NWN Project Update

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(Originally posted by Sorcerer)

Trent Oster, The Neverwinter Nights Producer updated the official site today:

for June & July 2000

The last couple months have been a very hectic. We've been meeting on a large number of design issues and nailing down everything we can. The various aspects of the project are moving along quite nicely and things are progressing smoothly.

Programming

Working tirelessly to implement new features, the programmers have completed many improvements and optimizations to the game engine. We have done some graphic engine experimentation with bump mapping and the results are very promising. There were a lot of big grins plastered on everyone's faces when we gathered together to get our first peek at the prototype in action. We have also been adding a number of enhancements to the basic AI systems and implementing support in the scripting language for some additional functions. The reaction system is coming along, too, and I'll be discussing this more in future updates. To help the Animation department preview their work, we've also implemented an animation viewer that lets you queue up actions and view how they interact using the interpolation system. There has been significant progress on the Mac and Linux ports of the game as well, with Apple lending us a hand in the form of a G4 with a spanky flat screen monitor. We all felt like cavemen seeing fire for the first time. =) On a final note, the Aurora toolset has been renamed yet again and is now known as the Neverwinter toolset. We've basically come full circle on this issue and it's been quite confusing for everyone involved, so from now on we will refer to the tools as the Neverwinter toolset.

Art

We are starting to work out the details on a more realistic and dynamic combat animation system. The characters will actually duel as opposed to just swinging blindly. The work on the tilesets goes well with plenty of gorgeous scenery being added every day. The various tilesets have been changed a bit in terms of content, with us reworking and optimizing what is in each tileset. With our recent work we've managed to increase the diversity in each tileset and focus in on actual needs outlined by our designers. This has involved merging a number of the tilesets together to allow for much greater flexibility within a given area. The portraits are coming along very well, too, with good variety and strong character. The last two months have also brought a number of new character and monster models to life. We are hard at work texturing the characters and monsters and in the not too distant future we will be able to give everyone a good look at what we have been working on since E3.

Design

The Design department has been working on implementation plans and preliminary maps for the single player game. It is really hard not to give away the story secrets when discussing design, but we are quite dedicated to keeping the story under wraps until the project launches. On another note, the new and improved module design database is almost finished. The database will help the designers to better keep track of all the objects in the game and will reduce the effort required to create those objects by allowing designers to draw on a standard library of stock items where necessary (as opposed to reinventing the wheel with every module). On the game design front we have been working out a number of rules issues and other game mechanics problems that have emerged out of the "List of Lists". The "List of Lists" is essentially a master content and rules list for the entire game. If a feature or piece of artwork is in the list, then it is in the game and someone is assigned to it. Otherwise it can't be assumed to be in the game. Additionally, the Henchman system has been defined a little more clearly in terms of implementation, allowing for followers of both a generic and a plot-specific nature. This is a powerful tool for the designers to use, in terms of both playbalancing and storytelling.

Summary

Neverwinter is a grand vision of a project and every day that vision moves one step closer to reality. It is a pleasure to work on such an epic project, surrounded by a talented team and a lot of positive feedback from everyone interested in the project.