I mostly like the 4.0 rules, but don't really get to play them enough. As a person who works a full time job and is also in school, I don't have near enough time to try out all of the builds and character concepts I'd like to do in a PnP game, and I think having a computer game that utilizes the 4.0 rules might help with that at least a little bit.
Anyone heard anything?
Nothing I know of. But there is a NWN2 Storm of Zehiar. Which is after the Spell Plague. The spell plague is in the 4E D&D pnp game..
Still psuedo 3.5 though.
but rumor has it... RUMOR... Baldur's Gate 3 will be 4e
don't ask me where i heard this... i wasn't near the Black Isle Booth at E3...
Maybe Dragon Age Origins will be 4e...
Nope, DA:O uses its own system. There will be a P&P RPG based on this engine published by Green Ronin.
but rumor has it... RUMOR... Baldur's Gate 3 will be 4e
don't ask me where i heard this... i wasn't near the Black Isle Booth at E3...
Now ... this would be oh so cool!
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Huldvoll
Baron von Bomberg
The could of built BG around the 3E
Icewind dale 2 was 3.0 and it didn't fare much better. Of course Icewind dale was always more hack n slash and less story. BG 3 would be sweet though. In any case dragon age origins looks promising even though it's not using 4th ed dnd the designers said that dnd definately had an influence on a system but that in the end they wanted their own system so they didn't have to worry about translating anything wonky or sacred cows or what not.
Isn't 4e already a computer game?
So far to the best of my knowledge there are no plans for a 4e computer game. I heard they were planning to convert D&D Online to 4e gradually, which is quite possibly the worst idea they've ever had and that's really saying something.
But anyways this is about new D&D computer games. Not a 4E bash thread.
But anyways this is about new D&D computer games. Not a 4E bash thread.
Your Correct!!! It's not a 4e Thread!!! But with a new version... we want to see a new game with the new version... so its kinda the same thing, right??
oh, and Bethesda is doing a Fallout MMO!!!!
well i guess a 4e game would be like WoW with timers and such for abilities...
But the Ultimate 4e game( and were still talking about new computer games!!! ) is the VTT, when its ever released... then all the other games gotta watch out... were gonna turn based rpg our selves right into nerd heaven!! ( myself included)
I was refouring to the post that said 4E was a video game already.
That was a joke, hence the "obligatory" tags. Trying to say it in jest before anyone said it in seriousness.
To clarify, I love 4e and think it would make some totally awesome video games, but DDO trying to convert gradually is a BAD IDEA and will make things even wackier than they already are in that train wreck of an MMO.
Trying to say it in jest before anyone said it in seriousness.
In the future, just say "inb4 4e r videogamze!"
that was around the time that Atari went Caput right? no wait... I know what killed BG... NWN did it, in waterdeep with the 3e system and multiplayer
No no, no, it was Temple of Elemental Evil in the Dales with System Glitches.
Now, the game itself had bugs, and the release of SP2 for XP screwed it up but good. But as far as creating a system-loyal game for DnD, that is my gold standard.
I have played all BG IWD NWN1 NWN2 games. I just want more...:D
Personally, I think the best bet for making a conversion that is as close as possible rule wise, is to have it be a gridded, turn-based strategy game (think Fire Emblem, the older Shining Force Games, or Final Fantasy Tactics). If they did it that way, I think that there would be next to no need to change rules or abilities.
Like all the games they made for 2nd edition?
I assume since you didn't reference them you haven't played 'em.
There were numerous "Gold Box" games made by SSI for TSR that were great. Turn based, grid-based, etc. As far as I can recall they were almost 100% true to the rules.
Game companies try to appeal to non-PNP-gamers by making their games too pretty, which requires ignoring the rules, which typically drives the PnP gamers away, and non-PnP gamers don't want to play D&D in any form, so its a wash of badness.
Like all the games they made for 2nd edition?
I assume since you didn't reference them you haven't played 'em.
There were numerous "Gold Box" games made by SSI for TSR that were great. Turn based, grid-based, etc. As far as I can recall they were almost 100% true to the rules.
Thanks all, for the responses. Actually, I believe most of the Gold Box games were First Edition
I played a ton of them myself, including the Dragonlance ones. As far as true to the rules, they did have some elements that actually later became rules with 3.0 and beyond, like primitive Attacks of Opportunity and the "Guard" mode, which acted like a Readied Action.
I agree that it would be hard to do a very accurate crossover in a real-time system, but you never know. It would not work very well with an MMO format, which really don't tend to have "encounters" per se, but more often tons of smaller skirmishes with 1-2 creatures at a time, especially at lower levels.
but there is this thread that was going for a while!!!
http://forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-924934.html
I found that D&D Tactics did a fairly good job of translating the 3.5 ruleset to a video game. Again, it was a turn based, grid system, which I think is just fine in a game. I'm a huge fan of tactics games like Final Fantasy Tactics and the Disgaea series, so it worked out great for me. If they do make a 4th edition game, I would love to see it follow that template.
Technically Diablo 2 was a Dnd setting that fared pretty well... from modding it... the code that it used was close to 2e, with a few elements that have appeared in 4e... but that was WoTC and Blizzard working together... I guess Hell froze over ( Blizzard North )
but there is this thread that was going for a while!!!
http://forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-924934.html
Azeroth started out as an AD&D campaign world as well, as did Norath.
Anyone heard anything?
Sadly, no. Chances are good that any D&D video game will be a sad little real-time game. I personally would love to see a rerelease of the gold box set (which I still play, TYVM) using the 4th edition rules, but it probably isn't going to happen.
don't ask me where i heard this... i wasn't near the Black Isle Booth at E3...
Being near the Black Isle booth at E3 this year would be quite the feat, considering that the studio ceased to exist 6 years ago.
Personally, I think the best bet for making a conversion that is as close as possible rule wise, is to have it be a gridded, turn-based strategy game (think Fire Emblem, the older Shining Force Games, or Final Fantasy Tactics). If they did it that way, I think that there would be next to no need to change rules or abilities.
My thought as well.:lightbulb
Thanks all, for the responses. Actually, I believe most of the Gold Box games were First Edition
I played a ton of them myself, including the Dragonlance ones. As far as true to the rules, they did have some elements that actually later became rules with 3.0 and beyond, like primitive Attacks of Opportunity and the "Guard" mode, which acted like a Readied Action.
I agree that it would be hard to do a very accurate crossover in a real-time system, but you never know. It would not work very well with an MMO format, which really don't tend to have "encounters" per se, but more often tons of smaller skirmishes with 1-2 creatures at a time, especially at lower levels.
I would hate to see a 4E game done in real time or even semi-real time. I hope to see something like DnD Tatics (for the PSP) translated to 4E and put on every console and PC.
I just hope and pray to Bahamut that they don't give one company the rights for eternity, like they did with Atari. Not to be a jerk, but I think the quality would have been much better if they had just given out the liscences on a game-by-game basis.
Actually, I am really surprised we have heard nothing of a 4e computer game yet. It seems that when 3e came out, computer games were right behind. Here we are a year into 4e and bupkiss even announced on the computer gaming front.
Different circumstances. Neverwinter Nights was originally to be a 2e game, then switched to 3e mid-development, and in fact made the switch a few months before the actual 3e rules came out.
And consequently, NWN was a mess and a half as a result of its pre-emptive jump on 3e. It got a lot wrong and came up with some very broken concepts (Discipline skill, anyone? Parry skill? Knockdown feat?).
So for that reason, I don't mind the wait for 4e computer games. Better to get it right.
http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/993/993414p1.html
DDO to be renamed and put on free/a la carte subscription model
http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/dungeons-dragons-online/993411p1.html
No mention of edition updates, but IMO a brand new NWN probably wouldn't use the old system.
but incase its a mmo,not buying it
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Wait, what did he just say?
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Wasn't 4th edition supposed to be a computer game? Long explanation follows...
The rules set is optimized for table games with 3-5 people. It's the class roles, the whole power design, the numbers, the distribution of class abilities between attacking, defending and buffing. 4th edition characters are much less self-sufficient, you need a party.
It stresses the round-based scheme a lot with its standard, move, minor, interrupt and opportunity actions. Especially the interrupts. Would you play a computer game where a message box pops up before and after every monster attack that allows you to use one of your many interrupt powers?
There are also some 4th edition peculiarities that are welcome simplifications at the table but would look totally weird in a computer game. Quadratic fireballs for example, or 50% increased diagonal walking speed. I'd also revert the skill system to points. When the computer does the counting, skill points are easy, and it's more fun to decide where the points to each level, rather than deciding it all at the start and never ever changing.
For an MMO, you'd have to throw out the whole round-based scheme, throw out daily and encounter time-counting and immediate actions for time in frames. Powers would probably get some kind of recharge time.
You also need to expand the balancing to work from solo adventures to large guild campaigns with 50 or more people. Note that no encounter timer means you'll also have to rework most magic items. You'd also have to address a ton of MMO-specific problems that a Pen-&-Paper RPG never has to bother with, such as low-level characters running through high-level areas or using high-level items.
For LAN multiplayer, you'd still have to rework most like the MMO, but at least you can assume a limited number of players. Before you ask, round-based multiplayer doesn't work because no one wants to wait 5 mins for his next combat round while the elf is on the toilet.
In a single-player single-character RPG, you'll have to rework all the roles to allow for solo play. Monsters would be much weaker, and gameplay either hit & run for strikers / controllers or tanking for defenders. Leaders wouldn't work in that game.
Single-player-character-party real-time RPG, you could count time in encounters and days, even though rounds are still replaced by frames.
The only faithful reconstruction would be a turn-based, single-player character-party RPG. Note how these are no longer popular since the mid-90ies. If you accept some of 4th editions eccentricities like quadratic fireballs, interrupts popping up, move-shift differences etc. it could probably be an interesting game. But it wouldn't sell.
All in all, yes, a new video game based on the D&D franchise would be nice. But there is no reason to make it a faithful copy of 4th edition. It's more important to make sure it's a fun computer game, and only copy mechanics if they work well in digital. Video games and Pen & Paper RPGs are different mediums and should be treated as such.
4th edition doesn't translate well into a computer game.
Well, that's all well and good, but 3.0 had some of these same problems, some even worse, and still translated fairly well with Neverwinter Nights. The main campaign aside, many players entered the game via online servers, most of which could be considered an MMO format, even though they didn't have MMO #s of players.
You would definitely have to change the time scaling of how Encounters and Dailies recharged. Presumably, you could take a short rest at any time you're not in combat to recharge your Encounters just like per the PnP rules, and you would have to determine what kind of time passage to use to allow an Extended Rest.
In a lot of servers I played in Neverwinter Nights, modules that didn't allow instant resting would allow you to rest about every 8 minutes of real time or so in an advanced time passage system that could probably work for 4.0 as well.
Maybe the best system would be a turn-based, although that might "turn off"(pun intended) some groups of players.
and some of us dont and wont likely play World of Warcraft.
4th edition doesn't translate well into a computer game.
Yes, making computer games is hard, that's why we leave it to professionals.
A turn based party rpg, much like Temple of Elemental Evil, would work best with 4E; opportunity actions would be automatic and interrupts and reactions could be done as just pressing spacebar to pause the game when some icon lights up (I'm sure a real game designer could come up with something better though), any of the other thing you said I really don't see as big obstacles for a professional game designing company.
A) Turn Based
B) Party Combat
They aren't traditional RPGs but ideas can be borrowed.
oh, and Bethesda is doing a Fallout MMO!!!!
No they're not. Interplay tried to rise from the dead to start production on a Fallout MMO but because Interplay's CEO is who he is, they were unable to enter full scale production and it's likely that Bethesda will sue for breach of contract, resulting in Interplay's loss of their Fallout license. None of this is really confirmed though I guess:
http://falloutmmo.com/
My gut feeling is that Obsidian is going to announce that they're working on a 4E Baldur's Gate 3 one of these days - and it will be real time w/ pause.
You could make a game based on the 4E rules in a turn-based style. the question is, would it be worth it?? Would it actually sell any decent amount to make a decent return on investment??
I personally would love to to see one and would purchase it. However, I do not believe that it will sell well in general. I love turn-based games, but it seems that as far as computer games go, the audience would prefer something real-time.
My gut feeling is that Obsidian is going to announce that they're working on a 4E Baldur's Gate 3 one of these days - and it will be real time w/ pause.
I'd be disappointed because I like turn-based games. I may still purchase it though if it's D&D. After all, I do tollerate the old Infiniti Engine games like Icewind Dale II because it's D&D. Didn't like Neverwinter Nights because it is solo.
You could make a game based on the 4E rules in a turn-based style. the question is, would it be worth it?? Would it actually sell any decent amount to make a decent return on investment??
Yes, I would love to play a turn based rpg based on the 4E rules. I loved the old SSI D&D games.
Bel
I also think that if a game is made, I think it should have each campaign take place in three different settings per tier. That way, people purchasing the game would be exposed to each new setting. This increases the diversity of their experience, but also allows WOTC to showcase the settings. Each campaign could be thematic. EG: One campaign takes place in Kara-Tur, Al-Quadim, and Maztica could form an "exotic" campaign, for example.
Yes, I would love to play a turn based rpg based on the 4E rules. I loved the old SSI D&D games.
Bel
Don't get me wrong, so did I. But I question how popular a turn-based RPG would be these days. Granted, there are a lot of "pseudo"-turn-based RPGs out there for consoles (Lost Odyssey comes to mind), so it may not be completely out of the realm of impossibility.
Be it in stuff like:
- Visual Style
- World Setting
- Use of Different Non-Traditional CRPG Mechanics
Stuff like that. So to say mix up a bunch of things... Not saying this is what I want but just an example; a more animated visual style (think the new Prince of Persia) set in a I dunno Eberron (hasn't had that much video-game exposure) or a crazy-ass other world. I am playing my Rogue and he can dynamically use the environment for stealth, or the Wizard can interact with the environment, or OAs are quick-time system within the game, etc. Along with the base CRPG/D&D 4e concepts as its base.
There is just such a wide gambit of ideas and possibilities in video-games now that it would suck to see CRPGs just grow stagnant.
To quote BioWare "Combat in Dragon Age: Origins takes place in real-time. In addition, we included a pause-and-play system that allows players to take a more tactical approach to the game."
Anything else would just be 4E-inspired.