Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II Interview

HomeLAN have posted a Q&A with Black Isle Studios' Dave Maldonado about Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II, the upcoming console Action/RPG sequel:

HomeLAN - How will combat be changed and/or improved for Dark Alliance II?

Dave Maldonado - Many weapons have unique effects now, like blunt weapons stun more often than others while polearms knock enemies back more frequently. A player can improve his or her character's skill with a given weapon type by sinking development points into it when passing levels, gaining additional attacks and abilities.

Missile combat has been improved with a new fire control system... it's not flat-out auto-aiming, but there won't be that "always missing by two pixels" thing you had a lot of in the first game. Also, we're thinking of dropping ammo from the equation. It just isn't fun having to buy and carry around crates of arrows or hand-axes... not in this sort of game, at least.

Monsters put up a better fight now, too. For example, they turn in place and attack when you circle around them instead of trying to give chase as they did in the first one... you could practically hear circus music when they did that! Many now have feats and special abilities of their own (e.g. goblins firing the occasional poisoned arrow, an orc using the Sunder ability, a ghoul's paralyzing touch, an umber hulk's confusion-inducing gaze attack, etc.), can block or dodge attacks, and so on.