Planescape: Torment for the first time

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Hello,

after playing trough Baldur's Gate series, on all possible and impossible ways, i decided to give it a try with Planscape: Torment. With clean install ofc, with no mods, to see how the game is supposed to be.

So i have a few questions:

1. Which official fix packs (patches) should i install? (core fixes etc.)

2. Which unofficial fix packs (patches) should i install? (core fixes etc.)

3. Will i have fun?

Tnx

 

Depends on which version you have.

If you have the two CD set, don't install any patches. Just play it as it is.

If you have the the four cd set you need this patch.

I wouldn't install any mods until you play it through at least once.

Some people love the game, some hate it. It is very plot driven.

 

Just to stress it a bit: if you have the 2-CD version, do NOT install the patch, because doing so will mess up the game quite badly.

The only unofficial patch I recommend you install (others may disagree) is Platter's fixpack (which should be on SP). It doesn't add any content, merely fixes bugs and glitches that are still there in version 1.1. Do not install any other mod. Leave all the others for a replay. If you do install Platter's fix, do NOT read the list of fixes - some of them are rather massive spoilers.

In fact, since this is your first time playing the game, I recommend you not read anything about the game (well, other than the manual), and don't read any of the other topics in this thread. The best way to enjoy the first playthrough IMO is to come to it completely unprepared, with no preconceptions. Do post your impressions here as you go

 

Resurrecting an old thread...

I tried this game out when it 1st released, but kept losing interest rapidly. After reading a lot of threads on this game, it's usually voted as THE top CRPG ever? This is making me want to give it another try. That said, with mods and patches available, would anyone recommend any of the mods? I have seen some recommendations as to go thru unmodded on the 1st run, but i have read enough on this site to feel pretty much "Spoilered" already.

 

My Fixpack also doesn't add any content, it just fixes bugs and glitches, and a lot more than Platter's Fixpack does.

Here's a link to the Readme:

http://readme.spellholdstudios.net/PSTFixpack_Readme.html


Is there a reason people on this board don't feel this qualifies as a fixpack? Or were they unaware of it?

Qwinn

 

Frankly, I have not recommended your pack simply because I haven't tried it yet. The last time I played the game was before you released it (or if you had, before I'd heard about it). I've definitely got it marked down for my next playthrough, and if I like it I'll be recommending it above Platter's.

I have to admit I'm also quite excited about trying your Restoration pack.

 

Fair enough.

At this point, I'm torn on whether to say "I hope you'll enjoy!" or "Might as well wait for version 4.0 at this point". V4.0 will probably be the last, as there really just doesn't seem to be much else to do after all that's done.

Initially I wasn't planning on releasing it till late 2009-early 2010, but scient and I have both been making decent progress on what 4.0 needs doing, so it might, just might, get released earlier.

v4.0 will include some pretty significant things, most importantly (IMO) fixing the bug where you keep getting constitution bonuses after level 10, which just results in an insane amount of hit points your party isn't supposed to have that make the late game way too easy.

Qwinn

 

yeah i've got the same problem, i dont know why i get bored so rapidly, maybe because it's more adventure like rather than a true CRPG, and also because the graphics oddly remind me of ultima 8 (which i despise)....

so i keep installing/uninstalling the game

 

Graphics remind you of Ultima 8?

Odd, I thought they looked nothing like Pagan. Then again I've spent the past 15 years trying my best to forget Pagan (I refuse to call it "Ultima")

 

I too wouldnt recommend Qwinn's mod for the first playthrough, even though it is called a "fixpack", it changes quite a lot, mostly against developer intent, and changes are not really justified.

 

well i've been playing it for quite a while now and honestly i must say i am not having fun, not at all, i almost have to force myself to complete one quest after another and its getting more and more tedious everytime

i'm still playing it to try and figure out what makes this game so special and prised among CRPG fans, many of whom consider torment as superior to BG, and quite franckly i dont see how this be true

from my point of view it's not even a CRPG, it's much more an adventure kind of game, where you gotta talk to various people in order to unlock different parts of a puzzle

but hey thats me

 

sarakov,

Don't give up on it. The Hive is indeed a bit of a slow start (though even there I like the characterization and writing), but the game improves substantially after you leave the Hive and get into the Upper and Lower Clerk's Wards, and it -really- takes off when you leave Sigil altogether.

Qwinn

 

I will go against the usual advice and recommend you stop playing. If you're not enjoying the game and are forcing yourself to play I don't think you'll see what makes it special no matter how far you get, and there's really no point in playing something you don't enjoy. PST isn't a game where we can make a list and say "you should enjoy it because this and that" (frankly I don't think any game is like this). Those of us who love the game love it because of the choices it throws at you, its story, its characters, its setting, the excellent quality of its writing and its deconstruction of almost every fantasy CRPG trope, but if none of these things appeal to you then you won't like the game. We might call you a heretic for that but we won't stone you if you stop, promise

 

I recently started playing Planescape Torment (using Quinn's fixpack and tweaks and the Gibberling Three widescreen mod), and I'm loving it!

When I first bought it years ago, I lost interest quickly. What's the difference now? With all due respect to these mods (I do appreciate them), I think it's because I read a few FAQs about character creation (only the character creation part, since I didn't want to spoil the game).

I'm playing a fighter, but this time I haven't moved strength and dexterity off the minimums. Instead, I started with a wisdom of 18, intelligence of 17, and charisma at 13. I don't know how important charisma is, but wisdom and intelligence are critical. This is not a typical RPG, and you really need conversation options.

At any rate, this has made a huge difference for me. I'm having a great time with the game. Then again, I love elaborate stories like this, and I tend to get bored rather quickly with games that are all combat. So maybe this game won't appeal to everyone. But I recommend playing to its strengths by focusing on wisdom and intelligence (at least to 18 on both).

And grab the NPCs that will join your party. They add a lot to the game.

 

Charisma gives some interesting conversation choices, but not as many as Wisdom and Intelligence, and you can boost it with the Friends spell, so a starting value of 13 is fine. I tend to leave the physical stats at low values too (maybe not as low as minimum) and then slowly raise them at level-up.

Good job on not reading more than the character creation section in the FAQ. A first time through the game when you don't know what to expect or where things are heading is much more enjoyable, and sadly you only get to experience such a playthrough once.

Glad to hear you're enjoying the game this time

 

Wisdom is definately the best place for starting points, without it the game will become a hack 'n' slash as other options just arent available to you