Was 4e design based around the suite of proposed D&Di tools? EDIT: found quote.

[Aberzanzorax]

I made a claim in a thread on gleemax that someone from WotC had said they designed 4e with the suite of online tools in mind...i.e. they knew that the online tools would have limitations and a particular focus, and they designed the system with attention to excluding those limitations and addressing that focus.

(For example, heavy use of a battlegrid, and nerfing certain three dimensional powers like flight that would not work well on a virtual tabletop).

I could have sworn that I read this (likely back in 2007/2008) somewhere (either on a message board at gleemax or enworld, or a blog) or heard it (on a podcast or GamerZero youtube).


I can't find it anywhere. So if anyone else remembers this and can post a link, that would be great!

If not, I'll have to assume I'm misremembering and that this was not the case... and go back to gleemax and retract my statement.

Thanks for helping/discussion!


EDIT, scroll down to post # 18 for the quote that I FINALLY came across.

 

[mach1.9pants]

I was pretty hardcore in my reading of everything related to 4E before it came out and I don't remember anything like that... Methinks you are accidentally talking bolleaux, I am afraid

I think that doesn't make sense either, games designers (like most non-experts) are pretty crap at making something so it fits in the useful parameters of software creation. And vice versa for programmers and RPG design! A lot of my mates are programmers (geeeeks!) and that is a big frustration for them.

 

[Ktulu]

Yeah, I spent too much time reading all the articles, interviews, and preview material and never saw this..

However, I think the DDi tools have defintely been designed with 4e in mind

 

[Aberzanzorax]

Durn it. I hate eating my words.

Well, I'll hold off for a few more hours to see if anyone else has seen this and can post a link, but it's not looking good for me.

 

[davethegame]

Take a read through the two preview books that were released. While they mention that a digital portion was a piece of the overall strategy, the game design wasn't tied in at all, and all of those things that you mention have other explanations in the design philosophy.

 

[Rechan]

Total cart before the horse, there.

Besides, if that were the case, their online suite would be way better than it is now.

 

[Aberzanzorax]

Thanks to all for the responses. (Also thanks for not flaming me!)

I'll go retract my (now apparently false) statement.


Still, if anyone finds evidence that I was actually correct, please post a link, and I'll get to retract my retraction!

 

[Ktulu]

No prob, Aberznezerzny. You asked an honest question without being insulting or coming off as looking to bait for an edition war... Which, technically, means we're supposed to assault you with no quarter... I think we'll let it slide

 

[tmatk]

Thanks to all for the responses. (Also thanks for not flaming me!)

...

This isn't gleemax

 

[I'm A Banana]

It's weird, but I remember something similar to this.

Not that they were designing it for the suite of tools they had in mind, but that they were designing it knowing that digital play would be an element.

I don't remember anything specific about it, just that it was mentioned that they knew D&D was going to have a digital leg in 4e going into the designing process.

That's not to say that they limited themselves to what would work in the digital context, but that might say that they knew that 4e would receive a digital translation.

Certainly, they knew what the DDI was going to try and accomplish, and they probably kept those attempts in mind as they developed the game, but I'm pretty sure they didn't use it as a limiting factor.

I assumed "giving DMs control" and "lack of imagination" and "a real love of minis combat on the dev team" was more what factored into a lot of the more...easily digitized 4e elements such as limiting flight and one-count diagonals and squares as the default for ranges and such like as.