Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir Discussion

[Dark_Raven]

If it was the phrase "bi-curious" that offended some, you should know that on Mask of the Betrayer I fought REALLY hard (almost too hard, some might say) to include same-sex romance options, but eventually got overruled by the people who own the people who own the people who own the license.

Another reason, as if one were needed, why Obsidian is awesome.

Forbid if two hot lesbians or two hot studs got it on in the Forgotten Realms. They don't do that kind of stuff. But ultra violence is ok.

[Tigranes]

Doesn't that reflect reality quite well?

[Dark_Raven]

Indeed. It reflects the Western world nicely, especially the puritan USA.

 

Sex in any media = bad.

Ultra bloody violence = good.

[Monte Carlo]

Indeed. It reflects the Western world nicely, especially the puritan USA.

 

Bit of a lazy generalisation isn't it?

 

Perhaps you mean the "socially conservative bit in the middle most of us fly over sandwiched between the two anything-goes liberal bits on each coast". California has the biggest adult entertainment industry in the world, so how the USA is 'puritan' baffles me slightly.

 

I do agree, however, that the 'sex is scarier than violence' meme is interesting. It's not a necessarily a Western thing either.

 

Regards

 

MC

[Magister Lajciak]

I understand it can't be helped, but going back to 3.5 is like going back to dial up after I've had broadband. I mean Level Adjustments - the game has level adjustments.

 

Wait... "going back to 3.5" is a bad thing?!

 

For me this is a huge attraction of NWN2 and its expansions. I like 3.5E and dislike 4E in PnP. In CRPGs I like 3.5E too and would be much more reluctant to buy a 4E CRPG, though I probably would if I felt it was good in other respect or that the 4E negatives were minimized in electronic format (which, I think, would in fact be the case.

[Tale]

Tony Evans, lead designer interview at Gamespot

 

Death and dying in Storm of Zehir is closer to the original 3.5 rules, with some 4.0 augmentations.

hmm, what other 4e augmentations are there in SoZ?

 

will my gnome have a lair?

 

No, but they do get a new racial power to summon a 1HP badger.

[funcroc]

Gamespy preview

 

Spiffy: Party system; new classes; interesting death system; overland map; beautiful artwork.

Iffy: Wandering monsters; new combat systems haven't worked out well in the past...

 

Unfortunately, the early version of the game we were playing does illustrate the reason why most RPG gamers hate wandering monsters: They can be impossible to evade, something that probably needs to be tweaked before release. The annoyance of the wandering monsters is more than made up for with an interesting mini-game based on the overland map, in which the players can set up a trading empire by sending out trade caravans, guarding them from wandering monsters, and searching for monster parts for the buffed-up crafting system.

 

The only real open question we have about Storm of Zehir concerns the aforementioned decision to make character death permanent without a spell, a "life coin" available at Waukeen temples, or trekking back to town a cleric. While the idea is clearly to make combat more interesting by making players care about consequences, as in previous D&D games we just ended up back on the save-and-restore roller coaster. Like the "Spirit Eater" system in Mask of the Betrayer, this may be an effort to fix what's not really broken. We'll see how the whole thing shakes out when the final game releases on November 18th.

[J.E. Sawyer]

Wandering monsters are only impossible to evade if you are a Noobasaurus Rex.

[Killian Kalthorne]

Why would anyone want to avoid wandering monsters? Its XP and LEWT!

[Tigranes]

Well.... ever played a JRPG?

 

Like the "Spirit Eater" system in Mask of the Betrayer, this may be an effort to fix what's not really broken.

 

That's a pretty lopsided way to analyse the SE system. Besides, what is not broken about dead members waking up again with a swoosh and shinies when the enemy moves 10 metres away?

[Maria Caliban]

Well.... ever played a JRPG?

 

Like the "Spirit Eater" system in Mask of the Betrayer, this may be an effort to fix what's not really broken.

 

That's a pretty lopsided way to analyse the SE system. Besides, what is not broken about dead members waking up again with a swoosh and shinies when the enemy moves 10 metres away?

 

Everything.

[Nick_i_am]

Everything is not broken?

[Aristes]

You know, I just can't take any more NWN. I really enjoyed MotB. I mean that sincerely. One of the best RPGs in a long time. I thought the writing was good, the story was refreshingly non-chosen one driven, and the characters were memorable. ...But I can't take any more of the things that have plagued the franchise from the very beginning. I haven't passed on buying a DnD title in a long time, but this one seems unlikely. I'm more inclined to buy the Alien game and much more likely to buy Alpha Protocol at this point. Well, that depends on whether Alpha Protocal is Console only or not. I can take RPGs on the console, but shooters are still too tough for me to learn. I dunno. I guess anything is possible, but I've had my ear to the ground on this one and I'm just suffering from NWN fatigue.

 

On the other hand, nothing would make me happier than to be wrong. This will especially be true since I have been such a DnD fan over the years.

[Tigranes]

I think SoZ is good in that sense - it's trying to be as fresh as possible, and be as unique as possible (in terms of the experiences the NWN franchise offers). Overland map, especially. But yes, I too am dying for a new engine with new combat system and so forth.

 

Besides... when are we going to get the real next-gen? Like greater level of environmental interaction, combat systems that don't rely on just 'push this button to deal X damage'? Heh. I can dream.

[Rosbjerg]

Your wait is over my friend - cause Dragon Age! will deliver!

 

oh wait..

[Gfted1]

Gamespy preview...the buffed-up crafting system.

 

 

Buffed-up over MotB? Dear god, what, can you now craft a planetbuster?

[Tigranes]

You can now craft your own romantic interest. But you can only do it at a gnomish crafting bench.

[newc0253]

You can now craft your own romantic interest. But you can only do it at a gnomish crafting bench.

 

will this crafting bench be in the gnome's lair?

 

will you have to kill the gnome to get to it?

[Pidesco]

You can now craft your own romantic interest.

 

Like a vibrator with feelings. Every woman's dream.

[J.E. Sawyer]

Buffed-up over MotB? Dear god, what, can you now craft a planetbuster?

It's only buffed up in the sense that it's a lot easier to use.

[Starwars]

Like a vibrator with feelings. Every woman's dream.

 

Hahaha... *snort*

 

Anyway, that Gamespy preview wasn't very informative or interesting.

 

And yep, I think it's a good thing that SoZ is going in another direction. I loved MotB, but another one "just like it" so to speak would just feel forced. Better to try something new, and make it kick-butt in a different way.

[Nick_i_am]

I love the concept of crafting, but no SP game I have ever played has ever done it in a way that really made me care about it.

 

The real 'issue' for me in NWN2 is, I guess, the fact that you have to 'waste' feats on it, to (mostly) make stuff you can buy in shops with your mountain of gold.

 

However, the new format that SoZ is taking might well make it relevent.

[Enoch]

By the way, has it ever been confirmed that we'll be starting at 0 xp? The OC had the "harvest fair" XP extravaganza to bump us up to level 3 (for 0 ECL characters) right off the bat, but the D&D low-level problems are somewhat mitigated in SoZ with the a 4-person group. (Plus, there isn't much need for all the "this is how you cast a spell" tutoring.)

[Maria Caliban]

Everything is not broken?

 

Correct.

[samm]

Wrong.

 

By the way, has it ever been confirmed that we'll be starting at 0 xp? The OC had the "harvest fair" XP extravaganza to bump us up to level 3 (for 0 ECL characters) right off the bat, but the D&D low-level problems are somewhat mitigated in SoZ with the a 4-person group. (Plus, there isn't much need for all the "this is how you cast a spell" tutoring.)

No, we'll be starting at Level 3, but the search doesn't spit out any developer I could quote, so I might be mistaken. Edited October 17, 2008 by samm