D&D 5E How badly did Sword Coast Legends damage the brand?

[hawkeyefan]

Basically they released a D&D video game that wasn't a 100% translation of pen and paper and a lot of people nerd raged. It is more of a hybrid turn-based/real time video game adaptation that plays fairly well with a few quirks and additions that are being added/fixed.

While I am sure there was a fair amount of folks who did exactly what you described, I don't think it's that simple. A few friends and I got early access and we played it...and it was just not a compelling game. There was nothing about it that other games didn't do better. Many other games. Combine that with bugs and glitches that made it difficult for the game to run properly, and it was simply not a game I cared to play. I requested a refund and it was granted.

I am sure some of the bugs have been fixed, and I am sure some of the more minor gameplay and design issues will be fixed, so the game will get better with time. However, I don't anticipate it ever being the kind of game that I care to spend time playing. There are so many other games that do what this one tries to do and do it better.

I didn't expect or need it to be a translation of the pen and paper game. It was just a lackluster game with many technical issues. I was surprised they would even let it be seen by players in the state it was in.

 

[ehenning]

Basically they released a D&D video game that wasn't a 100% translation of pen and paper and a lot of people nerd raged. It is more of a hybrid turn-based/real time video game adaptation that plays fairly well with a few quirks and additions that are being added/fixed.

The issues with SCL go much deeper than this. The low quality graphics (relative to other games available today), clunky controls, long load times between sections, and general railroad nature of most of the modules make it less than impressive.

I know the developers didn't have the resources of a AAA game shop, but a lot was promised and under delivered. I am much less concerned by the modified rule set than the game play experience.

 

[Gnashtooth]

I was referencing the flat out bad reviews, and unanimous-yet-disparate negative sentiment by just about everyone who got their hands on it. I still own it, the story is okay, and i'm hoping for improvements, but I truly believe the damage has been done...only get one chance to make a first impression and all that.

 

[Zardnaar]

SteamChart gives a clue:
http://steamcharts.com/app/325600
No more than 5k people playing in a 24-hour span. Someone playing with the Steam API also pegs the number of keys "sold" as 50k. But that includes people who bought the campaign version, which includes 5 keys.
So not that great.

I just had a look at that chart and compared it with Europa Unversalis IV a game I play on Steam. EUIV is not a triple AAA title but apparently has sold well by a smaller developer standards. SCL by comparison has done terribly it seems. Fallout 4 I owuld consider a AAA title and SCL is not even 1% of that its seems.

 

[darjr]

It certainly didn't help.

 

[darjr]

They should have Chris run a game via smiteworks software.

 

[dd.stevenson]

Someone playing with the Steam API also pegs the number of keys "sold" as 50k. But that includes people who bought the campaign version, which includes 5 keys.
So not that great.

That estimate doesn't account for returns either, IIRC.

 

[Valetudo]

I'm waiting to see if the console version is playable before I completely write the game off.

 

[Jester David]

Basically they released a D&D video game that wasn't a 100% translation of pen and paper and a lot of people nerd raged. It is more of a hybrid turn-based/real time video game adaptation that plays fairly well with a few quirks and additions that are being added/fixed.

Even viewing the game on its own merits, independent of the D&D ruleset, it's not very good. Either you compare it unfavorably to D&D games like Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights or unfavorably to isometric action RPGs like Diablo or Torchlight.

The gameplay is slow and awkward, with combats not being very fast paced or active compared to other action RPGs. There's a lot of dead time as you wait for healing and cool downs. No incentive to keep the pace. No penalty for death.
The story is incredibly linear with the illusion of choice. Nothing you do really seems to have a gameplay or story impact at all. (For example, early on you lose a companion. It would have been incredibly easy to change the game based on what character you side with, or even alternating the dead character to make a more balanced party.)
The controls are clunky. The graphics so-so, especially given how how much it can abuse a system. It's glitchy and crash prone.
It's not particularly good.

 

[Sunseeker]

I honestly don't think most people who play pen and paper D&D give two hoots.