Computer Game News

Baldur's Gate

The following information is snippets of news i picked up on the net...... (juicy tidbits) A maximum of six people can join a multiplayer game. If starting the game together, they each generate a new character which is one of the six in the party. If entering the game after it is already under way with less than 6 players, they may be assigned control of one or more NPCs by the player who started the game. Each player may take control of as many NPCs as they wish and may trade control of them. The players now may play the full game with their friends via LAN or the Internet with a TCP/IP connection. The lead character designates which PCs may talk at any given time to NPCs. Then, if someone has to leave, including the game host, just save the game and send the saved file (via e-mail or direct connection) to another member of the party so he can host the game. Even if you can't be there to witness the adventure, your character is put under the control of another PC.

Some pictures for u to gawk at... Baldur's Gate is set in the Forgotten Realms. This is a map of said Forgotten Realms.

Q: How far can I separate myself from my friends when playing multiplayer? A: You can go about 1 - 8x8 array of 640x480 game screens away from the rest of the party. That's how many screens are loaded into memory at one time. Q: How much will the multiplayer service cost? A: The Multiplayer service will be FREE (as it should be!), but each person will have to own a copy of the game and applicable expansion pack(s). Q: What happens when the leader of a multi-player game dies? A: If the main character dies (whether in single- or multi-player games), the game cannot continue and a saved game must be reloaded. The story revolves around a main character, THE main character. If he/she dies, the story cannot go on..

A close-up of the game play area taken from the Forgotten Realms Map. Players start thier adventures at Candlekeep.

A hybrid multiplayer version of the game is also planned for the future. Q: Can I assign hotkeys to actions? A: The hotkey system will be very unique and totally customizable. You can set up different hotkeys to perform different action with the same weapon. For example, you can have a hotkey to fire normal arrows from your bow as well as a hotkey to fire magic arrows. You can have a hotkey to throw a dagger and a different hotkey for melee with your dagger.  In addition you can set up hotkeys to cast spells. Q: What happens when a party member dies? A: When a party member (other than the leader) dies or falls unconscious, the character's body is placed into the party inventory. The body can then be transported to a place of healing (like a temple etc.). Your main character could concievably end up carrying 5 bodies if he/she was the lone survivor of a battle (not a very pleasant task).

This is a map of the '3500 above ground game sceens'.

Addressing the "triple" multi-classed characters:- Elves can choose to be a Fighter/Mage/Thief. The only Specialist Wizards that Elves can choose are: Diviner and Enchanter. A half-elf can choose to be a  Fighter/Mage/Cleric, or Fighter/Mage/Thief. The only Specialist Wizards that Half-Elves can choose are: Conjurer, Diviner, Enchanter, and Transmuter. The actions required to cast a spell are divided into three groups: verbal, somatic (gestures), and material. Each spell description lists what combination of these components is needed to cast a spell. Verbal components require the caster to speak clearly; somatic components require free gestures (thus, the caster cannot be bound or held); material components must be tossed, dropped, burned, eaten, broken, or whatever for the spell to work. While there is no specific description of the words and gestures that must be performed, the material components are listed in the spell descriptions. Some of these are common and easy to obtain. Others represent items of great value or scarcity. Whatever the component, it is automatically destroyed or lost when the spell is cast, unless the spell description specifically notes otherwise. Wow! a game that utilizes spell components!! One oft-ignored asset of both wizards and priests is magical research. While the spell lists for both groups offer a wide variety of tools and effects, the clever player character can quickly get an edge by researching his own spells. Where other spellcasters may fall quickly into tired and predictable patterns, an enterprising character can deliver sudden (and nasty) surprises! Q: Can characters cast spells while wielding weapons? A: Spell-casters will be able to cast spells while holding weapons. It is assumed that your character is smart enough to sheathe the weapon prior to casting the spell and drawing the weapon again. The catch is that it will add to your casting time to sheathe the weapon. So if your mage is wielding a quarterstaff and needs to get a Magic Missile off in a hurry...just be prepared for the delay Again, based on playtesting, the development team has changed the rules regarding Spell Books. Here's the summary: Your spellbook is not a transferable item that appears in inventory: it is part of your character and only you will be able to use it. In game reason: your spells are in your own "handwriting," uniquely your own and incomprehensible to others. Out of game reason: once one person gets a spell, everyone would have it. You will not find spellbooks on mages you defeat in the game. In game reason: You are an adventuring mage and don't know where you are going to wake up tomorrow, so you carry you spellbook with you. Many of the mages you encounter are not adventurers, so they do not need to carry their book with them. They would have a secure location to keep their book, ensuring its safety. Out of game reason: again, too convenient to get a big wack o' spells. Many mages you face may carry spell scrolls for convenience. You can take them and use them to learn spells. Unfortunately, only one use per scroll. In game reason: the scroll is used as you transcribe it into your spellbook, converting it to a form only you can understand. Out of game reason: too convenient for everyone in your party to learn all the spells.

An interesting effect of the "blur" spell Call lightning.......awesome! The fireball spell with centre target and the surrounding radius. Note that all caught in the area of affect are aflame too! Some examples of importable character bitmaps

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