chevalier
Fri, 18th Aug '06, 7:04pm
Here are today's Neverwinter Nights 2 forum highlights, collected by NWVault (http://nwvault.ign.com). Please take into account that these are only single parts of various threads and should not be taken out of context. Bear in mind also that the posts presented here are copied as-is, and that any bad spelling and grammar does not get corrected on our end.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">J.E. Sawyer, Lead Designer</font>
How did this ever get past WoTC? (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492498&post=4258844&forum=95&highlight=)
<hr />they could have just scripted a bleeding system.. what use is raise dead now? i know i will never have to fear death in the game *yawn* so i will skip the OC.<hr />You seem to have ruled out the possibility that the whole party can get wiped. It happens.
More: <hr />Probably for similar reasons in the KoTORs. If Kreia or Bastila or whoever was killed *permanently* in a battle and then there's a cutscene which was supposed to feature them, it would probably cause... issues. http://forums.bioware.com/_commonext/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif<hr />Pretty much.
More: <hr />Sawyer, I'm SO looking forward to your next projects. That "I-wish-RPGs-were-like they-were-back-with-Fallout" game sounds incredibly fascinating.<hr />I'd only really do something like that on a personal project. For the most part, people like overpowered PrCs. They like having things made easy. They like hitting 20th level. They like strong, linear stories (some branching) with good scripted narratives more than they like open worlds with radically diverging storylines. They like clear good and evil. And they tend to not like my writing, which is why I avoid writing dialogue now.
More: <hr />How come you people are so sure about thats what people wan't/like/need.. it's been so long since anybody tried anything differet?<hr />It's pretty difficult to establish causality of popularity with games (as with most things, I guess). ToEE was a hardcore game with an early level cap and no PrCs. It was very popular among hardcore gamers. I liked it a lot, personally. The problem is that hardcore gamers are a small portion of the larger game market. As with Torment and both Fallout games, ToEE sold anywhere from "poorly" to "slightly above okay" (depending on whom you ask).
will a description field be in? (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492519&post=4258969&forum=95&highlight=)
Yes.
Spontaneous Summon Monster? (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492517&post=4258971&forum=95&highlight=)
There's effectively only one list of the "standard" summoning spells due to the relatively limited pool of creatures from which we can select.
My Gencon First Impressions of NWN2 (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492630&post=4260934&forum=95&highlight=)
The controls were actually revised in the build after the one we brought to GenCon. You no longer have to double-click to perform actions. It's something we tried out because people were having difficulty clicking on creatures to perform default actions in "driving cam". A mis-click would result in the default action for open ground: walking. This would clear the action queue and result in a lot of frustration. Anyway, we switched back to a single-click system a few days ago and simply removed click-move while in driving cam.
Turn rate in WASD was accelerated at the request of QA because they felt it was too slow. Now I think it's probably too fast.
The lighting error (super shiny plastic people) is something we tried to explain to everyone who saw the game, but obviously we didn't get to tell everyone. It, like the strange water appearance, cropped up recently after some shader optimizations. It's not how we intend for the game to look and will certainly be fixed very soon.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Patrick K Mills, Production Tester</font>
Resting Animations (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492289&post=4259840&forum=95&highlight=)
If you have any cause to wonder what the benefit of a caster class that doesn't need to rest to regain spells is, take a look at the gamespot video with the battle on the wall. That's not a short little skirmish that you can take a quick breather in the middle of.
Thankfully for traditional casters, by the time you get there you won't be stuck casting acid splash and magic missile once before being spent.
How did this ever get past WoTC? (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492498&post=4259922&forum=95&highlight=)
The death system doesn't make the game too easy. I'm playing through legit right now, no cheats, and finding the level of difficulty to be just about perfect.
More: <hr />Is there a plausible in-game explanation for being able to rest all the time?
(When you're in hot pursuit of some bad guy, the answer would be "no".)<hr />You can't rest with enemies around or areas that have been flagged as no-rest. I don't know why you'd need a plusible explaination to stop for a few seconds and catch your breath.
If you need a plausible explanation for why wizards only need to rest a few seconds as opposed to 8 hours just close your eyes and pretend it was 8 hours. The functionality is exactly the same as it was in the Infinity Engine games, minus the "8 hours later" chat string.
I find it far more plausible that, while raiding an orc cave, I can find some out of the way spot and take a breather than I can sleep for a full 8 (or 16) hours at a time.
More: <hr />Quote: Posted 08/14/06 07:27:52 (GMT) by Zapmasterotherwise I don't there is anything for me in NWN 2. http://forums.bioware.com/_commonext/images/smiles/icon_frown.gif<hr /> Tactical combat doesn't go away with party members getting back up at the end of combat.
New Official Gameplay Trailer! (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492596&post=4260187&forum=95&highlight=)
I hate to be the ne to do this but... yeah, old. http://forums.bioware.com/_commonext/images/smiles/icon_frown.gif Joe Bulock fraps this about 2-3 months ago.
The graphics are pretty representative, but since that was recorded the animation code was all replaced, which is the big thing that jumped out at me when I watched it. "Oh man, I remember when guys wouldn't play their dodge animation when attacked. Those were the days."
Some of the models have also gone through a polish pass among other things.
So yeah, that's our game, minus a lot of polish.
More: Also, skeletons no longer bleed, they shoot out shards of bone and dust.
Wraiths DO still bleed, but I'm fixing that tomorrow morning.
Armadillo? (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492495&post=4261087&forum=95&highlight=)
You guys spend way too much time talking about elf crotches. I'm reasonably sure that it's not healthy.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">George Ziets, Designer</font>
Shadow Dork Supremacy: Exterior or Intrinsic power? (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492572&post=4260018&forum=97&highlight=)
The power of the King of Shadows derives from who and what he is... not from a particular item that he possesses. In fact, the source of his power (and the reason he has it) is tied closely to his history and motivation. (Hint: It's not as simple as his name suggests!)
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Jason Keeney, Programmer</font>
Doors (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=490434&post=4261073&forum=100&highlight=)
Yes.. when you scale a building, the door frame scales with it. Doing it any other way is fairly impractacle and unrealistic... Both in terms of the technology and the results.
But if what you really are after is a giant-sized house with giant-sized windows and features, but with a human-sized door, you'll still be able to make your own placeables from scratch (in 3DS MAX) to whatever bizzaro-world specifcations you desire. http://forums.bioware.com/_commonext/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Anthony Davis, Programmer</font>
Strange design changes of Charcter Screen on GenCon (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492508&post=4258871&forum=95&highlight=)
The second one is the new one.
More: <hr />True, so we have to stick with the ugly second design version.<hr />Well I guess it is true, you can't please everyone all the time.
Everyone here at work LOVES the new character screen compared to the old first one. The icons and colors, plus the layout make it much easier to read.
Anyway, you opinion is noted and the secret police has been notified.
That is a joke http://forums.bioware.com/_commonext/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
You can edit the screen and make your own. The character screen IS one that modifies fairly easily.
cdaulepp's 198 Gen-Con pictures and 5 videos. (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492459&post=4259011&forum=95&highlight=)
Thanks for the great reporting work!
However, some of those seem like bugs and I will look into them when I get into the office today.
Should only be able to save 5 skill points at any given time, more is a bug.
The class skill issue you described with your rogue fighter seems like a bug to me, I will look into that.
There was a lot to read, but those were 2 things that I thought were working.
Part 2: cdaulepp's report on Gen-Con (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492587&post=4260401&forum=95&highlight=)
<hr /><hr /> First, Obsidian has the campaign split into dozens of modules.<hr />Dozens? Either theyve got some really robust variable persistency, or the modules reset if you transit between them. Any idea which?<hr />Our campaign modules do not reset. The module diffs get saved out in the save game, this includes variables.
How many skill points can one save? (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492556&post=4259601&forum=95&highlight=)
I just tested it again and the max skill points you can save per level is 5.
Also that other issue about leveling up, the one where you start as a rogue then select a fighter, but only paying one point for rogue class skills is NOT happening. It is working correctly.
Just had to double check allof that for my own sanity.
More: It's 5 at any given point, not 5 per level.
It was orginally going to be one, but the math was worked out and it was discovered that 5 was the mininum that could be kept and still make a 3.5 character. Don't ask me what the math was, I have no idea.
New Official Gameplay Trailer! (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492596&post=4260399&forum=95&highlight=)
<hr />Thanks for clearing this out. However, who then, i ask, approved the old builds to be shown and previewed at the major sites?
Let the guys at the marketing read some of the comments on the vidoes from gamespot or other sites. A lot of damage has been done, imo.<hr />Honestly, I have no idea. It certainly isn't Obsidian making these descisions. I remember Joe frapping those various fights, just like Patrick said, but yeah, it was a few months ago.
That video footage is before the new animation system landed in the code tree, before the new personal space landed, before the big art polish phase landed, and finally minus a lot of bug fixes that have gone in.
People fortunate to go to Gencon have seen a lot of those issues resolved already.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Shane K. DeFreest, Community Manager</font>
Fan Site Manager Beta! (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=491424&post=4260253&forum=95&highlight=)
First off as I previously stated with my first post on this topic that given the massive amount of email I've been recieving, people should only expect a response from me if I have any questions about their information. I will not be sending each person a "I got it" return message.
Second, I also made it clear that if people had problem with email to PM me here. Which in looking at my log dating back to mid July you have not.
Third, once again as previously mentioned this is convention season and have I asked people to be patient. I'm writing this from Gen Con and have been traveling all week. This month is VERY busy for everyone and the community has been asked to keep that in mind when sending things in and expecting a fast response.
Lastly, hostility of ANY kind on these forums is NOT the way to get your needs addressed. Getting all the various community sites into the beta was/is not an easy task. Being disrespectful, impatient, and antagonistic will only compromise this type of thing being offered to the community again in the future. Please bear that in mind before posting.
Part 2: cdaulepp's report on Gen-Con (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492587&post=4260285&forum=95&highlight=)
Thanks cdaulepp for coming by the booth an being so detailed in your reporting to the community. Sorry, I didn't get a chance to say more than hello. Saturday was a madhouse of activity.
My Gencon First Impressions of NWN2 (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492630&post=4260889&forum=95&highlight=)
The NWN2 controls are different from NWN1 because we offer multiple camera angles to play from. Additionally, all the mouse commands have been changed. The build at Gen Con did not reflect this, as the changes were being implemented last week. The designers can explain it better but I know it was changed significantly. There will be no double clicking.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">J.E. Sawyer, Lead Designer</font>
How did this ever get past WoTC? (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492498&post=4258844&forum=95&highlight=)
<hr />they could have just scripted a bleeding system.. what use is raise dead now? i know i will never have to fear death in the game *yawn* so i will skip the OC.<hr />You seem to have ruled out the possibility that the whole party can get wiped. It happens.
More: <hr />Probably for similar reasons in the KoTORs. If Kreia or Bastila or whoever was killed *permanently* in a battle and then there's a cutscene which was supposed to feature them, it would probably cause... issues. http://forums.bioware.com/_commonext/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif<hr />Pretty much.
More: <hr />Sawyer, I'm SO looking forward to your next projects. That "I-wish-RPGs-were-like they-were-back-with-Fallout" game sounds incredibly fascinating.<hr />I'd only really do something like that on a personal project. For the most part, people like overpowered PrCs. They like having things made easy. They like hitting 20th level. They like strong, linear stories (some branching) with good scripted narratives more than they like open worlds with radically diverging storylines. They like clear good and evil. And they tend to not like my writing, which is why I avoid writing dialogue now.
More: <hr />How come you people are so sure about thats what people wan't/like/need.. it's been so long since anybody tried anything differet?<hr />It's pretty difficult to establish causality of popularity with games (as with most things, I guess). ToEE was a hardcore game with an early level cap and no PrCs. It was very popular among hardcore gamers. I liked it a lot, personally. The problem is that hardcore gamers are a small portion of the larger game market. As with Torment and both Fallout games, ToEE sold anywhere from "poorly" to "slightly above okay" (depending on whom you ask).
will a description field be in? (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492519&post=4258969&forum=95&highlight=)
Yes.
Spontaneous Summon Monster? (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492517&post=4258971&forum=95&highlight=)
There's effectively only one list of the "standard" summoning spells due to the relatively limited pool of creatures from which we can select.
My Gencon First Impressions of NWN2 (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492630&post=4260934&forum=95&highlight=)
The controls were actually revised in the build after the one we brought to GenCon. You no longer have to double-click to perform actions. It's something we tried out because people were having difficulty clicking on creatures to perform default actions in "driving cam". A mis-click would result in the default action for open ground: walking. This would clear the action queue and result in a lot of frustration. Anyway, we switched back to a single-click system a few days ago and simply removed click-move while in driving cam.
Turn rate in WASD was accelerated at the request of QA because they felt it was too slow. Now I think it's probably too fast.
The lighting error (super shiny plastic people) is something we tried to explain to everyone who saw the game, but obviously we didn't get to tell everyone. It, like the strange water appearance, cropped up recently after some shader optimizations. It's not how we intend for the game to look and will certainly be fixed very soon.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Patrick K Mills, Production Tester</font>
Resting Animations (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492289&post=4259840&forum=95&highlight=)
If you have any cause to wonder what the benefit of a caster class that doesn't need to rest to regain spells is, take a look at the gamespot video with the battle on the wall. That's not a short little skirmish that you can take a quick breather in the middle of.
Thankfully for traditional casters, by the time you get there you won't be stuck casting acid splash and magic missile once before being spent.
How did this ever get past WoTC? (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492498&post=4259922&forum=95&highlight=)
The death system doesn't make the game too easy. I'm playing through legit right now, no cheats, and finding the level of difficulty to be just about perfect.
More: <hr />Is there a plausible in-game explanation for being able to rest all the time?
(When you're in hot pursuit of some bad guy, the answer would be "no".)<hr />You can't rest with enemies around or areas that have been flagged as no-rest. I don't know why you'd need a plusible explaination to stop for a few seconds and catch your breath.
If you need a plausible explanation for why wizards only need to rest a few seconds as opposed to 8 hours just close your eyes and pretend it was 8 hours. The functionality is exactly the same as it was in the Infinity Engine games, minus the "8 hours later" chat string.
I find it far more plausible that, while raiding an orc cave, I can find some out of the way spot and take a breather than I can sleep for a full 8 (or 16) hours at a time.
More: <hr />Quote: Posted 08/14/06 07:27:52 (GMT) by Zapmasterotherwise I don't there is anything for me in NWN 2. http://forums.bioware.com/_commonext/images/smiles/icon_frown.gif<hr /> Tactical combat doesn't go away with party members getting back up at the end of combat.
New Official Gameplay Trailer! (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492596&post=4260187&forum=95&highlight=)
I hate to be the ne to do this but... yeah, old. http://forums.bioware.com/_commonext/images/smiles/icon_frown.gif Joe Bulock fraps this about 2-3 months ago.
The graphics are pretty representative, but since that was recorded the animation code was all replaced, which is the big thing that jumped out at me when I watched it. "Oh man, I remember when guys wouldn't play their dodge animation when attacked. Those were the days."
Some of the models have also gone through a polish pass among other things.
So yeah, that's our game, minus a lot of polish.
More: Also, skeletons no longer bleed, they shoot out shards of bone and dust.
Wraiths DO still bleed, but I'm fixing that tomorrow morning.
Armadillo? (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492495&post=4261087&forum=95&highlight=)
You guys spend way too much time talking about elf crotches. I'm reasonably sure that it's not healthy.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">George Ziets, Designer</font>
Shadow Dork Supremacy: Exterior or Intrinsic power? (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492572&post=4260018&forum=97&highlight=)
The power of the King of Shadows derives from who and what he is... not from a particular item that he possesses. In fact, the source of his power (and the reason he has it) is tied closely to his history and motivation. (Hint: It's not as simple as his name suggests!)
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Jason Keeney, Programmer</font>
Doors (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=490434&post=4261073&forum=100&highlight=)
Yes.. when you scale a building, the door frame scales with it. Doing it any other way is fairly impractacle and unrealistic... Both in terms of the technology and the results.
But if what you really are after is a giant-sized house with giant-sized windows and features, but with a human-sized door, you'll still be able to make your own placeables from scratch (in 3DS MAX) to whatever bizzaro-world specifcations you desire. http://forums.bioware.com/_commonext/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Anthony Davis, Programmer</font>
Strange design changes of Charcter Screen on GenCon (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492508&post=4258871&forum=95&highlight=)
The second one is the new one.
More: <hr />True, so we have to stick with the ugly second design version.<hr />Well I guess it is true, you can't please everyone all the time.
Everyone here at work LOVES the new character screen compared to the old first one. The icons and colors, plus the layout make it much easier to read.
Anyway, you opinion is noted and the secret police has been notified.
That is a joke http://forums.bioware.com/_commonext/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif
You can edit the screen and make your own. The character screen IS one that modifies fairly easily.
cdaulepp's 198 Gen-Con pictures and 5 videos. (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492459&post=4259011&forum=95&highlight=)
Thanks for the great reporting work!
However, some of those seem like bugs and I will look into them when I get into the office today.
Should only be able to save 5 skill points at any given time, more is a bug.
The class skill issue you described with your rogue fighter seems like a bug to me, I will look into that.
There was a lot to read, but those were 2 things that I thought were working.
Part 2: cdaulepp's report on Gen-Con (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492587&post=4260401&forum=95&highlight=)
<hr /><hr /> First, Obsidian has the campaign split into dozens of modules.<hr />Dozens? Either theyve got some really robust variable persistency, or the modules reset if you transit between them. Any idea which?<hr />Our campaign modules do not reset. The module diffs get saved out in the save game, this includes variables.
How many skill points can one save? (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492556&post=4259601&forum=95&highlight=)
I just tested it again and the max skill points you can save per level is 5.
Also that other issue about leveling up, the one where you start as a rogue then select a fighter, but only paying one point for rogue class skills is NOT happening. It is working correctly.
Just had to double check allof that for my own sanity.
More: It's 5 at any given point, not 5 per level.
It was orginally going to be one, but the math was worked out and it was discovered that 5 was the mininum that could be kept and still make a 3.5 character. Don't ask me what the math was, I have no idea.
New Official Gameplay Trailer! (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492596&post=4260399&forum=95&highlight=)
<hr />Thanks for clearing this out. However, who then, i ask, approved the old builds to be shown and previewed at the major sites?
Let the guys at the marketing read some of the comments on the vidoes from gamespot or other sites. A lot of damage has been done, imo.<hr />Honestly, I have no idea. It certainly isn't Obsidian making these descisions. I remember Joe frapping those various fights, just like Patrick said, but yeah, it was a few months ago.
That video footage is before the new animation system landed in the code tree, before the new personal space landed, before the big art polish phase landed, and finally minus a lot of bug fixes that have gone in.
People fortunate to go to Gencon have seen a lot of those issues resolved already.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Shane K. DeFreest, Community Manager</font>
Fan Site Manager Beta! (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=491424&post=4260253&forum=95&highlight=)
First off as I previously stated with my first post on this topic that given the massive amount of email I've been recieving, people should only expect a response from me if I have any questions about their information. I will not be sending each person a "I got it" return message.
Second, I also made it clear that if people had problem with email to PM me here. Which in looking at my log dating back to mid July you have not.
Third, once again as previously mentioned this is convention season and have I asked people to be patient. I'm writing this from Gen Con and have been traveling all week. This month is VERY busy for everyone and the community has been asked to keep that in mind when sending things in and expecting a fast response.
Lastly, hostility of ANY kind on these forums is NOT the way to get your needs addressed. Getting all the various community sites into the beta was/is not an easy task. Being disrespectful, impatient, and antagonistic will only compromise this type of thing being offered to the community again in the future. Please bear that in mind before posting.
Part 2: cdaulepp's report on Gen-Con (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492587&post=4260285&forum=95&highlight=)
Thanks cdaulepp for coming by the booth an being so detailed in your reporting to the community. Sorry, I didn't get a chance to say more than hello. Saturday was a madhouse of activity.
My Gencon First Impressions of NWN2 (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492630&post=4260889&forum=95&highlight=)
The NWN2 controls are different from NWN1 because we offer multiple camera angles to play from. Additionally, all the mouse commands have been changed. The build at Gen Con did not reflect this, as the changes were being implemented last week. The designers can explain it better but I know it was changed significantly. There will be no double clicking.