Ten things you didn't know about the original Baldur's Gate games!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 28 чер 2021
- This video looks at the top ten things you didn't know about the original Baldur's Gate games. Baldur's Gate was created by Bioware and published by Black Isle in 1998. Baldur's Gate 2 was released in 2000.
Follow me on Twitter - @HNarbs
Sources:
Baldur's Gate development Journal - www.ign.com/articles/1999/12/...
BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development
Baldur's Gate wiki - baldursgate.fandom.com/wiki/B...
IGN interview with original development team in 2008 - www.ign.com/articles/2008/12/...
Other videos that you might like:
• Video - The Baldur's Gate franchise - A history of its development
• Top 8 Hidden Spells in... - Top 8 Hidden Spells in Baldur's Gate 2!
• Video - Baldur's Gate 3 - The Triggering
#baldursgate #bioware #topten - Ігри
Two decades later and I am still learning things about this game
There will be more BG original content in the months to come :)
When Baldur's Gate 2 was released I came across it by chance in a computer game store. I hadn't played any RPG's or Dungeons and Dragons but I liked the look of the cover. I played that game to death, hardly sleeping for days and just taking short breaks to eat. A few sick days were called into work as well.
I only learned of it, because my friend had the first one...and he didn't even play much of it. Then I saw BG2 at a store like you, and got it.
And that was just to get through multiple character creations.
@@caucasoidape8838
And it you played Baldur's Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast, you could export characters and import into Baldur's Gate II - Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal.
Although I loved playing a Gnome Multiclass Illusionist/Assassin, I also really enjoyed my Human Dual Class Fighter/ Druid. Make a Fighter, take as much specialisation in Scimitar and sling as you can, become a Druid at Fighter level 9 and when you get to Druid 10, get your Fighter THAC0 and weapon specialisation back. Tougher than Jaheira herself!
{:-:-:}
@@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095 you sure you made a illusionist/assassin multiclass? Not a assassin into illusionist dual?
All those extracts and old internet interactions during the game development made me want board a planar sphere. You know, just to travel back and live those wonderful moments myself. Nostalgia hitting hard right now.
Ah I feel you
20 years later and I'm still playing this game; as in, right now. I'm playing this game, again, right now. It's literally paused and I'm listening to the background music as I type. I grabbed the tomes in ToTSC and I'm just about ready to save Imoen in SoA as soon as I upgrade my mace of disruption. This is like the 20th time I've played this game at least. There is no other game that has ever held my interest as well, including skyrim. This is the greatest game of all time. I hope someone high up at XBOX and Playstation reads this.
And there won't ever be better because the graphics are the secret. And they don't do such graphics anymore.
@@nft3 I think it's more than that. The graphics are pretty dated at this point but still enjoyable. When the game came out, they were excellent of course. I started playing this game on PC when it came out originally and after completing it a few times, I learned about Shadowkeeper and program files and CLUA codes and Easter eggs and it just seemed like there was no bottom to the game's depth and so, interest was not only held, it was intensified. The XBOX platform is convenient but it misses a lot of that magic. And speaking of magic, even all these years later, I have yet to play a game that managed wizardry better than BG. Two games that come close are Oblivion because you can go to the Praxographical Center and create your own spells and the original Morrowwind on PC. But I think the BG system using the AD&D spells is still the best and, let's face it, it's the spell casting that makes these games interesting, not the hacking and slashing. And the story line itself is just fantastic, especially when you get to hell and face your demons. It's just the greatest gamje of all time. I am eagerly awaiting BG3. I hope it it is just as epic and just as timeless.
@@aquariusdawning Agreed. BG1&2 are the only games that truly show what it's like to be a godlike magic user. I also think nothing else has the same depth of combat. Once you get spells like simulacrum, spell trigger, time stop and contingency you can do some pretty absurd stuff. Best games ever, especially if you like playing a mage.
Paused for me too need aerie to have her baby 😅
Wah, now I want the time-travel plot to be in BG2 :D ... funny how they thought its not big enough when in my opinion it still has the most high quality quests of all CRPGs
Yeah, it's huge. I wish they had had more time to let James Ohlen finish it to his standards.
I sorta know what he means in saying it's not big enough. It is big but you can def finish basically everything and still want more to do before you go and do the final fight.
It was really good about having every quest feel unique and meaningful, no generic filler crap. I recently tried playing Dragon Age Inqusition and it made me realize how far they've fallen, the game was pretty but literally felt like a generic MMO played in single-player.
@@HarbsNarbs
I still have all the original disks, but they will not install in Windows 10. Any ideas? The Enhanced Edition on Steam is £37.00, but I have all the disks already!
{:-:-:}
Only wish BG2 didn't cut like over 50% of the romances for female characters /sigh.
I like Anomen actually, but sheesh.
Best game of all time.
Fyauck yeahhhh!!!!
Planescape Torment would like a word with you
Like many other commenters, I dust off Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2 every year or two for a playthrough. They are true, "never gets old" classics! Great trivia rundown, I knew practically none of these factoids.
I don't know about you but calling it "Baldur's Gate II: I hope you kept the pantaloons" would be very helpful to me 😉
Admittedly I went into this thinking "okay, lets see what you got"... and than you surprised me.
Nicely done.
I'm glad to hear it ;)
They definitely made the right choice with calling it Shadows of Amn. It's an intriguing name. Although, Pants of the Father certainly has a nice ring to it too!
I imagine there were plenty left strewn across the realms, as the lord of murder was about his seeding.
Crazy that BG had backer NPCs way before it annoyed players in Pillars of Eternity. :))
Yeah, those were the worst.
Entering new area:
Me: "Do you have a quest for me?"
NPC: "No, but want to read my fanfic? It's a short story about how cool and unique I am."
@@Phlebas They were easily avoided once you realized they were the ones with the golden names, but boy was I confused in the beginning.
@@Slashco I'd say somewhat easily avoided. Depending on the lighting in your room or in the game environment, I sometimes couldn't tell if an NPC's name was white or gold. It would have been nice if they used a colour that stood out a bit more.
I will forever change the name of Baldur’s gate two to “hope you kept the pantaloons”
I was a regular on those forums back in the day. Gromnir Il-Khan was always going on about his "twin-hooked sword of paladin-gelding". He should have been armed with that in the game.
Peak Bioware. Mass Effect Trilogy was their swan song. Great vid!
To anybody here who has not actually played Baldur's Gate 1 and 2; I implore you, give them a try. I realise Baldur's Gate 3 is in the spotlights at the moment, but the originals are very much so worth playing. There's a treasure trove of fun there for those willing to discover it.
I can attest this... bought it earlier today and haven’t stopped playing for about 8 hours.
First time playing BG1+2 with EET mod and i must also confirm that these games are a damn masterpiece and i wont be touching Baldurs Gate 3 after experiencing something like this.
I play through BG 1, 2 and ToB almost every year since ToB release and I cannot believe how much of this I didn't know! Great video dude! If you know where to get that prelude comic please let me know?
Cheers Nate! I can't find a good digital version of that comic but the BG wiki has a grainy version.
@@HarbsNarbs legend, thank you!
Well, at least I did know about Imoen.
Fun fact: She was the last NSC to be added to BG I but the first for BG II.
I had the opportunity at GenCon 2019 to meet Mike Sass (ironically, when I was cosplaying as Minsc). After some BSing, he told me the tidbit of where the portraits from BG1 came from, but added that Alora (I think) is actually based on his wife, and the portrait for Canderous (one of the test party guys in Candlekeep) was based on a photo of younger him.
Super nice guy, loved sharing stories.
I knew a few of those already, like Imoen's portrait being based off someone's wife but most of this was new to me. Great vid!
Cheers PB_Bandit
Nice video - and no I didn't know most of these facts going into the video. Nice job!!
Great video, editing on point, channel deserves more subs!
Around ones a year, I play through all the games.
It still gets me every single time. Seeing my char running from an ogre at ævl 1 to taking om dragons and worse!
Same :) I'm doing a playthrough at the moment
Great video, really interesting and many things I didn't know despite playing BG to death! Twenty years later and the cry of "Go for the eyes Boo!" can still be heard in my house on a regular basis! Now, lets get a good Minsc and Boo Darksun game!!
Make way villainy! Hero coming through!
I remember getting Baldur's Gate in 1999. I thought it was ok, but around the halfway point got bored and put it aside. Then BG2 came out and it just felt better and more polished in every way. It was my favorite RPG for years, and the Throne of Bhaal expansion made it even better. I eventually went back and completed BG1 as well, together with Icewind Dale 1 & 2, and Planescape Torment. Good times.
Correction: The comic was released in 1998, not 1999!
Join the Patreon - www.patreon.com/join/harbsnarbs
Follow me on Twitter - @HNarbs
Join the Discord - discord.gg/vtS5hgU
New Harbs Narbs video! Heck yeah!👍
🤩🤩
Harbs : 10 things you probably don't know about Bald-
Me : TRY ME.
8 minutes later : well the more you know
Very nice vid! Thanks!
Also BG2 is a direct successor to BG1 and had all the right to be called "Baldurs Gate". What I don't understand is why BG3 is also called "Baldurs Gate"
I played this series late, when Beamdog rebooted it. Despite that, I talk about it the same way I do my nostalgic gems, and am still pissed off that BG3 deviates so sharply from the original formula.
Maybe becouse it hasn't been done by the same people? But instead from guys that have nothing to do with forgotten realms but thought "hey. let's make some cash using the most famous rpg ever!"
great content my dude!
Thanks Filib :)
I love this! Thank you!
It's funny how Imoen has so little "anything" in BG1, but was my favorite character throughout the series. She scouted every inch of map for me in my first playthrough.
Imoen was voiced by Melissa Disney, who actually looks a lot like her character portrait.
A excellent video as always!🧙♂️
Thanks moonring
Awesome Vid!!!!! Would love to see some kinda career bio of Greg & Ray get the Harbs Narbs treatment. Like, for at least 17 years every title they published from MDK to DA:O and Mass Effect, every game they published was Gold.
Can only speculate why they jacked it all in. Maybe they really didn't like the SWtOR mmo concept... who knows [?]
I think Greg went into the beer business!
@@HarbsNarbs Ha Ha!!! Would explain the BG Label Beer!
Great video
Thank you, very interesting. Didn't know any of this.
I'm glad you found it interesting :)
"Skimitar"
That gave me an aneurism....
Lol. Have you recovered?
@@HarbsNarbs Still recovering from some people using "Nukular", when I am done on that I will work on "Skimitar" xD
@@BlackRabbitDigitalP DEAD 💀 lol 😂
I am new to the series only started last year and in that time I have finished 1 2 tob and Darla alliance 1 waiting to get a better pc to play 3 but I love the games and swing things I missed are just making me want to play it again
Most, or all, are curiosities from development, but was interesting to discover that they had in mind an MMO based on Infinity Engine.
So the original character that said "Heya it's me Imoen" was a guard named something totally different? Bizarre
Woop woop harbs narbs in the house! Nice video Mr Lore!
Thanks Gerben!
holy shit man ... i thought i kneew alot about D&D and baldurs gates .... your taking this to a whole new level!!!! You know so much ! I spoke a few times to trent ..never knew it was that deep.
Was a great part of my childhood the BG1 and BG2 - recall that neither my friend nor I had a computer powerful enough to play BG2, so we would have to wait for his brother to leave for work, install it on his PC, play as much as we could, hide the save files, then delete the install.
I love this story, thanks for sharing it. I hope you managed to complete BG2 in the end!
Btw not that it matters all that much but Baldur's Gate 2 nearly having the title Divinity isn't ironic it's coincidental.
I thought it was ironic because of all the controversy around Baldur's Gate 3 and some people referring to it as divinity 3 when BG2 was almost called BG: Divinity. Or maybe that's still a coincidence? Lol 😆
"randomly launches a Skeemitar at your head*}
lol
Very cool!
Heya! Nice video.
Theres are, by far, some of my favorite games and some of my first real RPGs and I didn't know some of this and I hate you for it. Video liked.
gotta say, xan as an elven fighter/mage with dots in katanas would be super cool and would make both a more interesting character and a much more usable character (instead of a competition for edwin/dynaheir/imoen/baeloth/neera/xzar...)
I thought I knew a fair bit about BG but I didn't know any of these 'fun facts' :-)
Boo must have his exercise, lest he bite us all in hard to reach places.
"non-psychotic thief gap"
😂😂😂
I mean he had a point haha
Who were the designers for the locations and sprites (NPCs, items, etc.) of BG?
I started the video thinking id know them all . Turns out i didnt know any of these
I want a bg3 ale now
The only reason I know of this game is because a Canadian retailer, Future Shop, gave me a free copy for pre-ordering Diablo 2. Both games I still play to this day. Whoever set that promo up, I owe you a beer.
Surely it's not just a "hamster" @ 4:25 - but a miniature Giant Space Hamster? 🤣
Thanks for the video. All these little curiosities show how amazing it is that we ended up with what we did - THE BEST digital RPG EVER. 👍
M 🦘🏏😎
I still play bg1 til this day
I used to hate the first Baldur's Gate so much when i got it. I had never played any kind of dnd setting game before that including PnP so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Only being able to cast spells and use special abilities for a very limited number of times a day really threw me and pissed me off lol. I was used to the MP system from dragon warrior and final fantasy games. It was a very long time before I really got into the game and was actually dedicated to beating it. Took even longer to learn that long range ammunition is any character's best friend, even for a warrior. After that the game got soooo much easier. Now as an adult i prefer just playing one character instead 2-6 of them. I liked BG2 much more than the first.
I'm seriously considering playing the first two games so that I can get a better grasp prior to BG3. Nice video as always Harbs Narbs!
I highly recommend them, Beril!
I still play both all of the time. Currently running through bg1 with a 5 person custom party. I've spent thousands of hours on these games and I still find new things all of the time.
They're great!
I think my favorite thing about BG 1 and 2 that 3 doesn't have is rerolling stats. It takes a long time but with a little persistence and a lot of luck, you can rolls some REALLY nice stats to start with.
@@Blasted2Oblivion ah, most people see that as a plus. Point buy system is kinda the norm now. Can plan a character better.
Why is Winthrop such a creepy perv?
I copied and pasted data file for all the tomes and manuals that increased player str, int, wis, etc. Making all my players have 25 in each of them. Then I killed everything in site lol.
What about Narcillicus Harwillinger Neen?
Hear me out... Baldur's Gate: Pants of Divinity... make it happen.
If Minsc doesn't make at least a cameo appearance in BG 3, I'm gonna get really PO'ed.
I suppose I could accept Imoen, Edwin, or Viconia DeVir, but there's really no replacing Minsc in terms of iconic Baldur's Gate characters.
I was hoping that we would’ve gotten an abundance of games set in the Forgotten Realms using the Infinity Engine. Actually think they’ve been a giant if they did.
I suppose we had the Icewind Dale series and Planescape: Torment (even if it wasn't FR)
I wish someone would take biowares infinity engine and the baldurs gate setting and make an open world MMO. If the source code is available, this cannot possibly be that hard.
I mean I know everything is all about 3d engines these days like Unreal or Unity (now with ray tracing)... Seriously, I'm craving a good 2d old fashioned sprite based DnD 2.0 RPG.
2:07
Man, this is the kind of stuff I wish was in a BG retrospective book. I unfortunately kickstarted one and it was something entirely different and sucked ass.
You could say another important thing that maybe people doesn't know: for the forgotten realms canons, the game Bladur's Gate (and sequels) IS NOT CANON. In fact, if you read the "Great history of the realms" a manual that feats every important 'historical' fact of forgotten realms, during the year where it should have happened these facts, there is indeed a hideus plot in Baldur's Gate, but the explanation is "it was all a Zhentarim plot, and LO, was stopped by Aldeth Shashentar." Yes, the moron that ask you to protect him from the druids in the cloakwood. That could make you loose the desire to play some games if then that's what the official version say eh?
Well, at least that meams the terrible BG novelization is also not canon.
lol the accent without consonants
Bri'ish
I thought Xan was an illusionist?
Where can I find the comic ?
The BG Wiki... it only has a grainy version though
@@HarbsNarbs Yea I couldn't read it...any other source ?
If I was Ben, I wouldn't forgive them either for transforming Xan like that. I'm trying to finish Baldur's Gate 1 & I want to have Xan in my party but his mechanical impact is just so underwhelming... The only use I could find for him is a walking Item Identifier.
I rarely take Xan along for my playthroughs! A duel katana wielding githzerai would have been way cooler, shame they didn't have duel wielding in the original vanilla game.
Xan can actually be a very effective spellcaster. Enchanters are great because of their +2 bonus against saving throws for enchantment spells, so you are much more certain of having your sleep or charm etc spell taking effect. It's even better when coupled with greater malison. You can render almost any enemy harmless.
Xan is no fighter, but he is a very effective spellcaster.
@@michaellittlefield6906 Thank you. I suppose he just does not align with my playstyle at dispatching enemies. I'm certain there is a spellcaster meta that I'm not aware of
Some I knew, some I didn't.
Certainly I didn't know there were haters I needed to defend Imoen against.
So you're the one that likes Imoen! In all seriousness, she wasn't that bad but I guess I don't like her voice barks very much.
@@HarbsNarbs In all my years (and I've been around since the start) the only person I heard who didn't like Imoen did so in one of her other language dubs. Once they heard the English version they warmed up to her. Now, I *have* heard people hate on Aerie, and for myself I have absolutely no patience for Jaheira.
Another fun fact is that one of the combat songs is eerie similar to the theme of the 1985 movie, Life Force. m.ua-cam.com/video/gIbhpGcRlm0/v-deo.html
"HEYA"
As much as I would love to watch all of this video. I feel I may spoil the games for myself.
I’ve just started playing the original. I used to watch my friend play it back in 2000 and it looked so complicated that I’d never be able to play it!
When I saw the title I thought pretentious little and then yes the man knows
the C in Scimitar is silent
Still don't get why Minsc is so popular. Like why not anyone else honestly. At this point Wizards seem like pushing him really hard into the open (see mtg cards).
It's from a time where comic characters that also didn't suck were rare. If you don't get nostalgia from him then his attitude comes off differently today.
@@SetzerII he is ok, I guess. But imho there were so many more interesting characters like Edwin, Xzar, Montaron...
Things I didn't know. Waw. Wander how many more secrets are to be told.
There are plenty more. I may do another video on some trivia around BG again in the future
@@HarbsNarbs yes please!
The first or second location of the game after Candlekeep you meet a ranger Bub Snikt, which cannot be anything but a reference to Marvel's Wolverine, especially since he strongly follows his smell.
Yeah, I love that reference :) I made some videos on all the easter eggs in the first game a while back
I knew number 3 actually.
I think quite a few knew that one
I bought these games when they first came out and played right through dozens of time, and I didn't know any of this! 🤣
I wish the damned things would install on Windows 10, though.
{:o:O:}
Tiax rules!
Man, imagine Devs telling the crew "we need more" in todays day. They'd be burned at the stake and run out of the country for 99% of game companies out there these days.
Then they’d use the devs ideas but split in 8 separate DLCs
Viconia's avatar is based on czech pornstar photo, Zdenka Podkapova
Funnily enough someone pointed that out to me in my last video. I believe that is the portrait in BG2.
In every party based CRPG I play I still have a female thief named Imoen in my party.
So you're one of the ones that likes her!
@@HarbsNarbs Imoen is actually pretty popular. In fact, fun fact about her: she wasn't supposed to be playable in the second game either (at least not past Chateau Irenicus), but the developpers reconsidered when they realized she was apparently one of the favourite companions in the first game (even gave her the dual class most people recommanded for her in the first game).
skimatar? the c is a soft c im pretty sure for pronunciation
😉 yes... thank you
BG 1 and 2 are such great games. Throne of Bhaal I did not like.
This was very informative. But I still do not like Imoen.
Heya!
@@HarbsNarbs It's me, Imoen!
I'm sorry Imoen... I think we have a better chance of getting out of here if we split up...
I almost always leave her behind. The only time I ever include Imoen....
Spoilers!
Is if I intend to have Sarevok in my party. I keep her along just so I can make her give up a bit of her soul to bring him back to life. Even though there is no mechanical difference in game that I know of between giving up your own soul or giving up Imoens....
Thank you for your sacrifice, Imoen, but, due to party balance, there is just no room for you.
Beat it. 😇
@@michaellittlefield6906 dear lord. This brought back memories. I was so deeply emotionally entrenched in the game that (SPOILERS AGEAD!)
…when I was asked to give a bit of my soul after having had it snatched away AND having to go save that stupid B, it felt like a punch to the gut. I was INVESTED. It physically HURT! Lol. So yes, I definitely asked Imoen to hand out HER soul 🤷♀️
Heya
Hobnobs?
Great biscuits
@@HarbsNarbs I really enjoyed your video by the way, there's surprisingly few on BG on here!
Centering could be better.
Fun video 👍
The trouble with making claims like "things you didn't know" is that you are almost guaranteed that *someone* is going to know them, rendering your title clickbait.
I think the video actually delivers interesting content and therefore is not clickbait. I'd be very surprised if someone knew all ten ;)
@@HarbsNarbs However, it is likely that not one of them wasn't known by at least 1 person. A better title would be "Ten things you may not know".
Xan srsly is a weakling enchanter mage tho lol
I knew all of these things!
Ragnarok is pronounced "Rag-na-Rock"
Keevan (Kivan) ? Skim-itar (Scimitar)? Ragnarak (Ragnarok)?
If you're going to make a video at least know how to say the words. Kivan can get a pass (names aren't always obvious) but the other 2 are well known words and Ragnarok is pronounced how it's spelled. SMH
lol "SMH"