Ideas for next D&D game?

No, I'm not talking about the new Neverwinter game from Cryptic.

I ask this because Hasbro recently won back the video game license for D&D from Atari. Sooner or later they're going to give it to someone else, so this would be a good time to start speculating.

IMO: the game should be highly modable, in fact this should be a main feature, almost to the point of being a game maker rather than an actual game. With a mission/scenario editor ala Freespace/Age of Arm A. This would be the closest a video game could ever come to recreating the traditional RPG experience. Players who create their own missions/scenarios would be the closest thing in the game to a DM, especially if they were somehow allowed to referee sessions of their missions/scenarios.

The DM would be able to sort their missions/scenarios into campaigns which can be strung together however the DM chooses. missions/scenarios would end if the player completes a certain objective of reaches a certain location (Ideally near the edge of the map). The Dm could chose to make it so completing certain events or reaching certain locations could lead the player/s to different missions/scenarios than others in the same mission/scenario. A good DM would be able to create one instance in which a player/s would be able to make choices which would fundamentally alter the overall campaign. The best way to do this would be for the DM to create to at least two separate strings of missions/scenarios that branch out from an earlier mission/scenario that can be accessed by the player's/s' decisions in said mission/scenario.

To put it simply, DM's would be able to use mission/scenario editor to create campaigns using complex "mission trees". Player/s can access different branches on the tree depending on the decisions they make in certain levels. The more complex the tree; the greater the player's/s' freedom of choice.

The mission/scenario editor would, of course, have the ability to place NP Cs, script events, design conversations, place items and set goals.

Comments?

edited 11th Oct '11 8:06:30 AM by Albor

Planescape 2.

Thread ended.

I'd heard the Planescape setting's been screwed over by 4E though (apparently the Blood War ended?)

If it's still a good setting then another Planescape game (though unrelated to Torment since that's a completed and stand alone story) would be good. The setting is certainly pretty cool.

Another Icewind Dale would be neat too.

Spelljammer RPG would be good. But how about a Dn D game that's actually turn-based, like the actual game? Pretty sure the last turn-based Dn D CRPG was Temple of Elemental Evil, and that was a while ago.

Eh, turning the Blood War cold isn't that much of a problem for the setting. Rather the change in alignments and cosmology. So yeah, that's very unlikely to happen.

OT: Dark Sun

Guess I should have made my post shorter.

@OP: So basically storyteller mode in VtM: Redemption / Tools in NWN + 2 / Blades of Exile/Avernum?

A good Eberron game would be cool...it only got Dragonshards (RTS) and Online right now...and while Xen'Drik is cool, I really wish for games to set in Sarlona (I like psionic stuff since from 3.5, their fluff are pretty cool normally) or Argonnessen...

edited 11th Oct '11 8:49:57 AM by onyhow

I second the need for a good Eberron game. Though I would prefer an open ended party based Elder Scrolls style game. Let the player chose if they support one of the five nations, the Dragonmarked houses, or some other group. Basically give me a game that has so many fucking options that it will never happen.

I wouldn't mind that as long as it was done well and didn't detract from the gaming experience. Perhaps they could make it so that players could choose between turn-based combat or standard hack-n-slash before beginning a new game.

I personally think the appeal of D&D came more from that it basically allowed people to do whatever they wanted. Creating your own stories and watching other people play through them.

This is the element I think future video game adaptations should focus on. Editors in the vein of FRED 2 and the Age of Empires editors would be the best way to do this.

In fact, I'm beginning to remember how fun Freespace 2 was, might start playing it again sometime.

I guess I should have mentioned NWN too.

I'll elaborate a bit more on my ideas later. This isn't a wholly accurate assessment of my idea: but you could think of it as having the storytelling style of Dragon Age: Origins + the customization capabilities of Freespace 2.

You know, every D&D game thus far has been a fairly literal adaptation of the game. It'd be interesting to see how the translation might go spiritually to a more unusual genre, like real-time action.

I think they already tried that with Daggerdale, didn't turn out too well. Someone else will probably try to implement it again though, which I'd be perfectly OK with, especially if they implemented ideas similar to those detailed in my OP.

I would very much like a psychological horror Ravenloft game, a la Silent Hill or the scarier bits of Thief. Less perky adventuring, more politics, dialogue and corrupting schmuck bait powerups.

I know it'll never happen, just like Planescape Torment 2'll never happen, but a man can dream.