Game News Divinity: Original Sin 2 Kickstarter Update #36: Game Master Mode Reveal

[DeepOcean]

This is big incline. I really hope I can make preset campaigns for other people to GM and play multiplayer, all my friends, even the ones that like videogames, could care less about RPGs.

 

[Iznaliu]

Maybe it means better modding tools?

It will be a bunch of motivational speakers cheering on modders by saying stuff lik 'your mod is alright' and 'we've all made bad mods. What's important is to get up again and keep going'

 

[Darkzone]

Matt Mercer talks about the GM Mode on his twitch channel after the Session and also you can see the session on his channel.
MatthewMercer twitch

 

[sstacks]

The one thing possibly stopping this from being a new NWN is the same thing that stopped NWN2 and moreso D:OS 1 - ease of map creation might still not be up to par.

I just got around to watching the video and the Game Master mode looks great. Keep in mind however this is a selectively edited PR video.

Regarding NWN and etc., this Game Master mode looks beefier than the tools in SCL, however they specifically stated it is not the D&D 5E engine (or any other D&D engine) so it will never be 1:1 to what can be done in D&D.

I'm really hoping for a full on conversion of D&D 5E into a CRPG. That being said, this Game Master mode looks great based on the video.

 

[sstacks]

Good idea. I wouldn't think it would be hard to add considering the features their game already has. And for all the doom and gloom about the future of D&D posted here, Wizards of the Coast looks prosperous to me. I was expecting their office to be cardboard boxes in an alley. lol

To be fair the idea was done some time ago, just not with fancy graphics.

M:TG is still booming and tabletop D&D is in a MAJOR resurgence and selling the best it has since the 80s. Not sure why anyone is posting doom and gloom about it.

 

[Shin]

The one thing possibly stopping this from being a new NWN is the same thing that stopped NWN2 and moreso D:OS 1 - ease of map creation might still not be up to par.

I just got around to watching the video and the Game Master mode looks great. Keep in mind however this is a selectively edited PR video.

Regarding NWN and etc., this Game Master mode looks beefier than the tools in SCL, however they specifically stated it is not the D&D 5E engine (or any other D&D engine) so it will never be 1:1 to what can be done in D&D.

I'm really hoping for a full on conversion of D&D 5E into a CRPG. That being said, this Game Master mode looks great based on the video.

best case scenario is that Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro finally get their heads out of their corporate butts and realize that Larian could make a fucking awesome D&D game using a modified version of their engine. plus the guys that developed sword coast legends recently got out of business...

black baby jesus please let it be so

 

[Zeriel]

Yeah, Larian are the guys who could actually give us Temple of Elemental Evil combat and Neverwinter Nights mod tools, if they wanted to and had the D&D license. I mean, they've already basically got all the elements. They just need the blessing (and the desire, I guess, Swen might want to focus on his own properties). I'm not holding my breath for that one, though, dreaming too much leads to disappointment.

 

[Kem0sabe]

Yeah, Larian are the guys who could actually give us Temple of Elemental Evil combat and Neverwinter Nights mod tools, if they wanted to and had the D&D license. I mean, they've already basically got all the elements. They just need the blessing (and the desire, I guess, Swen might want to focus on his own properties). I'm not holding my breath for that one, though, dreaming too much leads to disappointment.

Original sin combat is nowhere near as good as ToEE.

At the start of the game it's fun, but then it's becomes a boring and uninspired, full of hit point sponges and slow turns.

I agree that it would be a very good idea to license D&D, its a superior rule set, with more interesting spells and abilities, more interesting besteary, and vastly superior settings.

 

[Infinitron]

with more interesting spells and abilities

Come on. What does "interesting" mean? When did you ever do stuff like this in a D&D game?

 

[Zeriel]

Yeah, Larian are the guys who could actually give us Temple of Elemental Evil combat and Neverwinter Nights mod tools, if they wanted to and had the D&D license. I mean, they've already basically got all the elements. They just need the blessing (and the desire, I guess, Swen might want to focus on his own properties). I'm not holding my breath for that one, though, dreaming too much leads to disappointment.

Original sin combat is nowhere near as good as ToEE.

At the start of the game it's fun, but then it's becomes a boring and uninspired, full of hit point sponges and slow turns.

I agree that it would be a very good idea to license D&D, its a superior rule set, with more interesting spells and abilities, more interesting besteary, and vastly superior settings.

It has the basic foundations of D&D combat as opposed to RTWP, even has attacks of opportunity. I bet they could churn out a D&D prototype in a day. Really all they'd have to implement is converting AP movement to D&D movement (five foot step etc) and attacks per turn/free actions, etc. It's better suited to replicating ToEE than any engine I can think of, that's why when D:OS first came out everyone on the Codex was making comparisons to ToEE, it is very similar except for the ruleset, which is a very superficial thing.

 

[Kem0sabe]

Come on. What does "interesting" mean? When did you ever do stuff like this in a D&D game?

Like the elemental spells, all these gimmicks larian introduces are so broken and unbalanced that the players spend their time doing elemental combos and triggering explosions.

That's only fun for a few hours, and got extremely irritating as the game went on.

 

[Infinitron]

Looks like balance > fun after all.

 

[Kem0sabe]

Looks like balance > fun after all.

Yeah, I share that opinion. Fun is good for some third person action rpgs, exploiting abilities and environment.

For TB, I prefer a more balanced experience.

 

[Darkzone]

Good idea. I wouldn't think it would be hard to add considering the features their game already has. And for all the doom and gloom about the future of D&D posted here, Wizards of the Coast looks prosperous to me. I was expecting their office to be cardboard boxes in an alley. lol
To be fair the idea was done some time ago, just not with fancy graphics.

M:TG is still booming and tabletop D&D is in a MAJOR resurgence and selling the best it has since the 80s. Not sure why anyone is posting doom and gloom about it.

They post doom and gloom, because they don't know what is currently going on. DnD 5E is selling quite well and many like it. Even the old players think that it is the best DnD version. For me it lacks the skill points from the 3rd edition, but i also like their approach in other departments. WoC seems to have learned from the past mistakes (towards the end of 3rd and throughout the 4th editon) and they focus on less material, but constant good quality. If the late 70s early 80s(ODD and ADD 1E) were the golden age of DnD, the early to mid 90s (ADD 2E) the silver age and the early 2k (3E) the bronze age. Then we are heading straight to the 5E iron age, with a at least 10 years lasting periode.

Yeah, Larian are the guys who could actually give us Temple of Elemental Evil combat and Neverwinter Nights mod tools, if they wanted to and had the D&D license. I mean, they've already basically got all the elements. They just need the blessing (and the desire, I guess, Swen might want to focus on his own properties). I'm not holding my breath for that one, though, dreaming too much leads to disappointment.

Original sin combat is nowhere near as good as ToEE.
At the start of the game it's fun, but then it's becomes a boring and uninspired, full of hit point sponges and slow turns.
I agree that it would be a very good idea to license D&D, its a superior rule set, with more interesting spells and abilities, more interesting besteary, and vastly superior settings.

They don't need to license DnD system, because according to OGL 1.0 (for the 3E and 5E) the SRD is free to use in all products. Larian just couldn't use the D&D trademark and the not free game content like settings, characters or adventure modules. And there is where Swens move towards WoC was a nice supprise for me. Because Larian has tried to establish a shop for adventure modules (mods) for DOS, but it all was not quite there and now everything comes slowly into place, technically enabling WoC to sell their adventure modules and rulesets for the GM modus in DOS:2.

It has the basic foundations of D&D combat as opposed to RTWP, even has attacks of opportunity. I bet they could churn out a D&D prototype in a day. Really all they'd have to implement is converting AP movement to D&D movement (five foot step etc) and attacks per turn/free actions, etc. It's better suited to replicating ToEE than any engine I can think of, that's why when D:OS first came out everyone on the Codex was making comparisons to ToEE, it is very similar except for the ruleset, which is a very superficial thing.

The DnD prototype could be ready in one week, but i don't think that they necessary need a 5 foot grid, for their current 5E rulesets. The AP needs only to be reduced to 2APs with one movement action and attack action costs of 1 AP. Action surges could grant then 1 AP for actions. From the side of programming DnD ruleset in DOS2 is not difficult. The only thing that could prevent this are lawyers and the heads of the companies. But there is Swen, who made the first move and if the "Lost Mine of Phandelver" campaign is appreciated in GM DOS2, then perhaps WoC sees the opportunity and grabs it. I don't think that Swen would be against an cooperation with WoC, and WoC has only a distrust towards Fargo. So currently the signs look very promising.

Nevertheless i don't particularly like the Divinity world, so i think that a license for FR would do good for Larian, and Return to TOEE would be a great game in DOS2 GM or single player.

 

[worldsmith]

I just got around to watching the video and the Game Master mode looks great. Keep in mind however this is a selectively edited PR video.

In case anyone's interested (and has no life), here's an unedited (other than splicing twitch streams together) 4 hour session:


(Alternatively, you can watch the whole thing from Mercer's view to see more of the Game Master interface.)

 

[waterdeep]

God bless Larian

 

[vonAchdorf]

They are really pushing this feature - they invited / demo'ed this to everyone and their grandmother.

It's a feature that needs some explanation and demonstration of what is possible, so it's a good move have lots of example content on Youtube even long before launch.

 

[Tao]

14 September boys. Day one for me.

 

[Ogg]

I can't help comparing the way Larian handles kickstarter updates to how fucked up and deceptive InXile campaigns were.

In every way possible, Sven is definitely cooler than Fargo.