chevalier
Fri, 18th Aug '06, 7:06pm
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>
Can we design companions with monster models? (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493088&post=4268290&forum=95&highlight=)
Yes, you can. In fact, there are two NWN2 companions that use non-standard PC race bodies.
Your first character combination (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493099&post=4268296&forum=95&highlight=)
My first was a female gold dwarf paladin. She did really well. My new character is a lawful evil male lightfoot halfling rogue/ranger heading toward assassin. He's having more trouble, especially with undead.
Deities (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493114&post=4268645&forum=95&highlight=)
<hr />Woohoo! Shar and Selune can be chosen! http://forums.bioware.com/_commonext/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif
When I create my character, I will probably flip a coin; heads for Selune, tails for Shar.<hr />Probably more appropriate for Tymora/Beshaba.
Dev Q: Duelist's Precise Strike and Flourish (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493160&post=4269318&forum=95&highlight=)
It works this way with one exception: small duelists who are forced to wield short swords and rapiers with two-hands will still gain these benefits.
Combat Animations Pt. 2 (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493082&post=4269322&forum=95&highlight=)
<hr />Sure. Why not? D&D combat tries to simulate real combat as closely as possible.<hr />what
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Patrick K Mills, Production Tester</font>
Issues About Resting (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493056&post=4268553&forum=95&highlight=)
If the game is balanced to accommodate for resting anywhere, is it still a balance problem?
NWN2 video interview at GameTrailers (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493089&post=4268816&forum=95&highlight=)
I don't know about the 200 new spells thing. We do have a lot of new ones, but I think that is a little much. To be fair, if you include all of the warlock essence/shape combinations that is a ton of new spells right there.
I enjoyed the part of the video where it cuts to some guys (presumably at Atari) playing and enjoying a game that, unless they have a special build that allows them to play our game on a PS2 controler, is not NWN2.
Question about summoning spells... (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493137&post=4268830&forum=95&highlight=)
All our summon spells, with the exception of creeping doom, tenacious plague, and elemental swarm, only summon one creature per cast, and only one summon can be out at a time.
It is pretty simple to rescript a spell so as to summon more than one creature at a time and probably easy to remove the check that prevents you from summoning more than one at a time- I'm not sure on the last one though.
More: I'm not sure where that information comes from, but it's possible I'm incorrect.
There are sections in our game where you can have henchmen in addition to your regular companions, the difference being that you cannot directly control henchmen, but I'm not aware of any hard summoning cap of seven.
OK, let's assume a party of all wizards or druids. Each get their pet or familiar, which doubles the size of the party to eight. Four PCs and four henchmen. Then each druid/wizard can summon another creature with a summon monster spell. That's another four. Total of eight, not seven.
More: <hr />familiars dont count surely? they are just nice pets now http://forums.bioware.com/_commonext/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif<hr />Right, what I'm saying is that there is no hard cap that I'm aware of, period. There is a soft cap in that the summoning spells I'm familiar with always run a check to see if you have a summoned creature (not a pet) and then delete it before summoning in the new one.
These spells are more or less unchanged from NWN, unless it was done before I started working on spells. The only difference now is what is summoned at what level, etc, since we have a different bestiary than NWN.
It would be a lot of fun to change the summons so you could spam the hell out of the place (and pretty easy) but this late in the project it's too dangerous to do, plus I have a ton of bugs that need fixing.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">George Ziets, Designer</font>
Questions about Companions. (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493163&post=4269227&forum=95&highlight=)
Yes, and yes.
I believe you will only be able to summon one familiar or animal companion at a time.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Jason Keeney, Programmer</font>
Cheating with walkmeshes - the Bake command (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492953&post=4268292&forum=100&highlight=)
I think you guys will find that the toolset provides enough tools and "official" methods for walkmesh manipulation that you wont need to resort to such hacks to do what you want. http://forums.bioware.com/_commonext/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">J.E. Sawyer, Lead Designer</font>
Can we design companions with monster models? (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493088&post=4268290&forum=95&highlight=)
Yes, you can. In fact, there are two NWN2 companions that use non-standard PC race bodies.
Your first character combination (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493099&post=4268296&forum=95&highlight=)
My first was a female gold dwarf paladin. She did really well. My new character is a lawful evil male lightfoot halfling rogue/ranger heading toward assassin. He's having more trouble, especially with undead.
Deities (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493114&post=4268645&forum=95&highlight=)
<hr />Woohoo! Shar and Selune can be chosen! http://forums.bioware.com/_commonext/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif
When I create my character, I will probably flip a coin; heads for Selune, tails for Shar.<hr />Probably more appropriate for Tymora/Beshaba.
Dev Q: Duelist's Precise Strike and Flourish (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493160&post=4269318&forum=95&highlight=)
It works this way with one exception: small duelists who are forced to wield short swords and rapiers with two-hands will still gain these benefits.
Combat Animations Pt. 2 (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493082&post=4269322&forum=95&highlight=)
<hr />Sure. Why not? D&D combat tries to simulate real combat as closely as possible.<hr />what
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Patrick K Mills, Production Tester</font>
Issues About Resting (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493056&post=4268553&forum=95&highlight=)
If the game is balanced to accommodate for resting anywhere, is it still a balance problem?
NWN2 video interview at GameTrailers (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493089&post=4268816&forum=95&highlight=)
I don't know about the 200 new spells thing. We do have a lot of new ones, but I think that is a little much. To be fair, if you include all of the warlock essence/shape combinations that is a ton of new spells right there.
I enjoyed the part of the video where it cuts to some guys (presumably at Atari) playing and enjoying a game that, unless they have a special build that allows them to play our game on a PS2 controler, is not NWN2.
Question about summoning spells... (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493137&post=4268830&forum=95&highlight=)
All our summon spells, with the exception of creeping doom, tenacious plague, and elemental swarm, only summon one creature per cast, and only one summon can be out at a time.
It is pretty simple to rescript a spell so as to summon more than one creature at a time and probably easy to remove the check that prevents you from summoning more than one at a time- I'm not sure on the last one though.
More: I'm not sure where that information comes from, but it's possible I'm incorrect.
There are sections in our game where you can have henchmen in addition to your regular companions, the difference being that you cannot directly control henchmen, but I'm not aware of any hard summoning cap of seven.
OK, let's assume a party of all wizards or druids. Each get their pet or familiar, which doubles the size of the party to eight. Four PCs and four henchmen. Then each druid/wizard can summon another creature with a summon monster spell. That's another four. Total of eight, not seven.
More: <hr />familiars dont count surely? they are just nice pets now http://forums.bioware.com/_commonext/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif<hr />Right, what I'm saying is that there is no hard cap that I'm aware of, period. There is a soft cap in that the summoning spells I'm familiar with always run a check to see if you have a summoned creature (not a pet) and then delete it before summoning in the new one.
These spells are more or less unchanged from NWN, unless it was done before I started working on spells. The only difference now is what is summoned at what level, etc, since we have a different bestiary than NWN.
It would be a lot of fun to change the summons so you could spam the hell out of the place (and pretty easy) but this late in the project it's too dangerous to do, plus I have a ton of bugs that need fixing.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">George Ziets, Designer</font>
Questions about Companions. (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=493163&post=4269227&forum=95&highlight=)
Yes, and yes.
I believe you will only be able to summon one familiar or animal companion at a time.
<font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial" color="#cc6600">Jason Keeney, Programmer</font>
Cheating with walkmeshes - the Bake command (http://nwn2forums.bioware.com//forums/viewpost.html?topic=492953&post=4268292&forum=100&highlight=)
I think you guys will find that the toolset provides enough tools and "official" methods for walkmesh manipulation that you wont need to resort to such hacks to do what you want. http://forums.bioware.com/_commonext/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif