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Baldur’s Gate 3’s latest Community Update video from Larian Studio breaks down the game’s cinematic ambitions for early access, which begins on September 30. It also introduces more interactivity through Stadia Crowd Choice and Twitch integration. A huge leap from Divinity: Original Sin’s rock-paper-scissors multiplayer interactions, Baldur’s Gate 3 features fully cinematic dialogues.
“Community Update #6 – Multiplayer & Cinematics” goes into detail about how Larian is combining a cinematic, player-driven narrative through early access, with multiplayer interactions both within and outside of the game session.
Using a mix of performance capture and bespoke adaptive cameras, the game is able to react to whoever you are and whatever you do, both in multiplayer and single-player.
“You’re telling your story, and we’re shooting it for you. We’re taking that camera down from being above the players and down into the drama, right into the action. I can’t think of another early access game that’s done cinematics on this level,” said Jason Latino, Larian Studio’s Cinematic Director. “There’s a lot of games where the moment you add cinematics, they have to get smaller. We didn’t want to do that.”
Plus, with the addition of streaming integration, even viewers who may not own the game have a say in the player’s journey.
When enabled by a streamer, Crowd Choice brings the journey to YouTube viewers, where Stadia viewers can vote. The streamer is presented with the results in percentages, and can then choose to follow the players, or go their own way.
Twitch integration works by numbering each dialogue option, which corresponds to viewer choices. The feedback is then integrated into the game, where both streamer and viewer will see each percentage vote next to each dialogue option. What’s more, players will be able to interact with the Twitch overlay to access the player’s inventory, character sheet, skills, and spells.
Both of these features are launching day one of early access on PC and Stadia. The features not only strive to bring the community closer to the player, but, due to the amount of permutations in dialogues, also enables streamers to control their own adventure for viewers, letting viewers partake in the story regardless of whether they own the game.
For more information on the upcoming features, check out Community Update #6 – Multiplayer & Cinematics, which also features a lengthy community Q&A.
