I’ve been playing Neverwinter Nights (hereafter known simply as NWN) for the last week or so. When I was sick, it was one of the few things that really took my mind off the pain and discomfort. Fortunately, my brain didn’t permanently associate NWN with horrible sinus illness, and I can play it now with nary a thought of how I felt playing it before. That is not the case with tea, which I very much associate with being sick.
What can I say about this game, that hasn’t been said many times before? Nothing really… but I can take what I agree with from those reviews, and whittle it down to those things most important to me. That is, after all, what this site is about… talking about those things most important to me.
Anyway, on to NWN. NWN is the follow-up release of the acclaimed Baldur’s Gate (BG) series… I will be referring to that series several times, in addition to other games (mainly Dungeon Siege, to be honest - comparisons are inevitable).
Gameplay:
In short, the gameplay is centered around an extremely intuitive point-and-click system that was (at least for this player) instantly accessible. I was able to jump in w/o reading page one of the manual. They’ve used a radial menu system that is, while very attractive, initially somewhat burdensome. It takes a little while to get used to, but once you do it’s very nice. A similar system was used (also successfully) in Independence War II, so it’s not a concept unheard of.
Unlike BG, you have full control over only a single character, rather than an entire party. You can hire henchmen, summon creatures, or bring in a familiar to beef up your strengths if you want, but you have no direct control over them. They are effectively NPC’s (non player characters) who act as allies that follow you around. They’ll take rudimentary orders, but won’t give up inventory space for you or allow you to take control of their actions. The difficulty of the single player campaign is set assuming you will hire a henchman/woman. I believe it, having tried both ways. Many people consider the lack of a full party to be a fault, but I’ve actually enjoyed being able to play the game w/o having to worry about the skills and personality of an entire party. Being able to focus on a single character has been a welcome change of pace for me… it really allows a higher emphasis on the "Role-playing" aspect of the game, rather than just the quest-solving item-grabbing treasure-hording skill-advancing stuff. I’m creating a real character here, rather than just an object with a name.
The story is carried by interaction with non-player characters (NPC’s). They’ve brought back the conversation trees from BG to great effect… even incorporating your own skills and abilities into the conversations. Have an extremely low intelligence? The dialog reflects that, dropping the vocabulary to the level of a 1st grader or lower. Have high intelligence and/or charisma? The dialog reflects that as well, giving you the occasional chance to "persuade" the NPC to give you more information or reward. The dialog trees aren’t perfect. While they almost always provide choices reflecting a wide variety of attitudes and motives, it’s generally a "best choice" scenario, rather than "this is what my character would definitely say." Such is the nature of the beast, however. I don’t consider it "true" role-playing, but it’s about as near as you can find w/o selling your soul to the MMORPG gods. Additionally, some dialog options are available even after they probably shouldn’t be, but they are still very good… and the main thing I felt was lacking in Dungeon Siege.
In the official single-player campaign, the quests you undertake are engaging and varied. You have a chance to do everything from the typical UPS style "Go get this object and bring it back to me" quests, to being a prosecutor in a trial, to solving puzzles, both simple and complex. The quests range from the simple and common to epic and far-reaching.
Graphics:
Baldur’s Gate used the isometric Infinity engine. NWN, instead, uses the fully 3D, Aurora engine. This makes for a beautiful game, with the high points being the textures and lighting. The textures are rich and deep in color (I’m using the 64MB option), and shadows are cast from light sources in ways you would expect them to be, including the way they move as you pass objects with torch in hand. The inevitable comparison is with the recently released Dungeon Siege. There are several important technical differences between the two, with the main one being the seamless world of Dungeon Siege vs. the area-based world of NWN. DS has no loading screens once you get into the game, while NWN does. Not a major issue as far as I’m concerned. However, I just think DS is a "prettier" game. NWN’s tiles and graphics look a little "cleaner" and more "sanitary", making believable ruins and war zones somewhat more difficult to achieve. Additionally, the tile set can be somewhat repetitive in some situations. In many ways, I’m reminded of Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption, in the overall quality of graphics. This shouldn’t be surprising, given that development on both was started at about the same time - 5 years ago. I haven’t looked into creating my own tile sets yet, but several custom jobs are already available, so I imagine even those shortfalls can be overcome. NWN is indeed a very pretty game, and I can see it holding it’s own for among cRPG’s for years to come.
Sound:
Quality of sound has never really been that important to me, but lately I’ve started to realize how important it is, and how much of a difference it can make. First, the music. Jeremy Soule did the soundtrack for NWN, as well as DS and the upcoming Icewind Dale II (which is the final gasp of the Infinity engine… I’m looking forward to it). He did a great job. The music adds a depth to the overall atmosphere to the game that cannot be overstated. As for the sound effects, they are also top-notch. Effects such as the clashing of swords, the breaking of chests and barrels, and the spell-effects make for a terrific experience.
Multiplayer:
I can’t speak much to this, b/c I’ve only played it a few times. Lag seems to be an issue… I’d recommend LAN or broadband play only. However, seems to me that the ability to play with friends on-line is one of the major strengths of this game, and what will keep us all playing for many many months to come… if not longer. I like the addition of quick-keys, Tribes style, for speaking stock phrases. It makes communication during the campaign much easier… voice would be better, but that still has some ways to go I think before it’s stable and a feasible option.
To me, this isn’t one of those games, like Quake, where you jump out on any random server to play for a while. It’s a role-playing game, after all. Can you imagine knocking on random strangers doors trying to find a game of D&D to play?
Really?
You’re a freak. I can’t.
For me, this is the kind of game that I’ll play exclusively with friends, either on-line or on LAN. No public servers, thank you very much.
Toolset:
While the single player campaign is worth the price by itself, the toolset is truly remarkable. With the toolset, some time, a little scripting knowledge and a fair helping of talent, you can create campaigns every bit as complex as what was shipped with NWN. In fact, the very tools used to create the game were shipped WITH the game… you simply cannot ask for more than that. The tools are remarkably easy to use, stable and intuitive. I would say that learning them is about as difficult as learning Photoshop or Illustrator… but keep in mind that the more complex your ideas, the more likely you’ll need some knowledge of scripting and programming to pull them off. The scripting language, NWScript, looks to be a derivative of C, so bear that in mind when you start thinking about designing your own world.
Several of my own friends, myself included, have started work on separate modules that may (or may not) be tied together to form a larger campaign. We’re all very excited about this, and are looking forward to seeing what each other comes up with.
Things Broken or Damaged in the Game:
There are a few things about the game that I do find fault with. With the Aurora engine, Bioware has taken a few steps back in terms of pathfinding. They’d got that pretty much licked with the Infinity engine. Your party would make very intelligent choices in terms of how to get from one place to another, maneuvering around obstacles and NPC’s. In NWN, we’re back to the original BG. Simple objects will stall a character, forcing you to carefully maneuver around it, looking for a path that will work. Gone is the extremely convenient ability to bring up an overall map of an area, click on a distant point and sit back as your character travels there. Gone is the ability to set intermittent way-points. Your henchmen will take orders, as I’ve mentioned, but they won’t always act on them. I’ve only hired the thief to help out with traps my monk can’t disarm and there have been many times where he’s said in his cockney accent "Oh, I could pick that open easy!" and proceeds to do absolutely nothing. Usually, when this happens, it takes three or four additional clicks on the locked item in question before he actually unlocks it. The henchmen code, so I’ve read, was one of the last things they worked on, and is something I suspect a patch or two could fix. The camera view is limited to between 90° (vertical, top down) and 45°. This is changed by click-holding the middle mouse button and moving up and down. What I’d really really like to see is a range from about 90° to 25° or so, changeable by moving the mouse to the top or bottom of the screen. I’ve seen screenshots where the angle is clearly less than 45°, so I know it’s possible… I just wish it was available. My final issue is with the inventory and shops. If you can, I haven’t figured out how to buy more than one of a given item at a time… so instead, I have to drag/drop 40 potions, rather than click, type ‘40′ and leave. The inventory is also somewhat difficult to manage. It’s divided up into 5 areas based on a 10×6 grid. New items always default to the first available space (no problem), but when you have 10 potions lumped together and split them into two groups of 5, the first group defaults to the first available space, rather than in the same area, or (better yet) in your hand to place where you will.
Conclusion:
Lest I end on a sour note, let me conclude by saying that in spite of the problems I outlined above, this is easily one of the very best games I’ve ever played. I’m completely hooked. The single player campaign is deeply engaging, and the sheer potential of the toolset is staggering. The graphics are wondrous to behold (even if less wondrous than DS) and the sounds are (literally) music to my ears. Minor issues aside, the gameplay is like coming home into blissful air conditioning and an endless supply of tasty beverage after an extended stay in the Sahara. I imagine I’ll be playing this game for a long time to come. It’s based on newly developed technology, so some problems are expected. One patch has already been released, indicating to me that the Bioware team is as committed as they’ve said they would be, and I can easily see the Aurora engine being as tight as the Infinity engine became. It may take a few patches, but it’ll get there… in the meantime, there will be hours and hours of fun to be had. :)
I’ve been playing Neverwinter Nights (hereafter known simply as NWN) for the last week or so. When I was sick, it was one of the few things that really took my mind off the pain and discomfort. Fortunately, my brain didn’t permanently associate NWN with horrible sinus illness, and I can play it now with nary a thought of how I felt playing it before. That is not the case with tea, which I very much associate with being sick.
What can I say about this game, that hasn’t been said many times before? Nothing really… but I can take what I agree with from those reviews, and whittle it down to those things most important to me. That is, after all, what this site is about… talking about those things most important to me.
Anyway, on to NWN. NWN is the follow-up release of the acclaimed Baldur’s Gate (BG) series… I will be referring to that series several times, in addition to other games (mainly Dungeon Siege, to be honest - comparisons are inevitable).
Gameplay:
In short, the gameplay is centered around an extremely intuitive point-and-click system that was (at least for this player) instantly accessible. I was able to jump in w/o reading page one of the manual. They’ve used a radial menu system that is, while very attractive, initially somewhat burdensome. It takes a little while to get used to, but once you do it’s very nice. A similar system was used (also successfully) in Independence War II, so it’s not a concept unheard of.
Unlike BG, you have full control over only a single character, rather than an entire party. You can hire henchmen, summon creatures, or bring in a familiar to beef up your strengths if you want, but you have no direct control over them. They are effectively NPC’s (non player characters) who act as allies that follow you around. They’ll take rudimentary orders, but won’t give up inventory space for you or allow you to take control of their actions. The difficulty of the single player campaign is set assuming you will hire a henchman/woman. I believe it, having tried both ways. Many people consider the lack of a full party to be a fault, but I’ve actually enjoyed being able to play the game w/o having to worry about the skills and personality of an entire party. Being able to focus on a single character has been a welcome change of pace for me… it really allows a higher emphasis on the "Role-playing" aspect of the game, rather than just the quest-solving item-grabbing treasure-hording skill-advancing stuff. I’m creating a real character here, rather than just an object with a name.
The story is carried by interaction with non-player characters (NPC’s). They’ve brought back the conversation trees from BG to great effect… even incorporating your own skills and abilities into the conversations. Have an extremely low intelligence? The dialog reflects that, dropping the vocabulary to the level of a 1st grader or lower. Have high intelligence and/or charisma? The dialog reflects that as well, giving you the occasional chance to "persuade" the NPC to give you more information or reward. The dialog trees aren’t perfect. While they almost always provide choices reflecting a wide variety of attitudes and motives, it’s generally a "best choice" scenario, rather than "this is what my character would definitely say." Such is the nature of the beast, however. I don’t consider it "true" role-playing, but it’s about as near as you can find w/o selling your soul to the MMORPG gods. Additionally, some dialog options are available even after they probably shouldn’t be, but they are still very good… and the main thing I felt was lacking in Dungeon Siege.
In the official single-player campaign, the quests you undertake are engaging and varied. You have a chance to do everything from the typical UPS style "Go get this object and bring it back to me" quests, to being a prosecutor in a trial, to solving puzzles, both simple and complex. The quests range from the simple and common to epic and far-reaching.
Graphics:
Baldur’s Gate used the isometric Infinity engine. NWN, instead, uses the fully 3D, Aurora engine. This makes for a beautiful game, with the high points being the textures and lighting. The textures are rich and deep in color (I’m using the 64MB option), and shadows are cast from light sources in ways you would expect them to be, including the way they move as you pass objects with torch in hand. The inevitable comparison is with the recently released Dungeon Siege. There are several important technical differences between the two, with the main one being the seamless world of Dungeon Siege vs. the area-based world of NWN. DS has no loading screens once you get into the game, while NWN does. Not a major issue as far as I’m concerned. However, I just think DS is a "prettier" game. NWN’s tiles and graphics look a little "cleaner" and more "sanitary", making believable ruins and war zones somewhat more difficult to achieve. Additionally, the tile set can be somewhat repetitive in some situations. In many ways, I’m reminded of Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption, in the overall quality of graphics. This shouldn’t be surprising, given that development on both was started at about the same time - 5 years ago. I haven’t looked into creating my own tile sets yet, but several custom jobs are already available, so I imagine even those shortfalls can be overcome. NWN is indeed a very pretty game, and I can see it holding it’s own for among cRPG’s for years to come.
Sound:
Quality of sound has never really been that important to me, but lately I’ve started to realize how important it is, and how much of a difference it can make. First, the music. Jeremy Soule did the soundtrack for NWN, as well as DS and the upcoming Icewind Dale II (which is the final gasp of the Infinity engine… I’m looking forward to it). He did a great job. The music adds a depth to the overall atmosphere to the game that cannot be overstated. As for the sound effects, they are also top-notch. Effects such as the clashing of swords, the breaking of chests and barrels, and the spell-effects make for a terrific experience.
Multiplayer:
I can’t speak much to this, b/c I’ve only played it a few times. Lag seems to be an issue… I’d recommend LAN or broadband play only. However, seems to me that the ability to play with friends on-line is one of the major strengths of this game, and what will keep us all playing for many many months to come… if not longer. I like the addition of quick-keys, Tribes style, for speaking stock phrases. It makes communication during the campaign much easier… voice would be better, but that still has some ways to go I think before it’s stable and a feasible option.
To me, this isn’t one of those games, like Quake, where you jump out on any random server to play for a while. It’s a role-playing game, after all. Can you imagine knocking on random strangers doors trying to find a game of D&D to play?
Really?
You’re a freak. I can’t.
For me, this is the kind of game that I’ll play exclusively with friends, either on-line or on LAN. No public servers, thank you very much.
Toolset:
While the single player campaign is worth the price by itself, the toolset is truly remarkable. With the toolset, some time, a little scripting knowledge and a fair helping of talent, you can create campaigns every bit as complex as what was shipped with NWN. In fact, the very tools used to create the game were shipped WITH the game… you simply cannot ask for more than that. The tools are remarkably easy to use, stable and intuitive. I would say that learning them is about as difficult as learning Photoshop or Illustrator… but keep in mind that the more complex your ideas, the more likely you’ll need some knowledge of scripting and programming to pull them off. The scripting language, NWScript, looks to be a derivative of C, so bear that in mind when you start thinking about designing your own world.
Several of my own friends, myself included, have started work on separate modules that may (or may not) be tied together to form a larger campaign. We’re all very excited about this, and are looking forward to seeing what each other comes up with.
Things Broken or Damaged in the Game:
There are a few things about the game that I do find fault with. With the Aurora engine, Bioware has taken a few steps back in terms of pathfinding. They’d got that pretty much licked with the Infinity engine. Your party would make very intelligent choices in terms of how to get from one place to another, maneuvering around obstacles and NPC’s. In NWN, we’re back to the original BG. Simple objects will stall a character, forcing you to carefully maneuver around it, looking for a path that will work. Gone is the extremely convenient ability to bring up an overall map of an area, click on a distant point and sit back as your character travels there. Gone is the ability to set intermittent way-points. Your henchmen will take orders, as I’ve mentioned, but they won’t always act on them. I’ve only hired the thief to help out with traps my monk can’t disarm and there have been many times where he’s said in his cockney accent "Oh, I could pick that open easy!" and proceeds to do absolutely nothing. Usually, when this happens, it takes three or four additional clicks on the locked item in question before he actually unlocks it. The henchmen code, so I’ve read, was one of the last things they worked on, and is something I suspect a patch or two could fix. The camera view is limited to between 90° (vertical, top down) and 45°. This is changed by click-holding the middle mouse button and moving up and down. What I’d really really like to see is a range from about 90° to 25° or so, changeable by moving the mouse to the top or bottom of the screen. I’ve seen screenshots where the angle is clearly less than 45°, so I know it’s possible… I just wish it was available. My final issue is with the inventory and shops. If you can, I haven’t figured out how to buy more than one of a given item at a time… so instead, I have to drag/drop 40 potions, rather than click, type ‘40′ and leave. The inventory is also somewhat difficult to manage. It’s divided up into 5 areas based on a 10×6 grid. New items always default to the first available space (no problem), but when you have 10 potions lumped together and split them into two groups of 5, the first group defaults to the first available space, rather than in the same area, or (better yet) in your hand to place where you will.
Conclusion:
Lest I end on a sour note, let me conclude by saying that in spite of the problems I outlined above, this is easily one of the very best games I’ve ever played. I’m completely hooked. The single player campaign is deeply engaging, and the sheer potential of the toolset is staggering. The graphics are wondrous to behold (even if less wondrous than DS) and the sounds are (literally) music to my ears. Minor issues aside, the gameplay is like coming home into blissful air conditioning and an endless supply of tasty beverage after an extended stay in the Sahara. I imagine I’ll be playing this game for a long time to come. It’s based on newly developed technology, so some problems are expected. One patch has already been released, indicating to me that the Bioware team is as committed as they’ve said they would be, and I can easily see the Aurora engine being as tight as the Infinity engine became. It may take a few patches, but it’ll get there… in the meantime, there will be hours and hours of fun to be had. :)
