So I finally got around to playing Icewind Dale the other day and what can I say? It's got nothing on BG. It's like they took the best bits out of BG and made a game out of it. The first complaint I have is that there's no party joinable NPCs. The joinable NPCs and interaction where the best parts of BG, and they've just gone and removed them. No kits - why o why? And the magic animation is terrible its just blobs of poorly animated colour.

So far I've found the game to be quite boring. It's just endless hordes of the same type of monster trolling through an endless dungeon. Then you get to another endless dungeon and it's just a different type of monster. Yawn. The thing that made BG dungeons interesting is that each level was different and there was usually a puzzle or quest of some sort involved to precede to the next level. If there's any puzzle in an IWD dungeon it's spread across multiple levels of the dungeon - it's like jam thinly spread across too much bread. To top off the boredom theres basically no background music in the dungeons.

I would describe IWD as a multiplayer game of tob. Yes that bad. Just like tob it's hack and slash baby with no player freedom in where to go. What the devs failed to realise when making IWD is that the combat in BG isn't the most thrilling thing in the world - you can just turn the AI on and watch the fight. That doesnt make for an entertaining hack and slash game. Diablo, another hack and slash game, is fun to play because it's combat involves continual input from the player. And it's a solo experience so your attention is focused on you character surviving, and using their abilities to the fullest. Probably the best thing about IWD is the interface and area graphics which look better than BG's. I wonder if it's worth even playing IWD2 if it's going to be this boring.

ok DL don't hold anything back tell us how you really feel. I am not sure what I dont like about it you have hit many points but I dont even like the area graphics much either.

I enjoyed IWD1 quite a lot--though it is a different style of game to BG2.

I like the fact that you can choose your own party, actually. Though some joinable NPCs would have improved it.



Because they coded it on the BG1 engine which did not support kits.



Do you mean the graphics for the different spell schools? I prefer those to the BG2 ones, actually...



I will agree that it is much more of a dungeon crawl than BG2, yeah.



I can't check right now, but I remember thinking the music was really good... in the outdoor areas only. I don't recall the dungeons.



Yeah, I really liked the visuals.



I preferred the story and feel of IWD1 to IWD2. But then, I liked IWD1 so don't know if this will be of any use to you. IWD2 is closer to 3E rules (though there are departures), and that's a ruleset I prefer, but I didn't find the story as interesting.

dragon_lord: IWD1 story (!) is better than IWD2, so don't play it. IWD2 is even more a dungeon crawl.

Well, that is why we made NeJ2.

IWD2 has a better combat/character generation system, so it's a bit less boring than IWD1.

I agree about IWD1 not being an entertaining H&S.
I liked it because of it's backgrounds and dialogs that are more advenced than in BG series.

I prefer IWD1 over IWD2. 3rd editon rules are crap, and it repeats almost all locations of the original game

I like IWD2 better than IWD1, with its clever implementation of 3ED rules, and it is an open secret that I am experimenting with a mod that adds joinable NPCs into IWD2, and will be working on it seriously after Kivan is done

Joinables will be a good adition I'll be looking forward to this mod

Hmm, i guess you are adding it as pre-made character.
If you do it some other (better) way, i would worship you as a domi godess

I played both IWD1 and IWD2 twice (only). They are no big deal, but it is worth to finish them at least once. Beautiful music (and hack & slash...).

I don't agree that IWD2 implemented the 3E rules well. Or maybe the 3rd Edition doesn't have good rules. It is no feeling to see mages with halberds in a robe, for instance. And IWD2 has other major problems as well.

Well I started up IWD2 and the interface is disappointing. I don't why they went and changed it after they'd used the same layout for so long. I don't know where anything is now. The premade parties is nice - I like the winter rose bio.


The purples and yellows of cloud kill etc just looks terrible.

It took less than 4 days to finish IWD and heart of winter, the story was a good change from bhaalness. But it still went for the fantasy cliche of the semi omnipotent evil force. The amount of voice over for the dialogue was great but the actors didn't seem to have much range. It was like they were whispering the whole time with no emphasise on any words or sentences. Maybe I'm just use to the flamboyance and power of Irenicus. Speaking of villains the bosses sure like to do evil-doer-explains-everything-in-giant-monologue.


That's the first thing the modder in me thought - can this game have joinable NPCs?

Nah, I am no goddess to succeed where Wes Weimer failed, and where Gem had not gone yet. I will go the pre-made party that banters way; I tentatively hope, that one can import a pre-created character as Player1. That will (hopefully) enable me to do the Player1 banter. But we shall see. So far, I just have the draft content for banters, unvoiced soundsets and no time to do anything further till Kivan is bloody done.

I don´t know, guys, but I liked both IWD1 and IWD2, altought I´m not mathcing 3e rules of IWD2. Of course, both these games were different to play compared to BG2 or BG, but at least it was another gaming experience.

About graphics. IMO the graphics in IWD, mainly if you have installed HoW (...1024x768 and higher engine...), was very nice. I don´t know, maybe it´s just me, you can blame me for it , but I rather liked it. In general, I like snowy areas. And in IWD2, quality of graphics has graduated to much higher level... It can be fully comparable with BG2...

I liked IWD1 story as well... At the beginning, you didn´t know anything, just heard some rumors from localtellers... then you travelled to Kuldahar, explored some things for Arundel and then all things turns out.... You were at the beginning again.... I think it was quite amazing stiory to tell and even to play....

So my conclusion is this: although both of these games can´t reach the level of BG or even BG2 (..with or without ToB..), I liked them very much...

I may have come off a bit strong reguarding graphics there are some thay I really like it is more of too much sameness in the snowy areas. but here area some of the areas I liked.
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