Review PC.IGN tap dances around with Undrentide

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide

<a href="http://pc.ign.com/">PC.IGN</a> has posted their <A href="http://pc.ign.com/articles/424/424731p1.html">review</a> of <a href="http://www.atari.com">Atari</a> and <A href="http://www.bioware.com">BioWare</a>'s cash grab, <a href="http://nwn.bioware.com/shadows">Shadows of Undrentide</a>. Here's the conclusion of the <b>7.7/10</b> scored, two page beast:
<br>
<br>
<blockquote>Overall Shadows of Undrentide is a quality expansion pack, but whether or not to get it really comes down to do you really want to spend the money on a new module. It's certainly professional and well done, but so are user-created modules like Birthright of the North or the Dreamcatcher series. If you're a Neverwinter modder you'll probably want to get it just for the tilesets, creatures and new scripting wizards and NWN fans will find plenty here to keep them busy, but Shadows of Undrentide isn't a "must-have now" expansion pack for the average gamer.</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
Do you want to spend the money on a new module that's 20 hours long, or download one? That's a toughy.
<br>
<br>
Thanks for this one too, <b>Ibbz</b>.

 

[Spazmo]

I want to give money to Tim Cain in exchange for a 50+ hour module. But maybe that's just me.

 

[Sabotai]

NPC AI is still a little wonky, and on more than one occasion I found my adventuring companion just standing around with an arrow in her head without doing anything...perhaps she was the lucky recipient of a makeshift lobotomy when those tips poked into the soft tissue.

You would have thought that after a whole year, with backup from the mod community that these issues have been solved.

I have to say, for an IGN review it's pretty critical.

 

[triCritical]

It's certainly professional and well done,

Well if this is true, then its already has a quality that was lacking in the OC. Anyhow, I will never know because frankly I think Bioware projects suck.

BG1 ( I liked it, sue me!)
TotSC ( It was an expansion pack, that really did not offer anything more then a multilevel dungeon)
BG2 ( They removed everything I liked about BG1 and emphasized what the IE sucked at combat )
ToB (probably the worst expansion pack I have had the misfortune of wasting money on)
NWN ( one of the all time worst CRPG's I have ever played, across the board ).

Needless to say, I am done buying BIoware products.

 

[Psilon]

Saw this over at NWVault. Emphasis mine.

I agree the Harper is a great character for someone who wants to do more roleplaying. Having a spy-type character is pretty useless unless you play a certain level of roleplaying in your campaign. If there is nothing but waves of monsters the Harper is pretty useless compared to other classes. It really depends on your party and you DM and what sort of game you are playing.

So why, pray tell, did you bother putting it into your official campaigns? Are they resistant to curses brought on by saliva-soaked statuary?

 

[Moondog]

The best thing about SoU is, the henchman improvements haven't been implemented in the OC, so that still sucks. But I'm sure Bloware have a good reason for this....

 

[Elwro]

I'm wondering:
Will the multiplayer game servers be open for those that do not have SoU? I have fears they won't. People running them will buy SoU themselves, upgrade their servers and forcing the players to buy it too.

If I'm wrong, please correct me - I'd rather be wrong, because I certainly won't be buying SoU, and I bought NWN at a discount (at least I didn't lose an equivalent of 60$, but 25$) and play it very occasionally on the Net.

 

[Volourn]

To play on a SOU server; you need SOU. If you have SOU; you ca still play on a non SOU server, and still have access to the new feats, skill, and spells I think. So, unless you have SOU; you are outlook on upgrade servers.

 

[triCritical]

The best thing about SoU is, the henchman improvements haven't been implemented in the OC, so that still sucks. But I'm sure Bloware have a good reason for this....

This is bullshit, having to pay for corrections in their fuckups!

 

[Moondog]

The best thing about SoU is, the henchman improvements haven't been implemented in the OC, so that still sucks. But I'm sure Bloware have a good reason for this....

This is bullshit, having to pay for corrections in their fuckups!

Or having to pay for the things they still haven't corrected....

 

[Moondog]

I just read this post on the PlanetNeverwinter forums describing the NPC's in SoU....

"I totally agree . . it is very unpredictable and surprising the way these classes are being displayed in SOU. Bioware, once again, has shown their limitless prowess in creating an enjoyable adventure."

That last line cracks me up 8)

 

[Ibbz]

The best thing about SoU is, the henchman improvements haven't been implemented in the OC, so that still sucks. But I'm sure Bloware have a good reason for this....

You can access your henchmens inventory in the OC once you've got SoU {i think}... Thats pretty much the only thing they added as far as henchmen capabilities go.

 

[Volourn]

In the SOU OC you can; but not the original OC because it is additional conversational nodes. The same with the additional chocies for level up, and being able to get your npcs to cast "buff spells" pre battle.

I know people here hate to read this since they automatically think I'm brainwashed, but I am looking forward to this expansion...

O.o

 

[Psilon]

I thought the henchman inventory thing was hard-coded into the radial menus as well.

 

[Volourn]

Hmmm... I'm sure I read a BIO post suggesting otherwise. Oh well, I'll find out soon enough. :D

 

[Moondog]

Hmmm... I'm sure I read a BIO post suggesting otherwise. Oh well, I'll find out soon enough. :D

I'm 99% sure Bio updated the FAQ on the NWN site with a few new questions, one of which was if the new henchman abilities were included in the OC, to which the answer was no.

 

[Psilon]

I checked NWVault's archive of forum postings. According to David Gaider, the radial menus for all henchmen have been extended with the new "open inventory" option. It's now hard-coded as of the 1.30 update. There's also a scripting command.

So while the OC won't have any new dialogue options, you will be able to upgrade your henchman's inventory.

 

[Moondog]

Check question 1.33 on the official FAQ

http://nwn.bioware.com/support/known.html

1.33: [SoU Only] I have Shadows of Undrentide installed, and I tried to open my henchmen's inventory in the original NWN Official Campaign. It says I can't do that. Why?

Modules must be created with support for opening henchmen inventory. The original NWN Official Campaign was created over a year before Shadows of Undrentide and therefore doesn't have this support.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Which kind of makes their claim of, "We won't do something unless we can do it right." seem a little more absurd, doesn't it?

 

[Volourn]

Just to correct an earlier mis-statement of mine in one of thse SOU threads. The half-0rc, according to the read me, can only level up to level 2 as a barabarian so it is a fair criticism to say the campaign lacks one of the melee classes for joinable npcs other than the drf that can be a priest/rogue which I am enjoying having around...

 

[Moondog]

Which kind of makes their claim of, "We won't do something unless we can do it right." seem a little more absurd, doesn't it?

More than likely, they've just admitted to themselves how flawed the OC is, and given up on it. Which is nice...