If Sundren were in a different engine...

[Saulus]

Let's enter fantasy-land for a moment.

Would a Sundren unbound to DnD or the NWN2 engine still be an isometric RPG focusing on community participation and a DM experience?

Or would it be a 3rd person action RPG with a focus on MP persistence?

Would it be high fantasy? Or a gritty dark setting where magic is rare and powerful -- to be feared?

Distill the essence of your experiences

And no I'm not saying I'm making a Sundren game (unless someone wants to give me a large sack of money with a dollar sign on it) but I am curious as to people's perspective on these questions.

[Kaybrie]

Sundren's overall theme has more or less evolved over the years with the staff that drives it. Early on it was huge about demons and demon lords kicking the crap out of random adventurer's. Then it morphed into a semi-horror vampire story heavily weighed as good vs evil with others just caught up in their battle. While I DM'd the theme became heavily weighed around the war with the Bloodmaim, accepting losses and winning the larger victory. More recently it became a more political landscape, with player's vying for power through roleplay and events more focused around problem solving and diplomacy.

I'd say the sense of community and multiplayer persistence is what makes Sundren what it is though, the code holding it all together combined with the quality of content and the assurance of enforcement of proper roleplay. These things have more or less shaped the community into what I believe to be the best RP community on NWN2.

With all this in mind, I feel like an Isometric RPG would continue to best fit Sundren's sway from combat with powerful enemies, armies, roleplay and diplomacy.

[Thief Of Navarre]

While I still dig the isometric gameplay & the FR D&D setting I'm inclined to think the community is strong enough to take a different turn if it were deemed the logical next step.

Would it be high fantasy? Or a gritty dark setting where magic is rare and powerful -- to be feared?

Distill the essence of your experiences

I'm thinking a darker setting would still be in keeping with what we have already, if expanded upon. Magic in my opinion should be more Lord of the Rings and less Sorcerer's Apprentice

[Doubtful]

I'll have to come back to this when I've got more time, but it's safe to say I've strong opinions on the matter.

For now, keep some of the social parts of dnd, scale back the magic, don't ever go Action RPG and all that that implies, stay with isometric but with changeable camera positions.

[AsuraKing]

In my opinion, since not many other games types have a toolset, the best way for there to be lasting effects of player RP and whatnot would need some kind of sandbox kind of game. Perhaps it's the survival/sandbox addict in me, but I would kill to see a good RP community and setting for such a type of game (Conan Exiles I'm looking at you!).

As for the type of setting/mood, I always imagined Sundren as high fantasy (flying city and evil volcano lairs) with a slight twist of grim darkness (not so much as settings like Warhammer though).

[nezzerscape]

The idea of only a handful of powerful magic items sounds awesome. The challenge is when "everyone else has one but not you" (I can see how one might feel that way). Perhaps if they all have an equally negative aspect. Perhaps non transferable. I always loved adding in 1 or 2 magic items that had egos that emerged over time when I DMed.

Nez

[Saulus]

I'll have to come back to this when I've got more time, but it's safe to say I've strong opinions on the matter.

For now, keep some of the social parts of dnd, scale back the magic, don't ever go Action RPG and all that that implies, stay with isometric but with changeable camera positions.

What?? You don't want an action RPG where you can do THIS at level 40?

[Doubtful]

Nope, not even a little bit.

[Cornuto]

Ideally very similar to the Witcher III in tone and visuals -- except make it a persistent multi-player world and magic more spooky/rare. Over the shoulder or Isometric would work, but first person would be too limiting for a social game.

[greypawn]

Engines... 3d, 3rd person is my preference. So any engine that can make that both pretty and stable would be nice. nothing overwhelmingly action/flashy/seizure like would be my preference as far as development goes.

Structure... While I'd like to say sandbox, I've seen them flop too much. So...

I'd say I'd like to see a 'strategy role play world.' A world that you can play in but also works like a board game via forum play or such. Structured rules for progressing factions and communicating with the world's environment. So a part of the world would have an organic, competitive, feel full of that challenge type of fun. But then have it sit along side a static area, a part of the world that's maybe desolate or cursed, to dungeon run and have general adventure styled fun. Like board games, have a set ending - or even multiple possible conclusions, to restart the world so old guard, twinks, and entitled attitudes can be neutralized while opening the story up again to new players, new characters, new/revised rules and new ideals in a new chapter. ... the closest thing to this would probably be what Crowfall is trying to do with their eternal kingdoms system.

World... I like medieval type of settings where magic is rare, dark, and taboo. Light fantasy where monsters are real but often unseen/mysterious. And survivalist settings where mankind is put against the environment. So I guess a setting like in the game Thea: The Awakening (Slavic Folklore) would be cool to me.

[jarlexel]

I think a Dark Sun setting would be neat. Magic is outlawed because it's destroying the last oasis, metal is extremely rare, and there is only one city to where people can survive.

[Thief Of Navarre]

Of all the games I've played over the years, the look and feel of a place I liked the best was Morrowind. The stark beauty of it, the morose & suspicious nature of it's inhbitants, the ash mountain, the odd buildings, the slave camps (yes, I know slavery is bad). I don't think I've ever been visually and emotional awed by a game since that.

*edit* I'm not saying looks are everything (otherwise I clearly wouldn't play RPGs) but the feel of a place can hold your interest much the same as solid mechanics or a good story.

[Nyssis]

I'd appreciate a darker, grittier fantasy setting with magic being especially rare and monsters being especially fearsome. I wouldn't mind if it pulled away from D&D at its foundation, either: I feel that D&D often winds up too limiting with what players are capable of, and Sundren has already chipped away at that mold by injecting its own changes.

Above all else, I still think of Sundren as a roleplaying outlet with or without NWN2. The environment, mood, crafting and character appearance customization (give me sliders or give me death) are my biggest priorities. I don't care about vertical progression as much as having a character that looks the way I want them to.