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Infinity Engine reimplementation GemRB continues improving Icewind Dale 2

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Classics like Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale and more running on the Infinity Engine should live on forever thanks to open source reimplementations like GemRB.

While we do have the Enhanced Edition for many of them thanks to Beamdog, it's probable that eventually GemRB will be the best way to play all of them as we've seen with other open source reimplementations like OpenMW for Morrowind and OpenXcom for the classic X-COM. GemRB enables people to bring them to new platforms, better modding and continue improving them long into the future.


Pictured - Icewind Dale 2

GemRB v0.9.1 just went up recently and here's what's new:

New features:

  • Icewind Dale 2 can be progressed to well into chapter 5
  • Faster loading and saving, faster OpenGL rendering
  • Use magic device skill, precise shot, iwd1 bard song choice
  • SDLAudio plugin now supports ambients
  • Console history is now preserved, more text colors externalized
  • Logging is now done via fmt (bundled headers)

Improved features:

  • Python3 support (now the only option)
  • Unicode support (iconv not optional any more!)
  • Spellcaster ai, effects, scripting, projectiles, weapon style customization
  • Audio, drawing, appimage, ini spawns
  • Bugfixes
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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5 comments

nerdknight Aug 31, 2022
It's good to know that the project is still alive. I used to help porting GemRB to the nokia n900 back in the good old days of pocket linux phones.
slaapliedje Aug 31, 2022
Quoting: nerdknightIt's good to know that the project is still alive. I used to help porting GemRB to the nokia n900 back in the good old days of pocket linux phones.


I am saddened by the loss of my favorite platform for phones ever, Maemo... still legitimately the only time I've felt like I have had a device that belonged to me that was a mini computer in your pocket... I still have mine, but since 3G has now officially gone away, it's little more than a wifi device :(
slaapliedje Aug 31, 2022
From my understanding of it, Icewind Dale 2's source code was lost, so we'll never see an Enhanced Edition of that one. So GemRB would be the only modern way to play it. Granted, I think GemRB also has a port for the Amiga. :)
hardpenguin Sep 2, 2022
Quoting: slaapliedjeFrom my understanding of it, Icewind Dale 2's source code was lost, so we'll never see an Enhanced Edition of that one. So GemRB would be the only modern way to play it. Granted, I think GemRB also has a port for the Amiga. :)
Yes, I think it is worth stressing!
slaapliedje Sep 3, 2022
Quoting: hardpenguin
Quoting: slaapliedjeFrom my understanding of it, Icewind Dale 2's source code was lost, so we'll never see an Enhanced Edition of that one. So GemRB would be the only modern way to play it. Granted, I think GemRB also has a port for the Amiga. :)
Yes, I think it is worth stressing!
Huh, thought I saw it for normal Amigas (by that I mean you'd likely need an 060...) but Aminet only has MorphOS, but I do see elsewhere that 4.x got a port as well.
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