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Interview Mysteries of Westgate interview at RPG Watch

Elwro

Arcane
Joined
Dec 29, 2002
Messages
11,746
Location
Krakow, Poland
Divinity: Original Sin Wasteland 2
Tags: Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate

<a href="http://www.rpgwatch.com">RPG Watch<a> has an <a href="http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/article?articleid=72&ref=0&id=9">interview</a> with Alan Miranda, Luke Scull and Mat Jobe of <a href="http://www.ossianstudios.com/">Ossian Studios</a>, the developers of Mysteries of Westgate, the first Adventure Pack for Neverwinter Nights 2.<blockquote>RPGWatch: Cities can sometimes feel drab with repetitive scenarios and limited scope for real exploration - how much freedom will players have in moving around and making discoveries outside of the critical path and how do you keep the setting fresh and engaging?
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Mat Jobe [<em>The project's writer</em>]: Players will have a lot of freedom to explore the city and pursue adventures unrelated to the critical path. Players who have played Baldur's Gate 2 may find the experience reminiscent of exploring Athkatla in that game - it's that wide open.
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We really wanted to create a "big city" feel, which meant including loads of sidequests and unusual characters that have nothing to do with the main story (or, in some cases, any story). In a bustling city - especially one as diverse as Westgate - you're not going to find everyone focused on one event or series of events, no matter how big they may be. If Lathander himself appeared in Westgate and did a tap dance atop Morningstar Haven, there would still be commoners in the Warrens worrying about the price of fish, and sailors in the docks doing their best to have a good time before shoving off again. In any large population, you'll find people focused on their own day-to-day interests.
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We also wanted to make the city seem dynamic. That's one thing that probably makes some cities seem drab - they're missing that sense of constant change that makes them seem alive. In Mysteries of Westgate, we have various triggered events that can happen after the player has already visited a particular district one or more times. In some cases, players may be caught off guard and find themselves scrambling to deal with an unexpected situation.</blockquote>Frankly, I've always thought cities naturally give more interesting roleplaying opportunities than rural areas. I keep my fingers crossed that Westgate will be a memorable city filled with vivid characters and tons of scripted goodness (which worked so well e.g. in Gothic 2 - think Khorinis).
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Be sure to read the <a href="http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/article?articleid=72&ref=0&id=9">whole thing</a>. And if you're interested, check out our <a href="http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=162">interview</a> with the developers from a few weeks ago.
 

denizsi

Arcane
Joined
Nov 24, 2005
Messages
9,927
Location
bosphorus
We've taken a more old-school, BG2-style approach with Mysteries of Westgate. Players who don't buff or equip their party effectively, or make any effort to strategize once combat begins, are likely to be hit by total party wipes pretty quickly. Indeed, I had several e-mails from fellow team members during testing where it was mentioned that certain fights were "impossible." I tested them with the correct preparation and didn't run into any issues at all. The difference, in my opinion, was merely a small but essential shift away from the simplistic NWN1 combat mentality, towards the more tactical, and ultimately rewarding, party-based combat of the old Infinity Engine games.

I liked the stance he seems to have about combat difficulty.
 

Paranoid Jack

Scholar
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
186
Wow, if this is as good as it sounds this is going to be one shocker of a Fall. Three freaking games with not only C&C but done well... whats next?
 

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