D&D 5E New Baldur's Gate 3 Video

[Ruin Explorer]

Wow that sounds like exactly and precisely the sort of thing which makes me turn off a CRPG and never come back lol. I shall avoid. There's not much of a bigger wind-up in a CRPG (or really any game) than "player works something out but character isn't allowed to".

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Wow that sounds like exactly and precisely the sort of thing which makes me turn off a CRPG and never come back lol. I shall avoid. There's not much of a bigger wind-up in a CRPG (or really any game) than "player works something out but character isn't allowed to".

There is one of those in Throne of Bhaal of course. The rest of BG1 and 2 does quite well in letting you ignore "the plot" if you want to - at least until you run out of sidequests.

BG3 gives you a very strong motivation for pursuing "the plot", and I don't think I've hit anywhere where I am forced to do something obviously dumb (aside from mind control, which allows saving throws).

 

[EzekielRaiden]

It's worth checking out if you can pick it up for minimal cost and have a few hours to spare, but in case you don't, spoiler:

Spoiler

It has the protagonist chasing a fake antagonist for a good part of the adventure. Whist it's quite possible the player can figure out what is actually going on quite early, the player character is forced to remain oblivious, leading to the unavoidable scripted death of one of the less unlikable characters.

Spoiler: Plotted Frustrations

Yeah, I was pretty pissed about how unavoidable Shandra Jerro's death was. Like...it was such an obviously dumb situation, and completely manufactured by a failure to investigate or even communicate. Shandra had far better potential as a fish-out-of-water audience surrogate, someone who could vocally ask questions and personally experience the wonder and horror of being a D&D character. And...they wasted her death on a pointless Idiot Plot.

Frankly, I wish they'd given the player the chance to resurrect her, perhaps in an expansion. She deserved better.

I think the praise I heard was for NWN2 and Mask of the Betrayer, not Storm of Zehir lol.

Most likely. I've played through the main campaign (railroady and frustrating, but serviceable IMO) and Mask of the Betrayer, and the latter is very good, fully worth the flaws and missteps of the base game.

 

[MNblockhead]

I got tired of restarting my game as new versions were released. I'm just waiting for the actual release in August. For those of you who follow BG3 news, what is the likelihood that it will be released for a console now that Stadia has bit the dust?

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I got tired of restarting my game as new versions were released. I'm just waiting for the actual release in August. For those of you who follow BG3 news, what is the likelihood that it will be released for a console now that Stadia has bit the dust?

Really there are two likely scenarios:

1) They have some kind of binding contract with Google not to release on other consoles, just Stadia, which Google intend to enforce even though Stadia is now gone.

I think this is unlikely, especially as Larian has never ruled out a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S series, only a PS4 or Xbox One release.

2) More likely, PS5/Xbox Series X/S releases are lower priority, because the priority was Stadia, and for whatever reason(s), Larian haven't even integrated gamepad controls into the PC version, despite having them for Stadia.

This would mean PS5/Xbox was probably just a matter of time, though, it might be a long time, because I could see them tying that release in to the inevitable "Enhanced Edition". So unless they've been working in secret on them (again, unlikely because Larian aren't good at secret), we may well be looking at 2024 or even 2025 for PS5/Xbox versions.

 

[MNblockhead]

Really there are two likely scenarios:

1) They have some kind of binding contract with Google not to release on other consoles, just Stadia, which Google intend to enforce even though Stadia is now gone.

I think this is unlikely, especially as Larian has never ruled out a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S series, only a PS4 or Xbox One release.

It would be shockingly poor contracting if WotC were still held to an exclusive contract with Google to release on platform that no longer exists.

2) More likely, PS5/Xbox Series X/S releases are lower priority, because the priority was Stadia, and for whatever reason(s), Larian haven't even integrated gamepad controls into the PC version, despite having them for Stadia.

This would mean PS5/Xbox was probably just a matter of time, though, it might be a long time, because I could see them tying that release in to the inevitable "Enhanced Edition". So unless they've been working in secret on them (again, unlikely because Larian aren't good at secret), we may well be looking at 2024 or even 2025 for PS5/Xbox versions.

Yeah, I think #2 is likely the case. It isn't trivial to design for a new platform. I am not optimistic that I'll be able to get BGIII for Playstation, Xbox, or Switch at the same time or even soon after it released for the PC. I already have the early release for PC, but I would buy it again if available on a console.

 

[bedir than]

Reading this just made me realize I'm not going to be playing BG3 ever. I'm on a PS4 for console and my laptop is closer to an ultralight than a gaming laptop

sad.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

It would be shockingly poor contracting if WotC were still held to an exclusive contract with Google to release on platform that no longer exists.

Yeah, I think #2 is likely the case. It isn't trivial to design for a new platform. I am not optimistic that I'll be able to get BGIII for Playstation, Xbox, or Switch at the same time or even soon after it released for the PC. I already have the early release for PC, but I would buy it again if available on a console.

I mean, three points:

1) Hasbro/WotC have been guilty of some of the most shockingly poor exclusive contracts in videogame history. The saga with the D&D licence in the like 2000-2011 or so is so long and convoluted I can no longer remember it off the top of my head, but Hasbro essentially sold off the licence to make D&D video games in perpetuity to Interplay for some shockingly tiny sum, who sold it on to Atari, which eventually resulted in a court battle, which thankfully Hasbro/WotC one, seemingly on the grounds that Atari were not actually making any D&D videogames. But the whole thing was demented and 100% on Hasbro/WotC for selling the licence off essentially in perpetuity.

(Perhaps someone has a set of articles on this debacle? If not it might be a good topic for ENworld to cover.)

2) It's unlikely the exclusivity contract (if there was one) was between WotC and Stadia. I don't know why it would be that way. I've never heard of a contract like that in videogames.

The licence would be between WotC and Larian, and the more likely scenarios are:

2a) No specific platforms were specified (or possibly PC "and others").

2b) Specific platforms were specified, and they were PC and Stadia (PS5/Xbox Series X/S weren't announced when development started on BG3, indeed I'm not sure their specs were pinned down).

If it's 2b I think it's even more likely console versions will be delayed to a later "Enhanced Edition".

3) They didn't develop for PS4 or Xbox One because neither machine is powerful enough, so there's no chance of a Switch version unless they take an approach like Control, where the Switch version is essentially just a front-end for a stream of the game (like Stadia or GeForce Now). That approach has not proved very popular. It runs okay on a Steam Deck at least, though you better be plugged in.