira-----------79HP
Viconia-----------55HP
Jan---------------50
HaerD-------------50

[ 08-03-2001: Message edited by: Fezek ]

Ned Flanders · Post by **Ned Flanders** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 8:32 am

@edwin

I think it's cool you want to go through the game in the fashion you do. It seems fair that some of the heroes should die along the way. However, I am not practicing what I preach. I, too, like to go through the game with the same party (max out on levels and stuff plus the planning you make to obtain certain items).

One of the reasons I've always felt they have such a large number and variety of NPC's in the game is because you will need them, not to provide the possibilities of going through the game over and over with different groups. On a story of this magnitude, where you pick up adventurers along the way who chooose to dabble with dieties, the underdark, and the nine hells, you would expect to lose several members along the way.

I find your topic so interesting here because it brings the argument of the ethics of repeated saving of your game which makes it so easy to go back and do things over if it doesn't go perfect the first time. I, for one, am very guilty of this tactic and once you start doing it, it is very difficult to get away from.

But think of the possibilities you could additionally expand on with the game using your style. You could really use the journal to make notes as if you were writing a story. Example, "Chapter 2: personal entry: Alas, Torgal has been defeated but at what cost. There is not enough of Minsc left for the temple of Helm to work with. Nalia has allowed us to provide a proper burial for him in the courtyard. When we return to the Copper Coronet, perhaps we can get Korgan to reconsider and join our group."

Yeah, maybe that is kind of corny to write a story as you go but it definitely assists in the role playing aspect of this game which has been the center of discussion on several threads. Also, playing in this fashion, I'll bet you use over half of the NPCs in the game. The main drawback here is maxing out on levels but if you kept the game on the moderate difficulty setting, this would probably work and provide a great gaming experience. Enough of ramblings, I'll give someone else a chance to say their piece.

Fezek · Post by **Fezek** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 8:49 am

@Edwin-san..great thread.

@Ned-san..no,no.keep rambling.It's interesting. Lots of good ideas.

Irony. Minsc just got petrified whilst walking over the "door" in the sewers under the Copper Coronet. I thought I'd deavtivated that trap!

Edwin · Post by **Edwin** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 9:04 am

Thanks guys.....keep on saying your ideas!!!!!!
@Ned: very interesting reply.....please continue your ideas.....

And about me...i really want to try this new playing style. I'll let you know how it works. I think Ned explained well what i thought with his example....that's what i call game=life.

Fezek · Post by **Fezek** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 9:14 am

I have played a game on MP mode in which if my players get totally mashed up then I've said,"Fair enough, we need some new people". I lost two tanks against Firkrag so I created two new Tanks, and I lost one mage from Thax and created a new mageling. Wipes a tear. The "problem" I had was creating these new characters knowing I had the Charisma ring, Gloves of Dexterity and the Mauler(gives eighteen strength). The temptation was just too much!

Ned Flanders · Post by **Ned Flanders** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 9:25 am

glad you guys liked the idea of writing the story as you go although I cannot accept full credit for the thought. I don't remember who, I think his posting name is robinhood, occasionally writes long posts giving a synopsis of his latest happenings in the game. I thought that was so cool because it was telling a story. With my groups in the past, everything was pefect and if not I reloaded (d!*@ that quick save). But in the end, there weren't any battles that really stood out in my mind throughout the game because nobody died, nobody got level drained and at times allowed to venture fairly recklessly. If someone bit the dust, oh well, reload. Oh my god! I think I could be guilty of power gaming. Edwin, you have shown me the light. I will start a new game tonight.

Ned Flanders · Post by **Ned Flanders** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 9:33 am

question:

If you dump an injured NPC and pick him/her up 7 game days later, does he/she heal?

Just another aspect of 'writing' a story as you go.

Chapter 3: "The battle with Ihtafeer left Aerie with mere threads of her life. Upon returning to Trademeet, priests there gave her some healling but it was Aerie's request to be with Quayle. We found a caravan headed to Athkatla and put her on it. Made a promise to find her when we return to Athkatla."

Now, if you dump Aerie in this instance with only 8 of 40 HPs and pick her up seven game days later, it would be cool if she regained some HPs.

Edwin · Post by **Edwin** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 9:36 am

Originally posted by Ned Flanders:
<STRONG>If someone bit the dust, oh well, reload. Oh my god! I think I could be guilty of power gaming. Edwin, you have shown me the light. I will start a new game tonight.</STRONG>

I had the same experience.....and now i also want to start a new game....keep in touch and let's keep ourselves updated on how this works

Ned Flanders · Post by **Ned Flanders** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 9:45 am

@ edwin

Well, if there was one way of staying away from the quick save and trying this out, a request from a fellow poster on the boards interested in the progress is a great way to kick the habit. Starting a new game of BGII, man, my girlfriend is going to be thrilled (sarcasm).

BTW, I have opted to make a barbarian to be dualed to a thief (some patch I found). My character will be Conan the barbarian. Looking to set it up with portraits and sound bites of Arnold Shwarzenegger. You don't consider the barbarian to thief dual a cheat, do you? I was looking so forward to this class combo before the release of BG2 and when I found out you couldn't dual a barbarian, I was heartbroken. Fortunately, someone at the boards informed me of the patch. Should we keep posting progress on this thread?

Edwin · Post by **Edwin** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 9:55 am

I like your idea

We can keep ourselves updated on this topic.
I'll think this evening on my new character and let you know tomorrow.....

About the idea of healing after 7 days....it would be true in real life....if i'm wounded and leave a party to rejoin after 7 days i'll heal myself not wait for the party to come back!!!!!!

Fezek · Post by **Fezek** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 9:56 am

Here is an idea for you. When you have a full team( say, Minsc, Jaheira, Nalia, Anomen, Jan) choose one or two that you will reload for( say Minsc and Jaheira) if they are "disintegrated" but the rest have to swim for it. You could "justify" the action by saying,"Look I have the blood of a god in me so I bless these people" or something along those lines. Or am I just babbling now?

Fezek · Post by **Fezek** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 10:01 am

@Ned..under normal circumstances the game allows you to dual a Wizard Slayer to Mage, which, to me gives you license to dual a Barb to a thief. IMHO. If you were dualling from a Barb to a Jon Irenicus, I'd be sceptical.

Ned Flanders · Post by **Ned Flanders** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 10:44 am

@Fezek

True. True. But I'm trying to duplicate the character that was Conan the barbarian. A great, adept, agile warrior who became a king (or in this case, a diety) by his own hand. I will roleplay to the best of my chaotic neutral ability (if anyone else wants to shed an opinion on the alignment of conan the barbarian, that is cool). Conan certainly isn't evil, definitely isn't GOOD, as far as I know doesn't subscribe to any set of laws, and usually leaves a wake of destruction so I guessed his alignment to be chaotic neutral.

Also, the idea of having blessed NPCs is cool and were I role playing a different character I may do just that to add another intangible the game cannot provide. However, Conan is not even going to bless his romanced NPC because if she falls, there's always another. Coran - Conan... coincidence, I think not.

Fezek · Post by **Fezek** » Fri Aug 03, 2001 10:52 am

If it helps, I remember from the movie"Conan the Barb" he sets a lot of traps for the incoming hoards of badguys. Sound like "Set traps". Also, in Conan the Barbarian, he disguises himself as priest. Stealth? And the Robe he "borrows" , he actually got from breaking the neck of a priest while the priest wasn't looking. Backstab?. With bare hands! OMG!

Now if those don't sound like BG2 Theiving skills, then I'm a ( Fill in here with witty quip)

[ 08-03-2001: Message edited by: Fezek ]