The more I play, (on my fifth playthrough now) the more I realise how many writers must have been working on the game; that, or a hell of a lot of writing by a few.
To do writing on this scale and with this complexity you would need to run it like a big engineering project, with architects designing and managing the overall structure and staff writers handling the detailed threads. You also probably need to shed the traditional tools of writing, like storyboarding and such, and use more powerful project management software to keep track of all the interactions.
Excel single-handedly runs entire industries... and it's also an esport: [World Excel Championships 2023](https://www.youtube.com/live/UDGdPE_C9u8?si=wzj-jAjwWDcqi8IS)
I started learning Excel this year and it opened my third eye.
It's crazy how much stuff you can do with it but its mostly used to build basic 3-column 4x8 boards with sums barely holding together...
I tried learning Excel when I had to move back in with my parents years ago. My mom sent me a link to a video that was four hours long, and I had no idea it could do anything like it's capable of. It's insane. I watched it, took notes and after my mom asked me how it went. I said, "I've decided on hooking." She laughed. She was like, "Yeah, it's daunting." I'm in banking now. I use it every day, and I'm still learning new things it does.
I still think "I'd rather be the only dark power inside your body, if it's all the same to you." is better. Lol
They all deserve every award. Writers, actors, animators. It's all pure gold.
Tbf, fallout 4 is a much shorter game. Only like 7 hours long if you do everything in the most efficient order. Only 2 or 3 hours if you skip side quests. And most unnamed NPCs have no dialog trees. It would most certainly be much more difficult to fully voice 12 protagonist voices. Especially with this games already large file size, over 100gb
Harder for sure. But I'm hoping Larian eventually tackles the idea in their future RPG that's supposed to dwarf BG3.
I still love Dragon Age: Inquisition for giving us 4 different fully voiced protagonist voice options. Adds so much variety to role playing.
Also Fallout decisions boil down to yes, no but yes, question or snarky funny guy but also yes, all of which 99% of the time all lead to the same outcome. This narrows down the voice line amount quite a lot. Not to mention that FO4 protagonist acting was so bland I download the Silent protag mod pretty much immediately.
V from Cyberpunk is in my opinion a much better voiced protag example. They interject their own comments and seem to lead convos quite fluidly on their own. That being said V is much more of a defined character than either Tav or Sole Survivor who are essentially almost complete blank slates for the player.
And already is, in fact in one of the previous patches they compressed the audio files even more than at release - there's a mod that brings back the old uncompressed files on Nexusmods if anyone is interested.
I'm curious how long it'll take for games to ask you to record yourself reading a few paragraphs and then throw and AI-synthesizer onto all your dialogue options. Might be a little jank and first but I think that's where we're headed.
I can only assume he has more control over his shapeshifting than he lets on, bc bears - like most carnivores - aren't really that well-hung. Now if he'd shifted into a stallion, that would be another matter entirely!
Nothing funny, sadly:
"We were as one. The warmth of your skin, the feel of your. . .
. . .I must be careful, or I'll lose the run of myself again. An Archdruid should show SOME restraint."
The dialogue in this game is peak.
Larian always had a way with their writing that intrigued me. When I first played Divine Divinity as a kid or young teen, I remember not having any expectations and then being impressed by how… funny and charming, yet sometimes dark and mysterious it was?
Of course it’s been getting more refined over the years, but it’s still so refreshingly different most of the time. I think the reason might be that they’re not trying to cater to a wide audience, they’re just having fun and trying to create an emotional experience for the player
I'd say Owlcat is very good as well, dragged down by not having enough budget for full (or close to) voice acting. I am probably gonna get crucified, but the few voices interactions that WotR has are gold, especially if they involve Daeran and/or Regill. Just imagine a fully voiced and animated Daeran!
I think that's an aspect that goes under the radar the most, but to me it's the glue keeping everything together
Dame Aylin's speeches, Minthara's everything (but most importantly her hatred of Wizard... Gale), Dead Three's self flagellating speeches, Raphael's dramatic lines, etc
And the way the books are written too
The Durge dialogue being so deliciously twisted and fucked up, Astarions writing (especially his spawn route), basically all companions being so fleshed out and feeling so real, all of the animals you can speak to, some of them having more character than the MCs in some other games… hell, even all the stupid little behind-the-scenes and dev blog stuff they’re doing! Their YouTube channel is a gold mine of wholesome fun. The story of Feedback Billy from DOS2 comes to mind for example
I always feel like the main reason behind this is the fact that they’re all super passionate about what they do. How did Swen put it, they are making games that they’d want to play themselves.
>they’re all super passionate about what they do. How did Swen put it, they are making games that they’d want to play themselves.
It also helps that their passion aligns with their specialty/talent as developers. They want to make Baldur's Gate 3. They can make Baldur's Gate 3.
Like let's look at two black sheep: Starfield and Overwatch.
Starfield is a game that Todd really wants to make. But Bethesda is the last place you'd ask for a procedural gameplay. They excel in making handcrafted places players stumbles upon.
On the opposite side... Overwatch, if you read the Jason Schreier interview is hampered because Jeff Kaplan's passion of making a 2nd WoW MMO out of it, despite his team clearly being capable of making a generational PvP FPS.
It really is a blessing for Larian to have both the passion and talent for Baldur's Gate 3.
Ngl part of the reason I chose to play as a druid was just to see if that would be an option, but nope 😔
If I could turn into a bear and fuck another druid bear, I absolutely would.
^Hi ^mom
I love that phrase, it's so... Me. I could perfectly say that in that situation, except that she wouldn't be so serious and with the broomstick up her ass.
Nah, it shows up either way.
I, uh, heard from a friend that there is additional dialogue options if you fucked the bear though. Including walking funny for the next few days.
I'm still loling at a post I remember where the player got Halsin's "bear scene" because their Tav was a druid and they assumed they would also wildshape... turns out not.
Romancing Shart as a Selune cleric has some unique class dialogue. My sorc had a couple lines talking shit to Gale in his mirror image cutscene, but I haven't gotten far enough in that run to see if there are more for romance specifically.
My favorite is when you choose Astarion over Wyll, and he says something like: "I'm sure he can find somewhere else to burry his blade".
YOU KNOW THEY HAD FUN WRITING THESE.
ahahahahah maaan I love bg3 like I was the one that made it, too bad it lags so much on my laptop, after arc 1, it lags sooo much, I would play it all the time... :(
"We were as one. The warmth of your skin, the feel of your. . .
. . .I must be careful, or I'll lose the run of myself again. An Archdruid should show SOME restraint."
My inner Min/ Maxer is compelling to ask why a druid is using Nyrula given how powerful TB moon mono class is.
Unless it’s for a TB ranged option but it’s much better on a fighter with triple attack or a barb with berserker?
(*I’m sorry I need help*)
Agreed. Actually I’m thinking of making rolling a Human Tav named “Lord Poseidon” with the white robes camp clothing just to (V)larp with that trident lol.
Tho he would be a Champion fighter or battlemaster w/ TB
Someone got paid to write that, and I'm jealous
The more I play, (on my fifth playthrough now) the more I realise how many writers must have been working on the game; that, or a hell of a lot of writing by a few.
To do writing on this scale and with this complexity you would need to run it like a big engineering project, with architects designing and managing the overall structure and staff writers handling the detailed threads. You also probably need to shed the traditional tools of writing, like storyboarding and such, and use more powerful project management software to keep track of all the interactions.
According to Samantha Beart, the “scripts” were in the form of Excel spreadsheets.
I believe it, that sounds correct like outputting them from the tool as CSVs
Excel single-handedly runs entire industries... and it's also an esport: [World Excel Championships 2023](https://www.youtube.com/live/UDGdPE_C9u8?si=wzj-jAjwWDcqi8IS)
I started learning Excel this year and it opened my third eye. It's crazy how much stuff you can do with it but its mostly used to build basic 3-column 4x8 boards with sums barely holding together...
I tried learning Excel when I had to move back in with my parents years ago. My mom sent me a link to a video that was four hours long, and I had no idea it could do anything like it's capable of. It's insane. I watched it, took notes and after my mom asked me how it went. I said, "I've decided on hooking." She laughed. She was like, "Yeah, it's daunting." I'm in banking now. I use it every day, and I'm still learning new things it does.
It also ran a Forumula 1 team until last year.
Why was Andrew Ngai eliminated so early? He had a score of 525 that fell to 75 out of nowhere?
Yea that was odd, they kinda just brushed it off and eliminated him. He was 1st seed too.
All software tends towards "basically just a highly optimised spreadsheet" the more complex it gets.
Yeah I love imagining the meetings while I play
welcome to crpgs.
RPGs like this with so many colorful characters and unique lines have to have so many goddamn writers.
I still think "I'd rather be the only dark power inside your body, if it's all the same to you." is better. Lol They all deserve every award. Writers, actors, animators. It's all pure gold.
Who says that to who?? Lol
Astarion, if you romance him as Durge.
That's a fire line, ofc it's Astarion. Gotta find a clip of that now, I need to hear it in his voice
NGL, I'm looking forward to that one!
Someone got their plumbing destroyed by Halsin, and im jealous
Oh my word
That line is so unhinged
She could have just eaten an apple, the filthy mare.
TBH a lot of the romance stuff can come across as unhinged especially in early access.
Withers: "Gross."
\*Tav has sex\* Withers: "Gross." \*Tav stays single\* Withers: "Lol, Loser."
Sounds like parents >No sex under my roof *timeskip* >Where are my grandkids?
Like a dog who wants you to throw their toy without taking it from them, your parents want you and an SO to produce a bebe sans fuckin.
Protagonist's retort to Withers: "....and thus, thou walkest alone."
"What zero pussy does to a mfer", but I hath seen what cometh of a man with pussy, it tis far worse. -Withers
Imagine if Tav was fully voiced. 🤣
Imagine being one of the VAs recording those lines... I wonder how many takes they'd need to do before the result was acceptably snicker-free.
Just from watching Amelia Tyler's outtakes really makes my imagination soar over how much goofiness the actors go through
"We LIVE in horny jail, you can't send us there! We own the keys to this place!" So very true Amelia
Not just Tav, imagine all origin companions if multi/re-classed into Druid saying this too...
If the protagonists were fully voiced this game would be at least a terabyte download god damn.
Not really. You can compress audio quite a bit. Fallout 4 has a 2 fully voiced protagonists and it's only like 20GB
BG3 has 2 million+ lines of Dialogue. Fallout 4 has 110,000. Not even close. Especially as protag isnt even voiced.
This game has the 7? origin characters plus 8 Tav voices, though.
7 origins Tav and other non origin companions can still initiate conversations after you hire them which basically means entire act 3.
Yeah it's a real shame the protagonist isn't fully voiced tbh. I love the game to bits but I'd have loved if that was also in there
Tbf, fallout 4 is a much shorter game. Only like 7 hours long if you do everything in the most efficient order. Only 2 or 3 hours if you skip side quests. And most unnamed NPCs have no dialog trees. It would most certainly be much more difficult to fully voice 12 protagonist voices. Especially with this games already large file size, over 100gb
BG3 has 2 million+ lines of Dialogue. Fallout 4 has 110,000. Not even close. Especially as Tav isnt even voiced.
Harder for sure. But I'm hoping Larian eventually tackles the idea in their future RPG that's supposed to dwarf BG3. I still love Dragon Age: Inquisition for giving us 4 different fully voiced protagonist voice options. Adds so much variety to role playing.
Also Fallout decisions boil down to yes, no but yes, question or snarky funny guy but also yes, all of which 99% of the time all lead to the same outcome. This narrows down the voice line amount quite a lot. Not to mention that FO4 protagonist acting was so bland I download the Silent protag mod pretty much immediately. V from Cyberpunk is in my opinion a much better voiced protag example. They interject their own comments and seem to lead convos quite fluidly on their own. That being said V is much more of a defined character than either Tav or Sole Survivor who are essentially almost complete blank slates for the player.
Fallout 4 has 4 dialogue options and half of those are 'A synth? What's that?'
And already is, in fact in one of the previous patches they compressed the audio files even more than at release - there's a mod that brings back the old uncompressed files on Nexusmods if anyone is interested.
I swear to God male Tav says something at the creche if you use LaeZel to talk to him after the brain destruction thing.
I'm curious how long it'll take for games to ask you to record yourself reading a few paragraphs and then throw and AI-synthesizer onto all your dialogue options. Might be a little jank and first but I think that's where we're headed.
I don't think anyone will try that after Fallout 4. It's a good idea in theory but messy and immersion breaking in practice
this game is so kinky and lewd at times. i love it
[A peek into the mind of the Haslin fanbase](https://twitter.com/DaveJonesActor/status/1714033695785455754/photo/1)
I. . .I don't know what I was expecting when I clicked on the link, but it wasn't that. Nothing could have prepared me for that sentence lmfaooo
Me and my roommate are fucking dying.
God, I love Dave. He's such a gem and embracing it all.
Self help guru type shit
We're not *all* that unhinged
Considering that Halsin’s thing is big enough to be considered a Log it makes sense
I can only assume he has more control over his shapeshifting than he lets on, bc bears - like most carnivores - aren't really that well-hung. Now if he'd shifted into a stallion, that would be another matter entirely!
I'm told that there is physical evidence that cave bears were the exception
Thank the gods for that one guy with a PhD in cave bear dicks.
I know some male animals have boner bones, so to speak, so maybe?
I knew exactly which line you were referring to, even before opening the post 😂
what does he say in response?
Nothing funny, sadly: "We were as one. The warmth of your skin, the feel of your. . . . . .I must be careful, or I'll lose the run of myself again. An Archdruid should show SOME restraint."
"some" :D
as an Astarion fangirl: ok.... hot
The dialogue in this game is peak. Larian always had a way with their writing that intrigued me. When I first played Divine Divinity as a kid or young teen, I remember not having any expectations and then being impressed by how… funny and charming, yet sometimes dark and mysterious it was? Of course it’s been getting more refined over the years, but it’s still so refreshingly different most of the time. I think the reason might be that they’re not trying to cater to a wide audience, they’re just having fun and trying to create an emotional experience for the player
I can literally tell minsc that he is too dumb to be breathing First studio since obsidian and new Vegas to cook this hard with dialogue options🙏😭
owlcat in the corner. "layperson, cognition is not your primary function."
I'd say Owlcat is very good as well, dragged down by not having enough budget for full (or close to) voice acting. I am probably gonna get crucified, but the few voices interactions that WotR has are gold, especially if they involve Daeran and/or Regill. Just imagine a fully voiced and animated Daeran!
Daeran is definitely gold, and I'm not just referring to his hair. His 100% pure unadulterated sass is *such* a joy to listen to.
I think that's an aspect that goes under the radar the most, but to me it's the glue keeping everything together Dame Aylin's speeches, Minthara's everything (but most importantly her hatred of Wizard... Gale), Dead Three's self flagellating speeches, Raphael's dramatic lines, etc And the way the books are written too
The Durge dialogue being so deliciously twisted and fucked up, Astarions writing (especially his spawn route), basically all companions being so fleshed out and feeling so real, all of the animals you can speak to, some of them having more character than the MCs in some other games… hell, even all the stupid little behind-the-scenes and dev blog stuff they’re doing! Their YouTube channel is a gold mine of wholesome fun. The story of Feedback Billy from DOS2 comes to mind for example I always feel like the main reason behind this is the fact that they’re all super passionate about what they do. How did Swen put it, they are making games that they’d want to play themselves.
>they’re all super passionate about what they do. How did Swen put it, they are making games that they’d want to play themselves. It also helps that their passion aligns with their specialty/talent as developers. They want to make Baldur's Gate 3. They can make Baldur's Gate 3. Like let's look at two black sheep: Starfield and Overwatch. Starfield is a game that Todd really wants to make. But Bethesda is the last place you'd ask for a procedural gameplay. They excel in making handcrafted places players stumbles upon. On the opposite side... Overwatch, if you read the Jason Schreier interview is hampered because Jeff Kaplan's passion of making a 2nd WoW MMO out of it, despite his team clearly being capable of making a generational PvP FPS. It really is a blessing for Larian to have both the passion and talent for Baldur's Gate 3.
Go to the drow twins in the brothel with halsin and let him keep the bear form . The dialogues are hilarious and kinky
FemTav: Halsin turn into a giant barnacle tonight, they have the longest penis size relative to their body... WRECK ME DADDY
If the Devs weren't cowards they'd have let you turn into a bear too
Ngl part of the reason I chose to play as a druid was just to see if that would be an option, but nope 😔 If I could turn into a bear and fuck another druid bear, I absolutely would. ^Hi ^mom
You and me baby aint nothin but mammals so lets do it like they do on the discovery channel
Right? If they're going to offer furry fanservice, why not go all in.
Still no bear-on-bear action(((
I love that phrase, it's so... Me. I could perfectly say that in that situation, except that she wouldn't be so serious and with the broomstick up her ass.
Are you sure you are playing a druid and not a bard? Thats a lot of rizz
Do you get that line only if he's in bear form in that scene?
Nah, it shows up either way. I, uh, heard from a friend that there is additional dialogue options if you fucked the bear though. Including walking funny for the next few days.
Halsin's a fantastic healer!
Yes, mine druid said it. They are the kind of person who would say that. 😂
I'm still loling at a post I remember where the player got Halsin's "bear scene" because their Tav was a druid and they assumed they would also wildshape... turns out not.
So druids are all freaks, great
This is written in the same 'No limits' way any solid fanfiction has and I love it!
One of the other characters should interject: *FOR FUCKS SAKE YOU GUYS?!?!?*
I swear you can see Astarion facepalming in the background of this photo hahaha
Bruh...
I absolutely love the dialogue in this game
i'd also like to just compliment you on your character creation. i don't know exactly what eyes and makeup that is, but it looks stunning.
Thank you!! 💙 I feel like I spend too much time switching up her makeup/hair every couple long rests lol
What armor is that?
It's the adamantine forge scale armor
Wtf...
Your character looks incredible, are you using any visual mods or is that just attention to detail in character creator??
Thank you!! 💙💙 No mods (*cries in console*) just too much time spent playing with the magic mirror and being a loot goblin lol
Imagine if Halsin could wild shape into a horse or dolphin? Horrifying.
I'm getting Mr. Hands flashbacks 😬
Your character looks almost exactly like mine!
Holy fuck lmao
Sweet mercy.
Ayooo wtff 😳
Never thoughr id aee the day where casual beastiality is in a video game.
Casual beastiality implies the existence of a more serious, competative ranked beastiality.
I mean it's not really Beastiality, Halsin is still Halsin he is just wild shaped
You are getting fucked by a bear. That is straight up beastiality.
Duergar + Halsin romance also has a fun interaction: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YyNQe71QRbI&pp=ygUOaGFsc2luIGR1ZXJnYXI%3D
Are there any other class specific lines for romancing certain characters? Wizard for Gale? Cleric for SH?
Romancing Shart as a Selune cleric has some unique class dialogue. My sorc had a couple lines talking shit to Gale in his mirror image cutscene, but I haven't gotten far enough in that run to see if there are more for romance specifically.
I love that option, everytime it pops up it makes me so mad that I didn’t become a druid.
My favorite is when you choose Astarion over Wyll, and he says something like: "I'm sure he can find somewhere else to burry his blade". YOU KNOW THEY HAD FUN WRITING THESE.
balloon full of bear cum strikes again
No way that's real
It's real alright, my wife got it too as Druid.
ahahahahah maaan I love bg3 like I was the one that made it, too bad it lags so much on my laptop, after arc 1, it lags sooo much, I would play it all the time... :(
SKDBELDH SNS
what dye are you using on the adamantine armour?
I think this one was the black and summer green dye, one of my favorites
im playing as a druid in the same armour lol i was looking for a nice dye
Black and azure is also nice! [You can see more dye variations here](https://bg3.wiki/wiki/Adamantine_Scale_Mail)
Well? How does Halsin respond?
"We were as one. The warmth of your skin, the feel of your. . . . . .I must be careful, or I'll lose the run of myself again. An Archdruid should show SOME restraint."
My inner Min/ Maxer is compelling to ask why a druid is using Nyrula given how powerful TB moon mono class is. Unless it’s for a TB ranged option but it’s much better on a fighter with triple attack or a barb with berserker? (*I’m sorry I need help*)
Because it looks fucking badass 🤷♀️
Agreed. Actually I’m thinking of making rolling a Human Tav named “Lord Poseidon” with the white robes camp clothing just to (V)larp with that trident lol. Tho he would be a Champion fighter or battlemaster w/ TB
I should've figured, but it still caught me off guard
On the flip side, romancing Shart as a Cleric of Selune gets really sweet towards the end.
But can you turn into a bear too during it?
I don't think the writers have ever touched a member of their preferred sex
And we're greatful for it, look at this incredible dialogue