So, it looks like there is a community driven Icewind Dale 2 Enhanced Edition mod project that appears to be in a beta testing stage. Parts of look cool and/or could easily be ignored if you don't like them (recruitable NPCs, new spells and items). Other parts definitely reflect some of the common criticisms that I completely disagree with, personally:
This gives me the impression that this community mod is being driven by people who are trying too hard to "fix" the parts of the game that I thought were experimental/ambitious and make it unique among the (non-Planescape) Infinity Engine games. Offering alternate solutions seems fine and in the spirit of the game, but turning a lengthy dialogue driven quest into a single boss fight seems extremely misguided.
They do say that "IWD2:EE is fully customizable and the player can tweak their install to taste." So whether or not this disagreement matters at all will depend on how true that really is and how much of a hassle it is pick and choose various elements of the mod.
Also, who knows when/if it will ever be finished and get a release that doesn't require you to directly contact someone involved in the mod team, although apparently it is playable beginning to end in some state currently.
If you (or anyone else) are interested in the history of CRPGs, I'd definitely recommend the episodes of the Designer Notes podcast interviewing Josh Sawyer.
Part 1
Part 2
The final level of Dragon's Eye, Lord Pyros' Domain, is now a single boss fight rather than a series of dialog chores.
Many areas have received the same treatment, simplifying lengthy fetch quests and in some cases offering shortcuts for major plotlines. The Ice Temple and Dragon's Eye in particular are dramatically streamlined.
This gives me the impression that this community mod is being driven by people who are trying too hard to "fix" the parts of the game that I thought were experimental/ambitious and make it unique among the (non-Planescape) Infinity Engine games. Offering alternate solutions seems fine and in the spirit of the game, but turning a lengthy dialogue driven quest into a single boss fight seems extremely misguided.
They do say that "IWD2:EE is fully customizable and the player can tweak their install to taste." So whether or not this disagreement matters at all will depend on how true that really is and how much of a hassle it is pick and choose various elements of the mod.
Also, who knows when/if it will ever be finished and get a release that doesn't require you to directly contact someone involved in the mod team, although apparently it is playable beginning to end in some state currently.
That was fascinating, thanks. Can't believe how often you hear about the source code getting lost for games. I'll look into getting Icewind Dale 2 eventually. I do intend on playing the Baldur's Gate games, Icewind Dale 1, and Planescape: Torment first, though, which will hopefully set me up for a reasonable experience difficulty-wise with ID2.
If you (or anyone else) are interested in the history of CRPGs, I'd definitely recommend the episodes of the Designer Notes podcast interviewing Josh Sawyer.
Part 1
Part 2
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