Decline Sword Coast Legends - RIP n-Space!

[DavidBVal]

The DLC also contains the following game updates:

• Screen nudge with mouse (toggled option): Players will now be able to move the camera by nudging the edges of the screen. The WASD keys and the middle mouse button will still work the way they currently do.
• Auto-heal at Adventurer's Camp: When entering the adventurer's camp, the party will heal any damage previously taken.
• DM collect quests will display "x of x found" on the HUD
• Hotkey added to re-center camera on player
• Doubled the max length for DM quest conversation text
• Added the option to lock your cursor to the window
• Bug fixes

The developer also dated some upcoming Community Packs, the first coming on 9 November 2015, and includes:

• Companion-Specific Skill Trees Unlocked for Players: Existing unique companion skill trees will become available to players
• Nature Set
• New outdoor area cleared and ready for customization with over 150 new placeable nature objects for DMs.
• Ability Respec: Characters wishing to forget their prior training will be able to do so. All character points will be refunded, allowing players to change builds or reselect their characters' abilities.
• Player Stash: Players will be able to store additional items within their own personal stash.
• Skill Rolls: Players will be able to use ability rolls that take their character's bonuses into account. For instance, characters will be able to specifically make a "Strength" roll and have their Strength modifier automatically added to the roll.
• Increased Number of Available Monster Abilities: Custom creatures will have additional monster abilities available to them.
• Bug fixes and additional community feedback items as time allows

Community Pack 2 will come the week of 30 November 2015 and will include:

• Address concerns with ninja looting in multi-player games
• New Playable Sub-race: Drow Elves (including access to Darkness and Faerie Fire abilities)
• DM-placeable visual effects (fire, smoke, etc.)
• Revisions and improvements to the rules for death, party wipe, and stabilize, including new options for players that want more challenge
• Village area and village-related placeable objects for DMs to use in their modules
• Ability to give ambient text to NPCs on select
• Ability for DMs to change the randomized interiors of every tile
• Lock/unlock locations on all quest states (give/update/complete)
• Bug fixes and additional community feedback items as time allows

Color coded, for your convenience:

█ Visual and UI changes which won't make a bad game become fun.
█ Making the game easier and dumber. i.e. "unique" is now "available to all". Sure. So unique. Genius!
█ Actual improvements, maybe.
█ Doing their job and calling it "feature", like bugfixes, or adding stuff that is hard to believe wasn't included in a 40USD "AAA" D&D title.

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

They also announced "modding support" in the December deliverables but that is not quite what it seems as VAC bans are not going away:

We intend to be very clear about where the line must be drawn between modding and activity that will trigger the VAC. Our tech director has already discussed this to some degree but we'll have a clear and official stance on it that is in line with Steam policies.

Ross was super clear about what would lead to a VAC ban. I posted it in my modding thread.
...
And just to confirm. I believe that was -don't touch the .exe's or .dll's-
...
Pretty much, or alter anything in memory.

 

[pippin]

I can replace .exes for almost every game from the old x-com to f:nv, but modding this gets you a VAC ban.

 

[Immortal]

That half-orcs facial expression is one we all share looking at the "State of this Game"

 

[Mustawd]

Sstacks, please just ask questions and don't BS with the guy. Half of the one hour time slot you have usually ends up being wasted on useless banter.

That being said, here are my questions:

1. In your marketing you've made references to NWN and the IE games. Do you feel it's fair to compare SCL to these games?

2. Can you explain your thoughts behind your policies on VAC bans with a non-competitive game like SCL?

3. Will there be Orcs and Kobolds in your patches, will these be released as DLC, or are these not planned to be implemented?

 

[DavidBVal]

That half-orcs facial expression is one we all share looking at the "State of this Game"

I think we switch between that and the redhead's girl amusement.

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

3. Will there be Orcs and Kobolds in your patches, will these be released as DLC, or are these not planned to be implemented?

Now part of their "backlog thread", stuff in addition to the road map they'll supposedly do when they can:

https://forums.swordcoast.com/index.php?/topic/7928-backlog/

Ongoing Efforts

· Additional Content of All Type, Including:

· Additional monster types, including the ever-requested Kobolds, Orcs and Wyrmlings

 

[Immortal]

This just stinks of desperation. I got a patch for you

· Make the game not shit.
· Stop raping the DnD franchise.
· Pretend we can put at least half as much effort as Bioware did.

 

[Mustawd]

Now part of their "backlog thread", stuff in addition to the road map they'll supposedly do when they can:

https://forums.swordcoast.com/index.php?/topic/7928-backlog/

Cool thanks.

 

[sstacks]

Sstacks, please just ask questions and don't BS with the guy. Half of the one hour time slot you have usually ends up being wasted on useless banter.

That being said, here are my questions:

1. In your marketing you've made references to NWN and the IE games. Do you feel it's fair to compare SCL to these games?

2. Can you explain your thoughts behind your policies on VAC bans with a non-competitive game like SCL?

3. Will there be Orcs and Kobolds in your patches, will these be released as DLC, or are these not planned to be implemented?

I'm not even 100% sure if he'd coming on yet but will keep your request to reformat my show completely to your tastes in mind if he does

Just kidding of course, I appreciate all feedback, from effusive praise to constructive criticism to distilled essence of Internet bile.

 

[Immortal]

I'm not even 100% sure if he'd coming on yet but will keep your request to reformat my show completely to your tastes in mind if he does

Just kidding of course, I appreciate all feedback, from effusive praise to constructive criticism to distilled essence of Internet bile.

We are fresh sold out of the first two.. but we have a sale going on the internet bile.

 

[sstacks]

Between reading the State of the Game update and sitting in on the live Twitch stream today I think I can at least say that they are responding to player feedback fairly quickly instead of just stubbornly toeing the line and saying "nope, the game's great you just don't understand it yet."

Another thought I have (just speculating here) is that this game was developed alongside the WotC D&D team pretty much the entire way. WotC has been getting into the "multi platform expression of the same game" game (pun intented) pretty hard lately with the tabletop version being the star but other "expressions/versions" orbiting around it. For example, the Neverwinter MMO is considered part of the official D&D world and has expansions alongside the tabletop storylines, even though the rule system and gameplay are not exactly the same.

So (again speculating here) I think what happened with SLC is they worked with WotC on a new expression of D&D and the fan blowback on release outside of the pre-orders was worse than they were expecting. After following this game for quite a while, sitting in on a lot of the Twitch streams and seeing WotC push the heck out of it marketing wise I really think they felt they were doing a new version of D&D that people were going to like.

I'm not saying you have to like it, bottom line is it's not like they got the license from WotC, disappeared for 2 years, then popped back up and said suprise! Here's your game. This is part of a larger strategy.

 

[Mustawd]

I'm not even 100% sure if he'd coming on yet but will keep your request to reformat my show completely to your tastes in mind if he does

Just kidding of course, I appreciate all feedback, from effusive praise to constructive criticism to distilled essence of Internet bile.

Yeah, wasn't trying to be an ass, but I was pretty disappointed with the all the jibber jabber during the MCA/Numenera episode. I mean getting to the meat is kind of the whole point isn't it? One of the reasons why I think Matt Chat's format works well. He might have a ton of the same filler, but at least he can edit it away.

 

[sstacks]

Yeah, wasn't trying to be an ass, but I was pretty disappointed with the all the jibber jabber during the MCA/Numenera episode. I mean getting to the meat is kind of the whole point isn't it? One of the reasons why I think Matt Chat's format works well. He might have a ton of the same filler, but at least he can edit it away.

It's all good

Live radio is crazy and fun (like riding a skateboard down a really long steep hill with a short stopping distance), but yeah there's no retakes or do overs or editing things out.

I felt bad I didn't get to any of the Codex questions and comments for the MCA/Numenera episode, which is why I reached out to Chris to see if we could do the follow up podcast.

 

[pippin]

responding to player feedback

You know, I'm old and jaded, but this is just the other side of the coin. It's quite dlusional for them to pretend the pc crowd doesn't remember NWN anymore. Even the PoE comments, those aren't from trolls, just from people who have played some crpgs. I guess they did their job, and are working on fixing things, but not in the way they intended it all to be.

 

[Immortal]

This is part of a larger strategy.

Would that strategy involve being sued by Hasbro or being driven into bankruptcy.. Ohh wait sorry that was their strategy with Atari.
Okay let's watch this play out.

I'm sure a good game is on it's way...

Spoiler

 

[Infinitron]

I don't think n-Space are evil, but maybe they should have stopped to consider whether they were making a product that anybody actually wanted. I mean, wow, it turns out that procedurally generated cooldown-based RTwP dungeon romps aren't what the masses are looking for in a D&D game. That seems like something that somebody could have anticipated, you know?

 

[Mustawd]

I think they got overexcited with the idea of accessibility. I mean it's obvious in their design as well as in a lot of the comments from their early marketing videos (aka I can imagine my 8 year old playing this).

 

[pippin]

I think a dev would do better if they just ignored the community. There's going to be a number of haters and defenders, and at this point it's just granted, nobody will see your product as the second coming of Christ. Juts make a reasonable product, market it to the reasonable audience, and get money. It's not that hard to do.

 

[Immortal]

I think a dev would do better if they just ignored the community. There's going to be a number of haters and defenders, and at this point it's just granted, nobody will see your product as the second coming of Christ. Juts make a reasonable product, market it to the reasonable audience, and get money. It's not that hard to do.

The old "your customers are shitlords" strategy.. only works when your game is good.
Not so good when the refunds are coming in by the barrel load.

 

[pippin]

It's not really a shitlord thing, or a thing of refunds, even. It's a thing of supply and demand. We have plenty of games which work just right and make 10x more things than SCL... that's the point. Even the EEs for BG and IWD are better, mostly because those build up on games that are already perceived as classics (footnote: I recently took a customer survey for WotC and in the crpg option the EEs were there but the originals weren't). This is just shovelware, even for someone who's not interested in crpgs... The devs are just doing damage control now. There's no way this game is going to get better, it's just D&D's Realms of Arkania Remake.

 

[Ash_Firelord]

I don't think n-Space are evil, but maybe they should have stopped to consider whether they were making a product that anybody actually wanted. I mean, wow, it turns out that procedurally generated cooldown-based RTwP dungeon romps aren't what the masses are looking for in a D&D game. That seems like something that somebody could have anticipated, you know?

Isn't there a famous quote that goes something like "Don't attribute to evil what can be explained by incompetence." ?

Anyway, I think the blow back is hard because people actually cared. I was legit excited for this game, if there had been a box I would have preordered. They said (and probably meant) all the right things. It's a real bummer it turned out like this, and that's why ppl are angry.

 

[Neanderthal]

Well i'll say one thing, at least they're not going the "entitled, against innovation, spoiled grognards" usual shit, refreshing a dev not blaming the players. Keep me eye open and see if owt comes o their yap, if they remake it into a good game then i'll buy, simple as.

 

[Mustawd]

They said (and probably meant) all the right things. It's a real bummer it turned out like this, and that's why ppl are angry.

That's great if that's what they delivered. But what's the point of invoking classics (ugh, hurts me to say this about IE games) if you're not going to emulate them?

One of the things BG and IWD did well was adaption of D&D rules. Well, at least 100 times better than SCL has done. And to have such a barebones DM mode? Please.

I mean it's just hard to fathom that they thought this was enough. Even more damning, their community consistently told them it wasn't enough. But they shipped it out anyway. Because, fuck it, that's why.

 

[pippin]

"entitled, against innovation, spoiled grognards"

Many people covered this already in the Steam forums, especially the grognard element. They said this game was ruined because of some grognard nerds complaining on the internet.
Grognard nerds. On a D&D game.
Sometimes They'd say stuff like "I wish those nerds would leave already". I'm not joking. Those were there.
They lost, though, and there's no use on blaming them anymore.