twitch
God damn it! The wohle world is trying to load the friggin website.
It’s this: http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=3b6c0e6ef0c1deb880f420476&id=6ae2f577cd (Probably)
So what we expected in the end. An HD remake.
Sounds good to me! It’s be a while since I’ve replayed, so I’ll definitely be picking it up.
I wonder what kind of upgrades we’ll be getting.
Will it still run on D&D 2nd edition rules?
It’d be cool if you could import your previous dude. I really don’t want to go back to 4 HP. Also, casting in 2e sucks so let’s hope not. Given WotC’s involvement, it’ll probably use whatever ruleset they’re trying to sling now. 4e, maybe? I don’t know.
If they port it to 3rd or 4th edition D&D they will have to make a lot of rule changes. I don’t mind AD&D2, but please touch up on the interface and path-finding issues. That you need to gather your party before venturing forth is annoying!
How is casting in 2nd edition different from D&D 3rd? You still need to consume spell slots and memorize spells, no?
Save DCs based on spell level and casting stat and simplified and intuitive saving throw stats make a world of difference.
I have no idea. I just think that the casting in BG sucks. It was lame that a wizard could cast a few spells per day while a warrior could annihilate masses with his bow.
4th edition addresses precisely this.
All characters have abilities (or spells) that they can cast continuously without running out. For a fighter that might be a standard attack, for a spell cast it’s magic missile, etc. Then they have more powerful abilities or spells that they can only use once per encounter, followed by the most powerful abilities available only once per day.
Every few levels you get more “slots” in each category, and you get to choose from more powerful abilities per slot category.
Now I don’t remember the specifics, but a 1st lvl wizard might have magic missile as his normal attack, a globe of fire as his encounter ability, and an acid arrow as his daily.
He can use magic missile constantly, as often as he needs to. His globe of fire he can use once per encounter, but in as many encounters as he wishes, and his acid arrow only once per day.
At lvl 5 he might have magic missile and some other minor ability available to him at all times, he probably has 2 or three encounter abilities, and 2 or possibly more dailies which he probably swapped out for something more powerful than an acid arrow.
I believe there was also another category of ability cal utility? I don’t remember, but it was for spells/abilities that the player could cast between encounters. This would be your prevantitive spells, utility spells like see in the dark, etc.
They’ve said they’re sticking to 2e rules.
I don’t think they even CAN use 4e rules if they wanted to, since Atari is still squatting on the rights.
Seeing as Atari is involved in this, they very well could use 4e.
The site’s finally back up, after getting hammered by the entire intarwebs. From the horse’s mouth:
Usually Wizards fo the coasts refuses to allow old rules in new products…
But then again it’s a remake, so they might make an exception.
Much as I dislike 4e, it’s perfect for a computer based rpg.
It’s probably a lot more balanced now, but that sounds awful and same-samey. Wizards being broken should be a D&D tradition! 
Apparently one of the devs has been answering questions on Twitter (@TrentOster), and among other things has said that they’re trying to not break existing mods (it’s on the same base engine) and will be sticking to 2nd Ed rules.
Wizards of the Coast has been making an effort at luring back old-school D&D players recently (they’ve mentioned that they’re hoping to sell them on the next edition of D&D). For instance, they’re selling reproductions of the old D&D rulebooks.
I have mixed feelings about this. As pnp rules 2nd edition was good. As a set of rules for a video game, it was lousy, as everyone with a 4 hp 1 spell per day wizard will tell you.
It would have been nice to see the more video game friendly 4th edition take on the game.
Honestly, 4 hp 1 spell per day wizards sucked in pencil and paper, too, which is why that was one of the most widely house-ruled elements of the game (particularly the hit points, but the “one spell and you’re done” thing as well).
Looks like they also announced Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced edition. Just not a release window for it.
BG2 is definitely a larger game, specially with the expansion pack that concludes the series. So it probably wont be out till next year some time.
It’s certainly not an accident that low-level wizards got more and more spells over time.
E.g.:
AD&D’s Unearthed Arcana added cantrips.
2E AD&D added wizard specialists.
3E added bonus spells from high intelligence.
4E added at-will spells that never run out.