Neverwinter Interview

Eurogamer has cranked out a three-page Neverwinter interview, with Cryptic Studios CEO Jack Emmert tackling their questions about the multiplayer RPG in a suprisingly candid manner. Because of its length, here's a generous snippet:
Eurogamer: Is this a follow-up to BioWare's Neverwinter Nights? Or is it something different?

Jack Emmert: Yes, it is certainly a sequel to Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2. The biggest difference is the setting: Fourth Edition D&D and Fourth Edition Forgotten Realms. In the pen and paper world, the clock has moved forward by over a century, so a lot of the people from the previous products have passed away, have changed.

Certainly we have plenty of Easter Eggs that refer back that game. Neverwinter is a completely different place to what it was: it's been totally destroyed. Some people are trying to rebuild it, and that's really where the player comes in, discovering how Neverwinter came to be like this and who lurks in the ruins, attempting to take advantage of the fall of Neverwinter.

...

Eurogamer: The Neverwinter Nights toolset cheapened the game content for me. I had access to all the monsters, all the items, everything - the incentive to keep playing the game to gather the best equipment was gone.

Jack Emmert: Right now we're not sure that in our user-generated content you can make your own items and weapons. There would be very strict controls on that.

What currently the UGC is intended to do is for people to attach their quests, their stories into our world. You're right, it's possible for people to create bad content, and that's why we'll have rating systems - similar to what YouTube does - because the best stuff is just going to float to the top naturally.

...

Eurogamer: But you're adding classes after launch.

Jack Emmert: We will, you're absolutely right. But what we're saying is we're committed to making five great character classes. I'm going to be upfront and tell you exactly how it is. We'll add more afterwards. But I'd rather have a game that had five rock solid character classes than a game with 15 mediocre ones. That mediocrity sticks with the game, it just does.

We are creating an RPG similar to Dragon Age; a story with a beginning, middle and an end. We're not trying to create MMO with endgame. That's not what we're doing. We're focusing our efforts on quality, not quantity.