If you haven't seen the front page of www.sorcerers.net (http://www.sorcerers.net) then you might not know about the press release about "Dungeons & Dragons® Online". The two paragraphs we get sound brilliant, and I'm wondering if the people over at the NWN HQ are quaking in their boots?

What do you think?

Pure crap, To my oppinion D&D is a role playing game to socialise with People, not only on the web. This will mostly end and a powergammer thing, and the true path of D&D will be lost. So This D&D online is pure crap, NWN online a RPG? don't make me laugh...

What makes me laugh is if somebody says me in the real life, that i was attacked by a zombie... it's soooo childish. With a computer game i don't feel myself infant.

For the social connections there are better and much better solutions...

@Dungeon_Master
Don't be so quick to bash it! How are you supposed to play NWN in a party? Online I'd say. So what's the difference between the two games?
This new game might be good, but I'm not going to fall for any hype this time, I learned that lesson from the NWN hype.

I'm not going to fall for any hype this time. I think the hype could be fun on this one. Over the next two years we'll probably see NWN marketing itself as the "first" online D&D experience vs the "real" D&D. Some competition might stir up more interest for the whole genre, which isn't bad for anyone.

This Dungeons & Dragons Online could be fun, but it totally depends on what the game is like. The creators of NWN also said they were going to make a Dungeons & Dragons game for multiplayer purposes, well, the game could have done better with the rules. They have ignored a lot of the options availiable in 3e D&D, so it isn't really a 3e D&D game, it is more a game that was based on 3e D&D. (And I'm still a bit mad that I could get the lan multi player option working.) If this Dungeons and Dragon Online implements the rules correctly and they make a game like a PnP experience, then it could have potential. If they just make a game with a lot of changed rules which are kinda based on 3e, than it would be just another failure.

Thank goodness! When I saw the title I thought there was going to be some kind of big server turn-off or something - and I've been putting off buying NWN until I get a reliable broadband connection I can play over (still don't know when that'll be). I'm not sure about this new game, it doesn't seem to be focusing on the DM-led aspect as much as NWN.

I think that NWN will be in trouble. Of course, if the game is still 2+ years out, NWN will be based on antiquated technology and may be ripe for replacement.

Unfortunately, this makes me think that WotC and Atari may decide not to support NWN / Bioware anymore. That could be bad; no more updates, no more expansions, perhaps no more live team, etc.

My interpretation is that it's going to be Everquest using (a subset of) 3+ Edition D&D rules, with all that that implies.

@Ironbeard: I have played over both a dial-up and a broadband connection. The biggest difference I have seen was performance related, not connection related. I did just fine over the dial-up at about 50K. I would recommend not putting off getting NWN just for the connection. ;)

I mean, their is soooo much thing you cannot do in a computer game! In what CRPG game could you escape by braking a window, or ride a horse, cast a fireball that would actually interact with universe like set a forest on fire. Or even using most of the divinination spell, I mean " Localize people " couldn't make it on a CRPG. Have you ever used the " Jump " skill to jump on a 10 feet high monster to deliver a sneak attack while being invisible? NO it cannot be made on a CRPG. PnP is and would be always better, since the thing you want to do isn't limited by a " engine " or the quest the Computer give you, it all rely on Imagination and the twisted mind of the DM. Belive me D&D online a way to make more Cash. D&D is less and less popular with the years, and with a such product we will hide the true face of D&D to the newbie, Would you realy want that in what 4 years, people would say " D&D ? you mean the online stuff? " NO! Dungeon and Dragon was meant to be played in group with Paper, sheet, and IMAGINATION. IMHO this online stuff is pure crap

When D&D was created there were no computers with graphics at a level that was useful for gaming such as this. D&D used the best tools available at the time. Some people use/used miniatures to play. Other people acted out their character's actions.

Now we have computers that can animate our characters and their foes. We have a better tool to enhance the experience and aid our imaginations. Just because we can see the action does not mean that our imagination is not in use.

Some day, there will be an engine (and hardware that can run it) that will allow for fireballs to start fires, for breaking windows and leaping characters. Until then, we will just have to use our imaginations for those tasks.

I'm not sure if NWN is in trouble, the developer chosen to make D&D online is Turbine... if anyone cares to take a look at their current catastrophe, "Asheron's Call 2" you'll note that they're on the verge of shutting down a half year after launch.

These guys can't design their way out of a paper bag. Graphically amazing, but horrible gameplay, truly.

The entire draw of NWN is the endless amount of content being generated by fans (for free). The problem with an MMORPG is that there is an extremely limited amount of content for everone (paid for monthly). Repeating quests over and over again because there's nothing to do hardly seems like D&D. In other mmorpgs people mostly "hunt"

You walk in any direction out into the wilderness and the landscape is evenly dotted with various monsters just standing there, waiting to get pounded on.

Lets hope Turbine learned their lesson with AC2. They have a ways to go on release for this one, so, there's time to make things right.

One good thing is that Turbine isn't under Microsoft for this endeavor. The Turbine2 engine itself is a stunning one, it's the content, and poor implementation of that engine that makes AC2 a nightmare. Atari did a nice job with NWN, and I feel that with them and Turbine working together, they can put out a quality product.

Turbine wasn't all bad, they did make AC1, which, after 4 years still has a viable and loyal fan base. I strongly believe that AC2 was (is) a comedy of errors, and MS rushed it into the market.

We'll see if they improve their stuff with MEO, which is slated to come out next year, iirc. That will be a good yardstick to measure what DDOL will be like.

If DDOL turns out right, it'll be the exact game I wished for, a D&D game, in a persistant online world.

And hey, at least Ken Karl won't have his sticky bumbling fingers in this mess.