Decline Sword Coast Legends Pre-Release Thread

[Shannow]

Steam page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/325600/

So, turning back from getting all emotional over a game we know fuck-all about. Let's comment something that's already there: Graffix
The static screens look like shit. I only say this because I think the game looked ok/good in motion in the teaser. Anybody know how long this has been in development? Would you expect significant improvements till Q3 2015?
And I get a strong "broad-corridors-of-Daaoh"-vibe from the glimpses of the minimap. Not a good thing. I always thought the "corridor"-syndrome was due to consoles' defective genes. Not a pretty sight in a "PC exclusive".

Oh, and I'll definately look at their DLC policy when it's out before I'll even consider putting down any money. (If it's even available in drm-free versions and no other red flags.) If it turns out as money-grubbing as it looks so far (250$ for a collector's ed. LOL), I'll wait for a complete Diamond Edition thingy at bargain price.

 

[Grunker]

I'd like to hear an optimist defend 10 ooze samples. Not even NWN had that shit.

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

I'd like to hear an optimist defend 10 ooze samples. Not even NWN had that shit.

it was actually 4 samples in nwn1 oc (driad, cocatrice, yuan ti and intellect devourer)

Spoiler

and "colect 10 ooze samples" wouldnt be the first quest in crpg history where you help some apothecary

 

[Rostere]

Okay. So what about story and characters? What have we got? From the screenshots:

"Jarhild" says: "Who would do something like that?! What if some lil kid wandered in here?!" when encountering the scene of a murder.

"Hommet" says: "We're fighting now?" when casting Restrain on a troll.

So...

 

[Black]

http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/70...use-dungeons-dragons-rpg-sword-coast-legends/

The hate in that thread is giving me a hard on.

Amazing how they can hate it that much while wanking off to the same shit being made by obsidian.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

So is this using MMO cooldowns?

On the Steam page screenshot you can see it: +92 XP by killing something with Ray of Frost II. You see, Ray of Frost II is what you get once you're high enough level to upgrade the regular Ray of Frost. As a really high level mage you'll be dispatching epic foes with a badass Ray of Frost IX. Only 7 abilities+ cooldowns confirmed. I SMELL SHIT.

 

[Darth Roxor]

looks great, can't wait

 

[Havoc]

Man. Why is it fucking hard to make a NWN-clone? Put 5ED rules into the game, add a good toolkit, ability to tinker with the mechanics, standalone server and that's it. People who mod would FUCKING LOVE THIS SHIT. Are people this dense?

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

THINK OF TEH CHILDREN

graphics look pretty good though

 

[Havoc]

WHY?! FUCKING WHY WOULD DO THIS TO THIS FUCKING IP?! This... Neverwinter Online was more NWN than this shit.

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

So is this using MMO cooldowns?

On the Steam page screenshot you can see it: +92 XP by killing something with Ray of Frost II. You see, Ray of Frost II is what you get once you're high enough level to upgrade the regular Ray of Frost. As a really high level mage you'll be dispatching epic foes with a badass Ray of Frost IX. Only 7 abilities+ cooldowns confirmed. I SMELL SHIT.

why only 7 abilities? i see 12 slots on the hotbar

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

yeah true, I looked closer and the toolbar is 12, still I never saw more than 7 abilities, plus ability names (Ray of Frost II, Whirlwind Attack II, Mordenkainen's Sword II etc) indicate a limited set of abilities, unless that's normal for D&D 5ed (I don't know that)

 

[Infinitron]

yeah true, I looked closer and the toolbar is 12, still I never saw more than 7 abilities, plus ability names (Ray of Frost II, Whirlwind Attack II, Mordenkainen's Sword II etc) indicate a limited set of abilities, unless that's normal for D&D 5ed (I don't know that)

Maybe they haven't finished developing the other abilities yet...

The hate in that thread is giving me a hard on.

Amazing how they can hate it that much while wanking off to the same shit being made by obsidian.

You must not know Seari.

 

[Shannow]

I'd like to hear an optimist defend 10 ooze samples. Not even NWN had that shit.

But Daaoh had. And that was GOTY on the codex
(And while we're at it: NV also had it. And the OE fanboys love that game... Always depends on how much of the content is that kind of shit. Is it one quest? 10 quests? 70% of all quests? *shrug*)

EDIT: Hell, if one really wanted to be knit-picky about it. I haven't followed PE's xp-discussion closely, so this might be completely wrong: PE has no xp for fights, but xp for codex entries which you gain after killing a certain amount of that type of enemy. EG. 10 oozes...

 

[Grunker]

^ True. If it's less than 0.1% of a massive game like with DA:O it doesn't matter. But if that's the case, why have a screenshot of it in promotional material?

Edit: the comparison to poe is too far fetched though

 

[Maschtervoz]

Some of those outdoor scenes seem to suffer a bit from the generic modern graphics syndrome where things get blurry, unclear and blend into each other. Might be a problem in a RTWP system that's prone to clusterfucks anyway. I like the way the current action in clearly shown next to the portraits, though, it helps in easily tracking the combat and instantly seeing if the AI decides to randomly start dumbfucking around when not playing co-op.

Also, too many corridors on those minimaps.

 

[Black]

It's supposed to be generic, it's sword coast.

 

[PhantasmaNL]

The preorder prices on their official site for anything other than a standard copy are from a different reality.

 

[Havoc]

It's supposed to be generic, it's sword coast.

 

[Shannow]

^ True. If it's less than 0.1% of a massive game like with DA:O it doesn't matter. But if that's the case, why have a screenshot of it in promotional material?

I'd never make excuses for marketeers. They're all scum
Personally I'd guess that the "OC" will have its fair share of shitty quests, including fetch x of y. They are probably not seen as problematic since they are part of successful games like WoW and Daaoh.

Edit: the comparison to poe is too far fetched though

Actually it shows my point quite nicely. Implemention matters a lot. While I don't expect the implementation of "Bing me 10 Ooze samples" and similar quests to be particularly good in LotSC. PE shows that you can reward the type of gameplay in a nice way. (Do they actually use xp as reward for the codex entries? Combat-bonuses/resistances seem like a better way.)

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

graphics look pretty good though

It's Unity engine. It does it's job. Graphics whore complaints are futile.

 

[Infinitron]

It's Unity engine.

Source?

 

[Telengard]

"You can certainly expect to visit iconic locations along the Sword Coast," said Tudge, "and you may even run into a few familiar faces along the way."

Drizzt

Sword Coast Legends will promote a storytelling relationship between Dungeon Masters and player characters that transcends the adversarial roles of typical 4v1 multiplayer.

The GM will be treated as one of the co-op partners, incentivized (their word) to help the party.

How do you incentivize a GM, since they don't have a character? Maybe Achievements. Grindable GM tools. Earned GM points that can be spent on any character for special add-ons, like temp xp bonuses.

Much like traditional tabletop Dungeons & Dragons, the goal is to create a mutually satisfying play experience tailored to a particular group's tastes. If a party of players is looking for a particular challenge, the DM will be incentivized to provide it, but she’ll also be equipped with tools which allow her to help the players out of jams and advance the story. Dungeon Masters will be rewarded for creating and conducting engaging adventures.

PLAYER: Gib moar orcs pl0x.
GM: Okay.
PLAYER: Hep! hep!
GM: summon Drizzt

“DMs are able to...punish party members....“

Sanctuary, Timeout, Kick.

Sword Coast Legends' mechanics are inspired by the 5th Edition D&D rules set, and series staples like Magic Missile, Mordenkeinen’s Sword, and Fireball make appearances.

They bought the Forgotten Realms IP but not the D&D ruleset. So they could put in Drizzt. (Well, it's a bit early in the 5e release cycle for a full-fledged 3rd-party game anyways. I expect one will be announced at the same time or near to the announcement of the FR campaign book.)

 

[Zombra]

It's Unity engine.

Source?

I don't have a source, but it does look Unity-y to me.

 

[Oesophagus]

it's a damn shame that a turn-based ruleset like D&D keeps getting distorted into RTWP games seemingly every single time. Definitely a "square peg in a round hole" type situation, methinks.

That's the Baldur's Gate hype factor, so it needs to be rtwp. How many people would get excited for TOEE2? Though I've never even seen the new DnD ruleset, I've heard it's shit. Maybe everyone throwing dice at the same time and going apeshit over the game table is how it's played nowadays. To be more dynamic

Anyway, really meh about this. Maybe it'll surprise me, probably won't, most likely will end up a forgettable distraction