Bode’s Gate Series

Baldur’s Gate is a highly influential role-playing game series, and here is some key information about the series:

1. Game setting:
   • World setting: The game’s world is set in the Forgotten Realms, a famous combat module from the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. ‘The Forgotten Realms is a vast, detailed, and imaginative fantasy world, rich in history, mythology, geography, and culture. The world is set on a planet called ‘Eber Toriel’, with the northern hemisphere continent known as ‘Feren’ to the west, whose civilisation is similar to that of Earth’s ‘Renaissance’ Europe. Its civilisation is similar to that of Earth’s ‘Renaissance’ Europe. The core region, Bay of Swords, is known for its volatile political situation and dangerous wilderness, with a variety of ecosystems and terrains, including mountains, forests, swamps, plains, cities, ruins, and more, providing a rich setting for the game’s adventures.
   • Story Locations: The story takes place primarily near the Bay of Swords in western Ferelen, and the harbour city of Bode’s Gate is an important location. The city has a unique history, at first it was a gathering place for pirates, then it was walled and settled by the seafarer Bode. After Bode disappeared, the wall was occupied by peasants, which attracted more people to come and settle in the city, and gradually developed into an important city.
2. History of the development of the series:
   • Bloodgate Prime: released for PC on 30 November 1998, it was the first in the series. It blended turn-based and real-time battle modes, and received widespread attention and love from players upon its release. The game became the runner-up on the North American game sales charts in the second week of its release, and by the end of 1998 it had sold more than 55,000 copies in the U.S. market, earning more than US$2.56 million, and continued to set sales records in the time that followed.
   • Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amnon: The second instalment in the series, it further expanded the game’s plot and world with more characters, quests and scenarios, and is considered by gamers and critics alike to be the pinnacle of American role-playing games for the PC platform.
   • Baldur’s Gate 3: officially released in August 2023 This game uses the 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons rules, which are a vast improvement over the previous rules. The game has been greatly improved in terms of graphics, plot, and gameplay, and it quickly shot to the top of Steam’s paid games list after its release, becoming one of the hottest games of all time.
3. Gameplay Features:
   • Character Creation and Development: Players can create their own characters and choose from different races and professions. There are 11 races in the game, divided into 31 sub-species, each with special talents. Meanwhile, there are 12 major professions to choose from, including Druid, Warrior, Ranger, Wanderer, Warlock, Bard, Martial Monk, Wicked Warrior, Paladin, Cleric, Mage, etc., and each profession has specific skills and development direction. Players can choose their character’s race and profession according to their preference and game strategy, and level up their characters and abilities through constant adventures and battles.
   • Battle System: Battle is an important part of the game, using a combination of real-time battle and turn-based system. Players need to use their character’s skills and strategies wisely to fight according to the characteristics of the enemy and the battle scene. The battles in the game pay great attention to strategy and teamwork, and characters of different professions play different roles in the battles. Players need to reasonably match their teams in order to win the battles.
   • Plot and Quests: With a rich plot and a large number of quests, the main plot is full of drama and challenges, while the branch quests dig deep into the background and culture of the game world, allowing players to better understand the game world. The player’s choices and decisions will affect the development of the plot and the ending. The game claims to have 17,000 different endings, which increases the game’s playability and replay value.
   • Dice Check: This is an important element of the Dungeons & Dragons rules and is widely used in the game. Players’ various actions, such as attack, immunity, attribute check, etc., need to roll dice to decide whether they are successful or not. The result of the dice will be affected by various factors, such as the character’s attributes, skills, equipment, environment, etc., which increases the game’s randomness and interestingness.
4. Influence of games:
   • Influence on role-playing games: The Baldur’s Gate series is widely regarded as a classic work and milestone of role-playing games, which set an example for later role-playing games, and many of which have been influenced by it in terms of their plots, character development, and combat systems.
   • Promotion of the Dungeons & Dragons rules: The success of the series has led to a greater understanding and enjoyment of the Dungeons & Dragons rules by a wider range of gamers, contributing to the development and promotion of the rules of this tabletop role-playing game in the field of video games.