Sword Coast Legends Community Interview

A while ago our forum members were given the opportunity to ask questions to Tim Schwalk, design director of Sword Coast Legends and here they are.

Couchpotato: Welcome to RPGWatch so my first question would be why now since it has been almost eight years since the Neverwinter games were released?

Tim Schwalk: Thanks for the questions! Basically, all of us at n-Space have been D&D fans for ages and Sword Coast Legends, with its easy to use DM tools, is the game we've always wanted to make. We're thrilled that Wizards of the Coast shares our vision, and we can't wait to play with everyone!

Couchpotato: On the topic of Nevewinter your game looks it was inspired by the game so should expect to be able to build, and play mods?

Tim: Neverwinter was only one of the titles we looked at for inspiration. Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, and Dragon Age: Origins were all big inspirations for us. NWN and SCL both feature the inclusion of a Dungeon Master, but our approaches are very different. We're not talking much about sharing content, but we are well aware that community support can lead to vibrant, long lasting communities.

Couchpotato:  You said in a previous interview the game will using the 5th edition D&D. So I wondering if the 5th edition is a vast improvement over the 4th edition?

Tim: With 5^th edition, Wizards of the Coast brought D&D back to the AD&D roots and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. The spirt of D&D, with its emphasis on roleplaying and adventuring, is very much alive in D&D's 5^th edition. Since tabletop rules don't always translate perfectly to a cRPG, we've been working with WotC (even prior to 5^th edition release) to adapt their ruleset to best fit our game.

SirJames: While it was more or less confirmed in the last stream, will the main campaign be playable in co-op?

Tim: First off, thanks for watching our stream! To answer your question, yes you'll be playing the main campaign with your friends, using your custom created characters. There's something special about adventuring with your best friends, and that feeling is something we're recreating in SCL.

SirJames: Is the intention to sell more assets post-release going to restrict players from adding their own custom models/skins?

Tim: We're not ready to talk about player mods at this time, but our decision to limit the scope of launch characters was driven by our commitment to quality. You will be able to fully customize your character's physical appearance at character creation, and continue to do so throughout the game with a wide array of equipment and weapons. We will be creating additional races and classes after launch.

SirJames:  NWN1 let players make items up to +20, which allowed my NWN campaign to go well beyond the level 40 cap. NWN2 changed this to +10 and I didn't even bother. Whats the maximum weapon enhancement going to be in SCL toolkit?

Tim: Sorry, we're not talking about DM Campaign creation tools just yet. Stay tuned!

Edgy: How long will be the single-player campaign be, and will it be linear or could we tackle stuff at different order and expect different result?

Tim: It's not short, I can tell you that! While SCL provides a lengthy primary path through the campaign, there will also be multitudes of side quests and content to keep players busy for quite some time. There are also dialogue choices you'll make along the way that impact the story.

Fluent: Approximately how many side quests are in the game and how long will the optional content take to complete?

Tim: We're not discussing "how many or how long" at this point, but I can say we're still adding new quests and experiences each day.

Fluent: How many unique weapons, armor and items are in the game that can be looted from enemies?

Tim: We're not providing specific numbers, but player customization and progression is one of our main pillars, and finding fun, unique, and powerful loot is a big part of that - there will be a lot!

Lucky Day: Can PvP be possible? Or friendly fire? Can spell and other scripts be edited? I was also wondering if it's possible to make a standalone server?

Tim: Since adventuring in D&D has always been a cooperative experience, PvP has never been part of our plans. However, friendly fire is very much a factor so powerful AoE spells need to be used carefully and tactically.

I can't yet answer your questions about DM Campaign creation and customization, but I can confirm that you will not be able to create a standalone server.

goblin: Is the RTwP  feature for single player only? If not how will it work in multi-player? Also will your single player characters be available for multi-player?

Tim: Regardless of game mode, pausing is only available with a single player controlling the party. Once additional players have joined, we're currently disabling the pause feature. We are considering allowing a group to unanimously pause in multiplayer if that's what players would like.

Yes, your custom characters will move with you into dungeon crawls or even other player campaigns. This means if you want to run a dungeon with only rogues, you can very much do that.

Archangel: If you don't plan to make the mechanics behind the game more similar to 5e D&D how moddable will the game be so fans can do it themselves?

Tim: Sorry, we're not talking about player mods at this time.

Archangel:  With the success of Pillars of Eternity (and other real old school KS RPGs) have you considered making the gameplay more classic RPG based?

Tim: Our primary goal is to create a game that captures the fun of playing tabletop D&D with friends and a Dungeon Master. Even though we have modernized some features, you'll certainly see the influence of the older games in SCL. We all love the classic RPGs, but many focused on single player adventures while SCL offers a number of different player experiences.

redman5427:  Will there be DLC and are there expansions planned?

Tim: We will definitely be supporting the game with modules - content that is fun for both players and DMs.

fatknacker50: How in depth is the character customization system in your game?

Tim: You'll be fully customizing your primary character in SCL. Once you've chosen your race, sub-race, gender, and class, you can customize a number of visual options as well. (Skin tone, hair style, facial hair, facial features, and more.)

That's it for now so thank you for the opportunity to ask a few questions from our community.

Tim: You're very welcome! Thank YOU for your interest in Sword Coast Legends!