Support NeoGAF

[Buggy Loop]

The closest we've ever come to a full simulation of D&D​

There was a private press presentation, previews are dropping

Baldur's Gate 3 preview: the closest we've ever come to a full simulation of D&D

You'll never see everything that Baldur's Gate 3 has to offer – just as it should be

www.gamesradar.com

I want to highlight a few things :

This heist has gone very wrong, very quickly, much to the embarrassment of Baldur's Gate 3 game director Sven Vincke. Two guards have remained stalwart at their posts, so the plan to create a distraction with one character and stroll through the bank's open doors with another has resolutely failed. Now, a chaotic battle is unfolding on multiple fronts. In the end, it's a combination of a poisonous cloud, a resilient panther, and a couple of sly teleportation spells that get the party into the vault.

The initial plan was genius, albeit heavily rehearsed. Splitting his Wizard from the party, Vincke multi-classed to take advantage of a Sorcerer ability; Metamagic lets you augment the range of spells, and now his Wizard can fly three times as far as he could before – far enough to reach the roof of the bank he's targeting. From there, a Scroll of Gaseous Form lets him travel through the building's pipes and into the bank's offices.

After that, the aim was to lead every guard in the building on a merry dance, leaving the vaults undefended. If it had been a success, it would have been a perfect realization of the strengths that D&D systems have brought to Baldur's Gate 3. As it is, it's still a pitch-perfect encapsulation of the chaos that unfurls when even a single dice roll doesn't go your way.

I am, already, in awe of Baldur's Gate 3. Even at the very most surface level, it's impossibly dense. The titular city teems with life, but so does every other settlement you come across, each town an entire soundscape of babbling voices weaving through streets packed with NPCs, every one of whom has a potential part to play in your story. At one moment, I picked a stranger out of the crowd at random, only to find that they had the information to help me on a major quest, but if I hadn't had a specific character in my party, they might never have given it up.
The density of the world is very impressive, but what most struck me is the density of the game's structure, and the freedom that comes with that. In his demonstrations, Vincke was keen to show off the extent to which actions can spiral and solutions can vary wildly, depending on not only how you tackle the problem at hand, but also how you've conducted yourself in the past. I lost count of the number of times I was told that a certain action might lead you to miss an entire NPC who might be pivotal to a certain quest.

The number of branching paths is so great that lead writer Adam Smith describes it as a spiderweb: "It's not that you start at point A, and then you keep branching and branching and branching. You're always heading towards the same point, but what happens when you get there is very different." Smith points to one major character who was accidentally killed in an early playtest: "The game reacts, the game can let that happen. You can always pull yourself out of it and get back onto the plotline."

Baldur's Gate 3 might seem like a game destined to be broken apart every which way, but Larian appears to have thought of everything. Smith recounts the time the team first made it to the rooftops of Baldur's Gate itself: "What we realized very quickly is that people will get everywhere. And then we need to put invisible walls up and we need to take away Flight. But we weren't going to do that." It was at that point, he says, that he felt he was no longer making an RPG. Instead, Baldur's Gate 3 had become an immersive sim in the vein of Thief, Deus Ex, or Dishonored.

It was at that point, he says, that he felt he was no longer making an RPG. Instead, Baldur's Gate 3 had become an immersive sim in the vein of Thief, Deus Ex, or Dishonored.

Baldur's Gate 3 had become an immersive sim in the vein of Thief, Deus Ex, or Dishonored.

Are you kidding me?

Why so many good games coming up so soon

 

[Guilty_AI]

Honestly, i don't think even those games have the degree of depth they've shown thus far.

But yeah, this game will potentially be talked about and played for the next decade.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Honestly, i don't think even those games have the degree of depth they've shown thus far.

But yeah, this game will potentially be talked about and played for the next decade.

I have not played the early access. I just kind of expected normal cRPG. But the way they built the city, at least as described, with how many paths you can take to do what you want, the numerous spells that can mix, without any fake walls... what the hell. If they pull this off as super polished at release, this is GOAT material.

 

[simpatico]

How can we Bear the wait?

 

[Guilty_AI]

I have not played the early access. I just kind of expected normal cRPG. But the way they built the city, at least as described, with how many paths you can take to do what you want, the numerous spells that can mix, without any fake walls... what the hell. If they pull this off as super polished at release, this is GOAT material.

I will be very very surprised if this feels polished by release. Even this late into early access i still noticed some jankyness here and there, most commonly during cutscenes with split second moments of assets loading in, some twitch animations or weird facial expressions. I think their engine probably wasn't designed to handle cinematics. That said, it could be just analytics middleware affecting the overall game stability.

If none of those issues are present by release and there are no real problems with the game mechanics and quests, the only thing that'll be left to ask is: what the fuck is the rest of the industry doing?

 

[Madonis]

I'm expecting a reasonable degree of "jank" but they can polish that with patches.

Consider that it'll still have a lot more reactivity than most cRPGs and that's quite worthwhile in my book, even if it does increase the risks of something not working perfectly at release.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

GOTY.

 

[howitis3]

Didn't this game come out a year ago on pc?

 

[DownTheRabbitHole]

Is this game really 150gb?

 

[Lokaum D+]

Is Zoofilia in games ok now ?

 

[Mattdaddy]

Didn't this game come out a year ago on pc?

Its been in early access on PC for a while.

But the full game release is now in just a few weeks.

 

[Fools idol]

Is this game really 150gb?

It's huge - the early access is only the first part of the game and is easily 40 hours of content. The full game has 2 more larger acts as well, bringing the total to approx 80 hours or 200 hours for a completionist run, with the entire game being mocapped and voice acted, so the majority of that size will come from cutscenes and dialogue I imagine.

 

[Fools idol]

 

[The Cockatrice]

The hype for this is unreal. Divinity OS2 is in my top 10 games of all time so I am jumping in with huge expectations.

 

[Fools idol]

The hype for this is unreal. Divinity OS2 is in my top 10 games of all time so I am jumping in with huge expectations.

indeed. I've been setting up my schedule for next month to maximise time to play this. Hook line and sank over here.

 

[Lord Panda]

Day 1 ish. I hope someday Larian get their hands on the Ultima franchise

 

[GymWolf]

Is Zoofilia in games ok now ?

Yes, you have to bear the weight of larian's choice.

 

[nightmare-slain]

I only played a little of it but I've never played D&D so I don't know how faithful it is. It's a lot to take it how everything works. I don't think I've played an RPG like this before. It makes all the other "RPG" games I've played look like dumb games for kids. Can't wait to go all in at launch. I've been reading up on all the mechanics to prepare myself better. Check this wiki out to get an idea of how it all works

Baldur's Gate 3 Wiki

Welcome to Baldur's Gate 3 Wiki! We aim to provide a clean, detailed, up to date wiki for Baldur's Gate 3 by Larian Studios.

bg3.wiki

Is this game really 150gb?

The early access is about a 80GB download and Early Access only contains Act 1 (of 3, i think).

I wouldn't be surprised if the full game is 150GB.

 

[Touch fuzZy. get BizZay]

right now my impression is that the combat is too accurate to dnd instead of using better battle systems like divinity aslo y cant u bang a horse

 

[NoobSmog]

Aren't most previews pure hype? I don't really remember seeing bad previews for any game, including Redfall.

 

[Ozzie666]

Is there a cat named Boo, who goes for the eyes. That's all that really matters.

 

[GymWolf]

Can you call it an immersive sims when a dice rolls decide if your action can have success or not?

Like imagine deus ex or dishonored but every plan you have can be fucked by something out of your control?

Like how fucking easy is gonna be in this game to trash even the most well thought plan because you are unlucky with dices rolls?

It must be paradise for dnd fans, but not exactly what i search in a pure immersive sims.

The news is exciting but i have my doubts in the execution.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Is Zoofilia in games ok now ?

The bear is another Druid.

 

[Hugare]

I've never played a Baldurs Gate game in my life, but my hype for this is through the roof

I've been trying to convice my gf to co-op Divinity 2 in preparation for this. We will start it by the end of the week.

Seems like Larian is throwing everything at this game. They know that Baldurs Gate is a huge franchise (in the genre) and its their chance to go wild and become an even bigger name in the industry.

The soundtrack for this game is 5 hours long while Divinity's was 1h30min.

And its glorious

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Can you call it an immersive sims when a dice rolls decide if your action can have success or not?

Like imagine deus ex or dishonored but every plan you have can be fucked by something out of your control?

Like how fucking easy is gonna be in this game to trash even the most well thought plan because you are unlucky with dices rolls?

It must be paradise for dnd fans, but not exactly what i search in a pure immersive sims.

The news is exciting but i have my doubts.

Sim cause enemies adapt to whatever route you take. They are simulated.

A good im-sim offers you level design and tools to take different routes.

I think it can be an im-sim.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Aren't most previews pure hype? I don't really remember seeing bad previews for any game, including Redfall.

Difference is, there are actual concrete reasons to be hyped here.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Difference is, there are actual concrete reasons to be hyped here.

Exactly. The game is in early access if you dont trust previews NoobSmog

You can go ahead and play it

 

[GymWolf]

Sim cause enemies adapt to whatever route you take. They are simulated.

A good im-sim offers you level design and tools to take different routes.

I think it can be an im-sim.

What does that even mean? Do we have games except redfall where enemies are not simulated and don't follow your route when they fight you? I have no idea of what you are saying.

That doesn't change what i said about the unpredictability of a dice roll that decide your actions over carefully planning everything in an immersive sim...

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

What does that even mean? Do we have games except redfall where enemies are not simulated and don't follow your route when they fight you? I have no idea of what you are saying.

That doesn't change what i said about the unpredictability of a dice roll that decide your actions over carefully planning everything in an immersive sim...

I'll just be using a cheat mod for always win roles when it's out. Story rolls work in actual D&D but it's stupid as fuck as a game mechanic.

 

[GymWolf]

I'll just be using a cheat mod for always win roles when it's out. Story rolls work in actual D&D but it's stupid as fuck as a game mechanic.

I don't like to cheat a basic game mechanics but i get from where you come from.

Don't you destroy the challenge and balancement of the game by doing that?

 

[Guilty_AI]

I'll just be using a cheat mod for always win roles when it's out. Story rolls work in actual D&D but it's stupid as fuck as a game mechanic.

I was bothered by that at first too, since in a videogame you're inspiring the player to save scum if you include chance elements for story options.

However i'm quite liking how they've implemented it here, instead of some hidden roll where you immediately see whether you were successful or not, they went to the trouble of showing the dice rolling and all the bonus additions. I think it makes the proccess a lot more engaging, even if its mostly a psychological thing.

 

[Portugeezer]

After the bear sex scene I decided to take a good look at this game, and it's looking really promising.

I plan on getting it for PS5.

How is the controller support? Any early access videos controller gameplay?

 

[Guilty_AI]

I don't like to cheat a basic game mechanics but i get from where you come from.

Don't you destroy the challenge and balancement of the game by doing that?

I think a mod to swap rolls for stat checks would be more interesting. Like, make every story based dice roll a base 10 and if the check requires more points than that you'd need to rely on your bonuses.

Not sure if that would still be balanced for this game, but you get the idea.

 

[GymWolf]

After the bear sex scene I decided to take a good look at this game, and it's looking really promising.

I plan on getting it for PS5.

How is the controller support? Any early access videos controller gameplay?

They played with a controller for a part of the last event.

 

[GymWolf]

I think a mod to swap rolls for stat checks would be more interesting. Like, make every story based dice roll a base 10 and if the check requires more points than that you'd need to rely on your bonuses.

Not sure if that would still be balanced for this game, but you get the idea.

The game is made with random dice rolls in mind so everything else should completely break the game imo.

 

[Lucifers Beard]

I really do feel like this is going to be a very important game for the industry moving forward. I really cannot wait for this and I hope it doesn’t get overlooked.

 

[Guilty_AI]

After the bear sex scene I decided to take a good look at this game, and it's looking really promising.

I plan on getting it for PS5.

How is the controller support? Any early access videos controller gameplay?

Wasn't added yet, but controller support in their previous game was pretty good, given the genre.

 

[JokerMM]

Unironically this game looks and sounds too good to be true
There has to be a trick or some shortcoming

 

[Guilty_AI]

The game is made with random dice rolls in mind so everything else should completely break the game imo.

The game has tons of bonuses based on your class, abilities, etc. If you roll for charisma and you have a charisma bonus, a certain amount of points is added to the base roll, there are negative bonuses too.
So its not completely random.

Like here in this scene where the player gets a 6 but still passes a 15 check

 

[The Cockatrice]

I'll just be using a cheat mod for always win roles when it's out. Story rolls work in actual D&D but it's stupid as fuck as a game mechanic.

Only a weak ass man would back down from rolling a 1 in combat 5 times in a row. Real men deal with it.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

What does that even mean? Do we have games except redfall where enemies are not simulated and don't follow your route when they fight you? I have no idea of what you are saying.

That doesn't change what i said about the unpredictability of a dice roll that decide your actions over carefully planning everything in an immersive sim...

By simulated means not scripted to do just one behaviour.

If the see dead comrades, they start searching for you. If you start shooting, they take cover and engage in a gun fight. If you are taking rat form (in Dishonoured) they know how to counter you if you are not careful.

When you have more than one behaviour to enemies, that is when they can be called simulated. Of course, more options you have at your disposal, better, more complex simulation becomes.

 

[Fools idol]

After the bear sex scene I decided to take a good look at this game, and it's looking really promising.

I plan on getting it for PS5.

How is the controller support? Any early access videos controller gameplay?

Larian does not do anything by half measures. If Divinity original sin 1 and 2 on PS platform are anything to go by it will be polished and ported properly with good controller mapping.

 

[Wildebeest]

Only a weak ass man would back down from rolling a 1 in combat 5 times in a row. Real men deal with it.

 

[GymWolf]

By simulated means not scripted to do just one behaviour.

If the see dead comrades, they start searching for you. If you start shooting, they take cover and engage in a gun fight. If you are taking rat form (in Dishonoured) they know how to counter you if you are not careful.

When you have more than one behaviour to enemies, that is when they can be called simulated. Of course, more options you have at your disposal, better, more complex simulation becomes.

Most enemies in most games do that.

 

[Fools idol]

I really do feel like this is going to be a very important game for the industry moving forward. I really cannot wait for this and I hope it doesn’t get overlooked.

It's unfortunate that it's releasing so close to the years biggest release (Starfield) but I don't think it will hamper too much. The typical buyer of a Baldurs Gate sequel is older and generally has plenty of dispoable income by that age to get both. Time on the otherhand will be an issue, with only a few weeks between the two coming out. Very few people will be able to complete an RPG of this size within a few weeks.

 

[Gudji]

Better than starfield confirmed.

 

[Wildebeest]

It's unfortunate that it's releasing so close to the years biggest release (Starfield) but I don't think it will hamper too much. The typical buyer of a Baldurs Gate sequel is older and generally has plenty of dispoable income by that age to get both. Time on the otherhand will be an issue, with only a few weeks between the two coming out. Very few people will be able to complete an RPG of this size within a few weeks.

This seems made for the younger people who love Critical Role and D&D 5E. There were some primitive romance options, but not so much of this lewd humour and comedic banter was in Baldur's Gate.

 

[Buggy Loop]

How can we Bear the wait?

Can you call it an immersive sims when a dice rolls decide if your action can have success or not?

Like imagine deus ex or dishonored but every plan you have can be fucked by something out of your control?

Like how fucking easy is gonna be in this game to trash even the most well thought plan because you are unlucky with dices rolls?

It must be paradise for dnd fans, but not exactly what i search in a pure immersive sims.

The news is exciting but i have my doubts in the execution.

Like Deus Ex untrained skills? It’s less of a dice roll I’ll give you that but it’s still a roll in deus ex in the background to check it you can hack/lock pick etc

 

[gaming_again]

As somebody who is obsessed with video game cities, I have now rid my body of every last picolitre of sperm.

 

[Ass of Can Whooping]

Only a weak ass man would back down from rolling a 1 in combat 5 times in a row. Real men deal with it.

I don't want RNJesus to decide whether a bear rejects my sexual advances

Thanks