Ironworks Gaming Forum - View Single Post - Latest news on Throne of Bhaal -updated regularly

Memnoch · 04-28-2001, 01:22 AM

The other thread I was using to provide info on the expansion Throne of Bhaal (ToB) was getting kind of huge (not in # of posts but in SIZE). So I'm starting a new one here. You can link to the old post which has a lot of useful info here.

JUST A NOTE: Some of the info below may contain spoilers about BG2 for those of you who haven't completed BG2 yet. Read at your own risk. I have tried to exclude spoilers about ToB here and I would like to request you all to do the same.

I'd also like to thank MageDragon from Planet Baldurs Gate, whose compiled info I am sourcing here.

Today's info! (Well, it's really 2 weeks worth of info so I'll break it up a bit).

Throne of Bhaal
David Gaider (Senior Designer)
Taking Drizzt’s items away: We take the items away because: 1) It balances out with the good path involving Drizzt. Those people get a hero of the realms to help them defeat Bodhi. You get to defeat a hero of the realms and use his & his friends' items until you defeat Bodhi. Getting to keep the items permanently would also make killing Drizzt a must-do, even for good players, which it shouldn't be.

2) Drizzt has a lot of powerful friends. You got your thrill...there are plenty of other items for you to use, after all.

And then there's the fact that whenever I think of the giggling little player who suddenly discovers he doesn't get to keep all of Drizzt's neat-o stuff and I LAUGH and laugh and laugh...

...that alone makes it worth it.
Jonathan Epp (Quality Assurance)
Starting the expansion: Here's how it works:

Option 1) Start an expansion pack game with a new character - This is a character you can create using the usual character creation screen. You will start with 2.5 mil xp and given some items, and soon after the start of the expansion you will be able to build up your party. (Using the Import button of the character creation screen you can also import any single character from BG1 or BG2 character files or saves) Option 2) Import party from any BG2 save (including the final save) - Your entire party and their items are carried over into the expansion. The bonuses from using the tears before the final fight would not be carried over, because the final save is before you use the tears. (you really don't need the extra help anyway, do you? ) Option 3) Replay the final fight - After the end movie you and your party will be taken into the expansion, with items, and with the bonuses you received from the tears.

The expansion has a seperate world map, so you cannot travel between the BG2 areas and the expansion areas. The Watcher's Keep area, however, is on both maps, so it can be accessed from both BG2 and the expansion.

Throne of Bhaal
David Gaider (Senior Designer)
Abyssal Stronghold: Hmmn. I'm not sure who it was who started calling in an abyssal stronghold. Probably someone on our side was trying to come up with some way to easily describe it.

It's not easily described...and nowhere in ToB is it actually referred to as an 'abyssal stronghold'. (I imagine someone on our side came up with that as a way to describe what it is/does).

The only problem with calling it that is that people are bound to mix it up with the strongholds from BG2 or as a place to live. It's got some similarities, for sure, but it's not quite the same sort of thing (but what would you expect from a personal pocket plane?).

Adding the press a key to show the treasure as in Heart of Winter: Done.

Kensai and Cavaliers and thrown ranged weapons: Yes. The basic reason this was done was due to the number of weapons that can both be handled in melee AND thrown. Restricting them from thrown weapons would also restrict them from using those particular weapons. So a Cavalier, say, can get his proficiency in Axes...and this allows him to use throwing axes as well. This satisfies both the technical hiccup regarding the thrown/melee combo items as well as gameplay. But there will be no changes to the way proficiencies work for Cavaliers and Kensais. The ranged weapons are still not a feature of those classes. If there's some mind-boggling reason why this should be changed that hasn't been considered, then let me know...I can pass it on in that case.

Throne of Bhaal
Kevin Martens (Lead Designer)
Ammo bag: There is an ammo bag and other magical ammo related equipment that shall remain nameless for the time being.

Starting the expansion after finishing the game,but wanting to do the add in before going on: In that situation, you would be wiser to continue into the Add-On and access the Add-In area (The Watcher's Keep) from there. It is accessible from either place.

The Add-In part of Shadows of Amn is there primarily for those who haven't finished the game or who buy SOA and TOB together. You can access the Add-In section from either part or both.
David Gaider (Senior Designer)
Viconia’s romance: Heh...actually, yeah, Viconia's romance is a blast. If you want evil, though, you should have seen John Gallagher's original treatment of the romance. There was this, um, conversation that revolved around a leather glove that, um...

...hmmm, might have to wait until the kiddies are asleep to tell that one. Let's just say that Viconia is very adept at suggestive analogies.

John's version of the story didn't make it to air, but I kept as much of it as I could and was inspired by it to write the rest of the romance as it remains, so I owe him my thanks. For one of my first work assignments when I joined Bio, that really rocked.

As far as Viconia's story in ToB goes...well, as someone put it, the game IS about the PC. The chance of us being able to stick in a very extensive story that people might not see for any single NPC is not very likely...but the romance does culminate in a, ah, appropriate manner. (You'll see.)

Using a dual-wielding weapon as a throwing weapon: Well, such a thing could be put in as an item-based power (which would be kind of unwieldy), but I'm not so sure about tying it to the Abilities button. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's hard-coded.

But, regardless, what happens when someone is still dual-wielding when they turn their melee weapon into a ranged weapon? The game would crash, that's what. 'Kicking out' the offending off-hand melee weapon isn't an option.

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[This message has been edited by Memnoch (edited 04-28-2001).]

[This message has been edited by Memnoch (edited 04-28-2001).]

04-28-2001, 01:22 AM	#1
Memnoch Ironworks Moderator Join Date: February 28, 2001 Location: Boston/Sydney Posts: 11,771	The other thread I was using to provide info on the expansion Throne of Bhaal (ToB) was getting kind of huge (not in # of posts but in SIZE). So I'm starting a new one here. You can link to the old post which has a lot of useful info here. JUST A NOTE: Some of the info below may contain spoilers about BG2 for those of you who haven't completed BG2 yet. Read at your own risk. I have tried to exclude spoilers about ToB here and I would like to request you all to do the same. I'd also like to thank MageDragon from Planet Baldurs Gate, whose compiled info I am sourcing here. Today's info! (Well, it's really 2 weeks worth of info so I'll break it up a bit). Throne of Bhaal David Gaider (Senior Designer) Taking Drizzt’s items away: We take the items away because: 1) It balances out with the good path involving Drizzt. Those people get a hero of the realms to help them defeat Bodhi. You get to defeat a hero of the realms and use his & his friends' items until you defeat Bodhi. Getting to keep the items permanently would also make killing Drizzt a must-do, even for good players, which it shouldn't be. 2) Drizzt has a lot of powerful friends. You got your thrill...there are plenty of other items for you to use, after all. And then there's the fact that whenever I think of the giggling little player who suddenly discovers he doesn't get to keep all of Drizzt's neat-o stuff and I LAUGH and laugh and laugh... ...that alone makes it worth it. Jonathan Epp (Quality Assurance) Starting the expansion: Here's how it works: Option 1) Start an expansion pack game with a new character - This is a character you can create using the usual character creation screen. You will start with 2.5 mil xp and given some items, and soon after the start of the expansion you will be able to build up your party. (Using the Import button of the character creation screen you can also import any single character from BG1 or BG2 character files or saves) Option 2) Import party from any BG2 save (including the final save) - Your entire party and their items are carried over into the expansion. The bonuses from using the tears before the final fight would not be carried over, because the final save is before you use the tears. (you really don't need the extra help anyway, do you? ) Option 3) Replay the final fight - After the end movie you and your party will be taken into the expansion, with items, and with the bonuses you received from the tears. The expansion has a seperate world map, so you cannot travel between the BG2 areas and the expansion areas. The Watcher's Keep area, however, is on both maps, so it can be accessed from both BG2 and the expansion. Throne of Bhaal David Gaider (Senior Designer) Abyssal Stronghold: Hmmn. I'm not sure who it was who started calling in an abyssal stronghold. Probably someone on our side was trying to come up with some way to easily describe it. It's not easily described...and nowhere in ToB is it actually referred to as an 'abyssal stronghold'. (I imagine someone on our side came up with that as a way to describe what it is/does). The only problem with calling it that is that people are bound to mix it up with the strongholds from BG2 or as a place to live. It's got some similarities, for sure, but it's not quite the same sort of thing (but what would you expect from a personal pocket plane?). Adding the press a key to show the treasure as in Heart of Winter: Done. Kensai and Cavaliers and thrown ranged weapons: Yes. The basic reason this was done was due to the number of weapons that can both be handled in melee AND thrown. Restricting them from thrown weapons would also restrict them from using those particular weapons. So a Cavalier, say, can get his proficiency in Axes...and this allows him to use throwing axes as well. This satisfies both the technical hiccup regarding the thrown/melee combo items as well as gameplay. But there will be no changes to the way proficiencies work for Cavaliers and Kensais. The ranged weapons are still not a feature of those classes. If there's some mind-boggling reason why this should be changed that hasn't been considered, then let me know...I can pass it on in that case. Throne of Bhaal Kevin Martens (Lead Designer) Ammo bag: There is an ammo bag and other magical ammo related equipment that shall remain nameless for the time being. Starting the expansion after finishing the game,but wanting to do the add in before going on: In that situation, you would be wiser to continue into the Add-On and access the Add-In area (The Watcher's Keep) from there. It is accessible from either place. The Add-In part of Shadows of Amn is there primarily for those who haven't finished the game or who buy SOA and TOB together. You can access the Add-In section from either part or both. David Gaider (Senior Designer) Viconia’s romance: Heh...actually, yeah, Viconia's romance is a blast. If you want evil, though, you should have seen John Gallagher's original treatment of the romance. There was this, um, conversation that revolved around a leather glove that, um... ...hmmm, might have to wait until the kiddies are asleep to tell that one. Let's just say that Viconia is very adept at suggestive analogies. John's version of the story didn't make it to air, but I kept as much of it as I could and was inspired by it to write the rest of the romance as it remains, so I owe him my thanks. For one of my first work assignments when I joined Bio, that really rocked. As far as Viconia's story in ToB goes...well, as someone put it, the game IS about the PC. The chance of us being able to stick in a very extensive story that people might not see for any single NPC is not very likely...but the romance does culminate in a, ah, appropriate manner. (You'll see.) Using a dual-wielding weapon as a throwing weapon: Well, such a thing could be put in as an item-based power (which would be kind of unwieldy), but I'm not so sure about tying it to the Abilities button. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's hard-coded. But, regardless, what happens when someone is still dual-wielding when they turn their melee weapon into a ranged weapon? The game would crash, that's what. 'Kicking out' the offending off-hand melee weapon isn't an option. ------------------ [This message has been edited by Memnoch (edited 04-28-2001).] [This message has been edited by Memnoch (edited 04-28-2001).]