60 réponses à ce sujet

[Anacronian Stryx]

 

Forgotten Realms + DM'ing and tool set.

 

Edit seems like i may be wrong about the tool set.

[Thorsson64]

No tool set has been announced. In fact they say you don't need a tool set. Here for details.

[Kaldor Silverwand]

What I saw is that the DM doesn't need scripting to run the campaign. There are supposed to be done campaign tools to create your own.

Will it allow a person to control multiple party members, like SoZ?

Willl individuals be able to host their own server easily, like NWN?

Will there ever be a Mac version for playing and building? (There are a lot of creative types on Macs)

Willl the campaign tools allow creating campaigns from scratch or only enhancing slightly the game campaign?

Looking forward to finding out more about it.

[Thorsson64]

Good point. If you look at the video, when it switches to DM mode you can use placeables and determine how NPCs act.

[Tchos]

Doubtful as a new NWN2 in terms of toolset, but as a game it looks to me like an improved ToEE.  I'm in for that.

[-Semper-]

as a game it looks to me like an improved ToEE

 

besides the setting what's there in common between those two games?

 

 

If you look at the video, when it switches to DM mode you can use placeables and determine how NPCs act.

 

in which minute is that displayed? i can only see 3 placeholder icons (books?) in the hotbar, a threat level bar and how the dm drags around what looks like starting points (?) and drops spiders from the ceiling.

[kevL]

my first impression was,
looks good !

my first opinion was,
they have a lot of work to do to match all the bells & whistles of NwN/2

[Tchos]

as a game it looks to me like an improved ToEE

besides the setting what's there in common between those two games?

 
The look -- in other words, the design elements.
 
The setting is not in common with ToEE, which was Greyhawk.

[kamal_]

You get to pay extra to use a beholder and a tileset.

 

https://swordcoast.com/preorder

[Kaldor Silverwand]

The PC Gamer article says that the dev team includes "members who have previously worked on Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights". "It'll feature a full single-player campaign, well aas the option for co-op and the opportunity for an additional player to take the role of Dungeon Master".

The Ign.com article says thAt it will allow parties of up to four human players (I have to assume that means a limit of 4 real world people) and a DM. The DM will have "tools which allow her to help the players out of jams [and jellies and slimes - KS] and advance the story." "No scripting will be required to utilize DM mode." "Sword Coast Legends will also include campaign. Or tools allowing Dungeon Masters to create larger customized scenarios." And there is the option of single-player "leading a group of adventurers composed of allies recruited within the game."

So more questions than answers, but we will see in 2015.

Regards

[Arkalezth]

So this isn't affected by that lawsuit about DnD's rights?

[kamal_]

So this isn't affected by that lawsuit about DnD's rights?

No, this has WotC/Hasbro's blessing. Apparently it will use 5th edition rules.

[unclejoe1917]

Looks like this is pretty close to the game we've been waiting for since NWN2.  I'm not too familiar with 5e rules though.  I wasn't too enamored with 4e. 

[rjshae]

Well not quite; I haven't seen anything suggesting this can be used to create stand-alone games.

[unclejoe1917]

Well not quite; I haven't seen anything suggesting this can be used to create stand-alone games.

Good point.  Completely forgot that many use the NWN games as much for creating their own works than for playing. 

[Jfoxtail]

Assuming this is more than a single shot game or game and "expansion or two" ... Assuming the (Hasboro / Wizards) actually invest in the "concept" and potentially support the dev team for more than a single shot game...

 

If they (Hasboro and the Devs) actually understand the business model of D&D  i.e. periodic publishing as opposed to "game expansion done ala EA / Cryptic / et al business model"....

 

Hasboro et al they would not necessarily be interested in allowing users to design their own "custom settings".

 

The additional content would be based in their intellectual property Faerun and only Faerun and only 5th edition.

 

However you could add "mods - modules"  every 6 months that coop D&Ders would pay for through digital.

 

Neverwinter at launch, Waterdeep, Baldurs Gate, Luskan, Amn, Underdark, Islands, etc etc etc

 

---

 

If they (Hasboro/ Wizards) were truly brilliant they would actually establish a EULA that would allow "the community" to develop Faerun content and upload it to the official "D&D App store" in return for a very small royalty per unit sold. I dunno.. $0.10 USD per download.

 

I mean the community content would have to go through a proper vetting process, and further if rejected could not be used elsewhere... but there are enough community fans that would abide "strict cannon constraints" and design brilliant content for both the love of the game... and assuming you had 100,000 downloads ~ maybe $10,000 USD ?? Hell many would do it for one USD Penny per download.

 

They would have the official media/medium - to expand their game 2- 5 players groups at a time in a Non MMO model. They would almost certainly endear themselves to the community. Finally they could have Faerun mapped in content from Level 1 - Epic in about 3 years... perpetuating the most popular game....

 

Sure it would be hacked or crack... the engine / game that is... they could prevent those hackers from submitting content.... but still recognize the digital music still only sells "slightly more content" than CDs in 2014 ! Thousands of the games users would in fact ver very active in buying "source books" to support their electronic hobby...

[rjshae]

From my perspective that's a non-starter. I have no interest in content going through a vetting process; you're risking potentially years of work on whether they decide want to allow it or not.

[kamal_]

If they (Hasboro/ Wizards) were truly brilliant they would actually establish a EULA that would allow "the community" to develop Faerun content and upload it to the official "D&D App store" in return for a very small royalty per unit sold. I dunno.. $0.10 USD per download.

If they were really smart they'd sit a few of their people down in front of computers loaded with nwn hall of fame content set in DnD lands and start making calls like "PJ156, hows $100k sound for rights for us to make a Sword Coast Legends campaign of the Sheep and Stone campaign?"

 

That would be cheaper than developing brand new stories, and it's how comic book movies/tv is done, the original comic books themselves are basically fully drawn movie storyboards with the plot and much of the dialog already written. With nwn campaigns, all of the writing, concepting, storyboarding and the like are already done.

 

Look at how Harebrained Studios is handling the Shadowrun franchise. They make and sell new campaigns in the same game engine, and they've been quite successful doing that. (also, I recommend the Shadowrun games :-) )

[Jfoxtail]

Possibly... but unlikely. Signing "content written stories" for $100K doesn't exist. That's not real world economics. 

 

To sell the game expansion after based on S&S... well you may have to sell as many copies as Halo (console) and computer games wouldn't.  Even authors who sell the movie rights to their "best seller" books...at least their first rights usually sign for a pittance to some IP squatter who pitches the idea around. I mean JK Rowlings may not have.. but those situations are the exception not the rule.

 

Sadly that some authors here wouldn't participate. I suppose its a question of time investment / reward.

 

---

 

The D&D Business model that would work..

 

1) Launch the game with toolset and DM  capability. Base it in a narrow setting around i.e. Neverwinter.

 

2) Launch the "first "Silverymoon sourcebook" i.e for PnP that will also cover the creative scope allowed for mod/expansion to the game engine.

 

3) Tender EULA submissions for adventures from level 1- 5, 5 - 10, 10 - 15 party based within the confines of the source book and core classes.

 

4) Indy / Fan developers come up with <<insert XX>> 20 approved mods/mini-expansions available on the D&D app store for $USD 13.99 of which $0.10 is paid as royalty to indy/fan creator. It goes viral as best submission some folks earn $10G..... some indy developer/fans only earn a couple of hundred bucks because their submission do not sell as good.

 

All of this happens at nominal development cost to Hasboro / Wizards and supports their main line of source book publishing. They have outsourced mod writing to the fan base.

 

The indy fan developer actually gets something for their time.. and if they put it together just right they could sit a serious home run financially although the risk is all on them... 

 

I would suspect that 99% of the indy fan developers would be seriously interested in a few grand in royalties and perhaps a semi permenent introduction into the industry with a chance to make a mark and earn a full time gig (??!!??) 

 

-----

 

5) Launch the next source book.... repeat 2/3/4

 

In about 5 years you would have thousands of "premium modules" supporting the core game spanning all of Faerun and mostly all of it 

 

The fans also win. You get a great game with regular periodic content update. You don't have to spend $60USD on an expansion with all the marketing bells and whistles. You essentially have the defacto D&D experience shift from PnP to "core engine" as multi-player coop games for 2 - 4 players plus DM.

 

___

 

6) To make pure profit to support the master server / pro dev costs / upkeep / patches I suppose that Hasboro / Wiz could retain the rights to "Monster manual development, uber magic items, and prestige classes assuming they exist in this new edition".

[Tchos]

The D&D Business model that would work..

1) Launch the game with toolset and DM  capability. Base it in a narrow setting around i.e. Neverwinter.

 

Well, personally, I would hope that by using the name Sword Coast Legends, they're freeing themselves to move away from the city of Neverwinter.  Please, somewhere, anywhere else.

[Arkalezth]

The Sword Coast in general is overrepresented in DnD games; there are many other interesting places in Faerun. But yes, first and foremost, **** Neverwinter. I'd even go as far as suggestting Icewind Dale or some other place in the far north, just for the sake of having a winter for once.

[Thorsson64]

I blame that b'staard Drizzt, may he suffer everlasting torment.

[kamal_]

Possibly... but unlikely. Signing "content written stories" for $100K doesn't exist. That's not real world economics. 

 

To sell the game expansion after based on S&S... well you may have to sell as many copies as Halo (console) and computer games wouldn't.  Even authors who sell the movie rights to their "best seller" books...at least their first rights usually sign for a pittance to some IP squatter who pitches the idea around. I mean JK Rowlings may not have.. but those situations are the exception not the rule.

I would think it would be less of a matter of "unsigned authors" and more of established authors of e-books being signed to have an existing popular e-book of their made into a paperback. I claim no familiarity with the economics though.

[Jfoxtail]

Fair enough Kamal but its scope of audience... 

 

I know a fair amount of economics. As I said... if the audience is large enough a business case can be made to pay out huge up front.

 

As I suggest J.K Rowlings, or GRR Martin probably do get that kind of pull.

 

Your contributions are very worthy in my opinion but would a dev studio pay up front and "absorb the risk"?? Not sure / not likely.

 

For a game dev I am uncertain of the "exact" economics. 

 

I personally think that the classic game dev studios work on a broken or old model ala book, music, and studio movie production. Sink huge costs into dev and promotion of some 3 expansion game... then on to the "next label" so to speak.

 

They dont leverage indy hobbyists enough. They can "outsource development costs and risk" by working with them.

 

They can create a "lasting single player or coop game" with periodic content updates in a NON MMO model by using indy studios and hobbyists...

 

Admittedly the number of players will dry up over time but if you incur next to no Dev Costs...so what ! ?

[unclejoe1917]

Fair enough Kamal but its scope of audience... 

 

I know a fair amount of economics. As I said... if the audience is large enough a business case can be made to pay out huge up front.

 

As I suggest J.K Rowlings, or GRR Martin probably do get that kind of pull.

 

Your contributions are very worthy in my opinion but would a dev studio pay up front and "absorb the risk"?? Not sure / not likely.

 

For a game dev I am uncertain of the "exact" economics. 

 

I personally think that the classic game dev studios work on a broken or old model ala book, music, and studio movie production. Sink huge costs into dev and promotion of some 3 expansion game... then on to the "next label" so to speak.

 

They dont leverage indy hobbyists enough. They can "outsource development costs and risk" by working with them.

 

They can create a "lasting single player or coop game" with periodic content updates in a NON MMO model by using indy studios and hobbyists...

 

Admittedly the number of players will dry up over time but if you incur next to no Dev Costs...so what ! ?

I know absolutely jack squat about the economics of game development or anything else having to do with spitting out video games, but what you have described makes a whole crapload of common sense.