this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2025
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[–] [email protected] -3 points 17 hours ago

Isnt bg3 simplifing DND to bring it to a more mainstream audience? Players definitely do not want deepass crpgs. Crpgs go very deep.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago

Ah, so my first reaction is "what actual indie developer who knows what they're talking about excludes BG3 from AAA"?

Turns out not this one, apparently, since the creative use of quotes seems intended to obscure that "AAA schlock" is not from the dev, it's from the journalist rehashing a quote from an article about a quote from a podcast. Speaking of schlock.

Anyway, I'm on the fence about the core point. I agree on principle that "dumbed down" doesn't make things mainstream. I agree that this is a lesson the industry insists on refusing to learn, even after The Sims doulbing as architecture software, WoW casual moms playing with a dozen UI mods, Fortnite core players building gothic cathedrals in five seconds and Roblox contianing entire gamedev teams made of unpaid children.

Whatever the mainstream wants, "simple" has nothing to do with it.

Do I think BG3 means somebody should fund Pillars 3? Yeeeeah, not so sure. BG3 works because it was the literal best time to be making D&D stuff, because it had two extremely beloved brands propping it up, because it's a sequel to two extremely well received, accessible CRPGs that both did a lot better than Pillars to begin with, because they were both focused on multiplayer and free-form systems instead of straight-up literature. Nuance matters here.

And then somebody (a lot of somebodies) gave them two hundred million to make it, so it also looks at least as good as anything Bioware ever did during their heyday. That's probably why BG3 has 140K players on Steam right now and Avowed has 1K and never peaked past 10K.

There are lessons from BG I'd love to see the industry learn. I want them to learn the right ones, though, because if they go ahead and invest another nine digits on the wrong thing then we WILL actually have to wait another 30 years for another game like that.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 day ago

hasbro: so more aaa schlock and treating our players as if they're stupid it is then

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago (3 children)

If an indie studio can produce this, why not create a AA CRPG? Do you really need the third A?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

pretty sure we’re at AAAA now

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

The As represents how much the employees scream while making the game.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 day ago

Im sorry BG3 is triple A in quality they are indie since they published their own games not cause they are small or low quality. Indie just gets thrown around as most are solo devs. With digital distribution less indies have to sell out to work with big publishers to get on consoles. Honestly it's why I think AAA publishers are dying they can no longer just buy the smaller fish.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Baldurs Gate 3 is a AA CRPG tho?

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 day ago

BG3 had a budget of over 100 million and several hundred people working on it, it's well into AAA territory

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 day ago

Emphasis on the ass

[–] [email protected] 138 points 1 day ago (6 children)

Yes, Hasbro wants to make another Baldur’s Gate game that continues to “raise the bar” without Larian

Pfffffff.... Hasbro has a great reputation for being greedy as fuck, and completely deaf blind and dumb to what fans love and enjoy about established IPs. So I'm sure whatever travesty they release will be just great 👍

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I've tried to play baldur's gate 3 a few times already and every time I felt like it was a fantastical game but I always ended up not playing it for long. After the last time I started wondering why that happened and reached the conclusion that it was the D&D universe that put me off. Not necessarily because it was bad but because I knew nothing about it and the game didn't try to introduce me to it either.

So I read your comment on Hasbro as "want to make another great game but using only the bad parts of the last one"

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Even though Larian did a great job modernizing pieces, D&D 5E is just really crunchy and outdated, imo. Larian's own Divinity Original Sin 2 had a largely better combat, magic, and armor system, even if it is a slightly older title now.

Physical and magic armor, spell cooldowns (prevents spell spam and constant short and long rests), advanced elemental and cursed surfaces, and diversified healing and combat magic make characters more flexible.

5e's rest system is good for taking care of (what was) useless food in inventory, moves the story along, and provides good places for more natural relationships. D&Ds lack of flexible healing and spell slots means a lot of annoying enemy encounters, however.

I'm on my second playthrough of both titles right now. BG3's story is awesome. :)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

Optimus Prime skin on the Mother Brain.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

"raise the bar" is big Amazon language. Maybe a bunch of ex Amazon folks in Hasbro now.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago

Yeah Hasbro will just dumb it down and ruin it

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 day ago (5 children)

When they say "raise the bar" they just want to make a hornier dating sim.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago

they just want to make a hornier dating sim.

but we have two and a half studios for that

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Jokes aside, what they literally mean is "make it on a budget expect a giant revenue since people want more". And after it flops, they'll moan and whine about how customers are ruining the industry by not knowing what they want and demanding something they wont buy.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 day ago (1 children)

No, whether say "raise the bar" they mean "increase the price."

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Buy these new subclasses for just 3,99 each, or 10 bucks for the bundle with all of them! This is a limited time offer, visit the Baldurian shop to grab yours fast!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Ahh, Dungeons and Dragons: Online, my beloved

Free Lasting Potion of Jumping (+20) x5 Coupon Code: SLAMDUNK Now through April 24th!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

@[email protected] is right....I'd buy that!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

I’d probably buy it. I have no shame.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The memes should be fun tho

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago