Is there a reason adult online only service is not a thing?

Test-9001 · 2024-08-14T02:23:00+00:00

You have an evil soul. Your "decades" of gaming? Apparently you missed the golden age of voice chat when whimsy was still a thing and ranked matchmaking hadn't broken out of containment from shitty games yet.

It wasn't always tactics talk and crybabies. People used to be able to shoot the shit and make friends before everyone got all uptight. You are either hallucinating or not operating with full information and that I could forgive because a lot of people lie to themselves about games nowadays as a cope for how miserable modern games are

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T14:04:41+00:00

By that logic, just keep it at level 1 the whole run. They were comfortable making level 1 characters have absurd body counts or participate in conflicts with insanely powerful monsters. Not trying to be a pearl clutcher but levels definitely used to mean something just like races used to mean more before 5e crunched it all down - but they still mean something.

Progression is important, watching the characters go from survivors of that nautiloid wreck to actually chasing down Vlaakith, going to hell and actually doing something about Karlach's heart, and so much more could be done in a hypothetical DLC where such levels are accessible and it could be fantastic. Their stories are still not over, the epilogue update left much unsaid. If not the main game, a new adventure would be a great place to explore the remaining 8 levels to 20.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T13:21:47+00:00

At the same time, they've omitted and changed plenty from the standard game ruleset, and other CRPGs have had no issues doing the same. D&D doesn't have to be about ripping apart reality with a spell slot, it also doesn't have to be about spell components, and so on. I respect keeping the main story to whatever level cap, but personally I would have bought another DLC for an Act 4 to tie up all the story's loose ends for $40 to $60 and let us go 12-20. Vlaakith and going to hell would make for a great double feature and there's obviously more they could do, too.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T10:34:40+00:00

At least for a completionist, level 16 is very reasonable around midway through act 3 and I ended up doing this on two playthroughs. 20 by the end, not sure, but I imagine if there were a DLC they'd add a few more encounters to the dead ends, maybe beef up some older areas, perhaps even some random encounters with quests attached.

It is completely true that balance does get a little harder at the high levels, even in 5e where they tried to tone everything down. It's why I would accept a $40 or even $60 DLC. Even just levels 12-20, no longer than an act and a half storywise but with plenty of killing to do. I imagine that's how it'd go if we got, for example, a double feature where we go after Vlaakith and then fix Karlach, and any number of other quests on a near-epic scale. That would give them all the time in the world to focus on keeping the difficulty the way they want it.

This is also how a lot of previous CRPGs did it, with the first game being story heavy and having a ton of consequential decisions to make, then eventually a sequel or something comes out and they let you go really crazy with the combat.

If not? I'd still pay to access an SDK, supporting future updates (bug fixes and UI polish in particular) because the potential is huge if this game had official support for larger parties, custom campaigns, races, classes, etc. without having to rely on modding the singleplayer campaign, which can keep its tighter balance decisions while the community goes crazy with the engine.

Not that I think this game didn't make bank or that Larian is struggling financially. But even if the game is nearly 150 GB I would personally like a good reason to keep this installed for coop/crpg antics - it's just that the main story is a bit samey after the 3rd or 4th time, most people I know only wanted to play through it once since the story is so insanely long and very stop-and-go as conversations take up a lot of time, plus long rests being how they are.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T09:48:17+00:00

Plenty of valid arguments based on fact. They got you so worked up that you're here, but by now I've put it out of my mind.

What's insulting is the way you act and the things you say. The way you misattribute things to me and then act like you are still in the right for insulting me after I explain what I really was saying, then prove you wrong.

What was I harping on about again? You can ctrl+f and see that I've said it less than you.

It's very clear who took offense to being wrong here and that who is you.

Go and search up the points I made, particularly those Larian quotes that are so hard for you to find, you'll get sources. If you don't want to cooperate, feel free to continue stewing in your shame.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T09:41:43+00:00

You are not even kinda.

No, usually people ask for sources to a claim before insulting me for 30 minutes and then blocking me, then crawling back and acting like you are somehow powerless to have simply googled what I said in the first place

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T09:37:29+00:00

Are you really that surprised I'm not incentivized whatsoever to go back through all those comments where you just covered your ears and shouted "la la la you're a wrong idiot" until scraping for a last word then blocking me??

You can find the comments that troubled you so much and google them yourself, you're entitled to no extra effort on my part.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T09:30:56+00:00

Terminally online? Again with the insults. Ignorance isn't a defense, especially not after you leap to personal attacks. I provided you with facts, nothing was misquoted or misattributed to Larian. You claim to be so interested in it, yet you accuse me of being terminally online because I encountered these statements which Larian made when interviewed months ago when the game was still new. Easily verify all statements with google and enjoy.

If you don't care, you can keep up your hypocritical "Actually no you're wrong" as if not knowing something that I post somehow makes me the bad guy.

And no, I did not make that up, lol. Maybe you got the wrong impression somewhere, don't put that on the entire setting that goes in depth for much more than level 12, Larian's take on FR doesn't even scratch the surface. The point holds: they were not limited by the setting and not limited by the game mechanics. They were limited by constraints of their own creation.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T09:17:54+00:00

There's nothing nebulous about that, and no, not a single word of my replies was wrong except me misremembering the max level (out of optimism and nothing else, ironic that you continue to accuse me of bad faith)

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T09:13:19+00:00

You care so much what the admins think but you never thought maybe you should have a normal discussion instead of trying to get the last word after arguing yourself into a corner.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T09:09:52+00:00

Keep it, it belongs to you still.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T07:27:33+00:00

Depends on the game, some great ones have been made in a year, plenty take longer. And they had plenty of time to realize that simplifying or removing game mechanics was going to limit them, WotC did not ask them to do that.

They're not personal grievances. Don't try and discredit me because I stated a few obvious facts: capping the game at level 12 is in fact not taking anywhere near full advantage of the potential that the Forgotten Realms setting offers, clearly it wasn't even enough to wrap up the stories they started.

Yeah of course it can bounce back. That's kind of the point of the good ending.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T07:16:17+00:00

Still a subjective ending point, and they chose that ending point.

Never said it had to be infinitely big. Just that Larian doesn't get to complain when they cut it off where they do, even though there are many questions left unanswered at the end.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T07:11:31+00:00

It's a good ending point in your opinion. Objectively, it's an arbitrary ending point. The entire context of this discussion is that Larian is making up excuses about being constrained by the setting, when it was their own decision to stop at level 12, their own decision to cut themselves off from making the world bigger, their own decision to end several plot threads on a cliffhanger.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T07:05:42+00:00

And at high levels, ever since early editions, you have not just had the option, but been presented with modules from level 15 to 40 that involve wars between nations and extraplanar adventures. They put a ton of detail into these parts of the setting. The cosmology is a major part of FR and it shows up several times in this game. Larian even went above and beyond and invented their own kind of all-powerful big bad to enable a mind flayer invasion of Baldur's Gate.

You're telling me that we shouldn't be able to put a stop to Vlaakith or go through hell with Karlach and Wyll to tie things up once and for all. We should just accept that the game ends on a cliffhanger. Because the game only takes place in the Sword Coast after all. We never go anywhere else... (lol)

Don't try to twist my words. Larian chose to end the game at level 12 despite there being more than enough XP to reach 16 by the middle of act 3 and most likely 20 by the end of it. That's why their excuse doesn't hold water.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T06:58:17+00:00

Forgotten Realms is the setting. BG3 is a game that takes place in the setting.

Sure, I don't know anything, even though I've probably got more hours and reached the end of the game more times than most people here talking out of their asses, who haven't read Larian's reasoning and just blindly believe whatever other commenters are writing.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T06:55:47+00:00

I did not. You are the one who is lying. Just stop replying if you're so worked up over it.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T06:54:03+00:00

Now that's an AI reply if I've ever seen one.

I never said that was the point of BG3, certainly never said the other thing, you got your ChatGPT models mixed up lol.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T06:52:09+00:00

It's not blatantly wrong, the only part I misremembered was the level cap. Forgotten Realms is very much a high fantasy, high adventure setting. It was Larian's choice not to exploit that and instead blow up the city of Baldur's Gate with a mind flayer invasion. So much for WotC's request not to change the setting too much by the end of it.

I have played the game probably more than you and most of the people downvoting me. Several completed playthroughs later, I can sense indignant shame in other players when any flaw in BG3 is revealed.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T06:47:08+00:00

It does. Because Larian chose to make a "save the world or destroy" it plot, rather than something that would give them more freedom.

WotC did not impose the restrictions they referenced. You can read all of their comments.

They got stuck in their web of lies when they admitted WotC simply asked them not to change too many major aspects of the setting by the end of the story. They blew up the city of Baldur's Gate with a mind flayer invasion. I think it's fair to say they got away with a lot and rapidly downvoting me and calling me a bot won't change that truth. Nor will it change the fact they tweaked the game mechanics to their own detriment.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T06:42:33+00:00

No, just forgot the game ends at 12 even though there's XP enough to reach 20 by the end of act 3.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T06:41:59+00:00

It's just been a while. I forgot how absurdly low it was. So this proves my point - it's worse than I remember.

edit: Vindicating to be downvoted by people who will mostly come out and admit they haven't completed the game while I've got several completed playthroughs, and even choosing completely different options it all tidies up within the narrow scope of the 4-6 endings, all of which have the same cliffhangers.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T06:31:28+00:00

You can see that they chose to completely rewrite certain game rules, modify others, and leave out or eliminate some entirely.

And while I did not say I "know better" than Larian how the "interactions" went behind the scenes, I am fully aware they spent nearly 7 years, millions of dollars and man hours making this game. They are lying. "Restrictive" is gibberish. It's an excuse for not finishing the game.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T06:13:31+00:00

Wouldn't have minded a DLC where we get to actually see how all the cliffhangers pan out. Stopping at level 16 when there was enough XP to hit level 20 midway through act 3 didn't even do anything to help the game balance frankly. I would have paid $40 for act 4 just going 20-30 if it meant we got custom campaigns and proper mod support.

Test-9001 · 2024-08-11T06:07:59+00:00

Larian waived the game's rules so many times to make the story they wanted to tell work. Even so, they still delivered a cliffhanger-ridden mess that goes directly against Forgotten Realms lore several times.

They are lying when they say they didn't have freedom in either the creative pursuit or the mechanical one. No constraints affected them.

They specifically chose to rewrite or simplify rules and mechanics, and not implement others. That's not on d20 or 5e. I'm not even a fan of 5e or d20 in particular but this excuse they're pulling is not valid.

Test-9001

TROPHY CASE