4 ms·

Sure there's no general formula, but it's really not a surprise that the first big D&D videogame in a long time would be a huge success, after several years of

by TillE 3y ago

Sure there's no general formula, but it's really not a surprise that the first big D&D videogame in a long time would be a huge success, after several years of tabletop D&D skyrocketing in popularity.

galangalalgol 3y ago
This game also has the meta that most recent D&D games missed. If you know the tabletop game, you can build an optimized character in the bg series, because the game system is close wherever it can be. Some spells are just too freeform to work without a human DM, but they seem to have done very well, perhaps a bit too much focus on environmental damage like the divinity series, but they toned that down right? I haven't looked at it in over a year.
- jon-wood 3y ago
  Even the ones I would never have expected to work do, I had a couple of potions of speaking to animals, which led to a lovely (fully voice acted) conversation with some oxen.
  - ethbr0 3y ago
    And I think this is one of the things modern games have missed for a lot of BG-era players -- discovery and delight. AAA production costs make it difficult: you can't just spread the game's budget equally into niche content most will never see. But if you do it smartly, it seems like there's still financial and development space for "Wouldn't players find it cool if...?" things. One of the major turn-offs of post-TES3 Bethesda style games has been just how soul-less the tracks through their content have been. It's obvious anything "weird" had to get approved through a committee and was watered down in the process. Games were the better when there was a path for a development team member to have 10% time to implement some kooky feature. And maybe now that needs to flow through approval... but don't soften it into pablum in the process.
  - thebooktocome 3y ago
    My first attempt with Speak with Animals led to a somewhat awkward conversation with a boar, whom an absent druid had recently promised a mate. His "haunches" clenched and quivered with anticipation. I laughed heartily.
- wlesieutre 3y ago
  Main thing I'm missing so far is you can't ready an action, which makes it nearly impossible to play defensively. If your turn doesn't give you enough movement to run up to the enemies and stab them, you can't say "I run next to the doorway and wait to stab the first person who runs through it." Instead, you have to waste your turn and then stand around getting attacked. So it's often to your advantage to roll worse in the initiative order, because the enemies will spend their turn dashing to within your movement range and then you actually get to hit them on your turn. Kind of hate it, rolling high initiative is supposed to let you get the drop on people or set up the battlefield more to your liking. BG3 players, please let me know if I'm missing something here.
  - dvngnt_ 3y ago
    i think the key is to start combat in stealth so they're surprised and they waste their first move
    - wlesieutre 3y ago
      Works for some characters, not really a strategy for a heavily armored fighter. And either way, if there's a crowd of archers in the next room I wouldn't want to walk in (sneaking or no) where I have no cover, so I'm going to try and hold at the door. Still the better play even if it costs a whole turn of not being able to use my action. The missing Ready action really tilts things toward those "alpha strike" characters made to hit first and hit hard, which isn't a design choice I like much. I want to be able to lure enemies into a room with minor illusion or other sounds and have the whole party readied the jump them.
      - theoriginaldog 3y ago
        Ready an action is only usable in combat, so RAW outside of combat readying actions to jump on people you lured with an illusion into a room is not possible. This is an ambush and would be dealt with stealth / surprise rules and THAT is in the game, so it is possible if you play it by the rules. The ready action is designed to get used for delaying actions to bypass initiative order.
mlinhares 3y ago
Given almost every single D&D movie has been horrible it would be surprising if it wasn’t a well known studio like Larian doing it. It’s pretty common for games from existing “high profile” IP to be lazy, lackluster, money grabbing products. The last D&D game I remember, Dark Alliance, is horrible.
- MattRix 3y ago
  The new D&D movie that just came out a few months ago was actually pretty fun, and it has a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
  - Shared404 3y ago
    Yep, went with my D&D party and a good time was had by all. Probably a high 7 or low 8 out of 10 for me.
  - mepian 3y ago
    It's one of the most entertaining movies I've seen in years, I recommend it wholeheartedly.
  - hombre_fatal 3y ago
    I went in with zero expectations since nothing else was playing in my theater and I chuckled a good bit. Definitely fun and entertaining.
- starttoaster 3y ago
  I had fond memories of Dark Alliance. You maybe didn’t like it, and coming out for a console with no PC release was an odd choice for the series, but there was fun gameplay and story there. At least, 13 year old me playing co-op with my Dad through Dark Alliance 1 and 2 on my PS2 is a fond memory I have that maybe nobody else got. Anyway, I was just surprised because I guess I never looked up a review of the Dark Alliance games but my general impression was actually pretty good. edit: Apparently there is a Dark Alliance game with a naming collision that came out much more recently than the Dark Alliance series I'm thinking of. Smart move, Wizards of the Coast/DnD.

by TillE 3y ago

galangalalgol 3y ago

This game also has the meta that most recent D&D games missed. If you know the tabletop game, you can build an optimized character in the bg series, because the game system is close wherever it can be. Some spells are just too freeform to work without a human DM, but they seem to have done very well, perhaps a bit too much focus on environmental damage like the divinity series, but they toned that down right? I haven't looked at it in over a year.

jon-wood 3y ago
Even the ones I would never have expected to work do, I had a couple of potions of speaking to animals, which led to a lovely (fully voice acted) conversation with some oxen.
- ethbr0 3y ago
  And I think this is one of the things modern games have missed for a lot of BG-era players -- discovery and delight. AAA production costs make it difficult: you can't just spread the game's budget equally into niche content most will never see. But if you do it smartly, it seems like there's still financial and development space for "Wouldn't players find it cool if...?" things. One of the major turn-offs of post-TES3 Bethesda style games has been just how soul-less the tracks through their content have been. It's obvious anything "weird" had to get approved through a committee and was watered down in the process. Games were the better when there was a path for a development team member to have 10% time to implement some kooky feature. And maybe now that needs to flow through approval... but don't soften it into pablum in the process.
- thebooktocome 3y ago
  My first attempt with Speak with Animals led to a somewhat awkward conversation with a boar, whom an absent druid had recently promised a mate. His "haunches" clenched and quivered with anticipation. I laughed heartily.
wlesieutre 3y ago
Main thing I'm missing so far is you can't ready an action, which makes it nearly impossible to play defensively. If your turn doesn't give you enough movement to run up to the enemies and stab them, you can't say "I run next to the doorway and wait to stab the first person who runs through it." Instead, you have to waste your turn and then stand around getting attacked. So it's often to your advantage to roll worse in the initiative order, because the enemies will spend their turn dashing to within your movement range and then you actually get to hit them on your turn. Kind of hate it, rolling high initiative is supposed to let you get the drop on people or set up the battlefield more to your liking. BG3 players, please let me know if I'm missing something here.
- dvngnt_ 3y ago
  i think the key is to start combat in stealth so they're surprised and they waste their first move
  - wlesieutre 3y ago
    Works for some characters, not really a strategy for a heavily armored fighter. And either way, if there's a crowd of archers in the next room I wouldn't want to walk in (sneaking or no) where I have no cover, so I'm going to try and hold at the door. Still the better play even if it costs a whole turn of not being able to use my action. The missing Ready action really tilts things toward those "alpha strike" characters made to hit first and hit hard, which isn't a design choice I like much. I want to be able to lure enemies into a room with minor illusion or other sounds and have the whole party readied the jump them.
    - theoriginaldog 3y ago
      Ready an action is only usable in combat, so RAW outside of combat readying actions to jump on people you lured with an illusion into a room is not possible. This is an ambush and would be dealt with stealth / surprise rules and THAT is in the game, so it is possible if you play it by the rules. The ready action is designed to get used for delaying actions to bypass initiative order.

mlinhares 3y ago

Given almost every single D&D movie has been horrible it would be surprising if it wasn’t a well known studio like Larian doing it. It’s pretty common for games from existing “high profile” IP to be lazy, lackluster, money grabbing products. The last D&D game I remember, Dark Alliance, is horrible.

MattRix 3y ago
The new D&D movie that just came out a few months ago was actually pretty fun, and it has a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
- Shared404 3y ago
  Yep, went with my D&D party and a good time was had by all. Probably a high 7 or low 8 out of 10 for me.
- mepian 3y ago
  It's one of the most entertaining movies I've seen in years, I recommend it wholeheartedly.
- hombre_fatal 3y ago
  I went in with zero expectations since nothing else was playing in my theater and I chuckled a good bit. Definitely fun and entertaining.
starttoaster 3y ago
I had fond memories of Dark Alliance. You maybe didn’t like it, and coming out for a console with no PC release was an odd choice for the series, but there was fun gameplay and story there. At least, 13 year old me playing co-op with my Dad through Dark Alliance 1 and 2 on my PS2 is a fond memory I have that maybe nobody else got. Anyway, I was just surprised because I guess I never looked up a review of the Dark Alliance games but my general impression was actually pretty good. edit: Apparently there is a Dark Alliance game with a naming collision that came out much more recently than the Dark Alliance series I'm thinking of. Smart move, Wizards of the Coast/DnD.