D&D 4E Bioware working on 4e Forgotten Realms MMO

[JVisgaitis]

If Atari decided to do so, Bioware could license a title, but they have not. Atari has done this in the past with Turbine for DDO.

OK. Thanks for the clarification. Party is over I guess... :\ You personally have any idea on what they might be working on?

 

[Green Knight]

For all it's popularity, some of WoW's major design decisions are really annoying. For one, WoW characters are hideously equipment-dependent. I, for one, would like to play a Fantasy MMO, but I don't want to play one where 90% of my character's stats are based on the gear I've managed to obtain. Also, there's something to be said for the "fell out of a closet" look most WoW characters have going on.

That was one reason, among many, why I quit WoW. I also despised the way many of the weapons looked. There's this one female guard in Stormwind, for instance, who's holding a sword which is bigger then she is, IN ONE HAND! Ridiculous. God, what I wouldn't give for a good fantasy MMO. Hopefully Age of Conan will deliver in that regard. Just wish it'd come out already. It was supposed to have been out by now, but unfortunately, it got delayed to March or May of next year. Ah well. It'll be worth the wait, given all the things I've heard about it (One of my favorite things being mounted combat).

 

[The Little Raven]

You think an MMO based on Harry Potter can appeal to that age bracket? Sorry, I don't think so.

Well, considering that age bracket coincides pretty neatly with the largest age bracket of HP book readers... yeah, I do.

 

[Roman]

The D&D (and it's worlds like FR & EBR) rights are held by Atari. I will being meeting with them on Tuesday in NYC to talk about their plans for D&D.

Atari have had a poor reputation for D&D games in the past, but with Neverwinter Nights 2 and its expansion the Mask of the Betrayer they have done a great job. Have you considere tying some (or all) of the computer games to the overall metaplot for Forgotten Realms? This may be an opportune time to do so, given the major changes that are about to happen in FR, and the players could be made to perceive they have a hand in those changes through computer games in question. I would love to have my avatar, in say some future Neverwinter Nights 2 expansion or some other D&D/FR game, impact the Realms and doubtlessly so would many other gamers.

 

[marune]

Atari have had a poor reputation for D&D games in the past, but with Neverwinter Nights 2 and its expansion the Mask of the Betrayer they have done a great job.

NWN series is a good (I wouldn't say great) CRPG, however regarding FR lore and feel, it's often wrong (sometimes very wrong).

When a lead designer doesn't even know who Ed Greenwood is, don't be surprised

 

[The Little Raven]

Atari have had a poor reputation for D&D games in the past, but with Neverwinter Nights 2 and its expansion the Mask of the Betrayer they have done a great job.

The Atari you're talking about used to be Infogrames, and became Atari in 2003. And that Atari has a great reputation for D&D games... Temple of Elemental Evil, Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2 (and all the expansions for both), and D&D Online.

 

[CaptainChaos]

This article claims that the Bioware MMO is indeed Star Wars, specifically the Knights of the Old Republic era.

http://www.primotechnology.com/2007/10/19/biowares-upcoming-mmo-based-in-kotor-universe/

 

[Nebulous]

Personally, i'm not into MMO's at all. I'd love to see a tactical combat game in the same vein of Icewind Dale 1 and 2. Not a #3 exactly, i would love to see a new FR locale, but that same kind of gameplay that is relatively roleplaying light and heavy on the combat.

 

[Zaruthustran]

In my opinion, the ideal D&D videogame is a turn-based RPG with optional multiplayer. Develop the engine once and release games episodically. In other words, follow the TT model of developing a core set and then releasing adventures.

I think if D&D players want to play an MMO, they'll play any of the dozen of so fantasy-themed MMOs. D&D doesn't really belong there. After all, "D&D" is not a collection of powers and mechanics that can be translated to a videogame; it's not even an IP. "D&D" is the experience of sitting around a table with people and rolling dice.

You can best replicate that experience via a turn-based system. The "virtual tabletop" of DDI seems like a very basic and bare-bones step in that direction, but I think an actual game with a professional studio's art and programming behind it, would be better. Especially if it were on Xbox Live.

 

[GreatLemur]

In my opinion, the ideal D&D videogame is a turn-based RPG with optional multiplayer.

God, yes, turn-based. Real-time combat with a full party is just excruciating.

The two things that kept my from finishing NWN2 were the dumb-looking magical items my Wizard ended up wearing, and the disastrously stupid party AI. The freaking Druid kept wildshaping into forms too weak to carry all the loot I'd loaded her with, making it necessary for me to exhaust all her daily uses of the ability outside of combat so she wouldn't turn into a crippled badger every time a fight started.