This post is especially for Volly who doesn't like the codex glossing over MotB.
I actually wanted to wait until I had finished the game before posting something like this but I'm not in the mood to do anything else right now. I'll try to mark all spoilers, seeing how inconsiderate many posters here have been.
DISCLAIMER: This is all IMHO. I tend to notice more things that I dislike than things that I like. Don't be fooled by this, I still liked MoTB quite well. You won't find much meantioning of story. If I want a good story I'll read a book.
MotB pros and cons:
Cons:
1. It is "another" D&D title. I'd really like somthing else for a change.
2. It uses the D&D rule-system. While 3.5 edition is a vast improvement over 2nd ed I still dislike many parts of those rules.
3. It is D&D but not turn based thus eliminating all the fun I can have with D&D.
4. The influence system is even shittier than before. Repeatedly saving their lives doesn't improve your companions disposition towards you but some dialogue options do. It is not as bad as NWN2OC or the KotORs but it is still your companions who influence you and not the other way around. (SPOILAR: Especially crappy are the boni you get from your companions when they like you enough.)
5. Loading screens, loading screens, loading screens, loading ... you get the gist.
6. Spoilar: The spirit meter. While I like the idea, the implemation is flawed on many levels: Suppressing because you don't want to be ruled by some affliction that will ultimately kill you is neither good nor lawful. Continually being spammed with GL points is not good. I even had the option to say why i suppress, which gave me one point to chaotic
Roshan meantioned what would have improved the spirit meter. A bigger decrease for resting/travelling, no alignement changes outside of dialogue. Suppressing should leave you weaker. So by suppressing you'd get some (small) penalties. As it is I've only reached the first stage of hunger once by choosing what should have been the more difficult path. Restful dead is a free devour spirit for goody two shoes, doesn't make sense as an ability gained by the curse and should be completely removed.
7. The game engine is crap. I have a e6600 + 8800 gts. I'd expect an engine that is older than my system to run smoothely with everything maxed out. As it is I don't have everything maxed out and still the game tends to behave sluggish.
8. Scripting: If a modder can come up with good scripts why can't obsidian? Their companion scripts aren't even on par with the last NWN add-on. This really shows where the priorities lie.
9. The camera in close-up dialogue is crap. I don't know if it is because I play a dwarf but the angle is always wrong and there is always at least one companion standing in the way.
10. The game is still far too easy. The starting dungeon had me fooled for a while but as soon as the fat loot started flowing in + far too powerful crafting it has become a cakewalk. Since companions cannot die you don't have to care for them. Fully buffed I haven't met anything that could have taken down one of my companions, much less me. Also a certain animal cave that has been meantioned around here as being difficult was in fact a stroll in the park. Just because something has 600 hit points doesn't make it hard to beat. Spoiler: I fought the second round in the berserker lodge unbuffed. Sergej was the only one even able to hit me. And while that was a hit for 80 hit points I beat him black and blue before he could hit a second time.
11. I dislike the crafting system. It should be like in ToEE.
12. I dislike the spell effects. They slow down my system (which they shouldn't) and clutter the screen.
13. (Spoiler) The Academy: I don't mind puzzles but the whole soul reading device thingy was dumb. Far too many clicks were involved to read those souls. They simply should have given the pc the ability to gain information from them. Also having three separate areas for the academy is stupid design. The puzzles weren't so easily solved that you only had to visit one area once or twice. A lot of backtracking over load screens is bad, mmmkay.
14. Spoilar: "Kelemvor is the god of the dead. Before him came Cyric and Myrkul."
Two dialogue options later:
[Lore] Kelemvor? You mean the god of the dead, right? (Look at me, I passed my lore check. Amn't I inteligeny???)
Things like that lore check happened far too often. (Especially in tha context.) Skill checks are nice, but not when something like that happens. I also knew who the founder would be, what my curse had to do with the betrayer and who my "brother" was. Still, when I met the founder, I had to ask everything again. If I had to rate my intelligence on a D&D scale it'd be somewhere around 12-13. My pc has 17. I don't like feeling more intelligent than my pc. Same goes for that Ashenwood fort. I knew were it was going and I couldn't change the course.
15. Fighting gnolls, animals or students that have been bumped up to epic levels is stupid. I'd rather have less fights. But those should be with enemies that make sense to pose a challenge.
16. Too many autosaves, especially in the plane of shadows. I load a quicksave and the first thing that happens is an autosave. wtf?
17. Coming out of certain conversation unbuffed for no apparent reason.
18. Spoiler: Arriving at Academy unbuffed. I can pass hundrets of portals without that having any consequences on my buffs (perma haste ftw
) but as soon as I go to Thay everything is gone
Pros:
1. I really like the idea of the spirit meter. It gives a sense of urgency and a new dimension to the game.
2. Less companions, no companion roster. Now just implement death and exp gain separate from your pc's.
3. I really liked the dream puzzles.
4. One-From-Many sounds fun, although I didn't get him (it, them?).
5. Companions are less cliché. I didn't mind Khelgar but Bishop and Quara were so extreme that it made them very one-dimensional and unbelievable for me.
6. In the very beginning there is some interesting combat.
7. I guess a second playthrough with some different choices would have some different consequences *g*
8. They at least cut some of the sensless multiple dialogue options that lead to the same result anyway.
There Volly, I hope that isn't too glossed over for you anymore.
I'm sure I forgat some things but what the heck...
EDIT: New point to 10. and added 17. and 18.
