Black Isle Studios marathon
Sunday, March 13th, 2005 - 11:02pm
Here's a riddle in the form of a poem:
Although I love many,
I've not finished any,
For they take such a long, long while.
And though I have doubt,
I've yet got the clout,
To face them all with a smile!
Their CDs are legion,
They blanket the region,
And stretch for many a mile.
But I manage a grin,
And now I begin,
A marathon session of Black Isle!
I plan to play through Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate 2, BG2: Throne of Bhaal, Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter, and Icewind Dale II. I don't plan to stick to that order, necessarily; tonight I intend to start with Planescape: Torment. In fact, I may save the Baldur's Gate series for last, since that would give me some extra time to track down a copy of the Tales of the Sword Coast expansion, which I do not own as of yet.
If I get really feisty, I'll add Fallout and Fallout 2 to the mix. I actually did finish both of those games (the first one multiple times), so I'm not too concerned with including them in the marathon. The main objective is to play a bunch of RPG's that I never did finish. The secondary objective is to play through as many Black Isle games in a row as my sanity will allow.
Now starting Planescape: Torment. I believe I shall distribute my character attributes so as to allow for powerful magecraft.
The market has much to answer for as to why gaming is NOT an art. -- illum
I''m betting you can''t maintain, that''s too much gaming for one man to take in all in a row! Think of the children!
Certis beat me to it. - Elysium
I think I have a sealed copy of Tales of the Sword coast laying on my bookshelf. I''ll take a look later.
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I''ve been intending to do that for a long time, Lobo. I''ve owned BG since it came out (Xmas of 98) and just never could get through it. I asked for and received the BG2 and IWD bundles for Xmas of 2003 but haven''t even installed them. I finally finished PS:T about a year and a half ago, at least.
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More like the Infinity Engine marathon.
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Wow, that''s quite an insane task you''ve set yourself there, Lobo! The Baldur''s Gate saga alone took me over (*calculating*) 250 hours to finish (conservative estimate).
Good luck! I myself have finished every Infinity Engine game except Icewind Dale 2. Hmmmm, I should get cracking on that again some time...
A valuable tip!
Swing harder! Swing harder!
-- Lilarcor, Baldur's Gate 2
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I shall be launching into an epic game of BG2 for the fourth time this summer. The mod scene has exploded in the last 2 years and there is a bewildering amount of new content to consider.
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." - Churchill
Same here. I get 5 hours in and hopelessly bored to tears.
I *know* that there''s a quality game beyond the slow start, but it''s hard for me to get there.
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Well, I just knocked out the first eight hours or so of Planescape: Torment. I feel like I''ve only scratched the surface. I''m really enjoying my return to the Infinity engine, since the last giant RPG I played through was Neverwinter Nights, and never a more clunky engine/interface have I seen. Plus, the Infinity engine is absolutely gorgeous, even today.
Edwin, if you happen upon that copy of Tales of the Sword Coast and are interested in parting with it for a modest sum (say, $15?), let me know.
The market has much to answer for as to why gaming is NOT an art. -- illum
That''s what I was thinking, a Black Isle Marathon would include Fallout 1 and 2 and exclude the Baldur''s Gate series.
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Brings the question to mind..
Whatever happened to the party based CRPG?? Are we now only going to get First and Third Person single player actiony RPG''s?
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Yeah, I find stuff like the henchman system in Neverwinter to be pretty unsatisfying. I think Temple of Elemental Evil was the last game to truly give us the classic CRPG feel and party system. Too bad it was such a mess.
Certis beat me to it. - Elysium
I beg to differ - Wizardry, The Bard''s Tale, Zork, Elite, Lemonade Stand, Raster Blaster, M.U.L.E. all outshine the BIS games, IMO. In fact, M.U.L.E. may be the most perfect game of all time.
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Meh! Thats like comparing a man hitting two sticks together with Vivaldi. Get with the program baby, get with the program.
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." - Churchill
Is this and the Zelda marathon for charity?
M.U.L.E. was a truly awesome game. It''s a pity that there don''t seem to be any games quite like it, as the concept in general is really very interesting.
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LobsterMobster wrote:
The Baldur''s Gate series was published by Black Isle though, so technically it qualifies.
Bioware''s Dragon Age is supposed to be similar to BG, isn''t it? Pity it''s still a long way off, I could really do with some more tactical combat in my rpgs.
"The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all."
That sounds like Gaming bliss there Lobo.
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Hmm. I wanted to love Baldur''s Gate, I really did... Got halfway through it half a dozen times. Same with BGII. After a couple of weeks of slogging through I just found myself thoroughly bored beyond reason, and looking for the next shiny thing down the pike.
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I loved the BG games, but never got around to the IWD series. I keep meaning to play them, but that seems unlikely with all the new titles coming out to grab my attention.
Credulous at best, your desire to believe in angels in the hearts of men.
You would be wise to remember *this thread* before making such a bold claim. Enjoy Planescape - it was my favorite of the bunch!
Might I recommend Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich!
Hey, you try rhyming with ""Bioware"" and see how far it gets you!
I am grateful for the correction.
The market has much to answer for as to why gaming is NOT an art. -- illum
Thanks to the generosity of Podunk, I''ll soon have a copy of the BG:TOSC expansion for a price so low, it''s silly. The entire Baldur''s Gate saga now lies in my future!
Here''s a question for illum, who mentioned all the fan-made mods and content for BG2. Should I bother to install any of that stuff for my first run through BG2? Or, should I just make a ""clean"" run through before experimenting with such things?
The market has much to answer for as to why gaming is NOT an art. -- illum
His Grace the Duke Mod at your service:
If you are yet to go through Baldurs Gate 1 I HIGHLY recommend you do so first, and that you do so using this beauty -BGTUTU
It enables you to play BG1 using the BG2 engine/spells/characters/features. Supports most major mods and importantly the expansion. Just brilliant.
When it comes to upgrading the BG2 engine itself the essentials are:
1) The Baldurdash Bug Fix Packs
2) Anything you like over on http://weidu.org/. All his stuff is bugfree and compatible.
3) If you have Throne of Bhaal get Dave Gaider''s ""Ascension"", by one of the designers of BG and lead designer of ToB. It restores the expansion to its original design document glory, making it even more epic!
More mods and help can be had from the excellent community hub -http://www.pocketplane.net -.
(P.S. You can play BG2 using the IWD2 engine, but its very much an beta project.)
Comment: Note to self, if Lobo calls me baby again... burn out his eyes.
"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject." - Churchill
Wow, thanks illum. It''s hard to describe the feeling I get in my gut when I contemplate all the great gaming that awaits me. I know we''ve all been there before, though!
The market has much to answer for as to why gaming is NOT an art. -- illum
I''m pretty sure I finished BG 1. Or maybe I came to near the end. In any case, I don''t remember exactly how it ended. The point is: You''ll never finish them all!
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Do you enjoy eating your own words? Because if so, then in a few months you and Certis should get together and have a feast!
The market has much to answer for as to why gaming is NOT an art. -- illum
Indeed, Baldurdash is indespensible.
Have fun with BG2. One of my all-time favorites, and not just because it''s the first RPG I ever played. It''s still got a magic that I''ve never seen matched (even by its official expansion.)
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Hopefully this doesn''t cause a tear in the space-time continuum: Lobo has inspired me to finish Icewind Dale 2.
I reinstalled two nights ago and managed to find my savegames from a little more than a year ago. I''m still in Chapter 1, so there''s lots of slaying to look forward to.
(Holy hell are the battles HARD! I spent 30+ minutes last night trying to clear out one room! Then I found out my Barbarian was wearing half-plate armour without having a proficiency in Heavy Armour, cutting his To Hit by 7 points. With that sorted out he should hopefully be useful in combat again.
Oh, and casting Hold Person on goblins and then mercilessly gutting them sure is fun!
)
Swing harder! Swing harder!
-- Lilarcor, Baldur's Gate 2