Interview Feargus talks to IGN about Mask of the Betrayer

[aboyd]

Speaking of NWN2, anybody know what the "good" mods for it are so far? Preferably one with less emphasis on combat.

I like the xUI mod, here:

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Nw ... tail&id=29

I also like Even's AI mod -- it makes companions and enemies much smarter. The problem is that it hasn't been updated since 1.04, I think. And it is incompatible with 1.06. Happily, I have not bothered with 1.06 yet.

Unfortunately, neither of those de-emphasize combat.

 

[bryce77]

 

[bryce77]

Speaking of NWN2, anybody know what the "good" mods for it are so far? Preferably one with less emphasis on combat.

I like the xUI mod, here:

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Nw ... tail&id=29

I also like Even's AI mod -- it makes companions and enemies much smarter. The problem is that it hasn't been updated since 1.04, I think. And it is incompatible with 1.06. Happily, I have not bothered with 1.06 yet.

Unfortunately, neither of those de-emphasize combat.

Tony K's companion and monster A.I. has officially taken over where even's work left off. Tony's mod is up to 1.2, it's fully compatible with patch 1.6 (a must-have patch if you're seriously playing the OC), and it features the most advanced A.I. for NWN2 yet. That, and the "limited resting" mod are the 2 most essential OC-enhancing mods. And yeah, I also love XiDragon's xUI, it's simply perfect.

 

[Volourn]

"Compare this expansion to SoU or HotU of NWN 1. From features we not only get new prestige classes but also a new base class and races. Also I have reason to believe that the campaign wont be a Diablo wannabee. We have new companions and their influence, new moral choises etc.

Obsidian wins. Bioware loses. Except if Bioware would be doing this everyone and their grandma would be covering it. It really frustrates me."

Yeha. Thanks tot he fact most of the hard coding of the engine was done by BIO hence why they cna have so many new PRC at relatively cheap prices.

Amd, the expansion has alreayd been promised to have promised to have LOTS OF COMBAT, multiple artifacts, and other ph@t lewt.

Take your whining about BIO's suiccess, and Obsidian trying to live off BIO's sloppy seconds and whine some more as it's hialrious.

Then again, you are the one who brags about skill checks that don' relaly do anything, and the repeitive dialogue found in NWN2 OC so can't expect any more from you.

L0LLIGAGZ!
_________________

 

[Jaime Lannister]

Obsidian's not better than Bioware yet. Once they make an original game, they'll have a chance to prove themselves. NWN2 and KOTOR2 are Bioware-like because they are made for Bioware fans.

On a completely different note, is Obsidian mostly Icewind Dale guys or Troika guys? Because the former would explain a lot.

 

[Ladonna]

On a completely different note, is Obsidian mostly Icewind Dale guys or Troika guys? Because the former would explain a lot.

Icewind dale/Planescape/Fallout 2 guys.

Someone here mentioned the fact that the mechanics of NWN/2 are subpar in comparison to BG. Thats what pissed me off when I played NWN the first time. 1 'Henchman' (Fuck I hate that term), and the loss of so many different mechanics just for a face overhaul.

Then they throw out biggies in NWN2 like 'OMG! You can have three characters in your team!!!'

The wheel has to be completely reinvented everytime they make a new graphical facelift, and of course the reintroduction of things that we already had years ago is hyped in later versions....

 

[aries202]

Yes, the wheel has to be invented (again) simply because it is much harder, I think?, to do companions (henchmen) correctly in a 3D environment instead of a 2D environment.

For the henchmen in NWN2, there also (was) and is an AI mod out...

 

[onemananadhisdroid]

the loss of so many different mechanics just for a face overhaul.

Any source to back that up or is it something someone on the almighty interweb assumes out of the blue again to make whatever case be heard? As far as I know, the goal was to bring a more pen&paper-like experience to your PC (i.e. to keep and emulate all the trappings that come with that, for better and/or worse if you will), in which each player gets to play just one character at a time. Ye, ye, I know that somebody's already itching to point out how pen&paper D&D happens in true turn-based environments etc.yaddayadda, and speaking of which, why didn't the game ship with a bloody D20? :wink:

Not that I find fighting in NWN to be an exceptionally thrilling experience, just saying.

 

[Ladonna]

Since I am talking from a single player game perspective, playing alone actually is crap compared to a fleshed out party. I was used to those from BG1 and 2 see? So no assumptions out of the blue.

Then again, perhaps you haven't been around long enough, and played enough RPG's to know what I am talking about onemananadhisdroid? This happened to a degree back in the early to mid nineties as well, when graphics updates happened at a furious pace while the gameplay of RPG's went to shit, at least until 97.

So you might say my source is....me! :wink:

Yes, the wheel has to be invented (again) simply because it is much harder, I think?, to do companions (henchmen) correctly in a 3D environment instead of a 2D environment.

For the henchmen in NWN2, there also (was) and is an AI mod out...

Aries really...

So every developer that craps on about it being 'Easier to work in 3D' is full of shit? I honestly couldn't care less what the reason is, it just IS. If the newer model of a car had various things missing, but had a shinier paint job, people would complain about it, and so I am.

Also, mods are nice and all, but they are starting to enter into the development stage. Everywhere I go on the internet, as soon as someone bitches about a game its 'Oh There will be a mod to fix it!'. Thats fair enough if the aspect in question is a personal wish of a gamer somewhere, but when its basic mechanics that its preceding games included, its a bit rich don't you think?

 

[OSK]

Yes, the wheel has to be invented (again) simply because it is much harder, I think?, to do companions (henchmen) correctly in a 3D environment instead of a 2D environment.

3D environment? The characters are still moving about on a 2D plane. There's no Z-axis movement in NWN games. It's either laziness or they spend too much time on teh grafix.

 

[Psilon]

Yes, the wheel has to be invented (again) simply because it is much harder, I think?, to do companions (henchmen) correctly in a 3D environment instead of a 2D environment.

WHAT? That is an utterly, utterly nonsensical position to take. Yes, pathfinding's harder in 3D, but you're already doing it, and doing it for at least one player character and a horde of wererat thieves. Graphics? Everything's already been modeled, by and large. Interface? Same as in 2D.

 

[Volourn]

"On a completely different note, is Obsidian mostly Icewind Dale guys or Troika guys? Because the former would explain a lot."

Neither. They have over 100 employees, and most of them didnt work for either BIS (IWD) or Troika. Lots of people are too stupid to figure that out epsite being told a billion times.

Anyways, NWN series has way better mechanics than the BG series.

NWN > BG

Period.

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

Neither. They have over 100 employees, and most of them didnt work for either BIS (IWD) or Troika. Lots of people are too stupid to figure that out epsite being told a billion times.

But they do have a heavy Black Isle influence seeing as Avellone, Sawyer, and crew are over there.

Anyways, NWN series has way better mechanics than the BG series.

In terms of overall combat....I might agree to a degree. But in terms of quest design, characters, and writing...no way.

NWN != BG

Period.

Fixed.

 

[Ryuken]

Anyways, NWN series has way better mechanics than the BG series.

NWN > BG

No.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

Anyways, NWN series has way better mechanics than the BG series.

NWN > BG

No.

Yes.

I agree with Volourn, NWN with both expansions and the best user-created modules kicks BG's ass any day.

 

[Jora]

But they do have a heavy Black Isle influence seeing as Avellone, Sawyer, and crew are over there.

They also have Chris Jones (who worked on Arcanum) as one of the founding members as well as a guy who wrote dialogues for Bloodlines (see the recent interview by VD)

 

[onemananadhisdroid]

Then again, perhaps you haven't been around long enough, and played enough RPG's to know what I am talking about onemananadhisdroid? This happened to a degree back in the early to mid nineties as well, when graphics updates happened at a furious pace while the gameplay of RPG's went to shit, at least until 97.

So you might say my source is....me! :wink:

'S okay, I'm fairly old actually (http://www.mobygames.com/game/legend-of-faerghail). :D I was merely questioning your assessment that turning down anything remotedly party based, or control over supporting characters had something to do with the move to different technology at all. Something you appear to have presented as a given fact, and that's it.

I agree with Volourn, NWN with both expansions and the best user-created modules kicks BG's ass any day.

Speaking of which, any recommendations that work *without* the expansions? Yes, both of them? I've already played Dreamcatcher/Lord Of Blight and the likes eons ago, but maybe there's something else? Thing is, recently I tried the Lonewolf series, but contrary to what NWN Vault says, I was prompted to install the Shadows.. exp pack.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

Then again, perhaps you haven't been around long enough, and played enough RPG's to know what I am talking about onemananadhisdroid? This happened to a degree back in the early to mid nineties as well, when graphics updates happened at a furious pace while the gameplay of RPG's went to shit, at least until 97.

So you might say my source is....me! :wink:

'S okay, I'm fairly old actually (http://www.mobygames.com/game/legend-of-faerghail). :D I was merely questioning your assessment that turning down anything remotedly party based, or control over supporting characters had something to do with the move to different technology at all. Something you appear to have presented as a given fact, and that's it.

I agree with Volourn, NWN with both expansions and the best user-created modules kicks BG's ass any day.

Speaking of which, any recommendations that work *without* the expansions? Yes, both of them? I've already played Dreamcatcher/Lord Of Blight and the likes eons ago, but maybe there's something else? Thing is, recently I tried the Lonewolf series, but contrary to what NWN Vault says, I was prompted to install the Shadows.. exp pack.

I believe NW Vault has a search option that lets you choose vanilla NWN when looking for modules. Though if it lies as you say, then you're rather stuck.

It's worth spending 20 euros or less on getting the double super platinum edition or whatever they call it now. The expansions improve the UI, fix some annoying issues (like the camera) and step up the KEWL GRAPHIX!!!111

 

[Killzig]

those screenshots Bryce posted look like a giant Donnie Darko reference.

The psychedelic furs are pretty good though.

 

[Volourn]

"But they do have a heavy Black Isle influence seeing as Avellone, Sawyer, and crew are over there."

They still make up a small percentage of Obsidian employees. This is undisputable. Theya re not the majority. The only argument that can be is that old BIS veterans tend tohold senior positions hence have more influence in what kind of games are made. Still a minority, though, and the bigger the get the less influence they have.


"In terms of overall combat....I might agree to a degree. But in terms of quest design, characters, and writing...no way."

NWN > BG

 

[OccupatedVoid]

Obsidian trying to live off BIO's sloppy seconds

QFT.

 

[bryce77]

More like improving Bioware's past games. Both KOTOR2 and NWN2 are immensely superior to their previous incarnations. Well, NWN2 more so than KOTOR2, since KOTOR1 was a pretty good game.

ALIENS > SONIC

 

[Volourn]

"More like improving Bioware's past games. Both KOTOR2 and NWN2 are immensely superior to their previous incarnations."

You must really like that delusional juice you are drinking.

 

[bryce77]

You should know, it's the same one you drink.

 

[Relayer71]

More like improving Bioware's past games. Both KOTOR2 and NWN2 are immensely superior to their previous incarnations. Well, NWN2 more so than KOTOR2, since KOTOR1 was a pretty good game.

I agree. And on NWN I'm basing my opinion on the single player OC.

NWN's OC almost put me in a coma, it was that boring. NWN 2 is much better. It isn't magnificent by any stretch but it sure beats NWN by a whole lot in terms of story/writing/NPCs.

NWN 2's graphics were also a huge improvement and I even prefer the UI over NWN's once I got used to it.

As for KOTOR 2, the writing was a big improvement over the first even though the first was actually pretty good.

Still, I wouldn't say either is putting out quality RPGs these days. But Obsidian is definitely showing more potential... I have a feeling the NWN 2 expansion will not be breaking any new ground but will be very enjoyable nonetheless, as far as expansion packs go.