Them ruskies's got new NWN2 screenies...

[Whipporowill]

Holy hell, dialogue options with differing skill uses? These are by far the best and most goodlooking shots I've seen yet. I'm as of now guardedly optimistic...

http://www.crpg.ru/modules.php?op=modlo ... ll&gid=281

 

[User was nabbed fit]

I like how they "[ ]" a lot of stuff, and basically explain it for you. Ex: "[Diplomacy] This isn't worth your lives, leave now and no one will get hurt."

LOL, thanks, I'm too dumb to figure it out for myself! I could never manage dialogue options like that in Fallout without that type of help!

 

[suibhne]

I don't have a problem with that, really. It flags which options are open to you due to your character development choices, so it helps some players feel like their decisions are actually relevant, and I don't see a big downside. It's not like dialogue trees are all that IMMERSUV to begin with. :wink:

My only question is whether such options show up whether or not you have the skizzlez to pull them off. Most games seem to approach this by displaying only options which you can handle, but I'd like to see a mixture... Certain options, e.g. governed by Craft skills (like the bandit dialogue displayed in one of the AoD screenies), shouldn't show up unless you've already made the check - i.e., the check should be whether you think of the option, not whether it works. But for stuff like Diplomacy, which pretty much everyone should be able to at least try, I favor seeing the options and being presented with a choice about whether to attempt them. But I'm sure NWN2 follows the tried-and-true route of displaying only successful checks, so this is another conversation for another day.

 

[Greatatlantic]

Screen shots look good. However, 10 gold sounds like a pretty small sum. I hope it is some token chance to roleplay, like "docking fees" were for KotOR.

 

[Whipporowill]

Screen shots look good. However, 10 gold sounds like a pretty small sum. I hope it is some token chance to roleplay, like "docking fees" were for KotOR.

Could be it's early in the game - but yeah, 10 gp isn't much to write home about even then, unless Obsidian is keeping the pursetrings really tight. I'd like that!

 

[Romanian_Dude2005]

Ha! That bluff option is pretty good. I hope diplomatic dialog won't be punishing, like being a smartass will imediatly result in combat and in order to avoid combat, you have to lower yourself to the enemie's level and agree with everything they say. I want to be a badass with a cult of personality

 

[Volourn]

"I'd like that!"

They aren't! Expect tha Ph@t Lewt to come pouring in!


Romanian, me too. Made m chuckle. :D

 

[suibhne]

Screen shots look good. However, 10 gold sounds like a pretty small sum.

For any very low-level brigands in an authentic D&D setting, 10gp would be quite a bit for a single toll. The problem is that all of these stupid CRPGs like BG, IWD, etc. devalued the gp for everyone. :wink:

 

[Ahzaruuk]

Wow. It really looks worth checking out.

Untill I can get a computer built, however, it looks like I have to stick with the restricted-as-hell-consoles...

 

[Volourn]

Don't forget the precious TOEE, Suibhne!!!

 

[KreideBein]

I was hoping NWN2 would have options like that. Looks like it might get my $50 after all. I wonder how long it'll take for DGaider to come here and start gloating...

 

[sheek]

Too bad about the sucky dialog and stupid camera view...

What are the system reqs for NWN2 anyway?

 

[KreideBein]

Too bad about the sucky dialog and stupid camera view...

What are the system reqs for NWN2 anyway?

As follows:

2.2 GHz CPU
512 MB RAM
NVidia 5600Ultra or ATI 9500pro or better

 

[sheek]

As follows:
2.2 GHz CPU

Met.

512 MB RAM

Met.

NVidia 5600Ultra or ATI 9500pro or better

I have an Intel 82852/82855 (Extreme Integrated). What is that equivalent to?

 

[KreideBein]

As follows:

NVidia 5600Ultra or ATI 9500pro or better

I have an Intel 82852/82855 (Extreme Integrated). What is that equivalent to?

Well... Intel integrated graphics are about equilevant to a bunch of hamsters running on treadmills to power your PC. Getting the game to run on that would be a miracle, and if NWN2 requires pixel shaders of some kind, it puts the final nail in that coffin. Do you have any expansion slots (PCI, AGP, PCI-E) in your PC?

 

[suleo]

I have an Intel 82852/82855 (Extreme Integrated). What is that equivalent to?

shit

You MIGHT be able to play the game (I was able to play DOW on a laptop with an intel integrated card, but NOT civ4), but don't expect much.

 

[Twinfalls]

Reading about people's system specs is just faskinating.

Dialogue options do look promising indeed - and the position of the scroll bar on the first shot suggests there are even more available which are not visible. Pretty good for a mundane encounter like that.

What a pity that the main story of the game is so JRPG-crapulent ("you will be forced to become a hero", piece of sword up your ass)

 

[sheek]

No, I can't change it's a laptop.

And Integrated not that bad. I can play Thief 2, NWN 1, Gothic, Arx Fatalis, Myth 2, System Shock 2 etc without any problem. I shouldn't need more than this.

 

[aweigh]

Well, Intel's IGP's main problem isn't its horse power per se, but rather its shared RAM and its lack of proper shader support. As far as clock-for-clock, it's about equivalent to a low-end discrete card.

But I doubt NWN2 will run at all on that, due to incompatabilities. If it does, expect a lot of graphics corruption and glitches.

 

[SlavemasterT]

Intel-integrated anything is equivalent to shit, as I can attest from personal experience. If you want to run any sort of higher-tier game at a reasonable configuration (i.e., anything more than absolute lowest settings), you'll need something better.

I did get by with an integrated graphics card for a while, but any attempt to tax its capabilities will quickly result in outright failure or unplayably-crappy conditions.

 

[dongle]

I don't have a problem with that, really. It flags which options are open to you due to your character development choices, so it helps some players feel like their decisions are actually relevant, and I don't see a big downside. It's not like dialogue trees are all that IMMERSUV to begin with.

Danger is, the player will only see this:

[Diplomacy]
[Bluff]
[Intimidate]

You may as well have Oblivion's mini-game, where they only goal the player has is to click the correct shinny button to win the quest. Little emotional involvement. Having the player read three possible responses and pick the one that fits their avatar's mod does give more of an emotional connection, and yes, immersion.

 

[Zomg]

Bloodlines did the same thing with the color-and-font encoded skillbased responses, although that's probably a little more artful. If you haven't played it, think of a bold, martial font for intimidate, a seriffy pink font for seduce, etc. I dunno why they wouldn't copy that idea.

 

[Llyranor]

Same difference.

 

[Texas Red]

I like how they "[ ]" a lot of stuff, and basically explain it for you. Ex: "[Diplomacy] This isn't worth your lives, leave now and no one will get hurt."

LOL, thanks, I'm too dumb to figure it out for myself! I could never manage dialogue options like that in Fallout without that type of help!

That is how it works in D&D, bright one. The DM asks you to, or you initiate, a role for a specific skill.

 

[aboyd]

I like how they "[ ]" a lot of stuff, and basically explain it for you. Ex: "[Diplomacy] This isn't worth your lives, leave now and no one will get hurt."

LOL, thanks, I'm too dumb to figure it out for myself!

It's an important usability feature. It tells you that you are jumping out of a scripted dialogue tree into semi-randomness. Dialogue options preceeded with bracketed meta data represent a dice roll, and the conversation may not play out as expected. Your attempt to bluff/intimidate/whatever can fail if you don't have enough points in the skill required, and the conversation can go awry quickly. In fact, because it's a dice roll, even if you do have lots of points in the needed skill, all you've done is improve your odds. It can still go badly if your roll is very unlucky. Bracketed == gambling.

Dialogue options that do not have bracketed meta data are scripted, always with the same result on subsequent playthroughs. In effect, as you use those options, you are assuming that the developer wrote the conversation in a logical flow -- you pick the dialogue option that you think will give the expected result. As long as you are in sync with the developer's brain (and/or common sense), the dialogue tree will play out in a satisfactory fashion. This is, at least in NWN and most NWN mods, how 80% of the dialogue works. This is much less of a gamble.

I'm happy to see bluff & intimidate skills in use. Some NWN mods used a whole lot of skills & attributes -- charisma, intelligence, bluff, persuade, lore, knowledge, etc. One that I just finished (the one with Percy, I think) had tons of wisdom rolls, which was great for my cleric.