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Eltheron
Senior Scribe
740 Posts |
 Posted - 06 Nov 2015 : 00:35:28
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It's a shame, because there was a lot of potential - particularly with the DM tools. But it seems the DMing tools are extremely limited, you can't truly build your own environment. Instead, you have a number of templates for dungeons and then fill those with monsters and treasures.
With the story line being short and underwhelming, it really is a shame. |
"The very best possible post-fourteenth-century Realms lets down those who love the specific, detailed social, political and magical situation, with its thousands of characters, developed over forty years, and want to learn more about it; and those who'd be open to a new one with equal depth, which there just isn't time to re-produce; and those repelled, some past the point of no return, by the bad-taste-and-plausibility gap of things done to the world when its guardianship was less careful."
--Faraer |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
955 Posts |
Posted - 06 Nov 2015 : 00:53:57
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Well, I agree the campaign was somewhat short, but I don't think it was bad. There also will be more story to tell in the expansion.
The DM tools, are a bit of an two sided sword. They are limited, but I, and quite a bit of other people think that the DMing in game, gives a pretty close feel to reall life DMing, although again, YMMV.
Here is an interesting review of SCL, by the way:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JZGFQJq87I |
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Eltheron
Senior Scribe
740 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2015 : 17:00:49
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quote:
Originally posted by Baltas
Well, I agree the campaign was somewhat short, but I don't think it was bad. There also will be more story to tell in the expansion.
The DM tools, are a bit of an two sided sword. They are limited, but I, and quite a bit of other people think that the DMing in game, gives a pretty close feel to reall life DMing, although again, YMMV.
Here is an interesting review of SCL, by the way:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JZGFQJq87I
That's certainly a much more positive review than reviews by critics and players on sites like Metacritic, where it's rated low-to-mediocre most of the time. There were a few isolated perfect ratings at first, but generally speaking, those tend to be paid product shills.
As someone who's played it, do you feel that it's much better than most people have rated it?
I haven't played it myself, but I personally wouldn't use the multiplayer or DM tools that much. All I've heard or read about the solo campaign is that it's rather short and pretty mediocre (on-the-rails story) without much room for individuality, so I decided to wait for another game. Would it still be worth it just for the solo campaign?
I also tend to play wizards or sorcerers, and I've heard that with the skill trees and other changes, it doesn't feel like a 5E D&D experience for a wizard at all. Any thoughts on that part of it?
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"The very best possible post-fourteenth-century Realms lets down those who love the specific, detailed social, political and magical situation, with its thousands of characters, developed over forty years, and want to learn more about it; and those who'd be open to a new one with equal depth, which there just isn't time to re-produce; and those repelled, some past the point of no return, by the bad-taste-and-plausibility gap of things done to the world when its guardianship was less careful."
--Faraer |
Edited by - Eltheron on 07 Nov 2015 17:05:19 |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
955 Posts |
Posted - 07 Nov 2015 : 18:01:30
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Well, the single player story does seem a bit on rails, but there is some room for decisions. But otherwise, I enjoyed the single player story quite much, and the companions are very well written.
About the gameplay, and especially about playing mages, have you played Dragon Age games? Because the overall gameplay seems very similar. Some of stuff working on the first Dragon Age game worked on this game, and it's pretty visible. Indeed, the gameplay could be somewhat described as a blend of Dragon Age and 5E.
There are some theories about that, one of them being that N-Space worked on a spiritual succesor of the first Dragon Age game, before being contracted by Wizards, and reworked the project into Sword Coast Legends.
And about the game itself, yes I do find it much, much better than most people rated it, and actually enjoy it quite much. |
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Veritas
Learned Scribe
209 Posts |
Posted - 08 Nov 2015 : 00:24:14
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The single player story is fairly good.
Does it have deep characterization? No.
Does the dialogue allow you to dive deep into your character's psychology? No.
It is something of a classical style adventure where you enjoy some dialogue and altogether brief exposition along the way. To that extent, the game resemble more of the old Gold Box games (such as Pool of Radiance) which were solid adventures but light on "RP" bells and whistles. You start off as a novice adventurer and end up facing the evil balor who aspires to godhood. The trek will take you from the City of Sails into the Underdark (which looks beautiful).
If you're die-hard about 5e mechanics, this isn't the game for you. The mechanics resemble Dragon Age Origins more than 5e. If you're looking for a decent adventure with some fun dialogue, you have a good shot of being satisfied with the game. Moreover, there are very creative players designing modules for the game. Even if you never play multiplayer, you can download and play modules on your own.
I think the game is worth a buy, although if you're on the fence wait for it to go on sale. There will be more player made content available by then to keep you occupied. |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 08 Nov 2015 : 00:35:58
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quote:
Originally posted by Veritas
The single player story is fairly good.
Does it have deep characterization? No.
Does the dialogue allow you to dive deep into your character's psychology? No.
It is something of a classical style adventure where you enjoy some dialogue and altogether brief exposition along the way. To that extent, the game resemble more of the old Gold Box games (such as Pool of Radiance) which were solid adventures but light on "RP" bells and whistles. You start off as a novice adventurer and end up facing the evil balor who aspires to godhood. The trek will take you from the City of Sails into the Underdark (which looks beautiful).
If you're die-hard about 5e mechanics, this isn't the game for you. The mechanics resemble Dragon Age Origins more than 5e. If you're looking for a decent adventure with some fun dialogue, you have a good shot of being satisfied with the game. Moreover, there are very creative players designing modules for the game. Even if you never play multiplayer, you can download and play modules on your own.
I think the game is worth a buy, although if you're on the fence wait for it to go on sale. There will be more player made content available by then to keep you occupied.
and two more player races Drow and Tiefling are coming, drow on 30th of November |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Eltheron
Senior Scribe
740 Posts |
Posted - 08 Nov 2015 : 01:38:18
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Very interesting - thanks Baltas, Veritas, and Dargoth.
I might give it a try. |
"The very best possible post-fourteenth-century Realms lets down those who love the specific, detailed social, political and magical situation, with its thousands of characters, developed over forty years, and want to learn more about it; and those who'd be open to a new one with equal depth, which there just isn't time to re-produce; and those repelled, some past the point of no return, by the bad-taste-and-plausibility gap of things done to the world when its guardianship was less careful."
--Faraer |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 08 Nov 2015 : 02:18:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Eltheron
Very interesting - thanks Baltas, Veritas, and Dargoth.
I might give it a try.
Whats being added between now and the end of year
Halloween Update: "The Pumpkin Patch": October 30th
New "Liars' Night" themed area and placeables in the spirit of Halloween
Cemetery DM location with over 35 new placeable objects and new player gear
Screen nudge with mouse (toggled option)
Players will now be able to move the camera by nudging the edges of the screen. The WASD keys and the middle mouse button will still work the way
they currently do.
Auto-heal at Adventurer's Camp
When entering the adventurer's camp, the party will heal any damage previously taken.
DM collect quests will display "x of x found" on the HUD
Hotkey added to re-center camera on player
Doubled the max length for DM quest conversation text
Added the option to lock your cursor to the window
Bug fixes
Community Pack 1: Week of November 9th
Companion-Specific Skill Trees Unlocked for Players
Existing unique companion skill trees will become available to players
Nature Set
New outdoor area cleared and ready for customization with over 150 new placeable nature objects for DMs.
Ability Respec
Characters wishing to forget their prior training will be able to do so. All character points will be refunded, allowing players to change builds or
reselect their characters' abilities.
Player Stash
Players will be able to store additional items within their own personal stash.
Skill Rolls
Players will be able to use ability rolls that take their character's bonuses into account. For instance, characters will be able to specifically make a
"Strength" roll and have their Strength modifier automatically added to the roll.
Increased Number of Available Monster Abilities
Custom creatures will have additional monster abilities available to them.
Bug fixes and additional community feedback items as time allows
Community Pack 2: Week of November 30th
Address concerns with ninja looting in multi-player games
New Playable Sub-race: Drow Elves (including access to Darkness and Faerie Fire abilities)
DM-placeable visual effects (fire, smoke, etc.)
Revisions and improvements to the rules for death, party wipe, and stabilize, including new options for players that want more challenge
Village area and village-related placeable objects for DMs to use in their modules
Ability to give ambient text to NPCs on select
Ability for DMs to change the randomized interiors of every tile
Lock/unlock locations on all quest states (give/update/complete)
Bug fixes and additional community feedback items as time allows
Community Pack 3: December
Official introduction of mod support, including
Tile based level editor
Branching dialog editor
Adjustable game systems, ex: round timer, loot tables, etc.
Community facing development of these features to begin immediately
Option to disable monster level scaling in DM campaigns
Bug fixes and additional community feedback items as time allows
Rage of Demons: Coming Soon
Return to the Underdark in this all-new adventure taking place as part of D&D's "Rage of Demons" storyline, featuring the legendary outcast drow Drizzt Do'Urden and some of the deadliest enemies ever to terrify Faerűn.
New Rage of Demons tile sets and placeable objects
New playable race: Tieflings
New creatures available for DMs
New Playable class based on community input
Allow player-created characters as companions in story mode
Enable players to control their characters' movement with the WASD keys
Bug fixes and additional community feedback items as time allows |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Shadowsoul
Senior Scribe
Ireland
705 Posts |
Posted - 08 Nov 2015 : 14:38:55
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quote:
Originally posted by Eltheron
Very interesting - thanks Baltas, Veritas, and Dargoth.
I might give it a try.
You are better off waiting until January when everything is available and it could possibly be on sale as part of a re-launch. They game is not worth €30.00. |
“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”
#8213; J.R.R. Tolkien
*I endorse everything Dark Wizard says*. |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
955 Posts |
Posted - 08 Nov 2015 : 16:07:02
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| Well, I'm not sure if the game exacly not worth 30 bucks, although waiting for all content to be aviable at lower price, is also a method. |
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ZeshinX
Learned Scribe
Canada
210 Posts |
Posted - 09 Nov 2015 : 17:43:17
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| Certainly not worth 30 euros. Definitely not. Even 30 US dollars...it's not there. Yet. In it's current state, it's 19.99 at best. Come the new year, assuming they manage to pull off all/most of this content, it'll be worth 30 US dollars...maybe 30 euros. |
"...because despite the best advice of those who know what they are talking about, other people insist on doing the most massively stupid things."
-Galen, technomage |
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Sarrivin
Acolyte
Poland
2 Posts |
Posted - 10 Nov 2015 : 18:30:57
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Hmm, I'm just wondering - as an experienced Dungeon Master who started playing more than 17 years ago.
I went through many Campaign Settings, developed my own worlds, written novels, had won some top3 prizes for "best adventures".
The question is:
Why are you saying "it's not D&D" or totally not 5 Edition?
You know, the D&D game, from back in the day, was totally different. That which you call D&D rules now would an aberration back in the day, and vice versa.
But all editions tell us specifically that D&D is not a set of rules. It is not. We have it written in the books, D&D developers always said that. But I see just too many people forgetting about this so important thing. That's just a mistake, guys. This is my honest opinion on this.
I know the limitations of SCL, which in fact are already disappearing just _weeks_ after the game's release. And more are is come.
Through mods we even managed to insert full Faerun Map, will be able to disable monster scaling, so that 5th level character feels like it in combat with monsters.
This just a month after the Sword Coast Legends launch.
Now, with whole my experience, I can honestly say this game is the most D&Dish game I ever played. And I've played them all.
It just feels like playing D&D when you play it with DM, in a well done Campaign and with good players. Which aren't that hard to find. Or just gather your real RPG party.
I absolutely can't agree SCL will be disappointment. But open your mind and check how it plays when you do it properly.
Check out those topics:
https://forums.swordcoast.com/index.php?/topic/8652-i-honestly-feel-like-someone-came-into-my-house-and-stole-40-dollars/?p=84935
https://forums.swordcoast.com/index.php?/topic/8444-mhs-workshop-first-scl-modification-successful/
It's just a start of great adventure ;). Soon it can look like NwN Next. And I'm sure about that. |
My Polish Sword Coast Legends Portal: http://www.swordcoast.pl
Polish Sword Coast Legends Forums: http://forum.swordcoast.pl
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SwordCoastPL
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SwordCoastPL
My Neverwinter Online Portal: www.neverwinter.com.pl
Old DDO Portal and forums await renewal.
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Veritas
Learned Scribe
209 Posts |
Posted - 11 Nov 2015 : 13:47:48
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Although I feel SCL is worth the money, I don't think it is fair to say whether SCL "will" be a disappointment. The game is released. If you are disappointed now, that is the state of the game. Whether it will be disappointing after it receives the content projected to be added to the game is another thing.
From the many reviews and comments I have seen, most of the people accusing the game of not being worth the money simply expected a different game. Setting aside those expectations, on its own merits SCL is a D&D themed game. It may be a bit simplistic but isn't all that different in terms of content and story from a classic gold box game.
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 11 Nov 2015 : 23:25:47
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It's a good game, it's just not pure 5e ruleset. Not a big deal (though I could see this upsetting anyone who thought they could port their campaign into the digital medium for adventures). Is it worth the price? I think so, it kept me entertained. Cool-down based abilities don't bother me one bit (Used to it from Warcraft etc). Took a bit of time to get used to the camera and scrolling, but that's not a huge killer. I would really like save files that I can reload back to instead of just a game save feature.
I do wish they would have loaded the lore down like in Baldur's Gate with magic items. That was always one of my favorite things about the BG series was some sweet flavor text.
The Underdark is really quite amazing. I love being able to see the Realms visualized. It's inspiring. In fact, I plan on taking some of the areas and building on them.
And thankfully, there was only a handful of horridly named NPC's aka: William Rays etc. Someone needs to send those guys that excel spreadsheet with Ed's 4,000 named NPCs in it. The game isn't perfect, and sure the lore could be a bit tighter and more abundant (they do a good job using it as is), but overall it's been a fun run.
I was going to add more, but don't want to spoil anything.
If anyone wants a game to be disappointed in, go play Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void. Worst ending since Mass Effect 3. Completely underwhelmed and after following that game since the late 90's, the pay-off just wasn't there. :(
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Edited by - Eilserus on 11 Nov 2015 23:27:01 |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
955 Posts |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
955 Posts |
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moonbeast
Senior Scribe
USA
522 Posts |
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Baltas
Senior Scribe
Poland
955 Posts |
Posted - 03 Dec 2015 : 08:05:00
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quote:
Originally posted by moonbeast
No gnomes yet as playable race?
Well, it may disappoint you but as of now, still no. The next confined race, are the Tieflings who will appear in the Rage of Demons expansion. But don't worry, as from what the creators said during interviews, gnomes (and half-orcs) will be also added probably in one of the patches/Community Packs like drow, and possibly before even the Rage of Demons expansion will be out. |
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Veritas
Learned Scribe
209 Posts |
Posted - 14 Jan 2016 : 01:21:27
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| The price seems to have dropped by 50% permanently on Steam now. |
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Caolin
Senior Scribe
769 Posts |
Posted - 26 Jan 2016 : 19:27:01
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quote:
Originally posted by Veritas
The price seems to have dropped by 50% permanently on Steam now.
As predicted. I guess I can try the game out now. |
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Shadowsoul
Senior Scribe
Ireland
705 Posts |
Posted - 05 Apr 2016 : 06:54:39
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| Damn I hate it when I'm right. |
“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”
#8213; J.R.R. Tolkien
*I endorse everything Dark Wizard says*. |
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ZeshinX
Learned Scribe
Canada
210 Posts |
Posted - 02 Mar 2017 : 18:01:28
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| Yep. SCL flopped. Hard. nSpace closed, console version finished by Digital Extremes, then abandoned to the wilderness. Exactly what SCL deserved (the game, NOT the people who worked on it). |
"...because despite the best advice of those who know what they are talking about, other people insist on doing the most massively stupid things."
-Galen, technomage |
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BountyHunter
Seeker
Canada
61 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2017 : 00:04:39
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| Just curious, can this be bought as an actual CD for the Xbox One, or download only? |
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I think SCL is going to flop.
