Support NeoGAF

[Alexios]

That alone makes it worthwhile, then.

It's worrying if anything. Incremental improvements (like BGII) are what I'd hope for considering the solid base that's there.

Also, zooming sounds pointless, I dunno why people want it for PC. Sprites and all should be at their native resolution and then the extra display resolution used to render more of the playing area. Text of course should resize to be visible in all resolutions but yeah, what would zooming do other than look like you're stretching the sprites and the backgrounds, making them all aliased?

 

[Balphon]

BG's multiplayer was pretty horrid in both concept and execution. Not sure why they'd make it such a focal point, especially on iPad.

Still looking forward to this quite a bit, in any event.

 

[cartman414]

I don't see how a rerelease would necessarily expand the game's exposure. At the end of the day, a great deal of the mainstream Dragon Age audience seemed to be part of the console crowd, and for the most part they seemingly still haven't heard of BG. Not to mention the PC version would only be available through their not!Steam service, which is an instant cap on the exposure it might get.

 

[Emitan]

I don't see how a rerelease would necessarily expand the game's exposure. At the end of the day, a great deal of the mainstream Dragon Age audience seemed to be part of the console crowd, and for the most part they seemingly still haven't heard of BG. Not to mention the PC version would only be available through their not!Steam service, which is an instant cap on the exposure it might get.

50+ million iPads...

 

[cartman414]

50+ million iPads...

500,000+ other apps. A platform mostly known for casual games.

 

[SerArthurDayne]

A lot of different types of people when you have 50mn of them.

A lot of content for a pretty low price.

Good word of mouth from people who have played it before.

New content for people who have played it before.

PC version for those without the iPad, or for those who want both.

Relatively low investment- porting an already completed project.

 

[lostxii]

500,000+ other apps. A platform mostly known for casual games.

"Most" people with an ipad don't need to buy it for it to expand the game's exposure. In the end, even if it's not a chart topper, I'm sure it will do fine.

 

[Valnen]

HD sprites? Please?

 

[SerArthurDayne]

HD sprites? Please?

I will be the last.
You go first, and leave my sprites alone.

 

[toddhunter]

500,000+ other apps. A platform mostly known for casual games.

None of those apps are as good as BG2 and this is a platform that suits the game and genre a lot more than anything else. Calling it a 'platform for casual games' is a bit simplistic too. The xbox is mostly a platform for dancing and call of duty, but people play other things on it too...

HD sprites? Please?

Waste of time in my opinion. Already glorious and would rather resources be spent on porting other games or adding content/mods/fixing issues.

 

[SerArthurDayne]

And it's not like it wouldn't be competing with those 500,000 apps anyways. But it is a lot harder to make a sale on a platform that it doesn't exist on.

Android also might be forthcoming. Trent Oster hinted at a yet to be announced platform, and I'm not really sure what else that could be aside from Android. I am pretty sure they won't be using Steam.

 

[Valnen]

Waste of time in my opinion. Already glorious and would rather resources be spent on porting other games or adding content/mods/fixing issues.

Maybe on a monitor from 12 years ago. Will look awful on today's setups. I don't have a CRT monitor laying around.

 

[Truant]

The environments look great, they just need new sprites for the characters.

 

[Minsc]

HD sprites? Please?

The sprites become HD as you increase the resolution!

 

[Zaptruder]

50+ million iPads...

Billions of PCs.

 

[PairOfFilthySocks]

Maybe on a monitor from 12 years ago. Will look awful on today's setups. I don't have a CRT monitor laying around.

I played the game last year at 1680x1050. It was gorgeous. The engine scales according to your res.

 

[toddhunter]

Maybe on a monitor from 12 years ago. Will look awful on today's setups. I don't have a CRT monitor laying around.

Or maybe an ipad?

Either way the statement isn't correct. It isn't like it is a secret or unreleased game. You can boot it up now on today's setups. Go try it, it still looks great. I think a lot of people get confused by HD and 'modern setups'. There is wide screen support and the actual 720p and 1080p resolutions you are probably calling 'HD' are not particularly impressive compared to when the game came out.

 

[Lyonaz]

Did I just read that they also want to do Planescape after both BGs?
Fuck me, I'll support these guys! My iPad gaming becomes more awesome.

 

[zoukka]

Cool maybe people will finally move from the 3DS and Vita ghetto into the real portable gaming :b

 

[Valnen]

The sprites become HD as you increase the resolution!

Err, sprites don't work like that...

 

[Infinite_Daremo]

Err, sprites don't work like that...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcasm

 

[Zeliard]

Heh.

And yeah, Infinity Engine games still look pretty damn good.

 

[Valnen]

Heh.

And yeah, Infinity Engine games still look pretty damn good.

Well if you want them as they are, you can always get the GoG versions. Is it really too much to expect an "enhanced" version to actually be enhanced?

 

[Zeliard]

Well if you want them as they are, you can always get the GoG versions. Is it really too much to expect an "enhanced" version to actually be enhanced?

I would get the GOG versions but I already have the originals Whole lotta discs.

As far as some truly graphically "enhanced" version, you'd probably have to wait for Baldur's Gate 3 for that. It would be a pretty big undertaking to totally re-do the visuals of the original games.

And they do still hold up quite well. You should see Planescape: Torment at higher resolutions. Here's a glimpse:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/05/29/planescape-landscapes/

 

[Mandoric]

HD sprites? Please?

Didn't BG originally run in 1024x768? That's a little bit north of HD at iPad aspect ratio.

Modern "HD" really isn't anything special in terms of resolution, anyone with a decent UT99 rig was pushing it 60fps+ at 1600x1200 and that's basically 1080p.

 

[szaromir]

I don't see why all the rage about the iPad version? BG Saga is a solid 200-250h adventure, I can see the appeal of not wanting to spend that amount of time not glued to your desk. Of course Android and Windows 8 tablet version support down the line would be ideal.

 

[Cheebo]

Didn't BG originally run in 1024x768? That's a little bit north of HD at iPad aspect ratio.

Modern "HD" really isn't anything special in terms of resolution, anyone with a decent UT99 rig was pushing it 60fps+ at 1600x1200 and that's basically 1080p.

Well iPad now runs at 2048 x 1536, I don't see any reason why this should release as non-retina.

 

[charlequin]

Is it really too much to expect an "enhanced" version to actually be enhanced?

A version that runs at high and widescreen resolutions out of the box, has a redesigned UI to suit modern displays, incorporates new content, bakes in mod content without having to custom install each, carries back over the sequel's engine improvements, and runs smoothly on the latest Windows without any tweaks or third-party tools isn't enhanced to you? All of that stuff is much more valuable to me than replacing perfectly good art with pointless "improvements."

 

[Durante]

Maybe on a monitor from 12 years ago. Will look awful on today's setups. I don't have a CRT monitor laying around.

Awful?

 

[AEREC]

Didn't BG originally run in 1024x768? That's a little bit north of HD at iPad aspect ratio.

Modern "HD" really isn't anything special in terms of resolution, anyone with a decent UT99 rig was pushing it 60fps+ at 1600x1200 and that's basically 1080p.

Im pretty sure the first Baldurs Gate ran at 640x480 (maybe 800x600)...BG2 was a huge resolution improvement though when it released.

Anyways...finally got an iPad 3 in anticipation of playing this. Ive always wanted one but this game pushed me over the edge.

 

[FrontalMonk]

yeah, BG ran at 640x480, BG2 allowed 640x480 and 800x600, with higher resolutions being unsupported but there if you wanted it (I always jumped straight to 1024x768).

 

[dragonfart28]

I'd hit it on 3DS actually.

 

[Vamphuntr]

That alone makes it worthwhile, then.

Personally, I always loved the UI of BG/BGII. On the other hand, I would play 10$ for an EE of Planescape Torment with a better UI. Absolutely hate it. The wheel is always over what you are targeting and it's much slower than the UI of BG/IWD.

 

[Marco1]

Is this ipad only or will it run on iphone 4s ?
Thanks.

 

[Emitan]

Is this ipad only or will it run on iphone 4s ?
Thanks.

No way they could make BG work on a 3 inch screen.

 

[AEREC]

Is this ipad only or will it run on iphone 4s ?
Thanks.

99.9% positive it's iPad only...there's no way it would be playable on the iPhone.

 

[syko de4d]

Is this ipad only or will it run on iphone 4s ?
Thanks.

yeahe... BG on a Iphone...sounds good

Here, the Ipod Nano Version

 

[TheFightingFish]

So have we actually seen screens of the new iPad interface yet? I'm very much in the camp that thinks that the original menus would be a massive pain to deal with using a finger sized input on a 10" screen, and the initial impressions in the OP seem to bear that out. I'm just interested in how big the revamp would be done on the UI. Sizing the buttons helps, but character / enemy selection in the main screen would still be an issue, especially with tight enemy groups. Certainly not an unsolvable issue (I'm thinking you could select with a poke and drag motion to give both a location and a vector, that way if you poke in the middle of a group of four enemies and drag up and release you would target the top enemy, or drag down and release to target the bottom enemy) I'm just hoping that they are actually taking the time to do it right, as opposed to just blowing up a few buttons and calling it a day.

 

[Gunsmithx]

I believe this is new news.

Trent Oster ‏ @TrentOster Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
You asked, we announce it, #baldursgate for #OSX on the Mac. Native!

wonder if thats the last platform they announce.

 

[Minsc]

@TrentOster: Yes, it will be compatible multi-player cross-platform. We had a Mac, iPad and PC joined into a game together.

Now we're getting somewhere. I am guessing cloud save support will also allow you to jump between PC/iPad/Mac seamlessly.

 

[Sotha Sil]

Now we're getting somewhere. I am guessing cloud save support will also allow you to jump between PC/iPad/Mac seamlessly.

Great news. Can't wait to play it co-op.

 

[SerArthurDayne]

Now we're getting somewhere. I am guessing cloud save support will also allow you to jump between PC/iPad/Mac seamlessly.

If so I am sold more than I was already sold. Which is not much since I already said I was buying PC/iPad versions. But still!

 

[Gunsmithx]

Now we're getting somewhere. I am guessing cloud save support will also allow you to jump between PC/iPad/Mac seamlessly.

That would really make me consider double dipping for both PC and ipad version esp. if they are both $10. Being able to go from the couch to the bed/outside would be very nice. so far this is shaping up very nicely can't wait to see the updated UI next.

Does anyone know if that's it for platform or might we still see an android annoucment?

 

[Sentenza]

Personally, I always loved the UI of BG/BGII. On the other hand, I would play 10$ for an EE of Planescape Torment with a better UI. Absolutely hate it. The wheel is always over what you are targeting and it's much slower than the UI of BG/IWD.

I absolutely agree.
Torment Ui was supposed to be an "improved version" but it was just awful compared to BG/BG2.

 

[Saty]

"If you can connect to the App Store, then you can play BG:EE," said Beamdog COO Cameron Tofer when asked what the minimum OS X spec would be. That means so long as your computer can support Snow Leopard (10.6.6), you're set. "We will support all machine configurations." He also said the iOS version will have iCloud support and widescreen capabilities.

While some apps have Steam support and Steam play, BG:EE for the Mac will only be available for through the Apple App Store, Tofer said. And don't expect any more announcements for awhile.

"We'll be quiet for a bit," he told us.

http://www.shacknews.com/article/73076/baldurs-gate-enhanced-coming-to-mac-os-x

 

[Zeliard]

The wheel in Torment is much less of an issue at higher resolutions, since it only takes up a small amount of screen-space. I agree it's not particularly ideal but it's not as bad when it's smaller. I tend to just bind the stuff I use a lot to keys anyway. There are modifiable keyboard shortcuts for basically everything.

 

[stabwound]

Background-wise, we had hoped to get the source artwork from Bioware, but they were unable to locate the source art assets for characters or backgrounds. They communicated the assets may have been forever lost.

With rebuilding all the content not an option, we examined over-painting the existing backgrounds. We were unhappy with the cost vs the quality, so we made the decision to focus our content creation on new content and attempt procedural content filtering on the old stuff. We're still experimenting with the filtering. I have high hopes, but only time will tell.

Lol Bioware. How is that even possible? Fuck sake. That is a crying shame,

So, the original art assets are completely lost and they don't have a big enough budget to try to manipulate them without the originals.

This confirms that the visuals aren't going to be changed at all by the sounds of it. Not that the backgrounds look bad, they actually look amazing at 1920x1080, but if they could have upscaled them with the original source it could have been amazing.

 

[Eusis]

Well, it's comforting in a perverse way that bad habits like that AREN'T exclusive to Japanese developers afterall.

 

[Alexios]

Not posted yet?

Still looks the same as the original (if they're real screens).

Lol Bioware. How is that even possible?

They're old dusty and nobody cared? I doubt Square or Capcom keep the original content of their PS1 games that used pre-rendered backgrounds either...

I wonder what kind of "filters" they have in mind, I can't think of anything that would look good... Just leave everything at its native resolution, use the extra screen resolution of the given device to render more of the playing area and only increase the resolution/size of the fonts/GUI where necessary. Zooming etc are pointless to have too.

 

[Odious Tea]

iCloud save sync between iOS and OS X?

MAKE IT HAPPEN.