Falkentyne

Well,
Maybe I'm one of those noob few who have NOT played BG2 to completion. In fact, I finished BG1 a few years ago (I think back on 2001?), and I had started BG2 (never made it out of irenicus' dungeon), but my HD Crashed, so I lost all the saves, so I decided (on a new computer) to play and beat BG1+TOSC again, and then start BG2. (I think in 2003 or 2004). So I transferred my guy to BG2 and started playing in the starter dungeon again, and somewhere down the line--I don't remember how, I think while searching for some sort of guide to Icewind Dale or something (?), I stumbled on the Big Picture forums. Again I have no idea how I found (the old) forums, but it was definitely interesting.

Actually, I Think I stumbled on the big picture, when trying to search for "The Darkest Day" latest patch, and then trying to find out if I could play both SOS and TDD together, as I decided I wanted to only play through Bg2 once, and then I found out about TBP......

So here I am, playing BG2 through for the first time....and all I can say is.....WOW..are some of the fights in this game HARD. (i'm still in chapter 2, I think; I triggered the cutscene for chapter 3, but decided to go back and not decide which path I wanted yet). I have no idea what the fights were like (outside of the unmodded starter dungeon) without BP, but I am definitely enjoying myself.

sure, it seems -hard-, but that's exactly how I like my games. I want to work at my games, not blow through them in 20 hours with a party that was as invincible as your characters in Bard's Tale 1, which automatically repelled the spell of every monster in the game if your lead character was level 20 or higher.

I temporarily put BG2 on hold for a bit, while I go through icewind dale as I'm not sure if I want to wait for the final weidu of BP (which will probably make me have to start a new game again ....which I wouldn't mind IF IT WEREN'T FOR THOSE DAMN SPECTROL TROLLS IN THE NATLIA KEEP OMG Klingon Pain sticks REJOICE!!!), or simply eventually play on with the current version of BP.

I already did a couple of my own spell edits; making the Prayer and Chant spells act like they -should- act, as well as the Paladin Protection from Evil lasting 8 hours (its supposed to be an innate ability, anyway), and they took a LONG time, as I had to often edit the spell effect tables for each "spell level" your character would attain (WEAK! if there were some sort of formula for spell effect progession, instead of separate tables, it would be easier....), but anyway, the modded game is awesome.

So, it's not just the people who beat the game unmodded previously who are playing BP! Some of us got lucky enough to get BP on a new install of Bg2+TOB!

And I'm sure glad I did!

Now I just have to decide if I should wait or not wait for the final Weidu, before resuming my game. Since I'm not that far in yet...hmm....