Infinity

Let's discuss for a moment how I've been spending my time over the past month or so. I discussed briefly in a previous entry that I'd been playing the enhanced edition of Icewind Dale (released by Beamdog last year) with a co-op partner. We played through the game in its entirety, including the Heart of Winter expansion and I have to say I enjoyed it a lot. Unlike the Baldur's Gate series which is very plot and character-driven, Icewind Dale is much more about gameplay and atmosphere. There is much in the way of lore that serves as a backdrop for the game but it is not its driving force. For me, it is a game primarily about slaying zombies, trolls, and frost giants while acquiring levels--and it does that quite well. The strategic gameplay and large variety of spells inherent to the series are in full display in Icewind Dale, but I definitely noticed a lot of abilities unique to the game. Bards and druids are less interesting in the Baldur's Gate series by comparison, for instance.

Still, I have to say I was drawn in by the game's wintry setting, its ancient castles and caves, its snowy mountains and mysterious caverns. Castle Maldurek from the expansion was particularly impressive in scope with its many puzzles and tough enemies. I'm immensely grateful for Beamdog for having created an enhanced edition of the game because I doubt I would have powered through the game's original version with its set of decidedly vanilla classes. The sequel, on the other hand--that I may well play, enhanced edition or no. I'm intrigued by the changes it introduced by adopting 3rd edition D&D rules. I'd definitely like to play it before attempting Neverwinter Nights, which of course was the first of the Forgotten Realms RPGs since the original Baldur's Gate to not be built in the classic Infinity Engine.

Speaking of Baldur's Gate, I've also completed Beamdog's enhanced edition of it with a different co-op partner (the one with whom I play games on a regular basis, in fact) and was as usual very pleased with it. Sadly, I didn't get the opportunity to experience a lot of the game's added content save for a sidequest involving Neera the wild mage. I may well go back to it and play through content I missed at a later time. Of course, playing through the original saga in my mind served only to prepare us for playing the Baldur's Gate II Enhanced Edition which for some reason I had not yet played.

As I have discussed previously on this blog (admittedly, probably close to two years ago now), Baldur's Gate II is possibly my favorite game of all time. This most recent playthrough is only reinforcing that opinion. Particularly pleasing is the fact that I no longer have to deal with the inconvenience of attempting to get the original version of the game to run on modern hardware. Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition works right out of the box and seems optimized well for modern PCs, although it is of course not without its fair share of bugs.

Although I really enjoyed playing Icewind Dale, replaying Baldur's Gate II really drives home what it is about the game that keeps me coming back over and over. I've always been intensely engaged by games driven by an ensemble cast of characters. Baldur's Gate II's myriad character sidequests keep me endlessly entertained--and these characters are mostly pretty interesting and occasionally hilarious. The game's emphasis on creating a likable cast of characters combined with an excellent combat system and a healthy amount of exploration and quests really melds together to create an engaging, memorable, and endlessly replayable experience. For this particular playthrough, I'm playing a half-elf skald. I've never done that before and it's working out great.

I could easily become burned out on the Infinity Engine if I keep this up, but for now I feel pretty ready to finally play through Throne of Bhaal.

Deep Peace (Day 22)

For the most part, I've finished all of the character subquests in Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. A lot of them were really interesting, but others felt rushed or unfinishing. It's an amazingly engrossing game, but reading about all of the planned quests makes me wonder just how much better it could have been. I would love to know more about some of the game's more underutilized characters. Minsc, that paragon of justice and space hamsters has not a single quest associated with him. Viconia, the evil drow cleric you have the opportunity to save from execution also has no quests. There's so much potential for storytelling there.

I read that there actually were quests associated with Viconia but they were cancelled. One involved her being afflicted with lycanthropy (werewolf), which seems a little strange and possibly inappropriate to the character. Another, however, involved the drow homeland of the Underdark, which would have been much more appropriate. Granted, Viconia is one of the three romance options for a male protagonist, but that doesn't stop Aerie and Jaheira from having other quests associated with them--and Jaheira has an incredibly long string of quests to complete that flesh out her personality and history nicely. 

Including romantic interests in the game was a really nice touch--and in Jaheira's case it is implemented very effectively. Despite some bugs (which are inevitable in any computer game), Jaheira's romance storyline is well fleshed out and interesting. The other female characters can't compete with that level of complexity, but at least they are included for variety. For female players, however, you only have one option in Anomen. Anomen is a pompous good-aligned character who, although interesting in some ways, reeks of being thrown in as an afterthought. It's troubling that female players are not afforded the same opportunities.

I've heard that there were more romance options for female players during development, but they were scrapped for whatever reason. Valygar, an interesting and criminally unexplored character, was reportedly originally a romance option. Personally, I would have vastly preferred him to the alternative in Anomen--but even then, that leaves us with two good-aligned characters as romantic interests. A third evil-aligned option could have been the hilariously self-absorbed and hyper intelligent mage Edwin, whose character quest would have made the romance very... interesting. 

I've heard that there's a mod called Unfinished Business that restores a lot of scrapped quests to the game, but I'm always wary of fan-created content. For some reason I can't enjoy myself as much when I feel like I'm not getting the "authentic" experience. 

White Cyclosa (Day 14)

I haven't been playing Baldur's Gate II nearly as often as I'd like. It's not due to a lack of free time either. I tend to procrastinate, even when it involves something I enjoy...and I can't really explain that, either. It's a big part of why I have such a massive backlog of games left to complete. Sure, sometimes I just decide I don't enjoy the game enough to finish it, but in many cases I really like the game I'm playing and just lose focus for some reason. This was the case for Persona 4, a JRPG that I could count among my favorites. I loved the game, but it took me over two years to finish due to a combination of a short attention span and an insanely frustrating dungeon--and I actually discussed this on this blog for one of my first entries, before the whole LoL ranked game documentation thing.

So it is that I'm playing BGII at 4 in the morning before I have to go into work at 11. It seems like it's the only time I have the motivation to do so! I just completed a quest to stamp out a dangerous underground cult worshiping a blind beholder. I grabbed Anomen and Keldorn to help me complete it and thereafter tackled some of their personal quests. Keldorn's wife has been unfaithful and he required my advice (because apparently that was completely my business) whereas Anomen's sister was allegedly murdered. I was responsible for mediating a dispute between him and his father--again, completely my business. I'll have to hang on to Anomen for quite awhile since his final quest requires that he be level 15. After that I'll most likely ditch him since he doesn't really fit my plan.

I encountered a shady wizard in the sewers who sent me on a quest to retrieve a mirror from his escaped imp. After doing so, he entrusted to me his slave, a mysterious Tiefling (whatever that is) by the name of Haer'Dalis. I sent him on his way to his theater company, but he requested that I grab a gem that was important to him--located in the wizard's abode. After I deliver the gem to him and complete the quest that follows, I'll probably keep Haer'Dalis in my party for awhile. Since I'm done with Keldorn, he seems the obvious one to replace. Even though Keldorn is powerful, he'd come into heavy conflict with some of the other party members I want to experiment with--such as Korgan, Viconia, and Edwin.

I'm actually starting to wonder if I should keep Aerie around. Initially I chose her as the protagonist's romantic interest, but after reading about how long and complex the Jaheira romance is, I wonder if that might be the better option. That would solve my dilemma on which of the two druids in the game to use as well. Furthermore, Aerie is extremely frail, with about 1/3rd the hit points of my other characters. Since I'll have Anomen for awhile and Jaheira possibly permanently, I have plenty of divine spells at my disposal. Jan, Imoen, and/or Edwin could provide me with wizard spells.

I really enjoy games that force you to make a lot of decisions and have optional content. I've spent a great deal of time exploring the city of Athkatla and tackling optional quests and there are honestly a lot more left to do. I'm sure Imoen is starting to wonder if I'll be coming to rescue her. She'll have to wait quite a bit longer, I feel.

Journeyman (Day 12)

I'm still progressing through Baldur's Gate II pretty slowly, but I'm trying to figure out how exactly I'm going to put together my party. I'm toying around with the idea of swapping various characters in and out to experience their subquests and then forming a final party once I'm done with most of them. I've read that Korgan and Mazzy have some interesting interactions, so I think I'm going to try to get them in the party. Korgan is a pretty strong fighter so he can replace Minsc. I'll go ahead and get rid of Nalia after I'm done with her subquests. I've already gone through the De'Arnise Hold and attended her father's funeral. I think there's one more thing I have to take care of with Isaea Roenall, the man she was pledged to marry and then I can be done with her.

I know that Aerie and Korgan probably hate each other, but I seriously doubt they'll come to blows considering their personalities, so that might actually be interesting to go through. I think I've decided on Aerie as the love interest for the main character, so she'll take up a slot in my final party as well. I've completed the Harper quests for Jaheira and removed her curse, so I could probably go ahead and switch her out for someone else, despite her obvious attraction to the hero--and despite how fun her constant bickering with Aerie is. The only other druid available to me is Cernd and I'm not sure I've used him before. Still, he has a quest or two to complete so there's no harm in trying him out. It would be helpful to have at least one druid in my final party because Insect Plague is a pretty handy spell.

I really want to have Jan Jansen in my party, because he's an absolutely hilarious character. I can't remember what quests are available to him, but I'm sure he has something. Even if I don't keep him for good, I'd like to travel with him for awhile, at least. I might swap him into Nalia's spot once I'm done with her--but then what about Imoen? Is she a mandatory member of the party once you rescue her from Spellhold? She doesn't have any quests specific to her, but she is a main character and features prominently in the plot. I feel like my experience might be lessened if I don't use her. Still, I imagine the game progresses reasonably well without her, since she doesn't have much of a spot in an Evil-aligned party.

 If I'm dead set on having Korgan in my party, Keldorn the paladin certainly can't be a permanent fixture. I'm almost certain that they will fight to the death if both are in the same group for too long a period of time. I might go ahead and tackle the quests involving the Cult of the Eyeless with Keldorn in my party before I decide to grab Korgan. This might also be a good time to use Anomen, who does have some interactions with Keldorn since he's an aspiring paladin. Still, neither will likely end up in my final party.

Who else could I use? Edwin is probably the strongest pure spellcaster in the game. If I could somehow Frankenstein him into the party, he would be of great use. He also has a great (and hilarious) subquest. My main character is a pure melee fighter, so having two spellcasters (the other being Aerie) wouldn't be a terrible idea. No idea how Edwin would get along with some of my other potential party members, but I think it would be pretty funny to see those interactions. Aerie, though goodhearted, isn't likely to leave the party over having to travel with a couple of disreputable folks. Mazzy considers herself some kind of bastion of justice if I remember correctly, so there might be some problems there.

Let's look at the cast of BGII and figure out which characters I'm going to use and which will become permanent:

• Aerie: Still have a quest involving her uncle Quayle at the circus tent left to complete. Currently planning her a final party member.
• Imoen: I've never been a big Imoen fan, but features heavily in the plot. Will attempt to avoid if possible.
• Keldorn: Will take on as a temporary party member for Cult of the Eyeless quest.
• Mazzy: Want to find out what kind of interactions Korgan and Mazzy have, so trying to fit her into the final party.
• Minsc: Great character who I've used both in the original and the sequel extensively, but has no subquests associated with him. Will replace him soon.
• Nalia: Almost done with subquests, will sub out soon.
• Valygar: Probably will use as a temporary party member for the Planar Sphere quests and keep him around until I find someone else to use.
• Anomen: Was thinking of grabbing him temporarily while I have Keldorn in the group, but no interest in keeping him for good. 
• Cernd: Could be a viable replacement for Jaheira. I'll have to decide if I really need a druid in the group. Could be temporary or permanent.
• Haer'Dalis: No subquests other than the quest to acquire him, but he does have some interesting interactions with Aerie. Could be a temporary party member.
• Jaheira: Will have to decide if I want Jaheira or Cernd in my final party. Done with all her subquests.
• Jan: Amazing character that I'd love to have in my final party... if possible.
• Yoshimo: For plot reasons, he can't be in my final party (until ToB). He's pretty cool, but I wouldn't have had any desire to keep him anyway, since my main character will be a dual-classed Kensai/Thief.
• Edwin: Pretty hilarious evil character that I'd like to use if I could. I'm worried about her interactions with Mazzy/Aerie.
• Korgan: He has a good subquest and is a very strong fighter. Planning to make him a part of the final party.
• Sarevok: Doesn't show up until Throne of Bhaal, at which point I might consider replacing one of my fighters. His alignment can be changed.
• Viconia: It would actually be really nice to have her in my party as she's the only pure cleric in the game and drow are cool. She's evil, though, and would definitely come into conflict with Aerie and Mazzy.

So far, I plan for my final party to be:

• Protagonist - Neutral Good Human Fighter (Kensai) / Thief
• Aerie - Lawful Good Avariel (Elf) Cleric / Mage
• Mazzy - Lawful Good Halfling Fighter
• Korgan - Chaotic Evil Dwarf Fighter (Berserker)
• ?
• ?

I just realized that totally overloads me on fighters, not that that's such a bad thing. Still, that means my last two slots should definitely be spellcasters of some kind, and it would be nice if I had a druid. Druids are neutral and unlikely to come into conflict with Korgan. One of the slots should be Jaheira or Cernd and the other should be Jan, Edwin, or Viconia. I probably don't need two clerics, so that leaves Viconia out. It would be nice to have a backup thief (Jan is a thief/illusionist) but it would also be pretty good to have a non multi-classed spellcaster in Edwin. Both of them are going to be in my party for short periods of time so I guess I'll just make my decision as I play the game.