Interview Obsidian on the Future of Neverwinter Nights

[Jason]

Tags: Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir; Obsidian Entertainment

While <b><a href="http://www.obsidian.net/games/nwn2soz/index.html" target="blank">Neverwinter 2: Storm of Zehir</a></b> is the main subject of an Obsidian <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/stormofzehir2-1.php" target="blank">group interview</a> at GameBanshee, the future of the NWN series is also up for discussion.
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<blockquote>I think a Neverwinter Nights 3 would be a great opportunity for Obsidian. We have learned a lot over the relatively short time we have been involved with NWN. We have done some cool things with the Neverwinter series, but we have made some mistakes as well. I think that if we were to work on a Neverwinter 3 we would do a lot of things differently. We love Dungeons & Dragons and we really enjoy making a community-focused game. A NWN3 set in the 4th edition Forgotten Realms would be interesting to say the least - the Spellplague and other disasters have left the cities of Neverwinter and Luskan in ruins, rifts to long-forgotten worlds have opened, Thay has transformed... That is the perfect setting for one of our dark stories.
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A Forgotten Realms MMO is an interesting concept, too. I wouldn't mind working on it. I am sure others here would like to as well. But for now, Obsidian's involvement with MMOs is on the player side of things.
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So, is there a third expansion or a Neverwinter Nights 3 in the works? Time will tell... </blockquote>
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Translation: "There's almost certainly a third NWN2 expansion in the pipeline and we'd jump at NWN3 if Atari can afford it. We'll stay away from an MMO for now since D&D Online pretty much tanked."
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<i>Thanks to Kharn.</i>

 

[Xor]

I pretty much hate 4th edition so far. Maybe a game based around it won't be completely terrible, but I kind of doubt it.

I'm glad they have no plans to do an MMO, there are enough of those already.

A third expansion would be very welcome. MOTB was great and SoZ looks to be really fun as well.

 

[Drakron]

I will give it a pass then ... I know that the powers at be in Atari have to bow down to Hasbro and so 4th Ed. is pretty much granted to any future D&D product as is the piece of shit Forgotten Realms became in any future FR set game.

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

Truly villainous players may indulge their selfish whims and augment their party by bargaining with a familiar evil.

Mephasm?

 

[uhjghvt]

D&D is over, make rpgs about something else

 

[Darth Roxor]

D&D is over, make rpgs about something else

yes plz, D&D is overused as hell.

 

[Shannow]

D&D is over, make rpgs about something else

qft.

As Tolkienesque (and thus "generic") as Dragon Age seems, at least Bioware isn't solely focussed on D&D/Forgotten Realms. Obsidian should either move away from D&D altohether or at least use one of the more interesting settings. MotB was a (tiny) step in the right direction.

 

[Kthan75]

This actually sounds good to me.

Glad they're not shifting to MMOs like everybody else.

And I'm actually looking forward to a CRPG using D&D 4 rules. I'm in a 3.5 campaign right now and we don't want to switch to 4, but I'm interested in certain mechanics.
D&D4, despite the shitty concept art and some lame new additions (Dragonborn, anyone?) actually has some interesting ideas that might work very well even in PNP.

So a PC game using 4ed rules should provide a good overview of the new rules without having to spend several months or more in a real campaign to see if it's worth it.

 

[Hümmelgümpf]

The good thing about 4E is that it may revive Ravenloft and Dark Sun. They follow the "points of light" concept of the edition to the letter.

 

[Fat Dragon]

Glad that Obsidian will continue to keep on making good RPGs like MotB, but goddamn I'm sick and tired of the Forgotten Realms setting.

 

[Spectacle]

I wonder how a NWN3 based on 4th ed D&D would work..
Combat in D&D 4 has an emphasis on:
-Teamwork
-Careful movement on a grid
-Extensive use of special abilities by all classes.

This is great for turn based games, but it would be hell to manage in a party-based RTwP game like NWN2.

 

[Lurkar]

The good thing about 4E is that it may revive Ravenloft and Dark Sun. They follow the "points of light" concept of the edition to the letter.

4e's version of "points of light" is very dramatically different from Dark Sun and Ravenloft.

 

[Suchy]

Damn... not another D&D :/
It's like pop "music" - no matter what it is, you already heard it a million times.

 

[Azrael the cat]

D&D is over, make rpgs about something else

qft.

As Tolkienesque (and thus "generic") as Dragon Age seems, at least Bioware isn't solely focussed on D&D/Forgotten Realms. Obsidian should either move away from D&D altohether or at least use one of the more interesting settings. MotB was a (tiny) step in the right direction.

Neither defending nor criticising Obsidian, but to clarify an implied factual assertion:
- Obsidian's next two major games, Alpha Protocol and the Aliens RPG, are set in the 'real world' and the Aliens universe respectively;
- Neither the 'real world' nor the Aliens universe are DnD settings
- Obviously given that NWN2 is a DnD game, and NWN a DnD franchise, the expansions to NWN2 will also be DnD games, and if a NWN3 game is made that will be a DnD game.

So your point was?

 

[serch]

I wonder how a NWN3 based on 4th ed D&D would work..
Combat in D&D 4 has an emphasis on:
-Teamwork
-Careful movement on a grid
-Extensive use of special abilities by all classes.

This is great for turn based games, but it would be hell to manage in a party-based RTwP game like NWN2.

Yeah, I think that Sawyer said something about 4e being more suited to turn base combat. If only for that, I would celebrate its coming. Somebody must be developing a 4ed CRPG as we speak, I wonder who, perhaps CDProject?

 

[inwoker]

D&d 4 by obsidian sounds better than bioware non-d&d any day. Obsidian have talent making good game from shit setting, see kotot2, motb.
What I wonder is if cdproject would have balls to make turn-based combat rpg. They have balls for non-fairy-tale-generic stuff and good c&c already.
Company with reputation and good marketing campaign can revive turn-based any day.

 

[Starwars]

Regardless of whether the 4e setting is idiotic or not (I don't know, haven't really read into it), I think exploring the ruins left by the Spellplague could be a pretty cool setting for a cRPG.

 

[Darth Roxor]

So your point was?

Hey, you know, how about, uh... changing the setting for the fantasy RPGs?

 

[fastpunk]

Regardless of whether the 4e setting is idiotic or not (I don't know, haven't really read into it), I think exploring the ruins left by the Spellplague could be a pretty cool setting for a cRPG.

Indeed. Post-apoc fantasy sounds good to me. Plus, like inwoker said, Obsidian has the capacity to make some pretty cool stuff even from mediocre settings.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

D&D is over, make rpgs about something else

 

[Volourn]

D&D is never over. Definitely better than that overrated Tolkien shit. Yeah, yeah. I know D&D heavily 'borrows' from Tolkien. But, just the good parts mostly. And, it borrows from other sources too - other sources that Tolkien himself 'borrowed' from. L0L *merlin* L0L

And, FR is beyond awesome. Best fantasy setting ever. Sure beats that one dimensional dark sun. Oh wow. A huge desert. Big fuckin' deal. FR has those, anyways. R00fles!


"Obsidian have talent making good game from shit setting, see kotot2, motb."

L0L KOTOR2 L0L

MOTB is awesome; but it's based on an awesome setting and game.


"They have balls for non-fairy-tale-generic stuff"

L0LZ It was the definition of generic.



"good c&c already."

Only if your defintion of 'good C&C' is 'which b00bs am i gonna see'. L0LZ

Besides, it doesn't take balls to do good C&C - D&D geeks everywhere have been doing it for decades before CDProject even existed. L0LLIGAZ@


P.S. Earlier D&D editions were 'made for' turn based combat too yet they were successfully turned into real time or real time with pause combat. In fact, the absolute best D&D games are real time with pause. BG series, NWN series, and PST are prime examples. IWD1, and BGDA1 are also solid examples. Meanwhile, some of the shittiest D&D games have been turn based combat. *cough* POR2 *cough *half the various GB offspring game series too. *cough*

 

[inwoker]

Volourn I won't argue with you. You should read this and this before posting.

 

[doctor_kaz]

D&D might be generic but it is still an excellent framework for a video game, since it's still by far the best party-based RPG system out there. Especially when it comes to combat.

 

[hakuroshi]

I woild like to see if anyone can make a decent game from DnD4E, and Obsidian is better candidate then most. 4e may even work better in crpg then in pnp.

 

[serch]

P.S. Earlier D&D editions were 'made for' turn based combat too yet they were successfully turned into real time or real time with pause combat.

Yes, but don't you agree with me that the conversion will be more difficult with 4 ed?