Divinity: Original Sin II - Game Master Mode

[Myrthos]

The Kickstarter page for Original Sin II has been updated with information about the new Game Master mode.

Hello, and welcome to Kickstarter Upda- Wait is that Matt Mercer?

Why yes, it is! You see, we promised you a bunch of stretch goals, and while we've enjoyed sharing the progress we've made on most of them, there's one that we've been very quiet about. The big one. The $2 million question, so to speak: What about Game Master Mode?

Well, we've spent the last two years building, tweaking, polishing, and testing it, and we're finally ready to show you what it can do. And who better to put it through its paces than Matt Mercer, Jesse Cox, Dodger, Strippin and Bikeman?

Matt (of Critical Role and voice acting fame) will lead some of our favorite streamers in his very own custom adventure, and you’ll be able to see it live TODAY! We’re absolutely thrilled to be streaming it on our Twitch channel later today (9th May) at 4pm PT. So tune in and see what Game Master Mode can do in the hands of a story-telling virtuoso!

Of course, we needed more people to test our new drag and drop tabletop, so Swen swung by some friends in Seattle. This is what happened:

More information.

 

[Darkheart]

This looks quite nice actually.
With a good GM it should be very fun.

At least it will be much better than SCL's version of the idea.

 

[Hastar]

That looks very interesting. Could get some RPGWatch groups going

 

[Lucky Day]

what's the word on multiplayer? I assume with this its more than one extra player - no need for a 4 player mod?

Strictly co-op too I assume - with the exception of PvGM of course.

 

[Myrthos]

Not sure what you mean. Original Sin II has 4 player support, but you can play with less and then still have 4 characters, where one or mor eplayers can take on anther character. And you can play alone with 4 characters, or you can play with less that 4 characters.
That said, in Game Master mode, there isn't much fun in playing with less than 2 players.

 

[Dez]

It looks like a real thing. Sweet lord, this could be the multiplayer experience we've all been waiting for. And if one can mod the game easily, heck we could even have a heroquest campaign quite easily...

 

[Silver]

The potential for this game is sky high. I can't wait to see all the mod content people come up with. All other crpg developers should be trembling right now. How will they possibly compete with this game?

 

[TomRon]

The potential for this game is sky high. I can't wait to see all the mod content people come up with. All other crpg developers should be trembling right now. How will they possibly compete with this game?

By giving the masses what they want instead of catering to the very niche market that we are a part of?

This sounds bloody awesome, but I doubt it will sell them many more copies, we all own the game already…

 

[Silver]

By giving the masses what they want instead of catering to the very niche market that we are a part of?

This sounds bloody awesome, but I doubt it will sell them many more copies, we all own the game already…

First divinity: os sold in excess of a million. This game will be streamed so much because of the story telling potential in game master mode. Every campaign will be different and the game will be played for years to come. Just wait until dedicated modders introduce different rulesets then this game will really take off!

 

[daveyd]

How will dialogue be handled for single-player? (Or any # of characters less than 4 for that matter?) In D:OS I found it pretty awkward and I really didn't like the whole rock-paper-scissors thing for resolving disagreements. IIRC they are getting rid of the RPS for II but what are they replacing it with?

 

[TomRon]

First divinity: os sold in excess of a million. This game will be streamed so much because of the story telling potential in game master mode. Every campaign will be different and the game will be played for years to come. Just wait until dedicated modders introduce different rulesets then this game will really take off!

Let's hope so, Larian sure deserves it.

 

[Silver]

How will dialogue be handled for single-player? (Or any # of characters less than 4 for that matter?) In D:OS I found it pretty awkward and I really didn't like the whole rock-paper-scissors thing for resolving disagreements. IIRC they are getting rid of the RPS for II but what are they replacing it with?

D:OS 2 checks against stats to resolve disagreements. There are other aspects to it but I can't remember right now.

 

[Dasale]

If really dungeon master mode bring big numbers, DOS2 will be the first to achieve it.

And for mods, it's dependent of so many things. It can helps Bioware gave up on that. But it's a risked bet and the team clearly has very few experience in that when it's know that it's a very difficult dev.

This DOS2 is looking more and more like the hunter hunting multiple rabbits, coop multiplayer, dungeon master multiplayer, full modding, awfully complex system of characters opposed goals and amount of choices and consequences it involves, probably they'll try make it quite bigger than DOS, more I forgot. Perhaps they was reusing an engine but with so many rabbits I'm starting to be skeptical that single player with achieve the goal of being a Baldur's Gate 2.

Perhaps they have decided that single player is obsolete and multiplayer the key of sells, sigh.

I really wonder how they ended to that when their leader quoted in a lesson learned that they should make choices and not try multiply the targets/goals.

 

[Lucky Day]

Not sure what you mean. Original Sin II has 4 player support, but you can play with less and then still have 4 characters, where one or mor eplayers can take on anther character. And you can play alone with 4 characters, or you can play with less that 4 characters.
That said, in Game Master mode, there isn't much fun in playing with less than 2 players.

I couldn't find any specs on the size in quick look for it. Original Sin is officially player I read, with 4 player available as an optional mod. It appears to be a simple configuration change, which tells me they always intended it to be 4 player but there was some bugs they couldn't quite work out.

--

Game doesn't look to be the successor to NWN I want, but I am liking what I see. This is a surprising feature.

 

[rune_74]

If really dungeon master mode bring big numbers, DOS2 will be the first to achieve it.

And for mods, it's dependent of so many things. It can helps Bioware gave up on that. But it's a risked bet and the team clearly has very few experience in that when it's know that it's a very difficult dev.

This DOS2 is looking more and more like the hunter hunting multiple rabbits, coop multiplayer, dungeon master multiplayer, full modding, awfully complex system of characters opposed goals and amount of choices and consequences it involves, probably they'll try make it quite bigger than DOS, more I forgot. Perhaps they was reusing an engine but with so many rabbits I'm starting to be skeptical that single player with achieve the goal of being a Baldur's Gate 2.

Perhaps they have decided that single player is obsolete and multiplayer the key of sells, sigh.

I really wonder how they ended to that when their leader quoted in a lesson learned that they should make choices and not try multiply the targets/goals.

You don't think neverwinter nights DM mode brought big numbers?

 

[Myrthos]

I couldn't find any specs on the size in quick look for it. Original Sin is officially player I read, with 4 player available as an optional mod. It appears to be a simple configuration change, which tells me they always intended it to be 4 player but there was some bugs they couldn't quite wotk out.

When I visited them in 2015, the 4 player co-op already worked without issues and it still does. I'm currently playing it as a single player and at the moment it just plays as having a party of 4. Each party member has its own goals it wants to achieve though and you will notice this in interruptions in conversations. You get the option to ignore them and do what you want, but that will lead to a conflict and potentially the party member leaving or even becoming hostile, as you are not allowing it to reach its goals. They have made the goals such that they are conflicting with your goals at occasion.
At the early parts of the game it is not a big issue, but it could become that later on.
What is still missing at the moment is party banter and party discussions.
However, 4 player co-op is not an afterthought, but designed as such from the ground up. What I was more worried about is if it would be a good single player game, but it turns out to shape up like a good experience.

 

[beldurax]

This is very, very significant. I have not given all that much credence to OS2 up until this point in time, but seeing this really convinces me on nutty Swen's vision for this title. Modding potential for this should be sky-high. (On a side note, I wonder how much of a job it was setting up Lost Mine of Phandelver for OS2 ...)

 

[Dasale]

You don't think neverwinter nights DM mode brought big numbers?

I never think it, perhaps I wasn't aware of stuff/information. On dedicated forum I can guaranty most posts was about mods, not about dungeon master games and even less DM scenario.

EDIT: On the target change that seems bring DOS2, from SP to MP, myself I hate it, but Im' old and out of the loop, could be wise from a com point of view. What makes me rather skeptical is no matter the player he could play a ton more SP games than MP games, so I have huge doubts main focus on MP is the future.

 

[Myrthos]

DOS could also be played in multiplayer mode already, but only with two players. Now it is four. Yet both still have a very functional single player mode.

 

[Dasale]

Ha well, myself I see a dev targeting too high for having a SP really at top level, but ok it's not easy to argue, so let see.