III.
General Questions
Q: What is the minimum system requirement to play Baldur's Gate?
A:
Currently the minimum requirement is a P120 with a 2meg video
card and 16 Megs of RAM. This system spec plays VERY well and
is not a minimum that says "I can boot the game up" but "I can
actually play" system. You will notice definite improvements if
you have a better system. With more RAM, you will see more varieties
of animation on the screen at once; with more hard drive space,
you will have to wait less for loading from the CD when you enter
a new area. With a faster processor, the frame rate should improve
and pathfinding should improve. If you have 4 meg of video card
memory we plan to implement 24-bit graphics, which should improve
the realism to the maximum level. We recommend a P166 with 32
meg of RAM for optimal performance.
Q:
Can I beta test Baldur's Gate?
A: No, beta testing will be done in house here at BioWare and
in Interplay's Quality Assurance Department.
Q:
How BIG is Baldur's Gate?
A: The game is roughly 10,000 game screens large (each is 512x384
pixels, in 640x480 resolution) and these screens scroll contiguously
- you walk around and the ground scrolls under your character's
feet, just as though you are watching them from 100 feet in the
sky. A final playing time is still unknown, but it is probably
close to 100+ hours of story, including subquests and side adventures.
The area represented by the game area is from Baldur's Gate in
the North, to the Wood of Sharp Teeth in the East, to the Cloud
Peak mountains and Amn in the South - representing about 300 square
miles, compressed down to the interesting bits.
Q:
Where is Baldur's Gate and who is it named after?
A: Baldur's Gate is located south of Waterdeep and north of the
nation of Amn on the Sword Coast. It's a moderate size city -
a relative safe haven compared to the wilds around it. There is
an active Thieves' Guild, and vast sewers are under the city -
few dare venture into them. Taverns and Inns abound. Baldur's
Gate is a coastal city with a thriving seaport. The city is named
after a great explorer named Baldurian who first explored the
region. He mysteriously disappeared while exploring new regions...
it might be interesting to try and find out what happened to him,
no?
Q:
In which year is Baldur's Gate set?
A: Baldur's Gate is set in the year 1370 DR (Dale Reckoning),
12 years after the Time of Troubles.
Q:
Will all the currencies from AD&D be included in the game?
A: Currently all coins from AD&D are in the game. This includes
Platinum, Gold, Silver, Electrum, and Copper pieces. However,
for simplicity when you pick up coins they change into GP - this
is a gameplay consideration.
Q:
Which version of DirectX does the game use?
A: The game will use DirectX 5.0 (which will be included with
the game).
Q:Will
there be seasonal changes or snow?
A: Yes and no. There won't be any seasonal changes in the game,
but there is snow in some areas. The game takes place during summer,
so there won't be any snow except in the mountains.
Q:
Is there an automap feature in the game?
A: A map of the areas that you have explored will be generated
automatically. This map will be a smaller rendered version of
the ground you walk on. In addition, there will be a journal that
will automatically chronicle your adventures including the quests
you have agreed to accomplish and major milestones in the story.
Gameplay
Q: Is the game first person (like quake)?
A: No, the game is an isometric (3/4 angle), top down view.
Q:
Can my thief hide in shadows?
A: Yes. The thief is invisible (to other monsters) until he/she
fails his proficiency check. The brightness of where the thief
is standing is sampled; as well, the number of visible enemies
in the line of sight determine the proficiency check, to determine
if the hide was successful. It lasts a certain time, or until
the next attack, which is a backstab (for extra damage). This
is sort of a modified AD&D hide in shadows - the first time,
we think, that it has actually been properly implemented in a
computer game.
Q:
How big can my party be?
A: When you start Baldur's Gate you create one character of your
choice. Throughout the adventure you meet many different people
who can join your party. The maximum number in your party at any
given time is six. You can get rid of PC's and get other NPCs
to join you whenever you like. We'll be releasing some interesting
party combinations of NPCs that you may want to mix to see what
happens, soon after the release date for the game. Some may not
get along very well - you'll see.
Q:
Do you have to manage things like eating (rations) and such?
A: No, there is no ration management. We thought this was kind
of mundane - Baldur's Gate is epic and heroic. You don't have
to worry about going to the bathroom either (your characters are
smart enough to do that when you aren't looking.)
Q:
Will there be banks in Baldur's Gate?
A: No, each person has a limit to what he/she can carry (based
on weight and strength of the individual characters) but there
is also a group inventory. You don't need a bank in the game -
the entire party keeps money so you don't have problems with weight
of coins. Extra objects can be kept in the group pool or left
on the ground, but sometimes NPCs or monsters may come around
and help themselves if they find said objects left just anywhere...
Q:
Where will my party be able to rest?
A: You can rest anywhere, but there is always the chance of a
wandering encounter. No need to post a guard - it is assumed that
you apportion guard duties out evenly. Rest is instantaneous but
time does pass during rest (in the game) - and you will wake up
in the next morning unless interrupted by a combat. There are
inns and taverns where you can get a much more secure and restful
night of sleep (for a price, of course!)
Q:
How will Thief skills improve with Level gains?
A: Thieves will be able customize their character by allocating
points to the different thief skills at each level gain (ala'
AD&D 2nd Ed)
Q:
Will invisible characters be able to been seen by other members
of the party?
A: Yes, the character image will be dithered, or some other effect
(like being outlined) but still visible in some way to the rest
of the party.
Q:
Can my party travel in formation when the leader moves?
A: Party members (PCs and NPCs) will be able to follow the party
leader in a formation. The formation is determined by the relative
location to the leader when he/she selects "follow". You will
be able to form and reform at any time. There are a lot of formations
planned right now - some are offensive, some are defensive. The
formation movement and positioning is really quite slick, and
you'll see this in the interactive demo.
Q:
Do actions not in accordance with my alignment have any effects?
A: There will be a "reputation" for your characters as well as
an alignment. Alignment per se doesn't change anything, since
no one knows what your specific alignment is. However, you will
get more or less experience points and the others in your party
will react differently to each other depending upon the alignment
breakdown of the party, how it corresponds with the reputation
you've built up, and the initial alignment you chose at the start
of the game. Reputation is something you build during the course
of an adventure, and it will generally parallel your alignment.
It represents how much people know of your previous history of
choices - and guards may react differently to you in the next
town you visit!
Q:
Will I be able to tell other characters' alignments?
A: Alignment will not be stored on the character sheet - you have
to figure it out. Remember that casting "know alignment" is mentioned
in the rules as potentially offensive to many NPCs - they might
not like it too much... You know your main character's alignment,
but no one else's.
Q:
How will infravision work?
A: Characters with infravision will see everything in shades of
red, not just heat sources. It is still under consideration if
the leader does not have infravision whether he/she will be able
to select a character with infravision and "see" with infravision.
Q:
Will encumbrance be a factor in determining how much I can carry?
A: Yes and no. Encumbrance will be tracked for each character
and is determined by your strength attribute. However, there will
be a "party pool" of items and money that can carry a fixed number
of slots for each member of the party. This item/money pool is
accessible by all party members, so essentially there is no group
weight limit (but there is a maximum number of items that can
be carried by the group). It was decided to include this as a
balance between frustration and convenience. Note that the individual
weight limit does apply however.
Q:
Will I have to walk all the way across town every time?
A: You will have the option to travel to previously visited places
instantaneously (in real time), although game time still passes.
Q:
Will changing armor or weapons during combat occur instantaneously?
A: Currently, you can pause the game at any time, but it will
stay paused on the main page only - if you switch to another page
it will restart. This is to simulate the effects of changing armor
or inventory on the fly. You will thus be allowed (real-time)
to change the armor you carry, but if you do it in combat, you'll
pay a price! This is meant to compensate for dual and multiclass
characters, and not make them too powerful. The same applies to
changing the shield and equipped weapons (although you can rotate
between quick weapons during combat with no penalties, as these
are prepared in advance). The only way to maintain the pause mode
is to stay on the main GUI screen and just select your targets
and mode of attack for your party members. If this method doesn't
work well in playtesting, the alternate method will be to make
characters changing armor wait a few seconds before they can act.
This is not our preferred method because it will lead to paralysis
of one of your party, which would probably be frustrating.
Q:
Will there be traps in dungeons and on chests?
A: Yes. There will be both mechanical and magical traps. Some
traps may even be a combination of both! A Thief with a high Find/Remove
Traps skill or a Cleric with a Find Traps spell will be extremely
useful in the game!
Q:
Will there be any sub-plots in the game not related to the main
story?
A: There will close to 100+ sub-plots in the game. Some of them
will have something to do with the plot, while some are completely
unrelated. Some may take a matter of minutes, while others could
take days (real time not game time). Some are rewarding, others
are painstakingly difficult, and some are even lethal. Some are
very important to the game as a whole, while some are insignificant
except for the characters' reputation scores. All of these are
up to the player'(s) discretion whether they will accomplish a
particular sub-plot or not.
Q:
Can I assign hotkeys to actions?
A: The hotkey system will be very unique and totally customizable.
You can set up different hotkeys to perform different action with
the same weapon. For example, you can have a hotkey to fire normal
arrows from your bow as well as a hotkey to fire magic arrows.
You can have a hotkey to throw a dagger and a different hotkey
for melee with your dagger. In addition you can set up hotkeys
to cast spells.
Graphics
Q: Are those graphics for real?
A: Yes, but the game will look even better. Screen shots that
you have seen are quite old and out of date compared to the graphics
that will be in the game. We think that the graphics in the game
are actually a lot better compared with the ones that have been
featured in magazines and previews thus far. They are fully rendered
and textured in 24-bit color; our goal is to make you feel that
you are watching the Sword Coast of the Forgotten Realms from
about 100 feet in the air! There are a lot of new screen shots
that will soon be posted on the web site - most are captures of
art from the game.
Q:
How many frames of animation are there in the game?
A: At last count there were roughly 108,420 frames of character
and monster animations rendered at BioWare for your viewing pleasure.
This does not include things like animated water, waving flags
or other animated objects of any kind.
Characters
& NPCs
Q: What races can a character be?
A: A player can choose from: Human, Elf (you can be a Drow, but
won't get any special bonuses or penalties for doing so), Half-Elf,
Dwarf, Gnome, and Halfling.
Q:
How many different classes and/or combinations can I play?
A: There are 26 classes (including multi- and dual-classed) you
can play in Baldur's Gate. These are the same ones listed in the
AD&D players handbook. This includes the eight specialist
mage classes.
Q:
Are there NPCs from other Forgotten Realms sources? (Novels, Adventures,
Sourcebooks)
A: Yes there are some familiar faces that you may recognize. Volo?
Drizzt? Elminster? Others?
Q:
How much control do I have over my NPCs?
A: All NPCs have their own AI scripting, outlining their basic
reactions to basic situations. At anytime, the player may "override"
what the NPC is currently doing. AI may be turned off or on at
will. The scripts can be modified to some extent; they help create
a NPCs personality and adds to the immersion level of the game.
There will be several levels of scripting available. We want to
allow players to be able to modify scripts not at all (the scripts
that come with NPCs should be quite adequate), a little (e.g.
load in cautious mage, aggressive fighter, etc.), or a lot (e.g.
if enemy gibberling sighted then cast magic missile at it). It
will be up to the individual player to decide how much to tinker
with AI on his or her party members.
Q:
How does the communication with NPCs work?
A: There will be choices to select from. Usually at least three
different ones depending on the character you want to portray.
Additional choices will depend on the first answers, as well as
your charisma or other stats. We figured this was better for the
story, and it avoids the frustrating "I don't understand thee"
NPC answers as you try and find the proper keywords. It's similar
to the dialogue in Fallout.
Q:
How do I use my character's skills and abilities?
A: When a character is selected he/she has a group of Icons at
the bottom of the screen. There are the basic "attack" and "move"
icons, as well as class specific ones. These will include such
skills as the thief's hide in shadows and detect traps. Secret
doors and certain traps will be "noticed" by a character with
the appropriate skills. There are keyboard hotkeys for the main
actions and everything else in the game, which you will be able
to modify as you like.
Q:
How will ability scores be determined?
A: Random attributes that have the minimum requirements for the
class chosen (with racial limits) are generated, so you can always
play the class you've chosen. You can modify the attributes on
a 1-1 ratio (meaning to raise one statistic 1 point you must lower
another by 1 point). Modification of Strength to 18/xx (Fighters,
Rangers, and Paladins only) will take 1 point for every bonus
group (01-50, 51-75, etc. as per AD&D Players Handbook). This
of course applies to the one character you can create - the rest
will join with the ability scores predetermined.
Q:
What is the maximum level in the game?
A: You will be able to reach somewhere between 6th and 7th level
depending on which class you choose to play. There is a limit
to the amount of Experience Points (XP) that you can attain in
the game, but the add-on packs will raise the XP limit to allow
for an additional level or two. Sequels will allow you to continue
the adventure and gain more levels - about 6 per sequel. Currently
we're planning at least two sequels.
Q:
At what age will my character start the game?
A: You start at approximately 20 or so. More or less (more for
some of the older races). But this doesn't impact on much in the
game.
Q:
Can I import custom pictures for my character?
A: Yes. You will be able to import custom character portraits
as well as digitized speech for your character. The dimensions
for the custom character images are: 40x62 8-bit BMP for the main
GUI (this is to allow for the overlapping color to indicate character
status) and 110x170 24 bit BMP for the Character Sheet.
Q:
Will Druids be able to Shapechange into animals?
A: Yes. At 7th level, Druids will be able to Shapechange into
any animal available in that area (with the exception of birds).
Q:
Will my Ranger be able to hide in shadows in the wilderness?
A: Rangers will have a Stealth skill in woodland settings which
is a combination of Hide in Shadows and Move Silently. Essentially,
the Ranger is invisible (to other monsters) until he/she fails
his proficiency check. The proficiency check is determined by
sampling the brightness of where the Ranger is standing as well
as the number of visible enemies in the line of sight, and the
density of the foliage to determine if the hide was successful.
It lasts a certain time, or until the next attack.
Combat
System
Q: Is Baldur's Gate real time or turn based?
A: The Baldur's Gate engine (The BioWare Infinity Engine) is real
time but the game is pauseable and actions may be assigned to
characters in your party at that time. This is just an option
that a player may use if the action gets a little "out of hand."
In general the AI scripting will permit easy control over the
6 character party with minimal need to resort to the turn-based
mode. For those of you that recall the excellent Microprose game,
Darklands, the combat real-time and pausing system can be considered
to be similar. X-Com 3 uses a similar pause feature as well.
Q:
How does the combat system actually work?
A: The combat system is based on the rules set out by the Player's
Handbook. Baldur's Gate uses these rules and adapts them to the
real-time format used in the game. In the game manual there will
be a complete rundown explaining all that is needed to know how
to play the game. Your characters have a sophisticated AI system
(using a scripting language) that will allow them to independently
and simultaneously execute your orders. If you wish, you can turn
their AI's off and control all of them one by one, in a turn-based
mode. This is achieved by pausing the game and then giving orders
to each of the PC's you wish. We want the game to be enjoyed by
both real-time and turn-based RPG fans.
Q:
How does initiative work?
A: Each character on the field is on a "personal initiative round."
This personal initiative round will be on the order of 3-6 seconds
long (you probably can adjust it) - and it corresponds roughly
to one 60 second round in AD&D. The rounds are equal in length
but are non-simultaneous; that is they do not have exactly the
same start and end points for all characters and monsters. Within
the personal initiative round the weapons and spells fire off
at the same proportionate time that they would get released in
an AD&D round. That is, a dagger is used quicker in a round
than a two-handed sword. A magic missile gets released sooner
after spellcasting starts than a fireball, etc. Initiative is
determined each round and modifies the timing of swings and spell
casts slightly every round, so each round will be slightly different
from preceding and following rounds. If a mage is hit between
the time he or she starts to cast and the time that the spell
is due to get released, the spell is disrupted. Thus shorter cast-time
spells are a definite advantage, exactly as in AD&D. We have
been careful to adapt the AD&D ruleset to a realtime system
maintaining the exact weapon weightings, spell weightings, and
the same proportionate timing occurs in Baldur's Gate as in the
original ruleset. All in all we hope the net result is a real-time
adaptation of the rules, maintaining the original flavor and balance.
Q:
How do Experience Points get divvied up?
A: Experience will be divvied up among each member of the party
equally regardless of who kills what. This, of course, is subject
to change once we begin play testing.
Q:
Will morale effects be included in the game?
A: Monsters and NPCs (even those in your party) will suffer and
benefit from morale related decisions. Everyone engaged in combat
will periodically do a morale check, with failure or success based
on how well or badly the fight is going. This involves how much
you are outnumbered or how much you outnumber your opponents,
whether you have taken or given damage, if comrades of yours have
been hurt or killed, etc. The only people immune to this check
are PCs, because it is assumed they are bright enough to get out
of harm's way if they're not doing so well. However, the NPCs
in the party may have other ideas if you insist on fighting a
lost cause. Although..there are some characters that might see
retreat as a sign of weakness.
Q:
How many monsters will there be in the game?
A: There are about 20 base types of monsters (not including uniques)
in the game. Each of these has several skews. A ghoul and a ghast
are completely different monsters, even though they are counted
as one (since they share an animation type). With all the skews
there are about 60+ monsters. Not only this, but each monster
may have different AI from its compatriots - a brave kobold, a
cowardly kobold, for example. Unique monsters add more, as well
as NPCs you may encounter - all told there are hundreds of different
monsters you can meet.
Q:
Will weapon specialization be included in the game?
A: There will be five levels of weapon proficiencies: Proficient,
Specialized, Double Specialized, Master, and Grand Master of a
weapon. The base level, Proficient, is available for all classes.
All other levels of proficiencies are available only to Fighters.
Q:
Will critical hits be in the combat system?
A: Absolutely! Not only are they calculated, they are graphically
displayed with blood and gore! Of course, the level of graphic
violence will be adjustable to allow people of all ages to enjoy
the game.
Q:
Will bow specialists get bonuses for Point Blank range?
A: What we decided was to implement a consistent bonus for specialists
with the bow. It is technically unfeasible to implement point
blank bonuses without taking up a lot of the CPU time by continually
checking the range.
Q:
Will there be different sizes and shapes of shields?
A: Yes. There are three types of shields. They each have different
shapes and sizes. The AC of the shield is dependant both on the
type and material of the shield.
Q:
What's the maximum number of foes you can fight at one time?
A: Currently, the maximum number of monsters on the screen at
once is about 20. This will really be decided based on playtesting.
It might be a little less in order to maintain the frame rate
on a P120 (the minimum recommended system).
Q:
Will there be an option to select more or less opponents per battle?
A: No. Technically this is possible, but it would be too difficult
to balance the gameplay.
Q:
Will monsters just blindly fight or will they make tactical decisions?
A: Monsters have AI. They will run away and regroup, swing around
to attack your flank or rear, and have morale that will break
according to AD&D rules. Only the bosses will have the smarts
to plead for their lives (and some will).
Q:
Will I be able to fight with two weapons (one in each hand)?
A: Unfortunately, no. Neither Rangers, nor any other class will
be able to fight with dual weapons. It was decided not to include
this due to the massive amount of additional graphics required.
Q:
What happens when a party member dies?
A: When a party member (other than the leader) dies or falls unconscious,
the character's body is placed into the party inventory. The body
can then be transported to a place of healing (like a temple etc.).
Your main character could conceivably end up carrying 5 bodies
if he/she was the lone survivor of a battle (not a very pleasant
task).
Q:
What are the rules on death and unconsciousness?
A: The game uses the Optional Death's Door rule of AD&D. Once
your hp drops between 0 and -9 HP, you are unconscious. You steadily
lose HP until you reach -10 HP at which point you are dead, but
still resurrectable. If you receive urgent aid (ie healing within
a minute or so of gametime) while you are between 0 and -9 HP,
you are revived and brought back to 1 HP. However, you will require
a full day of rest before further healing will raise your HP above
1. If you sustain a massive amount of damage from a single blow,
you may be irrevocably dead. The exact amount of the required
damage for this to happen is currently being tweaked in playtesting.
Q:
Are multiple simultaneous battles possible?
A: There can be any number of battles within the same 8x8 area
occurring simultaneously. However when the leader pauses the combat,
all battles in progress are paused.
Q:
Can I retrieve arrows that I shoot at monsters?
A: Currently, thrown/missile weapons (arrows, axes, daggers, etc.)
will be in the monster's inventory if you hit them. Of course
that means you will have to hunt down that monster that you hit
with your +1 throwing dagger. If you miss, the weapon will drop
to the ground, or be destroyed.
Magic
System
Q: How many spells are included in the game?
A: There are currently over 100 spells planned for the game (we've
implemented about a third at this point). About 2/3 of these are
Mage spells. The other 1/3 are Priest spells. We're adding new
ones cautiously where possible - particularly where the effects
are similar to spells that are already implemented.
Q:
How does casting time affect spellcasters?
A: Each character on the field is on a "personal initiative round."
This personal initiative round will be on the order of 3-6 seconds
long (you probably can adjust it) - and it corresponds roughly
to one 60 second round in AD&D. The rounds are equal in length
but are non-simultaneous; that is they do not have exactly the
same start and end points for all characters and monsters. Within
the personal initiative round the spells fire off at the same
proportionate time that they would get released in an AD&D
round. That is, a magic missile gets released sooner after spellcasting
starts than a fireball, etc. Initiative is determined each round
and modifies the timing of spell casts slightly every round, so
each round will be slightly different from preceding and following
rounds. If a mage is hit between the time he or she starts to
cast and the time that the spell is due to get released, the spell
is disrupted. Thus shorter cast-time spells are a definite advantage,
exactly as in AD&D.
Q:
How will magic items be able to be identified?
A: You will be able to identify magic items either by casting
the wizard spell, Identify, or taking it to a store that offers
item identification. Most stores (particularly ones that sell
magic items or temples) will offer this service (for a fee). As
well, each character will have a Lore attribute based on wisdom,
intelligence, race, class, and experience that can be used to
identify items. Bards in particular will have higher Lore skills
than other classes.
Q:
Can characters cast spells while wearing armor?
A: Multi-classed and Dual-classed Mages must abide by Mages' armor
restrictions, and will not be able to cast while wearing armor.
The only exception to this is a character wearing a suit of Elven
Chainmail. However, if there were elven chainmail in the game
(and we do mean IF, because it would be incredibly powerful for
low level characters) it would allow your elven magic user to
cast spells while wearing it. However, Bards will be able to cast
spells while wearing armor. While this is contrary to the rules
in the AD&D Player's Handbook, this decision was made to compensate
for other talents and abilities that couldn't be implemented.
A lot of their spellcasting and abilities were intended to influence
role-playing, which is notoriously hard to capture in a CRPG.
Playtesting will determine if this is an overcompensation, and
the type of armor which Bards may wear while casting might get
restricted. However, they will probably be able to wear some form
of armor while casting.
Q:
Can characters cast spells while wielding weapons?
A: No character class will be able to cast spells while fighting
with a weapon. That would be altogether too convenient for fair
gameplay. However, Clerics (and multi-classes Clerics) will be
able to cast while holding a weapon; you just can't be in combat
swinging it.
Multi-Player
Game
Q: Is Baldur's Gate going to be multiplayer?
A: Yes. The multiplayer and single-player games are actually based
on the exact same story. The whole point of all of this is that
we want to capture the feel of the old AD&D adventures, where
you entered a campaign world with friends and adventured! The
multiplayer game that we are creating is a simulation of the old
AD&D sessions of our youth. People can "join" the adventuring
party (up to six people per game) by taking over one of the NPCs
and if they have to go for supper the party can either stop or
continue (with an NPC AI back in the character). We are not creating
a "story-less" multiplayer game, we are creating a complex story-based
RPG that can be played either single player or multiplayer.
Q:
How many people can play Baldur's Gate multiplayer?
A: A maximum of six can play (that's how many people can be in
a party).
Q:
How does multiplayer actually work?
A: Up to six people can join a game of Baldur's Gate. Each must
have a copy of the full game - this is because all of the graphics
for the game are still stored on the CD's. If starting the game
together, they each generate a new character which is one of the
six in the party. If entering the game after it is already under
way with less than 6 players, they may be assigned control of
one or more NPCs by the player who started the game. Each player
may take control of as many NPCs as they wish and may trade control
of them. The players now may play the full game with their friends
via LAN or the Internet with a TCP/IP connection. Direct connection
(2 players head to head cooperative mode) via modems or serial
cables may or may not be supported - we're working this out still.
Q:
What is the difference between Multiplayer and an Online version?
A: A multiplayer game features a small group of players (6 in
the case of Baldur's Gate) that share the adventures and story
together. The persistent world supports only the 6 players working
together though a common story and quest. In contrast, an online
game (text-based MUDs and Ultima Online are examples of true Online
games) consists of a persistent world in which many (hundreds
or even thousands) of characters play together. Typically there
is not a strong story element as the many players make their own
quests. We'd love to do a Baldur's Gate Online but recognize that
it is truly a massive undertaking, even larger than Baldur's Gate
(which has been in production for 2 years and currently has 30
people working on it). We're still not sure whether there will
be a Baldur's Gate Online - we'll keep you posted on this subject!
Q:
How far can I separate myself from my friends when playing multiplayer?
A: You can go about 1 - 8x8 array of 640x480 game screens away
from the rest of the party. This may change as we tweak how information
is shared between computers.
Q:
Can you build castles, buy land, or own larger "things?"
A: No, you are thinking of an online game. This is a "classic"
RPG with adventures in dungeons and with dragons.
Q:
How is the gameplay while in multiplayer?
A: The gameplay is essentially the same as in single player except
you play with a group of your friends. It's either AI-controlled
NPCs or real live human party members.
Q:
How does the multiplayer combat system work?
A: In multiplayer only the leader has the ability to "pause" the
game; you have to be ready for a little more action. But with
less characters to control, the task should be fairly easy. Other
than only the leader having a pause capability, combat is essentially
identical to the main (single player) game.
Q:
Can I duel with my friends in multiplayer mode?
A: Sure. This could be a lot of fun actually. Just make sure you
don't kill them if you don't mean to! Of course, the multiplayer
mode is a long-term undertaking (you play through the same story
as the single player game), so the game is meant to be played
as a cooperative venture - you might want to be cautious about
attacking your friends!
Q:
Can I import my characters from single-player mode into multiplayer
mode?
A: This is still under consideration, but the answer is probably
no - it is pretty hard to integrate a different strength character
into an active storyline without seriously unbalancing gameplay.
Q:
How much will the multiplayer service cost?
A: The Multiplayer service will be FREE (as it should be!), but
each person will have to own a copy of the game and applicable
expansion pack(s).
Q:
What happens when the leader of a multi-player game dies?
A: If the main character dies (whether in single- or multi-player
games), the game cannot continue and a saved game must be reloaded.
The story revolves around a main character, THE main character.
If he/she dies, the story cannot go on.
Q:
What kind of control does the leader of a multi-player game have?
A: You can think of the leader as having some of the powers that
the DM has in a pen and paper AD&D game. When the leader spawns
a new multiplayer game, others may ask to join (via TCPIP over
the Internet or a LAN). The leader assigns slots to the others
and also sets whether they can import/export characters with or
without items, and with or without experience, to/from other games.
Hence in some games the leader may not allow any items to be imported
in, while in others the leader may require setting the starting
level of any new characters to 1st level. The type of game is
really defined by the leader, and if the other players don't like
the type of game or the leader, they can form their own games
or find another! Once they have joined, the leader has the only
save game for the multiplayer, though players may export their
characters to back them up. Additionally, the leader can remove
any player from the game at any time. Things that are assignable
by the leader to other players include the ability to initiate
dialogue with NPCs (which everyone is then forced to read), the
ability to leave areas that require the whole group to leave,
the ability to spend group funds on purchases, and the ability
to pause the game. In some games the leader may elect to reserve
assigning these sorts of things to players until they demonstrate
maturity. Or, if all the players know each other, the leader may
assign these sorts of things to everyone.
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