Heart of Winter

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I'm not sure if it's just me but does anyone else feel that the IWD expansion pack sound kind of cheap? By that I mean that all these feature are in BG2. Bioware just finished all the coding for new spells, 600x800 resolution on the engine, new magic items, the scroll case, gem bag, a higher XP cap, and full screen interface. Is there anything new here? Yes there are making a new area and some more undead, but does that cut it. Are we just paying for the work of BG2 all over again? I mean so far I really like BG2 so why would I go back to IWD? Maybe it's just me but I feel Bioware is double-dipping. What your feelings?

 

I guess we will know better when we see the price. What we get is the chance to progress the characters we steered through IWD - who are not transferable to BG2, and maybe the chance to find out what's behind that damn door in Kuldahar!

 

also,the two are slightly different:

iwd is a fighting rpg
bg2 is a talking/quest rpg

 

I'm not talking about the games themselves. I know IWD & BG2 are different. I'm just saying that HoW just looks like putting the work from BG2 into IWD and trying to get you to pay for tt all over again. It's just my opinion.

 

Well if the expansion pack is less than 30 I will probably buy it. However, my 6 characters barely broke the million EXP marker, so will the expansion have enough new quests and encounters to get another 2 mill?
I hope so but I am not holding my breath.

I don't mind the fact that everything in the expansion pack comes from BG2. If it will make IWD more fun with more things to go do, then I am all for it.

On a side note I have spent about $100 dollars on HOMM3 and its expansion packs. They are fun, but I would rather just have the next full installment of the series.

 

I'm not sure if I understand your argument, Voltric. Bioware used stuff from Tales of the Sword Coast when they made Icewind Dale. I don't hear anyone talking about that. I even remember the designers talking about it when Icewind was first announced, and they said it would be more like Durlag's Tower than the Gullykin dungeon.

The bottom line: If you liked Icewind (if you played through more than once), you'll probably get the sequel (which will be $29.99 btw). If you think (like me) that BG2 is so much bettter than IWD that you don't know if you'd go back, it's probably not worth it.
Expansion packs rarely provide anything earth shaking that changes the game significantly. That's why thier expansion packs, not sequels.

 

Also, I heard that you will be able to transfer characters from Icewind and BG/BG2 to Neverwinter Nights. It'd be pretty interesting to see what everyone's hand-crafted characters are like.
There's always a few suprises...

 

Lord B, I hear what you're saying. I think BG2 is so much better. Mind you I loved IWD. It was a great game, but it lacks the depth of BG2. If I didn't have BG2 I would most likely buy HoW in a flash. But since I am playing BG2 all the time I will not touch IWD again for sometime. Down the road the sxpansion will drop in price to around $17 and I pick it up then.

As far as importing PC to NWN, then are different systems (2nd & 3rd Ed.) I personally think I'd like to start a new PC in NWN to get the feel of things. But if I ever need I have a kick ass party from IWD standing by.

 

Monk/Mages are going to be too cool in NWN!

Syl...

 

One point that everyone seems to be missing is that Bioware didn't "make" Icewind Dale. Bioware created the "Infinity" Engine, which is what both games use. Interplay produced BG1 and then bought the rights to use the engine. Black Isle, a division of Interplay then made Planetscape: Torment and Icewind Dale. Therefore Bioware is not "double dipping" with IWD and the add-on. Rather it is Interplay who is trying to capitalize on their only recent hit game. Personaly I think the timing for "The Heart of Winter" is rather bad. I bought IWD to help me survive the wait for BG2. Why would I bother to buy an add-on which doesn't have any new features. From what I've seen, Heart of Winter has perhaps a white dragon, which is nothing new after BG2. Also, apparently the locked door in Kuldahar has nothing to do with the add-on and since there is no final-save file to IWD, you will have to export all your .chr files before the final battle and then import them into the add-on.

 

We'll see... but when you think about it logicaly, when could you slip an expansion pack into the plot line?

 

so (based on that list of features) i take it that we won't be seeing the class kits (and monk/barbarian/sorcerer) from bg appearing in HOW? that would be a major deterent for me to buy it. of all the new features in bg2 the kits are the best.