Hey all recently I thought I'd give another go at an Infinity Engine game. I think I got all of them in a gog.com sale years ago, tried Planescape: Torment and while I deeply respected the aesthetic design there it did not do much for me. I also tried some Icewind Dale and the big "organise a 6 man party from scratch!" thing sort of overwhelmed me. I didn't try Baldur's Gate.

Probably the most similar thing I played was Fallout 1, got maybe 10 hours into that several years ago but stopped playing it.

Which is probably the simplest to break into? I haven't tried BG but would that be the one? Or should I just grin and bear it and make a party in ID? Or would P:T completely blow my mind if I put more hours into it?

...or should I go fuck this and go play some more Fallout?

I would go with Baldur's Gate II.

I'd recommend either Baldur's Gate 1 with the BGtutu mod (which places the first game in the second game's engine), or, if you don't feel like taking the time to mod the first game, just jump into BG 2. Both are excellent games, but a lot of new players get frustrated by how punishing low levels are in BG 1, and the BGtutu mod alleviates many of those issues. Icewind Dale is a solid game, but it is fairly challenging and requires a decent knowledge of 2nd Edition D&D mechanics, which you will naturally acquire playing through the BG series, so I would personally hold off on that one.

Baldur's Gate 2.

Baldur's gate 1 is low level D&D. If you make a mage, you're in for an incredibly difficult uphill climb, as the loss of your primary character means game over. An acorn falling from a tree and hitting you in the head could potentially kill a level 1 wizard.

Since you start Baldur's Gate 2 decently leveled, it doesn't feel anywhere near as punishing.

Nut up and play through Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 with the mod mentioned above. The first few hours of BG1 can be kind of a hassle, but it's worth the effort if you have enough time to spare.

That or just wait for Pillars of Eternity.

FIFA 13 or Icewind Dale, I'd say.

I found Icewind Dale much easier than the Baldur's Gate games.

But generally, yes, I'd say stick with Fallout and the Fallout engine games. There are some fantastic games using that engine, like Arcanum, which is basically Divinity: Original Sin.

Baldur's Gate allows you to slowly get accustomed to AD&D rules where BG 2 just throws you in. I would make a cleric or fighter/cleric for BG 1 but that is really up you. Just save often and using a FAQ if needed.

If you figure it out, tell me, because I've not been able to play ANY of those games. They control so terribly if you haven't played them before

BG2 is definitely the best story of the bunch; it's up there for best RPG story ever. (Although my vote goes to Mask of the Betrayer.)

It's a little easier to create a character and go, too, although the 2.5 rules are a bit complex. Go for a dual-wielding barbarian and enjoy the chopping, if you want my opinion.

Thanks for the advice all!

I did find the mods for BG1, installed a bunch and started playing--but then ended up getting this itch to go back into Ultima IV. I'll get through all these CRPG's at some point, damn you gog for having too many great games on your site!

What? You click somewhere and your dudes go there. You click an enemy and your fellas attack. Admittedly I have played the games before, so maybe you're right and they just don't control terribly for me. But I don't see the problem.

it's super clunky. Like, really really clunky. I hated combat every time I got into it and I barely cared about the story stuff enough to continue.

Planescape: Torment.

Either planescape (with a guide, because the beginning of that game is aimless as all hell) or the first Baldur's Gate (with a guide and the TuTu mod. The beginning of that game is also sort of aimless, but once you get over that early game hump it's just fine). I know people like to say the second game, and yeah, the second game is basically the king of CRPGs, but BG2 is also crazy dense and assumes a level of familiarity with mid-high level D&D. The first game is a tad more relaxed in its pacing and doesn't bludgeon the player over the head with enemy wizards and their 5,000 protection spells that need to be stripped away before you can hurt them.

Just maybe don't try Icewind Dale until you understand how combat works in that engine.

I think you might be finding it a bit "old" which for you would feel "clunky." I find a majority of old PC games' controls to feel somewhat clunky now, because they're so different from what I've been playing for years. Unless they're an RTS (controls never change), Half-Life and a handful of other old FPS games, or Civilization/other TBS games.

I have been finding the interface highly confusing... but then again I tend to never read the manual, which was kind of necessary for most CRPG's (try some Ultima w/out knowing the text commands to talk to people!).

In any case I'm putting the Infinity Engine on hold again for a week or two because Britannia is calling me back to the time of 1985 and the quest for the avatar.