I just want to pre-empt this post by saying that I have read the manual (oh my god!) and the AD&D rules FAQ by DSimpson. Perhaps that was my problem as I read manuals and threads before actually playing the game and I'm now overwhelmed (which isn't difficult for me!).

So, I went with some advice on another GOG thread and created a character that I liked the sound of rather than just trying to mimic someone else's BG1s successes.

Now I think I need to take a step back and just make a start and see how I go. Before I do though, are there any simple newbie tips that may help me? I'm looking for those "that would have helped if I knew it earlier" tips. It may be a certain key that is often used or a don't bother with x and y. Does that make sense?

Not sure if it's relevant but I've started with a half elf/human, ranger.

Thanks.

Ranged damage dealing is your friend.
Auto-pause is also your friend, esp. the "On Enemy Sighted" kind.
Save often. You need a savefile representing a good state of your game plus quicksaves ("q" key).

I just finished Baldurs Gate 1 ;)..its totally WICKED AWESOME.
(it makes me feel how dumb the current games are in gameplay, core mechanics and how we can play those games.)


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Back to the topic;

As Gankenstein said..Ranged Damage is good, But meele damage is the best. Either case, its better to have 1 (or 2) ranged companions in your team when you encounter them.

Also its mandatory* that you have atleast one healer in your team along with ranged companion(s), the rest is upto you what companions. Note that some companions work themselves as a team and if one leaves so will the other.

Then a disabler would also be preferable..you will get some hit/tip about one of the best disabling technique in the game when you are in the starting area(Candlekeep) of Baldurs Gate 1, it will be one of the tutorials :) .

Alas; the team will be 6..one including yourself and 5 companions.

Also don't hesitate to use "REST" command in the game, incase you are struck up at some location and need to regenerate spells for healing etc.. (but don't abuse it much)

Regarding combat, its better to always carry multiple weapons...spare ones.

These are perfect - thanks for contributions so far.

Re the quick save, does that overwrite your main save or use a different file?

Quick Save is its own file, so doesn't overwrite any others.

I've tried playing through BG1 probably 4 times. The time that I actually got to the end of the game was when I learned to use charms exceedingly well.

If you are able to charm animals and monsters and humanoids, then you'll quickly find that a 6v12 fight of impossible odds can quickly become a 17 vs 1 fight with easy killing.

If you want to know where you can get the best item to charm just about anything, PM me. It's a total spoiler, so I'd recommend finding it on your own. But if you want to know, I can tell you.

The game has two special savefiles, the quicksave initiated by the player and the autosave when moving (broadly speakin) between zones. In addition to this are the save files named by the player. I have learned the wisdom of always having one "good", named savefile to revert to in case I made a bad call or simply got steamrollered.

Throughout the game you will get a lot of enchanted weapons and items, in addition to gems and so forth. The majority of this can be sold on for money so you can buy better items. There are for example a fair few short and long swords +1. You don't need them all yourself ;)

Ranged weapons are KING. Use one or two fighters so those you fight put away their bows, then hail arrows and bullets with the rest of your party members. This works exceedingly well for the vast majority of fights (even some mages).

If you get a message along the line of "My weapon is ineffective against this enemy" it means you need a more enchanted weapon. For example +1 arrows instead of normal arrows, or +2 arrows instead of +1 arrows. Such enemies are very rare though.

Use auto-pausing for enemy and trap sighted, and preferably also when party member is hurt (health down to 30%).
Personally I also like heal on rest, as this means the people with available healing spells will automatically heal party members. That way I don't have to do it manually myself before taking the rest.

Use quicksave A LOT. And I really do mean a lot. Save your game to a specific file when clearing big or difficult areas, and then use quicksave (q) a lot when moving through areas or prior to talking to people. If you so wish, you then have the option to reload and do something different if things get 'sticky' (without having to replay much).

Playing BG1 with Tutu (or BGT) makes the game more enjoyable. The ability to scroll with the arrow keys and improved pathfinding is worth it alone.

Which reminds me....

Using these, use Tab a lot, particularly in buildings. This will highlight what chests and such can be opened, and where items are hidden in the landscape (quite few items are hidden in the landscape, but some of them are well worth looking for).

Thanks for all the advice. I'm glad that ranged weapons "are king" as I've always liked the elf role in RPG's (where possible). I did put two skill points in one of the bows and the short sword, so hope this works!

Do others feel as overwhelmed as I do with this game? As mentioned earlier, it could perhaps be that I've done my homework (read manual, check forums etc) rather than just plunge in to the game. Anyway, I'll invest some game time over the next few days and see how I go.

It was my first meeting with a proper RPG game so I was quite overwhelmed too. It's a lot to take in and the learning curve in the beginning was steep. It gets easier though. Ranged weapons is what made it bearable for me. Prior to that bit of info I was getting every in close. If they didn't die, they were heavily injured. Ranged weapons largely takes care of that :)

Since you have read guides you probably already know how to set up your character, not take your first roll and so forth. But just in case, for you as an elf with a bow, dexterity is especially important. This lowers AC and makes you more powerful with a bow in hand. Other than that strength is important (particularly for melee fighters) and constitution. High constitution means you gain more hitpoints as you level up.

Here is a most excellent SPOILER FREE guide for the Baldur's Gate games. I've not read the whole thing, but it looks very good. Had good use of the map as it can be difficult to find certain places in the city itself.

My first time was with Baldur's Gate 2 multiplayer with a friend of mine. I shot a fireball on hardcore difficulty and killed all of his peeps. I was like, "How was I supposed to know that it blow up like that? Every other game has just a little ball of fire!"

We didn't play much multiplayer after that. :)

It took me a while to figure it all out. I'm still not good at figuring out max-min stuff, but I don't like to play like that anyway.

Yeah - I got the don't take the first roll and it then became an obsession to see how high I could get to. I ended up with:

Str: 18/05
Dex: 18
Con: 18
Int: 11
Wis: 14
Cha: 15

Am not sure whether I've distributed the Int, Wis and Cha very well but will see how it goes.

Thanks also for the guide. All appreciated.

Tallima - Nice start to your BG experience. Hope I'm a bit more subtle :)

Oh, how many hours did you spend rolling up the dice! ;)..

Max I rolled for any of my characters were, upto a total of 91 points... you got upto 94 ;P

Sleep is a very nice friend.

It took about 30 mins but I then carried on for another 15 to see if I could roll higher! BG1 has proved value for money just for the die roll!

Landeril - I assume you mean sleep in the context of resting or is it a spell? I'm sure I'll find out soon enough.