Larian has given up on D&D

[nuther]

Life is too short they said.
We are moving on to bigger and better things.

[The Yeen Queen]

Originally posted by nuther:

Life is too short they said.
We are moving on to bigger and better things.

More that they're giving up on Hasbro/WotC.

[Larry]

They "quit" D&D because they want to focus on their own IP, Divinity: Original Sin 3, which is a great series(Really buggy on release though) and take a step back from being one of the biggest name developers in gaming.

Plus they got a ♥♥♥♥ load of backlash for the pandering shoved into their game at the end of development. With this tidal wave of anti-woke only just starting the IP owner of Baldur's Gate are clearly pre-empting this by distancing themselves from Larian's next project.

I mean, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. Kotaku stating they're not to get into politics with many more "journalists" following. Leftie leaders the world over falling down like dominos and a mass defunding of ESG, specifically DEI, schemes and grants all over the world is a huge telltale sign that the pendulum has begun to swung in the opposite direction.

Trump is getting in, Europe is making a hard turn to the right. The people of every country when they finally get their voice to be heard are firmly giving a resounding "No, enough is enough." The left is dead and companies don't want to be go down with that sinking ship.

[The Yeen Queen]

Originally posted by Raitøx:

Dice roll are an abomination on computer

Just because you can't see the dice being rolled doesn't mean the computer isn't effectively doing the same thing.

[kingonads]

Originally posted by nuther:

Life is too short they said.
We are moving on to bigger and better things.

Congrats on being days late on the news. Fact is Larien is a game company and never say never. I mean I still have Owlcat Games and Pathfinder which in many peoples opinion is a better system than 5e.

[seeker1]

Originally posted by Larry:

and a mass defunding of ESG, specifically DEI,

Not to interrupt somebody on a rant, but "DEI" is not a "kind of" "ESG," nor is it the basis of any type of funding or investment.

Companies may have DEI offices or DEI ratings. Larian has a DEI rating from Glassdoor. (A pretty good one). This has nothing to do with how they are funded, or who is doing that funding.

I wish people would just look up what these acronyms mean without throwing them around mindlessly.

[Larry]

Originally posted by seeker1:

Originally posted by Larry:

and a mass defunding of ESG, specifically DEI,

Not to interrupt somebody on a rant, but "DEI" is not a "kind of" "ESG," nor is it the basis of any type of funding or investment.

Companies may have DEI offices or DEI ratings. Larian has a DEI rating from Glassdoor. (A pretty good one). This has nothing to do with how they are funded, or who is doing that funding.

I wish people would just look up what these acronyms mean without throwing them around mindlessly.

What do you think the S in ESG represents? Social. DEI falls under Social issues. This is what is responsible for all the "Social" changes. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, i.e. "Social" madness a lot of people would call it.

To further correct you and really drive home that you're wrong about this:

From the Global Diversity Practice(Pro DEI as evident by their name): https://globaldiversitypractice.com/diversity-and-inclusion-are-more-than-the-s-in-esg/

It is also the ‘S’ in ESG: environmental, social and governance.

[max]

Originally posted by Detective Costeau:

Originally posted by max:

Well, that is how you feel. There are also many people who think that dice rolls have no place in an RPG with tactical combat.

I'm curious: what do you figure the difference between dice rolls in tactical combat or a different accuracy system actually is? In practice both are generating a random number to see if you hit, so far as I can see.
E.g. The D:OS games didn't use 'dice' but they were still generating a random number based on accuracy and defenses to see if you hit the target or not.

The difference is in variance, dice have lots of sides, and it causes significant variance in the outcome.

Saves on terrain effects are way too common in bg3, because dice rolls allow it. In dos2 if I teleport a death fog barrel on top of your head then no dice roll will save you. Other terrain effects are much harder to save than in bg3.
Base damage in dos2 has significantly more narrow range than dice rolls in bg3. For example, 2d6 has big variance in damage output, while in dos2 base damage ranges are much more narrow.
dos2 allows you to achieve 100% hit or very near that most of the time, while in bg3 critical miss (5%) is almost always an option (except for a few exempt skills).
dos2 allows you to increase crit chance which further reduces the variance of your damage output, in bg3 this is set to 5% for nearly everything.

[Tony-Tony Warcrimes]

Originally posted by Larry:

They "quit" D&D because they want to focus on their own IP, Divinity: Original Sin 3, which is a great series(Really buggy on release though) and take a step back from being one of the biggest name developers in gaming.

Plus they got a ♥♥♥♥ load of backlash for the pandering shoved into their game at the end of development. With this tidal wave of anti-woke only just starting the IP owner of Baldur's Gate are clearly pre-empting this by distancing themselves from Larian's next project.

I mean, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. Kotaku stating they're not to get into politics with many more "journalists" following. Leftie leaders the world over falling down like dominos and a mass defunding of ESG, specifically DEI, schemes and grants all over the world is a huge telltale sign that the pendulum has begun to swung in the opposite direction.

Trump is getting in, Europe is making a hard turn to the right. The people of every country when they finally get their voice to be heard are firmly giving a resounding "No, enough is enough." The left is dead and companies don't want to be go down with that sinking ship.

Sir, this is a Wendy's.

[Kthulhu]

Originally posted by TheMasterBlaster:

Hasbro is bleeding money and will likely sell the DnD IP in the near future.

I wouldn't count on it. Hasbro, as a rule, doesn't tend to sell off it's IP. They're more likely to shelve something that isn't doing well completely for several decades.

....But even more than that, WotC is the only division of Hasbro that's in the black. MtG and D&D are the LAST things it's likely to get rid of.

[seeker1]

Originally posted by Larry:

yadda yadda yadda

ESG is an investment criterion. Based on whether an investment bank wants to invest in other corporations.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/environmental-social-and-governance-esg-criteria.asp

Now, I won't dispute that some people look at "DEI" as one criterion for assigning the "S" part of an "ESG" score. But "DEI" ratings are also given for nonprofits, public universities, and NGOs as well as private businesses.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity,_equity,_and_inclusion

DEI is most often used to describe certain "training" efforts, such as diversity training. Though DEI is best known as a form of corporate training, it also finds implementation within many types of organizations, such as within academia, schools, and hospitals.
[snip][end]

Institutions that are not normally seeking private investment, can still be rated on their level of diversity & inclusion. So there is a difference.

ESG scores might focus a bit on D&I but are usually evaluating companies for environmental practices, how they treat their customers & employees, and transparency of corporate governance.

DEI scores for various institutions are often rating them and how fairly and properly they treat employees of diverse backgrounds.

These are not the same thing, and should not be treated interchangeably.

Also, neither is used to rate video game studios for what kind of content is found in their video games. Larian or otherwise.

[Sentient_Toaster]

Originally posted by Kthulhu:

....But even more than that, WotC is the only division of Hasbro that's in the black. MtG and D&D are the LAST things it's likely to get rid of.

It'd be a pretty boneheaded move for Hasbro, given that WOTC w/ those two IPs is indeed driving their profit now, much more so than their board games and toys.

Doesn't mean they wouldn't do it, of course; like, laying off a lot of WOTC long-timers probably wasn't the greatest idea, nor antagonizing others with the proposed changes to the OGL. But the more obvious play would be following the likes of Games Workshop and being much more willing to grant non-exclusive licenses to many developers etc, even for action games and mobile games etc. rather than just turn-based RPGs. Probably not pachinko and porn, gotta protect the brand at least somewhat.

[Larry]

Originally posted by seeker1:

Originally posted by Larry:

yadda yadda yadda

Blah blah blah

Sticking the point: Your DEI rating impacts your Social rating which impacts your ESG funding rating. If you score more highly across E, S and G you're open to more funding. This is the basis of ESG. This is why DEI is the S in ESG. Even Global Diversity Practice states this. Don't argue against this, your opinion is just that: An opinion. An opinion which is objectively wrong.

[Kthulhu]

Originally posted by AnonymousWizard:

5e has been as successful as it has due to a lot of people having never read a rules-light RPG (by industry standards 5e is pretty dang crunchy)

It's staggering how many 5E fans will state, with absolute confidence, that 5E is the simplest, easiest to learn, and most rules-light version of D&D to date.

I'm sorry, but it's not. Original D&D from 1974 was simpler (albeit it was exceedingly poorly organized). The Moldvay B/X sets from 1981 a were simpler. The BECMI sets / Rules Cyclopedia was somewhat simpler. And if you stuck to the core rules (PHB + DMG) then 2nd edition was also slightly simpler.

[seeker1]

Originally posted by Larry:

This is why DEI is the S in ESG.

It's potentially one among many other criteria.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/environmental-social-and-governance-esg-criteria.asp

Social criteria examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and communities.

[snip]

Social: A company's relationships with internal and external stakeholders are evaluated.
Does the company donate a percentage of profits to the local community or encourage employees to volunteer? Do workplace conditions reflect a high regard for employees’ health and safety?

[snip][end]

So let's review. One of many criteria for rating the "S" in ESG (aka "Social") is how the company treats its employees. It's ALSO important in this rating how it treats the local community, consumers, and suppliers it does business with.

There are a lot of dimensions to treating your employees fairly. Like OSHA regs and workplace safety, assuring they have fair work/life balance, or making sure you accommodate people with disabilities.

One POSSIBLE criterion - note that this isn't even one Investopedia mentions or focuses on - could be is your workplace inclusive for employees of diverse backgrounds. It's not even the central criterion there, but it could be one of many factors.

Class, this will be on the exam. Dismissed.

[Uncle Nubbs]

While I'm disappointed, I'm not surprised. Larian creates great games, both their Divinity series and BG3 were terrific, deep, and had many branches. Larian actually supports their games and has a record of adding free content. For example, all DOS subscribers got a free update that fully voiced the game. Most developers charge for that with a DLC or new version. They are also independent and clearly want to stay that way. And established independent game developers with multiple major hits ARE RARE.

I started playing fantasy Chainmail in 1972 (D&Ds forerunner) and worked in the computer industry for over 40 years. There are two big constraints developing D&D on computers.
First, there's decades of LORE that tabletop D&D players expect. Wizards must manage Lore inconsistencies and player emotions across the ever expanding D&D literature. I'm sure Larian will use some of their great ideas Hasbro vetoed in their next game. Second, high level magic is grossly over powered. It takes a really strong DM or accommodating players to put constraints on it so everyone can have fun. Computerizing HIGH LEVEL MAGIC means pruning the 5e ruleset and pissing off many players that forget (or didn't know) that D&D rules are designed for cooperative role play. I guess that the Sussur tree blooms were Larian's attempt to address overpowered high level magic but it never made it beyond Act I.

I look forward to Larian's next game and future D&D 5e based games. As to BG4 -- I've been waiting 10 years for Dragon Age 4....