D&D 4E 4E Designers Heavily Influenced by MMOs?

[Moon-Lancer]

while i don't think that d&d 4e is going to be like wow, to say d&d 4e is not influence by wow (and vise versa) is ignorant. wow has been starting to dig deep into wotcs business model and profits. So they need to change in order to compete with that. I would say thats a type of influence.

wow has forced d&d to become more digital, at the very least. I cant say what else has been influenced. I would have to see d&d 4e.

 

[Irda Ranger]

I just hope they become like WoW in the "right" ways. Ryan Dancey was talking about this on this blog - TRPG's have certain advantages over CRPG's and MMORPG's, and the TRPG's have to play to those strengths if they want to be distinct, keep players, and win players.

The WotC guys are pretty smart though, so I'm going to assume they're doing it right, 'till I see evidence otherwise.

I am not crazy about the big horns in the tiefling. Way to obvious. Tieflings IMC (if there's going to be any - haven't decided) will be more like Planescape tieflings: much subtler "demons" heritage. Stubby little horns hidden by the hair, etc. The concept art tieflings look like full-on half-demons.

And I always thought at all campaign settings (except PS), tieflings were very rare. Seems odd, making them core.

 

[Shadeydm]

WoW is supposed to be based in large on one of the creators/designers homebrewed dnd campaigns.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

WoW is supposed to be based in large on one of the creators/designers homebrewed dnd campaigns.

Chris Metzen is the guy you're thinking of.

 

[Destil]

Everquest? Just about the most blatant "It's D&D... only, with more types of elves" online game ever? You think that 4E is being influenced by EQ?


...how backwards is that?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Everquest? Just about the most blatant "It's D&D... only, with more types of elves" online game ever?

High elves, wood elves, dark elves, half-elves. Have they added more elves since I quit?

 

[Shadeydm]

Chris Metzen is the guy you're thinking of.

If he made his players go to the Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, AQ, or Naxx then he is an RBDM of the highest order and I salute him lol.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

If he made his players go to the Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, AQ, or Naxx then he is an RBDM of the highest order and I salute him lol.

Hell, even Onyxia, with her dozens of dragon whelps showing up in mid-fight is pretty darn RBDM.

 

[jdrakeh]

However, people will see what they want to see. Just like 3.5 had complaints about how "anime" it was, even where there were no anime elements, 4E will have complaints about how "MMO" it is, even where there are no MMO elements (or the MMO elements were originally drawn from D&D or D&D-like games).

True that. I still bristle whenever I hear the "anime" complaint (especially because it's often lodged by people who have never watched anime or read a D&D 3x book).

 

[frankthedm]

I am not crazy about the big horns in the tiefling. Way to obvious. Tieflings IMC (if there's going to be any - haven't decided) will be more like Planescape tieflings: much subtler "demons" heritage. Stubby little horns hidden by the hair, etc. The concept art tieflings look like full-on half-demons.

In a setting where having some fiend blood is not enough to get an angry mob on you, Letting one's horns grow might be a fashion statement.

Or perhaps there is some fluffy reason, I just thought of a cute one: when a tiefling is not evil internally {evil alignment], their corrupt bloodline externalizes, causing exaggerated horns, fangs and such. The less damned you are, the more damned you look. A gift from your tainted heritage, those who you help will always look upon you with growing distrust as your features become more wicked looking the more benevolent you are. Of course the lower planes do not play fair, so truly evil tieflings also gain more evil looking features.