Neverwinter Nights Forum News

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(Originally posted by Veldrin)

Here are today's Neverwinter Nights forum highlights. 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.

Georg Zoeller, Designer

HotU: Patience, we got *a lot* of new scripting and toolset features for you ... but remember, this is make your own DnD FR module, not make your own RPG.

It is content that sells this game to the majority of people. Creating a completely data driven game with no hardcoding at all can not be done in the timeframe given to these projects, especially not without sacrificing content and story, and that is not going to happen.

Scripting: EffectSummon should remove existing summoned creatures automatically when being called a second time.

HotU Henchman: To sum it up:

Full henchman control in HotU (like BG) - NO
Improvements to Henchmen Behavior, etc - Yes

more details later in the development cycle

Disabling Epic Levels: There is no need for a local variable, the maximum level can be set in the server options. You can use the prestige class prerequisite functionality used in SoU to "unlock" epic levels, but this will require a small hakpak containing some 2da files.

Epic Levels: (talking about the epic rules, not necessarily their implementation in HotU here, so please do not jump on any conclusions)

Class features however are still reliant on the class level in epic levels, so I would paraphrase it this way:

with 21 character levels you become an epic character
with 21 class levels, your class becomes epic.

So 22 barbarian 3 rogue would mean you are an "epic character", "epic barbarian" but not necessarily an "epic rogue"

HotU Timeline: It takes place after the Shadows of Undrentide campaign (which took place simultaneously with the events of the official NWN campaign). In the timeline it is set after the SoU OC and NWN OC.

You are supposed to be the same hero who solved shadows, yes. (But using the same character is not mandantory of course).

Level Cap: The required time to support 40 levels it not sigificantly higher than the time required to do 30 levels, thanks to the epic rules.

Creating Classes: You can create your own classes already, as CODI has shown that. However, this can and will never be an official feature for NWN as it is a "create your own DnD Forgotton Realms Module", not "create your own RPG" game and there is only so much time to spend on new features on an expansion.

Quote: Personally, I don't think the Bioware maticore looks anything like the community one (I assume you are talking about the CODI/TheBatInTheHat one?). I actually CODI one but variety is good...if you have a pack of manticores at least they don't have to all look the same.

The Bioware version has to stay close to the established 3rd Edition image for a creature, while the community has a lot more freedom in the creation of their models.

Quote: I didn't mean ILR when I said item restrictions in my original post. I meant the DM placing limit on items, such as removal of immunity items, or only putting items with reasonable abilities in their gameworld in the first place.

With item properties accessible through scripting, the DM/Builder will have much better controls which items enter his server.

Quote: YEAH! Like the most stupid limitation to a single summon that there isnt in any rulebook!

The framerate of your rulebook does not slow down to crawl if every player in a PnP game summons a monster...(Through combat resolution does) Seriously, there are things that do not transfer well from PnP into a computer online role playing game

David Gaider, Designer

Henchman Control: No, there will not be full henchmen control in HotU. Monkeys will fly out of my butt, first, before that happens. Giant ones, with poison fangs. But, yes, there will be the option to tell your henchmen not to cast any spells until you say otherwise.

HotU Screenshots: Mmm... I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't envision the Underdark as being pitch black, and to top it off I don't think pitch black is fun. Period. While those screenshots have too much ambient light, I agree, we will not be aiming for stumbling-through-the-dark at all. That works for PnP, but not for a video game. Keep the unearthly color of the screenshot, make it darker and add in a healthy dose of phosphorescent mushrooms and lichen (which are not done yet) and that's what our version will likely be in the end (not unlike BG2's version, actually).

Houses Of Ill Repute: I don't think we've ever added houses of ill repute where they didn't belong. They're part of the setting... we don't go slipping them in gratuitously. Hilltop didn't have them simply because it was a small town, period, and the only settlement in the expansion of any size.

Quote: And I thought NW is supposed to emulate PnP as close as possibile. If pitch black is the environment, then pitch black is what should be in there.

Nonsense. In PnP, the DM can use other senses to describe the environment to one who's blinded. He can describe to you stumbling around in the pitch dark, tripping over things... but you would still get a sense of movement. The only feedback you get from a computer screen is visual. If the screen is pitch black you could even be moving around and you would have no feedback saying that is the case, none whatsoever. And even if it's not pitch black but just really, really, dark... you know what 90% of the people do when presented with an area like that? Squint, get frustrated and turn up the gamma and brightness on their monitor. Why? Because that kind of darkness is only fun in theory. The themes presented in the Underdark are those of an alien environment of massive caverns with danger around every corner... you don't need to blind the player to convey these things and, indeed, that would be detrimental. Someone with darkvision maybe will be able to see easier in the Underdark, but it should not be a requirement.

Quote: I think the concern is valid, ans Bioware has already crafted underground areas (OC Chapter 2 caves) that are as bright as a sunny afternoon.

And I've already said that the Underdark will be much darker than in those screenshots... but that the idea is to make it alien and dangerous rather than to have the player stumbling around in the dark. Yes, moody shadows and dim areas are wonderful. Yes, contrast is good. No, pitch darkness is bad (and that is what some are asking for, here).

Tom Ohle, Communications Associate

Screenshots: There are actually just mushrooms... don't infer that we're putting in myconids from that