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Haven't played any paper and dice roleplaying in about oh about 20 years (the cumbersome 2nd edition was in its heyday) so I can't comment on D&D 4th edition and the fact that they wow'ed-down the rules to the ire of manys-a-gamer but I'd like to know what they can possibly bring from the paper and dice format to this game when, from what we know:
Gameplay: it's action based, not turn based and dice roles don't appear to play a big part in moment to moment actions (compared to Baldurs/Neverwinter Nights etc)- so, where you point your cursor you shoot, even more so than GW2.
Stats: I can see how stats like Con can affect your healthbar but what about stats like Dex? It can't really affect your ranged if the player's mouse skill determines the hit rate.
Classes: not really distinct from other games since they've been aped to death and stats can't seem to affect combat.
Foundry: ok, so, like Neverwinter Nights, you can create content to a certain extent by designing your own quests/Dungeons. So there's a hint of a DMing feel about that I grant you.
Conclusion: the only resemblance to D&D will be the classes, the races, the neverwinter setting and the trademarked spell names?
Comments
We don't really know much about the actual mechanics below the surface, but yes it seems they are making the necessary shortcuts regarding the ruleset to allow action-like gameplay.
In my books this is only positive. I've had enough of yawn-inducing turn-based combats for a lifetime (I only suffer EVE because the game otherwise is unparallel in depth).
If it makes you feel any better, we have been told both by WotC and cryptic that WotC is working very closely in development of this game unlike before and checking every aspect. For example, they made a few monsters look bigger than they are actually supposed to be, so the WotC guy in an interview was explaining that they had to allow it because in a game player's camera is actually overhead above eye level. So to give that real feel of height, they have to make the Werewolves a little bigger than they actually are supposed to be.
Similarly, the pnp of 4e "Neverwinter" contains art by the concept artists of cryptic. This is because game was supposed to be out when that book was published but it kept getting delayed. It was supposed to get released along with that book as twin product.
So you can say the game does relate very closely to D&D. However, you are misunderstanding if you thing it relates to "Neverwinter Nights" because it is not. It is as same to NWN as it is to Baldur's Gate, or say, Daggerdale. It is just that WotC decided to make a game on Neverwinter instead of say Amn or Calimshan. If they had decided otherwise, it may well have been Amn Online.
Check this interview for some infos from WotC, Cryptic and Turbine guys...
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