Tony
Insider
I've played many D&D games in the past; Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, Icewind Dale 1 and 2, NWN 1 and 2, etc. I do not like dice rolls determining the outcome of combat. I like to have actual control over my character (like in Sui Generis). And the D&D games are very linear. You see the same characters and story every playthrough. There are slight variations based upon the choices you make but mostly they are insignificant. They are heavily scripted games that aren't very dynamic and combat is heavily determined by dice rolls and not actual player input. The world design is also very linear where you're forced to travel the same path and go to the same locations every time you play. Very little freedom to explore or adventure.Well, the thing is that they do not have a cheap tier with beta access key, but only the expensive ones do, starting with the collectors edition which gives you a lot of stuff in addition to 2 digital copies of the game.
Obsidian created their own gameplay mechanics, although based on D&D; we will see how it worked out.
I guess I'm just burnt out on these types of games and I'm ready for innovation and something different. I can understand why this type of game would appeal to people who still enjoy D&D mechanics but I'm no longer interested in something I've played to death.