D&D (2024) D&D's Upcoming Digital Tabletop

Perhaps the showstopper of todays D&D Direct event was a preview of the upcoming D&D digital playspace. Hosts Gina Darling and Ify Nwadiwe met with Kale Stutzman, principal game designer of D&D Digital, where he ran them through an adventure using the technology. The video shown in the presentation, though, was labeled “Pre-alpha gameplay footage.”

The upcoming D&D VTT uses Unreal Engine 5 to power it.

“There are a lot of ways to play D&D online and we don't think a lot of them hit the big three things we think are important – fun, convenience, authenticity,” said Stutzman.

In the demo, you see the dice roll on the screen, and it bursts into the result. Encounter mode is when you roll initiative

“The DM can set the mood, the lighting, what time of day is it. Is it raining? Are there fire embers falling from the sky?” said Stutzman.

The community will be able to create and share assets. “We want to make content that's building blocks that people can break apart and make their own content with. That remix is core to the DNA of D&D, said Stutzman.

Stutzman didn't answer when the VTT will release, but he did say that D&D staff and limited friends and family are trying it now and that they're going to gradually open it up. “...and a lot of people listening will be able to play it this year,” Stutzman added, which means a play test in “late 2023.”

 

[doctorbadwolf]

This is the way Roll20 does it. I actually prefer it this way, but some people hate it.

Considering he mentioned mobile devices, I figure it’ll not require a high end gaming rig.

 

[mamba]

It would be cool for the app to analyze the device's system capabilities, and have both a "flat" version and a "full" version, depending on what it finds

there will probably be several settings with multiple levels for that, not just an on/off

 

[Chromie]

It's hard to describe. To me, it has looks like it was developed to be a videogame first and foremost, and then someone figured out they could use it to also play D&D. (I'm sure that's not the case...it's just how it looks.) In other words: it blurs the line between video game and tabletop a lot more than I like.

I'm sure it'll be a smash hit, but it's not doing it for me. If I want to draw my own map or create a custom monster, I'm either out of luck or I've got hours of prep work. It doesn't look like I'll just be able to scribble something up in an hour, save it to PNG format, and be good to go.

They literally said you can use a 2D map, I can't imagine a world where they don't allow people to upload their own maps. If anything that would be a huge boon to a marketplace.

 

[mellored]

It would be cool for the app to analyze the device's system capabilities, and have both a "flat" version and a "full" version, depending on what it finds

It's lighting and shadows that takes the most processing. Specifically ray tracing is the latest thing.

See all those reflective surfaces it adds.

Even cheap phones can do basic 3d now.

 

[Hussar]

Considering that the maps will be largely static- probably only with very minimal lighting, shadows and reflection, I’m not sure how big of a deal it will be.

 

[MNblockhead]

Yeah instead of hardware your internet connection becomes the bottleneck so there are pros and cons to it.

Yeah, but with software run from and hosted on your own device, you have the worst of both. You need a machine powerful enough to run the software and the storage for all your assets. You also need a very stable internet connection to host the game. And the players still need a stable internet connection. It is even worse if the system requires players to install software on their computers. That will require more CPU and storage than simply having it streamed in a browser window. Also, the amount of data that has to be transferred is much higher.

This is what made me give up on Fantasy Grounds. It was bad enough in the states having to require players download and install software to join my game. But then pushing data would cause lags. Worse, when I was overseas, Fantasy Grounds was completely useless.

Roll20 was so much more easy to get started with and has always run surprisingly well even with subpar internet and in countries with heavy internet restrictions.

Currently I'm using Foundry as my main VTT and it is the best of both world. I can run it locally from my computer and host games from my computer. Players join in a web browswer. They don't need to install anything. But I can also host it, either setting up my own cloud environment or using a third-party hosting provider. I use The Forge to host my Foundry license, with a local installation for back up and testing.

I've gotten used to running decently spec'd computers in terms of processing power, GPUs, and RAM, but will rather small amounts of local storage. If I have to run the WotC VTT from a local computer, installing the software on my local computer and storing all my assets locally, I would have to either get a new laptop or significantly change what I currently have installed and stored on my machine to make room for the VTT.

I'm really hoping it is more like Roll20 than Fantasy Grounds.

 

[Stefano Rinaldelli]

Ok... I don't really see the connection to my post, but I answer anyway.

I hoped sword cost legends would allow me to present d&d on computer lika a computer game. I set up the dungeon and players can engage with it and me.

I for my part don't see a point in roll20. To me it is not immersive enough to be better than graph paper and not easy enough to set up and use. Not worth thr hassle.
If the 3d VT allows better immersion and is actually easy to set up and use, I can see me using it for some epic battles.

I mentioned 4e, because 4e especially was great for tactical battles. Playing 1 player skirmish vs DM controlled (or even AI controlled) creatures would have been a really fun game.
5e is a bit less tactical, but I expect such a game mode to be fun.

I for my part have no fear of AI DMs.
A VTT that allows me to set up the battle and test it against AI controlled creatures would be a great asset for new DMs.

My idea is that nothing is more immersive than your mind. All the efforts to make the game more immersive by visualize it by means of minis and scenarios, both real or virtual, are an illusion. The stuff you put down the table to make it more immersive ends up in a limitation of your fantasy. More, the aesthetics of the assets it is not appropriate for all the games you want to run and the worlds you want to show, and the whole thing lead to a standardization of the imagination. Sometimes to give less details is to lead your mind to fill the gap and create a very immersive world. The fact that every player has a slightly different scene in his mind can create some misunderstanding but on the other side leads to brilliant ideas and is definitely more interesting to see difference in perception of a situation between players than to avoid confusion.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

My idea is that nothing is more immersive than your mind. All the efforts to make the game more immersive by visualize it by means of minis and scenarios, both real or virtual, are an illusion. The stuff you put down the table to make it more immersive ends up in a limitation of your fantasy. More, the aesthetics of the assets it is not appropriate for all the games you want to run and the worlds you want to show, and the whole thing lead to a standardization of the imagination. Sometimes to give less details is to lead your mind to fill the gap and create a very immersive world. The fact that every player has a slightly different scene in his mind can create some misunderstanding but on the other side leads to brilliant ideas and is definitely more interesting to see difference in perception of a situation between players than to avoid confusion.

100% agree.

This is why we usually play just by skype and sepdom do more than theater of the mind.

What I noticed using roll 20 or tokens that look like actual creatures is that I remember the encounter as a board game, not as a scenery.

In contrast, a real 3d VTT even if imperfect, simulates the scenery better so I am again in scenery mode, not boardgame mode.

So I think the middle ground (2d tabletop simulator) unifies the worst of both worlds.

 

[mamba]

Yeah, but with software run from and hosted on your own device, you have the worst of both. You need a machine powerful enough to run the software and the storage for all your assets. You also need a very stable internet connection to host the game. And the players still need a stable internet connection. It is even worse if the system requires players to install software on their computers.

No. If everyone has the software installed locally, then the amount of data that needs to be sent goes down drastically.

This is generally an either or, never both. Either you essentially have the equivalent of streaming a movie and your hardware matters little, or you produce the graphics locally and the information sent is a lot smaller because all you need is who is standing where and what they are doing

 

[Zaukrie]

My idea is that nothing is more immersive than your mind. All the efforts to make the game more immersive by visualize it by means of minis and scenarios, both real or virtual, are an illusion. The stuff you put down the table to make it more immersive ends up in a limitation of your fantasy. More, the aesthetics of the assets it is not appropriate for all the games you want to run and the worlds you want to show, and the whole thing lead to a standardization of the imagination. Sometimes to give less details is to lead your mind to fill the gap and create a very immersive world. The fact that every player has a slightly different scene in his mind can create some misunderstanding but on the other side leads to brilliant ideas and is definitely more interesting to see difference in perception of a situation between players than to avoid confusion.

My experience is different. Which is cool. There are many ways to have fun.