D&D 5E Why D&D Can't Have a Good Video Game

[Zardnaar]

Kingmaker on steam?

 

[BookBarbarian]

Kingmaker on steam?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/640820/Pathfinder_Kingmaker/

 

[cbwjm]

I started a game last night, all the classes we know are their including the pathfinder classes of alchemist, inquisitor, and magus there are also a half dozen or so prestige classes. I rolled up a wizard and had 4 different ways to create him: standard wizard, arcane bomber, scroll master, and thassalonian mage. I went with the thassalonian mage and chose to specialise in wrath (evocation) which means I can't cast abjuration or conjuration spells (standard pathfinder specialists can cast opposition school spells but they require 2 slots instead of 1 to memorise), but when I choose my specialist bonus spell, I get two spells instead.

The NPCs that are in my group are a barbarian, a bard, and a fighter. I'm not sure of the specialisations of the barbarian or bard but the fighter is a tower shield specialist. I still need to look at the NPC stats a bit closer to find out exactly what this means.

I'm not sure if I want to keep on with this playthrough or go back and really have a good look at all of the options. I'm thinking I might want to create a mystic theurge but that might be more spells than I care to manage and I'm not sure I want to split my ability score increases.

I'm still getting used to the UI, particularly the overland movement but otherwise, it is looking pretty good.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Thread Necro number 2.

While D&D still struggles to get a good video game adaption after NWN2 the kickstarted Pathfinder: Kingmaker launched today and so far the reception is quite good.

Does no one remember Pathfinder Online????

 

[Zardnaar]

Pathfinder online tanked. Kingmaker seems more viable.

 

[cbwjm]

Looking at the link it appears they are still working on it though. Last update was in August.

 

[Ristamar]

Have you played the expansions? Especially Mask of the Betrayer was awesome and one of the rare good D&D plotlines that focus on Law vs. Chaos. Hordes of the Underdark was also very good.

I really wanted to play Mask of the Betrayer but never got around to it, unfortunately. At this point, I don't know if I'll ever pull of it out of my backlog. Too many other games I've missed, and I don't particularly care for the Aurora engine.

 

[Derren]

I really wanted to play Mask of the Betrayer but never got around to it, unfortunately. At this point, I don't know if I'll ever pull of it out of my backlog. Too many other games I've missed, and I don't particularly care for the Aurora engine.

You really should. The only downside for some people is that there is a ticking clock.

 

[BookBarbarian]

MotB was awesome. Ossian Studios Mystery of Westgate was really good too.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

Having tried BG recently, it doesn’t hold up well in modern terms. Slow plot, glacial advancement, overly random and deadly encounters,

Whether these would be received well or not is about playstyle expectations. I loved those elements. Still do. In a world where people have such a wide range of preferences, I have a hard time believing there wouldn't be a significant population that would appreciate that style. I mean, a lot of 5e (not those particular elements which are mostly absent) is a throwback to pre-3e D&D, and yet it's extremely popular with millenials who've grown up with these drastically different modern games.

The thing is, people should be given a chance to try new (or in this case, old) things. Amazingly enough, some of them will actually like them. I think we do a disservice in assuming that those sorts of playstyle elements are obsolete and that "these kids today" just won't like them.

and awkward quest tracking.
And a whole mess of invisible subsystems you’re not warned about. Spent my time going through houses, like you do in every video game, and found myself killed by guards on sight with no warning that’s what the game did..

Here I'm right on board with you. The main issue with playability of the older games is the actual technical design improvements. The UI was often crap in those old games. Some of the ones I really want to play again, when I start trying to I just can't handle the obsolete technology.

That's the element that needs to be updated--not the playstyle.

You really should. The only downside for some people is that there is a ticking clock.

The reason I just sort of stopped playing Mask of the Betrayer (I've still got saved games somewhere...but I doubt I'll get back to it) is because epic level 3.5e, even in a computer game, is a hassle. There is way too much crap to manage all the time. Stacking tons of buff spells, making sure you are using good items--tracking all the consumable resources. Bleh. I even thought this got out of hand in Baldur's Gate 2, though I'm actually planning on getting back to that to finish it.

It's sad, because I continual to hear good things about the story of MotB, but I just can't deal with the hassle of getting there.

Of course, a 5e computer game would be much easier to play, since there isn't nearly as much resource bloat and micromanagement. All they need to do is make sure to use clean and effective UI elements and such, and it would probably be a hit. I'd even recommend they try to hearken back to older playstyles and slow down the advancement--you'll skyrocket through levels in a CRPG that uses the default 5e XP chart.