[Bloth]

Not sure about attack move, seems a pretty logical thing to include considering the game was originally going to be an RTS, Battleground Infinity I think they were going to call it. Can't seem to find owt about it in the old paper manual.

[Ward Dragon]

Blothulfur said:

Not sure about attack move, seems a pretty logical thing to include considering the game was originally going to be an RTS, Battleground Infinity I think they were going to call it. Can't seem to find owt about it in the old paper manual. ›››

Whoa, I had no idea! At least now I understand why it's called the Infinity Engine

[Pangaea]

Ward Dragon said:

Is this a mod? I'm tempted to use this now, but only if it won't break my save by installing it mid-play-through.

It's a mod. It's called BG2 Tweaks. There are a lot you can change, including rules. Don't change anything unless you know what it does. I don't know what has to be changed before you start a game and not, but you can at least try. Unlimited ammo stacks is under Convenience/Cheats.

Although it's called BG2 Tweaks, it still works with Tutu/BGT because then you are effectively using the BG2 engine.

[Ward Dragon]

Pangaea said:

It's a mod. It's called BG2 Tweaks. There are a lot you can change, including rules. Don't change anything unless you know what it does. I don't know what has to be changed before you start a game and not, but you can at least try. Unlimited ammo stacks is under Convenience/Cheats.

Although it's called BG2 Tweaks, it still works with Tutu/BGT because then you are effectively using the BG2 engine. ›››

Thanks! I actually did install the BG2 Tweaks mod, but I only installed the cosmetic/convenience changes and avoided the ruleset/gameplay changes without even looking at them. Now that I know to look for the unlimited ammo stacks I will try to reinstall the mod

[Ward Dragon]

I've been busy with work lately and haven't had much chance to play Baldur's Gate the past few weeks, but I finally finished Durlag's Tower! I was too stubborn to give up on it, and now it's such a relief that I can get back to the main quest

[Pangaea]

Very well done! It's a great adventure; but you have a bit of a rough one when you get to a certain other location too. Brace yourself

[Ward Dragon]

Pangaea said:

Very well done! It's a great adventure; but you have a bit of a rough one when you get to a certain other location too. Brace yourself /> ›››

Thanks I'm kind of scared now wondering what could be as grueling as Durlag's Tower But I'm mainly happy to be back on track for the main quest. People keep telling me that BG has a good story but I'm still so early in the game that it hasn't picked up yet, so I'm really looking forward to making more progress on it

[M4xw0lf]

Ward Dragon said:

I've been busy with work lately and haven't had much chance to play Baldur's Gate the past few weeks, but I finally finished Durlag's Tower! /> I was too stubborn to give up on it, and now it's such a relief that I can get back to the main quest /> ›››

I think I was level 4 when I got there first... I had only two magical weapons in my whole party, so I couldn't even do harm to many of the more powerful enemies ^^
But with a lot of reloading I brought down the battle horrors and the basilisks and gained enormous amounts of experience

[bleeding from the eyes]

Have been a fan of the Diablo series forever....but do not like the latest .....prefer to play in the singular rather than as a group.....the Witcher games have been FANTASTIC...challenging and interesting...so well thought out and easy to immerse yourself in!!!! Also REALLY love the war games!! The line of WWII games from the Slitherine Group are a lot of fun to play!

[Glaroug]

I guess its not an RPG but I remember playing Myst when I was younger, about ~5 or 6.

Scratch that.

I remember I PLAYED Myst when I was younger and now I see there are several. GAH! I though of suiting up and playing it again when summer comes. Anyone here play Myst and enjoyed it?

[.Volsung.]

Glaroug said:

I guess its not an RPG but I remember playing Myst when I was younger, about ~5 or 6.

Scratch that.

I remember I PLAYED Myst when I was younger and now I see there are several. GAH! I though of suiting up and playing it again when summer comes. Anyone here play Myst and enjoyed it? ›››

Yeah Myst is not an RPG but for that matter neither is Diablo Well I guess if you take away motivations, choice and consequence, decision making and all that then whatever remains is a "subgenre" of RPG OK enough sarcasm for one day, sorry!

I played Myst 3 and I enjoyed it. In fact I LOVE adventure games. Not a fan of the Myst series in particular but they are pretty good, and I like the mechanical nature of most of its puzzles.

If you like graphical adventures, I can also recommend a bunch! But not here. This is for cRPG's

[Glaroug]

Quote

I can also recommend a bunch! But not here. This is for cRPG's

Fallout 1&2. Are they REALLY as great and glorious as they're said to be? Was my physics teacher right in laughing when I mentioned enjoyed New Vegas, only to claim I was settling for a stale crust and when I could be immersed in the series juicy and succulent older brothers?

I've also read material such as the Brotherhood of Steal was "altered" and no longer true canon.

I'll admit, to my shame, the birds eye view does leave me a bit skeptical. I've played Arcanum and firearms weren't exactly something worth writing home about. But it still earned Glaroug's legendary status.

[.Volsung.]

Hi Glaroug,

Some people have trouble getting started on older cRPG's for several reasons, like the top-down (usually isometric) perspective, the elaborate rules, the decision-based combat, etc. In my opinion these are simply game mechanics one can learn and get used to, and once you get past the dated graphics (another major drawback for some) you'll realize that beyond that apparently wrinkly surface hides a brilliant, genius concept with fantastic execution, limited only by the technology of its time.

You know how many older movies barely had any advanced visual effects and still some are considered among the best the art has to offer? Something similar happens with games, especially cRPG's. Graphics technology was limited so instead they focused on writing excellent branching stories, character reactivity, beautiful textual descriptions honoring the pen and paper RPG's, etc. Many modern games sadly focus too much on other aspects and deliver weak, uninspired simplistic stories, little interactivity, etc. and way too much combat.

Fallout New Vegas is a good game, as good as Obsidian could make it using Bethesda's shitty engine. But Fallout 1 and 2... they're on a different league. They are the stuff of legend!

I know they might look old and ugly if you're used to modern 3D graphics, but think of it as watching a motion comic. The perspective actually helps too, since combat is turn based. But not like Arcanum's; Fallout's combat actually works! It's exciting and highly tactical.

In my opinion, the holy trinity of computer RPGs is composed of Planescape: Torment, Baldur's Gate (I and II), and Fallout (I and II). So play them ALL!

[M4xw0lf]

What Volsung said. All hail to Fallout 1 and 2

[Pangaea]

Completely agree with him too, though I haven't played Fallout 1 or 2 yet. Planescape Torment and BG though? It puts just about anything released in the last 10 years to shame.

[Glaroug]

Well its settled. Onward to Fallout 1&2!!! Perhaps I shall check out Planescape as well. I have only heard good things about it. Wait!!! Planescape as in D&D planes?! Wow I never put the two together and that is defiantly interesting, but it sounds like it makes for a goofy D&D adventure if the character is warping all over the place--but I'm not saying that's a bad thing. Its nostalgic and brings the sounds of dicing clattering across a wooden to mind.

[.Volsung.]

Glaroug said:

Well its settled. Onward to Fallout 1&2!!! Perhaps I shall check out Planescape as well. I have only heard good things about it. Wait!!! Planescape as in D&D planes?! Wow I never put the two together and that is defiantly interesting, but it sounds like it makes for a goofy D&D adventure if the character is warping all over the place. ›››

Good for you. Fallout 1 is truly refreshing and unique! Get them from GOG.com of course.

Dungeons and Dragons is a (tabletop) role-playing game that first appeared in the 70's and has slowly been getting larger and more elaborate with time. The original D&D setting was called Greyhawk, and that is were most of the pen and paper modules were set. By setting, we mean of course the world, its inhabitants, monsters, etc. Very much like how The Witcher world is a fantasy setting. More settings were created for different purposes, keeping the core D&D rules for gameplay. For example, the Dragonlance setting is very famous and has mostly been developed by the books of Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weiss. Perhaps the most famous setting, the one used in most D&D computer RPG's, is Forgotten Realms. This setting has a very recognizable medieval, high-fantasy mood. It has also been expanded and developed with books from a plethora of authors like Ed Greenwood, Elaine Cunningham, and ugh... Robert Salvatore. Planescape is one such setting, but it is different from all others.

The Planescape D&D setting contains a unique blend of very strange creatures found in many other settings. One of its most recognizable landmarks is the city of Sigil, a city shaped like a toroid (aka doughnut):



Sigil is full of portals to/from other planes and that is one reason why you can find any given creature in it. But that doesn't mean that, once in Sigil, you travel through the planes. In fact there is one such character in Planescape: Torment who accidentally stumbled upon a portal and ended up in Sigil, never to return again... or perhaps somebody can help her?

Planes constitute the multiverse of Dungeons & Dragons. There are for example inner planes, made out of pure elemental energy (fire for example), outer planes (places of belief, home of the gods and the deceased), and the prime material plane where most games take place. PS:T takes place in the outer plane, in the city of Sigil, but at some points we get to visit some other planes like the Shadow Plane. Most cRPG's, like Pool of Radiance, Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, etc. take place in the prime material plane, in the continent of Faerûn.

So in PS:T you don't just travel from plane to plane. You simply are on a plane other than the prime material, which is exotic enough.

[Pangaea]

Oh believe me, Glaroug, Planescape is a wonderful game. The starting area is kind of like a tutorial, but once you get out of there, the game starts to really shine. With the spiritual successor coming out after the very successful Kickstarte campaign, I'd recommend playing the original first

It's funny. Each time I go into this thread, my mind goes straight back into Baldur's Gate or Planescape Torment, and I want to play them again.

I need to play Fallout 1 and 2 as well though. I've heard so much good about them.

[.Volsung.]

Pangaea said:

I need to play Fallout 1 and 2 as well though. I've heard so much good about them. ›››

Play at least the first one. It's relatively short and very entertaining.

[.Volsung.]

Sorry for double posting. Glaroug and anyone else, maybe this will clarify the cosmological structure of the multiverse in AD&D 2E. I present you the Great Wheel:



As you can see, there are different kinds of planes and in each kind (inner planes for example, made out of pure energy) there are particular instances, i.e. fire, water, air, etc. In the Prime material plane you can find Toril, the planet used in Forgotten Realms (Gold Box games, Infinity Engine games, NWN 1 & 2, etc.). Most of these games play in the continent of Faerûn.

Planescape: Torment plays mostly in Sigil, the toroid at the top of a spire in the outer planes, In-game we also get to visit multiple other planes like

Mechanus, Baator, Carceri, ...

and some others are also referenced or illustrated with stories, such as

Mount celestia, and particularly Limbo

Of particular interest is the circular disposition of the outer planes. Note how they are arranged by the morality axis of D&D: law vs. chaos, good vs. evil. So for instance we have Mechanus as absolutely lawful, and Limbo as absolutely chaotic. But then we also have Baator as lawful evil and Arborea (Olympus) as chaotic good. Notice also the opposition between Mount Celestia and the Abyss.

It really is a shame TSR/WotC didn't support Planescape and it is a shame how things evolved in subsequent revisions of D&D. Thankfully now we have Numenera, made by the same people who created Planescape in the first place.