Baldur's Gate 3: On the Highway to the Nine Hells

[Ran]

1 hour ago, IlyaP said:

REALLY? 

Do you have the bandwidth - or know who would have the bandwidth - to explain this all in deeper detail?

This article is older and has an academic discussing it, who actually seems to reveal that he was a little behind the times (questioning whether 120hz refresh rate monitors really refreshed at that speed), but on the whole it reveals that people can perceive a difference. 

There's also this fun video with Corey, Shroud, and Grimmmz (professional gamers/streamers) -- I'm linking from the time they break down the results and bring out the charts:

 

Like @Poobah says, if a game looks gorgeous but is impossible to consistently run at 144, I'd drop down to a consistent but lower FPS, pegging 60mhz as a bare minimum.

[Werthead]

144fps is very cool and even my middle-aged eyes can discern the difference from 60fps, but 60fps is still very fast and very good. 144fps is nice to have but the price you pay in performance/your office turning into a sauna/reducing the lifespan of your card is not really worth it. 

There is a big difference between higher frame rates in TV/film and in an interactive medium like gaming which is responding to your input, so higher frame rates feel better than they do in a passive medium.

[briantw]

18 hours ago, Arakasi said:

My deck is being crushed in act 1 so I shudder to think how it will act in the city.

That shit's gonna melt like that Nazi dude who opened the Ark of the Covenant. 

[Werthead]

Hmm. Just today started encountering random CTDs which generate an automatic report to Larian. No visible explanation why. The temps are down, no frame rate drops, the game was playing fine and it was nowhere near maxing out memory. The first time it happened it made the game "forget" all my graphics settings so I had to reset them manually on reloading, but my saves were fine. Odd stuff.

Now at 45 hours, which exactly matches my last full playthrough of Baldur's Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast (also including the first hour or so of Siege of Dragonspear, which I didn't move on to finish). So BG3 is bigger than the first game (not surprising anyone). I'm currently deep in Act II: 

Spoiler

I'm at the cemetery and have taken out the massive mutant barman dude, and secured the lute for the mad guy at the inn. I still have to explore most of the cemetery and the mausoleum. Moonrise Towers' entrance is also right near here, and there's some evidence I have to find for an extraplanar Columbo who wants to put a corpse on trial.

I seem to have lost the thread of what's going on with Shadowheart's quest, I thought the temple to Shar at the top of the Grymforge lift tied into that but it was tiny. The quest log tells me, helpfully, that the trail as gone cold on that storyline. Meh.

 

[Luzifer's right hand]

I restarted after getting a feel for the mechanics.

Now playing a charismatic but stupid Githyanki barbarian and the mix of hard ass/clueless Githyanki and crazy agressive barbarian dialogue options is far more fun than the half-elf monk options I experienced during my first start.

Spoiler

I got Lump the Enlightened killed in a fight and got the Warped Headband of Intellect that sets INT to 17. My character is not that stupid anymore I guess. Together with the Githyanki ability that gives you all the skills of an ability that character is actually incredible good at a lot  of skill checks.

Githyanki got a lot of great abilities. I underestimated them before I leveled Lae'zel a bit but psionic jump and misty step make them incredible mobile.

Mage hand is useful in a surprising number of situations. From activating levers to throwing shit. 

The armour profiancies are great too. I guess being ugly is a price worth paying.

 

Edit: I also got Instrument Profiancy from a conversation and my Gith Berseker plays on the side now...

Edited August 21, 2023 by Luzifer's right hand

[IlyaP]

1 hour ago, Werthead said:

The first time it happened it made the game "forget" all my graphics settings so I had to reset them manually on reloading, but my saves were fine. Odd stuff.

This happens to me *constantly* without any CTDs or Windows memory dumps. I'll exit the game 'cause life stuff, and return and my gfx settings have changed - mainly anti-aliasing disabling itself for some reason. It seems to have reduced in frequency of late, so I can't tell if it was just an Act 1 bug or something.

[Arakasi]

It does seem to be a poorly optimized game. I have seen a number of ui bugs (well some is just poor design choices as well but also actual bugs) as I’ve played but I didn’t know if it’s a steam deck issue or not. Like one is when I use filter in inventory most of the time I can’t select anything.

[IlyaP]

5 minutes ago, Arakasi said:

It does seem to be a poorly optimized game. I have seen a number of ui bugs (well some is just poor design choices as well but also actual bugs) as I’ve played but I didn’t know if it’s a steam deck issue or not. Like one is when I use filter in inventory most of the time I can’t select anything.

So, not shit stirring here, but this is something I was wondering about yesterday during a road trip home: the people here have identified some serious issues, and the staff at Forbes have actively warned people that act 3 has some serious, undeniable bugs. Between this and numerous frustrations with the UI among users (around sorting, the various bags, pouches, etc.), why the hell is everyone barring Eurogamer singing this thing's praises to the high heavens? I keep wondering if they're even playing the same game! For goodness sake, the System Shock remake was more stable and refined than this! Why aren't people being a bit more...moderated, I guess, in their reviews, given the clear and obvious number of issues that are present in the game? 

(To say nothing of the awful camera problems in the Underdark, which gave me severe motion sickness and headaches several times.)

[Arakasi]

Dunno I think it’s a fine game but I think WotR is a lot better. Then again I’m not bugged by the HoMM mode in the game and I got into the game well after launch which I assumed fixed launch bugs. So not an apples to apples comparison. I think the simplest answer is easier here. It’s a long game and I doubt many reviewers got to act 3.

[Fez]

1 hour ago, Arakasi said:

Dunno I think it’s a fine game but I think WotR is a lot better. Then again I’m not bugged by the HoMM mode in the game and I got into the game well after launch which I assumed fixed launch bugs. So not an apples to apples comparison. I think the simplest answer is easier here. It’s a long game and I doubt many reviewers got to act 3.

That's basically where I'm at too, early in Act II. I really like how cinematic it is, and the voice acting is top notch. But in most other respects I think WotR is the better game. I've also noticed that the battles mostly don't seem as tactical as D:OS2. I'm glad there's not the overwhelming reliance of surfaces, since that's not really 5E. But it feels like there's a lot less verticality or terrain involvement in most fights. There's some, like the Grove defense. But a lot of fights enemies rush right up to me (or I can rush right to them) and it's just back-and-forth rolling until something is dead.

 

Separately, kinda funny start of Act II spoilers:

Spoiler

It took me a long time to figure out what the issue with the shadow lands even was, since my main character had a mace that automatically emits light. So I entered the area, did nothing, and nothing happened to me as I was exploring. Eventually I got in a fight where my main character was far enough away from a party member that I got the tutorial pop-up; and suddenly it all made a lot more sense.

 

[IlyaP]

Oh I do not enjoy act 2. Also, the fight with Marcus? My gods, the weird clipping and switching from color to gray scale at random spots during the fight is weird. And each time I've tried to defeat Marcus, at some random point during the battle the game just switches to a cut-scene for reasons unclear to me. 

Like, it's *fine*, but then having to have 2 more fights after this already tedious fight just kinda takes the winds out of the sails a bit. Act 2 doesn't feel nearly as strong and dare I say fun as Act 1. 

[Arakasi]

I think this game is really lacking for character options and customization. I have no idea why there doesn’t seem to be any of the options from Volos, Xanathars, Sword Coast or Tasha’s. Some of those books are 6-8 years old! It’s just PHB stuff and playing warlock the lack of Eldritch Invocations available really hurt. Looking at the Paladin and it’s the same for oaths. Imo 5e isn’t good without the options wizards put out later and this game seems to lack all of them.

Add in the underwhelming nature of the Illithid powers compared to the ten epic paths in WotR and it just all feels bland. Part of this is I am still early on and all low level d20 games are bland but I’m really feeling the lack of options this game gives you or ways to meaningfully differentiate your characters.
 

Let me just rant on warlock for a sec. There is so few Eldritch invocations worth taking so every build is going to have the same 3-5. Also like the lack of options they have gimp the melee lock I’d like to play. No hexblade, no booming or green flame blade. Like what is the pojnt of even including pact of the blade if you don’t add the patron who made the concept usable?

Then you throw in the lackluster UI, bugs and the performance issues and it makes me want to slow play this in hope Larian addresses some of this stuff. Maybe some of this is available with mods but not been able to get to work with steam deck so overall I’m just annoyed.

[IlyaP]

5 minutes ago, Arakasi said:

I think this game is really lacking for character options and customization. I have no idea why there doesn’t seem to be any of the options from Volos, Xanathars, Sword Coast or Tasha’s. Some of those books are 6-8 years old! It’s just PHB stuff and playing warlock the lack of Eldritch Invocations available really hurt. Looking at the Paladin and it’s the same for oaths. Imo 5e isn’t good without the options wizards put out later and this game seems to lack all of them.

Not having played or looked at D&D manuals in yonks, what sort of options would Tasha's, Volos, etc., normally offer players?

[Arakasi]

13 minutes ago, IlyaP said:

Not having played or looked at D&D manuals in yonks, what sort of options would Tasha's, Volos, etc., normally offer players?

Well for the class I play (warlock) it allows you to actually play as a melee gish. Really not doable here. Also just a lot more patron options and invocations.

For paladins there are three fantastic oaths not covered. Conquest which lets you lean into fear and controlling people theoguh a more charisma based playstyle. Redemption lets you play as a pacifist and support. There is also a tank option with oath of the crown. 

Also there is feats that work around metamagic and make that a lot better for anyone using them mainly Sorcerer of course.

Also a lot of new feats in general, many of them based on the race you chose. 
 

Also tons of magic items and such but I don’t think this game lacks for giving you magic items. What this game lacks is giving any options (that are available and 5+ years old) for classes.

Edited August 21, 2023 by Arakasi

[IlyaP]

27 minutes ago, Arakasi said:

For paladins there are three fantastic oaths not covered. Conquest which lets you lean into fear and controlling people theoguh a more charisma based playstyle. Redemption lets you play as a pacifist and support. There is also a tank option with oath of the crown. 

I am noticing the abject lack of a pacifist play option. I really enjoyed that feature in Planescape: Torment. Not sure if I should be surprised that it's not available in a more action-focused CRPG.

[IlyaP]

34 minutes ago, Arakasi said:

Also tons of magic items and such but I don’t think this game lacks for giving you magic items. What this game lacks is giving any options (that are available and 5+ years old) for classes.

It's not great about stacking objects, which is...rather an obvious feature to include, especially for a Baldur's Gate game. 

I'm weirdly regularly finding myself missing WotR more and more. Particularly when I encounter weird FPS dips in the game. Has anyone else experience severe frame-rate drops in and around the Inn during Act 2? @Werthead, this something you might've experience at all as well? The Last Inn is really doing a number on my framerate. 

[Arakasi]

There is an option in the settings to skip crusade mode but it comes mainly at the cost of teleportation circles. Well also the swarm path. There is some very good magic items you can get from there but there is other good magic items available. It’s mainly the lack of teleportation. Technically if you just have the Drezen portal the rest aren’t that important.

[IlyaP]

4 hours ago, Arakasi said:

There is an option in the settings to skip crusade mode but it comes mainly at the cost of teleportation circles. Well also the swarm path. There is some very good magic items you can get from there but there is other good magic items available. It’s mainly the lack of teleportation. Technically if you just have the Drezen portal the rest aren’t that important.

I think this is about where I paused in WotR, roughly, if memory serves. The opening act of the game is goddamn fantastic, and then there's the Drezen order and the RTS management bit that I really found difficult to wrap my mind around, as someone who's never jelled well with RTS games. 

[ASOIAFrelatedusername]

Speaking of lacking option. The absence of the variant human and the nerf to humans it represents is really annoying. The racial features in the game are just not very good and don't really synergize with  any class.

The extra skill proficiency is also bugged and cannot be assigned in character creation if you use a controller.

Edited August 21, 2023 by ASOIAFrelatedusername

[Luzifer's right hand]

11 hours ago, IlyaP said:

So, not shit stirring here, but this is something I was wondering about yesterday during a road trip home: the people here have identified some serious issues, and the staff at Forbes have actively warned people that act 3 has some serious, undeniable bugs. Between this and numerous frustrations with the UI among users (around sorting, the various bags, pouches, etc.), why the hell is everyone barring Eurogamer singing this thing's praises to the high heavens? I keep wondering if they're even playing the same game! For goodness sake, the System Shock remake was more stable and refined than this! Why aren't people being a bit more...moderated, I guess, in their reviews, given the clear and obvious number of issues that are present in the game? 

(To say nothing of the awful camera problems in the Underdark, which gave me severe motion sickness and headaches several times.)

This game is not kind the loot everything players like me! I mean the highlight button does not even highlight most items and containers. I actually found some really good stuff in containers that were not highlighted... 

My character says "I wish I had a bag of holding" a lot and I couldn't agree more.

There is a chest you can add to your inventory in the underdark that turns items into low weight trash until you take them out. I mostly use it for barrels in case I need some. 

Inventory management could be better but once I discovered that shift-click and ctrl-click work it became easier.

Edit:

On another note I just discovered that I can use unused characters to buff my party while I'm in camp. All buffs that stay until a long rest work... The min/maxer in me is in love. I now have a cleric, bard and mage hireling just for that reason... 

 

Edited August 21, 2023 by Luzifer's right hand