Neverwinter Fails D&D Expectations

[shores11]

D&D Enthusiast's,

Here are some initial thoughts on what I have read and seen. It seems that in NW the group size will be at 5 players (ok, we can adjust) however there are no plans currently for any raid style of play per the developers. The game in and of itself seems to cater more to the younger crowd with the Diablo or WoW looting system ( I predict a lot of grief here). With limited and more structured classes the character customization we have all become used to is taking a major hit for a D&D themed game.

Now don't get me wrong there are some nice things about NW and the fact that it is solely based in The Forgotten Realms is huge to most D&D fans. Turbine really missed the mark when they decided to go with Eberron.

Source Information:
NW Website
MMORG.com Review

• For good or ill, many of the Neverwinter community’s biggest pre-beta questions were answered. We know, for instance, that the game will ‘ship’ with only five classes: The Greatsword Fighter, the Guardian Fighter, the Dedicated Cleric, the Trickster Rogue and the Control Wizard.

NW Beta Look (about 57 minutes)

[Arnhelm]

First, it's Neverwinter Online, not Neverwinter Nights.

Second, it's only in beta a lot can change between now and release.

Finally... Did we really need another thread on this?

[User164]

so, which rules is it using? 4.0, 3.15? or some new set?
Just asking...

[Hambo]

D&D Enthusiast's,

Here are some initial thoughts on what I have read and seen. It seems that in NWN the group size will be at 5 players (ok, we can adjust) however there are no plans currently for any raid style of play per the developers. The game in and of itself seems to cater more to the younger crowd with the Diablo or WoW looting system ( I predict a lot of grief here). With limited and more structured classes the character customization we have all become used to is taking a major hit for a D&D themed game.

Now don't get me wrong there are some nice things about NWN and the fact that it is solely based in The Forgotten Realms is huge to most D&D fans. Turbine really missed the mark when they decided to go with Eberron.

Source Information:
NWN Website

MMORG.com Review

• For good or ill, many of the Neverwinter community’s biggest pre-beta questions were answered. We know, for instance, that the game will ‘ship’ with only five classes: The Greatsword Fighter, the Guardian Fighter, the Dedicated Cleric, the Trickster Rogue and the Control Wizard.

NWN Beta Look (about 57 minutes)

Turbine had no choice to do anything but Eberron... At the time, D&D 3.5 just came out, as well as the Eberron setting and Hasbro/WotC wanted to push the environment.

Also, Atari had a chokehold on the "electronic" rights for D&D, and they wouldn't have allowed FR development in any case, as they wanted to develop their own MMO using the more popular property... This seemed to have been born out in the lawsuit.

[sigtrent]

so, which rules is it using? 4.0, 3.15? or some new set?
Just asking...

Its 4th edition based, though how closely they follow the rules is not really clear.

[sephiroth1084]

so, which rules is it using? 4.0, 3.15? or some new set?
Just asking...

Pretty sure it was announced to be running on 4E, and the classes released look very 4E.

Its 4th edition based, though how closely they follow the rules is not really clear.

It's looking fairly close, from what I can tell. And, really, that's 4 classes, not 5--they just decided to break a tree of fighter out into separate classes. It would be like DDO saying that you could choose to play a Palemaster wizard or an Archmage as separate classes, where that decision (and everything directly related to that decision) are locked-in after your initial choice.

[Clatterfist]

They're not even classes, as far as I can tell...just specific, carbon-copy builds with the same ability choices - or at least that's how it seemed the last time I looked. No thanks, Cryptic!

[Uska]

Actually for me putting in the realms is one of the biggest drawbacks I have always hated the realms and wouldnt have played ddo if it had started there. I like Eberron but it isnt my fave that would be greyhawk but thanks for the report.

[Lyria]

It's Cryptic. Did you really expect a good game that wasn't completely phoned in/half-assed?

Actually for me putting in the realms is one of the biggest drawbacks I have always hated the realms and wouldnt have played ddo if it had started there. I like Eberron but it isnt my fave that would be greyhawk but thanks for the report.

Greyhawk fans unite! *points to her Location*

[Uska]

It's Cryptic. Did you really expect a good game that wasn't completely phoned in/half-assed?



Greyhawk fans unite! *points to her Location*

Not really and love Greyhawk as I said above its my fave dnd world and its the original

[shores11]

so, which rules is it using? 4.0, 3.15? or some new set?
Just asking...

I think it is 4.0 as that is all I have read about.

[Lyria]

Not really and love Greyhawk as I said above its my fave dnd world and its the original

Greyhawk's still my favorite too. I'd LOVE to see a Greyhawk expansion for DDO, similar to the FR one. Maybe Vecna discovers Eberron and starts screwing around out in Gianthold (the epic version), leading adventurers through a gateway back into Greyhawk.

Epic Tomb of Horrors would be freaking fun as heck.

[Uska]

Greyhawk's still my favorite too. I'd LOVE to see a Greyhawk expansion for DDO, similar to the FR one. Maybe Vecna discovers Eberron and starts screwing around out in Gianthold (the epic version), leading adventurers through a gateway back into Greyhawk.

Epic Tomb of Horrors would be freaking fun as heck.

That would be the best and I would love the title Herald of Iuz

[shores11]

Actually for me putting in the realms is one of the biggest drawbacks I have always hated the realms and wouldnt have played ddo if it had started there. I like Eberron but it isnt my fave that would be greyhawk but thanks for the report.

I also am a big fan of Grewhawk however for me Forgotten Realms was and still is the most popular world in D&D. While I agree there might be a few players that would not have played DDO if it were in FR I think there would have been more than are currently playing in Eberron. The numbers don't lie (sales, etc...) Forgotten Realms is largely more followed than any other D&D world.

For me I started playing DDO 7 years ago because it was D&D. The Eberron world had me scratching my head a lot with disappointment. DDO needs to expand into The Forgotten Realms a lot more and I hope this is true with future updates.

[Chai]

There are plans regarding building multiple group raids into the game.

[Uska]

I also am a big fan of Grewhawk however for me Forgotten Realms was and still is the most popular world in D&D. While I agree there might be a few players that would not have played DDO if it were in FR I think there would have been more than are currently playing in Eberron. The numbers don't lie (sales, etc...) Forgotten Realms is largely more followed than any other D&D world.

For me I started playing DDO 7 years ago because it was D&D. The Eberron world had me scratching my head a lot with disappointment. DDO needs to expand into The Forgotten Realms a lot more and I hope this is true with future updates.

If they only do FR stuff and dont do something else or more Eberron I wont be reupping my sub in aug and will go play the SWG emu I played partly because it was eberron it new and different much more fresh and interesting then FR ever was or will be.

[Ape_Man]

Watched about 30 minuted of that gameplay video.

The game looks ********. Simply ********. The toons are all beyond cookie-cutter, not options, no moving which attacking, no depth. I cannot see how anyone would be compelled to play this steaming pile of drek.

[Missing_Minds]

Turbine really missed the mark when they decided to go with Eberron.

Turbine wanted to make a game, WotC wanted them to do Ebberron. It was that or nothing at all.

Kind of hard to miss a mark when the being who holds all the marks wants you to make it based on their "latest and greatest."

[Chai]

Turbine had no choice to do anything but Eberron... At the time, D&D 3.5 just came out, as well as the Eberron setting and Hasbro/WotC wanted to push the environment.

The biggest mistake they made was not allowing current authors to write in the Eberron campaign setting. Its this kind of stuff that has caused FR to still be the number one fiction lore universe in D&D, even though it was created in the late 80s. They kept the estabilished authors in FR and came in with a new crop for Eberron. The better move would have been to mix those names up, so that new authors could write in FR and allow some of the established authors whose names alone will land them on best seller lists write in Eberron. That would have pushed the environment to the point where everyone and their mother trying to crank out a D&D game jones sauce to lisence the FR universe for its environment.

[voodoogroves]

The biggest mistake they made was not allowing current authors to write in the Eberron campaign setting. Its this kind of stuff that has caused FR to still be the number one fiction lore universe in D&D, even though it was created in the late 80s. They kept the estabilished authors in FR and came in with a new crop for Eberron. The better move would have been to mix those names up, so that new authors could write in FR and allow some of the established authors whose names alone will land them on best seller lists write in Eberron. That would have pushed the environment to the point where everyone and their mother trying to crank out a D&D game jones sauce to lisence the FR universe for its environment.

It's more basic than that - there was a push to STOP doing actual module-like content and a **** more to source books with light modules.

That little fit/start ultimately hurt the settings with the least published depth.