GT Challenge - Baldur's Gate II

[Zarkon]

Okay, here's a thread for us to discuss our actual playing of the game.

I'm going to start:  As I said, I added in a lot of NPCs, a few quests, and any bug fixes I could find.
Here's my character: (I imported my BG1 char)

Male Human Mage, Level 9
Chaotic Good
Strength 10
Dexterity 18
Constitution 16
Intelligence 18
Wisdom 13
Charisma 14

I'm into chapter 2, camping out in the Government section, scouring the city for quests.  Now it's me, Yoshimo, Jahiera, Minsc, Yasraena and Aerie.

[warning]

You want SoA.  You can skip right to ToB if you choose that option but you don't want to.  Yet.

My character is Bonk the Monk

Lawful Evil (hopefully will be fun)

Str 18
Dex 17
Con 17
Everything else is 10

I'm playing at 1024x768.  Things are kinda small but 800x600 makes my eyes bleed on my 19" LCD.

[The Rocketman]

Daellus the sorcerer here.
Charisma, wisdom and intelligence around 17 and 18, constitution 12, strength and dex 7.

I put it on 800x600, I find 1024 to be too small on a 17inch monitor.

It seems to not have aged well, the animation is quite blocky, the text pop-ups come too slow, and there's almost no feedback why Imoen can't frickin' hide in the shadows!

Other than that, I hope I persevere, and finish this epic game!


On a side note, there are so many character classes I wonna try out! In the end I chose a sorcerer, because I never ever play a mage type character for main char. And it'll take some adjusting, since I already killed myself by blasting ice shards on top of myself Guess the radius was a bit bigger than I expected it to be...

[Knightshade Dragon]

Knightshade Dragon the Assassin here.

Str 18
Dex 18
Con 14
Everything else 11.

I'm thinkin I might reroll though...thieves aren't playing out to be as fun as I recall.  Once the stealing stops and the combat begins I'm a paper tiger unless I'm behind somebody.

[Zarkon]

There are a few mods that balance thieves a bit better than the game does, by the by.

[Natjak]

I'm in as well. Made a monk called Rand. I copied warning's stats for my monk as I'm not sure what a good build for one is. I've always wanted to play BG2 with a monk since I first saw my friend do it a few years ago. His monk was almost untouchable it seemed.

I'm starting right from the begining. I believe I have Bulderdash fix mod installed. Hard to remember, I've had BG2 just sitting there on the hardrive for some time.

[AgtFox]

Good Lord...talk about jumping in feet first on the Challenge.  I don't own BG2, but isn't the game like 100+ hours long?

[Natjak]

Yeah it's pretty long. I've never completed it. I'm doing this challange so I can hopefully get this huge monster out of my backlog once and for all.

[warning]

Good Lord...talk about jumping in feet first on the Challenge.  I don't own BG2, but isn't the game like 100+ hours long?

Easily 100... maybe 200 if you involve yourself in all the quests.

I played it through once 4-5 years ago and loved it.  Can't wait to get back into it.

Yeah the monk is unstoppable near the end but starts off very weak.  I don't mind though.  I'm the kung fu master of eveeelllll!

[AgtFox]

In other words we could be well into the next year before anyone finishes it?

[Knightshade Dragon]

Yea, but it'll be a GREAT ride!  It doesn't get much better than this for RPG love...

[Destructor]

Yea, but it'll be a GREAT ride!  It doesn't get much better than this for RPG love...

No, no it doesn't.

Don't drag me into this though... You're so making me want to play...

[disarm]

i easily spent over 200 hours running through BG2+ToB my first time, and it's definitely one of my all-time favorite gaming experiences.  i went through as a dual-wielding half-elf ranger and kicked all kinds of ass by the end of the game.  if only i could have challenged Drizzt himself when we met...

[karapcik]

Blowing the dust of my collector's copy (#22938 of 62000) to install

This gem has been sitting at my feet for years unplayed!  

To get us in the mood here's a listing of the box contents (ala Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove) - Texas accent optional  :

1 package of still wrapped Baldur's Gate II character cards

1 chunky wire bound manual - 260 pages! Unfortunately they don't make 'em like this anymore. Definitely passes the lift test

1 Coupon for 10.00 off of Icewind Dale

1 Quick reference card - Wow, that's alot of spells!

1 Black Isle notepad with various game characters (unused)

1 ad for Creative EAX four point surround speakers (40.00 off until December 31, 2000). Probably could find these for cheap on Ebay now

1 Interplay ad brochure for Icewind Dale, Baldur's gate, Neverwinter Night (coming soon), Torment (great game!), and Fallout 2

1 Troubleshooting for the game (think anyone now answering the phone now even knows who Interplay is?)

1 "Cloth" map detailing the game world (more like a napkin)

4 "custom collectors edition" gold CD roms

1 Bonus disc with "exclusive" weapons (and tracks from the original game)

1 promo ad detailing Icewind Dale, Baldur's Gate (orig), Torment, Neverwinter Night, and a game that never was - TORN. Coming soon, huh? How about never. Shame really...the games never played always look better than the played ones. Oh, what coulda been...

Anyone else find some of this ephermea interesting? Always nice to dig through some old game boxes.

Well, off to the install and character creation...be back in a bit

[Knightshade Dragon]

Yea!  I got the same thing.  I bought the big box collectors edition with the gold CDs and since I pre-ordered I got the bonus CD from EB.

[Qbe]

I'm in, but since I never finished BG1 I'm playing that first as:

Yaroslav
Lawful Good Fighter
Str: 18/99
Dex: 17
Con: 17
Int: 18
Wis: 9
Chr: 9

I'm planning to remain a fighter through BG1, then dual class to some sort of mage in BG2.  Right now I'm on level 3 of the Nashkel Mines.

Odds of finishing both games before retirement: 90 to 1 against.

[warning]

Qbe did you do the BG Tutu mod that lets you play BG1 in the BG2 engine with the higher resolution and all that?  I always wanted to try that out.

I played an hour or so tonight.  The graphics are rough initially but I quickly forgot about them.  Awesome game!  I'm almost done with the first level of Irenicus' dungeon.

I loved the little hints that happen when you are loading.  Mine tonight said something about importing your BG2 character into Neverwinter Nights!

I think that "feature" got dropped didn't it?

[Zarkon]

I'm in, but since I never finished BG1 I'm playing that first as:

Yaroslav
Lawful Good Fighter
Str: 18/99
Dex: 17
Con: 17
Int: 18
Wis: 9
Chr: 9

I'm planning to remain a fighter through BG1, then dual class to some sort of mage in BG2.  Right now I'm on level 3 of the Nashkel Mines.

Odds of finishing both games before retirement: 90 to 1 against.

Should have gotten the mod that lets you play BG1 and TOTSC with the BG2 engine.  It takes you directly from the end of BG1 to TOTSC to the beginning of BG2, all using BG2's stuff.

[Zarkon]

Actually, Warning, I seem to recall that it's in there, but it's only a stats carryover, IIRC.

[Qbe]

Should have gotten the mod that lets you play BG1 and TOTSC with the BG2 engine.  It takes you directly from the end of BG1 to TOTSC to the beginning of BG2, all using BG2's stuff.

I'd thought about that mod, but decided against it: one of my motivations to keep going will be the thought of opening that big, heavy BGII box when I'm finished with BG1.  Kind of pathetic, sure, but you do what you have to do.

[whiteboyskim]

Nope, can't do it. Don't have 200+ hours to devote to a game anymore. Plus, I went through this start to finish including the expansion and did every quest, performed every feat, and won the love of my character's life. In a way, I felt genuinely complete then, and haven't touched it since. Godspeed to you all, and may the stories be fun to listen to.

[Glycerine]

I'm in as soon as I finish DS2.  Here's what I rolled up:

Mordred, Cavalier
Lawful Good

Strength - 18/94
Dexterity - 18
Constitution - 16
Intelligence - 10
Wisdom - 13
Charisma - 17

I used the mod to skip the first dungeon and have it saved right outside.

glyc

[Calvin]

I'm in as soon as I finish DS2.  Here's what I rolled up:

Mordred, Cavalier
Lawful Good

Strength - 18/94
Dexterity - 18
Constitution - 16
Intelligence - 10
Wisdom - 13
Charisma - 17

I used the mod to skip the first dungeon and have it saved right outside.

glyc

Geez, DS2 came out an we all sort of forgot about this-I too am back IN! as soon as I finish up DS2!

[olaf]

What a great, great game.  Its damn near 5 years old and there hasnt been anything like it released it on the PC since.  How sad.

olaf

[The Rocketman]

I started again, creating a neutral good Kensai, who I'll later on dual-class to a mage. It's a well known hybrid, and it fits with the Child of Bhaal-theme, where you'd have a character whose powers grant him melee and magic prowess.

Inside the Dungeon, I answered Aataqah's question saying I'd push the button myself, but I hope I won't be held to that! I accepted the dryad's quest, freed the genie, and got out of the dungeon, feeling sad for all those people in jars I left behind.

When I reached the Promenade, I was still quite well-rested, so I went to check out the trouble at the circus. I rescued Aerie, and got rid of the mad gnome illusionist.

Next, I plan to organise my party. I'm thinking Keldorn, Valygar and Cernd perhaps, replacing Minsc and Jaheira. I may also exchange Yoshimo for Jan Janssen... They're not a power-group, but I want to have some different characters than last time on my travels...

Notes: I downloaded the latest patch for ToB, because sometimes npc's would give the message 'xxx is too busy to talk right now', right when they needed to be talked to to advance the game! So, if you have this problem, download the patch. Also, my saving and loading takes a LOT of time, and I read this was a bug with ToB too. There is a beta patch to correct it, I tried it, but I can't say I notice any changes. Damn...

Question: Can I take Viconia instead of Aerie in a good party? Or will she ultimately conflict with Keldorn and fight? I'd like her for the love interest, although Aerie's may be nice as well...

[Destructor]

Next, I plan to organise my party. I'm thinking Keldorn, Valygar and Cernd perhaps, replacing Minsc and Jaheira. I may also exchange Yoshimo for Jan Janssen... They're not a power-group, but I want to have some different characters than last time on my travels...

You can't get rid of Minsc. He's like the best guy in the entire game!

"Go for the eyes, Boo, go for the eyes!"
"Magic is impressive but now Minsc leads. Swords for everyone!"

And on a stupid question - what is ToB? Is that the expansion, or some kind of download? You all are really making me want to spend another 200 hours playing this game again... At least it would keep me occupied until Oblivion anyway.

[Knightshade Dragon]

TOB = Throne of Bhaal.  It is an expansion pack for the game.

http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/197224.asp

[Destructor]

TOB = Throne of Bhaal.  It is an expansion pack for the game.

http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/197224.asp

How the heck did I never buy this expansion... *curses loudly*

I so do NOT have time to get back into this game, no matter how much I'd love to...

[Destructor]

I am like *this* close to running out and purchasing the combo pack of BG2 (http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/234818.asp), as just as my luck would have it, one of my local EBs have it in stock.

I hate you all. I really do.

[The Rocketman]

You can't get rid of Minsc. He's like the best guy in the entire game!

I know, I know But I had him in my party last time, and I'd like to see some other npc's for a change. I thought about playing an evil party, but I just can't... I like being the good guy, cheered upon by the masses  

And you won't regret buying ToB. It finishes the BG story quite nicely, and it's more lineair than BG, meaning you'll be more likely to complete it Besides, it's only about an extra 50-100 hours or so...

[Destructor]

Besides, it's only about an extra 50-100 hours or so...

Only an extra 50-100 hours or so he says...

[jcompton]

Heh. TOB's not nearly that long. If you really take your time you could get 20+ hours out of it. Maybe a little longer if you have trouble with a couple of the later battles.

[The Rocketman]

Sorry to mislead you then. In my memory it seemed to be quite an adventure. Off course, a big part is also the optional extra dungeon...

So, how is everyone else doing?

[Qbe]

I'm taking the long road, starting with BG1 and going on to BG2.  Last week I traveled from the Friendly Arm Inn down to Beregost, then on to Nashkel.  Xzar couldn't obey orders and stay out of battle, so he got himself killed before we reached Nashkel.  We dumped his corpse and invited Minsc to join us in clearing out the mines.

After wiping out the monster infestation, we traveled back to Nashkel and defeated yet another assassin.  For some reason everyone's out to get me.  By that time Minsc was getting antsy to go rescue his girlfriend, so we traveled out to the Gnoll Stronghold, staying low to avoid trouble.  We reached the Gnoll Stronghold at night but still found the place heavily guarded.  Irritating Montaron joined his friend Xzar in hell, eating a Gnoll blade within sight of Dynaheir's prison.  Well, he saved me the trouble of giving him the boot.

With our newfound mage friend, we wandered around the region of the stronghold for a while and picked up some treasure, then went back to Nashkel to sell our loot.

This week school started, so I haven't had time to play.  I suspect that my playing time is going to be somewhat limited for the forseeable future, though I do plan to play whenever I can.

[Destructor]

So, how is everyone else doing?

Well, thanks to you all, I just started BG2 once more, but this time armed with the expansion pack. Playing as a goodie-two-shoes Lawful Good Monk (who'll be having a psuedo-dragon familiar from a glitch I looked up - beyond that, I'll be playing legit and mod-free). Still collecting my wits and my party members though, trying to escape that madman's dungeon.

Oh, and I hate you all for getting me into this game again.

[Calvin]

I will be restarting again in a day or two-I lost everything from the previous install when I had the comp troubles, but hopefully I will be part of the challenege soon.

[Interloper]

Somehow I missed this thread.  I never played BG2 and I started in April.  I'm still working my way through chapter 2!  I'm playing Tmpnoki Taluswalker, a level 8 Archer (says "Fallen Archer" on my character sheet, hmmm).  STR 15, DEX 19, CON 17, INT 10, WIS 15, CHA 15.  Great fun so far!

[Soulchilde]

WOW! I don't know how I miss this thread, but I recently staeted playing again as a LG Cavalier.  I finished the game as a NG Ranger.  I will be playing this in spurts.  

Last night after being released by Imoen. I set Minsc and Jaheria free.  I just cleared the room with Duergar and camped outside room where you get the key for the Djinni room

[-Lord Ebonstone-]

I'd kill to have my old BG2 saves back.  I actually had the willpower to get as far as offing Firkraag and claiming The Holy Avenger, Carsomyr +5 for Keldorin, or whatever the pally's name is.

Now I'm tempted to play (mostly for Throne of Bhaal, I remember helping my brother with it since he was... well, he never paid any attention to magic.  At all.  He had Jaheria in his party at one of the nasty fights in BG2 with 3-4 empty spell slots for each spell level.   :shock:

But he still managed to complete it.  All of it.  Throne of Bhaal too, though he got really frustrated with it due to his magical... ineptitude.  He played a Dwarf, a pure Fighter... with the portrait of an Elf.

[jcompton]

Since there's still this handy-dandy thread here, this is probably a fine place to mention that we've just released version 1 of Turnabout, an add-on for Ascension. Turnabout enables the player to recall dead allies to aid in the BG2: TOB final battle.

Turnabout home page.