D&D 5E Why D&D Can't Have a Good Video Game

[Zardnaar]

Gets back to my OP. Pillars and Kingmaker are reasonably cheap to make so why can't 5E have a good game.

I don't expect a witcher 3, assassins creed or gta5 levels of graphics.

 

[Hussar]

Gets back to my OP. Pillars and Kingmaker are reasonably cheap to make so why can't 5E have a good game.

I don't expect a witcher 3, assassins creed or gta5 levels of graphics.

OTOH, we have no idea how much of their own money the production studio ponied up either. We know that they got about 1 million for a game that's based on the Unity Engine. So, we're not exactly talking about ground breaking here are we?

And, let's be honest, Hasbro likely isn't interested in diluting the brand with a cheap product either. I mean, Neverwinter according to the 30 second googling I did, has about 15 million players. That's certainly respectable. Not what I want to play, but, it's not like there isn't a 5e game out there.

 

[Rya.Reisender]

Only slightly related, but one big problem with "Just make it 2D" is that people these days aren't willing to pay much for games anymore. You could make the best 2D RPG of the decade, sell it for $20 and people will still go "What $20 is WAY to expensive for a 2D game, will wait for sale" while 25 years ago, they would pay $75 or more for Chrono Trigger.

So these days you get a lot less money for the same visual quality. And because of that you lose creative freedom instead. You're forced to go the ways that have been proven to sell well.

But I'm not really sure if budget is really the main reason for not having a good D&D based game. There might simply not be any talented developer interested to make one. And who knows what WotC has for requirements to give a license for it. I heard it's quite hard to get one (that's why the developer of Pillars of Eternity made his own ruleset).


I'd be really interested in a 5e based video game that is actually much closer to the rules, with turn based combat and grid. But it's not a proven concept, so nobody dares. Instead everybody just keeps copying real-time with pause.

 

[Gradine]

While I love me some Infinity-engine-esque games (and also whatever engine KotOR ran on), I'll add my name to the litany of folks who says that I'd take a good D&D game that doesn't rely too heavily on the D&D ruleset as well. That we haven't had too many examples of this (Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance games were fun, and DDO and Dragonshard are underrated but understandably not everyone's cup of tea) doesn't mean that it couldn't work. I mean, Chronicles of Mystara had a pretty good comeback recently, to name one.

I'd still love a turn-based strategy RPG based on a D&D ruleset (4e always seemed like a good fit) but that's a genre that's never gotten the love it deserves (mostly because it's a genre dominated by a single massive, awful franchise).

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

And, let's be honest, Hasbro likely isn't interested in diluting the brand with a cheap product either. I mean, Neverwinter according to the 30 second googling I did, has about 15 million players. That's certainly respectable. Not what I want to play, but, it's not like there isn't a 5e game out there.

Hasbro has already diluted the brand with cheapo garbage like Sword Coast Legends and that idle clicker game. A game with the production values of P:K would only strengthen the D&D brand in the video game perspective.

 

[BookBarbarian]

If Thronebreaker does well, it wouldn't surprise me to see an Isometric Planeswalker game using M:tG has the battle mechanic.

Maybe that would open the door for more WotC games.

for reference: https://thewitcher.com/en/thronebreaker-witchertales

 

[Derren]

Some rumors came up that Baldurs Gate 3 is in development (specifically a tweet from an inExile exec that he knows who is developing BG3)

It was speculated that the new project from Larian (Divinity series) is BG3 but they declined it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Anybody playing Kingmaker, how would you compare it to Pillars of Eternity?

I have and like the first one, just haven't gotten around to finishing it yet.

Kingmaker is more hardcore, and has a cleaner graphics style.

 

[Ristamar]

Some rumors came up that Baldurs Gate 3 is in development (specifically a tweet from an inExile exec that he knows who is developing BG3)

It was speculated that the new project from Larian (Divinity series) is BG3 but they declined it.

Larian would be foolish to drop further development of their own blossoming IP to do a game for someone else. I doubt Hasbro/WotC would offer them enough money to make it worth their time.

Assuming the development rumors are true, I'd be shocked if it wasn't Beamdog despite the previous denial.

EDIT: If PoE II: Deadfire under performs, I could see Obsidian taking on the project.

 

[gyor]

Some rumors came up that Baldurs Gate 3 is in development (specifically a tweet from an inExile exec that he knows who is developing BG3)

It was speculated that the new project from Larian (Divinity series) is BG3 but they declined it.

One question for me is BG 3 is coming out will it use the original rule set from BG1, BG2, or will the story be set later with 5e rules and races?