Quickleaf
Legend
Ash Sevilla, the Sword Coast Legends (SCL) community director recently posted a really informative Q&A based on questions the community asked after the recent Twitch streaming video.
The original post is over here:
https://forums.swordcoast.com/index.php?/topic/2023-questions-from-twitch-stream-716-updated/
While it's great that he did this and we are finally getting more solid info about the game, unfortunately I found the answers somewhat disappointing.
[SBLOCK=Q&A] · How many levels deep can you go on a dungeon?
A) Currently dungeons can go 10 levels deep can can be of various sizes and complexities. This means you can have a very simple dungeon that gets progressively more challenging.
· Is 20 the Max DC for skill/ability checks?
A) In the build you saw, yes. But It's likely not final.
· Can we add special effects to objects?
A) No.
· Treasure chest contents, can the creator set the contents or adjust variables for what is found in the chest?
A) Checking with design -
· Can we create doors/chests/etc that can only be opened with specific keys?
A) No, but the DM can simulate a key in live play.
· Can we create/add specific weapons/armor/items to a module?
A) Checking with design -
· Can we create specific quest items?
A) Checking with design -
· If an NPC is wearing some cool robes/armor or wielding a badass weapon, will that drop and be usable by the players?
A) Some enemies in the campaign do drop specific items, weapons and armor specific to their characters, but not all.
· Can we set/change the start point in a dungeon?
A) Start point is fixed when the Dungeon is generated.
· What about overland? How is that handled?
A) Checking with design -
· Can dialogue options change or be based on race/sex or an ability/skill check?
A) In the campaign your character's race/gender are noted and skill ability checks are used for a variety of tasks. For instance a character with high STR may be able to intimidate a guard to allow him/her to pass.
· Just how complex can a dialogue tree be?
A) More on this soon
· Can you make it so that an encounter only spawns if a PC interacts with a specific object, (like a button or trigger.)?
A) You can create ambush triggers tied to key areas, I'm currently unsure if you can tie them to objects as well. I'll check for you.
· What kinds of traps will we have access to place? Will there be pit traps, and if so can they drop you to another level in the dungeon?
A) We have a pretty wide selection of traps. There are currently no traps that alter the terrain or drop you into a different area.
· Can we choose to auto-populate all the rooms with random objects as part of the random dungeon generation instead of going through and placing things in each room to flesh them out?
A) There is no-auto population for objects, however none of our areas really look "blank". Placing your own objects is half the fun!
· Can you adjust the size of objects?
A) No.
· Can you rotate on every axis?
A) No.
· Can you change the description of something based on a successful spot check?
A) In essence yes. You can rename an object to be anything you'd like and then add text to it upon closer (successful) inspection.
· Can we create Puzzle Switches?
A) There are puzzle switches in the player campaign, but currently it will be up to a DM to figure out ways to incorporate complex riddles and puzzles into his/her campaign.
· Will there be a way for us to create our own cut scenes to intro a dungeon/area or adventure?
A) No, tools don't currently have that ability.
· If an NPC gets swapped from friendly to hostile will that mess with any other NPCs? Can we control which sets of NPCs that it has an effect on?
A) Our currently alignment settings are Friendly (will aid the party), Neutral (will not aid the party, and will be ignored by enemies), and hostile (will aid other hostile enemies to harm the party). The DM can directly control all of these if he/she so wishes.
· How many NPC factions are there (Friendly/Hostile)? Can we create more?
A) See above -
· Can we change the dialogue an NPC has after the 1st time a players speaks to them, so that next time they speak they get a different greeting or set of dialogue choices?
A) Checking with design - I know for a fact there will be more news on this one... maybe next week.
· How does an NPC know you’ve completed a quest? Is there a Quest Log?
A) Yes.
· Are rules for Water Combat taken into account?
A) We actually do not have water combat in SCL.
· Is there an underwater environment?
A) No, there is not
· Can players interact with objects, like sit on a chair or break open a crate?
A) Players can break crates, barrels and other objects. Players can also bash open doors and chests if they have the STR!
· How does dungeon sharing work? Will there be a rating system? Will you be able to search listings and will there be search filters?
A) More details on this soon. We want everyone to be able to share their creations, but can't give you specifics just yet.
· Can we add custom sounds and music?
A) Not at this time.
· How many creature sets are available during dungeon creation? -Please say all of them.-
A) All of them . To be more specific you do have to choose from certain sets per level, but you can also create your own sets to populate dungeons. You're not barred from using whatever creatures you want though.
· Is there a maximum to the amount of monsters/traps you can place during campaign creation?
A) You can place as many or as little as you like.
· How does saving the game work, especially when it comes to multiplayer?
A) Checking with design -
· Are NPCs ignored by enemies?
A) No, enemies will kill NPCs if they are "friendly". If an NPC is set to neutral they will be ignored by enemies.
· Can we play with random people, will there be matchmaking?
A) Yes you can play with random people.
· Can you create a dungeon that is completely dark?
A) PCs will emit some light.
· Is the overland map changeable? So that you can use something other than the Sword Coast in the Forgotten Realms?
A) No, the game is set in D&D's Forgotten Realms.
· Can we place traps on walls?
A) Not at this time.
· What kinds of objects are placeable in outdoor environments?
A) You can place all objects indoors and outdoors. We have things like wagons, tents, logs, campfires... etc. etc.
· Turn-based combat?
A) In the single-player game only, you can set it to auto-pause after each round.
· Can you have multiple quests?
A) Yes and you most likely will.
· Can you change the colors of placeable objects, like making blood green instead of red?
A) Currently no
· Can players do non-lethal damage, or can you set an NPC to offer to surrender when they reach a certain % of health?
A) Checking with design -
· Will all NPCs know common or if you can set languages. Goblin, Elvish, etc. So if you don't know the language you can't speak to them?
A) Great question! This is something we encourage DMs to do on the fly. Everyone will be speaking common, however if you want to roleplay specific languages you can translate goblin, giant, for your players based on their ability to speak those languages.
· Will the console versions would be couch Co-Op?
A) No.
· Can we add our own locations to the main map?
A) Yes.[/SBLOCK]
For a game that's billed as (and praised for) cleaving true to the tabletop gaming experience, the options for making your own adventures/campaigns that will be available at launch are going to be quite limited. Notably:
This really falls short of Dan Tudge's accolades that the game would allow you the freedom to make your own campaigns & recreate adventures from past tabletop games.
This now appears to no longer be true unless (a) your campaign was set in the Forgotten Realms, or (b) the adventure you're recreating wasn't one with a particular iconic map.
Fortunately, they do seem committed to supporting the game after launch. Hopefully they'll address some of these major issues then.
The original post is over here:
https://forums.swordcoast.com/index.php?/topic/2023-questions-from-twitch-stream-716-updated/
While it's great that he did this and we are finally getting more solid info about the game, unfortunately I found the answers somewhat disappointing.
[SBLOCK=Q&A] · How many levels deep can you go on a dungeon?
A) Currently dungeons can go 10 levels deep can can be of various sizes and complexities. This means you can have a very simple dungeon that gets progressively more challenging.
· Is 20 the Max DC for skill/ability checks?
A) In the build you saw, yes. But It's likely not final.
· Can we add special effects to objects?
A) No.
· Treasure chest contents, can the creator set the contents or adjust variables for what is found in the chest?
A) Checking with design -
· Can we create doors/chests/etc that can only be opened with specific keys?
A) No, but the DM can simulate a key in live play.
· Can we create/add specific weapons/armor/items to a module?
A) Checking with design -
· Can we create specific quest items?
A) Checking with design -
· If an NPC is wearing some cool robes/armor or wielding a badass weapon, will that drop and be usable by the players?
A) Some enemies in the campaign do drop specific items, weapons and armor specific to their characters, but not all.
· Can we set/change the start point in a dungeon?
A) Start point is fixed when the Dungeon is generated.
· What about overland? How is that handled?
A) Checking with design -
· Can dialogue options change or be based on race/sex or an ability/skill check?
A) In the campaign your character's race/gender are noted and skill ability checks are used for a variety of tasks. For instance a character with high STR may be able to intimidate a guard to allow him/her to pass.
· Just how complex can a dialogue tree be?
A) More on this soon
· Can you make it so that an encounter only spawns if a PC interacts with a specific object, (like a button or trigger.)?
A) You can create ambush triggers tied to key areas, I'm currently unsure if you can tie them to objects as well. I'll check for you.
· What kinds of traps will we have access to place? Will there be pit traps, and if so can they drop you to another level in the dungeon?
A) We have a pretty wide selection of traps. There are currently no traps that alter the terrain or drop you into a different area.
· Can we choose to auto-populate all the rooms with random objects as part of the random dungeon generation instead of going through and placing things in each room to flesh them out?
A) There is no-auto population for objects, however none of our areas really look "blank". Placing your own objects is half the fun!
· Can you adjust the size of objects?
A) No.
· Can you rotate on every axis?
A) No.
· Can you change the description of something based on a successful spot check?
A) In essence yes. You can rename an object to be anything you'd like and then add text to it upon closer (successful) inspection.
· Can we create Puzzle Switches?
A) There are puzzle switches in the player campaign, but currently it will be up to a DM to figure out ways to incorporate complex riddles and puzzles into his/her campaign.
· Will there be a way for us to create our own cut scenes to intro a dungeon/area or adventure?
A) No, tools don't currently have that ability.
· If an NPC gets swapped from friendly to hostile will that mess with any other NPCs? Can we control which sets of NPCs that it has an effect on?
A) Our currently alignment settings are Friendly (will aid the party), Neutral (will not aid the party, and will be ignored by enemies), and hostile (will aid other hostile enemies to harm the party). The DM can directly control all of these if he/she so wishes.
· How many NPC factions are there (Friendly/Hostile)? Can we create more?
A) See above -
· Can we change the dialogue an NPC has after the 1st time a players speaks to them, so that next time they speak they get a different greeting or set of dialogue choices?
A) Checking with design - I know for a fact there will be more news on this one... maybe next week.
· How does an NPC know you’ve completed a quest? Is there a Quest Log?
A) Yes.
· Are rules for Water Combat taken into account?
A) We actually do not have water combat in SCL.
· Is there an underwater environment?
A) No, there is not
· Can players interact with objects, like sit on a chair or break open a crate?
A) Players can break crates, barrels and other objects. Players can also bash open doors and chests if they have the STR!
· How does dungeon sharing work? Will there be a rating system? Will you be able to search listings and will there be search filters?
A) More details on this soon. We want everyone to be able to share their creations, but can't give you specifics just yet.
· Can we add custom sounds and music?
A) Not at this time.
· How many creature sets are available during dungeon creation? -Please say all of them.-
A) All of them . To be more specific you do have to choose from certain sets per level, but you can also create your own sets to populate dungeons. You're not barred from using whatever creatures you want though.
· Is there a maximum to the amount of monsters/traps you can place during campaign creation?
A) You can place as many or as little as you like.
· How does saving the game work, especially when it comes to multiplayer?
A) Checking with design -
· Are NPCs ignored by enemies?
A) No, enemies will kill NPCs if they are "friendly". If an NPC is set to neutral they will be ignored by enemies.
· Can we play with random people, will there be matchmaking?
A) Yes you can play with random people.
· Can you create a dungeon that is completely dark?
A) PCs will emit some light.
· Is the overland map changeable? So that you can use something other than the Sword Coast in the Forgotten Realms?
A) No, the game is set in D&D's Forgotten Realms.
· Can we place traps on walls?
A) Not at this time.
· What kinds of objects are placeable in outdoor environments?
A) You can place all objects indoors and outdoors. We have things like wagons, tents, logs, campfires... etc. etc.
· Turn-based combat?
A) In the single-player game only, you can set it to auto-pause after each round.
· Can you have multiple quests?
A) Yes and you most likely will.
· Can you change the colors of placeable objects, like making blood green instead of red?
A) Currently no
· Can players do non-lethal damage, or can you set an NPC to offer to surrender when they reach a certain % of health?
A) Checking with design -
· Will all NPCs know common or if you can set languages. Goblin, Elvish, etc. So if you don't know the language you can't speak to them?
A) Great question! This is something we encourage DMs to do on the fly. Everyone will be speaking common, however if you want to roleplay specific languages you can translate goblin, giant, for your players based on their ability to speak those languages.
· Will the console versions would be couch Co-Op?
A) No.
· Can we add our own locations to the main map?
A) Yes.[/SBLOCK]
For a game that's billed as (and praised for) cleaving true to the tabletop gaming experience, the options for making your own adventures/campaigns that will be available at launch are going to be quite limited. Notably:
- We will not be able to make our own customized tile-by-tile maps.
- We will not be able to use custom regional maps - instead stuck to putting places on the Sword Coast map.
- We won't be able to use our own music, one of the tricks many GMs use to set the mood.
This really falls short of Dan Tudge's accolades that the game would allow you the freedom to make your own campaigns & recreate adventures from past tabletop games.
This now appears to no longer be true unless (a) your campaign was set in the Forgotten Realms, or (b) the adventure you're recreating wasn't one with a particular iconic map.
Fortunately, they do seem committed to supporting the game after launch. Hopefully they'll address some of these major issues then.
