Neverwinter Preview

The editors over at Massively are next in line with a hands-on preview of Neverwinter, courtesy of the Foundry-toting build that Perfect World Entertainment was sporting at last weekend's PAX Prime event. Here we go:
The development team has been focused on integrating Foundry creations with the "real" game world. Foundry quests will show up right alongside other quests in the objective tracker, and all Foundry editing is done within the game client itself. There's no point, the team reasons, in splitting up a playerbase and diverting its attention. The whole idea is to benefit and enrich the game's content and community, and that's best done by focusing attention inward. Similarly, NPCs, items, and locations in the game world can be tagged for use in player-generated quests.

Players have multiple ways of finding Foundry creations. UGC content will be featured on players' landing page, but those gamers looking for a more immersive experience can mosey into a pub and look at its job posting board or talk to a Well-Informed Barmaid to get lists of local UGC quests more organically.

The devs hopes players take pride in their creations. Foundry quests can be rated through a Yelp-like system, so players can leave reviews and ratings for quests. Authors' names are attached to their quests, so fans passionate about UGC can gain real notoriety for their handiwork. If you're a particular fan of a content generator, you can visit her game-based blog, donate in-game currency to her cause, and subscribe to her activity to be informed the next time she puts out an awesome quest.