Interview NWN2 interview at RPG Dot

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Neverwinter Nights 2; Obsidian Entertainment

<a href=http://www.rpgdot.com>RPG Dot</a> has asked the <a href=http://www.obsidianent.com/>Obsidian</a> folks <a href=http://www.rpgdot.com/index.php?hsaction=10053&ID=1200>a few questions</a> about upcoming <a href=http://www.atari.com/nwn2/>Neverwinter Nights 2</a>, a game that apparently will be as good as Baldur's Gate, Fallout, and Planescape: Torment combined. At least that's what Darren "I push the guys to minimize how much text is used" Monahan thinks.
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<blockquote><b>Previews have indicated you will include an Influence system along the lines of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II. How have you refined the concept and can you provide some examples of how Influence will work in NWN2?</b>
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Chris Avellone (Creative Director): We've made the influence system more widespread than in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, but the fundamental mechanic is a little different - while you cannot corrupt others like you could in the KotorII, your decisions whether alignment-based, goal-based, or even favoring one companion over another can cause some companions to open up to you more, while others close themselves off to you.
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<b>What is the balance between combat and the other elements like exploration or dialogue? How often do quests have different solutions, including non-combat outcomes?</b>
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Ferret Baudoin (Lead Designer): There's more dialogue and story in Neverwinter Nights 2 than it's predecessor. So diplomatic characters are going to have a lot more moments to shine and strut their stuff. But we're trying to be considerate to the would-be Conans out there and making it so they can cut to the chase and get back to glorious combat and dungeon delving - of which there is a ton. Many of our quests have alternate solutions and combat can be averted entirely. We're trying to make sure that the diplomatic player gets rewarded appropriately for avoiding combat, too, otherwise it's a bitter sweet victory as they wave all the loot and experience points goodbye. But sometimes in the Realms, some folk just needs killing.</blockquote>
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Sounds very good. 2006 may be a decent year after all.

 

[Sol Invictus]

How do we know that the single player campaign won't just feel like a tacked on module? NWN's biggest draw was its multiplayer/DM mode, so I'd be more interested in finding out how they plan to handle that.

 

[Jora]

How do we know that the single player campaign won't just feel like a tacked on module?

Most people bought the original game because of the campaign, so if for nothing else, at least they have a financial reason to make it as good as possible.

 

[Fresh]

I want to know if they still gonna put gold in barrels along the streets. Silly.

 

[Jon]

Sounds like the influence system will be better. The KOTOR2 system felt very 'gamey' it seemed much too easy to change your colleagues alignment which devalued them as independent characters.

 

[Necropennis]

No matter how hard I try, I can't get excited about NWN2 after having paid 100 bucks for NWN and getting the crappiest big commercial game ever made.

edit: Really, I think even Dung Lord gave me more fun for the 4 hours or so that I played it.

 

[Section8]

In NWN2, alignment is no longer something you choose at character generation - it's something you earn through the things you do and say. Your character gravitates toward law or chaos, good or evil based on these choices. Our influence system ties heavily into this and your companions will react to how you present yourself in the game.

I've always enjoyed campaigns run by a DM who makes us leave our alignments blank toward the start of an adventure, so this is a positive. It also provides a gameplay compulsion/reward to encourage players to work toward the actual alignment their class is intended to have.

I wouldn't say that NWN2 necessarily needs to be more accessible, I personally see NWN2 within the class of harder core RPG's like Baldur's Gate, Fallout, and Planescape: Torment.

That's music to my ears. "Let's not make games for random yahoos, let's make it for an audience getting hungrier and hungrier for a decent RPG." Of course, having Baldur's Gate in that list pretty much invalidates the comment.

On the whole, most of the preview sounds pretty positive, but it remains to be seen. NWN had a lot of positives on paper during development too. Or maybe, I'm just over-reacting to a preview that isn't written by illiterate fucking mainstream gaming media types.

 

[Sheriff05]

How do we know that the single player campaign won't just feel like a tacked on module?

Most people bought the original game because of the campaign, so if for nothing else, at least they have a financial reason to make it as good as possible.

Well Rex is right, In the original game the Single Player campaign was tacked on during the last quarter of development due to lobbying by all the BG's fans that wanted NWN to be BG3. the original supporters of NWN, whom the game was originally envisioned for, were people who wanted a multiplayer, module style D&D with DM tools and a Toolset. NWN was multiplayer "only" game for a long time during it's creation.

SO in short, if you bought NWN for the SP campaign you're a dumb ass and deserved what you got, anyone that followed the game pre release knew the writing was on the wall.

The fucked up way the game was developed is directly responsible for its failure or success depending on your feeling toward it.



NWN2 is being designed with a single player game in mind from the get go , that and considering that Bioware isn't involved in the writing give it a chance a being decent.

So the big question is, are they going to fuck everything else up?, the odds of them nailing it all in half way respectable manner are slim given the mainstream retarded fanbase they need to appeal to. On top of that creating all apsects of game with such a huge scale, SP, Muliptplayer, Toolset and DM tools seems like a totally unrealistic undertaking in half the time it took to design the fucked up original.

I am still waiting to read how bad the 3.5 ruleset get sodomized, as those D&D rules are just too complex for the average gamer. They're already screwing with the base classes, etc.., I predict it'll be trainwreck in the eyes of cynics like myself. But I of course predicted they're would never be an NWN2, as the entire concept is idiotic because why would you remake the exact same game, that will totally kill your old game you're still selling? (Diamond NWN anyone?) . Regardless, I hope I am wrong again.

 

[Deacdo]

Doesn't really matter what their intentions are. Given the relatively short development cycle, the fact that their team isn't all that large, and how much "stuff" (multiplayer, DM stuff, tools) needs to be made, it seems pretty unlikely they'll succeed at making an RPG of any real quality or ambition. Particularly with Atari holding the reigns. I'll be damned impressed if they do.

I don't doubt it will be better than the NWN SP campaign, though (how could it *not* be?).

 

[Volourn]

"NWN's biggest draw was its multiplayer/DM mode"

No. Most people bought it, and enjoyed it for the SP campaigns.


"Well Rex is right, In the original game the Single Player campaign was tacked on during the last quarter of development due to lobbying by all the BG's fans that wanted NWN to be BG3. the original supporters of NWN, whom the game was originally envisioned for, were people who wanted a multiplayer, module style D&D with DM tools and a Toolset. NWN was multiplayer "only" game for a long during it creation."

True. Things change though.


"The fucked up way the game was developed is directly responsible for its failure or success depending on your feeling toward it."

Heh. No matter how someone may personally feel about NWN; the game was/is obviously a success. Failed games don't get 2 expansions, a 'Diamond' edition 3+ eyars after intial release, and a sequel.

And, hello again, Sheriff.


"Given the relatively short development cycle, the fact that their team isn't all that large,"

Once again, you prove your idiocy.

a.According to Feargus, NWN2's development cycle is as long if not longer than BG2.

b. Their team is larger than it was than KOTOR2. Heck, they even have their own QA now. On top of that, they likely have more people than BIO had working on NWN1's OC.

c. It's a sequel so a lot of stuff has already been done for them espicially in terms of the engine, multipleayer, Dm stuff, and tools.

Really, the big differences are the change to 3.5 rules and a graphics update.


"don't doubt it will be better than the NWN SP campaign, though (how could it *not* be?)."

It should be. Then again, I thought KOTOR2 would be better than KOTOR1; but I was wrong. Of course neither NWN1 or NWN2 will /had as bad a campaign as most of your favorite games like Sacred, Dungeon Seige, Morrowind, et al.

Hahahaha.


P.S. How the fuck did they come to the conclusion that sewers would be the best terrain type to drop? That's insane!

 

[Sheriff05]

Can you at least attribute the quote to the right person? or are you now paraphrasing others peoples posts and making up your own quotes?

Given every post I ever made on NWN attracts you like flies on shit, I'll assume you're calling me an idiot.

"NWN's biggest draw was its multiplayer/DM mode"

No. Most people bought it, and enjoyed it for the SP campaigns.

Who says, you? I'd say there is evidence that the original sales motivations were 50/50. Remember on release the OC was blasted as being utter shit by just about everyone? You now claim that "most people", despite the reviews bought and enjoyed the OC?. Ok I guess, since "most people" also say you're a fucking drooling moron.
"most people" must be right!

"The fucked up way the game was developed is directly responsible for its failure or success depending on your feeling toward it."

Heh. No matter how someone may personally feel about NWN; the game was/is obviously a success. Failed games don't get 2 expansions, a 'Diamond' edition 3+ eyars after intial release, and a sequel.

And, hello again, Sheriff.

Greetings! :D , I was refering to NWN's success or failure as a game, not its financial success, we all know it was a license to print money and buy new Hummers for the guys at Bioware, has any other game been repackaged as many times as NWN and is still selling?

"Given the relatively short development cycle, the fact that their team isn't all that large,"

Once again, you prove your idiocy.

a.According to Feargus, NWN2's development cycle is as long if not longer than BG2.

b. Their team is larger than it was than KOTOR2. Heck, they even have their own QA now. On top of that, they likely have more people than BIO had working on NWN1's OC.

c. It's a sequel so a lot of stuff has already been done for them espicially in terms of the engine, multipleayer, Dm stuff, and tools.

Really, the big differences are the change to 3.5 rules and a graphics update.

What is the supposed development cycle of NWN2?, its seems to me its about 2.5 years
1/2 of the original, how big is the team?, in house QA is probably the most important thing any game has going for it.

 

[Volourn]

"you at least attribute the quote to the right person?"

No. The person I'm quoting is irrelevant. I'm responding to the post; not the poster. It's not personal.

" or are you now paraphrasing others peoples posts and making up your own quotes?"

I don't paraphrase. I quote verbatim by copying and pasting.


"Given every post I ever made on NWN attracts you like flies on shit"

Not true. Every post ever made on NWN attracts me like flies on shit. Once again, you try to make things personal. It's not.


"Who says, you?"

Bioware, and they would know considering they've actually done market research on the issue. Youe ven admitted as much by stating that NWN wasn't supposed to be SP at all; but was added because people DEMANDED it. That says everything., NWN is as successful as it is because of those buying the game for SP. Period.

"I'd say there is evidence that the original sales motivations were 50/50."

What eveidence? Youa re makin' shit up. BIO's actual figures disprove your non evidence.


" Remember on release the OC was blasted as being utter shit by just about everyone?"

This is false. Most people liked the OC. Your problem is you read the Codex and other specific anti BIo sites and then claim they somehow represent the majority.


"You now claim that "most people", despite the reviews bought and enjoyed the OC?. Ok I guess, since "most people" also say you're a fucking drooling moron.
"most people" must be right!"

Again, as above, you are trying to claim the Codex represents the majority. Talk about missing everything.


"Greetings! , I was refering to NWN's success or failure as a game, not its financial success, we all know it was a license to print money and buy new Hummers for the guys at Bioware, has any other game been repackaged as many times as NWN and is still selling?"

Not too many I presume. i'm sure there are other examples somewhere.


"What is the supposed development cycle of NWN2?, its seems to me its about 2.5 years"

Yup. About there. Which is as long if not longer than BG2's dev cycle which was also a sequel based off an alreayd created engine and game system.


"1/2 of the original"

Sequels shouldn't tkae as long as the original takes to make espicially if its based on the same engine. Not to mention, NWN1 wasn't exactly worked on full time during those 5 years either. People mention years but it's actually manhours that matter.



"how big is the team?, in house QA is probably the most important thing any game has going for it."

Bigger than KOTOR, smaller than NWN1 obviously. However, more people are working on NWN2's OC than who worked on NWN1's OC.

Remember, that the extras like the toolset, DM Client, and the like are lready made so they only need to be refined and updated not made from scratch.

And, yes, learning from KOTOR2, Obsidian has actually hired and is still hiring QA.

 

[merry andrew]

Given the relatively short development cycle, the fact that their team isn't all that large, and how much "stuff" (multiplayer, DM stuff, tools) needs to be made, it seems pretty unlikely they'll succeed at making an RPG of any real quality or ambition. Particularly with Atari holding the reigns. I'll be damned impressed if they do.

They didn't have to start from scratch, although they have written and rewritten a lot of stuff from scratch.

 

[Sheriff05]

Volourn, Since trying to sort through your posts to quote you is as hard as reading them I wont bother.

two things

#1. As a person that followed NWN from its outset, I would say there were an equal number of people that bought the game for the Toolset and DM tools over the shitty OC
upon its intial release. Yes! I am sure this changed as time went on, as hordes of morons gobbled up NWN like the flies on shit we mentioned earlier. but initally it was 50/50, I'll even give you 40/60..but certainly not "most people" that's fucking bullshit.

What fucking Bioware market research? Link please.

Please tell Bioware that polling your own fanboy ridden drooling forums or using a Gamespot or Gamespy poll isn't market research, it's just a virtual colonoscopy.

My evidence to the above is my own fucking eyes, I was there- I read the forums, sat in on developer discussions, listen to them talk it up at E3, read the hype gaming rags were pushing, etc, etc. there was tons of hype for the Toolset and DM tools as at that time it was the newest cool thing that no one had done before. They only people hyping the shitty after thought OC were the BG retard's who couldn't live with out another epic campaign they could pretend was BG3.

#2. Sorry since I ceased giving a fuck about this I havent really been following it

They are using the same engine for NWN2 ? So they can use the same Toolset and DM tools? I thought it was new engine?, so its spiced up aurora engine with new graphics?
WTF? that certainly limits things quite a bit, and explains the short development
it also explains why there are have been so few screenshots released.

 

[Volourn]

"1. As a person that followed NWN from its outset, I would say there were an equal number of people that bought the game for the Toolset and DM tools over the shitty OC
upon its intial release. Yes! I am sure this changed as time went on, as hordes of morons gobbled up NWN like the flies on shit we mentioned earlier. but initally it was 50/50, I'll even give you 40/60..but certainly not "most people" that's fucking bullshit.

What fucking Bioware market research? Link please.

Please tell Bioware that polling your own fanboy ridden drooling forums or using a Gamespot or Gamespy poll isn't market research, it's just a virtual colonoscopy."

LMAO You complain about 'colonoscopy' than you do the same thing by going *only* be your experience.

BIO has used many ways to dtermine what the 'REAL' NWN audience is. They use on line numbers, polls, and othe rmethos as well. There have been various topics about this on the BIo baords, and BIo expalined this in depth.

Whetehr you like it or not, the main NWN audience are signle players. And, it's more than 60/40. It's more like 75/25.

Afterall, we both agree that at least financially, NWN is a success... yet, even in prime time NWN OnLine averages 3k-6k people playing. The game sold millions. Do the friggin' math.

This is evidenced by BIO's decision to make the HOTU OC SP *only* (though there are ways around that).



"They are using the same engine fro NWN2 ? So they can use the same Toolset and DM tools? I thought it was new engine?, so its spiced up aurora engine with new graphics?
WTF? that certainly limits things quite a bit, and explains the short development
it also explains why there are have been so few screenshots released."

The graphics part of Surora has been uodated; but yes, basically everything else is the same though updated as well to variant degrees. You should be able to port NWN1 scripts into NWN2 with ease. And, there have been LOTS of screenshots released.

 

[merry andrew]

#2. Sorry since I ceased giving a fuck about this I havent really been following it

They are using the same engine for NWN2 ? So they can use the same Toolset and DM tools? I thought it was new engine?, so its spiced up aurora engine with new graphics?
WTF? that certainly limits things quite a bit, and explains the short development
it also explains why there are have been so few screenshots released.

I know I suck because I don't have a link, but I'd look around for the PC Gamer feature from December 2005. The graphics look pretty good to me, even without considering what had to be limited due to it primarily being a toolset and all. Here's the bit about the changes they've made:

So it [Obsidian] practically stripped the graphics engine out of Aurora, keeping its scripting and module systems more or less intact but building in a new engine that would support the latest graphical effects such as normal mapping, specular lighting, high-dynamic-range lighting, and self-shadowing characters. Obsidian also expunged the old game's tile-based system of laying out environments for a more versatile height-map system.

 

[Sol Invictus]

A lot of people bought NWN for the single player campaign because they were expecting a Baldur's Gate 3, thanks to, as Sheriff noted, the lobbying of the Baldur's Gate fanbase. A lot of people were really ignorant in the matter because they didn't follow the game throughout its development, and expected nothing short of Baldur's Gate 3. These same people were extremely dissapointed by the game.

Just talk to anyone who bought NWN for its multiplayer features, and you'll realize who the core fanbase of that game really is. It's the MP players, not the Baldur's Gate fans.

 

[Sheriff05]

". You should be able to port NWN1 scripts into NWN2 with ease

If that's true that is best thing I have heard about the game, being able to rebuild old mods graphically and use the old scripts is a huge, huge selling point, In fact I'd buy it just for that.

. And, there have been LOTS of screenshots released.

Seriously, I have only seen the same dozen or so landscape and sketch screens
that have been passed around to all the mags the last six months or so
no interface, combat, inventory, character, creation or creature screens

where are the screen shots?

 

[ElastiZombie]

Just talk to anyone who bought NWN for its multiplayer features, and you'll realize who the core fanbase of that game really is. It's the MP players, not the Baldur's Gate fans.

I bought the game for both SP and MP, and although I wasn't thrilled with the original content, the ability to download and play third-party modules was what really did it for me. Playing modules single player is probably what I did and enjoyed most with NWN. And, for the record, I am a Baldur's Gate fan.

 

[aboyd]

Doesn't really matter what their intentions are. Given the relatively short development cycle, the fact that their team isn't all that large, and how much "stuff" (multiplayer, DM stuff, tools) needs to be made, it seems pretty unlikely they'll succeed at making an RPG of any real quality or ambition.

Weird. Didn't they start work on it around the same time they started work on KotOR 2? And yet NWN2 is still in development?

I mean, I can see why you'd think the development is short -- I remember them saying that KotOR 2 & NWN 2 both had 12 month (or 18 month?) developement cycles. But the NWN 2 deadline has been ethereal, and obviously is still going. It seems like they're being given lots of extra time -- perhaps after seeing the KotOR 2 launch, the people in control decided to give more leeway for quality.

So if the game launches near the end of 2006, wouldn't that be roughly 3.5 years of development? Or is my math off? I'm guessing all this based upon my memories of things I've read. I could be wrong.

To me, anything over a 2.5 year development cycle sounds like a game that got a good chance.

-T

 

[Shagnak]

Just talk to anyone who bought NWN for its multiplayer features, and you'll realize who the core fanbase of that game really is. It's the MP players, not the Baldur's Gate fans.

I bought the game for both SP and MP, and although I wasn't thrilled with the original content, the ability to download and play third-party modules was what really did it for me.

Ditto.
The third-party modules are what made me glad I bought it, as well.

I never even finished the OC. I'm not exactly a BG fan so didn't really have those expectations, but the OC was so incredibly disappointing that it was one of my major "WTF!? Why did I buy this?" experiences.

But plenty of SP modules have made up for that, and LAN MP has been fun as well.
Still, I hope the NWN2 OC is good because relying on potential that may never eventuate (i.e. a decent fan/mod-making base) gets wearying.

 

[Volourn]

Sherriff, check the Obsidian site. On the front page there's links to various pics and stuff..

 

[RGE]

I must unfortunately report, however, that there is no sewer tileset planned for NWN2. I know RPG's can't be RPG's without rats in sewers with crates to break open, but NWN2 isn't going there.

Woohoo! If they offer a generic dungeon tileset rather than the castle and the 'badass' dungeons tileset you could still create sewer-like areas with water tilemagic (which I assume will be there). But I haven't seen any screenshots of a tileset with hewn stone walls yet.

The sewer tilset in NWN looked way too high tech with all those pipes and grates. Nice for steampunk and such, but I got tired of seeing it in 'medieval' towns which probably shouldn't even have sewers to begin with. Or is sewers the only thing that can't be handled by magic, so sewers actually become technically advanced in a world where little mundane innovation takes place over the millenia?

 

[Volourn]

Toolset won't be able to create sewers. it'll be able to create sewer-LIKE areas.

And, oh, you obviously don't know much about FR sewers. Why do people equate it on RL Medieval times. It is only VERY LOOSELY based on that.

Fools.

 

[Dhruin]

You have absolutely no idea what sort of sewers the toolset can do, Volourn. And that "it isn't an official sewer so it isn't real" logic doesn't work. It might do a perfect job and it might not.