YOU get to design BG 3!

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I hope BG3 uses the 3rd Edition core rules. I have played AD&D for a long time, but I'm surprised at how quickly I'm taking to the new rules. I actually like playing BGII a bit less because of the "old" rules.

In terms of playing environment, I'm pretty happy with the setting. There's still lots to do on the Sword Coast. I'd make it a touch more linear though ... it's easy to get distracted in the side quests and get no real feeling of progress. IMO that's where Diablo (and D2) did a very good job. You always pressed for the next area, that next weapon, just one more level up before I go to bed. Very reward-driven and that made it fun. True role-playing is not linear, but it is entertaining when the rewards are always around the next corner ...

 

You people!

Stay to the Forgotten Realms storyline!!! It is sooooooooo amazingly good!

My ideas what should be in BG3:
Being able to be in the party of one of FR's characters, e.g. being in the party of Drizzt, Catti-brie, Bruenor, Regis, Guenwyvar, and Wulfgar.
Using powerful artifacts like the Planar Sphere to travel between the planes (and even dimensions). Keep in mind that while it is called the Planar Sphere, it went to places totally unrelated to the Realms, e.g. the Knights of Solamnia from good ol' Ansalon and Dragonlance.
I agree with the ability to choose you hometown (hehe, Calimport!), it would be fun.
I also agree with having alternate endings based on your in-game play, e.g. if you have a high reputation, good soldiers will help you defeat your enemies at the end.

 

BG 3:
- compare a new monster against max lore value of your group to find (partial) info about it (how it attacks, how it is killed); this should accumulate with knowledge gained by previous accounters (e.g. exp gained)
- instead of restricting capabilities, make npc's continuously work for them. E.g. forget spells you didn't use recently, loose fighting proficiency if you don't use it often enough.
- get more interaction with the stats: e.g. a fighter with low int not having access to higher proficiencies, a mage with low constitution unable to cast "energie-spells" like fireball, but all illusion spells.
- quests for only 1 or 2 characters
- spells split up into components:
constitution: fire, ice, illusion, deathfabric, ...
application: bolt, ray, area, shield, ...
energy: place a number of mana points on the spells (from a spell specific range)
- have weapon/tool slots depend on (tool)-belts or armor (e.g. a leatehr armor having provisions for a dozen knives)

 

I'd go for something new.

Forgotten Realms is a given. It's very popular and there is lots of depth and development in the world. People also like the fact they can relate and remember places they've been before in previous FR games. It gives the rest of the world a "whole" feeling. So with that said, here is what I'd make.

- Isometric view. The growth and development in a visual sense from the player to the character builds more depth. You can't see that when you're looking out of your characters eyes. I like to see my cloak flapping in the wind. I like to see my sword glowing with power. I like to see my undies when I have no armor.

- 3e rules. Although I have yet to dip into it and see how it fairs, it sounds promising enough to be worth while in any CRPG. It gives the player a wide choice of class selections as they are no longer restricted. Allows mages to wear armor and ability scores go up every 4 levels.

- Now this is my biggest change. Do a 180 and flip things around. Change it up so much that it creates a ripple in the RPG industry.

What is that you say? Since I'm using FR as an example, I will continue to do so.

Starting city - Skullport.

For those who are not familiar with this, it is an undercity trading port where Illithids, Drow, Duergar, Beholders, Orcs, Goblins do trade alongside of Humans, Dwarves, Elves, etc. Slaves are a major strong point of the city. No one fights each other in business districts because all are there to just do trade. The power of The Skulls, strange magical floating skulls with the power to kill anyone on the spot, keep the law in order. Kill someone in a business district, pay the price.

Second. Since we're starting in Skullport, the game package now allows the creation of underdark races. Drow and Duergar to start.
Already, with those two races available, it becomes a strong selling point. Of course, the other races would be there as well.

Third. Your race/class decides your starting point within Skullport. Perhaps a Human Fighter is a slave, caught and caged and you have to work your way out through a series of events and quests. Perhaps as a Drow/Thief, you start off in a particular house of family, friend where events unfold to get the ball rolling.
A Duergar would start in a dwarven settlement not far from Skullport, perhaps have to travel there for one reason or other.

Fourth. Better NPC interaction. I want a city that feels like a city, not looks and sounds like one ala BG2. Static NPCs that stand around and have nothing to say to you unless they are a trigger event is a waste.

Fifth. Player/fan poster. Someone who is paid money to sit on the message boards or at least reply to posts once a week and who listens to what the fans/players want in a game.

Sixth. Game MUST BE registered on the net using the registration # on the CD. Once that number is given, it cannot be used again. The downside is you can't sell your CD, the upside is that the game world continues to be added as an add-on. Sales alone would make up enough revenue to do this a few times, even more as those new players go out and purchase the original.

These updates would be done as they were completed and your system would upgrade automatically when you went to play the game. Getting a quest for a new area or being able to explore it. Better yet, a whole new city.

I have many more ideas and gripes but I'm at work so I can't diddy daddle too long

Syl...

 

Sylvus, a good smattering of the things you mentioned are supposed to be implemented in Morrowind (not to keep bringing that game up, but I am...) Your description of starting the game with an association to a particular faction or house is very similar to what the developers seem to have in mind there...I don't know about you, but as much as I love AD&D, I've never turned down a decent CRPG that wasn't AD&D...I'll be sure to get BG3 and Morrowind and Neverwinter Nights, etc.

But in defense of the first person persective: I really loved Daggerfall's feeling of immersion while involved in a dungeon crawl. Some of the freakiest moments I've ever experienced while gaming came through Daggerfall. I'd be gingerly making my way down a corridor, and then I'd hear a door creaking open just around the corner, and the wild screams of a skeleton would assail my ears! (If you had surround sound or were wearing headphones, you could tell where the monster was and how close it was to you....)"Crap! He's right around the corner, and I'm low on health and have no spell power, and my weapon is crappy...my only hope is to run away...oh, CRAP! He's right behind me! I don't dare turn around to check on him because he'll catch up to me for sure then...I'm coming up on a ledge now; if I can just manuever him close enough to the edge and give him a decent push, I could knock him over the edge..." That was real-time combat that got my heart pounding, where it was really fun to try to outwit enemies or fight them head-on...the sheer size and complexity of the labyrinthine dungeons knocked your socks off when you came out in an open area after descending for what seemed like forever and coming out into a main room with a ceiling 60 feet high...*sigh*, the BG perspective is great, but nothing can compare to that first person experience, in my mind....

 

Ok.

Syl...

 

A bigger party size would be nice...
So would a lot more NPC interaction..
New playable races like Githyanki or Githzerai, Drow, Duergar and those Deep Gnomes with unspellable names. Playing as an Orc or goblin would be nice too.
New classes like the Samurai and Ninja from the FR oriental setting, Anti-paladins, Dark Rangers, etc.
Do certain classes properly. Like the Soceror who should be able to use armor while casting spells and a proper Kensai class. Make conjurors not the only specialist mage worth playing.

 

An interesting thing (high AI provided) would be parties/party members you don't control.
I.e. at game start you join up as an a hireling and as your rep and abilities grow, do quest of your own, with more and better NPCs willing to join.
Split loot up acording to your position in the group.

 

I agree with most of ideas here.

I would like to see modifications in alignments, not only on reputation. I mean a LG character killing an innocent loses reputation, he also should undergo a change on his/her alignment. Imagine a Paladin doing evil actions, he can loose his/her status and becomes a normal fighter, except if he/she does a particular quest to take back his/her God's confidence.

I would like to see better monster AI. The fog of war is a good idea, but it's a pity to attract monsters one by one while they are in large... hey, they cannot commincate and ask friends to help them in battle ?

Better city interations : if you fight inside a city, a milice should come soon to see what happens, isn't it ? How many people you can see in Athkatla ?? Something like 100/150, I heard that it was a big city, not a small village .

About other races, I used to play in P&P games with a LOT of other races, like semi-animal races : Catmen, Lionmen, Minotaurs, Centaurs, Flying men... But, these special races have hindrances, like Drows, if we can play with Drows, we must suffer daylight penality.

I would like to see some particular things on High Level characters, i.e. an evil Sorcerer becoming a Lich, an Anti-Paladin becoming a Death Knight (like Lord Soth), a High Priest becoming a Saint...

About spell memorization, I must admit that I would prefer a mana system, Magic is an energy you can model according to your knowledge and to a potential. But, memorization is also a good method .

Ah... and I would like to see a fight between Purple Knights and Red Wizards .

[This message has been edited by Rasalgethi (edited January 04, 2001).]

 

A lot more little villages (like Gullyakin from BG) to visit. When you enter you should have the option to sack, plunder and rape the population (if that's your thing)

[This message has been edited by hooligan_inc (edited January 04, 2001).]

 

Ooh...phrased that badly didn't I? sshhheeeuuurrrgghhhh...