An Italian site called NWN Chronicles (which appears to be hosted at Mulitplayer.it) has an interview with Obsidian's Chris Avellone (http://forums.multiplayer.it/showthread.php?t=295546), covering a little background and history before moving on to NWN2. Much of the territory has been covered before but here's a nice teaser:
3)You'll be asked this much times before but will the next expansion be set in the Neverwinter lands and the North? Or maybe we'll travel again through the planes? You'll be in charge for the future expansions, isn't it? (I hope it so and I'd truly love a gothic story as Planescape)
C.Avellone
Can't comment on this at this time, unfortunately, but you should be hearing an announcement soon. [;)]
haha awesome!It's about damn time! That shoulda been a patch fix for the regular game!
I read they will tune it so you can play solo like before or go full party style.
Hehehe It is weird that just the three of us actually played NWN2 :P
I don't know, I loved the original NWN campaign (although, as Pug will confirm, I hated the beginning!). I enjoyed the original NWN and both its expansions as well as a couple of the free modules. The game was fantastic on so many levels. NWN2 I started out liking mainly because I had no idea where it was heading.. Kinda like a Limo ride to your untimely demise.. You'd probably enjoy the Limo ride if you had no idea where it was taking you. The more I played the less I liked it, and the more obvious the flaws became. So I now officially dislike NWN2. I won't play it until I see some dramatic changes in the patches.
So far my opinion of Obsidian is the same.. I'm sure they're a good lot, but I'm not impressed with what I've seen from them. The NWN series should have remained in BioWare's able hands.
Many of Obsidian's people were Ex-Black Isle guys -- and made the fantastic Planescape: Torment.
I'm curious, did you like PS:T?
EDIT:
I should add, a few of them Obsidian guys were ex-Troika guys, who made Arcanum and Vampire: Bloodlines, as well. Did you like Arcanum? What about Bloodlines??
All of these games I mentioned here above have had some technical issues, but most were eventually fixed at a later date. PS:T was probably the least buggy of the sort, by definitely far.
I have to agree with you on the buggy thing, but NWN2 looks really pretty at a decent resolution.And if you can get a lot of the details turned on, w/out sacrificing and in-game performance.
Sure it doesn't look as good as the resources it hogs, but it does look very good.Agreed.
Looks aren't everything, but they do matter. Call me superficial, but graphics count for quite a bit to me. Stability is of course important, just like performance.. It's all about balance.Graphics are important to me, as well. As long as the game looks "just okay", I'd be happy -- as long as the game performance is very stable. It doesn't have to be the best looking thing, technically, for me, if you decide to give me a very stable running game. See Deus Ex, as my example -- the game looked good, not great; but it ran very stable, so the framerate was never dropping. Too bad they didn't do that w/ DX: IW.
Honestly, I hated the stupid Githyanki bitch. Stop Githyanking my chain! ... ok that was bad.Haha somebody ad to say it :P
Sounds pretty interesting. I always wanted to know more about "Gith" and how the Githyanki and the Githzerai came about.
Press Release Source: Atari, Inc.
Atari Announces Neverwinter Nights(TM) 2: Mask of the Betrayer
Thursday April 12, 9:00 am ET
Expansion to Neverwinter Nights 2 Features Engrossing New Campaign; Epic Levels; New Companions and Much More
NEW YORK, April 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR - News), one of the world's most recognized brands and a third-party video game publisher, today announced the development of the next chapter in the Neverwinter Nights saga -- Neverwinter Nights(TM) 2: Mask of the Betrayer. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the expansion to the award-winning Neverwinter Nights 2 is set in the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® Forgotten Realms® universe created by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS - News). DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is under license from HPG, the licensing division of Hasbro. Neverwinter Nights(TM) 2: Mask of the Betrayer will be available in North America in Fall 2007.
In Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer, players are transported back to the Forgotten Realms shortly after the events detailed in the original Neverwinter Nights 2. Following the climactic battle against the King of Shadows, the player awakens alone and stranded deep beneath the earth. Surrounded by a horde of evil spirits, the player embarks on an epic adventure that reveals his true destiny.
"Atari's commitment to the Neverwinter Nights franchise and the enormous community is strong," said Nique Fajors, Vice President, Sales, Marketing, Atari, Inc. "We are on track to release the Neverwinter Nights 2 expansion pack this Fall, less than one year since the launch of Obsidian's outstanding sequel, and are confident the new features will deliver a role-playing experience that further engages and satisfies fans."
Set in harsh, spirit-rich Rashemen, near the powerful nation of Thay, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer will present players with an exciting new campaign; epic levels; dozens of new feats and spells; new races, base classes and prestige classes; new companions; new weapons, armor and crafting options; hordes of new monsters; and enhanced modding tools.
"Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer's engrossing campaign will conclude the storyline that began in the original Neverwinter Nights 2 and focus on combat, exploration and classic D&D dungeon-crawling," said Feargus Urquhart, CEO, Obsidian Entertainment. "We're also making new advances in story and character development as well as improving upon the acclaimed companion Influence System used in both Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords and Neverwinter Nights 2."
The Neverwinter Nights franchise has sold more than three million copies worldwide, is translated into 10 languages, sold in more than 40 countries and features one of the largest and most active fan communities in all of gaming. To date, fans of the franchise, which includes Neverwinter Nights, Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide(TM) Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark(TM) and Neverwinter Nights 2 have created more than 5,000 modifications to the original game using the award-winning toolset included with the full game that allows players to create their own universes, quests and storylines.
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer is scheduled for release in Fall 2007. More information about Neverwinter Nights 2 can be found at www.nwn2.com, which includes user forums, project news, development updates and more.
About Obsidian Entertainment
That sound just as interesting hehe "Mask of the Betrayer!" It has a very Tolkien ring to it :P
At least I hope it plays a lot more like classic NWN..You want smaller parties??!!?
Y'know without the modsquad following me around.I like having control of the party, dammit!!! I want more RPG's where I can control the whole party of say 5 or 6 a la Baldur's Gate every bit of the way, if I so desire!!!
You want smaller parties??!!?Better AI would be nice, but if it's just me and one henchman (MAYBE) then I don't have to worry about party AI, just the one dude(tte) (if at all). Having the occasional team-up with some NPC's is alright, but I don't wanna have to deal with them for too long.
Like say YOURSELF and one hencemen???
Or do you want the 5-6 in a party, but less CONTROL over them and better AI????
If so, I'm sure you probably DO want better AI; most do, even if they do have the option to CONTROL them to the high heavens...
I could use more AI Behavior options, myself -- namely, a SPECIFIC ONE for just CONTROLLING Elanee and her over-used "shape change." She uses it WAY too much, to suit me.
I like having control of the party, dammit!!! I want more RPG's where I can control the whole party of say 5 or 6 a la Baldur's Gate every bit of the way, if I so desire!!!
I do control my party often in NWN2, but not like I did ALL THE TIME in say BG -- and I control the NWN2 party more than I did in any of the past NWN's. I usually keep most of my focus on the main man in the party -- me! Often, though, I will step in and control another character in my party and bark some orders, but not to the extent I did w/ say BG.
I do like having the "one-man" show RPG's, too -- but it been a while since a damn good party-based one has came along where I can, if I want, control the entire party and do lots and lots of command barking and strategy. NWN2 fits that mold.
Better AI would be nice, but if it's just me and one henchman (MAYBE) then I don't have to worry about party AI, just the one dude(tte) (if at all). Having the occasional team-up with some NPC's is alright, but I don't wanna have to deal with them for too long.I bet this is what you love about Jade Empire -- most of the time, you may have only one person w/ you. There are a few instances, though, when you will have 2 more people w/ you, possibly -- namely, later on in the game, near the end.
In the end I wanna play a RPG not a RTS when I'm playing NWN.See, this is what I like about party-based RPG's -- using strategy and controlling every detail, if you so see it fit.
I loathe party-based RPing. It's just too complicated and gets in the way of making me want to play. That's why I still haven't gone back to finish FFXII. I mean, I love that game and it's completely awesome, but right now I just don't feel like I can keep track of all those characters without going insane. I'm just too tired for that much stat checking and stuff all the time.
So yeah, I should say that I play tons of party-based RPGs anyway, but I just really tend to feel like playing ones where I've got a single character to obsessively upgrade. Some of my favorites are party-based, it's just hard to want to think that much after a long day at work.
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer Interview - Page OneOkay.
After hinting at a possible add-on for quite some time, Atari and Obsidian Entertainment finally announced development of Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer yesterday. According to the press release, this first official expansion pack for the RPG sequel will contain everything one would expect - epic levels, new races, new classes, new monsters, new equipment, and a whole lot more. To get a better idea of what the team has in store for us, we fired over a set of questions to lead designer Kevin Saunders:
GB: When did development of Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer actually begin and what are you shooting for as a release date?
Kevin: We first started on Mask of the Betrayer with Atari, Wizards of the Coast, and Hasbro back in July – this is when we began to outline the new story. In fact, the astute will notice tie-ins to Mask of the Betrayer in the original campaign. We didn’t fully begin development on NX1 (our “designation” for the expansion) until we finished NWN2. We can’t really talk about the release date, but I will say that we’ve already got some of the areas completed and they are looking GREAT. We’ve been applying everything we learned on NWN2 to get the best results possible.
GB: Aside from the usual gameplay additions, do you plan on making any expansion-specific tweaks to the engine, interface, or multiplayer component?Cool.
Kevin: Many of these types of improvements have been made through patches to NWN2 – we don’t want to make players wait for Mask of the Betrayer to be released to enjoy an optimized engine and other features that benefit the community. But, yes, we are continuing these types of improvements throughout the development of NX1. =)
Kevin: We’re implementing some expansion-specific gameplay elements that will make Mask of the Betrayer stand out from Obsidian’s previous titles and other D&D computer role-playing games. As one example, the passage of time will have important impacts on gameplay. Mask of the Betrayer will also feature major enhancements to the companion Influence System that Obsidian has pioneered through Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords and Neverwinter Nights 2. Of course, these new elements will be things that the community can modify to their own modules and campaigns if they wish.Cool.
GB: How does the expansion tie in with the original game's campaign? What events have transpired that will set us forth in search of adventure again?Weapons and gold are gone.....ummm...okay.....
Kevin: Mask of the Betrayer begins almost immediately after the ending of NWN2. You will play your same character (if you wish), continuing his or her story. (Your weapons and gold are gone, but you’ll have many of your other equipped items still.)
Kevin: While the story in Mask of the Betrayer is connected to Neverwinter Nights 2, you don’t have to have played the expansion – the story stands alone, but players who have gone through the NWN2 campaign will recognize some references that occur in NX1.Okay.
GB: How many more hours of gameplay are you shooting for with Mask of the Betrayer? Will new players have the option to start a character and play through the standard game and the expansion as one long campaign?Sounds decent for a RPG expansion, in length.
Kevin: We’re aiming for a more focused campaign and a tighter storyline. We expect Mask of the Betrayer to weigh in at over 15 hours of gameplay.
Kevin: NX1 has optional gameplay content, so the exact gameplay time will vary depending upon your choices throughout the game. As for playing through both titles, Mask of the Betrayer is a continuation of the same character’s story, so you can play through the core game and the expansion as one long campaign.Yay for optional content! :)
GB: Are there any plans to introduce any new prestige classes or sub-races? How about epic levels?Completely new prestige class??? Oh, sweet!!! :)
Kevin: Absolutely! We are adding new prestige classes (and a base class) and new sub-races. We’ll be sharing more information on those soon, but we think you’ll be excited about our choices. ;) One of the prestige classes is completely new and was designed through consultation with our colleagues at Wizards of the Coast. As far as the leveling goes, NX1 will feature epic levels through level 30.
GB: How many new spells, skills, and/or feats will you be implementing in Mask of the Betrayer? Any examples you can share with us?I like the way this all sounds. :)
Kevin: We are adding dozens of new spells and feats. The spells range from some heavy hitters like burst of glacial wrath to great utility spells like the vigor healing spells from Spell Compendium. For feats, we are strongly emphasizing the ones tailored to epic level gameplay. These will include almost all of the epic feats from Hordes of the Underdark plus many new ones we’ve designed with guidance from Wizards of the Coast.
GB: How many new items do you plan on adding in the expansion? Will there be any totally new weapon/armor categories or notable changes/additions to the game's crafting system?Cool.
Kevin: We’re making crafting easier for the player by simplifying the new recipes and having the component items themselves better explain their purposes. Also as an added convenience, you’ll also be able to enchant items without needing a workbench handy, which should make things easier for players who enjoy crafting. Overall, we've worked hard on making the process of enchanting items more intuitive.
Kevin: NX1 will be more about customizing your equipment through enchanting – you’ll be finding many more essences and their role is expanded. You’ll also find new items, but they will be less common and more powerful than those in NWN2. We are adding new armor and weapon appearances, but not really new categories.Okay.
GB: What new environments will we be traveling through in Mask of the Betrayer? Are there any specific areas you can describe for us?Sounds cool to me.
Kevin: The story primarily takes place in distant Rashemen, near the infamous kingdom of Thay. We have carefully chosen specific locations, such as the snow-covered Ashenwood, to be tailored to this region while also allowing us to create new tilesets and terrains that will be broadly useful to the modders.
GB: What new monsters can we expect to see in the expansion? Will you be introducing any new D&D favorites?They plan to support the NWN2 community more....hmmm....do you think there might be a second NWN2 expansion pack planned already????
Kevin: We’ll be adding many classic D&D creatures, such as the treant and the night hag. We’re treating the game’s setting very seriously – you’ll find a number of the new creatures described in the pages of Unapproachable East. We’ll share more in upcoming weeks. =)
GB: Once Mask of the Betrayer is released, what is next for Neverwinter Nights 2? Are there any plans to release more retail expansion packs or even introduce a premium module program?
Kevin: Well, as you might guess, we can't really say much yet. =P But keep your eyes and ears open! We (Atari, Hasbro, Obsidian, and Wizards of the Coast) plan to continue supporting the Neverwinter Nights 2 community in every way possible.
Thanks for answering our questions, Kevin!
GB: Aside from the usual gameplay additions, do you plan on making any expansion-specific tweaks to the engine, interface, or multiplayer component?
Kevin: Many of these types of improvements have been made through patches to NWN2 – we don’t want to make players wait for Mask of the Betrayer to be released to enjoy an optimized engine and other features that benefit the community. But, yes, we are continuing these types of improvements throughout the development of NX1. =)
Kevin: Mask of the Betrayer begins almost immediately after the ending of NWN2. You will play your same character (if you wish), continuing his or her story. (Your weapons and gold are gone, but you’ll have many of your other equipped items still.)
Kevin: While the story in Mask of the Betrayer is connected to Neverwinter Nights 2, you don’t have to have played the expansion – the story stands alone, but players who have gone through the NWN2 campaign will recognize some references that occur in NX1.
I don't get that.. It takes place right after the end of NWN2, same character, but it's independent of the NWN2 story? Is it gonna be like the Hero mysteriously disappeared into the midst of a new conflict and gets too busy to relate to the turmoil that preceded the expansion?
I suspect they're prospectively planning a second expansion as well :P The main clue being "NX1," will there be "NX2" hmm? And lvl 30 cap makes me think that a second expansion would cap at lvl 40 (the lvl cap in both NWN1 expansions).Yeah, NX1 gave it away to me, too. It sounds like they might be doing a NX2, just by the sound of that "NX1"; heh.
I really appreciate that. I hope they will always be able to support the game as well as they have so far.They have done a good job of supporting it for the community -- especially w/ adding things the community wants.
I don't get that.. It takes place right after the end of NWN2, same character, but it's independent of the NWN2 story? Is it gonna be like the Hero mysteriously disappeared into the midst of a new conflict and gets too busy to relate to the turmoil that preceded the expansion?I dunno, but they did say this.....
Kevin: While the story in Mask of the Betrayer is connected to Neverwinter Nights 2, you don’t have to have played the expansion – the story stands alone, but players who have gone through the NWN2 campaign will recognize some references that occur in NX1.So, to me, this sounds A LOT like what was said about NWN: Hordes by Bioware in their previews, actually. Though, Hordes had a good deal of references to the original campaign and SOU campaign. You didn't really NEED to play those games to follow the Hordes story itself, but the past NWN references were there, especially w/ the returning NPC's and stuff. And if you don't often get the references, they will be explained -- usually in brief -- by some object, whether it's a NPC telling you the story (like Aribeth does in Hordes, telling you of what happened to her in NWN: OC and afterwards to how she got sent to the Cold part of the 9 Hells)
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer Q&A - Story, Classes, and EnhancementsOkay.
Lead designer Kevin Saunders gives us early details on the upcoming expansion pack to last year's hit fantasy role-playing game.
By Staff, GameSpot
Posted Apr 30, 2007 4:00 pm PT
Earlier this month, Atari and Obsidian Entertainment announced Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer, the first expansion pack to last year's acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Neverwinter Nights 2 was the follow-up to 2002's popular RPG, and it reintroduced you to the fabled Sword Coast of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. It also delivered an excellent story (which won GameSpot's award for the best story of 2006), as you adventured around the Sword Coast to save the city of Neverwinter from evil. With the expansion, developer Obsidian hopes to top itself. To get some of the early details on Mask of the Betrayer, which will ship later this year, we turned to lead designer and producer Kevin Saunders.
GameSpot: The story in NWN2 is generally regarded as being both excellent and lengthy, providing plenty of great gameplay. How does the expansion's story compare? Who wrote it and who served as lead designer?
Kevin Saunders: George Ziets is Mask of the Betrayer's creative lead and the architect of our story and characters. The story is brilliant--I think it will be Obsidian's best yet. Mask of the Betrayer (NX1) is shorter than the NWN2 campaign (we're targeting 15 to 20 hours of gameplay), but it will definitely be an epic and memorable experience. I occupy the role of lead designer but fortunately didn't get in George's way too much.
GS: Neverwinter Nights 2 came out in late October, roughly six months ago. Did you start work on the expansion immediately after NWN2 shipped, or was it in the planning stages beforehand? What's the history on this expansion?Okay.
KS: We began planning for Mask of the Betrayer last summer. For the first several months, it was mostly George, CEO Feargus Urquhart, and I determining the feature set, storyline, and direction for the game. Toward the end of NWN2, we dropped working on NX1 entirely to bolster the forces dedicated to completing NWN2.
After Neverwinter Nights 2 shipped, many of the experienced artists, designers, and programmers rolled right onto NX1--after a well-deserved break, of course. One of our expert modelers, Glenn Price, began working on NX1 creatures even before NWN2 was done, so we had some new toys to work with right away.Cool.
GS: This sounds like it's a high-level expansion for existing players, rather than something that newcomers can jump into and play. Can you transfer your existing NWN2 character into the expansion? Can you create a new character and start from level one in the new campaign, or is that a recipe for disaster?Sounds a lot like Hordes....
KS: It is a high-level campaign, and you will be able to transfer your existing NWN2 character. You can also create a new character if you want, especially if you're interested in trying out some of the new race and class options. In both cases, if your character is lower than a certain level, we'll give you enough experience points to level up to where the Mask of the Betrayer expects you to be.
GS: What details can you share regarding the story beyond the basics that we know? The game starts immediately after the events of the first game, and it starts with the character deep underground. What's going on?Ooooooooooooooh....sounds very dark. I likes already!
KS: The story in Mask of the Betrayer isn't about saving the world. It's an epic story, but it's a very personal one. You awaken in a pool of your own blood. Your immediate goal is survival. The shard of the Sword of Gith has been ripped from your chest and in its place is a dark hunger, a craving that threatens to consume you. The early part of the game involves determining the source and implications of this craving.
GS: How far has the level cap, which was previously set at 20, been raised? What are some of the new high-level skills and abilities in the expansion?Sounds good to me.
KS: Mask of the Betrayer takes you into the D&D epic levels, up to level 30. All of the base classes are being expanded up to level 30, and you can multiclass and take prestige classes to reach the higher levels. You'll have over 50 epic feats to choose from, some of which provide new abilities that we've designed with guidance from Wizards of the Coast. For example, monks might acquire the blazing aura feat, which engulfs their body in flames, injuring enemies who attack them, and adding to their unarmed strike damage.
GS: What are the new races and prestige classes? What about new items and weapons?Cool.
KS: We're not ready to talk about the new races yet, though I'll say that some of the speculation I've seen is accurate. We've paid great attention to what the community's requests have been for new race and class content and have implemented some of the most popular options. As some have surmised given our setting, the Red Wizard of Thay is one of the new prestige classes. We're also implementing two new base classes.
Brand New Friends and EnemiesCool.
GS: How is the companion system being improved? Are any familiar characters returning for the expansion? How many new characters are there?
KS: Companions have been a core component of Obsidian's games, and we're continuing to evolve our implementation of them. We want to reach a higher degree of companion reactivity in Mask of the Betrayer. We've revamped the influence system to now provide gameplay benefits to your companions (and yourself in some cases) when they gain sufficient loyalty to you.
KS: We've also increased the depth of the companions by having them also react more believably to poor treatment. If you upset them too much, they will also act appropriately. At first, you'll lose direct control of them (we've improved upon the companion artificial intelligence). Eventually, they'll stop sharing items or carrying around your loot for you. And if you oppose them enough, they'll abandon you. Don't worry, if they annoy you too much, you can kill them, which might bring some benefits....Ooooooh....that sounds pretty interesting.
KS: The cast of companions in Mask of the Betrayer is fairly small, allowing us to better develop their personalities and increase their reactivity to game events. With very few exceptions, you'll never be forced to have a certain (or any) companion with you.And Xessive is probably rejoicing that you won't be forced to go along w/ companions.....
KS: None of the companions in NX1 are from the NWN2 campaign, though you may come across the opportunity to learn a bit about the fate of some of your old friends.Ooooh, cool -- some NWN2: OC references will be there....nice!!
GS: What's the setting of the expansion? For instance, are there any similarities to the Shadows of Undrentide expansion for the first Neverwinter Nights because it starts underground?Okay.
KS: It's true that you'll begin underground, but you're not in the Underdark, and most of the game takes place on the surface. Oh, except for that part where you're exploring a sunken Imaskari city ruled by an Oracle of Delphi-like coven of paragon hags. (Designed by Tony Evans, who designed several of the planets in Knights of the Old Republic 2 and led the design of Act 3 in NWN2, the area feels like a classic D&D dungeon adventure.)
KS: We've had two main goals in our setting choices. First, we wanted to create new tilesets and terrains that will benefit the mod and persistent world communities. Second, we wanted to accurately depict Rashemen with some stunning visuals, such as the Immil Vale that artist Ed Lacabanne created.Okay.
GS: Judging from the first screens, it looks like the graphics may have been enhanced? What sort of technical improvements are there? Has the engine been improved?Yeah, let's keep improving them framerates and performance, please... :)
KS: NX1 is looking better than NWN2 for a few reasons. First, with support from several of the NWN2 programmers, including Jason Keeney, Adam Brennecke, and Frank Kowalkowski, we've made significant improvements to aspects of the graphics engine, such as the sky box, specularity, and lighting.
Second, our artists spent some time at the beginning of the project experimenting with what the NWN2 graphics engine can do and learning how to get even better results from it. Also, Obsidian's new art director, Justin Cherry (who, among many other things, created the amazing spell effects NWN2 has been praised for), has been adding effects and ambience to the environments to make them feel more alive.
Also, though the screenshots wouldn't reflect this, we made many optimizations to the engine since NWN2 first shipped, and we've improved frame rates and performance across the board. (These improvements were made in the first couple of updates to NWN2 last year.)
KS: All of these improvements will benefit the community's content creators as well. As for the NX1 campaign, our design team has paid specific attention to ensuring that each area has impressive vistas that are both eye candy and important to the gameplay.Sweet.
GS: Finally, what enhancements to the mod-making tools are being made in the expansion? How about changes or enhancements to multiplayer?
KS: Obsidian, Atari, Wizards of the Coast, and Hasbro all fully recognize the importance of the mod community and are continuously working to improve NWN2 in this regard. Mask of the Betrayer's lead programmer, Rich Taylor, is especially dedicated to improving NWN2 for modders, persistent world creators, and multiplayer gamers. Improvements to the toolset are continuously underway and are available through patches to NWN2. You'll need NX1 to get the new creatures, tilesets, and other content, but we didn't want the community to have to wait for toolset enhancements.
We've been adding many usability features, such as undo for terrain sculpting (courtesy of the aforementioned Adam Brennecke) and a creature appearance wizard (implemented by NX1 programmer Josh Verall) that make it much easier to try out different armor appearances, among other things. Our lead scripter, Charles Mead, who hails from the NWN1 mod community, is constantly adding to NWN2's impressive library of global scripts. We'll continue improving upon the toolset, with most of the enhancements coming directly from the feedback we receive from the various NWN2 communities.
We're designing the campaign in NX1 to be more multiplayer-friendly through various design decisions (fewer cutscenes, for example, which can be disruptive in cooperative multiplayer). And, like with the toolset improvements, we're enhancing various aspects of the multiplayer experience through the ongoing NWN2 updates.
GS: Thank you, Kevin.
I'm super excited about the new music and sound for MotB. I really enjoyed the OC's music. I just wish we had more of it.
So, we have a composer for MotB, but I'm not sure if we are going to do a formal announcement or not so I'll keep my mouth shut. If you guys are good at using Google you should be able to find some interesting information...
I'll leave that exercise up to you!
Obsidian Entertainment took over where BioWare left off with the release last fall of Neverwinter Nights 2, the sequel to the Dungeons and Dragons based fantasy RPG. Now Obsidian is working hard on their first commercial expansion for the game, Mask Of The Betrayer, that will be published by Atari this fall. FiringSquad got a chance to chat with Obsidian's lead designer Kevin Saunders to find out more about their plans for the expansion pack:I'm glad Obsidian keeps pointing out they we're happy w/ how polished the game turned out. How many dev's you know that do that?!?!?!
FiringSquad: First, was Obsidian happy with how Neverwinter Nights 2 turned out and how it was received by fans?
Kevin Saunders: Many people did terrific work on NWN2 and the team's accomplishments were pretty amazing. We did not achieve the level of polish with NWN2 that we would have liked. We've since made major improvements with the updates and NX1 will bring more overall improvements on top of the new story and campaign. Fans received NWN2 well and we hope to entertain them further with NX1.
FiringSquad: When the time came to develop the expansion pack, what were the development team's main goals?20 hours sounds fine to me -- as long as there's a lot of engaging and cool stuff to do.
Kevin Saunders: From a production perspective, a primary goal was to carefully manage the scope of the project so that we would be able to polish the game as much as we'd like. We pushed ourselves to put as much into the game as possible, but without overreaching. We made quality of greater importance than quantity, despite the fact that our campaign is looking to be about 20 hours of game play.
For programming, the emphasis has been on both supporting the core NX1 design and improving the overall quality of NWN2 and its toolset for the community's use.Sweet.
From an art perspective, we wanted to leverage our experience with the NWN2 engine to create even more impressive vistas, creatures, and characters than NWN2 had.
From a design perspective, we wanted to provide closure to the story/character from NWN2, add new assets and features that would benefit the NWN2 community, craft an engrossing and personal story with intriguing characters, and accurately and richly portray a relatively unexplored section of Faer�n.
FiringSquad: What can you tell us about the storyline for Mask of the Betrayer?Wo0t for dark tone!!!
Kevin Saunders: We (creative lead designer George Ziets, that is) crafted a story that�s both epic and personal. Even more so than Obsidian's previous products, the story is woven into the game play. It includes Red Wizards of Thay, at least one god, and a lot of major decisions. The story is quite dark, but has its optimistic moments.
FiringSquad: Will there be any new playable characters or races put into the expansion?Cool.
Kevin Saunders: We are adding several new classes and races, including the genasi, which are planetouched hailing from the elemental planes. And your assortment of companions will include some very unique and interesting options.
FiringSquad: What sort of new locations and setting will the expansion have?Sweet.
Kevin Saunders: The primary location of NX1 is Rashemen, in the eastern section of Faer�n and near the border of Thay. But throughout the course of the game, you'll travel to some other exotic locales, including other planes. But the story isn't especially about planar travel.
FiringSquad: What are the development team's favorite new monsters in Mask of the Betrayer?What the hell???
Kevin Saunders: This isn't a new creature, but everyone loves the chicken's new flying kick attack that animator Andrea Bobick created. Why would a chicken need to be able to do a flying kick, you ask? You'll see... =)
FiringSquad: What other new features will the expansion pack have?Okay.
Kevin Saunders: There's one major gameplay system that we've developed with Wizards of the Coast. It's not something from D&D, but it's D&D flavored. This new feature has both combat and conversation implications and is intimately tied into the story and characters. We'll be releasing more information in the near future.
We implemented many other new features, most of which are to further polish the NWN2 experience for both the player and for the content creator using the toolset. For example, we added the ability to use any 2D graphic as a custom portrait for creatures instead of the automatically generated 3D portraits.Yay for 2D portraits can be used again!!!
And, of course, we added a lot on the gameplay side, including over 50 new spells, over 50 new feats, new items, crafting system enhancements, etc.Nice.
FiringSquad: Will there be any graphical improvements made for the expansion pack?I hope you guys improved performance even more so on it -- it might've looked great, but on and off, it still ran all over the place; at least it runs less "all over the place" than it did originally.
Kevin Saunders: Absolutely. We learned a lot throughout the course of NWN2 and have been able to apply that experience to get even more out of the graphics engine. The environments, creatures - all of it is stunning. NX1 looks like it got a major graphics upgrade over NWN2, but the system requirements are the same. In fact, we completed a lot of optimization in the first couple updates to NWN2, so NX1 will both look better and run more smoothly than NWN2 did at launch. We have made some technical improvements to the graphics engine as well, including improved specularity and more advanced sky boxes.
FiringSquad: What is the current status of the expansion's progress and when will it be released?YAY!!!
Kevin Saunders: We just achieved a full progression of the game. From here on in, it's all about polishing. Atari has announced a release date of Fall, 2007.
FiringSquad: Is there any rumblings at all on Atari publishing a Neverwinter Nights 3?I would like to see Obsidian do NWN3, myself.
Kevin Saunders: As you might expect, I'm not permitted to actually answer this question directly. I'd love to work on a Neverwinter Nights 3.
FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer?Okay.
Kevin Saunders: When you're considering games for awards at the end of 2007, please don't group Mask of the Betrayer into the "expansion" category. =) Yeah, I'm pretty sure it will be priced as one and you do need the original game to play. But with both the quality and quantity of the new content, we can contend with the "full" titles for best RPG of 2007.
MoTB Camera Changes
In Mask of The Betrayer, we will be implementing something called Play Modes. This will replace the current camera/control scheme in NWN2 with something a little bit more streamlined. Basically, there will be two play modes that can be configured from the Game Options screen - Character Mode and Strategy Mode. These modes will affect both the function of the camera and the controls for each mode, and are designed to be most efficient for the two primary styles of play – controlling a single character, and controlling a full party.
In Character Mode, the camera follows behind and over the shoulder of the currently controlled character. This mode is useful for getting a good look at your surroundings and exploring an area while focused on controlling an individual character.
While in Character Mode, by default, holding the Left Mouse Button down and moving the mouse to the left or right will turn the character. You can also turn by moving the mouse to the edge of the screen. Holding down the Middle Mouse Button or pressing the Arrow keys will allow you to rotate the camera around the currently controlled character.
Strategy Mode is a top down Play Mode that is intended to make controlling a full party easier. This mode is most useful for controlling combat situations involving a full party of characters against a large number of enemies.
In Strategy Mode, by default, you can hold the Left Mouse Button to have your character move towards the mouse cursor. You can rotate the camera either by holding the Middle Mouse Button and moving the mouse, by moving the mouse cursor to the edge of the screen, or by pressing the Arrow Keys.
Strategy Mode can also be configured to play more like a Real-Time Strategy game, with the camera unfocused from the currently character and with Marquee Select - the ability to click and drag a box around a character to control individual or multiple characters. Please see the Options Menu section for more details.
It's important to remember, that this functionality is a Work in Progress and may change before the release of the Mask of The Betrayer expansion.
Rob McGinnis, on his blog, mentions the changes that Mask of The Betrayer will being to the game's CAMERA system. (http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?s=11e2124256ccf9a4fd46953550ef3f39&automodule=blog&blogid=2&)
IGN: The inventory system in NWN2 was inconvenient at best, are you making any overhauls for the expansion? Will those overhauls be retroactive for the base game?I wasn't the biggest fan of NWN2's Inventory system...
Feargus Urquhart: To be honest, I'm not sure yet if we will be able to overhaul the inventory system before we ship the expansion. It's on our list of things to do and pretty high on there as well. We did address this issue some for the official campaign in Mask of the Betrayer by revisiting how we handle loot and crafting - you'll have less inventory clutter and more interesting items.
IGN: What are the expansion plans after Mask of the Betrayer? Another retail box or working on NWN 3?I wouldn't be surprised if Obsidian were to develop another NWN2 Expansion and NWN3, myself.
Feargus Urquhart: Not sure yet. I can say that we love working on D&D games at Obsidian and if it's in the cards to do more then you'll probably see us doing them.
14 minutes of Feargus showing off NWN2: Mask of The Betrayer to GameSpot...Isn't the "strategy cam" already in the game (except without the selection box)? The only real significant difference is the "Character Cam" is restricted to the geometry (like most 3rd person games).. Otherwise I don't think they altered the controls so that you can actually steer with the mouse as in KotOR. I still don't understand why that's difficult to do! That's the way the "Driving cam" should be!
...He talks and shows off some new features, such as...
--The two new cam modes
--New races
--The way the game starts, story-wise
--System requirements; He said it'll probably be 2.4 Ghz, 512 MB RAM, and a Pixel Shader 2.0 Card (High GeForce 5 series or ATI Radeon 9800 Pro)
(http://au.gamespot.com/video/939027/6174801/videoplayerpop?)
About the two new cam modes, "character mode" looks like it'll play like SW: KOTOR did -- a behind the character cam mode where you move the character around, manually. The "strategy cam" mode looks like the old school top-down mode you'd see in a RTS or strategy-RPG game (think like BG or WCIII).
Isn't the "strategy cam" already in the game (except without the selection box)? The only real significant difference is the "Character Cam" is restricted to the geometry (like most 3rd person games).. Otherwise I don't think they altered the controls so that you can actually steer with the mouse as in KotOR. I still don't understand why that's difficult to do! That's the way the "Driving cam" should be!I dunno if they nixed the other cams, such as The Free Cam.
I dunno if they nixed the other cams, such as The Free Cam.Yeah I generally use WSAD when I can't be bother to click locations Diablo-style.. But in KotOR I can use the mouse to street my character like most 3rd person games. The controls in NWN2 are character relative, as opposed to camera relative as in KotOR.
Well, you can move your character around WSAD by default -- you always could in Aurora-based games, NWN and NWN2.
The Top Down Cam seems to be a lot like "Strategy Cam", it seems like.
SW: KOTOR games were made off a modified version of Aurora. Had a different name; I can't recall it.
Yeah I generally use WSAD when I can't be bother to click locations Diablo-style.. But in KotOR I can use the mouse to street my character like most 3rd person games. The controls in NWN2 are character relative, as opposed to camera relative as in KotOR.W/ Free Cam, it's over-the-top and the cam doesn't follow a character. It goes...well, wherever you slide it -- not even near your characters, if you like. It's like a 2D isometric over-the-top cam -- like you can use in BG and PS:T -- when you don't have the cam set for centered on character, and you just pan the camera along left, right, forward, or back.
The Top Down cam is the standard one just like in NWN1, but I mean there is a whole other cam mode (can't remember what it's called, maybe Free Cam) but the cam doesn't follow the selected character and it behaves a lot like a common RTS view.
I'm really looking forward to the enhancements the expansion will bring, especially performance related ones!Oh, shadows in especially this game -- and usually in most games, actually -- are a killer.
So far the biggest performance drain on my system is the shadows. When I switch the shadows to simple or off I get a huge framerate boost!
FU: A lot of the feedback we got about the single-player campaign came down to one of two things: How we implemented the D&D rules and the satisfaction that one got from the ending of the game. We're continually working on the game based on comments we get from people about how we've implemented the rules.Multiple endings.....sweet! Sounds good to me!!
We also often pose questions to the community as to what they would like to see. As we get that feedback from them and from our own continual play of the game, we are adding in changes to update both NWN2 and the expansion. As for the ending, we want everyone to feel a sense of closure with the ending of Mask of the Betrayer--in a good way. We don't want them to have too many questions. So, we've already designed and implemented the ending of the expansion and have started to play through it. Based upon those play-throughs, we are going to make sure it's the ending that everyone would like to see for how they approached the rest of the game. There are, of course, multiple endings, and we're working hard to make each conclusion satisfying.
Platform: Windows
Release Date: Autumn 2007
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment, Inc.
Publisher: Atari
Category: Role Playing Game
PEGI Rating: 12+
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
Following the climactic battle against the King of Shadows, you awaken alone and stranded deep beneath the earth. A dark hunger grows within you, threatening to devour your very soul. Will you fight against the hunger within or will you embrace it, revelling in your newfound power?
Set in harsh, spirit-rich Rashemen, near the powerful nation of Thay, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer presents players with an exciting new 20-30+ hour campaign filled with meaningful choices, rich characters, and surprising outcomes. Continue the adventure of your Neverwinter Nights 2 character or create a completely new epic hero – no previous Neverwinter Nights experience required. Hundreds of new gameplay options include epic levels; feats, spells, races, and classes; powerful weapons, armour, and crafting options; and hordes of diverse creatures.
PRODUCT FEATURES:
• Major improvements to the Neverwinter Nights franchise: enhanced graphics, including extensive use of specularity, environment effects, and normal maps; improved performance; streamlined party control; and an easier to use and more powerful toolset. Experience Neverwinter Nights 2 at its best.
• Epic storyline provides the most riveting RPG experience since Planescape: Torment, with the compelling characters and plotlines for which Obsidian Entertainment is renowned. Play the official campaign either alone or online with your friends.
• Stunning new environments include the Astral Plane, sunken Imaskari ruins, a Thayan wizard academy, and the Shadow Plane. Immerse yourself in the Forgotten Realms as you’ve never seen it before.
• Explore an amazingly reactive world, where your decisions affect those around you and the passage of time realistically impacts gameplay.
• Switch seamlessly between exploration and tactical combat with the immersive, over the shoulder view of Character Mode and the top down perspective of Strategy Mode with its RTS-like controls.
• Combat and negotiate with dozens of new creatures including many D&D favourites such as blue dragons, treants, hags, solars, and the two-headed fell troll.
• Choose from over 20 classic and exotic D&D races, including the new genasi: planetouched humanoids hailing from the elemental planes of air, earth, fire, or water.
• Customize your character with over 60 epic feats including the monk’s Blazing Aura, the rogue’s Epic Precision, and the druid’s Dragon Shape.
• Master more than 50 new spells, including epic spells such as mass fowl, damnation, and vampiric feast.
• Play new D&D classes such as the Red Wizard of Thay, spirit shaman, and invisible blade.
• Collect souls from defeated foes to create mighty artefacts using an expanded item enchantment system.
• Create your own D&D adventures to play with friends online with enhanced modding tools.
Gold - Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer [September 15, 2007, 2:02 pm ET] - Viewing Comments
The Neverwinter Nights 2 Vault (thanks Fion) has news that the Mask of the Betrayer expansion for Neverwinter Nights 2 is now gold for both the US and Europe, and expected to arrive in stores on October 9 in North America and "late September" in Europe. On a related note, the NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer Website is live.
Sweet! And just in time! I'm building my new system!
I'm still not decided on the video card, but here are my current core components:
Mobo: Asus P5W DH, Intel 975X Chipset
CPU: Core 2 Duo E6750
RAM: 2 GB DDR2
It should be built just in time to receive MotB!
Honestly I'd rather avoid nVidia unless I'm all out of options. I'm not looking to spend a fortune on a video card either (my budget is around $300).
Hey Xessive, I'd highly recommend the 8800 GTS 320 at the very least. There is a new 8800 coming in November from what I know though.
The 8800GTS 320 MB is much more powerful than the x1900xt and about $260 on newegg. :)Yeah, now I've got something to think about. If I can find it for a decent price around here I may just go ahead and make the move to nVidia. I'll have to see what the best offer is in the stores.
In the middle east it is going for $310.
Do check this thread:
http://www.overwritten.net/forum/index.php?topic=2608.0
I've seen it in stores here already. Has it been released in Europe quicker?
Neverwinter Nights 2 Community UpdateOooooh....it's gonna be difficult....
September 29, 2007
We have had a busy week with the release of Mask of The Betrayer and the 1.10 patch. As such, the update had to be pushed back slightly, hence the Saturday update this week. For this update we will talk a bit about the 1.10 patch, Mask of The Betrayer and take a look at a veritable cornucopia of community-made custom content.
1.10 Patch
The 1.10 patch was released this week. It is the 1.07 patch with only data fixes, to cut down on any issues that could arise with MoTB since MoTB went to the manufacturer and distributor before 1.10 could be released. As always, we would love to hear your constructive comments on it and we have a thread going in the NWN2 general form on the Bioware site for you to report any bugs you may encounter with the patch.
As a general rule though, for this patch, if you are having any issues, particularly with performance or graphics anomalies, take a couple moments to rename the Neverwinter Nights 2 folder in your My Documents directory and start the game again to see if the issue is still happening. This often clears out any conflicts you have with files, hacks and overrides and will fix most issues.
Mask of The Betrayer
Mask of The Betrayer has been released in Europe and our friends over the pond seem to be enjoying it! The story in Mask is quite a bit darker than the previous NWN titles and introduces a new mechanic to the game: your character is cursed! We have also ratcheted up the difficulty in the game and I am hearing that many feel it is the most difficult D&D game yet: they really have to think through their encounters - no more breezing your way through.
It won't be long before it is released in America and Australia shortly thereafter. I know it's difficult, but we will have to put up with the European's teasing just a little while longer.Okay.
MoTB Missing Text Fix
Many are reporting an issue with missing text in MoTB. Please see this post (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic.html?topic=587298&forum=121) in the Bioware forums for a hot fix.
When installing MoTB, please use the following instructions:
1. Install NWN2
2. Patch NWN2 to the latest version (1.10 as of Sept. 29, 2007)
3. Install Mask of The Betrayer
4. Download and apply the hot fix for your language, listed below.
Italian: Click Here (http://nwn2patch.obsidianent.com/NWN2_DialogUpdate_it.exe)
French: Click Here (http://nwn2patch.obsidianent.com/NWN2_DialogUpdate_fr.exe)
German: Click Here (http://nwn2patch.obsidianent.com/NWN2_DialogUpdate_de.exe)
English: Click Here (http://nwn2patch.obsidianent.com/NWN2_DialogUpdate_en.exe)
Spanish: Click Here (http://nwn2patch.obsidianent.com/NWN2_DialogUpdate_es.exe)
If you do not apply the hot fixes, when you attempt to play the game you will see sections of missing text and the Campaign name will say it is undefined.
So wait, I didn't download the patch cause I just wanted to wait for the CD etc. This is insane. Is the patch not on the CD?Even though MOTB comes w/ 1.10, but that version on that disc has DATA issues -- namely, by installing MOTB, two things WILL happen:
Also someone needs to create a torrent for those patches.
I was honestly hoping I could just install NWN2 vanilla and then just MotB on top and it will bring it up to date.I think we all were....This is a big "WTF?" kind of mess, right now...
Coming Soon!
So many of you have seen we have talked about the ability to use custom portraits instead of the default 3d portraits of NWN2. For those with MoTB installed, you can see that we have used this for the companions and other creatures.
Right now, there is no easy way to set the portraits for characters as you could during character creation in NWN1, so we started work on a system to allow this. But, after some discussions we felt that Persistent World Players needed something more. For those of you that don't play on PWs, it's important to understand that characters evolve on PWs, as well as the world around them. As such, we felt it would be great if you could actually change your portrait during play. So, once the feature is released in a patch you will be able to double-click on your portrait in the character screen and a portrait selection dialog (shown below) will appear. You will be able to change your portrait as often as you like and, as long as other players have your portrait in their portraits folder (My Documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\Portraits), they will be able to see the change as well. If you ever want to go back to your 3d game-generated portrait, just click the clear button.
Ok, curiosity got the best of me. I just reinstalled NWN2, applied all the offline patches and brought it up to v1.10. There are some significant differences in this update! The most notable being the implementation of the Character and Strategy camera modes. All in all I'm impressed with the changes, yet still dismayed at the whole MotB mess.I installed 1.10, but I ain't tried it at all.
I don't get it, couldn't they have put in a little utility that check your version of NWN2 and applies the appropriate updates (which would be on the disc)? Kinda like a variant of the auto-updater.
Even though MOTB comes w/ 1.10, but that version on that disc has DATA issues -- namely, by installing MOTB, two things WILL happen:
1. Installing MOTB botches NWN2: OC's data files.
This is why Rob said to put Patch 1.10 (this would be the version you'd get ONLINE, not the version on the MOTB disc) FIRST, so that MOTB won't botch THOSE files, in case you actually want to play OC again.
2. Installing MOTB does have some missing MOTB data -- missing text files.
So, this is why you put their Hot Fix in lastly, to fix that problem.
BUT, from what I gather, people are STILL having problems galore, even if they follow Rob's directions as is.
Read here -- Part 1. (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic.html?topic=586903&forum=109)
And Read here -- Part 2. (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic.html?topic=587260&forum=109&sp=0)
All NWN2 patches should be on IGN's NWVault.
I'll find it for you all -- I put that link in the other NWN2 thread, but I can't find it!
Gimmie time! I'll get y'all it!
EDIT, 9:58am (my time zone):
This is where all the NWN2 patches are hosted in the NWVault.
Note that Patch 1.10 isn't up there, yet.... (http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2Other.Detail&id=19)
I hope that at least the future shipments will include a cleaned up version.
I bet if there's later some sort of NWN2: Gold Edition, which would contain both NWN2 and NWN2: MOTB, it'll probably be all cleaned-up on that disc w/ the most recent patch already w/ it.True. Bioware did that with the NWN Platinum pack. Hmm, now I'm having second thoughts about buying MotB. Maybe I should just wait for a "gold" pack.
I believe the plan is to get a patch out that will allow you to install NWN2, install MoTB then install a single patch, but I am not 100% sure.
Secondly, the designers have put a lot more emphasis on the decisions that you will make during the game and their consequences, which will greatly influence your companions, as well as the final outcome of the game. Speaking of which, there are four possible endings: one good (considered optimal by Obsidian), two neutral and one evil (which is very cool by the way). Barring the increased replay value that these endings offer (because you can’t see all four just by making one choice at the end of the game), they are also a lot more satisfying than the ones in NWN2, so fans will be pleased in this regard.Good deal.
Thirdly, Obsidian bravely decided that some “old fashion” storytelling was in order, meaning that in MotB you’ll get to see elaborate descriptions, depicting emotions, locations and events, sometimes backed up by a narrator (Rodger Bumpass), whose voice is ten times better than the one from NWN2 (the in-game identity of the narrator, which you’ll discover at the end of your adventure, is also one of the more pleasant surprises from MotB). In this regard, Planescape: Torment fans will feel right at home, reading the intriguing passages that depict your own character’s actions among other things, while newcomers will probably just skip them (their loss). And even though the amount of text is nowhere near as large as that of PS:T, the quality is right up there with the big boys, with even the most insignificant ally having at least one or two interesting things to say.Sounds good to me!
Speaking of which, the new companions are not that stupid anymore, when compared to the ones in NWN2, but the casters will still choose the most bizarre order in which to use their spells that you can think of. I’ll never understand why it’s necessary to summon a Meteor Swarm on a Near Death enemy, or heal a companion that has 75% of its hitpoints, when all it takes to kill you is a toothpick thrown in your direction. I guess this is one of the reasons why the designers placed the AI Off button in plain sight.I'm glad the AI has been improved. The AI would do some funky thangs in NWN2: OC -- especially the over-abusive shape-changing skill used by Elanee.
The resting system has also been modified, to better reflect the influence of the passage of time on the story and game world. Now, resting will last for 8 hours, but it can be interrupted by nearby enemies, the second option being to wait until dusk or dawn: you will get full health back, but not the spells. As a side note, the day-night cycle is extremely well depicted from a visual point of view, especially if you stay in a location for a longer period. However, the passing of time isn’t just for show, since some areas and even side-quests won’t be accessible during day-time, so you’ll have to carefully plan your trips and resting periods, with that whole soul-craving thing and all.Resting sounds more like the BG games -- where you can sleep, but given that you'll sleep for quite some time, it's possible to be awakened into a battle and all. Good.
Unfortunately, players who enjoyed running their own castle will be disappointed to know that in MotB there’s no equivalent to Crossroad Keep, which is somewhat understandable, considering where the action takes place. However, MotB still features a couple of quirky quests, like the one in NWN2 where you could recruit a giant spider to your group of adventurers.Bummer. I really liked the whole Crossroad Keep thing -- though, one could argue there could've been more content for The Keep, in NWN2. It laid down a good foundation, for what could be done in the future for future NWN's.
The quests in MotB are fairly linear, with one or maybe two ways to complete them (for instance, either get an item via a more diplomatic way or take it by force). Most of the quests are also pretty straight-forward in regards to their solution...Okie dokie.
...Since the time it takes you to see this new adventure through (some 20-25 hours, if you’re a thorough explorer)...That's a pretty good length for an expansion; hell, even a full game, these days and age.
On the technical side of things, MotB has the same strengths and weaknesses as its predecessor. On one hand, the voice acting and soundtrack are excellent, with the musical score being completely new – an admirable achievement, considering the budget limitations for an expansion.That's good -- hopefully, we won't hear some of the original NWN1 music beat to death (like it was in NWN2), in the Mask expansion.
As far as performance goes however, it’s every man for himself. It’s true that MotB runs better than NWN2 did at launch, but there are still some annoying performance issues. For instance, changing the shadow quality from low to medium (or vice-versa!?) can lead to a dramatic framerate drop, even on very powerful PCs.[/b]Bah!
This can be countered by testing each setting and finding a balance between quality and performance, but the number of bugs, both in single and multiplayer, is frightening. Yes, NWN2 did have its share of bugs too, but in MotB there are a lot more programming glitches which can ruin the game experience. Triggers that don’t activate properly, items that suddenly disappear from the inventory, side-quests which can’t be completed without the dev console, spells which work only on your character, even though for instance you need to heal a companion, and the list can go on.Sounds like this game REALLY needs a patch -- especially w/ "items go missing from your Inventory -- ummm, WTF???
However, Mask of the Betrayer is without a doubt one of the most pleasant surprises of the year and further proof that Obsidian Entertainment can create quality RPGs if no one is standing with a shotgun at their backs to get the game done as soon as possible (yes, LucasArts, I’m talking about you). It’s also true however that if on the story, dialogues and character fronts MotB is an excellent example of how things should be done, on the technical and bug-fixing aspect, Obsidian still has some work ahead of it.We've already had a big year of RPG's, this year -- ES4: Shivering Isles (expansion), Two Worlds, TQ: Immortal Throne (expansion); that's just to name a few, off the top of my skull!
Regardless of these problems however, Mask of the Betrayer is a triumph which should be saluted by all RPG fans, since it proves once and for all that “old school” RPG principles – wonderful story, interesting characters, great dialogues – which seem to have been forgotten by newer “RPGs”, are still as valid as ever. All that remains now is for The Witcher to rise up to the challenge, thus giving us solid reasons to hope for a new golden age for RPGs on the PC.
Can you go home again? And if so, how much will you -- or your home -- have changed since you left? That's one of Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer's themes, but it's also a question for beleaguered D&D fans desperate for the original NWN2, only to discover a virtual plague of bugs and camera problems rendering it all but unplayable. The good news: One year and 250 megabytes worth of patches later, the game is finally as good as promised. The better news: The new Mask of the Betrayer expansion is a stronger, more complex, and ultimately more satisfying game.Good deal.
It's also not easy. Set soon after the original game's end, Mask begins with your character -- you can keep your old guy or create one from scratch -- at level 18 (or up to 20 if you were there already). The expansion adds two new base classes, Favored Soul and Spirit Shaman, and five new prestige classes, which, of course, you may be dying to try, but since you start at such a high level, it's kinda like buying an MMO character off eBay. Yes, your character is powerful from the start, but good luck knowing what you're doing. Fortunately, you can start the new classes from level 1 in the original NWN2 campaign, if you'd like to learn the mechanics on an easier level.So it ain't easy, eh? Cool.
Me, I chose to import my trusty level 18 Dwarf Paladin, Doofaeus Moronico -- and had my best D&D RPG experience since Black Isle's 1999 masterpiece, Planescape: Torment (though it's not in the same league). Planescape is, in fact, the best point of reference here for describing Mask's campaign. Rather than sending you on a save-the-world quest, Mask focuses on an inward journey: You awake imprisoned underground for reasons unknown, and you soon find yourself victim of a horrific curse. You spend the bulk of the game hopping through portals into surreal planes and dreamscapes in search of who put this curse on you, why, and how to get rid of it.Cool.
The curse is no mere plot device; it has a direct effect on gameplay. You've become a spirit-eater and must constantly consume spirits to stay alive.That's different.
It adds a challenging monkey wrench to an already complex game -- forcing you to reconsider even basic actions like resting or traveling, if your spirit meter is too low. Add in a few genuinely tough logic puzzles (some frustratingly short on clues) and a series of side quests that completely vary (some might not even open up) depending on your party makeup, and you have a game that goes a good 20 hours -- at least -- and begs for repeated playthroughs.Good deal.
Mask is not without problems, though. Even all these patches later, with two new "modes" to play in, NWN2's still got one of the most annoying, impossible-to-use cameras ever. (Obsidian: Please ditch this engine, for all our sakes, next time out.)I'll have to see how the cam is, once I do get this.
The new NPCs are a fine, but mostly humorless, bunch.Okay
And once again, a few bugs tripped up my game, failing to trigger events and forcing me back to an old save (save early and often, kids).Bleh,
Still, these issues were far less obtrusive this time and ultimately did not dampen my happy feelings that here was the kind of deep, hardcore RPG that old-school fans like me thought they just didn't make anymore.I am looking forward to this.
Hello Everyone,
There is currently a patch available on the Autopatcher. DO NOT INSTALL THIS PATCH!
If you do, it will overwrite your CD Key(s) and cause you much havoc.
Edit
If this patch has already been installed, you will need to manually open the file "nwncdkey.ini" and replace the CD key(s) with the original keys you entered at the time of installing the game. The file can be found in the NWN2 install folder.
If you have a backup of nwn2cdkey.ini from after you installed MotB, you can instead just restore the file from your backup.
I don't use the autoupdater anyway. I have learned to wait for the manual patches. Still though, that is pretty retarded, they may as well eliminate the autoupdater since it's causing more bad than good.
Ain't that the truth, X.Seriously man!
It looks like for the most part, MOTB patching process has been fixed.Ok, that's a tad more acceptable.
Now, you can install it like this -- NWN2, then MOTB, then patch.
Look here (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic.html?topic=589961&forum=121&sp=0)
I'm picking the game up today.I'll see. I might pass by Virgin to see if they've received it yet.
Circuit City this week has MOTB for $17.99
BB has MOTB for $19.99.
I'm gonna go price match at BB w/ the CC flyer. :)
I'll see. I might pass by Virgin to see if they've received it yet.That's how I did it.
I'm just wondering; suppose I install NWN2, update it to v1.10, then install MotB, will the v1.11 update fix everything too?
As I understand it the latest fix basically cross-checks your files to see what you're missing and then downloads the actual relevant updates.Basically, yep.
I just picked up MotB :D It cost me around $32 USD.I'm in deep into Chapter 2....
I'm still in the very beginning though, I haven't even gotten that spirit-metre everyone's been talking/complaining about.
So far I like it! I really like the narrator and the darkness attributed to his voice.Me too. The prose of the narrator and the game itself is quite good, as well.
From a technical standpoint, it's a huge improvement over the original (even with patch v1.10+). The expansion adds a whole bunch of new resources that really enhance its performance and visuals.Absolutely agreed.
A good effort from Obsidian!
X, that sucks, bro. Bleh!!!I have the autosave (thank God for autosaves!) just outside the Skein. I loaded it and all my companions are in godmode! I can't disable it either! Normally that would be a good stroke of luck, but here it turns out to work against me and inevitably becomes kinda boring. I'll probably go around doing what I can outside the Skein then worry about the Skein when the bug is resolved.
Hmmmm...you didn't have any saves like right before Gul'kash?
I know, I know -- I am a save whore, to say the least. I do save a lot, though I do delete a lot of saves as I go along, too.
Alright, I just installed the expansion and patched etc. Where are the companion AI options? You know, where I set what they should and shouldn't do?
edit:
Nevermind, I remember now. I had forgotten. :P
Just finished it! Satisfying yet it has created a hunger for a new expansion!
Ok, I need to play The Witcher. NEED!Not very often do I break out the $50 + shipping for a brand-new game -- last game I did that on before The Witcher was actually Morrowind when it first came out -- I don't regret either purchase at their price tag upon release, either. Both were great. Sure, I've spent $40 upon release for a game a handful of times in recent years (such as NWN, Bioshock PC and Oblivion PC), but usually that's as far as I will go on a new game. :P
I'm gonna take a little break from NWN2, then I'm gonna get back into it and play as a Genasi next!
Here is a quick look at some of the fixes and features in Patch 1.11. Happy reading.
Neverwinter Nights 2 - Version 1.11 Patch Notes
October 30th, 2007
Bug Fixes in 1.11
General
* Stealth was previously not functioning properly. It is now functioning as designed.
* Opening the Game Options window will no longer reset the camera focus of Strategy Mode.
* The Dwarven Defender’s Defensive Stance should now function properly.
* An exploit was fixed that allowed players to increase their CON by unequipping and re-equipping items.
* A message will now be displayed if a character cannot equip an item due to being Frightened.
* The “Enable Buy/Sell Confirmation” option will now properly retain its state when you exit the game.
* Duergar are now properly ECL +1 rather than ECL +2.
Mask of the Betrayer Fixes (WARNING: Spoilers)(click to show/hide)
Toolset
* Several crashes have been addressed in the Creature Appearance Wizard.
DM Client
* On the DM's Context menu, if you are controlling the DM avatar the non-DM heal skill will not show up. If you possess another creature, the non-DM heal skill will show up.
Scripting
* EffectDeath() now has a new parameter that will make it so that any visual effects on the creature aren't purged (With the exception of mobility imparing effects, like stun, paralysis, etc).
Spells
* Enervate will always display its visual effect properly and will now only roll one ranged touch attack.
* Lionheart can now be scribed to a scroll.
* Extract Water Elemental can now be scribed to a scroll.
* Many spells which previously were not able to be used to craft wands now work.
....
Right now, we expect to release the patch on Monday. It's too close to the weekend now and we don't like to release right before a weekend.
I've been waiting for this heheI'll probably check them all out, once I get SoZ,
I just checked it out and it seems to have slightly improved performance even further. It could be my imagination. The bug fixes are handy and the subtle amendments are welcome.
I'm really looking forward to SoZ and I have one major request.. I hope that when you install SoZ it will bring everything up-to-date without the need for the previous patches i.e. I can freshly install NWN2 and MotB without having to update before I install SoZ.Agreed.
The current patch mess is already enough of a pain in the ass.Ain't that the truth.