1. SPS Accounts:
    Do you find yourself coming back time after time? Do you appreciate the ongoing hard work to keep this community focused and successful in its mission? Please consider supporting us by upgrading to an SPS Account. Besides the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes from supporting a good cause, you'll also get a significant number of ever-expanding perks and benefits on the site and the forums. Click here to find out more.
    Dismiss Notice
Dismiss Notice
You are currently viewing Boards o' Magick as a guest, but you can register an account here. Registration is fast, easy and free. Once registered you will have access to search the forums, create and respond to threads, PM other members, upload screenshots and access many other features unavailable to guests.

BoM cultivates a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. We have been aiming for quality over quantity with our forums from their inception, and believe that this distinction is truly tangible and valued by our members. We'd love to have you join us today!

(If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you've forgotten your username or password, click here.)

New Countdown at BaldursGate.com

Discussion in 'Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition' started by reepnorp, Jul 25, 2012.

  1. Gaear

    Gaear ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful

    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2006
    Messages:
    1,877
    Media:
    13
    Likes Received:
    180
    Probably won't be able to tell for sure until you see them moving, but I agree they look a bit cloddy in the still.
     
  2. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2000
    Messages:
    23,475
    Media:
    494
    Likes Received:
    538
    Gender:
    Male
    The backgrounds in the shots are anti-aliased to the point blurring, it's really quite horrendous. And since they're using SpeedTree for new trees, yes, they are photo-realistic. And stand out too much... should have used the original models instead.

    But yea, who thought that blurry backgrounds were a good idea? :hmm:
     
  3. Marceror

    Marceror Chaos Shall Be Sown In Their Footsteps Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

    Joined:
    May 3, 2003
    Messages:
    2,770
    Media:
    226
    Likes Received:
    235
    Gender:
    Male
    If I recall correctly, the blurring effect is call Depth of Field, and it is meant to simulate the blurring that occurs in photographs in the background. I've gotten used to this effect in other games, such as Shogun 2 Total War. While I'm not going to sing its praises in these shots, I'm clearly not bothered by it like you are. Even still, I believe that all of these little visual enhancements/tweaks/whatever-you-want-to-call-them only serve to make the characters look more out of place.

    Hopefully things will work out better in game when they are moving about, as Gaear suggests. I admit that not all the photos look nearly as bad as the one that I linked. Even still, I would have loved to have seen a lot more attention given to the avatars.
     
  4. Blades of Vanatar

    Blades of Vanatar Vanatar will rise again Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2008
    Messages:
    4,147
    Likes Received:
    224
    Gender:
    Male
    Just gotta peak from my home PC. The 3 NPCs look good and will add new classes to the game, which I love. That's a plus. New areas are also a plus, though they are only hinting at 2 new areas. Whoopdie-effing-do......

    Marceror and Tal are right, the graphics look out of place. Unless the new content is dynamite, I would hazard a good guess that there are several mods out there that will provide a better experience. And they'e free....

    Hopefully we're dead wrong....

    And I sure hope they don't keep releasing little tidbits. That is childish to the extreme. Most of the original players are a bit older now and have no interest in that grade-school non-sense. Just release all the info you plan to reveal on the new Edition for crying out loud. It's just a re-worked, there is no suspense....

    Edit:

    I also noticed this on the BG2 Features portion...

    "All of the additions and improvements from Baldur's Gate 2: The Shadows of Amn have been brought to Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition. Now you can use class kits, new subraces and classes that were previously unavailable."

    New Subraces is plural. The only new race in BG2 was Half-Orc. I hope that is not a typo or oversight. I am a big fan of more character build options. The more Races/Classes/Kits the better, but only if they balanced the new editions to BG1. Or balanced the game to the kits, though I think that would be tough to accomplish. Adding Drow, Wild Elf, Aasimar or Tiefling would be sweet...
     
    Last edited: Jul 27, 2012
  5. Marceror

    Marceror Chaos Shall Be Sown In Their Footsteps Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

    Joined:
    May 3, 2003
    Messages:
    2,770
    Media:
    226
    Likes Received:
    235
    Gender:
    Male
    I believe there are actually 3 areas. The monk brings a new areas, as does the wild mage. And of course, there's the arena area in the Underdark. Sorry to "red-pencil" you on that BoV.
     
  6. Rawgrim Gems: 21/31
    Latest gem: Pearl


    Joined:
    Dec 11, 2004
    Messages:
    1,365
    Likes Received:
    27
    I think it looks good so far. But I would be interested in knowing about those 400 changes thy have made.
     
  7. reepnorp

    reepnorp Lim'n Lime Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2002
    Messages:
    1,675
    Media:
    1
    Likes Received:
    12
    Gender:
    Male
    I wouldn't be surprised if one of the changes is fixing Keldorn's armour so that monks can't wear it :(
     
  8. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2000
    Messages:
    23,475
    Media:
    494
    Likes Received:
    538
    Gender:
    Male
    Marceror, the depth of field you're referring to is a 3D effect. The BG backgrounds are flat bitmaps. They're just blurry.
     
  9. Marceror

    Marceror Chaos Shall Be Sown In Their Footsteps Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

    Joined:
    May 3, 2003
    Messages:
    2,770
    Media:
    226
    Likes Received:
    235
    Gender:
    Male
    Seems a fairly safe bet. I'm betting that a lot of the stuff that you find in the more popular Fixpacks will be included in that list of 400. Why reinvent the wheel?

    ---------- Added 0 hours, 1 minutes and 35 seconds later... ----------

    It's a similar effect, to my eyes at least.
     
  10. Gaear

    Gaear ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful

    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2006
    Messages:
    1,877
    Media:
    13
    Likes Received:
    180
    Haven't you been reading the tweets?!? (<<-- sarcasm about having to read tweets as a changelog) ;)


    Looking more closely at Marceror's still, I think what makes the center figure stand out is the lack of dynamic lighting/shading. (She appears to be standing in the shade of those trees and yet she's fully illuminated.) Didn't the BGs use that technology?
     
  11. Rawgrim Gems: 21/31
    Latest gem: Pearl


    Joined:
    Dec 11, 2004
    Messages:
    1,365
    Likes Received:
    27
    Looks like the three new NPCs are getting alot of the new stuff. I wonder, though, if they have added alot mor dialogue and bantering to the rest of them. Would suck if I had to go with the new ones, simply to get all the content. The rest of the NPCs being exactly the same as in the original game.
     
  12. Darion

    Darion Resident Dissident Veteran BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2002
    Messages:
    801
    Media:
    1
    Likes Received:
    42
    Gender:
    Male
    Maybe Typos!:D
     
  13. Marceror

    Marceror Chaos Shall Be Sown In Their Footsteps Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

    Joined:
    May 3, 2003
    Messages:
    2,770
    Media:
    226
    Likes Received:
    235
    Gender:
    Male
    Well... typos are horrible. So....
     
  14. Rawgrim Gems: 21/31
    Latest gem: Pearl


    Joined:
    Dec 11, 2004
    Messages:
    1,365
    Likes Received:
    27
    Typos indeed :)
     
  15. Blades of Vanatar

    Blades of Vanatar Vanatar will rise again Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2008
    Messages:
    4,147
    Likes Received:
    224
    Gender:
    Male
    I missed where the Arena actually is... is it a new map area or inside one of the current areas?
     
  16. Montresor

    Montresor Mostly Harmless Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2005
    Messages:
    3,103
    Media:
    127
    Likes Received:
    183
    Gender:
    Male
    As I understand it, it's a game apart from the game, or a separate adventure altogether, where you create a full party and then battle through the arenas.

    http://www.baldursgate.com/blackpits.en.html
     
  17. reepnorp

    reepnorp Lim'n Lime Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!)

    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2002
    Messages:
    1,675
    Media:
    1
    Likes Received:
    12
    Gender:
    Male
    Ugh, that doesn't sound fun to me at all. Even when they are part of a game like in Fable or the Elder Scrolls games it feels like a chore to me. If there isn't some kind of benefit to the main game I highly doubt I'll be doing this.
     
  18. Rawgrim Gems: 21/31
    Latest gem: Pearl


    Joined:
    Dec 11, 2004
    Messages:
    1,365
    Likes Received:
    27
    I see that one of the new ones is a Blackguard. Did 2ed even have those? i thought they were called Anti-Paladins. And that Blackguards popped up as a prestigue class for 3ed?
     
  19. Blades of Vanatar

    Blades of Vanatar Vanatar will rise again Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2008
    Messages:
    4,147
    Likes Received:
    224
    Gender:
    Male
    Yep, it was a 3rd edition Prestige class. But teh sorcerer and barbarian builds of BG2 are 3rd edition as well, so it is what it is I guess.

    Battle Arena sounds fun, hopefully it will be replayable. B

    The more I think about it, I will be buying it for Windows PC. This is my favorite type of game and no one else is making anything new out there that fits the bill. So what the heck... 20 bucks isn't breaking my bank....
     
  20. Rawgrim Gems: 21/31
    Latest gem: Pearl


    Joined:
    Dec 11, 2004
    Messages:
    1,365
    Likes Received:
    27
    I think the sorcerer, barbarian and monk were 2ed classes. They were about to be implemented into the 2ed, but Wizards of the coast bought the franchise, and 3ed came out soon after. Blackguard, however, is pure 3ed. Ergo...its filth has no business being in a BG game!!!!
     
Sorcerer's Place is a project run entirely by fans and for fans. Maintaining Sorcerer's Place and a stable environment for all our hosted sites requires a substantial amount of our time and funds on a regular basis, so please consider supporting us to keep the site up & running smoothly. Thank you!

Sorcerers.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products on amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.