BG2 starting location

[berelinde]

After reading cmorgan's post in another thread, I started thinking about my placement plans for SoA.

 

I was going to stick him outside the Temple of Ilmater in Waukeen's Promenade, but cmorgan raised a valid point. It is kind of annoying when NPCs converge on the PC en masse. I hadn't planned on having him approach the PC, or Dialogue(Player1) in any case, so he wouldn't be rushing the PC, but I did want to make sure that there was a good chance the player would him in the party before entering the Temple District for the first time. There's a rather significant encounter there that he's got to witness. I've got a backup plan in case the player adds him mid-game, after that encounter has already played out in his absence, but it would be smoother if it could happen without resorting to that plan.

 

So, with that in mind, there are a couple possibilities.

1. Outside the Temple of Ilmater in Waukeen's Promenade
   
2. Inside the Adventure Mart, presumably restocking
   
3. Outside the Copper Coronet
   
4. Just inside the entrance to the Temple District
   

Edit: added a choice for those with no opinion.

Edit2: crossed out the Temple District. After a lot of thought, that really wouldn't work for his story. You can still vote for it if you want, but it won't happen. Sorry.

[Ankhesenpaaten]

Me I want ease of play by now so I would really like him in the AM stocking up. It would be nice for a change to meet a party member right off (bless Domi with Kivan right there too!) when you are at a place to stock up instead of finding him later and trekking back when I really want to start getting going and earning money for Immy's rescue.

Besides every moment with Gavin is precious so the sooner the better.

[Kulyok]

I like Temple District and outside the Copper Coronet. Temple of Lathander/just outside makes sense, too - and it's on the way.

 

Location in/inside the Promenade seems a little cheesy to me: PC just escapes Irenicus' Dungeon, and the game almost asks for a short break. (I admit I'm not especially fond of Kivan meeting me immediately after Imoen is taken, either).

 

Also, Ribald's prices are a little steep, but presumably Gavin doesn't know it, yet.

 

If Gavin is going to initiate dialogue upon seeing PC, though, I think I'd prefer to see him a little on the side, so he doesn't become like Nalia, who approaches the party every time in the Copper Coronet(and isn't easy to avoid). So, it's either "out of the way, but initiates dialogue" or "easy to spot, but doesn't initiate dialogue".

[berelinde]

Wherever he is, he isn't going to initiate dialogue with the PC. I know it's a BioWare thing, since the only one in BG2 that *doesn't* do that is Edwin, but it's still really anoying.

 

Of all the places he could be, the Temple District is my least favorite spot for him, for one really good reason. It begs the question "Are you blind?"

[Kulyok]

Of all the places he could be, the Temple District is my least favorite spot for him, for one really good reason. It begs the question "Are you blind?"

 

Heheh, that's too evil. Outside the Copper Coronet is my favourite, then. Or inside, next to Anomen - joking, joking!

[jastey]

Just an idea: What if they coincidentally meet, in the temple disctrict, where the specific encounter takes place? I don't know whether it makes sense story wise, but the encounter could run, Gavin could coincidentally arrive there at the same time, they talk, Gavin offers to join (or the PC asks him), or says he will wait somewhere.

 

This would have a big advantage: It would be guaranteed the encounter would run with Gavin around. It makes much sense to me.

[Mike1072]

I voted for "something else". The temple district seems like an appropriate place to find him, but I don't think he'd just be lurking around the entrance.

 

Wait, is this encounter the one that was discussed in the super-secret spoiler thread? If so... maybe you could modify the original encounter so that it doesn't occur unless Gavin is in the party?

[berelinde]

It wouldn't work to modify the encounter to only run if Gavin's in the party, because if the game is installed in mid-game, there's a good chance the PC has already seen the encounter. There's a backup plan that involves another CRE.

 

I really don't want him to join in the Temple District. I shouldn't have given it as a poll choice.

 

The joining dialogue for this one has to do a lot, because in addition to getting him in the party, it also establishes the relationship between him and the PC. It works fine on the streets of the slums or on the streets of Waukeen's Promenade, but it really wouldn't work in the Temple District. Since it's got several different branches, as it would under those circumstances, I don't want to rewrite it.

[KIrving]

I chose 'outside the temple of Ilmater', although I also liked 'outside the Copper Coronet'.

I didn't like the option of 'inside the Adventure Mart' at all. In the possibility that the PC is looking at a continuation of the relationship from BG1, she might be somewhat aghast that Gavin is so worried about her that he's ...um....shopping.

[Mike1072]

Ok, in that case I'll change my vote to "Inside the Adventurer's Mart". I never really bother with the Temple of Ilmater so I might miss him if he's hiding over there. Besides, there doesn't seem to be quite enough adventurers in this mart.

[Domi]

Temple of Lathander would be my prefrence.

[berelinde]

Thanks for the feedback, but that isn't going to happen. He won't be anywhere in the Temple District.

 

There are two events going on in that area that would command his attention. The first is the whole Cult of the Eyeless thing. He'd probalby be quite concerned about it, and I don't want him upstaging Keldorn. The second is the subject of "the biggest spoiler" thread. He'd have to be a member of the Cult of the Eyeless, and stupid to boot, to miss them, since the door to the Temple of Lathander is nearly in line-of-sight range with the door to the Temple of Talos.

 

I'm going to cross out that poll choice, because Temple District just won't work.

[Domi]

Yes, I noticed your comment earlier after I posted. Anything else is all the same for me You can probably try Docks District too, since it has a Temple of Oghma.

[berelinde]

Hmm, that's a thought. But not sure about that one, because he already knows where the temple is, and wouldn't really have a reason to go looking for it again until after he'd had the Encounter.

 

Hey, here's a thought, though! He could be *inside* the Temple of Ilmater, asking for a divination spell to speed his search. That would put him out of the way, but still conveniently located, no matter when the PC decided to recruit him.

[Ajnos]

Hmm, that's a thought. But not sure about that one, because he already knows where the temple is, and wouldn't really have a reason to go looking for it again until after he'd had the Encounter.

 

Hey, here's a thought, though! He could be *inside* the Temple of Ilmater, asking for a divination spell to speed his search. That would put him out of the way, but still conveniently located, no matter when the PC decided to recruit him.

 

 

I like in temple better than just roaming around the Promenade or off shopping. Plus, he's talked about divination (sorta) in one of his last BG1 talks so it feels like a nice little nod to that, without being too much of an in-joke.