Playing the game over and over?

[rangerous]

Hi!
When reading the postings here I get an impression that a lot of you play BG many times over. I had to start once over cause I meshed up the poison stuff in Baldurs Gate and it only annoyed me. It would be nice to know some things about more experienced players, please.

Is it really fun anymore when you are doing it the second, third.. Nth time around? (what's N for you?)

How many player days do you usually spend on completing the game? I guess this time (in your characters view point) gets shorter every time you play? Whats your record, how fast are you (in character time again)? How much EXP have you gathered in your fastest game (ie. how inexperienced characters have you been able to walk 'home')?

In your last game and toughest fight, how many times did you reloaded the last save? Has anyone played the game through without reloading past saves but only playing 'forward'? (sounds totally impossible to me! But other games get so much better when you don't let yourself reload (zangband for example) I thought this might also?)

And finally, if you compare BG1 and BG2, what are the major differences?

[J'aran]

If you replay the game, it's of course the most fun if you do it with a different class for your main character. I personally haven't played BG1 for a year now, but I think I played through the game with TotSC completely 10 or so times, not counting all those times I started a new game only to abandon it halfway through. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I don't really know how many game days I usually take to comlete the game, never payed much attention to that. It depends greatly on the fact if I'm soloing or playing with a full party; soloing obviously takes a lot more game days (and real-time days) to complete than with a party.

The biggest difference between BG1 and BG2 is IMO that in BG1 you had to 'discover' the entire world by yourself, walking around from area to area, while in BG2 there are no map-areas except for the important ones, if you know what I mean. BG1 gave you more a feeling of being kinda lost in a big world.

[Downunda]

Hi Rangerous

Yes it's still fun the nth time 'round but I can't go back to it for a while (usually about 6 months to a year) as it does get a bit repetitive. I've finished it three times now (once as a Paladin, once as a Fighter and once as a Ranger)

The first time through took me about four or five months, the second time - three to four weeks and the last time through it took me just over a week (but that was playing hard out with no school or job to worry about ). I'm one of those players that has to go everywhere and do everything so it takes me approx 100 - 120 game days to finish

I haven't tried soloing BG/TotSC yet or doing it without re-loading but there are those who have (in fact they have competitions to see who can complete it the quickest)

I agree with Jarans major diff 'tween BG and SoA with a few to add...
- Higher levels of course, personally I prefer to be a 6th level character trying to make a name for himself than a 30th level person that eats Fire Giants for breakfast.
- I prefer the visuals of BG to SoA, more what I expected Forgotten Realms to look like.
- AI path finding is greatly improved in SoA, if they had a patch for BG that made path finding better I would play this a hell of a lot more often.

[rangerous]

Thanks J'aran and Downunda for your answers.

As my team just barely tackled the four warders, it made me think how an earth someone soloing manages big fights? *awe*

bag to basement...

[Bahamut]

playing the Nth time makes me appreciate the game more thus making it more fun... you can also correct the past mistakes and all that... Ii rarely reload with fights... its jsut when i get soo pissed... or when someone dies.. hehehe [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Lavindathar]

I have completed it twice, and have started a Dark Side game.

I enjoy playing it over and over, makes it more fun. Only with a different class though...(completed with a human fighter, and a halfling theif).

The more times you play it, the better you become, with tactics and such. My aim is to get good enough, to never ever reload. I do that too many times at the mo!!!

It would make it more fun. I also vary my party alot, trying to get the weirdest party possible....

Anyway,
*L*

[Lemernis]

I have only played one complete SP game, which I did a year ago. I made a beeline through the story so I had left nearly all the sidequesting for future games. I then played all the Durlag's quests in SP. Shortly after that I got into regular online MP games with other players. That was the only way I played BG for the better part of last year, although in none of the campaigns I was in did we ever get around to finishing a game! Then this fall I decided to try playing a number of SP games with Dark Side installed using parties I had always wanted to try. Now I'm playing in an MP game again with one other player that focuses more on the BG city sidequests, most of which I have still never done.

I'm really amazed at the replayability of BG1/Tales. The most recent things I have been doing that have refreshed the experience of the game are to play in a speed game competition (using a no reload rule--very difficult but fun!) and roleplaying characters in online MP play with another player. The address to take a look at the speed game competition: http://pub20.ezboard.com/fwanderonswarrensfrm12. (It's a really fun challenge in it's own right; I'd recommend just trying it even if you don't 'enter' the competition--but, hey, if you do succeed then then what the heck, why not submit your effort?)

I have gotten well into chapter 2 of BG2, both in SP and in online MP with other players, but for a number of reasons I just have not been able to get into it to nearly the same degree as BG1/Tales. In a month or two I plan to give SoA/ToB another go in MP where we will continue roleplay our characters (although perhaps we'll make new characters).

[Mellagar]

I've played BG1 and gone all the way through around 3 times I think. Each time I go a little further and venture a bit more into areas I steered clear of before. I am currently gearing up to play through the entire trilogy from BG1 to BG2:ToB.

As for reloading I have only once gone all the way through without reloading. I played on normal difficulty which is more than likely the reason why, but it still isn't easy regardless of what level you play.

As for differences, much of what I would say has already been discussed. BGII gives a lot more of the 'hand to hand action' fighting, than BGI, and the character interaction gives more life to the game.

[SoaS]

It's still fun with different characters.
Hell it's still fun when you use your first character.
I did the game 6 times, and made it a 7th time with a monster strong party in multiplayer; then totally got every quest possible.
@_@

[Lady Blue03]

quote:

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Originally posted by Mellagar:
I am currently gearing up to play through the entire trilogy from BG1 to BG2:ToB.

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babe you are in for one hell of a long game! i tried that and i quit half way through BG1 and imported into BG2...but of course ive played BG1 like 5 times through.