NPCs
Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2001 6:33 pm
Does anyone else think that the NPC characters and even your responses to situation could have been better handled. I mean the interplay people have put so much energy into integrating BG1 and BG2 they could have done some to the NPC interactions better.
For example when you go to Whisphere and kill the Knights under orc illusion Anomen informs you that one of the knights, possible the leader, was Ajantis. For does of you who didn't play BG1 or don't remember, he was a NPC you could get in BG1 who wanted to you help him take out the bandits and stuff. I had him in BG1 for much of the game and liked him a lot. In his biography it said that he was mentored by Keldorn. I had Keldorn with me when I accidently killed Ajantis and his team in Winsphere. Would it have been too much to ask for Keldorn to say one line acknowledging Ajantis? I mean its not like interplay can't do complicated conversation tiggers.
Gerrick and Feldorn were two other NPCs with lousy tiggers. Both were possible NPCs in BG1, yet you couldn't even hold a conversation with Gerrick and Feldorn didn't seem to recognise you. Now a lot of people might have missed Feldorn since you couldn't get her till really late in the game but Gerrick you could get pretty early and in Trademeet you meet another Bard who had heard stories about you from Gerrick! So when you met him in front of the Most Radiant Heart trying to woe the Paladine would it have been too much trouble for the people at interplay to put in a conversation trigger that went something like,
G: Well I haven't seen you for a while. Where have you been?
PC: You know me. I like to travel. So any luck with Lady whatshername?
G: No, but who could resist the Gerrick charm for long?
the gnome in the bushes: Get over yourself pretty boy.
You know just an added bit of hilarity. Also the temple of Ogma (I don't think I spelt that right) in the dock district. One of the conversation options there is tell me a bit about Ogma. Hello, you grew up in Candlekeep I would think you would know a bit about Ogma. A better way to do it would have been to have a speech option that informed the priest that you were from Candlekeep. The Prist than said someting to that effect he would be negligent in his duty if he did not make sure that you remembered who Ogma was and quized you on who Ogma was and what he taught. It you answered correctly you got a item but if you did not you got lectured on Ogma.
They could have also let you talk to your party members like in Planescape torment. That would also be interesting.
I know most of you stopped reading a while back but lastly I would like to say that they should have had a Haer'dalis and Aerie romance regardless of whether the PC was romancing Aerie or not. That way she would whine less and have a better ending. Ah that's just my opinion. Agree or disagree I still think BG2 would have been much more interesting with some more NPC interaction.
For example when you go to Whisphere and kill the Knights under orc illusion Anomen informs you that one of the knights, possible the leader, was Ajantis. For does of you who didn't play BG1 or don't remember, he was a NPC you could get in BG1 who wanted to you help him take out the bandits and stuff. I had him in BG1 for much of the game and liked him a lot. In his biography it said that he was mentored by Keldorn. I had Keldorn with me when I accidently killed Ajantis and his team in Winsphere. Would it have been too much to ask for Keldorn to say one line acknowledging Ajantis? I mean its not like interplay can't do complicated conversation tiggers.
Gerrick and Feldorn were two other NPCs with lousy tiggers. Both were possible NPCs in BG1, yet you couldn't even hold a conversation with Gerrick and Feldorn didn't seem to recognise you. Now a lot of people might have missed Feldorn since you couldn't get her till really late in the game but Gerrick you could get pretty early and in Trademeet you meet another Bard who had heard stories about you from Gerrick! So when you met him in front of the Most Radiant Heart trying to woe the Paladine would it have been too much trouble for the people at interplay to put in a conversation trigger that went something like,
G: Well I haven't seen you for a while. Where have you been?
PC: You know me. I like to travel. So any luck with Lady whatshername?
G: No, but who could resist the Gerrick charm for long?
the gnome in the bushes: Get over yourself pretty boy.
You know just an added bit of hilarity. Also the temple of Ogma (I don't think I spelt that right) in the dock district. One of the conversation options there is tell me a bit about Ogma. Hello, you grew up in Candlekeep I would think you would know a bit about Ogma. A better way to do it would have been to have a speech option that informed the priest that you were from Candlekeep. The Prist than said someting to that effect he would be negligent in his duty if he did not make sure that you remembered who Ogma was and quized you on who Ogma was and what he taught. It you answered correctly you got a item but if you did not you got lectured on Ogma.
They could have also let you talk to your party members like in Planescape torment. That would also be interesting.
I know most of you stopped reading a while back but lastly I would like to say that they should have had a Haer'dalis and Aerie romance regardless of whether the PC was romancing Aerie or not. That way she would whine less and have a better ending. Ah that's just my opinion. Agree or disagree I still think BG2 would have been much more interesting with some more NPC interaction.
In several dialogues (especially romance), an explicit check is done to see if the (potential) talker isn't asleep.