ethics question re:cheating

[Amergin]

ok, just a little poll to see who and why people think this may or may not be cheating:

i had several "final saves" of bg1 before i even knew bg2 existed (just happened to see it in the stores this spring).

of course i imported my favorite character complete with his tomed-up stats and hard earned equipment. i am only a little disappointed that every single one of my items has now been redistributed amongst the populace. but what really disappointed me was that the other npc's, specifically viconia and minsc, were way different in bg2. my second game of bg1 i made a point of grabbing minsc early so i could affect his 5th proficiency slot (which i made axes). now in bg2, despite the bonus slots for a ranger, he has 2 slots in mace .

so, the question is, considering i'm trying to accurately continue bg1 to bg2, is it cheating if i change an npc's stats/profs/etc to match what they were at the end of bg1? yes, i know vic's stats were already changed greatly, so this mostly applies to minsc. thoughts?

[Debaser]

it's not cheating if that's the way you'll enjoy the game more. maybe you can play it through the first time with everyone adjusted to suit the way they were in bgI, and then next time you play take 'em as they come.

[TheCrimsomBlade]

Its only cheating If you feel guilty about it besides it's almost
a completely different game which you will come to find out soon
and in BG1 5 proficiency slots didnt really mean anything it just
looked good on paper
also you will find Minsc just a middle of the line fighter
compaired to what your going to meet in BG2

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The Blade Makes The Man
The Man Made The Blade
Death To All That Stand
In Their Way! BEWARE ALL!

[Dreamer128]

You dont really need to change it since there are plenty of great maces in Bg2 as well.

[Marthan]

Ehm about this "losing equipment" talk....
Everyone here knows how to keep the equipment from BG1, right?
Without Shadowkeeper and everything i mean...?

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With the destruction of Mankind the eight Hell will be created.
And then it's already to late.

[StarVid]

I don't know how to keep stuff, how do you do it?

As for hacking the NPCs. First of all, without spoiling what's coming ahead, you're probably better off keeping Minsc on maces. Besides, he's got a proficiency with 2H sword, which is a better slashing weapon than any axe. But if you want to hack, then it's all good. Right now I'm playing a cleric in BG1 that I'm going to import and dual to a mage (with 19 Int and 20 Wis, thanks to the tomes), and if Imoen's thief skills isn't what I would have given her, then I'm going to reallocate her points.

[deathknight]

Hrm I would not neccessarily say 2 handed swords are better than axes for slashing. Personally I rank 2 handed swords and halberds down at the bottom of the heap (There are better staffs in the game than 2 handed swords I think and even some daggers that are better than 2 handers. Gotta love dual wielding...)

[Alaric]

I was also disappointed with the weapon proficiencies for some of the NPCs that were part of my party in BG1. So, I went in changed them. I do not consider this cheating since I did not increase the total amount of points spent or use the points to go beyond the proficiency restrictions but just rearranged them to reflect what they were when I finished BG1.

[This message has been edited by Alaric (edited 10-01-2001).]

[Encard]

I agree with you, Alaric. The NPCs, at high levels, usually have something messed up. Weapon proficiencies, sometimees thieving skills, etc. I'd suggest changing them.

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Lord of the RaBid Fruit Trees. ChAos rules all! Bwahahahaha...
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[Dturner]

I personally used the editors to boost some stats and apply some "house rules" that I use in the Pen and Paper D&D. First, some of the characters really got boned no some important stats, like Aerie and Anomen in WIS. So I boosted that a bit. A house rule I applied regarded weapons specializiation: I always allow Paladins and Ranger to go beyond two slots with certain weapons befitting their classes (bows and such for rangers, swords for Paladins). One big change I made that was very much worth it was changing Minsc to an Archer (I do miss Kivan). Having a long range fire support again is great.