Dungeons & Dragons Online Q&A #2 at MMORPG.COM

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MMORPG.COM has asked Lead Designer David Eckelberry from Turbine five questions regarding the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach. They look into the subject of balance between faithful adherence to the rules and playability, as well as the way feats such as Power Attack or Cleave are going to be implemented in the real time combat system and a couple of other important issues. Here's a snip:

MMORPG.com: With the real time combat system you are implementing, how do you plan to include feats like Cleave and Power Attack?

David Eckelberry: Tackling some feats is easy, especially when the pen-and-paper implementation is directly transferable to our medium. Power Attack, for example, doesn’t need any real change. It’s a mode the player goes into; while in this mode, the character hits less often, but does more damage when he hits. No problem. A lot of feats meet this sort of direct application.

But some don’t. DD Online’s combat system doesn’t make use of some pen-and-paper elements, largely thanks to being an online role-playing game. We aren’t turn-based, we don’t have “rounds” of combat, and thus Cleave can’t give you an extra attack in a round that you down a foe. When examining feats such as these, my goal is to produce the intent of the original feat (or skill or effect), while making the necessary adaptation for good videogame play. In the specific example of Cleave, use of this feat allows the character to make an area effect melee attack in a small arc in front of the character.

Read the whole thing at MMORPG.COM.