The d&d game i would like to play

[vartoz]

The first d&d game i played was Baldur´s gate. I loved the story, loved the magic weapons (Divine Fury was the best sword EVER) and mostly loved how your commpanions interacted betwen each other.
Of course Baldur´s gate II and Icewind Dale were great too, but then came Neverwinter nights and even though i lked it there was something amiss, like it was not the same.
In those 3d games it became more evident the lack of Y axis. No jumping, no climbing no flying, etc. That made spells like Flight, spider climb or jump impossible.
Now you must be thinking "Ok, we got the point, you want more"
Yes, i do. And i have examples of different games.

Morrowind: Yes, morrowind and not Oblivion. Morrowind was more versatile than Oblivion (you could even wear a heavy armor gauntlet in your left hand and a leather globe in the other. Pointless, yet fun) Plus, you could fly and create your own stuff. (artificers, rejoice!)

Thief: God, if you like the rogue class this is THE game for you. Hide in the shadows, lift your unconsious or dead enemies so they would not be discovered by other guards, shooting water arrows to candles and create more shadow areas to hide, etc.

Prince of Persia (any): Jumping, climbing, running on walls, this game had a lot to offer. Basically, it was the first parkour game in history.

Overlord: Not the best game if you like to face your enemy by yourself but one of the best example for a summoner to control his/her minions.

Batman Assylum: I like how the cape moves...

Perhaps there are games now on days that already have all this but not D&D games. Imaging a game like morrowind, where you could hide your face with a mask and guards didn´t chase you even when you had a bounty on yourself (changelings would be fun to play). Mages and artificers could buy a house or build a tower and set themselves a lab where they could create magic items. Rogues could actually have a mission were they could steal items and getting no bounty if there´s no witness. Items like the Rod of Rope (complete scoundrel) would be invaluable for acrobatics characters. Rangers creating their own arrows, Druids shapeshifting, customizable outfits, bracers, belts, capes and rings that are visible in your character when you wear them, wizards and sorcerers using spider climb to stay out of danger or casting Mordenkain´s magnificent Mansion just for fun, fighters that... well, fighters would still hack and slash, but they would be cool doing it.
And the only reason (well, not only but mainly) we don´t have this game is because developers face it like a d&d game and not like an adventure game.
I really think THIS game would be the best d&d game ever made.
P.D.: Hey, never said it would be easy!

[vartoz]

mmm, many views and no replys. Is it because you agree or maybe i wrote too much?

[Drakos]

Well, there are deffinate reasons why they limited movement options. Some may be technical but others have to do with tactics. Some movement mides make it very easy to bypass content in adventures and out of them. Take for example th cutoff between the Harbor and the Marketplace. Or the ability to use flight in for things like the Ice Jump.

Then you add in things like hover kiting. How hard would The Pit be with flight? Add to this the need to code the AI to compensate for the added dimession and it begins to become obvious why it is limited.

Sure, as a player of the MMO and the PnP game I notice the sever lack of mobility, but it is understandable. I think it is doable to add the missing movement, but is it worth the time and effort this far into the games life cycle? This was deffinatly a design element there from the start?

With that all being said, they seem to be willing to change these design elements, look at the underwater combat comming in U6 and the flight in RR, so there might be some hope, but I wouldn't suggest holding your breath.

[SniptheShadow]

I'm no knowledgeable source by any means. I'm not up on the latest tech and the abilities of things in an MMO either, but I think that is the issue. I just don't think a system or type of tech exists (yet) to do what you'd like in your dream MMO.

I know I'd love an MMO that was both gorgeous and adaptable like a Morrowind or Oblivion, and also an expansive MMO.

Imagine having twelve people in a raid and the graphics looked like those games, yet utilizing a D&D world and rules system.

Wow!

I'd buy a new computer for a game like that in a heartbeat.

I'm happy with this game for now.


Does that help? Maybe not.

Interesting topic.


Thanks

Snip

[KKDragonLord]

mmm, many views and no replys. Is it because you agree or maybe i wrote too much?

i was about to point out that Baldurs Gate was good at the time but it wasn't great. Baldur's Gate 2 was the bomb, and thats what you are actually really fond of.

Celestial Fury was a sword from Baldurs Gate 2, especially since it was a Katana, a class of swords that didn't exist in the 1st game.

The interaction between characters was very limited in the 1st game, but on the 2nd it was truly wonderful.

Baldur's Gate 2 is one of the best CRPGs ever, but not so much BG1 or the ToB expansion that concludes the storyline.

The first Icewind Dale was very good as well, even if a bit simpler than BG2

The storyline of the NWN just suck, its predictable, forced, lame in several ways, the only thing cool about it was the character Aribeth (even if not that original) but they didnt even conclude part of her story in the end (if you actually manage to save her).

The 2nd expansion is quite better, especially because of Deekin the Kobold Bard

The 3rd expansion starts lame, but then becomes good, and it turns out great.

Couldn't play Morrowind after i created a drow character and his face looked like the result of a car crash. (played NWN instead). Oblivion was wonderful for the whole concept of a world where random things happen... pretty much it did for the younger generations what Ultima IV did for RPG fans decades ago.

Your ideas are good, but you seem to have no notion of how hard implementing those would be for an MMO, Especially at the time DDO was made.

In fact, DDO is currently the best, and you can only think about better ways of gameplay because this game has changed the way MMOs work by itself, with active combat, traps, etc...

I agree it would be awesome to make a DDO 2 with so many diverse gameplay elements and styles that it would be top notch in the face of all the most innovative groundbreaking titles out there, and somehow find a balance of representation of the D&D rules.

but that task is very daunting, requires an enormous amount of work and resources, an incredible developer team to pull it off (without compromises) not to mention the absurd risks the investors would take when putting up the cash to make an MMO unlike any other.

The market changes slowly, and MMOs progress even slower because they require huge money, enormous risks and a they take a long time to make. And its good to remember that the Fantasy MMO market already has enough strong competitors (such as WoW) dominating the market.

[Seikojin]

I would like it if DDO changed to be more PnP. More spells, crafting, rest options, no shrines, scaled properly enemies, combat, etc. To fit in the PnP rules. Also player made quests.

A rewrite, I know, but it would be alot more fun to me.

Also, they could then have different campaign setting servers. So instead of playing all in Eberron, you could play in Forgotten Realms too, or any other setting.

[KKDragonLord]

Also, they could then have different campaign setting servers. So instead of playing all in Eberron, you could play in Forgotten Realms too, or any other setting.

That would be fun, although other (better) settings such as Forgotten Realms are quite...big

we don't even have Eberron properly in DDO, Stormreach and Xendri'k are a small part of the world and its already a handful

imagine the work it would take to do a Whole setting, let alone several...

Why not just ask for Planescape with full access to all the major settings?
IMO it was the best campaing setting TSR ever made, and the best CRPG ever made was based upon it too =) (Planescape: Torment)

[vartoz]

Actually, Dracos, i never said i wanted to play a D&D MMO, just a D&D game... I even checked what i wrote just to be sure since everyone have replyed as if i was. I know that all the things i said are almost immpossible in a MMO.
KKDragonLord, i couldn´t agree more with you about BG1, BG2 and NWN. (although many of my friends hated Deekin, i loved that char). Many years had passed since i played the BG games so i might be mixing a little bit those games. (Be nice, i´m 30, my memory is no longer what it used to be )
The Planescape idea? Also a great one.
Also i have to say i agree with Seikojin, making DDO more PnP-like would make it even better.
P.D.: I like DDO, i just had this idea in my mind for a while now, i just wanted to know other points of view.

[Seikojin]

That would be fun, although other (better) settings such as Forgotten Realms are quite...big

we don't even have Eberron properly in DDO, Stormreach and Xendri'k are a small part of the world and its already a handful

imagine the work it would take to do a Whole setting, let alone several...

Why not just ask for Planescape with full access to all the major settings?
IMO it was the best campaing setting TSR ever made, and the best CRPG ever made was based upon it too =) (Planescape: Torment)

The idea I had would be Turbine making a framework of sorts out of DDO. Made it into a d20 rules manager and graphic engine. Much like Epic did with Unreal. Then sell the **** out of the framework to developers with some small funding for a million a pop. Again, just like Epic.

I think eventually Epic was bought out by atari. I can't remember.

But what this would do is put Turbine into a position to update the core engine more rapidly, and make content much MUCH faster. Because they will have a content toolkit that they would use to make game content to advertise their engine. That would be what DDO would become.

Then they can give the content toolkit out and let the playerbase make content. They can keep it all secure and charge money for the exchange, etc. of it all. They make cash, we make content and everyone gets the unique and true pnp experience in a game they crave.

[Uska]

That would be fun, although other (better) settings such as Forgotten Realms are quite...big

we don't even have Eberron properly in DDO, Stormreach and Xendri'k are a small part of the world and its already a handful

imagine the work it would take to do a Whole setting, let alone several...

Why not just ask for Planescape with full access to all the major settings?
IMO it was the best campaing setting TSR ever made, and the best CRPG ever made was based upon it too =) (Planescape: Torment)

The realms would be horrible as I loathe them so no fun for me they would be horrible for those that love them because they would say they got this or that wrong Eberron was the best choice being the newest

that being said I do wish they would use more of it for more immersion

yeah the realms are big and better forgotten as they are mindnumbling boring.