Pavlos Posted May 28, 2007 Author Share Posted May 28, 2007 An interesting article over on Eurogamer. Of interest: death actually means something now - which is interesting. And Feargus likes to compare the expansion to Planescape: Torment. Tragically, this means that the game has already failed in the eyes of a thousand fans of that game. But if they do pull off a second Torment, I will be pleased . Not holding out for anything, mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Devon Posted May 28, 2007 Share Posted May 28, 2007 Huh, I'm a bit skeptical about the combat. the hardcore players will find some great combat challenges, but the more casual gamers won't be overwhelmed by the game's difficulty. Overall, our goal is simply to ensure that everyone can have fun with the game. I'll be surprised if they can balance that out. You can't really make the game easy for new players and hard for veteran ones at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoffe Posted May 28, 2007 Share Posted May 28, 2007 Huh, I'm a bit skeptical about the combat. I'll be surprised if they can balance that out. You can't really make the game easy for new players and hard for veteran ones at the same time. Difficulty slider in the game options? They've had that for many games, which can make combat more difficult by giving enemies unfair advantages or more sophisticated AI. Combat is probably the part of the game that is easiest to adjust the challenge level of, by just making enemies tougher, smarter and more dangerous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Devon Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 Not with NWN2. That spells harm you and your companions in the higher difficulty options frustrated me too much to use them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoffe Posted May 29, 2007 Share Posted May 29, 2007 Not with NWN2. That spells harm you and your companions in the higher difficulty options frustrated me too much to use them. Sounds like increased combat challenge to me. He didn't specify what form the challenge would take. Perhaps they'll implement it properly this time though so some spells don't turn into suicide abilities no matter how you used them. Self-harmful spells if done right are not necessarily a bad thing. In the Baldur's Gate series of games you and your party took damage from your own indiscriminant AoE spells as well, requiring mages to be deployed carefully and use the proper protections. Some AoE spells would only harm hostiles. This was an important factor to keep in mind when planning battle tactics. In general combat was harder, more tactical and less straightforward in those older games. Perhaps they plan to reintroduce some of those elements, what with all the talk of being spiritual successor to older games? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavlos Posted June 1, 2007 Author Share Posted June 1, 2007 *Bounces* New screen shots. It appears that we finally have ripples when we move across water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChAiNz.2da Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 *Bounces* New screen shots. It appears that we finally have ripples when we move across water. Dude! The Shambling Mound was enuff to get me giddy all over again. I may just have to give NWN2 a second chance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Devon Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 Self-harmful spells if done right are not necessarily a bad thing. .{snip} Perhaps they plan to reintroduce some of those elements, what with all the talk of being spiritual successor to older games? I hope so. The spells have pretty big areas of affect (hard to steer your party members out of), or worse yet ones like Fireburst or Meteor Swarm that will always damage your PC. Would be fun to have a somewhat easy to deal with friendly fire with spells. I'd rather have more advanced AI/special abilities, tho. Enemy spellcasters casting Dispel Magic on you or buffs on their companions, using Disintegrate on party members with -9 HP (when they hit -10 they should stay dead, darn it ), that sort of thing. Enemy spellcasters could be quite a challenge if they had good enough AI. (Especially when coupled with Resurrection/Raise Dead only working on intact bodies) Thanks for the screen links, Pavlos! (Obsidian's done a very good job on that Shambling Mound) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoffe Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 I hope so. The spells have pretty big areas of affect (hard to steer your party members out of), or worse yet ones like Fireburst or Meteor Swarm that will always damage your PC. Would be fun to have a somewhat easy to deal with friendly fire with spells. In the older games is was a bit easier to keep a larger party under control since you didn't steer one particular character and had an AI make the others tag along. You would select one or several party members and then give them orders, moving them along more like units in a RTS than a PC in a FPS like in later games. Thus it was easier to deploy your party in formations and set positions for ambushes and AoE spell usage. Spells like Fireburst etc are just bugged in NWN2 though, they should never harm the caster. (And neither should Firebrand and Missile storm, though since those are Bioware creations and not standard D&D spells they have some more freedom there ) I'd rather have more advanced AI/special abilities, tho. Enemy spellcasters casting Dispel Magic on you or buffs on their companions, using Disintegrate on party members with -9 HP (when they hit -10 they should stay dead, darn it ), that sort of thing. Part of the problem, I think, is that the AI in the NWN games is meant to be fully generic, "one size fits all" for use with all NPCs/monsters in the game. So it comes into the Jack of all Trades, Master of none category, where the AI is half-arsed at a lot of things but not really impressive in any regard. In games like BG2 there was no singular creature AI, but rather a bunch of different AI scripts for different types and difficulties of characters. While the Infinity engine scripting language was extremely simplistic compared to NWScript this still made the NPCs feel more aggressive and acting somewhat as a character of this class should (even though NPC behavior became fairly predictable if you replayed the game a few times). I can understand why they went with a unified AI: makes things easier for modders and makes it much quicker to add new hostiles to the game. Still, the standard AI leaves a lot to be desired, both in NWN1 and NWN2, in terms of situational awareness, assumed knowledge and learning from mistakes (a high Lore wizard would not cast mind affecting spells on undead for example, nor would anyone with decent intelligence score cast fireball on a fire elemental). I would guess that is a time factor responsible for that, since even I could rewrite the NWN1 AI over a few month's time to behave somewhat intelligently in most situations in the end. I hope they will at least give major boss characters their own unique AI adapted to the situation in NWN2:XP1 (Casting disintegrate on someone below 0 HP would be quite a waste though, since they're already out of the fight and rapidly on their way to dying (-10 HP) if they haven't been stabilized. You could coup de grace them with a rusty butter knife to kill them, pretty much. ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavlos Posted June 8, 2007 Author Share Posted June 8, 2007 More news! Of interest: FiringSquad: What are the development team's favorite new monsters in Mask of the Betrayer? Kevin Saunders: This isn't a new creature, but everyone loves the chicken's new flying kick attack that animator Andrea Bobick created. Why would a chicken need to be able to do a flying kick, you ask? You'll see... =) FiringSquad: What is the current status of the expansion's progress and when will it be released? Kevin Saunders: We just achieved a full progression of the game. From here on in, it's all about polishing. Atari has announced a release date of Fall, 2007. Interestingly, it seems Obsidian has finally found itself able to set realistic design targets - which gives me hope. Edit: Oh and according to Jeff Husges we will have horses but no mounts (I don't think they work well in a game like NWN2 where the areas are so small, anyway). "In. Not as mounts, though." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavlos Posted June 25, 2007 Author Share Posted June 25, 2007 Images! The concept work looks nice... as does the actual game. Either they've done several engine upgrades yet to be released in patches or they've learnt how to use their own toolset effectively . I do hope this doesn't count as a double post... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aash Li Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 Someone make/alter me a Drow model that isnt flat-chested and hasnt been beaten with an ugly-stick! Please! >_> Thanks. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavlos Posted July 6, 2007 Author Share Posted July 6, 2007 This may be interesting to you guys. Of note: You can bend thousands of tormented souls to your will, forcing them to serve you. You can play King of the Hill with frost giants. You can trick a wizard into the clutches of a harvester devil. Yay for insanity, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arátoeldar Posted July 6, 2007 Share Posted July 6, 2007 The two biggest things I like about this expansion pack are: 1) Josh Sawyer is the lead designer from the start. 2) They are finally moving away from the Sword Coast of Toril. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killwithhonor Posted July 7, 2007 Share Posted July 7, 2007 Ahh man, i shouldnt have uninstalled the game so early, i beat the game 3 times with 3 different characters and now they are all gone, if i knew you could use existing characters in this new expansion i would have kept em.. o well, but it looks promising, i can't wait for it and The Sword Coast was boringggggggg, it was basically the same everywhere you went, vender wise and i wish there were more sidequests Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavlos Posted July 13, 2007 Author Share Posted July 13, 2007 A video! Anyway, looks interesting - or at least cool. And do my eyes deceive me or do they now tell you what your influence shifts are when you're in a cinematic conversation? The tilesets also appear to have been updated - the windows in the castle tileset, the crack in the cave that acts as a door (instead of that ridiculous door we have at the moment). Edit: And... an article. Edit to the edit: And new pictures. Goodness... it's like Christmas for NWN2 players . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aash Li Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Ooooooooooooooooooh!!! That looks awesome! I cant wait to get it! ^_^ So want to see what female Genasi look like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChAiNz.2da Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 indeed.. the preview looks great!! .. but man, I totally forgot just how bad Feargus is at handling demos. He almost made it unbearable to watch hehehe... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killwithhonor Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 O looks great! I can't wait for it, makes me wanna replay it again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavlos Posted July 13, 2007 Author Share Posted July 13, 2007 indeed.. the preview looks great!! .. but man, I totally forgot just how bad Feargus is at handling demos. He almost made it unbearable to watch hehehe... I know... I respect him because of his illustrious career but he seems a little... excitable . Edit: Ooooooooooooooooooh!!! That looks awesome! I cant wait to get it! ^_^ So want to see what female Genasi look like. There's a picture on IGN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Devon Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Oooh, very, very, nice! They're as tantalizingly vague as ever about the plot, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavlos Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 Nothing really new but still interesting. A new video - and the same one but in HD. I have to say that the area design has definitely been improved since the original game - the areas really are looking nice. I was pleased to hear that rather than focusing time and energy on introducing new graphical features to the engine, they looked at what they had already, optimised it and looked at how to better use it. I think the key example, as Nathaniel Chapman said, of this in the video is the fire genasi's hair - which looks amazingly cool . I was worried that the game may be focussing far too much on combat and not enough on roleplaying, character interaction, and questing when I saw that video but some forum posts on the BioBoards helped to still my mind. I was specifically avoiding the quests in that [snowy] area, but that is actually one of the most content rich areas in the game. There is [strong roleplaying]. It's very good, IMO. Seeing as how Sawyer seems to be famous for speaking his mind - as he did in that very candid interview about NWN2 - I don't have much reason to doubt him... at least, I hope I don't. Edit: Also, sounds like new music was used in those areas - hopefully we can finally get away from the curse of the reasonably awful NWN1 OC music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavlos Posted July 31, 2007 Author Share Posted July 31, 2007 We seem to have a website, now. What fun. Edit: And a "factsheet": Platform: Windows Release Date: Autumn 2007 Developer: Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. Publisher: Atari Category: Role Playing Game PEGI Rating: 12+ PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Following the climactic battle against the King of Shadows, you awaken alone and stranded deep beneath the earth. A dark hunger grows within you, threatening to devour your very soul. Will you fight against the hunger within or will you embrace it, revelling in your newfound power? Set in harsh, spirit-rich Rashemen, near the powerful nation of Thay, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer presents players with an exciting new 20-30+ hour campaign filled with meaningful choices, rich characters, and surprising outcomes. Continue the adventure of your Neverwinter Nights 2 character or create a completely new epic hero – no previous Neverwinter Nights experience required. Hundreds of new gameplay options include epic levels; feats, spells, races, and classes; powerful weapons, armour, and crafting options; and hordes of diverse creatures. PRODUCT FEATURES: • Major improvements to the Neverwinter Nights franchise: enhanced graphics, including extensive use of specularity, environment effects, and normal maps; improved performance; streamlined party control; and an easier to use and more powerful toolset. Experience Neverwinter Nights 2 at its best. • Epic storyline provides the most riveting RPG experience since Planescape: Torment, with the compelling characters and plotlines for which Obsidian Entertainment is renowned. Play the official campaign either alone or online with your friends. • Stunning new environments include the Astral Plane, sunken Imaskari ruins, a Thayan wizard academy, and the Shadow Plane. Immerse yourself in the Forgotten Realms as you’ve never seen it before. • Explore an amazingly reactive world, where your decisions affect those around you and the passage of time realistically impacts gameplay. • Switch seamlessly between exploration and tactical combat with the immersive, over the shoulder view of Character Mode and the top down perspective of Strategy Mode with its RTS-like controls. • Combat and negotiate with dozens of new creatures including many D&D favourites such as blue dragons, treants, hags, solars, and the two-headed fell troll. • Choose from over 20 classic and exotic D&D races, including the new genasi: planetouched humanoids hailing from the elemental planes of air, earth, fire, or water. • Customize your character with over 60 epic feats including the monk’s Blazing Aura, the rogue’s Epic Precision, and the druid’s Dragon Shape. • Master more than 50 new spells, including epic spells such as mass fowl, damnation, and vampiric feast. • Play new D&D classes such as the Red Wizard of Thay, spirit shaman, and invisible blade. • Collect souls from defeated foes to create mighty artefacts using an expanded item enchantment system. • Create your own D&D adventures to play with friends online with enhanced modding tools. I must say that "Epic storyline provides the most riveting RPG experience since Planescape: Torment" is one hell of a boast. I'm not sure if it's wise to be this confident. But if it really is anywhere near as good as Torment... (don't really need to finish that sentence, do I?) Edit to the edit: Oh and the mention of the Astral plane makes me think that our little... bicker with the githyanki is far from over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChAiNz.2da Posted July 31, 2007 Share Posted July 31, 2007 Collect souls from defeated foes to create mighty artefacts using an expanded item enchantment system. That sounds... 'Oblivion-ish'... I don't recall this type of system introduced into AD&D (unless it's been recent). Although as intrigued as I am about it... I really hope they're not just adding stuff into the game for giggles or sounds like a kewl idea... Does anyone know if there is in-fact an enchantment system (souls) for this in AD&D? It'd set my mind at ease rather than accuse Obsidian of copping off an idea from another franchise that is completely unrelated in gameworld theology. Last I remembered, artifacts were "the stuff" in an AD&D campaign.. not something you could just piece together on a bench... Don't get me wrong, I think it sounds fun as heck, and I'll probably be getting the expansion no matter the case.. , I just don't fancy the idea of a major shift like this in AD&D mechanics (can you tell I'm still a hardcore 2.0 reveler and about died when I saw 3.5 rules.. hehehe) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavlos Posted July 31, 2007 Author Share Posted July 31, 2007 I don't recall this type of system introduced into AD&D (unless it's been recent). Although as intrigued as I am about it... I really hope they're not just adding stuff into the game for giggles or sounds like a kewl idea... It's linked to the plot - the shard from the sword of Gith has been ripped from your chest and in its place is a longing hunger. Good designers would tie the mechanics of eating souls to moral themes and agony within the story. So, not just a rip off (I hope). Although, the idea of absorbing souls is hardly a new idea, or one exclusive to Oblivion/NWN2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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