Gameplay & Interface

Third time's the charm

Pool of Radiance is the first computer or console game to use the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition rule set. I decided that this isn't the forum to pick apart the 3rd edition rules, but there are some things missing that I think should be in PoR. For example, you can't use the Wizard class, one of the original and most prolific classes in the history of D&D. You can use the new Sorcerer class, which uses spell points instead of spell memorization, but what if you don't like that system? You're out of luck in PoR. Also missing are the Bard (but who wants to be a bard?) and the Druid.

A bigger annoyance than the missing Wizard class is the lack of dice rolling to assign attribute scores. Yup, no longer can you hit the "reroll" button for several hours until you get the perfect set of stats. In PoR you start with 8 points in each stat, and 25 extra points to distribute (25 isn't a lot). This somewhat balances the game since you can't have a character with 17's and 18's across the board, but everyone loves to have stacked characters. You can get more attribute points throughout the game by raising your levels and by completing sidequests, but it's not quite the same.

Creating a party

Large groups= fireball targets

Teleportation device

PoR also limits your choices in spells. From the basic 3rd edition spells, less than one-third are available. Granted, half the spells in the Player's Handbook are useless or impossible to code into a game, but there are some noticeable spells omitted. For example, there is no Summon Monster, or Silent (mirror) Image. They had these spells in Baldur's Gate II, and that was released a while ago.

While some of the 3rd edition rules are left out, there's still plenty of D&D to go around. PoR has a lot of depth - save rolls for several types of attacks, unlimited multiclassing, situational modifiers, weapon types; the list goes on. Games like Diablo II and Deus Ex are like comic books compared to the novella of rules that make up PoR. Complex doesn't always mean good, but when it's Dungeons & Dragons - they know what they're doing.

Interface

With a set of rules as deep as D&D 3rd edition, a lot of the experience rides on the interface. It's easy to get confused with so many numbers and lists flying at you. Pool of Radiance tries to take all of these numbers and rules and hide them behind the premise that this is, "just a video game". For example, you need to turn on dice rolls in combat to see the combat modifiers being applied. The character sheets are very cluttered - sticking modifiers, feats, skills, and abilities all on one list is a bad idea. The "paper doll" (icons representing the equipment a character is using) is awkward. Instead of slots representing a hand or head, you have to drag items onto a 3D model of the character. Clicking on hands vs. shield/weapon is cumbersome since they're so close together. Overall I think that PoR should have stuck to a character sheet similar to Baldur's Gate II.

Leveling

A cheery sight

There are lots of big fights

The interface while exploring and fighting isn't much better. Basic commands like walking, picking up items, and opening doors are fine, but everything else is a chore. To cast a spell in combat, you need to right-click on the character casting the spell, mouse over the Arcane Spells list, mouse over the level of spell you wish to cast, then click on the spell. It's a pain because the lists are very small, the cursor is large, and the mouse refresh rate is stuck at the frame rate of the graphics (about 15 fps). It's like picking up an ice cube with chopsticks - a real pain in the ass (don't ask why I'd want to pick up ice cubes with chopsticks…).