Interview NWN2 Q&A at GameSpot

[Azarkon]

Anyway, it's an exciting thrill ride through the Forgotten Realms filled with mystery and intrigue. Sometimes the intrigue is even mysterious. However, those with weak hearts need not worry about the mystery being intriguing. Obsidian knows where to draw the line!

What the fuck does that mean?

Wordplay. I always liked Sawyer's writing.

Neverwinter Nights 2

The idea behind NWN has great potential from the perspective of modding. I hope it attains the same kind of community as NWN, which I guess would depend on having a solid SP game, toolset, and long-term support from Obsidian.

 

[Araanor]

It also isn't reassuring that they're patching the hell out of the original NWN code (which wasn't very good in the first place, given all the stupid mistakes in there like hard-coded spell advancement).

I'm pretty sure they've written most of it from scratch. Which doesn't necessarily mean it will be good, of course, but they haven't had to contend with most of the Bioware kludges.

NWN2 sounds like it might be worth a whirl, can't say the same for most other games out there these days.

 

[Claw]

What the fuck does that mean?

Seems pretty plain, really: Expect intrigue and mystery, but don't expect it to be intriguing.

 

[SanguinePenguin]

@SanguinePenguin. Sadly, easily done. Take the psionic handbook, give the bugbears levels of psychic warrior and the 'Skate' psionic power, and you've got fast bugbears on psychic skates.

That's horrifying and awesome at the same time.

 

[kingcomrade]

You know what, for some reason I have the psionic handbook. I've never played D&D in my life.

 

[HotSnack]

Ok I'll bite, what's the deal with deathclaws on skates? Is it some kind of in-joke to explain why they're so fast?

 

[Voss]

It also isn't reassuring that they're patching the hell out of the original NWN code (which wasn't very good in the first place, given all the stupid mistakes in there like hard-coded spell advancement).

I'm pretty sure they've written most of it from scratch. Which doesn't necessarily mean it will be good, of course, but they haven't had to contend with most of the Bioware kludges.

NWN2 sounds like it might be worth a whirl, can't say the same for most other games out there these days.

Read the interview. He says they're patching the original- tearing out the Aurora
renderers and installing the Electron ones


@Hotsnack- there is no deal about deathclaws on skates. Read.

 

[elander_]

Sounds like another craptastic Bioware plotline. Except it's Obsidian. It's a Nasher alright.

Will NWN2 feel like a bad Diablo clone line NWN did? I couldn't bear it.

I have some fate in sawyer and besides they are going to bring back team tuen-base combat, which makes this game almost as good as Fallout Tactics. There is a great and epic and compeling storyline the player HAS to follow and be the HERO of Neverwinter wether he likes it or not but we can be sure it will all be very epic and you will be able to save the lices of LOTS of young virgins, old ladies and children. The usual Bioware crap pile.

 

[Sammael]

Make note that Sawyer joined (and took over) the project at the moment where the story had been mostly finalized.

 

[Voss]

So his participation in a title is once again hollow and meaningless? You'd think he'd be sick of that by now. I guess he figures, hey, this one *can't* get cancelled.


elander- Is the player going to be saving the lice from the young virgins, or the virgins from the lice?

 

[FrancoTAU]

I appreciated his mockery of PR speak(which is just as annoying as l33t speak)

 

[Rhombus]

Lots to be excited about.

A sequel to the BEST GAME EVER tm?

Damn straight.

While I don't agree that it is the best game evah... it is the game I've played the most since it came out, due mostly to the awesome roleplaying-centered PW I play/dm on... which ofcourse wasn't made by Bioware, but without the game it wouldn't have happened...

I would have been stuck with WoW and other MMOs where Roleplaying is all but non-existant.. so I'm thankful they made it..

If NwN 2 has the same multiplayer/modding capabilities, but with updated graphics and updated rules and such.. There is lots to be excited about IMO.

 

[Twinfalls]

new interview here:

http://eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=63757

 

[whitemithrandir]

Lots to be excited about.

A sequel to the BEST GAME EVER tm?

Damn straight.

What? NWN 2 is actually STREET FIGHTER TURBO 2?

HOLY CRAP.

 

[Ellester]

Eh. Theres a lot that could be done with fairly standard D&D fantasy settings. The problem is, developers keep falling for 'da epic' storylines with huge cliches (like for some reason, the novice adventurer surviving attacks that kill almost everyone else) and gaping logical plot holes with bizarre villains that don't even fit in the setting.

Actually NWN2 is not a save the world from a big baddie, like every other game. Although you are a chosen one because you have a piece of sword imbedded in you, so that’s a cliché. Also the town repels the invaders. Your level 1 character is a bystander. Plus they said no one hugely important like Lord Nasher is going to ask you to save the town. You just figure stuff out as you go along. Obsidian is trying to take out the ridiculous you’re the guy to save our world even though you are level 1 cook, same old same old scenario.

I mean, come on. FR has a shitload of source material and villains, evil organization, etc. Theres no need for the 'da EVAL Shadow-dood' when a good plot involving Luskan/Orcish tribes/Zhentarim/any number of cults/a scheming dragon/etc expanding its interests in the face of Neverwinter being mauled by the prior storyline.

The story seems to revolve around the Githyanki more than Shadow Lord (or whoever he is).

 

[Drain]

new interview here:

http://eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=63757

Feargus Urquhart: ...... So, with that, we didn't want to lose more from the story side of things - that's one of the reasons we added the companions; to give the player more to do. One of the core things we tried to do was try to give more things for the player to do and be interested in rather than just go and kill something. How we've done it is via the companions, but we've also done it by... well, one of the things we tried to do is to make things about the player.

Eurogamer: Could you elaborate on that a little?

Feargus Urquhart: We often come up with these RPG stories, where there's a world where there's badness and you have to go and kill the bad-guy yourself. We don't really connect the player to it, other than "Oh - the world's going to die... so you better care about it." What we've tried to do is take the game in a direction where you understand how things affect your character.

Sounds great

 

[Voss]

Actually NWN2 is not a save the world from a big baddie, like every other game. Although you are a chosen one because you have a piece of sword imbedded in you, so that’s a cliché. Also the town repels the invaders. Your level 1 character is a bystander. Plus they said no one hugely important like Lord Nasher is going to ask you to save the town. You just figure stuff out as you go along. Obsidian is trying to take out the ridiculous you’re the guy to save our world even though you are level 1 cook, same old same old scenario.

I mean, come on. FR has a shitload of source material and villains, evil organization, etc. Theres no need for the 'da EVAL Shadow-dood' when a good plot involving Luskan/Orcish tribes/Zhentarim/any number of cults/a scheming dragon/etc expanding its interests in the face of Neverwinter being mauled by the prior storyline.

The story seems to revolve around the Githyanki more than Shadow Lord (or whoever he is).

Right, right. They're just mentioning this shadow guy for no apparent reason. He won't come up as a big part of the quest. Sure.

 

[Rhombus]

A Mystary maybe?.. though the intrigue wasn't suppose to be mysterious.. or how was it.. hm

... that's one of the reasons we added the companions; to give the player more to do. One of the core things we tried to do was try to give more things for the player to do and be interested in rather than just go and kill something. How we've done it is via the companions...

I love how he repeats himself...

Today's word: Companions.

 

[Volourn]

"Actually NWN2 is not a save the world from a big baddie, like every other game."

Yes, it is.

Also, they didn't add companions. They were in NWN1. They aren't new.

 

[Ellester]

Right, right. They're just mentioning this shadow guy for no apparent reason. He won't come up as a big part of the quest. Sure.

The Shadow guy is in a fight with the Githyanki, and then the Githyanki are supposed to be looking for you because of that said fight. No one has said the Shadow guy is looking for you. So, that’s all we know so far, unless you know something we haven’t been told.

"Actually NWN2 is not a save the world from a big baddie, like every other game."

Yes, it is.

No it's not.

From what we've seen so far it sounds more like save your own ass over save the world.

 

[Volourn]

Yeha, that must explain why you have to 'prove' yourself to the Nevewinter Lord. I'm sure the game will end up being save (or (help) conquer) the City of Neverwinter.

 

[kris]

Also, they didn't add companions. They were in NWN1. They aren't new.

Hopefully they made them more useful and engaging.

 

[Volourn]

SOU, and HOTU already did this.