D&D 5E Baldur's Gate 3 AMA

[Paul Farquhar]

I'm with you on this one! People keep defending it like it's normal, but I've played a lot of CRPGs and I've never encountered this narration style before. I also find it weird and off-putting. I know they probably won't, but I hope they change it.

I've not seen it done before in a crpg, but I can see why it might be done that way and I'm not prepared to knee-jerk condemn it out of hand.

Game developers need to be encouraged to try different things, not trot out the same old same old.

 

[pukunui]

I've not seen it done before in a crpg, but I can see why it might be done that way and I'm not prepared to knee-jerk condemn it out of hand.

Game developers need to be encouraged to try different things, not trot out the same old same old.

So why are you telling me I shouldn’t write my recaps in present tense? It’s different and, in my opinion, makes them read better. My players love them, and that’s all that matters to me.

 

[fearsomepirate]

Nope.

The DM voice (Kevin Michael Richardson, who also voices the main antagonist) narrates dream sequences and cut scenes in 2nd person present tense.

"You do not dream often, but tonight the visions are vivid, indeed. Long have you walked, but now you find yourself back amid the stones of Candlekeep. Your former home looms before you, but the gate is closed and barred. Over the walls, there is a candle in your old room, but as the light goes out, the brick surrounding the window closes together. The very walls conspire to keep you at bay."

Apart from a few combat grunts and selection responses the protagonist of BG1 and 2 has no voice.

then i guess the game is ruined

 

[Paul Farquhar]

So why are you telling me I shouldn’t write my recaps in present tense? It’s different and, in my opinion, makes them read better. My players love them, and that’s all that matters to me.

Do what you like, but it seems very odd to me.

 

[pukunui]

Do what you like, but it seems very odd to me.

Well, then you should be able to empathize with me, since the past tense dialogue options in this game seem very odd to me.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Well, then you should be able to empathize with me, since the past tense dialogue options in this game seem very odd to me.

It seem odd to me too. But "it seems odd" isn't a good reason to cry "doom" before knowing the context and seeing it work in practice.

Some CRPGs use icons for dialogue selection - click on the heart to say something nice etc. The dialogue selection menu isn't what you see and hear on screen - if it is, you have a repetition problem.

The original BG didn't have that issue, since it came from a time before the expectation of fully voiced protagonists, so the text you selected in the dialogue menu was exactly what your character says, and it wasn't repeated by some voice actor.

 

[pukunui]

It seem odd to me too. But "it seems odd" isn't a good reason to cry "doom" before knowing the context and seeing it work in practice.

I haven't been crying doom! Just complaining. There's a big difference.

I've just splurged out on an expensive new gaming computer so I can play this game (among others -- and also do graphic design more speedily than on my current machine).

I have to say, I've never played any CRPGs with icons for dialogue selection. Nor, to be perfectly honest, have I played any that I can remember that had fully voiced PCs. I'm used to games like Dragon Age: Origins and Neverwinter Nights and the like, where you just choose text and then the NPC continues talking but your own PC doesn't make any noise.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I have to say, I've never played any CRPGs with icons for dialogue selection.

Elder Scrolls: Morrowind is probably the best of those.

Nor, to be perfectly honest, have I played any that I can remember that had fully voiced PCs. I'm used to games like Dragon Age: Origins and Neverwinter Nights and the like, where you just choose text and then the NPC continues talking but your own PC doesn't make any noise.

I'm afraid fully voiced protagonists are industry standard these days. DA:O (10 years old now) was probably the last mainstream game not to have it. It would be a massive risk to do away with that for a mainstream game. (games like Pathfinder: Kingmaker are considered niche and don't make the big sales numbers). I'm not a huge fan myself, because of the repetition issue, and because I can read much faster than English is spoken. But if they want the big sales they pretty much have to have it.

 

[Mirtek]

Minsc and Boo are around, Viconia should be around, Edwin could be around, Coran is around, Aerie is around. Xan should be around, Jan should be around, Kivan should be around.

A fair number of characters could show up.

Actually the majority has been killed off in the official novels telling the canon version of how things went down. Now they could be ressurected though

 

[pukunui]

Elder Scrolls: Morrowind is probably the best of those.

Never got into Elder Scrolls. Haven’t played Skyrim.

I'm afraid fully voiced protagonists are industry standard these days. DA:O (10 years old now) was probably the last mainstream game not to have it. It would be a massive risk to do away with that for a mainstream game. (games like Pathfinder: Kingmaker are considered niche and don't make the big sales numbers). I'm not a huge fan myself, because of the repetition issue, and because I can read much faster than English is spoken. But if they want the big sales they pretty much have to have it.

I prefer to read myself. Can PC voices be turned off in these modern games?