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Did the tech stuff get cleared up?
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Dec 18, 2014 05:20
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Wow, I'm coming to this really late but I just downed all the episodes a couple days ago and decided to finally get around to using my GOG copies of BG1+2. I tried once before when I first got them, couldn't get the hang of it, got to the mass combat tutorial and died somehow even though they're illusions, and realized that it hadn't autosaved. I'm having a much better time of it now, so that's awesome. I wanted to just posit that I didn't find... shoot, what's his name. Assassin at the Friendly Arm nor Silke to be too bad. Possibly because I knew they were coming, yeah, but... I'm running a Cleric because my RL experiences with 2nd edition have taught me that heals are essential. Then I saw what Command could do and just filled all my slots with that. So far, barely anything has resisted it and it's a free turn for everyone else to wail on the victim and messes up spellcasting. So uh. Yeah. One thing I'm a bit confused about though, is I've come across an enemy type that's immune to mundane weapons. I've got a couple magic ones, including a +1 Sling. However, when used it says the enemy is invulnerable to it. Does this mean that to overcome this damage immunity, the ammunition itself must be magical, or is the game bugging out on me? Also, I do hope things work out with the technical issues you guys. I really love this so far, and echo the comments that you've got great LP chemistry.
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Dec 19, 2014 04:03
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Shoeless posted:Wow, I'm coming to this really late but I just downed all the episodes a couple days ago and decided to finally get around to using my GOG copies of BG1+2. I tried once before when I first got them, couldn't get the hang of it, got to the mass combat tutorial and died somehow even though they're illusions, and realized that it hadn't autosaved.
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Dec 19, 2014 04:16
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Random Hajile posted:I'm pretty sure that the ammo has to be magical to hurt creatures that are immune to mundane weapons. Magical bows and/or slings just give a bonus on the roll to hit unless they mention any further effects. Yes this is correct. You need to actually buy magical ammo to hit creatures immune to normal weapons. You don't even need a magical bow/sling although they're not bad as things like that tend to have good AC as well.
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Dec 19, 2014 05:12
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Random Hajile posted:I'm pretty sure that the ammo has to be magical to hurt creatures that are immune to mundane weapons. Magical bows and/or slings just give a bonus on the roll to hit unless they mention any further effects. Kalenn Istarion posted:Yes this is correct. You need to actually buy magical ammo to hit creatures immune to normal weapons. You don't even need a magical bow/sling although they're not bad as things like that tend to have good AC as well. Ah, thanks for the confirmation. Time to buy some +1 sling bullets and arrows I guess!
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Dec 19, 2014 05:30
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Shoeless posted:Ah, thanks for the confirmation. Time to buy some +1 sling bullets and arrows I guess! Yes, you should buy +1 sling bullets and arrows against outrageous fortune, to take arms against a sea of troubles.
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Dec 19, 2014 15:10
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So here's what's going on. Thanks to goon assistance, we've managed to clear the technical issues. Hooray! However, the format of the LP is going to change somewhat. Back when we did Amulets and Armor, the idea was to have one blind guy and one informed guy to hopefully present both surprises at the novelty, and show off the secrets and keep the pace from dragging too much. It worked really well! So well that we thought we'd do it again for Baldur's Gate. It hasn't worked so well. There's a couple reasons for this. First of all, Baldur's Gate is a far more complicated game to control. There's a lot going on, there isn't immediate feedback that a command you've issued has worked, the UI, while functional, is dated and not immediately relateable if you haven't played similar sorts of games. Since both Bacter and I have full-time jobs, there was necessarily a decent amount of time that would pass between recording sessions, so Bacter never felt like he could get a grip on the controls before having to take a 2-week break and forget everything. This made battles drag, multiplied the amount of editing I had to do to keep the pace up, and made it impossible for me to show off some of the funnier battle system quirks, because we had to keep going over fundamental combat mechanics each time we got together. Secondly, Baldur's Gate is far far more plot-driven than Amulets and Armor was, and the plot is delivered primarily through text dialogue. In a video LP, you don't want to sit on a dialogue screen for a long time because it kills the video's momentum. At the same time, Bacter had never seen the plot before, and he of course wanted to read it. This led to a situation in which nobody was happy. Bacter never felt like he had the time to read and understand what was going on, I had to constantly decide whether to cut frames out of the dialogue sections in order to keep the pacing up, but if I did then that created awkward breaks in the audio commentary, and you guys don't get the best of both worlds either. If you are a viewer who HAS played the game, sitting there as we mumble through basic plot elements is a drag, and if you are a viewer who hasn't played it, then our stuttery overedit-butchered commentary would be super distracting as you try to read the dialogue yourself. There were some other issues, but those are the big ones. Fortunately, both of them have the same solution. As such, this is no longer going to be a blind LP for Bacter. Yes, we will miss out on one of this LP's original draws was, that of a new player, but it is for the best. This is still a big game, and I hope to still be able to surprise you by showing off weird spell combinations, funny bugs that only show up in multiplayer, and alternate ways to "resolve" quests. Right now Bacter and I are playing through the entire game together, at his comfortable pace, and once we finish, we will continue this LP, right at the same point where we left off, and I have good hopes that things will be much better. Thanks for all the encouragement, it was difficult to work on this LP because I wasn't happy with the end result, and I feel like this change will make it a much better LP. We'll still be playing as Elfred and Bactorc, there will probably be a couple minor differences in how much XP we have or how much gold we collected, but otherwise it will be an identical playthrough to the videos so far. Another nice change is that we will be able to abolish the spoiler restrictions, and open the thread up for discussion about any goofy part of this game. Last night we reached the final chapter, and are closing in on THE VILLAIN. Thanks for your patience, and look for this LP to return soon next year!
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Dec 19, 2014 18:29
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Awesome to see you guys back at it, I had been missing this LP a lot. 
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Dec 19, 2014 18:43
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I look forward to seeing this return, indeed. Personally, I know this LP as the back of my pocket and I was just interested in hearing Bacter's joy at the few moments he could, but I understand the need to cut them down too. Hopefully, it will still be entertaining when we return.
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Dec 19, 2014 18:47
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Glad to hear that it's going to continue! Blind or not, it's been really entertaining.
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Dec 19, 2014 18:52
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This is nice. I hope we will still get some - well, not first reactions, but memories of first reactions?
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Dec 19, 2014 19:13
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I'm saving at least a few of my weirder tricks for the actual LP.
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Dec 19, 2014 19:19
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As long as Elfred Nobel continues the illustrious tradition of wizard bastardry and five-finger discounts that we've come to know and love I'm perfectly fine with this.
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Dec 19, 2014 19:55
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Just gimme more LP of the game. Yes there are nuances, but can I have you two banter about the game some more? That's all I care about, really. Kthx.
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Dec 19, 2014 21:11
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meristem posted:This is nice. I hope we will still get some - well, not first reactions, but memories of first reactions? My thoughts exactly. There's a blind LP of Ocarina of Time going on right now, which I'm watching because I want to see how Faerie Fortune reacts to the things I know are coming up. Same here: I want to know what Bacter's first reaction was to things like the main character's backstory as it gets revealed. Since a truly blind LP won't work, I'll be happy if Bacter can say, "So, when I got to this point, this is what I was thinking."
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Dec 19, 2014 22:04
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Good to see the LP will continue. I've really enjoyed the episodes so far and I figure that even if it's not truly blind, having only just played the game for the first time recently Bacter's memory of his reactions will be fresh enough that we still get something of a new player's perspective while we continue to get all the cool nooks and crannies you were showing off to begin with.
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Dec 20, 2014 09:11
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Pyrogenesis posted:Just gimme more LP of the game. Yes there are nuances, but can I have you two banter about the game some more? That's all I care about, really. Kthx. This is where I'm at. I'm glad you guys are still at it! 
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Dec 20, 2014 09:24
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 In today's episode we grant a lifelong wish to a   Color Spray is a 1st level arcane spell that is outdone in every way by Sleep. Not only is it easier to save against it, it's got a much more awkward area of effect to target, only affects a limited number of targets, and the targets it affects might even be party members! I can't think of a single reason to ever cast this unless you're playing an Invoker and so Sleep is locked off for you. Even then you're probably going to have a hard time hitting anything with it unless you put your mage on the front lines, a bad idea for your long (and short)-term health.Hey look at all these goofballs we found today!  Branwen reveals that she left her home of Seawolf in the Norheim Isles at an early age. She was apparently reviled by her own people for wanting to become a priest, a station reserved exclusively for the men of the village. She harbors no resentment, realizing that her faith must face such tests or be worthless. She traveled the coast, offering her services to local militias, and eventually came into the employ of an adventuring troupe in the Nashkel area. Branwen had no idea that the group was participating in banditry however, and on their first raid, she balked at attacking a caravan of unarmed merchants. She rebelled and a mage named Tranzig turned her to stone in the ensuing fight. Despite the unfavorable outcome, Branwen feels that Tempus views her actions approvingly. To attack those that are unarmed is the basest of villainy. Branwen is a solid party member. She's a neutral-aligned cleric of Tempus, who is a god of honorable combat, war, and courage, a very suitable god for an adventurer to choose. She has her high stats in all the right places. Good wisdom gives her bonus spell slots, good constitution and dexterity make her durable. While her average strength means she won't be pulping people regularly on the front line, give her some heavy armor and she'll be able to stand in harm's way while your squishier party members handle the offense. Her neutral alignment means she'll get along with most any party member, and she's available pretty early in the game. If you didn't start as a cleric, Branwen's a good choice who gets the job done.  When asked about his past, Minsc proudly announces that he is a berserker warrior from the nation of Rasheman in the utter east. He is currently undertaking his dejemma, a ritual journey to manhood, and is seeking adventure and glory in battle. It is also his honor to be the bodyguard of a young Wychalarn of Rasheman named Dynaheir, and if anyone tries to harm her he will beat sense into their heads until they reconsider. He is unsure as to why she has led them to the Sword Coast, but his loyalty is unquestioning. If he serves her well and distinguishes himself in battle he hopes to be accepted into the ice dragon berserker lodge upon return to their homeland. So far Minsc considers his most notable experience in the world abroad, to be the acquisition of his animal companion 'Boo', a creature that he claims is a miniature giant space hamster. Apparently such things do exist in the Realms, but Minsc has surely taken too many blows to the head. He seems a good-natured fellow, but is all too willing to indulge in his berserker nature. Minsc is a truly excellent party member. His Strength stat is huge, higher than any party member outside of the Enhanced Edition, and he has at least a high enough dexterity and constitution to receive a bonus from them. As a Ranger he can dual-wield if you want more attacks per round, he has double proficiency in two-handed swords which gives him access to some of the most powerful weapons in this game, and he has the strength and proficiencies needed to use composite longbows, the best ranged weapons in the game. He's very versatile for a physical class. He's accessible early and practically impossible to miss as he parks himself right in the center of the plot-critical town of Nashkel. Minsc is easily the strongest melee attacker in the game, and an excellent ranged attacker as well. He has only two downsides. First, his hamster Boo permanently occupies one of his quickslots, so he doesn't have quite as many inventory slots for potions. Second, like Khalid and Jaheira, he is part of an NPC duo, and if you don't rescue his witch Dynaheir eventually he'll leave the party, and will leave along with her if you dismiss her after you do rescue her. As you can see from today's episode, this is not necessarily a problem!  When asked about his past, Edwin sneers that he has no intention of revealing such information and that it is none of your business. He further states that you are lucky enough to simply share his company, and then mutters something about leaving whenever he wishes. He obviously cares little for the camaraderie of others, and seems to take more pleasure in speaking to himself than in interacting with the party. His attire brazenly displays the colors of the Red Wizards of Thay, though why a member of that organization would come so far west is puzzling. Edwin does not seem forthcoming with any information. Edwin is another top-shelf party member. He is arguably the most powerful NPC mage in the game, primarily due to his personal amulet, which grants him one bonus spell slot of each spell level, giving him more staying power than any other. He is also a Conjuror, the same mage specialization as Elfred. Conjurors miss out on Divination magic, which is generally regarded as the least useful, especially if you have a second mage to fill the gap. Edwin also has 16 constitution, which is the most a mage can benefit from, giving him the most hit points a single-class mage can get. His weaknesses are a bit more severe than Minsc's though. He has a mediocre dexterity, and since he's not a class with the ability to wear armor, he can't cover for it well. He's always going to be easy to hit, and easy to hit means easy to disrupt his spellcasting. His second weakness is that he's Evil, which means he will fume and leave if your reputation gets too high, and furthermore, his blatantly stated goal is to murder the witch Dynaheir, so he and Minsc obviously won't get along in the same party for long.
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Jan 7, 2015 04:27
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A reasonable question is "does Bactorc know it's LATH-ander, not LAT-hander?" Yes, but BACTER doesn't. Chew on THAT! FUN FACT: We actually went a LITTLE further in the recording, but then I tried to quicksave and there was no room on my computer, so bloated had the fraps .avi become. Audacity does some weird, weird stuff when there's no room to save the project file! Bacter fucked around with this message at 06:18 on Jan 7, 2015 |
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Jan 7, 2015 05:54
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I'm only about ten minutes in, but I am so glad this is back now. I think the choice to play through was a good one. Not that it was bad before.
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Jan 7, 2015 06:00
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A lovely return to form. 
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Jan 7, 2015 06:16
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A new episode!  I didn't know you could remove Khalid from the party without Jaheira getting pissed and leaving as well.
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Jan 7, 2015 06:18
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You have to do it the way we did - normally she'll get angry and leave, but Khalid actually has to make it TO us to say goodbye before her leaving triggers. Or, uh, I guess he just tells her he's much happier farming and wishes us the best. The first time we did this, right before we left him he had a random voice clip about how much he hates big cities, and how small they make him feel. It was so appropriate!
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Jan 7, 2015 06:31
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Bacter posted:You have to do it the way we did - normally she'll get angry and leave, but Khalid actually has to make it TO us to say goodbye before her leaving triggers. Or, uh, I guess he just tells her he's much happier farming and wishes us the best. The correct way to unjoin Khalid (or Dynaheir) is to send them into a fight naked. Without backup.
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Jan 7, 2015 07:54
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chiefnewo posted:The correct way to unjoin Khalid (or Dynaheir) is to send them into a fight naked. Without backup. But then he might die! What sort of monsters do you think we are?
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Jan 7, 2015 08:14
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Glad to see you guys got everything worked out! Woo! 
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Jan 7, 2015 08:29
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The video has a double showing of the start of the Bodra fight. Starting at 33:50 and 35:50 you get the same few minutes. Anyway glad to see you guys back in action.
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Jan 7, 2015 08:40
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I'm really glad you enjoyed your first playthrough and I'm definitely looking forward to watching you two bumble through this one!
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Jan 7, 2015 08:42
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I'm a bit sad you didn't have minsc charm Ursa and then have her massacre all of the Xvarts.
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Jan 7, 2015 09:08
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Metal Meltdown posted:I'm a bit sad you didn't have minsc charm Ursa and then have her massacre all of the Xvarts. From what I could tell, it doesn't look like Minsc has charm animal.
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Jan 7, 2015 12:43
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This LP is back, awesome!
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Jan 7, 2015 12:55
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Hooray! I'm glad you're back. This thread is a nice companion to the BG1 Ironman thread going on right now.
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Jan 7, 2015 17:22
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Mordaedil posted:From what I could tell, it doesn't look like Minsc has charm animal. He does, all rangers do. I'm pretty sure it shows up next episode. I actually wanted to do it on Ursa, I don't remember why we couldn't. I think I had already used it on something that rest cycle. It's not a very reliable effect though, seems to get resisted easily.
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Jan 7, 2015 17:29
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I've been through Nashkel so many goddamn times and I never knew about the ankheg plate armor in that field.
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Jan 7, 2015 22:49
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Mzbundifund posted:He does, all rangers do. I'm pretty sure it shows up next episode. I actually wanted to do it on Ursa, I don't remember why we couldn't. I think I had already used it on something that rest cycle. It's not a very reliable effect though, seems to get resisted easily. Ah, that would explain it, as the abilities icon looked greyed out to me, as I was actually thinking the same thing when I was watching the video.
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Jan 8, 2015 10:14
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Dr. Demon posted:I've been through Nashkel so many goddamn times and I never knew about the ankheg plate armor in that field.
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Jan 8, 2015 11:19
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Oh, a new episode! I never enjoyed having Minsc in the party, myself. I blame a hilarious case of uniquely bad first impression for this. Minsc: 'Stand and deliver, that my hamster take a look at you!' (Text: 'Let's beat some gnolls heads!') Me:  No.Minsc: (attacks) I tried to tide myself over to his side afterwards, but it never worked out. Then again, I never split couples, either... I was too polite (and unimaginative) for this, I guess.
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Jan 8, 2015 12:19
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There is only one proper way to split couples and it involves a tried and true D&D method.
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Jan 8, 2015 16:07
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Yey!!! I'm happy to see you guys up and running again! And I'm glad I could help troubleshoot some 
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Jan 8, 2015 16:19
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cigaw posted:There is only one proper way to split couples and it involves a tried and true D&D method. Let me guess... getting a character killed?
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Jan 8, 2015 18:02
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