Hrrmph. Like the OP, I've given this another chance to see if I can get into it (also because I probably will buy BG3 when it's finished, and I might as well finish this game, as their last big effort). As someone who enjoyed DOS, I've tried (like Porky) to get into this a few times, to the point that Fort Joy became so tiresome that I didn't try it again for along time. But I recently thought maybe one of the overhaul mods might get me into it - I hate the armor system and the combat generally always felt un-flowing, so I definitely don't like the game exactly as the developers envisioned it, but maybe the other parts of the game might be able to shine if I can find a mod that makes the combat tolerable.
And indeed, Divinity Unleashed does in fact make the combat more tolerable, by (among many other things) changing the 2 armors from what were effectively extra health bars you had to tediously pummel through, into resistance armors. This makes combat flow better to some extent, but I think the classes would have to be redesigned to really accommodate it properly. The other huge overhaul mod, Epic Encounters, does redesign the classes to accommodate its tweaks, so that's probably better. And there's another big overhaul mod that's newer that seems to completely change the classes and gameplay (Conflux or something). But at this point I've done enough modding and just want to play the game.
So with DU, I'm having a better time with the game this time round. Marginally. At least to the point that I want to get past fucking Fort Joy and the initial environs, and I haven't yet lost the will to live. But I still agree with Porky's assessments (apart from his retarded complaints about the camera, fucking isometricist luddites
). There's something just tacky about the way the combat looks and feels, tacky and overblown. Like those goofy stances characters get into to do their abilities, and the annoying sound fx and the obscuring special fx. Tacky and unconnected, disjointed. Really hard to put my finger on it mechanically or in terms of what's wrong with the design, but those are the "feel" words that come to mind. And the tone is really off. Where with DOS the dumb Larian humour somehow worked, with this game the tone is all over the place, with truly grisly shit and the better, more grimdark aspects of the story being treated lightheartedly sometimes, not at other times. It's strange.
Just on the "obscuring special fx" point, it was interesting to note the difference between Deadfire (which I'm having an enjoyable playthrough of simultaneously) and this. With Deadfire, Obsidian clearly took note of the complaints about visual soup from the first game, and it has to be said they did a wonderful job of balancing having spectacular, pretty fx while still having everything be visually readable. By contrast, this is just a visual mess. I hate that retarded outlining they have in many of these games, but this game really needs it, there's so much obscuring crap on screen.
I should say though that there's a mod to give Buddy and Emmie (the sad dog story) a happy ending, and that's what I'm currently obsessed with (some sort of item that you have to make and charge with Source) 
And indeed, Divinity Unleashed does in fact make the combat more tolerable, by (among many other things) changing the 2 armors from what were effectively extra health bars you had to tediously pummel through, into resistance armors. This makes combat flow better to some extent, but I think the classes would have to be redesigned to really accommodate it properly. The other huge overhaul mod, Epic Encounters, does redesign the classes to accommodate its tweaks, so that's probably better. And there's another big overhaul mod that's newer that seems to completely change the classes and gameplay (Conflux or something). But at this point I've done enough modding and just want to play the game.
So with DU, I'm having a better time with the game this time round. Marginally. At least to the point that I want to get past fucking Fort Joy and the initial environs, and I haven't yet lost the will to live. But I still agree with Porky's assessments (apart from his retarded complaints about the camera, fucking isometricist luddites
). There's something just tacky about the way the combat looks and feels, tacky and overblown. Like those goofy stances characters get into to do their abilities, and the annoying sound fx and the obscuring special fx. Tacky and unconnected, disjointed. Really hard to put my finger on it mechanically or in terms of what's wrong with the design, but those are the "feel" words that come to mind. And the tone is really off. Where with DOS the dumb Larian humour somehow worked, with this game the tone is all over the place, with truly grisly shit and the better, more grimdark aspects of the story being treated lightheartedly sometimes, not at other times. It's strange.Just on the "obscuring special fx" point, it was interesting to note the difference between Deadfire (which I'm having an enjoyable playthrough of simultaneously) and this. With Deadfire, Obsidian clearly took note of the complaints about visual soup from the first game, and it has to be said they did a wonderful job of balancing having spectacular, pretty fx while still having everything be visually readable. By contrast, this is just a visual mess. I hate that retarded outlining they have in many of these games, but this game really needs it, there's so much obscuring crap on screen.
I should say though that there's a mod to give Buddy and Emmie (the sad dog story) a happy ending, and that's what I'm currently obsessed with (some sort of item that you have to make and charge with Source)
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