Ok, before today I was pretty sure that there was no Baldur's Gate 3 (http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000ZUA7S/qid=1079903576/sr=1-11/ref=sr_1_0_11/702-5874600-1226424), but now I am not so sure. Any info on this?

Amazon quite often advertise products they know damn well will never be available. It keeps people checking their site regularly.

Looks a bit dubious anyway. Why only Windows 98 and ME? What about XP? And no details about the game either. If they know enough about it to quote a release date, they'd be able to give us a few details about the game itself.

Looks like another hoax.

I did some google searching. A fair number of rumours get leaked now and then by retailer EB games.

I'll admit it raises a glimmer of hope. But iirc, EB games were also the same retailer that sparked more than one rumour of Wizardry 8's imminent release, often years before the fact.
So for the time being, its still just a rumour.

Given that Wiz8 did eventually get released, EB was sort of correct in a sense. I suppose its enough to encourage me to cross my fingers ...

[ March 22, 2004, 17:03: Message edited by: Beren ]

I hope not. Interplay has a tendancy to make things suck - or fire their staff when they have two half completed games, one of them which was BG3.

I really hope they do bring out a BG 3 but with multiple storylines, that would be cool. like if near the begining they set up the game so that if you piss off a wizard the game revolves around him, or if you join the wizard you are tricked into helping him overcome elminster and rule Faerun with foul magik's.

BG3 was in development as the "Jefferson project", but it got shut down along with Black Isle. Of course, they might pick it up again at some point. Though since practically all of the original development team is gone now, I can only imagine what a mess a game made in part by one team and finished by another would be.

Wow, I almost raised my hopes there... :rolleyes:

Maybe a new topic could be "What will be the next role-playing game?"... :p

Oh well, bad acting from amazon... :mad:

No way. ToB finished BG-saga "finally" as can be. If they had to make some kind of sequel, they should make ToB a full game instead of expansion.

I really can't see them going and redoing TOB. The game's been out for 4 years.

Exactly ;)

Well, Baldurs Gate doesn't necessarily have to deal with the Bhaalspawn saga... there are at least 2 high quality Baldurs Gate games out there available for X-Boxer owners, and they deal more with the areas around and the city of Baldurs Gate itself ;)

Yeah, a third game is totally possible. New characters in a different story loosely related to the original one, or related to another Bhaalspawn that re-emerges. Could be cool. Only if it were isometric view with the same sort of interface, though. Not a big 3D fan.

We will never see another Baldur’s Gate game on the PC. The likelihood is that we will also never see an RPG that stands up to it. Sucks doesn’t it.

Sure does. But we can always hope...


Unfortunately, I imagine long before we see BG3 we'll have TOEE2. Frightening thought.

My vision for BG3 would be an Isometric Morrowind, but with more storyline holding the thing together, and no damn cliff racers around every corner.

Do you think BG3 could be released as an acceptable mod?

That'd be a nice mod... Hopefuly a add on or maybe even a TC (YAY!) for ToB... ToB, the first day I got it, I beat all of it, and the first 3 lvls of WK... Much to short...

Think about it: It could take place a genration later, you get to choose if your PC was a god or not, you could import your PC and find his(or her) items that (s)he had...

Maybe even, dare I say it: Drizzt getting good weapons!

*drools*

The possibilities for a BG3 game are endless, although I wouldn't like to play it from the part of a God. There are less roleplaying options for uber-powerful characters and roleplaying is more what this game is about than anything else.

BG3 (i.e. the Jefferson project) had nothing to do with the Bhaalspawn saga, as we've explained here about gazillion times. Still, for some reason people keep coming up with the crazy idea of it being a continuation of the Bhaalspawn saga. I'm afraid even all this wishing won't make that happen.

Isn't someone trying to convert BG2 to the IWD2 rules (3rd edition DnD)? If so, does anyone have a link to it? How's it going?

After being initially sceptical of 3ed, I now think it is awesome! What news on this mod for BG2?

You're talking about IceWind Gate which is a project being undertaken by the same guy who did Weimer's mods. As I understand it, this is still progressing but that he has been nusy with his thesis recently. This is a link that should show what it's all about:

http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~weimer/bgate/iwg2/

I imagine in 10 years time if BG3 hasn't shown up, people will still be talking about it. The people writing current drivel like TOEE ought to take a look at these boards from time to time and realise that if they *did* bring out BG3 they'd be onto a colossal money spinner, irrespective of the quality of the game.

Surely the fact that the last game in the series came out 4 years ago and yet people still show an interest in a new game indicates that BG3 is always going to be a far more popular choice than, say, NWN2 or TOEE3.

David if you feel so strongly about it perhaps you could consider sending an E-mail or letter to the person in charge of these development companies and see if they give a **** (I highly doubt it) about what the small minority of dedicated D&D and BGII fans think.

I doubt they give a **** myself. And I also doubt the guy who came up with the idea of turning TOEE into the bugfest it became would listen to reason anyway.

We will never see any Baldur's Gate games other then this ****ty HackNSlash on consoles. However, there will be better games, there has to be. Time to let this one go I think.

A BG3 will be released on the PC sooner or later, that's a no-brainer. The name's way too valuable to waste by not producing any more games with it.

Especially since Interplay has just won the rights to publish another BG game on PC from Atari...

Ah, the power of brands -what the people needs, they deliver. :rolleyes: Just imagine; "Atari" was dead just a few years ago, before Infogrames bought it. Next, EA buys "Baldur's Gate" and makes a sequel called "Medal of Honor: Assault to Baldur's Gate." :shake:

I think if there was any hope of BG3 it probably died along with Black Isle, even if they did create a BG3 they probably mess it up - and anyways, It just seems right the way it ended in ToB where could they go from there? :heh:

They could make a "Return to Baldur's Gate" similar to IWD2 revisiting many of the haunts from the original IWD game, just many years later. I'd want it to start out at 1st level anyway...

But I agree, most companies are out for the quick hits these days - Put something together shoddily (Are you listening Atari?!? (TOEE)), then move on to the next pile o' crap!

That's what made BG so great, they took their time and crafted a nice product.

Too right Sir Belisarius!
As much as i would hate to see a BG3 made just for the sake of branding it, the hope that it would happen has always been with me. Like you all said, there is no better game series!

Lethis - In terms of where could it go, i think there could be some interesting ways to interpret a continuation. ToB did end it *quite* definitively, but there are possibilities still, in my humble opinion. I mean think about a BG3 where you (A God), fight amoungst other Gods. I mean i'm sure there are gona be some other Gods' who won't be too pleased about an offspring of Bhaal assuming the throne again. So it could be you fighting against all the Gods' who wish to stop your full assention. And you could defend your throne from the likes of Cyric (Because you know he'd be milling around somwhere waiting to stab you in the back).
I think that could be quite cool. Just my most humble opinion though...

Well, it didn't end the saga *that* definetively, there are other bhaalspawn out there in the Forgotten Realms, and ideally, the new BG would focus on someone else, but it would be cool if you could import your char for a cameo appearance, like drizzt in chapter 6 of SoA.

Perhaps your character could visit Waterdeep or Icewind Dale? There are a lot of great ideas out there for the new series, and it would be stupid to let the francise die while there are still intresting concepts. How many titles were squeezed out of the Gold Box series?

Providing BG3 was good enough, it wouldn't even have to have much of a link to the first two games. And I wouldn't like to see it as a continuation of BG3 with the same characters because whether you become a God or remain mortal, you're still incredibly powerful and wielding lots of uber-powerful weapons.

Another game along the lines of BG1 with a few references to the original games thrown in for good measure would be much more preferable to 40th level characters with an array of +6 weapons duking it out with the Gods.

Of course, if BG3 ever comes around it'll more likely be a rushed effort riddled with bugs in the same way that TOEE is. Afterwards, people will wish it had never come out.

They had an article about this about 2/3 of the way down ths page
http//www.gamespot.com/all/news_6087254.html

"This page cannot be displayed"

Are you joking Stu? if this is meant to be an April fools joke you're a day too late I'm afraid :)

Stu may have meant to link to this (http://pc.ign.com/articles/502/502326p2.html) instead (2/3 of the way down).

Well I'm guessing that these quotes more or less settle it.

Our assumption is that Interplay decided that the console-based Dark Alliance games were a better investment than another Baldur's Gate RPG on the PC So even IF they make a BG 3 the only thing that will have anything in common with BG 2 is the title :rolleyes:

There are rumors that Interplay is fighting to get the Baldur's Gate PC license back from Atari, but no reason at this point to raise hopes.
What are rumors? fact, or wild assumptions which only grow more unlikely as time passes, with maybe a 5% chance at best of been true? my wager is on the latter.

Well I suppose this more or less decides it then unless by some extremly unlikley and insane possibility, that this is a set up to throw everyone off a BG/Fallout 3 sequel (probably a bad idea in any case) then I don't see any possible chance that there will be a sequel, in fact it's probably more likley to see it as a mod before an actual retail game.

Hmm...I hate to bring this up again, but I just found something at GameBanshee.
It mentions (with no details though :mad: ) both BGIII and NWN2... here. (http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/static/EplpAuAEAVQjpNloqY.php)
And on that page there's a link to here (http://www.ataricommunity.com/forums/showthread.php?s=f196998b01e1b5bdb93d59645c029156&threadid=363946) (about 1/2 way down the page).
It also hints at a new game in the Forgotten Realms...Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone.

Just noticed the news on the front page so it would seem that something might be coming up. But what's weird is that it was an ATARI guy posting it and I believe that the license for BG is in interplay's hands. Also they just discussed that there's no NWN2 in development or any thoughts on this yet.

Haven't thought much about it until today. Atari has got a really strange censoring directive. I mean, above and really askew from anything that is relgious (which I would expect). tToEE kind of made me wonder, but I was reading through the manual today, and everything just pieced together.

Honestly, I hope that Atari doesn't ever release a game with the Baldur's Gate license. Or the X-Com license.

Hopefully, Interplay still has some common sense.

If ATARI is doing BG3, could they simply be publishing the Interplay game. ie. In order to resolve the legal issues Iplay and ATARI decided to work together to the benefit of both companies, they could both stand to make a profit rather than have iplay with an already started game on the shelf. Or else it may just be some kind of a sick joke.

I don't know how so many people would think it even could be a continuing of the Bhaalspawn saga at all. The game ended with ToB, there is nothing more to it...
Since it can't be a "expansion" to the original BG games, I wouldn't like at all that they called it Baldurs Gate3 in the frist place.
They have to think of some other name imo. BG is a classical trilogy, and since this suposely new game can't deal with the same subject as the BG trilogy, I think they should think of some other name.
BG: Dark Alliance realy sucked, and I think it's a shame that the great games called Baldur's Gate, should share name with that piece of crap.

Okay Stupid Question.

If the game engine for BGI, II, ID, etc was so great and awesome.(which I agree). Why doesn't someone devise a new game, following the new rules and changes, but utilizing the same engine. If these games were so popular and made so much money for these companies. Why are these other companies putting out crap. I hear that the new Demon Stone and Demon Shard games cannot even compare. WHY? Technology and these games should be moving forward shouldn't they?

Well you have several questions in there from my view point:

1. Why don't they make a new game with the same old IE engine?

Since game technology has advanced so much, companies don't want to use an old engine for a new game, 3D is what is in now a-days. And most game companies don't really care about the players as much, just what makes them money.

PS: Demon Stone is for console, they are obviously not going to use an old PC engine for a new console game.

2. Why would a company make a crappy sequel/prequel/related title to a good game?

Atari is making BG3 just to make money. Since the series made so much money and got so popular, fans are most likely going to swarm to buy BG3. All they have to do is provide a crappy game with the BG title (or an other title of a good game) and good previews/screenshots and it will sell like crazy. It has happened many times for both games and movies. Sure, they might actually make a pretty good game (even though NWN was 3D as well and was horrible, and that Atari has a really bad history) but considering the circumstances, I doubt it.

OT
(even though NWN was 3D as well and was horrible, and that Atari has a really bad history)I don't agree with you here. Not by a long shot! the OC and the exp campaigns were not anthing to write home about. but! Aurora and online campaigns made nwn more than worth the while to me!

Tiberius:

Games like ToEE had proven that they cannot sell squat compared to the heavy 3D games...

@olimikrig: I was talking about the 3D graphics actually, since BG3 will be 3D as well (no RPGs should be 3D like NWN IMO).

I second the opinion that no RPG should be in 3D. The isometric view is the perfect view for RPG's; you can see all your party in one shot, can better position them for fights, etc.

I don't know that I'd get a new BG game anyway, even if it was isometric. The story, or at least that one that drew me in, is over. I definitely would buy it if it was isometric, a quality game and the start of a new saga, rather than just a one-off game made solely to cash in on the BG name.

Well they announced it would be 3D, but if Bioware is the developer (they have mentioned they are working on a unannounced title, for all we know it might be BG3) then it should be pretty good. NWN was mainly a solo game, so the view wasn't really made for a party.

What strikes me as odd is that they have decided to call it 'BG3', BG2 ended the series. And before BG1 the main character spent almost all his life in Candlekeep. So I'm thinking, what the heck are they going to base the story on if it is related the to Bhaalspawn series?! They could stick the BG title and make it a totaly different game, such as BG: Dark Allience was, but they did call it 'BG3'. Perhaps they haven't really come up with a real name, and just stuck the BG3 name on it for now :confused: . I doubt they are actually working on it though.

NWN was mainly a solo game, so the view wasn't really made for a party.How would you adjust a 3D view to make it more workable for a party? I don't see how it could be done and not affect gameplay. If there is a way, great, but I still think isometric is the way to go.

What strikes me as odd is that they have decided to call it 'BG3', BG2 ended the series. I think it's their way of trying to milk the name value BG has. As you rightly point out, the series ended with BG2: ToB. There is nowhere to go with it, unless they're going to use the game to tell the post-Bhaalspawn saga stories of the hero and his friends.

They mentioned it would be a prequel. Before BGI the main character spent most of his life in Candlekeep. I doubt they will make a game based on his adventures in Candlekeep, showing how he read books all the time and only being able to be level 1 :p .

I guess they could have it be about Gorion.

"Baldur's Gate" doesn't neccesarily need to imply the protagonist from the series, but rather the saga of it - my point being that Gorion played a big part in it, and there would be no reason why a game about his would not be consistant to the name (except class choice will be very, very restricted)

IMHO a story line closely linked to the Bhallspawn saga would take away too much of the intrigue and discovery that made the original series. Something more removed would be more apt imho.

It is somewhat frustrating to observe the current RPG's - nothing seems to compare with the Infinity Engine greats. The only decent "RPG's" tend to lean far too strongly action part of the equation. Not that action rpg's are bad, or don't have their place, but we have virtually no good pure, thinking-mans rpg's on the market.

If a dev team made a decent one it would sell regardless of being 3D or not -Why? because there would be no competition.

IMHO a story line closely linked to the Bhallspawn saga would take away too much of the intrigue and discovery that made the original series. Something more removed would be more apt imho.I agree. The story and saga of BG 1 and 2 is something special, and anything added to it would just spoil the beauty of it for no reason.

It is somewhat frustrating to observe the current RPG's - nothing seems to compare with the Infinity Engine greats. The only decent "RPG's" tend to lean far too strongly action part of the equation. Not that action rpg's are bad, or don't have their place, but we have virtually no good pure, thinking-mans rpg's on the market.That is a great point. I'd love to play another RPG, if only so I don't overdose on IWD/BG2 greatness, but I've seen nothing since they came out that grabs me like they have.

Maybe BG2 and the others were too good. They seem to have set a standard that no other game seems able or willing to reach.

That is exacly what Atari will do IMO, ruin a perfectly good series by sticking a crappy game with the same title in there, just to make money.

I believe Dragon Age will be able to keep up to the BG standards, it's being made by the same company after all.

It's obvious that Baldur's Gate III is going to be on sale sometime! It's just that it'll come out after all of BioWare's and Black Isle's current projects do. Try a "BGIII" Google search if you want to see proof. (I think the president of both companies said so himself!)
Like all of you said, when BGIII comes out, BioWare and Black Isle is going to make a whole lot of money! I just hope that it sticks to the 2nd edition of Dungeons and Dragons.

I hate be the guy who tells you there's no Santa Claus, Sylvanus, but Black Isle Studios went belly up about 2 years ago, and Bioware isn't involved in the project at all. And if/when it comes out, since the property is owned by Wizards of the Coast (who owns D&D), it will definitely not be 2nd edition rules. It'll be 3.5 rules, unless they take so long that 4th edition comes out and they'll use that. As far as WotC is concerned, 2nd edition is dead.

Just FYI, this is all old, old news. It's like your post got lost in a time warp from 3 years ago or something. :shake:

Welcome to SP, by the way. :wave:

Please, theres plenty of things to cover if they would release a new game. You could go to places like Thay and Kara-tur (if i spelled that right). There plenty of places to go and people to see.

@ Geist; the point is not that is no story to tell (as there are plenty of ideas, there's even great ones here on this forum), but that the chances of it being as deep, engaging and involved as BG2 are almost zero.

There has been a lot of talk about this game in this forum and I really recommend reading through as much as you can. Quite an interesting read.