Decline Sword Coast Legends Pre-Release Thread

[getter77]

Well, if this is all we get until GDC and whatnot in a few weeks then that's a tad to chew on---but they'd do well to just assertively get out there on it as this dancing about looks a bit...underwhelming...versus the KS laden spectacles of late when it comes to folks hankering for rpgs on PC especially. Who exactly are they afraid is going to scoop them if they play their trump cards sooner than nearly launch day if they are indeed intending to release in full, not even just Early Access, come Q3 2015?

 

[Avellion]

Pretty vague with several questions. That length thing "It will not be short" is about as good of an answer as "It will not be a bad game. As a matter of fact, I have seen devs again and again oversell the length of hteir games"

Dan Tudge should play Pool of Radiance and stop telling me that pausing with the spacebar to issue tactics is old school!

Old school is a buzzword with these devs. In a few years we will see people claim that Mass Effect and Oblivion are old school RPGs.

Even today, I have seen quite a few self proclaimed "old school RPG fans" claim that NeverWinter Nights is an not only an old school RPG, but the pinaccle of old school RPGs as well.

 

[Crooked Bee]

So, from that Q&A I take it they've been working on the game for two years already? Not such a rush job, then.

 

[Infinitron]

So, from that Q&A I take it they've been working on the game for two years already? Not such a rush job, then.

Why don't we try to find out more? *nudge nudge*

 

[Crooked Bee]

Sure, I can email them. Aren't they still at the "sorry, can't talk about the mechanics/setting/whatever in detail yet" stage, though? That's the impression I get from the Q&A at least.

 

[Infinitron]

Sure, I can email them. Aren't they still at the "sorry, can't talk about the mechanics/setting/whatever in detail yet" stage, though? That's the impression I get from the Q&A at least.

Can't hurt to try. Maybe we're prestigious enough. Or at least, maybe you can get a date out of them for when they'll be revealing more stuff and making themselves available for interviews.

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

From what I saw on their forums it seems their big reveal will be at GDC in a couple of weeks.

 

[Roguey]

Dan Tudge should play Pool of Radiance and stop telling me that pausing with the spacebar to issue tactics is old school!

BG will be 20 years old in a few years.

 

[Necroscope]

Can you explain more about how DM mode works and the DM toolset? The DM can fully customize the player experience, significantly altering an adventure by changing encounters, placing traps, spawning monsters, creating quest NPCs, generating secret areas, locking doors - all in real-time. There are also offline campaign tools that enable DMs to build campaigns for their players - more about that later.

If this is going to be anything close to Aurora Toolset they have my attention.

 

[Kem0sabe]

You asked, we answered! Check out our responses to some of the questions you've been asking about DM mode and more - https://t.co/dLjYUl5kTt

SwordCoast When can we expect to get some info on actual gameplay mechanics?

@JP_Cunha What specifically are you looking for? I can queue up your question for the next batch.

SwordCoast how will spell/skill progression work? Will classes follow the D&D classes closely? How much reactivity can we expect? Thanks

 

[Nuclear Explosion]

But it still have better gameplay than all western CRPG to date

Haven't you played KoTC?

 

[Luzur]

Notice how his answer about micro-transactions is not saying there won't be any, but saying that the game will be already a fully-featured RPG even without them.

He's very strongly implying that there will be microtransactions. No other reason for him to mention post-launch content in that answer.

$10 bucks say the first DLC is either Drizzt or Elminister content.

Maybe a Drizzt Romance DLC?

Or even better : A Drizzt and Catti brie Friendship Expansion:

(On this Picture they look like N7 Soldiers. WTF?!)

Uh, werent they married or something?

 

[Ramireza]

Notice how his answer about micro-transactions is not saying there won't be any, but saying that the game will be already a fully-featured RPG even without them.

He's very strongly implying that there will be microtransactions. No other reason for him to mention post-launch content in that answer.

$10 bucks say the first DLC is either Drizzt or Elminister content.

Maybe a Drizzt Romance DLC?

Or even better : A Drizzt and Catti brie Friendship Expansion:

(On this Picture they look like N7 Soldiers. WTF?!)

Uh, werent they married or something?

Oh, thats for an later Expansion. They have a lot of stories to tell, characters to meet and places to visit, but they cannot create them all before launch.

 

[Amn Nom]

Read through the QA, saw a question about romance and had to sigh. The mechanics, story, toolkit and atmosphere aren't important to a purchase, but fucking someone up the ass obviously is.

With that said they have my attention. Pretty much a sucker for real time with pause, so I really want this game to be good. Too bad it will probably be a poor implementation of the license, we could really use another good Forgotten Realms CRPG.

 

[Trodat]

Read through the QA, saw a question about romance and had to sigh. The mechanics, story, toolkit and atmosphere aren't important to a purchase, but fucking someone up the ass obviously is.

With that said they have my attention. Pretty much a sucker for real time with pause, so I really want this game to be good. Too bad it will probably be a poor implementation of the license, we could really use another good Forgotten Realms CRPG.

Include romances and the money starts to flow in. Still amazing how easily some people are convinced.

But why are they hiding behind that bullshit "DM this DM that", so people have to second guess everything - is it really that revolutionary?

The DM can fully customize the player experience, significantly altering an adventure by changing encounters, placing traps, spawning monsters, creating quest NPCs, generating secret areas, locking doors - all in real-time

Oh yeah, copy pasted greatness.

 

[Durante]

Will the camera be able to rotate, move and zoom in and out? Absolutely, and in single player you’ll be able to pause with the spacebar and issue tactics old school!

This is the first thing which actually makes me as down on the game as some other people here. It seems to basically confirm that you can't pause in multiplayer. One of the major reasons I was interested in this is because I thought it was a RTwP coop game.

 

[Trodat]

Trevor Kidd (WotC) ‏@Trevor_WotC
Just finished recording a podcast with @SwordCoast. We talked about DM Mode. It was pretty awesome.

Greymarch ‏@Greymarch 9h9 hours ago
@Trevor_WotC @Wizards_DnD @SwordCoast What classes are available in SCL?

Dungeons & Dragons ‏@Wizards_DnD 9h9 hours ago
@Greymarch @Trevor_WotC @SwordCoast in the podcast sir. You will have that info soon.

OK! Let's wait again... maybe later tonight.

 

[FuriousGamer87]

Will the camera be able to rotate, move and zoom in and out? Absolutely, and in single player you’ll be able to pause with the spacebar and issue tactics old school!

This is the first thing which actually makes me as down on the game as some other people here. It seems to basically confirm that you can't pause in multiplayer. One of the major reasons I was interested in this is because I thought it was a RTwP coop game.

I don't understand how that can work without pissing the hell out of the other players you are playing with if everyone keep pausing and stopping everyone else right on their track once so often.

 

[Ulminati]

Sure, I can email them. Aren't they still at the "sorry, can't talk about the mechanics/setting/whatever in detail yet" stage, though? That's the impression I get from the Q&A at least.

Can't hurt to try. Maybe we're prestigious enough. Or at least, maybe you can get a date out of them for when they'll be revealing more stuff and making themselves available for interviews.

Link them to our prestigious reviews of TES IV Oblivion and Dragon Age: Inquisition so they can see the high quality journalism they can expect from us.

 

[zero29]

Will the camera be able to rotate, move and zoom in and out? Absolutely, and in single player you’ll be able to pause with the spacebar and issue tactics old school!

This is the first thing which actually makes me as down on the game as some other people here. It seems to basically confirm that you can't pause in multiplayer. One of the major reasons I was interested in this is because I thought it was a RTwP coop game.

I don't understand how that can work without pissing the hell out of the other players you are playing with if everyone keep pausing and stopping everyone else right on their track once so often.

Either with a ruleset of auto pause conditions which you set up before a game session or by giving only one player (gm or party leader) the option to pause at will.

 

[Durante]

Will the camera be able to rotate, move and zoom in and out? Absolutely, and in single player you’ll be able to pause with the spacebar and issue tactics old school!

This is the first thing which actually makes me as down on the game as some other people here. It seems to basically confirm that you can't pause in multiplayer. One of the major reasons I was interested in this is because I thought it was a RTwP coop game.

I don't understand how that can work without pissing the hell out of the other players you are playing with if everyone keep pausing and stopping everyone else right on their track once so often.

By communication. Just like it worked in BG and IWD 15 years ago. And really, how most cooperative games work.

I always see people bringing up all these issues about how coop can't work in RTwP, but I actually played these games in coop and it works perfectly fine. Sometimes (like once every 10 game hours) you might get a canceled pause since both players wanted to pause at almost exactly the same time but that's exceedingly rare and hardly game-breaking.

 

[Shannow]

Can anybody give an example of such a co-op RTwP game, that really had many people playing it and making use of pause on a regular base? (And no, IE games don't count. Even on the codex I remember only 3-4 people mentioning that they played co-op. Probably with each other...)
So far your demand for co-op RTwP sounds like "I really wish they'd get rid of automaps. I want to map myself on paper again, like we did 15 years ago."
I really doubt if even 1% of potential players would want that. Just don't see why this should be an issue.

(Of course they could simply put an option in that can be switched on/off for online play. That make everyone happy...)

 

[Durante]

Well, if there were tons of such games I wouldn't get excited about a new game primarily because of that feature, now would I?

(you can check one of my first posts right after the announcement where I proclaim my interest primarily because of co-op RTwP)

 

[Infinitron]

Could you pause in Dungeon Siege multiplayer?

 

[Trodat]

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/1238/feature/9410/page/1

The buzz surrounding last week's announcement of Sword Coast Legends is growing as excited players hope for an epic RPG based on the glory of the table-top experience. We had the opportunity to interview Nathan Stewart, Brand Director for Dungeons & Dragons & Wizards of the Coast and Dan Tudge, President of n-Space to find out more.

MMORPG.com: How does Sword Coast Legends compare to Neverwinter Nights, as many will likely draw comparisons?

Tudge: Right now a lot of people are talking about how Sword Coast Legends feels reminiscent of Neverwinter Nights (NWN); it's a comparison that is definitely warranted. SCL is a classic Forgotten Realms adventure on the Sword Coast. It features tactical pause and play combat with an isometric camera in real-time 3D environments (vs. pre-rendered backgrounds). However, it's the inclusion of DM mode where comparisons to NWN are probably the strongest. Despite both having DM capability, players will find the DM experience in SCL quite different from NWN, finding instead a system that enables DMs to quickly jump in and immediately start playing in real-time. All told, our inspiration has come from many sources, from a lifetime of playing D&D on the tabletop and to the legacy of so many great RPGs such as Dragon Age: Origins and the Baldur's Gate series – inspiration that will enviably invoke comparisons the more of SCL we show to the world.



MMORPG.com: Will other maps, customizable adventures be added over time?

Tudge: Absolutely! We see Sword Coast Legends growing in much the same way as tabletop D&D -- an ongoing experience for both adventurers and DMs. We have a lot of stories to tell, characters to meet and places to visit, but we cannot create them all this year! We plan to keep going as long as people keep playing.

MMORPG.com: How much control over how the adventures play out does the DM have?

Tudge: The DM is fully capable of customizing experiences and significantly altering a player's adventure by changing encounters, placing traps, spawning monsters, creating quest NPCs, generating secret areas, locking doors -- all in real-time. We also have deep campaign tools that enable DMs to build near limitless campaigns for their players (more on that later!).

MMORPG.com: Why the Forgotten Realms?

Stewart: The Forgotten Realms is the universe that we at Wizards of the Coast are focusing our storytelling in for the foreseeable future. It is our most popular setting and can be found in novels and game materials that have been translated in over a dozen different languages. Forgotten Realms is home to some of our most iconic heroes. As we dive into our annual stories, Forgotten Realms will be the backdrop for those adventures. We know we have a large and diverse fan-base who also enjoy our other settings, but there is still so much to explore in the Forgotten Realms.

MMORPG.com: Historically north of Waterdeep in Neverwinter and south of Waterdeep along the Sword Coast have been settings for D&D adventures from video game developers. What drew you back to the Sword Coast as opposed to some other area in the Forgotten Realms such as, the Dale Lands, the Moonsea, or Zakhara?

Tudge: There is certainly no shortage of interesting places around Faerûn (places we definitely plan to explore in our ongoing adventure). However, as huge fans of the Sword Coast region, the opportunity to set our story there was simply too much to pass up. DMs, on the other hand, are free to build campaigns anywhere within the Realms they choose.

MMORPG.com: What have you done developing this game to make it feel like fifth edition as opposed to 3.5, 4.0, or the open 20 systems?

Stewart: As Wizards of the Coast was developing the latest edition we very specifically wanted to take emphasis off the rules and focus on the feel of the game. As part of the playtest and creation of the new edition we looked back at all previous editions and made sure we had clear ideas and descriptions for the most important elements. An example is magic, more specifically let's focus on the fireball spell. It isn't important that the Fireball spell does 8d6 damage or has 150 range in all our games, but is instead important that in each instance it is a mid-level spell that explodes and causes a wider range of damage. In other words, for our partners it's critical they capture the feel of the latest edition of rules, but not necessarily the specific mechanics.

Tudge: In SCL we have adapted the fifth edition tabletop ruleset to better work in a videogame; however, n-Space and Wizards of the Coast have worked very closely to ensure we deliver an experience that feels "true to D&D."

MMORPG.com: It appears that one of the CE items in the Lost Mines. Is that the Lost Mines of Phandelver that is used in the new fifth edition Starter Set?

Tudge: Not explicitly. By using the Lost Mines tile set -- and many of the others that come with SCL -- a DM could very easily recreate the entire fifth edition starter set campaign complete with NPCs, locations and enemies. I actually ran the entire tabletop starter campaign for my twin eight-year-old sons to introduce them to D&D and now we are recreating the starter campaign with the DM campaign features of SCL. It's a lot of fun!

MMORPG.com: Are you strategically aligned with Wizards of the Coast similar to Neverwinter where we will see you release updates based upon events happening in the fifth edition series. For example last year was focused on Tyranny of Dragons and this year is going to switch to Temple of Elemental Evil.

Stewart: n-Space and Wizards of the Coast are very well aligned strategically and are working together closely to make sure that our big stories are reflected in Sword Coast Legends. Game designers and narrative teams between our companies are talking all the time and plans are being made very far into the future.



Tudge: Yep! The D&D team at Wizards has a lot of really great adventures planned and we are definitely ensuring SCL players are part of those adventures!

MMORPG.com: The Players Handbook for fifth edition includes 12 character classes. Sword Coast legends will launch with only 6. Which classes did you leave out and why? Will we see them introduced in modules later down the line?

Tudge: We are a small independent team that is very aware we need to deliver a high quality experience with SCL. For any developer, scope is critical. One cannot deliver on quality without also remaining disciplined with regard to product scope. So, we chose to launch with the cleric, fighter, paladin, ranger rogue, and wizard. Note that we fully intend to create many more classes post-launch.

MMORPG.com: The PHB also has nine playable races: Human, Gnome, Elf, Half-Elf, Halfling, Dwarf, Tiefling, Dragonborn, and Half-Orc. Sword Coast only has 5. Which races did you include and will we see additional races down the road as you release modules?

Tudge: At launch, SCL features Dwarf, Elf, Half-Elf, Halfling, and Human races. Again, this decision comes down to our focus on quality and our team discipline with regard to scope. We are planning to release more races post-launch. I know I want to play a Half-Orc, my sons want to play Dragonborn and my wife a Teifling - so we can probably expect to see the Teifling soon after launch!