Neverwinter Nights 2 Forum News (Mar. 09, 06)

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Here are today's Neverwinter Nights 2 forum highlights, collected by NWVault. Please take into account that these are only single parts of various threads and should not be taken out of context. Bear in mind also that the posts presented here are copied as-is, and that any bad spelling and grammar does not get corrected on our end.

Brian D. Lawson, Programmer

Improved Aurora in NWN2?

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Can all of these be changed by using scripting too, or are some of the effects only to be added/modified while in the editor? Could we for example change the density of the clouds during gameplay(and it happen gradually, instead of a flash)?

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We had hoped to get that in so that they could be dynamically set via script. However, for now I believe they will only be accessible in the toolset. But, that still gives the mod builder essentially and infinite amount of variety when it comes to building the envisioned level/world.

More: I'm not sure what the status is on stuff like that. In my last few posts, I was specifically talking about the exposed parameters for the day/night cycle and only the day/night cycle. See previous post for an abbreviated list of what some of those parameters are.

View distance?

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If it was to get really advanced, making a simple 3d 'world area' with mountains and such, and using this huge scenery as a background beyond the 'active' area would be super-cool.

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That's what's being done. It gives quite a nice sense of "vastness" and "distance".

More: What you've both said is close to being spot on. There will be a border region that will be non-walkable. However you'll still be able to place regular objects out there. Beyond that you'll also be able to place "horizon" objects/geometry that will work like the skydome does and move with the camera. Those are the objects that will provide the perpetual sense of "distance". You know, objects that are so far off in the distance...no matter how long or far you travel, they never seem to come any closer.

Trust me, I've seen it in action in our game and the combination of those two things is wonderful in terms of providing a sense of vastness!

Ferret Baudoin, Lead Designer

Plea for civil conversation.
It's certainly possible for folks to express negative opinions in a non-hostile or inflammatory manner. And things like that aren't a problem and can be constructive. I like Georg's dinner party analogy - everyone's welcome to partake in the cupcakes and finger food, but please don't kick the host in the shins or pull other people's hair. I'd have to check with Miss Manners, but I don't think that's civilized behavior.

Shane K. DeFreest, NWN2 Community Manager

New Moderator
I was going to post this with this weeks Update but as that's going to be a bit late I'll just post it now. I'd like to formally welcome Selene Moonsong as a moderator on these forums.

She's shown to be fair, friendly, level headed, and impartial. She will assist Vulcano in his duties on these boards. We will have a second moderator announced soon.

Welcome aboard Selene!

Plea for civil conversation.
First off I just want to say this is a great thread and I hope that the positive information and communication continues to bleed over into the future. There is very little I think I can add to this discussion that has not already said. Our friends at Bioware have done a great job of clarifying most things that I would go over.

The only thing I will add that seems to continue to be unclear is that we do not want to stifle peoples constructive criticism or diversified opinions. When I say the development team wants positive feedback Im not saying we want a legion of "yes men" telling us how great we are. What we want is to hear what you have to say in a in a constructive way. If you want to get technical, game testers are the ultimate example of constructive criticism. Criticism done in a tactful and professional manner is very much appreciated. Its the most useful to us.

People ultimately want to have their voices heard and I can tell you in no certain terms that if you keep your feedback regardless what it is presented in such a way that's is positive in tone it will be read and taken seriously.

The same can be said about having a healthy debate in the community. Keep it clean, on topic and impersonal and everyone benefits from it. Because regardless how right yo might be on any given topic technically when it ends with "your lazy, stupid, just plain wrong, etc" Your whole point just got disregarded and made the discussion inhospitable to everyone involved in the process.

We know there is a shortage of information, screens, etc. Trust me when I say it will get better. These guys are really working hard to get the game done and get it done well. Their time of late for anything but work is limited. No one feels that more than I do.

Lastly, and this may seem like I'm playing the part of the company man, but this is not me pandering whatsoever. This is one of the rare times I will inject my personal opinion into a discussion. The guys at Obsidian are putting a tremendous amount of dedication, effort and pride into this project. There are many great things I could say about this developer but the first on my list is they make games for the right reasons. In my book the "right" reason to be making games (or any form of entertainment)is because you have a sincere and heartfelt love of what you choose to work on.

Obsidian has that passion in spades.

Thanks for your support!

[ March 13, 2006, 19:52: Message edited by: chevalier ]