Just saw this one.


What can I say, nature's winning this battle.

True, I did refuse the game, but if you check our exchange you'll see that I couldn't accept it as I already had it; I just hadn't updated my wishlist. And if you dig a little more, you'll also see that I accepted it as a donation to a GA I held some time afterwards.

Of course that all doesn't meant that I'm not having a bit of fun giving you a hard time. ;-P


Q1 - Endre's constantly using his telescope, no way one can get a turn. ;-)
Q2 - No fibs, the video speaks for itself; I see no clothes - do you? ;-P


And a very good night to those that left to catch some zzzzz's.

I was gifted the Baldur's Gate games recently, and I would like to play them before I consider Icewind Dale. The problem has been that with all that is going on in the real world I have not been in the mood for a game like Baldur's Gate. But hopefully once things settle down a little I can start trying some of my many unplayed games. I did consider adding Icewind Dale to my wishlist, but until I have tried Baldur's Gate and know how I like those kind of games, I wanted to leave them off, as I don't want anyone gifting me games I might not like as that would just make me feel bad that they spend their money on games I might dislike.

I'd actually consider Icewind a better opening game for that whole type than the first Baldur's Gate.
Icewind doesn't screw around, it doesn't have a meandering story like Baldur's Gate can.
Also, to me anyway, Icewind 1 is more refined than Baldur's Gate 1, so it gives a new player a smoother path to understanding the mechanics that are used in all three titles (Baldur's Gate 1, 2, and Icewind 1).

I'm going to guess that the Neverwinter titles aren't really your thing?

I have heard other say the same thing, but I would not feel right playing Icewind before I did my gifted games. I am very weird when it comes to gifts (hence my reluctance to accept any), and it would just make me feel guilty for playing other games when I have games that people kindly gifted me going unplayed.

I played the first one and didn't mind it. For me, multiplayer is usually like someone shoving a plague rat in my shorts, so I avoided all the stuff that people rave about when it comes to Neverwinter 1 and it was just the singleplayer, which was decent.
2 looks promising, but I've never been able to get it to run without it being choppy for some reason, even with a computer that should be able to do it just fine.

Not really including those in the Baldur's Gate/Icewind thing since the mechanics are all different.

Baldur's Gate 1 and Icewind 1 are the same, character-wise. Same options, same guts to it.
Baldur's Gate 2 expands on that by adding kits, ways to tweak your class, pros and cons, but the guts are also the same 2nd edition AD&D thing.
It's been forever since I played it, but I think Neverwinter is based on 3rd edition, which changed pretty much everything from the ground up so it's a whole different thing.
Also, I know that Icewind 2 is based on 3rd edition, and does it a hell of a lot better than Neverwinter in my opinion.
Really, it's just an all together better game.

Icewind 2 is a lot of fun, but for a new player, I wouldn't recommend switching back and forth because it's going to get confusing fast with all the differences.
Okay, that's understandable.

Here's my thought - People send you stuff because they like you. They send it because it's an expression that they care, they hold you in high regard, and since we're all pretty much ghosts on this format, no one's ever going to be able to help someone else move crap in the yard, or help them fix their car, or anything else that friends do for each other in a close physical space, sending games back and forth is what we've got.

It's not like someone's going to get mad at you if you don't drop everything and play what they sent right this instant.
No one's expecting you to chew through it and put a review down on a site somewhere in a timely fashion.

Example - I sent Adalia a couple things after he had specifically said that he didn't have time to get into the series because it was so huge.
So of course, my fevered brain decided to send him not one, but both games in the series as a goof.
I don't expect him to drop his life to play games. I sent them because he's a cool person.
People send stuff to you because you're a cool person. So there isn't a need for guilt.
The game's really a token, a symbol of a thought and a feeling, not something with an expectation attached.

Makes sense, not having come from an AD&D background I have no idea what the differences are between the rule versions.
This is what I meant when I said I'm pretty new to this whole thing, I played some games when I was younger but not many.
I certainly have enough games here to eventually become an expert though. :-)

That's one of the reasons why the old manuals were like miniature phone books, hundreds of pages long.
Every time, they had to explain the nuts and bolts of all the mechanics.

My advice? Go with Icewind 1 if you've got it. It starts off fast, there's not a ton of talking, it's a series of enjoyable dungeon crawls with a story that's strong enough to hold it together.

If you like it? Do Baldur's Gate 1. Slow start, lots of talking, but it's also really good.

If you're still on board after that? Baldur's Gate 2. They improve the opening, the story's continuing (and yes, you do get a real conclusion when it's all over, no cliffhanger to nowhere shit), you have people from 1 returning, you get more options for your party, and by that point you'll know how the guts work.

Beyond that, there's Icewind 2. The guts are all new, but there's a boatload more options, it still has Icewind 1's sense of speed, the story's still good.

Planescape...that's a whole other animal. It's a modified version of the stuff from 1, 2 and Icewind 1.
It has a godsdamned humongous story that's extremely good.
One potential caveat - If you're not a reader, you'd better learn to like it if you're going to do Planescape.

Neverwinter 1 always feels multiplayer-focused, since its singleplayer isn't great. But, it's not awful either.

Neverwinter 2 looks good on paper, way more options, but like I said I can never get the damned thing to run right.

And on the periphery, you've got stuff like Dragonshard (an RTS with some pretty good ideas, need to give it a full try), Demon Stone (which is a third-person hack and slash action game), and Temple of Elemental Evil (which is a turn-based tactical game that's a frigging mess of bugs unless you track down the unofficial patch for it).

I understand that, many people have said similar things to me. The strange thing is I feel the same way when I gift someone a game. I just have difficulty being on the receiving end. it's not just with games, I am like it in the real world (which makes buying presents for me on special occasions a pain). I only really feel comfortable getting gifts from my partner or my immediate family, anyone else and I just don't quite feel right. I can't really say why I am so weird about accepting gifts. I have been like it for as long as I can remember. I am so used to working and earning what I have. I would prefer people give gifts to others rather than me. That's why I was reluctant to get a public wiki, but I made the mistake of promising someone I would, and I try to keep my word.

You earn it by being a decent person in a shitty world. But I get what you're saying.

I am getting better at accepting gifts on here, but I still sometimes feel like removing my wishlist from the wiki. I don't know, I feel like by having it there I am taking advantage of people who I know have expressed an interest to gift me a game. Like I said, I can't explain it, just one of my many weird traits. :-)

-laughs- You've seen the crap I write on a daily basis. No judgments on weirdness here.

You aren't taking advantage of people. You're not a scammer.

Everyone chooses, no one's being forced to do anything.

Looking at your list, I have to admit that I get the thought of just gifting you what's left in one or two shots, no mention of it, no +1's, then you could just put "Sorry, everyone. I got everything I wanted, there's no wishlist left." -laughs-

That's also an option. Was thinking of sending you Whistleblower earlier today, but I figured you'd be uncomfortable with it and I wouldn't disrespect your wishes on the subject.

I don't think you're crazy, but I do think it'd be upsetting to you in regards to guilt. Naturally, I wouldn't do something that I know would cause you distress.

It's not that I don't absolutely appreciate the gifts, or that the gifts don't make me more happy than guilty, but I just feel like I have received enough gifts lately, and there are others who would love a gift just as much as I would. I guess if I had less of a backlog and had not received so many gifts already then I would be more open to it without feeling bad. Who knows, I will stick with the whole crazy theory and just carry on. :-)