D&D 4E 4e like WoW? Nope, Wrong Game

When I introduced 4e to my group, the only one who compared it to anything was the guy who compared it to Hackmaster.

I guess it depends what you are familiar with.
 

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Of the MMOs on the market, IMO D&D Online is naturally closest and is almost a mid-point between 3.5 and 4th (sure, call it 3.75). The DDO designers had to tweak a good portion to bring a turn-based game to real-time adventuring.

Items relative to 4th:
HP starting and advancing are nearly the same;
Redefined the structure of magic away from the Vance 'fire-n-forget' system;
Adventures are divided into a series of encounters before taking a full rest;
Prestige classes are available by taking certain enhancements (pretty darn close to 4E powers);
Skills are nearly equal to 3.5 but condensed in both DDO & 4E;
DDO has weapon-smithing and the like for specialize magic item creation, and we've heard a few rumors as how this will be handled in 4E that sound familiar to DDO;
DDO items provide enhancement to spells, both of divine and arcane origin, of spell school, spell penetration, level enhancement, etc.
 


I would like to point out that D2 is sooo 1E and 2E.

Seriously, considering D2 and Warhammer (and, therefore, WoW) cribbed so much from DnD, I don't really feel any pang of regret that WOTC is yanking their designs.
 



MarauderX said:
Of the MMOs on the market, IMO D&D Online is naturally closest and is almost a mid-point between 3.5 and 4th (sure, call it 3.75). The DDO designers had to tweak a good portion to bring a turn-based game to real-time adventuring.

(snip)
QUOTE]


Very true. And I lost interest after the first week of DDO for most of these reasons.
Not only these, though : graphics were not spectacular, gameplay was actually painful and repetitive, the missions were not soloable ...

I had high hopes from this game, and I was really disappointed. Long live Tabula Rasa !
 

Falling Icicle said:
:ranged: Diablo 2 casters and non-caster classes are pretty well balanced with each other, having about the same potential to do damage. Likewise, in 4e, unlike previous editions of D&D, melee classes can equal or exceed the damage output of wizards.

This simply isn't true. Unless you are only counting OD&D, AD&D 1 + 2.

Because in BECMI and 3.X, melee combatants could way outstrip the amount of damage done by wizards in every practical sense.

Let's take two examples.
1) A fighter who is a grand master in the sword using the smash and multiple attack abilities could inflict hundreds of points of damage in a round. Hundreds. Wizards where topped (effectively) at about 60-80. At low and mid levels, wizards did more damage. At high levels it was the fighter.

2) Frenzied Berzerker PA with a great sword using Pounce and Shocktrooper in raw damage vs a mage?

Leading me to suggest that in this way 4e is the spiritual successor to BECMI and the mechanical successor to 3.5
 


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