Baldur's Gate II Final Official Chat Log - QA Style
This was the final official developer chat for Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, held at Baldur's Gate Chronicles on September 13, 2000. The game went gold the next morning at 7 am. Kalthorine ut Wistan made this version and a standard one is also available.
Official Baldur's Gate II chat at Baldur's Gate Chronicles September 13, 2000 (6 pm PST) at irc.gamesnet.com, room #baldursgate
Edited log prepared by MageDragon of Baldur's Gate Chronicles (http://www.bgchronicles.com)
374 people were at the chat at its peak. Chat was moderated by Silverdawn. Chat log edited by Magedragon.
Q&A form of chat kog edited by Kalthorine ut Wistan. All extraneous chat removed, and Bioware's answers to questions are combined into single paragraphs - so any time there is reference in the first person, there MIGHT be more than one "I" per answer depending on which Biowarians chipped in - I've kept all responses word for word, so some might sound a little strange in this format. I've also arranged the questions by topic areas.
Once again, I'd like to extend a BIG thank you to Silverdawn for taking time to moderate this chat, Magedragon (I assume!) for editing the chat log initially - and most of all to all the guys at Bioware for once again showing that they care about the fans. Kudos, Bioware.
SECTION 1: CHARACTER CLASS / KIT QUERIES & IMPORT FROM BG1 QUESTIONS
Q: So how will Kits work with characters that we import? Will we get to assign them a Kit after we import them? For instance, I want to import my Thief from BG. Will I get to give him an assassin kit then? And how does the Import feature work?
A: Yes Kit for imported characters. You import a character from BG1 when you start a new game, if you wish, and you will go through options to update him/her with kits, proficiencies and such. Check out the FAQ for more details would be my suggestion.
Q: Will the chance of causing a 10% chance of spell failure when attacking a wizard with a wizardslayer be in effect if the damage is done by ranged weapons? Also, what do developers eat during those long hard hours with whips cracking somewhere?
A: Re: Wizard Slayers - no 10% chance of spell disruption with ranged weapons - so Mark tells me (the lead programmer). Oops - according to James (lead designer) the 10% spell disruption chance DOES happen with ranged weapons!
Q: Why is the Stalker such a munchkin kit? I mean it has mage spells, backstab and only studded armour... not fair.. you don't want to wear more than that to dual wield.. And you look at the BGchronicles explanation of the assassin.. all they get is poison.. no enhanced backstab or anything.. bounty hunters get super traps and more points.. why? And what's the deal with the other abilities of the assassin?
A: How can you say a kit is munchkin-ish and in the same sentence call a drawback unfair? The assassin's kits work quite well, it depends on how you want to play. The kits are all pretty balanced. If you like one, play it... or if you think one won't fit with your playing style, then you might want to skip it.
Q: I read a while ago on BG chronicles that the Assassin kit gets a 7x backstab, about two days later they changed it. Was that just a misunderstanding or did you change the kit? Also, I have read a lot about the other classes strongholds but have only heard that the thief class will get a guild, can you give some specifics?
A: I believe the initial posting at BGChronicles were the optional D&D kits - could be wrong, but I believe that's it. The actual rules we are using for the kits were released recently. That may have been 3rd edition as well, and BGChronicles posted all the details (thanks, guys!) Assassins don't have 7x backstab, they have plenty of poison-related abilities, though. As for the stronghold, yes, running a guild is involved. But I won't spoil it for you or anyone else. Try it. It's fun.
Q: I was just wondering what races would be able to play the monk. I was getting a little distressed that I wouldn't be able to play my elven monk. The same goes for the other 3ed classes, any race restrictions on those?
A: The classes aren't 3rd edition classes, per se. But they are a mixture of 1st edition holdovers and the 3rd edition classes put into 2nd edition format. As for the race restrictions, monks can only be played by humans; sorcerors by humans, elves and half-elves; and Barbarians by any race.
Q: Gromnir understands that some changes have been made to the schools of opposition for specialist mages. Care to comment on those changes... if any?
A: Opposition schools actually do stuff in BG2: +2 to saves -2 to others; bonuses to learn spells; can't use opposition schools.
SECTION 2: GAMEPLAY QUESTIONS
Q: Any hints on new Bhaalspawn abilities? Raise dead, maybe? It might affect my starting character class.
A: I'd like to tell you about new Bhaalspawn abilities, but that's something I think is best left to you finding out for yourself. What class you are has no bearing on it, though... and I know that the power(s) will be beneficial to everyone. Or not. :)
Q: Just a quick question re familiars. I've heard you can put them in your inventory - can you put them in a quick slot too? And what will be the penalties if they die?
A: They are relegated to the first slot of your inventory and disappear when you release them. If your familiar dies you suffer a permanent penalty to your con
Q: Will Fighter/Mage Avatars be able to be seen wearing both Mage robes and armours like plate, chain etc.? In BG1 they used the fighter avatar and robes worn by them could not be seen on the avatar
A: The characters always use the avatars that have the most options for armour and weaponry, just as in BG1. So, no, there will be no choice as to which one is used.
Q: Are the characters going to be bigger this time around and will you be able to see the party move on the map like in Icewind Dale?
A: The characters will remain the same height. Multiplayer will allow you to see your characters move on the map.
Q: With NPCs having up to (3?) quests associated with them approx. how much of the game is missed by multiplayers? Can you do the NPC quests in MP with a full party?
A: You can do NPC quests in MP if you have them in your party. Some characters allow you to complete their quests without them actually present in your party, though most require them to be involved in some measure. As well, they are not part of the "critical path" which still leaves a bazillion quests to do
Q: How many goes did it take you to do all the Quests NPC and all? How many times did you have to play through the game to do everything?
A: Now, that'd be something for a QA guy to answer. Personally, the designers/scripters and such tend to know all the plots and how to solve them. Still, the first time through it took me about two weeks of work time to get through everything. I think I've played through the game 6 times now and still haven't seen EVERYTHING. To see absolutely everything? Many times, can't really say for sure. I'd say it would take you as many times through, as unique classes we have, as only they will get the unique stronghold quests :) Scott L. says one character class would take just under 250-300hrs. There's a lot there, and we added multiple ways to handle different plots.
Q: Will the guards and law enforcement actively hunt outlaws like part 1, and will it be more realistic in the sense of issuing warrants and hunting parties... etc.?
A: The player may be hunted, depending on his or her reputation. As far as reactions to stealing - it depends mostly on whether or not you are spotted. We've cleaned up how this works so it's more reliable. That said, there are no warrants or any such thing... but there is definitely a reaction.
Q: Will energy drains be properly implemented, and if so will the restore spell be in the game.
A: Yes and you can use restoration scrolls or spells such as Lesser Restoration and Restoration. Also, you can protect yourself from draining with Negative Plane Protection
Q: Did you get my hecatombs in there? I hope to be wading hip deep in the hewn bits of my enemies, shoulder to shoulder hacking, heaps of goo and bodies
A: As for hecatombs, there are some very big battles, yes. :) Lots, in fact. We have to keep the number of enemies limited, though, due to frame rate. But some fights have multiple groups spawning in continuously. Good fun! :)
Q: Will there be an easier way of running way or defending characters?
A: Brent (who is great with these things) has supplied some very varied scripts for you to use and apply to characters. Failing that, it you want the NPCs to act in a certain way it is not too difficult to write up a script yourself. Also, having everything in 800x600 let's you see a lot more of what's going on during a battle. Much easier to see and control things, if that's what you're asking.
Q: What things have you changed to make it easier to role-play an evil or less than lawful-good character? And will the new Classes(monks etc) get a stronghold as well? How is the Swashbuckler's tendency to get into trouble implemented into the game(if at all)?
A: There are multiple paths through the majority of the plots (good, evil etc.) There are some plots that are only for evil or only for good. There are plenty of options for all styles of games. Monks do get a stronghold - in fact all of the 3 new classes get the stronghold that most closely matches their class. Example: the sorceror gets the mage stronghold. The swashbuckler's tendency to get in trouble is decided by your role-playing. There are plenty of chances to get in trouble. Take them if you wish, it always leads to adventure.
SECTION 3: PURCHASING QUESTIONS
Q: About the Bonus CD (the pre order one) will the there be any way to get it in Europe? And if not will it be available for download later?
A: I was just in Europe (France/Germany/UK) and they mentioned that they were interested in the bonus CD's there. I don't believe that it is decided how/when/if they would be used, however
Q: About the Special Bonus CD, will there be anyway to get it later? I'm in Brazil and the price tag on Interplay's store for the Special Ed came around 120US$ with the postal fees if not mistaken. Even if I had that money to blow on a game I wouldn't ;) I ask this because our version will probably be in English, so what I get is that we are to wait and see if your distributor in Brazil wants to release it?
A: Interplay handles the publishing end of things. Probably no one here knows how best to answer your questions. Sorry, bud.
Q: Will there be a DVD version, if so when?
A: There could very well be one...not sure when, however. (We're preparing the CD version first)
SECTION 4: TECHNICAL/INSTALLATION QUESTIONS
Q: Will Baldur's Gate II be compatible with Windows 2000?
A: Though BG2 doesn't officially support Win2k, we have been testing on it. And we have found that it works quite well - in general, it's a solid as the other operating systems.
Q: Will the small portraits be 40x62, as per the FAQ, or will they be 38x60, as the screen shots seem to indicate?
A: 38x60 ....and 110x170.
Q: Regarding the first BG: when will a final patch for the DX7 multi-player problem be released?
A: I hear they're working on it. No new news, though. (they being the programmers)
Q: What multiplayer system will BG2 use (HEAT, Mplayer, etc.)
A: We support Mplayer. We also unofficially support Gamespy.
Q: I was wondering if there are any known issues with video cards with more then 64 MB of ram, such as Diablo II had. I'll rephrase that. Are video drivers problems less common now than when BG released due to improved drivers (or will the game still have problems with the newest cards?)
A: There are new cards - and new versions of Direct X. Each new version of DirectX means that the video card makers must update drivers. More cards = more drivers. Generally 2D works quite well on almost cards. All video cards with solid and strong OpenGL drivers have no problems running BG2. For example, the Voodoo and nVidia cards work very well in 3D.
Q: If you had a server running with collectors edition does everyone get access to the extra stuff
A: Collector's Edition isn't a separate game. It just has extra characters/items. I do believe if the server has the extra items that they'll show up on all clients... at least that's what the Readme says.
SECTION 5: THE FUTURE FOR BALDUR'S GATE...
Q: I was wondering if there were any plans for an after product expansion similar to the Sword Coast expansion for BG1?
A: We're quite interested in an expansion (similar to Tales) for BG2 - hopefully we will have more news on this that we can announce jointly with our publishing partner, Black Isle/Interplay, soon!
Q: Is this going to be the end of the Baldur's Gate saga now that attention is shifting to NWN?
A: We're very interested in continuing the BG line; however, we can't be more specific on this until/if we jointly announce any future BG plans with our publisher, Black Isle/Interplay.
SECTION 6: MISCELLANEOUS
Q: Did you ever feel limited by the AD&D rules or would you have preferred to write a custom system ala Fallout
A: The AD&D system is a mixed bag - on the one hand, it's great having a rule system which is balanced and that can be implemented without the need for significant rebalancing. As well, it's nice because it's not too limiting in terms of the storyline - we really enjoyed working on the story for BG2 (as well as BG). WOTC has been great to work with. It is, however, an exclusion based system that can be difficult at times - but taking the time to put in all of the rules has really paid off in terms of the reduced need to rebalance the rules system. All in all AD&D has been good to work with.
Q: What are you most excited about in BG 2 as developers and players?
A: I personally really enjoyed adventuring in the Drow city - the Drow are truly an eeeevil race... :). I think for me just watching the game come together into a living, breathing adventure
Q: Are you guys worried at all that some people might find BGII to be "more of the same" and loose interest in the game soon after or before buying it? After BG1, Tales of the sword coast, Torment, Icewind dale, all using the same (or almost the same) engine, don't you think it's an alarming possibility to loose many potential buyers?
A: Actually, I think people who enjoyed any of the games you mentioned or any RPG or even RTS fans will really enjoy BG2. The story and the new features added in BG2 are really significant improvements. I believe like BG1 the story line is enough to keep players interested
Hope people found this useful...
Kalthorine ut Wistan
|
RSS Feeds
