Interview NWN Premium Module: Pirates of the Sword Coast Interview

[Sol Invictus]

Tags: BioWare; Neverwinter Nights

<a href=http://nwvault.ign.com>NWVault</a> has set up a short <a href=http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Interviews.Detail&id=1>interview</a> with BioWare's Rob Bartel on the subject of their newly announced NWN premium module, Pirates of the Sword Coast, as the title above clearly shows. Here's a snippet from the aforementioned interview:
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<blockquote>4) What will be its main features? Will there be voice overs? Any custom content?
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[Rob Bartel] The extensive new art content is definitely going to steal the limelight this time around as there's literally scads and scads of it. The new module will, as with our previous Premium Neverwinter Nights Modules, contain professional voice-over. Another important feature to mention is that this module is being designed and tested to be multiplayer friendly, something that we hadn't been able to effectively support with our previous premium modules.</blockquote>
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Scads. On another note, Deadwood is the best show on cable television. God bless HBO for ordering a third season.

 

[Volourn]

Supposedly, unlike the other Premium modules, this one could well be over 10 hours. It's too bad I don't waste money over the internet. Ha.

As a side, note, patch 1.66 came out as well. Coincidence? I think not. :D

 

[Ellester]

Surprise Volourn is the first to post on a bio related article

But I’m with him. I won’t play it. Not because I don’t waste money on the Internet, but why waste the money on a mod when there are a hundred free ones out there.

 

[Baley]

Meh,I can't buy 'em so I don't care...

I'd rather play the free ones anyway....

 

[Volourn]

"but why waste the money on a mod when there are a hundred free ones out there"

Done by profesisonals. Instead of some amatuer modmaker like me; it's the real deal doing it. Also, IU'd would rather have a professional making graphical additions to the game like new monster models, portraits, or even things like music and the like then someone doing it for free...

 

[Ellester]

"but why waste the money on a mod when there are a hundred free ones out there"

Done by profesisonals. Instead of some amatuer modmaker like me; it's the real deal doing it. Also, IU'd would rather have a professional making graphical additions to the game like new monster models, portraits, or even things like music and the like then someone doing it for free...

For me it’s still not a good enough incentive. I guess if I were really into the game I would probably do it. But as it stands there is no reason to spend any more money on NWN. I’ll just play a free mod if I want to play again (which I haven’t played in a year).

 

[LlamaGod]

Exitium sucks at news.

 

[Vykromond]

Dunno, this one is definitely a news post- Oblivion interviews and stuff are always put on the Codex news too. Rolleyes at the ATI drivers, though.

 

[Sol Invictus]

The driver one was a news post, too. In case you forgot, the drivers are new.

 

[Sarvis]

"but why waste the money on a mod when there are a hundred free ones out there"

Done by profesisonals. Instead of some amatuer modmaker like me; it's the real deal doing it. Also, IU'd would rather have a professional making graphical additions to the game like new monster models, portraits, or even things like music and the like then someone doing it for free...

Well... sort of. Some of the people making these mods WERE the amateurs who made the free ones. Not Rob, obviously, but Stefan Gagne is working on a premium module and I think a couple others are. Some people even got hired by Bioware...

So essentially you've got the same people making them, but making money on it now.

Of course I'm fine with that, since Stefan's modules rocked hardcore and he deserves it.

 

[Volourn]

"Well... sort of. Some of the people making these mods WERE the amateurs who made the free ones. Not Rob, obviously, but Stefan Gagne is working on a premium module and I think a couple others are. Some people even got hired by Bioware..."

Yeah; but as good as Gagne may be; there's a difference betwene him making mods on his spare time, and making them for a company like BIO. The good points is that he has access to their QA, programming people, and everything. The bad points (for him) is that he likely has a due date, and has to kiss ass. <>

 

[Major_Blackhart]

I was kinda disappointed with deadwood to be honest. I thought it was gonna be about Wild Bill Hickock, but he died pretty early on. Havent really watched it that much.

 

[NeutralMilkHotel]

I was disapointed with season 2's writing turning too shakespearian, but it was still good. And The Daily Show is the best show on cable. Easily.

 

[Drakron]

Volourn have a point, of course there was that Firekeep plugin by Bethsoft for MW that was pretty bad designed ... so bad that many of us had to clean it so it would not conflict with mods we were using.

Of course it was free so we could not expect much ...

 

[Killzig]

season 2 was mostly written by women, I think that explains everything that went wrong this past season. The finale was pretty good though and the women folk did a reasonable enough job of tying things up but still leaving enough to interest me next season.

 

[Shagnak]

Has any codexer actually played one of the premium modules?
How do they compare to the good 'amateur' ones?

I haven't bought any premium ones because I can play the likes of Dreamcatcher etc and see that they are not too far off the mark when compared to the official add-ons (and certainly better than the OC). I know no-one in RL who has downloaded the premium ones yet, and I have a lot of friends who play NWN.

 

[Sarvis]

Has any codexer actually played one of the premium modules?
How do they compare to the good 'amateur' ones?

I haven't bought any premium ones because I can play the likes of Dreamcatcher etc and see that they are not too far off the mark when compared to the official add-ons (and certainly better than the OC). I know no-one in RL who has downloaded the premium ones yet, and I have a lot of friends who play NWN.

I have. I liked them both better than Dreamcatcher, but I never thought Dreamcatcher was all that great anyway. I still prefer the Elegia Eternum mods to the premium ones, but the premium ones were good too.

I'd say the premium modules are better than all but the very best player made modules. Kingmaker is probably more towards the Codex tastes, while I enjoyed Shadowguard more.

 

[Shagnak]

I liked the Adam Miller (?) ones quite a bit. Except Demon, which I haven't played.
I was impressed with the shear amount of 'new stuff' he hacked in. Like that part where you ride a dragon and burn down pirate ships n stuff. Was hardly expecting an 'amateur' module to go to those sorts of coding lengths! They all seemed to work well with LAN-based multi-player as well (my main enjoyment of NWN).

Haven't played the EE ones though.....must check them out.

 

[Sarvis]

I liked the Adam Miller (?) ones quite a bit. Except Demon, which I haven't played.
I was impressed with the shear amount of 'new stuff' he hacked in. Like that part where you ride a dragon and burn down pirate ships n stuff. Was hardly expecting an 'amateur' module to go to those sorts of coding lengths! They all seemed to work well with LAN-based multi-player as well (my main enjoyment of NWN).

Haven't played the EE ones though.....must check them out.

Granted the Dreamcatcher modules were very Technically Profficient... but I just didn't enjoy them. It seemed to simple and linear, and eventually I found the only thing keeping me going was the henchman romance. The one with the dragon was definately the best though. Going through that dungeon stripped of all your gear was definately cool...

 

[Volourn]

Short Feature List: http://nwn.bioware.com/premium/module_pirates.html


Mmmm... sharks... mmm

 

[Shagnak]

Im a sucker for games with underwater bits in it. Especially the bits in Wiz8 and W&W.

I seem to remember another NWN module with underwater stuff in it.
One of the Adam Miller ones perhaps?

 

[Sarvis]

Im a sucker for games with underwater bits in it. Especially the bits in Wiz8 and W&W.

I seem to remember another NWN module with underwater stuff in it.
One of the Adam Miller ones perhaps?

Yeah, one of the Dreamcatchers. Not sure which...

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

How does that work in Neverwinter, anyway? Underwater, I mean... As if it were really underwater or not quite there yet?

 

[Sarvis]

How does that work in Neverwinter, anyway? Underwater, I mean... As if it were really underwater or not quite there yet?

Just like on land. You walk around in pseudo-3d, but everything is bluish tinted.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Hmm... I was hoping for some slowdown of sorts, and air bubbles during dialogue and all :razz: