What I like and don't like

[Vigwyn the Unruly]

One thing I like:

I had feared that martial powers would be goofy--essentially spells, but from a "martial source". I am quite pleased to see that they are essentially Fighter feats. It makes sense that you would be able to do these things with enough training and fighting prowess. Nothing supernatural involved. This gives me great hope.

One thing I am very disappointed in:

No flying. From the interview with Rouse (I think), it sounds to me like flying is out because the DDI virtual game table has no functionality for a Z direction. This is just lame. They want to make a ton of money with the subscription to DDI (and I do not fault them for that, they are after all a business), so they want to make sure that you can do anything that is in the books when you are online. No Z direction in the program?--drop flight from D&D. This is a disappointment. The great thing about paper & pencil games is that you can do anything you can imagine. But it looks like with 4e, the rules will only support what the software is capable of, and the software is capable of much less than my imagination.

 

[HP Dreadnought]

I suspect they will add flying at a later date.

Personally I think its great if flying has been severely restricted. In a quasi-medevil setting, the ability to fly is a super-weapon. PC flight has always been bad for the game before because it dramatically nerfs some encounters, renders many mundane traps and obstacles moot and so forth. There's no reason that will have changed.

 

[withak]

No flying. From the interview with Rouse (I think), it sounds to me like flying is out because the DDI virtual game table has no functionality for a Z direction.

This is not the case. There is no support for a Z axis in DDI, but that doesn't mean that flight has been excised from the game as a whole:

the game table mechanic currently does not support a Z axis, so a house rule giving a character the ability to fly may not be possible within the system

(Emphasis mine.) "The system" being DDI, presumably.

Flight as a power for PCs has been mentioned as a "paragon-level" thing. The classic magic carpet is in -- as an 18th-level magic item, IIRC.

 

[Vigwyn the Unruly]

I think I recall seeing somewhere that flight is out as part of the core rules. The fact that Rouse refers to 'house-ruling' it back in I think agrees with this. Please let me know if I am wrong.

 

[Praeden]

Seems unlikely that they would have removed flying. For one thing, that would mean no flying monsters or magic-items. Since both are present, flying rules must be included.

 

[fafhrd]

House Rousing

 

[Dragonbait]

The idea that flying would not be a core mechanic would just be mind boggiling in a game where Dragons (winged creatures) are in the title. I find it highly dubious that it would not be in the rules, and if it's not, it would be a laughable oversight.

It's probably just far more simplified than 3E. Like a simple "ignores difficult terrian. Can or can not hover."

 

[Dausuul]

My impression is that flying is not available until Paragon level, but does start showing up there, hopefully with hefty restrictions. Flying and especially teleporting, if allowed without substantial restrictions (and per-day limits are not sufficient), are major plot-breakers in my experience.

 

[Logan_Bonner]

I think I recall seeing somewhere that flight is out as part of the core rules. The fact that Rouse refers to 'house-ruling' it back in I think agrees with this. Please let me know if I am wrong.

You are wrong.

 

[GSHamster]

I think I recall seeing somewhere that flight is out as part of the core rules. The fact that Rouse refers to 'house-ruling' it back in I think agrees with this. Please let me know if I am wrong.

The Rouse is discussing implementing "house-rules" in DDI. Apparently, it will have some flexibility and allow a DM to add or change some rules.

However, since DDI doesn't have a Z axis, flying cannot be added in to a DDI game, even if it exists in a regular D&D game.

Two possibilities:

1. Flying is part of the D&D rules, but not part of DDI.

2. Flying is not part of the D&D rules, and not part of DDI.

My guess would be 1 (seriously, dragons that can't fly?), but he's not explicitly stating either.