Neverwinter Nights Forum Update

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(Originally posted by Darien)

Trent Oster, Producer:

Alignment System: We are using the 3rd Edition D&D rule for NWN, but we also found the alignment too limiting. In NWN you have a two axis alignment, as in D&D, one axis is between Law and Choas, the other is between Good and Evil. In NWN Alignment is bolsted by a faction system. When you create a module it is possible to make as many factions as you wish. There is one global faction list for NPC characters, reflecting the various faction standings with the other NPCs. Each character has a faction table as well, containing the current standings of that PC with each group. Through factions, you can model much more complex interactions than is possible with just alignments. You don't get off free though. If you act against your alignment it will move. If you act against your alignment too much you will shift alignment.

Derek French, Assistant Producer:

Only a Windows Toolset: Our initial goal was to create a cross platform toolset for the gaming community. However, we have encountered difficulty in obtaining a viable cross platform solution to assist us in porting the Toolset. While we would not like to rule out the possibility of a port to the various operating systems, currently this looks unlikely for the initial release. Sorry, but this is just the way it is right now.

What Affects Conversation? Most conversations in Neverwinter Nights will be affected by the player's intelligence, charisma and wisdom. James Ohlen and the Neverwinter writers have developed a very strong conversation system, where ability scores actually matter.

Bob McCabe, Writing & Design:

Alt-Tabbing Out of the Game: Unless there's some late-developing reason for it *not* to be there, you won't have to worry - because it is in there now.

Don Moar, Lead Programmer, Tools:

On Downloading Modules: If you download a module, you will have full and complete access to it via the NWToolset.

Combat and Non-Combat Skills: The problem with non-combat skills is that someone has to make them have a use in every character interaction in the game (i.e., potentially millions of words of dialog). On the other hand, responding to a bluff attempt is extremely easy for the DM to do dynamically (and probably has bigger pay-off in terms of fun).

So it comes down to the fact that it is time consuming and difficult to script every conversation to respond to numerous non-combat skills. Hence every module developer out there would have to script every single scenario to respond to every single non-combat skill. Not a lot of people would take the time to do it and those players who spent points in these 'role-playing' skills would be hurt. (i.e., 'What do you mean, your module doesn't let me use my bluff skill!').

We choose a small subset of skills/actions that could affect dialog and even that has made our writers write almost twice as much dialog as they normally do to handle a given situation. Combat skills on the other hand are easy. Any player can use them and once the generic combat AI is setup, a module designer never has to worry about them again. Hence, that is why there are more combat skills than non-combat skills in Neverwinter Nights.