A few general questions.

[TheHornedGod]

Hi there! I own an old hard copy of Baldurs Gate 2. But I do like to have my games on steam, also because they get automatically updated with the newest patch, and I do not have to put in / switch CDs. So I'd have a few questions:

(1) I see that there is now a Standard and an Enhanced edition? What are the differences? Are the differences in resolution and graphics mostly, or also in gameplay? Is it worth getting the Enhanced if I already own a standard?

(2) Regardless of the above: Am I able to get a Steam Copy of the game for free if I already own a hard coppy? Or is it possible somehow to register my hard copy on steam, so I can benefit from the things like automatic update to the newest version + do not have to put in CDs, etc.? Or would I really have to pay for the game again?

(3) If I decide to stick with my hard coppy: Where can I find the newest patch? The website which opens when I press "update" on the loading screen seems to be down.

(4) Is there (appart from this forum here) a good community website for Baldurs Gate 2?

[fauxpas]

If you already have the old games on either Steam or GoG (The "standard" being offered on Steam is news to me as I understood that was on GoG only.) and are comfortable with using the mods necessary to make them work than I'd stick with the originals. On the other hand , if you are stuck using discs and have to buy a copy I'd suggest picking up the EEs BUT subscribe to the 1.3 "Beta" which rollbacks the game to before bd lost their "curator" mandate and instead decided to mess around with the game itself. (You aren't going to miss anything important by sticking with 1.3.)


As for the actual gameplay/story the EEs are mostly untouched other than being ported over to the BG(2) engine, bd did add a few new NPCs which don't really mesh well with the original saga but are thankfully almost completely optional. (You are forced to interact with them very briefly but other than that can forget that they exist.)


Community wise, I personally like G3 http://gibberlings3.net/ although they are of course focused on modding.

[TheHornedGod]

Thanks for the answer! You are right. There is no standard version offered on steam! Also sorry for the noob question, but what is bd? I don't like messing around with mods too much. I am more the plug and play guy^^. Guess I will just see how the original runs, and if it makes troubles I go for the EE. Cheers mate!

[fauxpas]

beamdog is the company who released the EEs.

[anferFFmax]

Originally posted by fauxpas:

Community wise, I personally like G3 http://gibberlings3.net/ although they are of course focused on modding.

Do you use graphic enhancing mods, like the ones that make your toons look really badass? If so where you get them?

[fauxpas]

Sorry, never messed with the graphic changes (well other then disabling helmets) instead I focus on story/combat.


I'm sure that you know about keeper being able to change your character's sprites and I vaguely remember seeing a mod that claimed to be able to do more than keeper in that regard but never tested it.

[frdnwsm]

Beamdog also has extensive BG devoted forums, as large or larger than these.