Interview Mysteries of Westgate interview

[Calis]

Tags: Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate

(repost of Vault Dweller's news post)
<br>
<br>
We were given an opportunity to ask Alan Miranda and Luke Scull <a href=http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=162>a few questions</a> about upcoming <a href=http://www.ossianstudios.com/>Mysteries of Westgate</a>:
<br>
<blockquote>7) The game promises choices and "huge consequences." An actual example would go a long way to back up these claims and fill the hearts of unbelievers with faith.
<br>
<br>
Luke: I’m sure it would, but I wouldn’t want to spoil too much of the experience for players. Let’s just say that I know the depths of loathing loyal Codex readers reserve for developers that talk the talk but fail to meet expectations when it comes to choice and consequences. I’m not only walking but swaggering, and not just because I’m drunk.
<br>
<br>
Alan: I will echo Luke on this one, in that we definitely do provide some big choices with significant consequences to the player. We made a conscious decision when writing the core story during pre-production to allow for branches in the story instead of a single linear path. The challenge was to make the different branches as polished as if we had just made one route, since polishing a single linear path would take only half the time. Revealing what these choices are would ruin the story, so you’ll just have to keep the faith.</blockquote><a href=http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=162>Click here to read the rest</a>.

 

[Baphomet]

On MoW, however, we shifted to a more focused approach with team members specializing on what they’re best at (writing, scripting, or level design) instead of the Wild West approach we did on Daggerford, where designers fully implemented different parts of the critical path of the game by themselves (which was likely our poorest design decision because it forced us to do a lot of cleanup close to release).

Nifty. I thought most of these Ossian folks had released Hall of Fame modules of their own before joining the team, so I had always envisioned the group as being jacks of all trades.

However, there were a few notable weaknesses: The story was fairly average and diluted by the doubling of the module’s original size by sidequest-creep, and the henchmen were rather generic. I’m sure it was a learning experience for everyone on the team.

Quality of quantity; also promising.

Luke: There are at least six major factions involved in the story, and the player will ally with or oppose them all during the course of the game. We don’t have a complex faction system: What we do have is a story that keeps the player guessing, and at several points they’re called upon to make a decision to join one faction or another, with huge consequences for the story.

I hope this doesn't play out like Oblivions. (I am the Lord Necromancer, Captain of the Guard, and the Meistersinger!)

Some lunatics took over the boards a while ago and now the admins are trying to repair the damage.

 

[denizsi]

A repost from the forum last night before it was messed up

They sound earnest, but I'm not sure if minds are at the same place as their hearts. One thing I nitpick is about challenging combat:

a handful of truly difficult optional encounters

I haven't played either NWN2 OC or MOTB yet, as no mofo seems to be interested in helping a fellow Codexer have it, but is making enemies more difficult to kill making combat in a game, in this game, more challenging? Sounds quite primitive, but perhaps one shouldn't expect a former modder team be given the tools to fiddle with the combat mechanics. Then again, should anything else be expected at all?

They could also give at least a hypothetical example without spoiling anything for the kind of things to expect for "huge" consequences. I'm not familiar with NWN mods. What is Darkness Over Daggerford like?

All good intentions and promises aside, this is more like a premium mod, right? No change in game mechanics anywhere.

 

[KazikluBey]

One thing I like about VD's interviews are the frank and direct questions that often makes developers ditch the salesman speech and just answer the question but it largely failed this time. Lots of lofty and sweeping promises, too few tangible examples of things that will actually be in the game.

I'll need more than this to be hyped.

 

[aboyd]

I haven't played either NWN2 OC or MOTB yet, as no mofo seems to be interested in helping a fellow Codexer have it

I'd mail off a copy, if you still need it. I also have some spare PS:T jewel boxes, so if you've never played I'd throw in a copy of that too.

What is Darkness Over Daggerford like?

Um... Baldur's Gate-ish. Cities are tightly packed, lots of quests, many things to do without furthering the main plot. I remember it fondly, but I recently tried to replay and I'm afraid that NWN 2 has spoiled me. DOD has more replay value that NWN 2, in my opinion. However, the mechanics of NWN 1 are rather feature-poor compared to NWN 2. So I found that trying to play a NWN 1 module felt like playing with one hand tied behind my back, even though I loved the NWN 1 modules.

The NWN 1 modules are way the hell better than the NWN 2 modules, in my opinion. I love the NWN 2 modules because they're all mostly short & simple. But some of the NWN 1 modules were engrossing, well-written, and clever... so I could stand to play them for 30 hours and finish them. Darkness Over Daggerford, Pirates of the Sword Coast, Kingmaker, Wyvern Crown of Cormyr, Tales of Arterra 1 & 2, and couple others that I can't recall. They were all good and I finished most.

 

[Texas Red]

Will this confusion surrounding Atari affect MoW? Any word?

 

[Deleted member 7219]

No, since the Atari going bust is different from the Atari publishing MoW.

 

[Brother None]

Will this confusion surrounding Atari affect MoW? Any word?

No, only Atari's game developing is affected, not their publishing.

 

[denizsi]

I saw this a little too late:

I'd mail off a copy, if you still need it. I also have some spare PS:T jewel boxes, so if you've never played I'd throw in a copy of that too.

Thank you, it's really a generous offer (including PT -which I don't need- let alone just shipping), but I managed to persuade the seller into shipping the game overseas, so all is good and well. I hope you won't mind if I remember this offer next time I have a similar need though :bloodsucker:

 

[aboyd]

No problem.