Baldurs Gate 1 question

PieMan

Having gone through the epic planescape:torment, I thought I would get into the BG series and decided to buy the compilation. After ploughing through BG 1 a fair amount (up to the Nashkel mines) I haven't really found myself gripped at all. The dialogue is about as equally unengaging to me as the combat. I'm not really an instant gratification kind of gamer, but is it worth going through the game just because it sets the scene for the critically acclaimed sequel? Does it get better? Discuss!

Squirminator2k

Baldur's Gate has never really gripped me - sequels or otherwise - but then where most people have organs and a soul, I have a hollow tin chest. So... *shrugs*

My ex-girlfriend loved BG, though. She played that thing to death countless times. SO it must have something going for it. I say give it a chance and see what happens.

Pancake

PieMan wrote: »

Having gone through the epic planescape:torment, I thought I would get into the BG series and decided to buy the compilation. After ploughing through BG 1 a fair amount (up to the Nashkel mines) I haven't really found myself gripped at all. The dialogue is about as equally unengaging to me as the combat. I'm not really an instant gratification kind of gamer, but is it worth going through the game just because it sets the scene for the critically acclaimed sequel? Does it get better? Discuss!

The first game never really gets much better. It feels rather hollow and empty compared to what came later for the genre and even the series.

If you're really not liking it, it might be worth it to just put away BG1 and skip to BG2. BG2 fills you in on what happened in the first game anyway and it gives you an excuse to not know who your old companions are, though you've gotten far enough in BG that you'll probably recognize most of the returning characters.

Aroduc

Baldur's Gate does get better as you level and more options open to you. The Mines are also still pretty early in the game, but yeah... I lost interest around the time I reached the town of Baldur's Gate and just skipped to #2 and never looked back.

Evangir

I beat BG1 and the expansion... And then never managed to get into BG2 (The opening city was too damned big! I ended up getting lost, then raped by Vampires... yeah). I even dragged those Golden Pantaloons around through the entire game, only to have my save get corrupted thanks to a shitty version of BGtutu.

BG1's story isn't really much. The gameplay is fun though. I can't think of anything you'd miss out on by skipping, other than using the same character through both games.

Brolo

Yeah, I love BG2 and play it every couple years, but BG1 isn't quite as magical. There are some good bits when you get to the larger towns and the capital city itself, and it's a good introduction to the 2e AD&D rules (which will get complicated very quickly in BG2), but I can't really go back to it now. The combat options are limited, and there's lots and lots and lots of time spent wandering through the wilderness. You won't miss much if you just start with BG2, but I'll warn you now that the game doesn't exactly go easy on what it expects you to know.

Silpheed

One thing I have to say in BG's favour is that the "main" dungeon in the expansion is better than the one you find in Throne of Bhaal. Of course I'm sure that there are a lot of people who will disagree with me on that score.

I like BG but BG 2 is simply the superior game. I would play through the first one if I had the urge to go through the entire Baldurs Gate saga with one character, otherwise I would just start with BG 2.

Burnage

Baldur's Gate 1 genuinely felt like a chore to me. Modding it helped a bit - the NPC mod isn't exactly brilliantly written, but it helps.

2 is absolutely fantastic, however.

Noneoftheabove

Baldur's Gate is a slower game, but I love all the subtle details of it. You'll play for an hour or so before you come across a lone NPC on a bridge that has an interesting bit of story or dialogue. Then it's back to exploring wilderness areas devoid of anything terribly eye catching. But then you'll discover a dungeon or castle that has a great piece of loot with a lengthy history or bit of flavor text.
That's what I loved about the game. It's slow pace is not without it's rewards or carrot on the end of the stick.

Sir Carcass

Eh, I would say stick with it just so you will have experienced the game in its entirety. In the future, you're free to skip it as you like.

Xagarath

Baldur's Gate 1 is a decent game, but the main draw is the tactical combat, which only picks up once you're a bit further on than Nashkel and actually have some magic to play with.

Baldur's Gate 2, however, is the finest RPG ever made.

The_Scarab

Nashkel mines were horrible.

I remember simply not being able to do it and using the chicken horde cheat to just zerg through it. Good times.

PieMan

Thanks for the response, I might just install BG 2 tonight! Is 2 meant to be played with the expansion alongside it giving you more stuff to do, like the Oblivion expansions?

Pancake

PieMan wrote: »

Thanks for the response, I might just install BG 2 tonight! Is 2 meant to be played with the expansion alongside it giving you more stuff to do, like the Oblivion expansions?

BG2's expansion is a completely different beast.

Throne of Bhaal is more like a sequel to BG2, which is why you sometimes hear it being referred to as the "Baldur's Gate Trilogy" even though there were technically only two games and a couple expansions. It adds one dungeon, some nice usability features (such as having hitting tab highlight items on the ground), and adds new spells and character classes to the core BG2 game, but once you finish BG2, your character and their party and continue the game into the expansion content as if BG2 didn't actually end, and in this case it didn't, because there's the whole final chapter of the story to play through. Throne of Bhaal is the final piece of the Baldur's Gate story.

So, in conclusion, yes, install the expansion and play BG2 with it. It's not quite as long as BG2 by a long shot, and it's more linear, but it's still a fantastic conclusion to a fantastic series.

Craigopogo

Baldur's Gate 1 is fairly slow to start. It doesn't really pick up until Chapter 3 or so. Starting off at level 1 means you're fairly limited for quite a while. This, coupled with the much wider range of places to go and explore, can make the early game feel really unfocused, boring and hard. It gets better though, once you start getting some more magic and better gear.

BG 1 in general has a far different feel to it than any of the other Infinity Engine RPGs. BG 2 and Torment both focus pretty tightly on story and plot development, centred around a fairly small area (Athkatla and Sigil), and the IWD games are all about combat and tactics. BG 1 is far more open ended than the others, so it can be harder to get into the whole thing. I think it's worth it, but then I enjoy just wandering around the various maps and soaking in the scenery, or just exploring.

Stolls

Yeah, BG1 feels way, way different than 2 and ToB in terms of pacing and scope. 1 is all about your rookie ass being dumped in the wilderness, away from the only home and family you've ever known, and trying not to die from a wolf or a pack of xvarts while you figured out what just happened to you. In 2 and beyond your goal and enemy are usually right there in front of you; you'll have to work to get to them, but it's never unclear what, in general, you need to do.

I picked up 1 and its expansion well after I cleared the rest of the series, so it took a lot of getting used to. I have to echo some of the comments; mostly I think it's hurt by a lack of interesting characters - even Minsc doesn't get that much to do or say - and the fact that Irenicus easily trumps Sarevok in terms of villainy.

Also, fuck mazes and the traps they so often contain.

Still, it's a good game, and I do think BG1 conveys a better feeling of travel and adventure than BG2; there is something to be said for exploring a seemingly empty chunk of wilderness only to find some run-down temple ripe for exploring, or even just news runners and bounty hunters. It's... unique. I can dig that, too. :^:

S.

It's worth playing even if only for Durlag's Tower, which is easily the best dungeon (and really the best part!) of the entire series.