Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance Q&A – Upcoming battles detailed; 4K@60 on the next generation

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As part of its large-scale plan to bring the much-loved Dungeons & Dragons IP to video games, Wizards of the Coast is about to release the action-RPG Dark Alliance, a spiritual successor to the Baldur’s Gate spin-off games originally released around twenty years before consoles were released.

Like those games, Dark Alliance is all about hacking and slashing, although there are a few notable differences, such as the perspective (now set to the third person over the shoulder instead of isometric) and the playable characters (while the previous titles were unknown). heroes, this time the selection has been made from the most famous heroes of the Forgotten Realms, the companions of the hall from the books written by RA Salvatore).

With the launch scheduled for next Tuesday, June 22, we reached out to developer Tuque Games (formerly known for Livelock and acquired by Wizards of the Coast in late 2019) to learn more about Dark Alliance through an interview with lead mission designer Jean-François. Champagne.

As a reminder, the game is available for $39.99 on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S|X. However, PC and Xbox users can play it at no extra cost as part of their Game Pass subscription, and these two platforms will also offer crossplay at launch.

What engine is used for the development of the game?

We use Unreal Engine to create Dark Alliance.

One element of the much-loved PnP Dungeons & Dragons you’ve translated into Dark Alliance is the short rest mechanics. If the community responds well to that, are you open to exploring the addition of more DnD mechanics to Dark Alliance?

You may have noticed that we’ll be adding couch co-op to PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC after launch; we take our community’s comments and suggestions to heart. The rest is all a matter of scale and feasibility.

How long do you expect missions to last on average? Are there any randomized elements or objectives to add variety and encourage replayability?

How long each level lasts depends on several factors. On the lowest difficulty setting, a party of four can complete a mission in about 20 minutes. If you have lower level equipment and skills, Challenge Class 2 of the same level can take up to 40 minutes. It depends on the challenge classification, what gear you have equipped, how many special moves you have unlocked, and how many people are in your party.

Can you talk about Dark Alliance’s emerging combat system? Will combos work in a way that potentially enhances teamwork?

The emerging combat system means that combos and movement chains are not pre-canned. Moves have chance windows where they can be linked to other moves. As you unlock new moves, experiment with different combinations, and master your arsenal, you can create your own combos. As for teamwork, one (of many) example is that the combo gauge that fills the Ultimate Gauge is shared, so coordinating with your teammates to alternate attacks while others regain their stamina is one way to almost to run indefinitely; meaning you fill your Ultimate meter faster.

How important will the loot be to a character’s strength compared to the player’s skills?

Collecting loot and collecting the right gear is important to get through the harder difficulty levels and progress. There are six challenge ratings in the game (or six difficulty levels to master).

Is there a way to upgrade items through gems, enchantments and the like? If so, how does that work?

Gear can be upgraded with crystals of varying quality that can be picked up as a resource in the environment and/or given as a reward. The harder the difficulty, the better the quality. You can do all that by visiting the trader in the base camp between missions.

Will the AI ​​enemies get smarter/more aggressive, or will they just have more health points and deal more damage as players increase challenge levels in Dark Alliance?

Their direct AI behavior won’t change, but more enemies will be able to attack you at once, making the combat feel more aggressive. The Elite system generates unique abilities for them that force you to adapt a little differently to each encounter.

With regard to character progression, can you tell us more about how feats and moving trees will work in Dark Alliance? Is it possible to ‘respec’ a character freely?

There is no respect in the game. We opted for a system that allows you to unlock every move and achievement by the time you reach the maximum level (20). Our philosophy is that we gradually let you unlock your full arsenal as you learn to use it. Choosing what gear to use for specific missions and learning how to use all your tools with maximum effectiveness is where you, the player, need to get creative and oh yeah – “git gud”.

Co-op action RPGs often add new classes or characters after launch. Is that something that could happen for Dark Alliance, by adding more playable characters?

There is already a plan to add one playable magic user after the game launches.

A big part of keeping players engaged in cooperative action RPGs is the so-called endgame. Can you tell us what that will look like in Dark Alliance?

One aspect of building the ultimate companion is getting the best gear, and the best gear requires you to play on the hardest difficulty settings. Mastering the combat system, teaming up with friends, and finding the best sets for specific challenges while tackling the game on the highest difficulty will keep you going for a long, long time.

And when your main is all set and turned into the ultimate badass, there are three other companions with completely different fighting styles for you to explore and upgrade.

Is there voice chat and/or text chat in the game?

There is voice chat, but no text chat.

Local co-op and full crossplay are two of the community’s most requested features. Are you working on supporting them post-launch?

Yes! We’re working on bringing two-player co-op to PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, hopefully with the first free DLC this summer. We’re looking into supporting two-player co-op on PS4 and Xbox One after that. Full crossplay is not currently part of the plan.

Will the game be improved for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X consoles? If so, can you share the planned improvements, as well as target resolution and frame rates?

We’ve put a lot of effort into bringing the Forgotten Realms to life in Dark Alliance; the game is beautiful on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X consoles with 4K resolution at 60 fps.

Is there anything you would like to add about Dark Alliance?

Many of us at Tuque are huge D&D fans and we can’t wait for the community to experience Dark Alliance for themselves!

Thank you for your time.

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