Interview Questions

Morgul · Post by **Morgul** » Thu Oct 19, 2000 7:58 am

NWN, the biggest and most crucial and most exciting aspect of this game is the control of the DM. Without this it is another Baulders Gate. If the DM tools are WAY better than vampires, NWN will be the game of the year. DM tools is the most crucial part of this game living up to the hype.
Can the DM make dungeons "on the fly"?
If there characters dont want to enter the area I have prepared for them, and decide they want to head to the "next town", can the DM build this town, or better yet, random make the town?
So my question lies in the DM tools. , "on the fly mapmakers" and Random map makers.
They key to the NWN is the DM tools, and that is where we should focus our questions.

If NWN can truly give the DM powerful tools and absolute power over the game, NWN will change the genre of both MMORPG and CRPG. This will be the trick to NWN.

[This message has been edited by Morgul (edited 10-19-2000).]

Trout · Post by **Trout** » Thu Oct 19, 2000 4:20 pm

Since they are shooting for the pencil and paper feel, just like how the DM needs to account for everywhere the players might wander off to before they play, so does the NWN DM. So making the map on the fly? I think a good world, just like in pencil and paper, would be much to compicated to build 'on the fly' -trust me I have tried and it sucks. So, no, creating whole 'zones' 'on the fly' is probably more impossible from the DM standpoint than Bioware's, thus you will need to hammer out all the different aspects of the map before hand.
-Troutster

Trout · Post by **Trout** » Thu Oct 19, 2000 4:59 pm

In fact there was more information posted today on what can and cant be done with the map maker.. [url="http://www.gamebanshee.com/neverwinternights/"]http://www.gamebanshee.com/neverwinternights/[/url]
-Troutster

Morgul · Post by **Morgul** » Fri Oct 20, 2000 6:44 am

Ok. No on the fly map generation. A DM in pnp can "wing it" when he has too. But, technology will always limit. How far is it going to limit in NWN? If it limits a DM too much (Vampire), then its nothing special. The DM tools (not just maps) MUST be powerful. The entire excitment for NWN rests on how much control the DM will have over the game. If DM control is limited ALOT, it wont happen. If the tools give the DM alot of freedom to do his job, it will be a truly special game. I still think the key to NWN is the DM. That is where I would focus my questions in a interview.

Trout · Post by **Trout** » Fri Oct 20, 2000 8:23 pm

The DM tools are very very powerfull, we will be asking bioware some questions in the near future, and trust me, most of them will be responded to with a 'yes' - that will be possible. Just check out some of the questions that have already been answered on the NWN news section, and NWN in-depth, and you will start to get a feel on just how flexable and powerful those tools will be.
-Troutster

Trout · Post by **Trout** » Fri Oct 20, 2000 8:36 pm

Speak of the devil, there is news on this today: "You are correct, the map can't be changed while online due to the fact that the module is one big compiled file. You have to take it offline and do a decompile/import/recompile in the editor to add to a map/module.
Cord Grimwinder"

Morgul · Post by **Morgul** » Tue Oct 24, 2000 10:01 am

Great. I am just trying not to get over hyped, as with games this can lead to a big let down. It almost seems impossible that NWN can do what they say it will. I cant wait, this game could change not only crpg but mmporpg as well.

Cyphus · Post by **Cyphus** » Sat Oct 28, 2000 1:51 pm

can we rotate the maps??? or are we stuck on isometric???? it can get anoying when a door gets in the way of picking something up, maybe just an override button would help?? but is it isometric???

Can we design our own weapons from parts we pick up?? Like the bg2 forged ones (cromwell) but different, more freedom, "Yes now.... I'll have that bit with that bit and that bit..... WHAT, HOW MUCH??????? I ONLY HAVE HALF OF THAT!!!!!! AND IVE BEEN PLAYING FOR A YEAR

" you get the point, even just upgrading bog standard equipment would be better that what happens at the moment, maybe the isometric one is a bit dumb, but I think this would be a good idea. Your own custom weapon

Trout · Post by **Trout** » Sun Oct 29, 2000 10:58 pm

It seems the word is...

"The camera is locked in a 45 degree isometric view. The player will be able to rotate the camera and zoom in or out."

"Yes, you'll be able to change the damage a weapon does at will.
>>Will you be able to change the probability of a critical hit for given weapons?
Yes, make it keen and the Threat range doubles.
>>Will you be able to change the name of weapons?
Kind of. You'll be able to give a weapon a name, but the item base type will be unchangeable and will appear in the description
>>Will you be able to provide your own pictures for the item descriptions of items you create?
This issue ties into the user content support issue we are still researching....

Trent Oster"

Hope that helps
Trout

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Mon Oct 30, 2000 3:31 pm

1. Can an item bestow a feat, a stat or can only the standard library of effects of 3E be used? If the feat or stat can be bestowed, then is it an immediate effect?

2. We've heard a lot the local server' character chest. Does it compile like a database that a server adminstrator can search through for characters, what the character is holding, etc.

Trout · Post by **Trout** » Tue Oct 31, 2000 1:13 am

Great questions! keep them coming

gyzer · Post by **gyzer** » Thu Nov 02, 2000 8:01 pm

I was wondering, how is resting in game going to work? You really can't use the system that all the other games have used because it wont make sense, especial in a persistent world. Also how exactly is the memorization of spells going to work?

Also just another small question, when is NWN going to be coming out? Interplay says around Christmas or something like that, but I went to EBworld.com and they have a preorder for it for July 2001. What's the deal!

HighWatcher Zubie · Post by **HighWatcher Zubie** » Sun Nov 05, 2000 10:15 am

Can we make time pass faster?
Like we are in a town and want to pass two days gathring information, resting, etc.
Or if I want to travel from Baldur's Gate to Ten Towns and stop only for encounters. Which brings me to another question: will mounts be avaible to travel long distances? Or better, can we fight while riding a horse (I'm 99% sure the answer is "no" for that one but you can't blame a guy for trying

)?