Preview Hordes of the Underdark pre-gander at GameSpy

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark

<a href="http://www.gamespy.com/">GameSpy</a> serves up a <A href="http://www.gamespy.com/previews/august03/underdarkpc/">preview</a> of <a href="http://www.bioware.com">BioWare</a>'s upcoming expansion pack to <A href="http://nwn.bioware.com">NeverWinter Nights</a>, which is all about that <i>Underdark</i> place. Here's a clip:
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<blockquote> The next Neverwinter Nights expansion pack pits you against the vile creatures of the Underdark. Made for advanced characters (level 15 and higher suggested), Hordes of the Underdark brings a whole new adventure for players to enjoy and gives module creators more tilesets, monsters, weapons, and more. If the previous expansion pack, Shadows of Undrentide, was any indication, then this new expansion pack should offer an even more refined Neverwinter Nights experience. The fact that it focuses on one of the most interesting areas of Dungeons & Dragons (people love drow!) makes it all the more exciting. </blockquote>
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Actually, I'm fairly sick of the Drow.
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Spotted this on <a href="http://www.homelanfed.com">HomeLAN Fed</a>.

 

[Volourn]

All I'm going to say is that the story seems forced. An army powerful enough to challenge Waterdeep... *yawn*

 

[Sabotai]

I still remember how Jed put it when we first got a whiff of NWN 2 rumour:
"Hey! You got your Drizzt on my +5 loot...wait, this tastes great!"
Perfectly summed up my feelings....

 

[Crazy Tuvok]

Almost nothing about this sounds new or good to me.

"become as powerful as a demigod!" Like every freaking Bio game yet!

" underdark and drow!" with a lawful dragon that will disguise you as you sneak into the drow city to recover her eggs!

"epic level feats!" which suck ass in the PnP version and will suck longer and harder in the CRPG version!

"level 30!" there are very good reasons why most DMs and players in PnP don't get their character to this level - it's boring as hell and incredibly rare.

the drow, the illithid, the duergar and the Beholders all working together. sure altho arch-enemies we never had any real animosity towards each other; it was all a big misunderstanding kinda like a Three's Company episode.

"romances -hopefully as good as BG2!" - so prepubescents can jerk off while they are watching combat unfold!

and by "implementing fan feedback" I assume they mean "we let the fans create all this really cool stuff which we are going to include and pretend we invented it!"

and if there is any more overused, over hyped setting then all things Drow and Underdark I don't know what it is. Who wants to bet that you get to meet Drizzt?

edit: typo

 

[Jed]

Yeah, not very impressed. In fact, the only reason my NWN CDs aren't coasters is because I'm curious to see what CoDI can come up with.

Is there even a Bioware game that doesn't feature the drow in one capacity or another?

 

[Volourn]

BG1? TOSC? SOU? MDK2? SS?

Crazy Tuvok, hate to break it to you; but duergar and drow aren't arch enemies. Inf act, overall, they get long as great trading partners. It's the illithid and beholders being thrown in the mix - espicially beholder since beholders don't normally get along with each other let alone other races. The illithid are fine as they'll do anything that benefits them; and gets them brains to suck or more slaves.

Every Bio game makes you a spowerful as a demi god? That's interesting... BG1 didn't. TOSC didn't. Why do you feel the need to exaggerate?

Yeah, underdark and drow aren't neccessary bad to use; just way overdone at this point. Actually, that plot about the dragon was actually pretty good in BG2.

Can't really say much about epic levels since I haven't even come close tot rying them in pnp; but their inclusion is to be expected. It's just smart business them to add them to NWN.

Sorry, I don't jerk off to any romances in any game. Movies, on the other hand.. :wink:

Nope, they don't use any of the fans' stuff; just their suggestions. Please don't spread rumours, myths, and innuendos. Only time they used fan created stuff was in the free downloadable module WW, and they ahd complete permisison, and they made $0 out of it.

Yup, drow and underdark are useda lot. Then again, the Fo series is about to get it's 4th, and 5th game in the setting. I surely hope we don't meet Drizzt. Unlike others I don't mind him to much; but he doesn't need to be over used either.

 

[Jed]

BG1? TOSC?

*cough*Viconia*cough*

Every Bio game makes you a spowerful as a demi god? That's interesting... BG1 didn't. TOSC didn't. Why do you feel the need to exaggerate?

Bhaal Spawn=Demigod. Literally.

Yup, drow and underdark are useda lot. Then again, the Fo series is about to get it's 4th, and 5th game in the setting.

False analogy. Fallout would be more akin to the Forgotten Realms; the Underdark would be more analagous to a region, such as the Glow.

 

[Volourn]

Yeah, okay, I forgot about Viconia. I mean one npc just drives it all over. You got me there.

We were discussing being as powerful as a demi god. In BG1 you are NOT as powerful as a demigod. You may technically be a demigod; but I'm sure evn you can admit you sure ain't as powerful as one considering in BG1 you can't get no higher than 10th level maximum even with the expansion. Not exactly as "powerful as a demigod" level.

You have a false analogy as well since the Underdark is a tad bigger and much more complicated a place than the Glow. In fact, it pretty much covers all of the Realms as well. The Glow is basically one abandoned base.

 

[Araanor]

Player: Damn, it sucks being human.
NPC: No, dude, you're Bhaalspawn.. Totally.
Player: Oh, right. Um, how come I'm just like everyone else?
NPC: ....

 

[Jed]

You have a false analogy as well since the Underdark is a tad bigger and much more complicated a place than the Glow. In fact, it pretty much covers all of the Realms as well. The Glow is basically one abandoned base.

The point is that FO is an ubrella, like the FR, whereas the Underdark is a part of the whole, not equal to the whole.

 

[Volourn]

That's true.

Arranor: LOL :D

 

[Crazy Tuvok]

BG1? TOSC? SOU? MDK2? SS?

Crazy Tuvok, hate to break it to you; but duergar and drow aren't arch enemies. Inf act, overall, they get long as great trading partners. It's the illithid and beholders being thrown in the mix - espicially beholder since beholders don't normally get along with each other let alone other races. The illithid are fine as they'll do anything that benefits them; and gets them brains to suck or more slaves.

Every Bio game makes you a spowerful as a demi god? That's interesting... BG1 didn't. TOSC didn't. Why do you feel the need to exaggerate?

Yeah, underdark and drow aren't neccessary bad to use; just way overdone at this point. Actually, that plot about the dragon was actually pretty good in BG2.

Can't really say much about epic levels since I haven't even come close tot rying them in pnp; but their inclusion is to be expected. It's just smart business them to add them to NWN.

Sorry, I don't jerk off to any romances in any game. Movies, on the other hand.. :wink:

Nope, they don't use any of the fans' stuff; just their suggestions. Please don't spread rumours, myths, and innuendos. Only time they used fan created stuff was in the free downloadable module WW, and they ahd complete permisison, and they made $0 out of it.

Yup, drow and underdark are useda lot. Then again, the Fo series is about to get it's 4th, and 5th game in the setting. I surely hope we don't meet Drizzt. Unlike others I don't mind him to much; but he doesn't need to be over used either.

Part of the allure of the Underdark is the warring factions - I suppose it is possible that Bio will include some plausible explanation as to why these factions would join together but it irks me nonetheless. As you pointed out Beholders aint gonna team up with anyone for very long and maybe it is singular to my experience with DnD but illithids ain't gonna *partner* with anyone; tho they may *use* other races they are in my experience not going to join together with them. The duergar and the Drow may trade but they are hardly on friendly terms afaik. It just seems like an attempt to throw everything the UD has to offer into one big army which strikes me as counter to the way I have always understood the UD. And the UD creating an army to invade the surface with strange alliances being made... wasn't this already in BG2?

The epic level stuff just plain sucks and is completely ridiculous. I am not surprised that it is being included, but it is silly. Fuck, going to level, what was it *40!* in ToB was joy-sucking. In all the years I played PnP I never faced *4* freaking dragons, two beholder lairs and countless demons and hellspawn in a month of gametime. It is just too much and too over the top for my tastes. To be fair this is not exclusive to Bio as damn near every CRPG in existence seems to want to make the PC a god by the end of the game; the epic-level rules just codifies the silliness.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Someone's forgetting the fact that Drizzt Do'Urden was in Baldur's Gate 1.

 

[Volourn]

I agree Tuvok. As far as stories goes; this isn't the best way to go. I would much rather prefer them going witha more personal one like you were captured by the drow, and had to try to escape the Underdark and reahc the surface before you are overwhelmed. Oh well; though.

Exitium, yeah I know. I also forgot about Viconia. Still, that's just two. Anyways, considierng how many D&D games that dwarves, elves, humans, goblins, orcs, magic missle, cure light wounds, axes, sword, and bows are in; the fatc that drow make many appearances in them shouldn't really matter. They are every much part of the world; and should be shown. They are rarer than the other races; but not impossibly so.

 

[Crazy Tuvok]

I agree Tuvok. As far as stories goes; this isn't the best way to go. I would much rather prefer them going witha more personal one like you were captured by the drow, and had to try to escape the Underdark and reahc the surface before you are overwhelmed. Oh well; though.

Exitium, yeah I know. I also forgot about Viconia. Still, that's just two. Anyways, considierng how many D&D games that dwarves, elves, humans, goblins, orcs, magic missle, cure light wounds, axes, sword, and bows are in; the fatc that drow make many appearances in them shouldn't really matter. They are every much part of the world; and should be shown. They are rarer than the other races; but not impossibly so.

Not impossibly rare but rare enough to keep them mysterious and exotic. They used to be so freaking cool and scary and now they really do seem just like elves and dwarves and goblins...oh my. Just another race.

But beholders, dragons and lichs were always (in PnP) truly nightmarish encounters and now every DnD game has them

 

[Volourn]

I agree with all that. 8)

 

[Psilon]

Don't forget, how many people were clamoring for a Tarrasque in ToB?

 

[Sharpei_Diem]

Someone's forgetting the fact that Drizzt Do'Urden was in Baldur's Gate 1.

Hey, that was <b>only</b> a cameo!

And if you killed him in the first one, he was really pretty pissed when you ran into him again in the second one...

lol...can anyone recall the reason he gives when he explains <b>why</b> he's still alive?

 

[Volourn]

Psilon, some people actually believe the tarrasque was actually in TOB. Just ask 6'8 Italian Trolllord for evidence.

 

[Crazy Tuvok]

Don't forget, how many people were clamoring for a Tarrasque in ToB?

oh christ that's right. I guess I had blocked that out. The worst monster creation in the history of rpgs designed exclusively to always be able to kill any character. But when you allow level advancement to god-like heights what are you gonna do?

well they did have a prince of the hells in the game so come to think of it a tarrasque wouldn't be any more farfetched.

Sharpei: yeah I'm kinda curious about that too. I assume he was resurrected by some friendly cleric that passed by.

 

[Sharpei_Diem]

maybe TOSC didnt have drow cause they figured adding Demogorgon was good enough...

 

[Jed]

maybe TOSC didnt have drow cause they figured adding Demogorgon was good enough...

I think that was actually in ToB.

 

[Sharpei_Diem]

no, pretty sure he was in the bottom of that dungeon...

 

[Rayt]

Not impossibly rare but rare enough to keep them mysterious and exotic. They used to be so freaking cool and scary and now they really do seem just like elves and dwarves and goblins...oh my. Just another race.

But beholders, dragons and lichs were always (in PnP) truly nightmarish encounters and now every DnD game has them

I thought Beholders were still a nightmarish encounter in BG2. Unless you cheesed your ass off, like using that cloak that deflected all the cast spells back at the caster. And I killed lichs with the mace of disruption that killed them instantly. Which is basicly cheating, sicne it ignored every protection like a hot knife going through butter.

It feels really cheap to do stuff like that, but then again, throwing 20 beholders, elder orbs and the like in one tiny lair or putting a lich in an inn is cheap as hell, too.

 

[Jed]

no, pretty sure he was in the bottom of that dungeon...

Yeah, but I think the dungeon of which you speak was added to BG2 by ToB.