NWN 2 News Exclusive Interview with Ferret!

[Volourn]

Try out the EOB series only if you can somehow find a patch. You *might* like it; but I doubt it since it is the epitome of hack n slash role-playing and silly puzzles.

 

Here;s the set up - Something bad is gonna down in Undermountain that threatens Waterdeep and you gets ent down to solve it. Think HOTU except NO role-playing, NO thinking, just rnadom wandering in Undemrountain. R00fles! The one thing it does better than HOTU is that the dungeon is bigger than HOTU's version; but it is soooooooooooo borrrrrrrrring...

[Noceur]

Bwhahahaha, I enjoyed the EOB's. I remember that they had made this great CG end-sequence to the first game, but it got cut out because it didn't fit on the disc.

 

They are most definately pure hack and slash of course... dungeon crawl, and the puzzles are all about Put the key item in the right slot or you get a fireball in your face.

And "Oh you forgot to pick that item up, did you? Well hahaha, now you can't finish the game!"

 

The second game did have some fun things, like one party member leaving after you rested and he stole some of your items.

 

The third game actually had some even more interesting features, like the dwarf detecting unstable walls, and the ranger finding tracks and such things.

 

For some reason the portraits kept growing uglier and uglier for each game though, even though they were "the same".

This is pretty off-topic though...

 

Rhomal, I look forward to reading some interviews with the other fellows on the NWN2 dev team. That's the plan right?

[Volourn]

Oh yes, I should point the intiial topic, nice interview. Afterall, that's why I intiitally clicked to read this topic. LOL

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

then all work on the OC...\"

 

It's real simple. BIO original vision of NWN was not to have no OC. At all. Zilch. Zero. Nadda. Theyw ere supposed to ahve just a couple of little mods as examples of the toolset.

 

The only reason why an OC was even included was fans of the Bg series (including myself) bugged them about it. Over, and over, and over, and over, and over again. BIO's biggest mistake on NWN was listening to the whiners like me.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I'm sure you would like to believe that, but it's entirely false. The only reason they added an OC is because they relalised the game would bomb without one. Nothing to do with people bugging them on message boards i'm afraid. Even then the OC was a lucklustre effort which entirely showed that they never really put their hearts into it.

[Rhomal]

> The only reason why an OC was even included was fans of the Bg series (including myself) bugged them about it. Over, and over, and over, and over, and over again. BIO's biggest mistake on NWN was listening to the whiners like me.

 

Specifics aside why it was included (which is realy moot at this point) the point is it was by most peoples assesment sub-par.

 

> So, instead of getting a perfect toolset, we got a great toolset that coula been better and an OC that while I and many others enjoyed was not as good as BIo can do as evidenced by their previous work and their work sense including HOTU. That's the reason why the OC gets so much flak. Not becuase it sucks outright. It's just that after the Bgs eries; people expected God's Gift To Single Player Games. Heck, even in this very thread, Hades finanly admitted it was (abysmally) average which is what I've been saying all along.

 

On this level I agree mostly. I beleive BG did set a bar very high (either out of dumb luck or raw skill). So high in fact they had little chance of succeeding wth NWN1 on a critical acclaim level.

 

> As for experienced devs doing a better job. i just don't know. Afterall, when Troika was formed, they had some of the most experfienced game devlopers ever most notbaly Tim Cain whose been in the business for nearly 20 years and they still screwed up their company.

 

Personally, and I am sure the FO fans will harp on me for this, Tim Cain IMO is a one hit wonder. Nothing moved me to buy any of his games after FO. Do I think hes a skilled dev? Yes. Do I think hes up their with say Sid who produces hit after hit after hit? No. If the law of averages ever came into effect were someone of moderate ability produces something of higher caliber then they normally could do Tim and Fallout would be the poster child for that IMO.

 

With that said, a moderat skilled dev like cain <> good business man and vise versa

 

> "I beleive -now- if Bioware did nwn1, it would be x3 better then their initial attempt. As they now have the collective expereince and skill to IMO pull it off much more successfully."

 

> Of course they would. It be silly to think otherwise. Afterall, NWN has been out for nearly three years so BIO has lots of feedbakc on what NWN did both right and wrong. This is (obviously) why NWN2 should be better than NWN1 - Obsidian has all that info. Then again, I thought the same for KOTOR2 and I was wrong. <> But, i'm sure Obsidian learned from their mistakles with KOTOR2 and Feargu's comments about needing an internal QA illustrates that they have. That's a good thing.

 

Indeed.. every start up goes though growing pains. You have to give them the benefit of the doubt IMO on the first release. After that IMO their get out of jail free card is used up.

 

> All true. Of course, as Drakron mentions, BIO did have other games. Their story guys were also working on BG2, TOB, and even KOTOR. Remember, NWN was basiclaly being planned even as BIO was developing BG1. It wans't like their story guys were playing tiddlywinks; theyw ere likely working on BG2 and other games.

 

So this reaffirms my opinion they more or less bit off more then they could chew with NWN1. I think when you get to the core of the issue, thats it. They had a. too much on their plate and b. didnt have the collective skill as of yet to pull such a massive project off 100%.

 

> Ahh.. But, NWN is a quality game. Very few if non quality games get successful expansions otherwise. Nor would Obsidian be working on NWN2 if NWN1 wasn't a quality enough game to warrant a sequel.

 

I am talking specifics, the OC. Generally speaking yes it is. I have said several times myself, as a WHOLE its a excellent game. But if you start talking about specific parts some are vastly better then others. That was what I was refering to.

 

> Realistic? I dunno. Afterall, accoridng to them their graphics will be the Best Ever tm, their Story will be the Best Ever tm. , the Toolset will be the Best ever tm. That doesn't sem to be relaistic in a 2 year span even with an alreayd made engine. That said, I figure NWN2 will be a greta game; but I doubt the OC will be as good as the best games in the business. The overall package will kick behinds though.

 

Now your putting words in their mouth. The ONLY quotes I have seeing saying factually we will be amazed is the new FX engine. They has said they HOPED we will be floored and the like with the new OC and I do not recall one dev posting about how great the toolset will be. In passing they may have said 'yes, its going to be better' or such. But thats expected.

 

I tave talked to a few devs in the irc room, and that all seem quite confidant that have the right amount of time to get what they want done. So I have no issue giving them the benefit of the doubt if they are secure in the timeframe.

 

In the end if they cough up a hair ball then they will certainly suffer the repercussions. But its really IMO to early to make a firm call on if they have enough time or not. We can go around and around all day about this but until we get the game in our hands and see the polish (or lack of) its just speculation by some ppl on the forums who never brought a game to market.

 

My 2 coppers

[kirottu]

My 2 coppers

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

If you ever run out of coppers I can give you couple. I mean that was a good post.

[Volourn]

Yes, I agree, a good post indeed. Of course, that doens't mean I agree with everything. LOL

 

So, here we go.. :D

 

 

"So high in fact they had little chance of succeeding wth NWN1 on a critical acclaim level."

 

Um.. NWN did succeed on a critical acclaim. It got high review scores including for the OC. Remember, just because the same 100 people bash OC doesn't mean that the OC is universally hated.

 

 

"They had a. too much on their plate and b. didnt have the collective skill as of yet to pull such a massive project off 100%."

 

I don't think it has to do with skill or lack of skill. It just illustrates the simple fact that it foten takes more than simple skill to accomplish things. Afterall, though I've criticized KOTOR2; that doens't mean I think Obsidian is lacking skill. It just that the skill they do have just need to be used a bit better - whcih i'm sure it will.

 

 

"I am talking specifics, the OC. Generally speaking yes it is. I have said several times myself, as a WHOLE its a excellent game. But if you start talking about specific parts some are vastly better then others. That was what I was refering to."

 

Of course, the OC as successful. Afterall, most NWN players are SP and theya re also the ones who went out and bought the expansions. The OC was popualr enough to warrant continued sales of the game.

 

 

"Now your putting words in their mouth."

 

Maybe.

 

 

"So I have no issue giving them the benefit of the doubt if they are secure in the timeframe."

 

They said the same thing with KOTOR2 which they got just over a year to work on. With NWN2 they have 2 years to work and in that time they need to make a good OC, update the graphics, make the 3.5 transition, and upgrade the toolset. That's a lot. Remember, they had just over a year to do KOTOR2 and that was a game where they didn't even really touch the graphics other than few additions like weather effects. With NWN2, they're completely redoing the graphics.

 

Devs will always say they have enough time pre release. Troika did the same thing with eahc of their games yet in the end it was obvious they tried to do much with the time they had.