Larian Studios Forums Divine Divinity (English) Suggestions several suggestions for sequel / expandability

This is a wonderful game and one I know I'll be playing over and over again.

Several things occur to me which would improve it alot and increase the audience:

1) Campaign / Scenario editor.
While playing, I kept wishing for more, something extra, something different, knowing that I've been through the game once, and that it will end the same way. Having a Campaign/Scenario editor will make this Franchise last forever, as one can not only allow user built scenarios, but one can continue to release expansion pack style adventure modules.

2) Multiplayer capabilities.
This one should be obvious with the advent of multiplayer / online gaming today. Having a network/ internet capability similar to Diablo 2 would once again increase the market. Combine this feature with option 1 and bang, you have a sure fire hit. Of course, don't lose any of the original flair otherwise you lose the game. Granted, multiplayer to the extent of Ultima Online might be difficult, even multiplayer limited to the scope of Diablo 2. Perhaps only a limited number of players per game, but then this depends on the vision of the developers and the capabilities of the testers.

3) Expandability.
See item(1) above. There is much potential for continuance and other quests, stories, campaigns, not to mention different lands worlds and dungeons. Noting the endgame sequence of Divinity, it appears as though we are being set up for a sequel, and as such, I am prompted to write these thoughts.


One needs to only step outside the box and see this game from my perspective to imagine the possibilities. Divine Divinity is a shade of its true potential. Let it become truly Divine as it ascends to the next logical step in its evolution.

Am loath to break it to you, but several others have already made the exact same suggestions. Just see the earlier threads.

That IS a neat thing however the MASSIVE amount of development time to implement, and release a semi-easy-to-use editor is unfeasable.



If they implimented this, we would see DD2 in 2020. The development time for doing a multiplayer game is ENORMOUS.

Stick to a fun single-player game and keep MP game to dev companies that have the resources to do so.



Thats why I have been holding my breath to see what the next Larian project is! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

yes, keep it single player, with yearly ongoing quest/maps, towns, new faces, items, maybe even an age or time advancement would be very cool,
just so you can always have "one more quest" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />


ps how about mana recharge skill, or do we have it already? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />

I suggestthat characters coul sleep anywhere they want like in BG or Planescape Torment.Sometime you have to teleport to the location when You can sleep <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" />

nah too easy ! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Yes, teleporter stones, implemented in DD make character's life easy enough to be able to teleport into any inn and rest there. Not to mention -portable traveller's bed, which you can find and carry anywhere you want <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

What I wanna see and we have discussed this earlier:
1 more encounters, more easter eggs areas
2 critical strikes
3 bloody mess or critcam or whatever it is named, when you can make finishing moves, i.e. blowing, freezing, burning and ripping mobs to nice little parts.

Isn't it cute ? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

i want to be able to pick the voice/head/clothes of my character like in neverwinter.

I too would like to be able to choose (and import) my own Avatar Pic.

Voice sets/head selections require TONS AND TONS AND TONS of time (Art rendering/ voice stuidio time).

Would be nice though <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Nobody told this will be easy <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

It is great to have voice, clothing options.
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> (people; just need a superhero like ME to save nthem all, damn)

Mana drain swords do a little mana recharge. But that's only for monsters that have mana.

More customization would be awesome. New and old voices, portraits, races, characteristics, etc. = The Goodness. I'd also like to see the main player character not look so tiny and lame compared to the NPCs. Knights and Death Knights anyone? I always feel this huge urge to kill them whenever I see nicer-dressed NPCs... was that intentional by Larian?

Two words: Glowing Swords.

Yes, please keep it single-player. Maybe some multiplayer over LAN function would be nice, but I love the single-player focus because... hmm maybe because I'm narcissistic. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohh.gif" alt="" />

well you could just find the portable bed

Lets see if any of my ideas have been thought of(i bet yes).

1. Dwarf vision- In dungeons this would be very useful,a bit different from elven vision,i would say dwarf vision helps you see in mines,dungeons anywhere underground.
Elven vision would be for areas above ground.

2.Yep someone mentioned glowing weapons items,this would be a substitute for dwarven sight.

3.Climb trees.
If you could do this, logically you could see further and thus target enemies from far,now if they couldnt climb they would be in trouble.

4.For rogues- a decoy device to send enemies the wrong way and thus help a rogue sneak up on the enemy.

5.Ok this may sound dumb but what about riding a horse to get to destinations faster?
E.g you do a quest for a farmer who owns a stable and then for a small price you can rent the horse for a short while,in addition,he can carry a bit more weight,reason i say this is becuase i get encumbered alot(playing a rogue) so i think it would help a bit.

6. This one is asking too much but you can always dream...what if you can choose the way you attack someone,i.e if you wield a dagger,you can choose how to use it in combat,i.e slash,stab or something else. Depending on armour and the type of creature one method would be the best.

More suggestions later...

[color:"orange"]Lets see if any of my ideas have been thought of(i bet yes).

1. Dwarf vision- In dungeons this would be very useful,a bit different from elven vision,i would say dwarf vision helps you see in mines,dungeons anywhere underground.
Elven vision would be for areas above ground.[/color]

Nope, that's a new one! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" /> I don't like that one personally. Spending skill points on increased sight is a fairly expensive practice in my opinion. Having to spend twice as many points for the same effect is a bit harsh.

[color:"orange"]2.Yep someone mentioned glowing weapons items,this would be a substitute for dwarven sight.[/color]

I agree, at least for dark areas.

[color:"orange"]3.Climb trees.
If you could do this, logically you could see further and thus target enemies from far,now if they couldnt climb they would be in trouble.[/color]

That's not a bad idea!

[color:"orange"]4.For rogues- a decoy device to send enemies the wrong way and thus help a rogue sneak up on the enemy.[/color]

Good idea!

[color:"orange"]5.Ok this may sound dumb but what about riding a horse to get to destinations faster?
E.g you do a quest for a farmer who owns a stable and then for a small price you can rent the horse for a short while,in addition,he can carry a bit more weight,reason i say this is becuase i get encumbered alot(playing a rogue) so i think it would help a bit.[/color]

That's a common request. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> It'd be nice, and it'd open up a massive new skill tree. It would be a lot of work on the developer's behalf. Perhaps one day...

[color:"orange"]6. This one is asking too much but you can always dream...what if you can choose the way you attack someone,i.e if you wield a dagger,you can choose how to use it in combat,i.e slash,stab or something else. Depending on armour and the type of creature one method would be the best.[/color]

I think that's getting a bit too far into micro-managing. Also, the flow of melee combat doesn't always allow for the ideal strike every time. What if the number of kills against a type or class of creature raised your offence score agaist them?

[color:"orange"]More suggestions later...[/color]

They're most welcome! Keep them coming! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />


Item 6 reminded me of something I once read about role playing. In role playing, you play someone else. Just because you and I know that Scaled Über-Ducks are more suseptable to piercing damage doesn't mean our character does, and just because you or I mightn't know what the square root of 729 is, doesn't mean our character doesn't. One role playing tactic I've heard used in P&P games:

It lets a less intelligent player play an intelligent character. By that same token, the DM would probably not let a character read Elven language if they hadn't learned it, even if the player had leaned Elven from reading too much Lord of the Rings.

Well internet at home doesnt work so sorry for the delay.

1.The distinction which i should have made before was that if you have a glowing weapon,then sure you can see better,but other creatures can see the weapon just as well.

The advantage of dwarven sight is that you can see other poeple without attracting the attention of any creatures and for a skill point it may not be too bad,i suppose it depends on how far you can see without dwarven sight assuming it would implemented.

Ok some new ideas now.

1.When i kill a wolf i get wolf meat but you know in RL i dont eat raw meat i have to cook it,so why not use a boulder and a plank of wood together to make a fire. This idea is one which i expect to have been raised in the past.

To extinguish the fire all you need is a bucket of water.

2.This idea is wierd but i like it.
Climbing trees etc could be a new skill,but what about chopping them down?

Why you ask well...chopping them down would make alot of planks which can be used for a fire(as above)
It could also kill/injure an orc whom just happens to be standing near the tree when it fell... har har har.
However most importantly when you chop down a tree you can also automatically build a small shellter. I know you can buy/rent in verdists but i would like to build my own shed/shack.

Plus the trees would grow back.

3. Coming back to food,in the river we should be able to fish for fish.
All you need is maybe some string with a worm at the end.

Worms can be found in apples or in dungeons.

Of course you have to cook the fish once you have got it.

Im going to think again,see you later.

Tragic

A lot of that was actually planned in the original design. There was a lot more item interaction including fishing. I think Alrik has a link to the thread? (hint, hint <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> )

My point with Dwarven Sight is that I think that having both that and Elven Sight for below and above ground is unnecessary. Both have identical effects aside from the location. They both let you see monsters that mightn't see you first. So you need to spend twice as many skill points for an average skill (assuming you want to use it everywhere).

Yes i understand the your point about the dwarven/elven sight.

I am going to expand on the poor chopping down the tree thing,i explanied it badly.

So in order to chop down a tree you need a woodcutters axe(plus the usual strength,agility requirements,plus you need to wield it.)

Anyone can chop a tree down,it would be like item interaction sort of thing.
Now chopping down a tree gives 5 planks of wood.

You get to see where the tree will fall as well to crush an unfreindly orc or so....

Now there would be this new sort of skill called construction.

make this your active skill and have the necessery no of planks on your inventory.

1 skill point ---> tent where you can sleep(requires 5 planks to build)
2 " " " large tent where you can sleep plus you get 1 chests each storing 20 items per chest(15 planks to build)
3 " " " shack where you can sleep plus you get 3 chests each being able to store 20 items per chest( 25 planks to build)
4 " " " small dwelling where you get the same as above but you get a weapons rack(stores 5 weapons) and an amory display(where you can store one complete set of armour)( 40 planks)
5 " " " house ,same as above plus a potion cupboard where you can store 20 potions of each size,i.e small.medium,large, a book shelf,to store 5 books and a table to place manuscripts on,another weapon rack and armour display.( 60 planks)

1) I want a pet, a big bad doggie or a kickass cat...maybe a raging raven <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
2) More Chartypes, or subtypes, like Summoner/Priest/Druid/Mage...for the magic chars
3) Editor <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" />
4) Expansion Pack, or the option to play all over again with the same char
5) Even more options to interact with the environment in different ways, like taking a smahed barrel and building a raft to cross a river, or being able to smash doors/windows, burn down houses <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />, kill chars without loss of reputation when there is no one nearby who might notice the murder, when stealing items and selling them back to their owner he could recognice them or something, having your own house/castle build as a questreward, plus the option to buy furniture fo it, and weapon/armour racks to display your items...
6) Something like a weaponsmith/armourer/conjourer skill, or even a full working jobsystem would be great
7) At least a two player option, which shouldnt be too big a difference to playing singleplayer, just like fiends have double hp/mp and give double xp <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
8) Setboni for sets...dunno if this is already realised in <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" />, aint that far yet <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />
9) Uniqueitems maybe <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />
10) Npcs like in Baldurs Gate II, or a romance, the option to marry?
11) different races to choose
12) Better Charsystem...this 5 stats, 1 skillpoint per levelup is just too blunt...Maybe something like classkills that cost 1 point to learn, and the nonclasskilss that cost 2 per level...I'd have loads of suggestions here, but I'm far too lazy to post em <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/puppyeyes.gif" alt="" />
13) Monsters acting more intelligent and working together
14) What i definitly not what is anything else than isografic <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> and if this sounds sarcastic, i really do mean it!

Hi Ashen! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

[color:"orange"]1) I want a pet, a big bad doggie or a kickass cat...maybe a raging raven <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> [/color]

Well, we have pet scorpions... A pet's not a bad idea. But I think it would die fairly easily. Maybe the Deathknight's like a pet. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />

[color:"orange"]2) More Chartypes, or subtypes, like Summoner/Priest/Druid/Mage...for the magic chars[/color]

I like the free-form method personally. This way you can design your own classes.

[color:"orange"]3) Editor <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> [/color]

That would be nice, but like Larian have said, the game is not user friendly.

[color:"orange"]4) Expansion Pack, or the option to play all over again with the same char[/color]

I'd like to expand the character more too. Beyond Divnity has eternal randomness once you finish the game, so that might keep you going. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

[color:"orange"]5) Even more options to interact with the environment in different ways, like taking a smahed barrel and building a raft to cross a river, or being able to smash doors/windows, burn down houses <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />, kill chars without loss of reputation when there is no one nearby who might notice the murder, when stealing items and selling them back to their owner he could recognice them or something, having your own house/castle build as a questreward, plus the option to buy furniture fo it, and weapon/armour racks to display your items...[/color]

Very good ideas. They make sense too. It always bugged (and pleased) me to see that I could pick items up in a shop and demand a refund. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />

[color:"orange"]6) Something like a weaponsmith/armourer/conjourer skill, or even a full working jobsystem would be great[/color]

Some Item Creation skills would be very nice. What do you mean by conjourer skills?

[color:"orange"]7) At least a two player option, which shouldnt be too big a difference to playing singleplayer, just like fiends have double hp/mp and give double xp <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> [/color]

Not with Divine Divinity. It wouldn't fit the story. Beyond Divinity could benefit from it. And Divine Divinity 2 is said to be designed with multi-player in mind.

[color:"orange"]8) Setboni for sets...dunno if this is already realised in <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" />, aint that far yet <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> [/color]

There is one item set and the only bonus you get is experience. The Diablo sets were a nice idea.

[color:"orange"]9) Uniqueitems maybe <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> [/color]

Done! It's in Beyone Divinity. Although, I was in a battlefield on the weekend and was offered a unique item I already had. Hmmm...

[color:"orange"]10) Npcs like in Baldurs Gate II, or a romance, the option to marry?[/color]

Haven't played Baulder's Gate, sorry. I think the adventurer's life style leaves little room for romance. Only if they were to travel along-side you or become part of the plot (kidnapping or murder or turning evil).

[color:"orange"]11) different races to choose[/color]

Perhaps. This has been brought up before and I think the best idea that came out of it was how other races react to you.

[color:"orange"]12) Better Charsystem...this 5 stats, 1 skillpoint per levelup is just too blunt...Maybe something like classkills that cost 1 point to learn, and the nonclasskilss that cost 2 per level...I'd have loads of suggestions here, but I'm far too lazy to post em <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/puppyeyes.gif" alt="" /> [/color]

A D&D player, huh? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> (Nothing wrong with that. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ) That would make sense if there were classes. I had trouble understanding why cross-class skills were harder to learn. You can learn anything you apply yourself to. What it is is similar skills help to understand each other.

What if each skill and skill level had an attribute requirement (eg. 5 Intelligence) and recommended (eg. 15 Intelligence). If you have the recommended attribute, it costs one skill point to learn. If you only have the requirement, it costs two skill points. Less than that and you can't buy it. This means that you can do limited cross-classing (in a classless system, even) should you want to augment your skills in other ways.

[color:"orange"]13) Monsters acting more intelligent and working together[/color]

Definately! They are all a bit too similar at the moment.

[color:"orange"]14) What i definitly not what is anything else than isografic <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> and if this sounds sarcastic, i really do mean it! [/color]

It is an easy style to work with. I would appreciate some ability to rotate the camera, though. Even if it's just 90° positions.