Larian Studios Forums Divinity: Original Sin 2 Divinity - Original Sin 2 - Game Master - D:OS2 GM Mode - Ideas!

In one of my latest session 2 of the PC of my players have been possessed by a Ghost. I didn't control them directly. I told them what to do and it felt like there was an internal conflict in the PC. It has been super cool.
They had to roll for damage but they weren't in control of their body.

In few words, you want AI controlled players just cause they are bad at roleplaying? Well, this is something that can't be fixed with an automatic systems.

That's where we disagree indeed.
Weak DMs rely on a prepared story/adventure and the players will have to follow the storyline even if their characters wouldn't want to.

I on the other hand like to create a setting and a situation, set the players loose in the world and take it from there. This leads to a natural flow of the story, and much greater immersion, with highly motivated players because they are doing what they want to do, instead of doing what is dictated by the DMs story line.

If the story runs "sloppy" it is simply because the DM lacks the flexibility, skill and creativity to deal with it on the fly, and took the easy way out, relying on a script , "You guys are here, hired/told/ordered to go do this there", that has to be run in a certain order to not ruin the story, turning the players into actors in a rigid movie and basically taking away their freedom of choice.

Indeed.

Lol... No. I asked to Shapeshifter777 why he need it.

Oops my bad. Post edited.

Or this is a sign of weak players or that the DM should have made sure they were all on the same page. That the players want their game and are not willing to work with the DM and would rather play their own game and simply want to use the DM to achieve that.

This is why I take the whole Player-Centric ideology so seriously. It abdicates all responsibility off the player, it tells the DM that their enjoyment or artistic integrity are unimportant, and only deals with ONE type of game... A game type that is actually quite unpopular for both DMs and Players (No really!)

Or rather... It is an ivory tower, an imagined/invented high art of DMing that doesn't reflect the reality around it and so it much echo itself constantly.

I wouldn't call it "high art of DMing" myself, but thanks for the compliment.
It's not the first time I got that compliment though.

Automated Leveling Paths

This would be something similar to what they have in the game now for stat increases... you increase the level of an npc and automatically certain stats will increase.
What I would like to see is a way I can set up an npc class, lets say a Warrior, and predetermine what gear and abilities it would get at certain levels. That way, on the fly, I can throw in classes, increase their levels, and not have to go back to each one and put in gear and abilities, which will be more downtime for the players.

Hello, new guy here!
What i really think it should have, like, absolutely, it's generators of all kinds.
Encounter
Monster
Itens
Tresure hoads
equipaments
NPCs
Dungeons
Maps
ETC.
Maybe some modular dungeon maker, and then a generator based on the same system
AND
More than four players in the party, i'd say to make it unlimited, but if not possible, more than 4

Hope to see an option added for a tick able box or something beside the music player to have the music loop

I only see viable (and useful) equipments, treasure, and encounters. And yes, more than 4 players PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE!!!!


+1
Also can we have a "prepare music" menu that allow us to browse our files and put our MP3s. OGGs and WAVs ? same like the vignette system that allow us to directly import our images. Custom music is very important. Atmosphere and music are an integral part of the soul of good GMing.

Also: Please, let us change the color of things easily, the color menu for armors in NPCs would be nice as a color wheel, also, if we could change the hue of the paintable effects (fire, poison, those ones) we could create our own (blue fire, or orangey poison smoke)

Don't know if it's been suggested already (there are a lot of posts here), but you know what would be interesting?

1.) The ability to create predefined paths/actions for characters in the mode so they aren't statically just sitting there without intervention (maybe on a timer or something instead of constant).

2.) Assign text dialogue to certain characters and options/responses for them (with a system that tells you when they are being talked to and what responses are given).

3.) I don't know if you can already, since you've made it have so much freedom to begin with, the ability to add your own audio files for music and sounds.

What do you guys think?

+1 to (1) and (3)

I would love to see more options for the Game Master Mode. Campaigns that do not require a DM would be great. Something you could build and they later others explore on their own time. Hopefully adding in scripting for NPCs, dialog and quest creations etc. Something along the lines of what was included with Sword Coast Legends would be amazing.

About Campaigns and DMing:
I'm concerned about 3 more things I just found out today:
1)In a Custom Campaign, as a player, You can't create a new character if the previous one dies (Maybe you run a campaign with no resurrection scrolls or something, or you grow tired of one and want to try a new one and keep playing the campaign with your friends) So the GM has to be able to modify a character with the player's permission, I'm told that that would be possible...almost. Because he can't change the race, so, or we give that power to the GM, or we allow re-roll in a started custom campaign, which takes me to
2) That being said, in the main campaign, you can't start to create a character and play when the campaign has already started in a multiplayer game, and you have to control a henchman, let's say that Fred,Bob, and George have been playing for 2 months George's Epic Campaign, but then Mike buys D:OS2 and wants in (like in their pen-and-paper sessions) but...can he? They are long past the starting point, map, and level and George has been expanding and changing it. How can he create a character when they have past gone the starting point? Or lets say one of the group leaves, is the new person that replaces him forced to play with the other guy's character since he isn't able to create one of their own?
And finally 3) I'm concerned about changing a campaign that is in progress, how do you add new scenes that you created after starting the campaign in the editor without having to create an entire new one? Does that mean we have to create ALL the levels and locations for a months(or years) long campaign beforehand? We need an option to modifiy an ongoing campaign. Also, when a campaign is over, or another person of the group wants to try GMing, but the guys obviously want to use their remaining and alive heroes to live more adventures with them, how about an option to save,load,import,and export characters?

This might be added eventually via divinity engine by modders or developers themselves, but I would love the ability to add walls, towers gates and other bigger structures. Maybe not entire forts but an ability to shape one.

You can do that with the level editor of the engine, Nilend.

I finally created and played my first parties.
and like everyone else I have suggestions. Some things have already been said but I think it is good to remind them.
1-The most important thing is the management of the characters. Noctro explains it very well. At least it is necessary to import and export these characters and a more flexible invitation system in the parties. This is indipensable for anyone who wants to make great campaign with GM Mode.
2-More content! Maps, NPC and Items. Yes, modders will participate. but larians must support this movement too.
3-A little more possibilities for the NPC: emotes and automatic patrols would be perfect.
4-The possibility of adding music, even if I know that it should pose problems of copyright.
5-The possibility of hiding the result of the dice to the players (and see the dice roll )
6-and the possibility of ping something on the map will be very useful.

But for me, the real problem is the management of the characters. If Larian changes that, nothing will prevent more players to the beautiful rpg games.

PS: Sorry for my rought english

Priority 1 issue, it will die a short painless death otherwise. It shouldn't go the NWN route and attempt to be all things to all people, but if you are going for Virtual Tabletop understand most groups are around 6 players with the ends of the curve skewing out fairly wide in both directions.

More DM tools would be cool, like being able to speak or use pop up text as NPC's.

All these, and also, would love the ability to move units outside of possessing them, like for instance, dragging a selection box around some NPC's, and holding down a button, and then right clicking to have them walk to a location.