GameBanshee Forums

EB stores in Toronto released the game yesterday (Tuesday)! My ranger/rogue combo is coming along nicely. The game is beautiful. Too bad Morrowind's now going to gather a bit o' dust (I was enjoying it while waiting). If you live in Toronto, check EB (I got mine at the Dufferin mall) -- I've heard FutureShop had a delay in their order. Back to Neverwinter...

Why not give us your reactions in greater depth? How interactive are the dialogs? Do you have the same apparently non-linear flexibility that BG2 offered? Have you taken on any assistants in the game, and can you control them?

Yeah - give us the dirt (without spoilers of course )

Originally posted by fable
Why not give us your reactions in greater depth? How interactive are the dialogs? Do you have the same apparently non-linear flexibility that BG2 offered? Have you taken on any assistants in the game, and can you control them?

Do you think he could manage it? He's barely coherent. Look at the drool, *Nippy pulls a metal pointer from his robes* the bloodshot eyes from consecutive hours of gameplay, the shaking hands and the permanently calloused hands from furious mouse clicking.

Anyway, give us the goss, goddammit!

Life is so unfair.
Damn, I won't get it till a week or 2...

Alright, alright. Sorry -- I'm still in the midst of my euphoria. Four years of waiting -- let's just say the feeling is up there with the night my fiance returned from a year in Australia!

Okay, here's the dirt (keep in mind that last night I was completely concerned with character creation and getting to know the interface, so I have only advanced through the prelude and to chapter one):

The graphics and sound are great, if somewhat different than what I've gotten used to in Morrowind. As you can see from the screenshots, picture BG in 3D. You have three choices for camera: top down (where the camera is completely manual and controlled by the mouse), chase (where the camera angle automatically follows your character's orientation, but you still can control it manually), and drive (where you use keyboard controls to move the character, kinda like Morrowind). I opted for top down.

Dialogue is very similar to BG. The only differences seem to be the transparent window system and the option to persuade on some topics (a learned skill). Not thoroughly interactive, but what we're used to.

I haven't seen much of the quests to gauge the linearity of the plot, but from what I have seen, I would put it closer to BG2 than Morrowind. The quest is your standard "a champion steps forward" type, but I have yet to see how many ways to approach it. And what if I don't wanna be a champion?

I have taken on henchmen in the game (there's one in the prelude to give you a feel for it, and one you can purchase in the beginning of chapter 1). It's easy and intuitive, and a bit more realistic than the absolute control you had in BG. You can issue general commands (guard me, heal me, attack nearest, etc.) that they will try to perform, as well as some more specific requests that seem to be NPC-specific that you can activate through dialogue (e.g., detecting traps and the distance you wish them to keep from your PC). I haven't yet tried a character who summons (my ranger won't get animal companion to level 6), but I'm guessing it is similar.

Other thoughts:

This game is gonna be a nightmare for people searching for the "uber" character. So many skills, feats, and combinations. The new multiclass system opens so many doors -- you can combine practically any classes (except monk and paladin) in any manner you choose. Your character level (sum of all class levels) determines XP to level up, but when you level you choose the class (continue an old one or start a new one, maximum of three) that levels. For example, right now I'm Ranger 2, Rogue 1, looking to eventually be Ranger 17, Rogue 3 (a ranger who can perform a basic sneak attack and open the easier chests and drawers). But I'm thinking of trying out druids...so many options...

The options for your character's appearance are more limited than I expected in some ways (not a big fan of the portrait library, couldn't find a head/face I really liked) and more expansive in others (choosing your own tattoos is cool!).

Other than that, I don't know what to tell you. So far the game looks like a much prettier BG2 with more control over how your character develops, but like I said, I'm only on Chapter 1.

One problem I'm a little worried about is lag in the dialogue when in areas with many NPCs (town centers, etc.). I'm running 1024X760 in fast graphics mode (most shadows, lighting and stuff turned off) on a Pentium 4 1.7G with a 64M ATI Radeon and 384M RAM, and there was a long wait for dialogue options. Hopefully I'll get to the bottom of that soon.

Is that better, guys? You're looking a little green.

One more thing: I won't give it away, but you don't really start the real game as level 1, you start as level 3. Some may want to keep that in mind when designing their characters.

Originally posted by Odonatathrope
One more thing: I won't give it away, but you don't really start the real game as level 1, you start as level 3. Some may want to keep that in mind when designing their characters.

Hmm, that shades my character a little differently, it just means my Paladin is stronger now...

Thanks for the dirt Odon, great help. By the way, are there many bugs?

Originally posted by Odonatathrope
<snip>
The options for your character's appearance are more limited than I expected in some ways (not a big fan of the portrait library, couldn't find a head/face I really liked) and more expansive in others (choosing your own tattoos is cool!).
<snip>

What I would like to know - is it impossible to see the character class from apperance?

Ei. somebody putting on plate - will look like "somebody" wearing chain and not a "class" wearing plate. (if you follow my meaning )

And mentioning lag - how is the performance for you - since your computer is somewhat high-end, do you notice other slowdowns?

Other than the slowdown thing, I haven't noticed any bugs or other lag. Not very far (no doubt there will be an unlimited experience or similar bug somewhere, I'm sure), but it's looking good.

As for character appearance, I think I know what you mean. In BG2 I wanted my fighter/thief to look like a thief, not a fighter, so I used SK. Of course, whenever I put on plate for heavy melee, it looked like I was wearing cloth. This game does nothing of the sort. If your player can wear plate, and you put it on, you look like a big, beefy metal-encased warrior, even if you're a wimpy sorceror. Your appearance in the game is completely determined by what you are wearing/holding. There are a lot of clothing options (assassin garb, monk robes, gladiator outfits, barbarian furs, etc.). So no matter what your class, you can look how you want. There are also a lot of exotic weapons (the usual katana, etc., but also some neat daggers, sickles and "double weapons" -- with a blade or implement on both ends of a hilt: double swords, double axes (these look really cool), dire maces, etc.)

Well I have to say that sucked! Now I am more anxious to get my hands it! Good news is I should get it before I go out of town (many hours available in hotel room to play) next week.

Hurry up Amazon!!!!

Too bad it's so damn expensive!
€60!!!

Well, like Odon, I will be enjoying my NWN tonight. It comes into EB in St. Catheranes today at 2! (T-minus 1 hour and counting)

School or NWN?

Argh! Right in the middle of summer semester!

Well ... I have mine coming from Chips and Bits - anyone know when a pre-order from them might arrive?

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!!

Originally posted by Aegis
Well, like Odon, I will be enjoying my NWN tonight. It comes into EB in St. Catheranes today at 2! (T-minus 1 hour and counting)

[Mojo Jojo Voice]Damn you! Damn you! I will best you fool...[/Mojo Jojo Voice]

Did you try to import your BG character to NWN ?

I am hoping for a fine realistic black robe made up from silk for my character .

The verdict (after playing for an hour at work): druids rock! Love my animal companion too much to wait until level 6 for it, so bye bye ranger. Now, let's see, panther or wolf or hawk or badger or spider or bear or dire wolf...choices choices

As for importing from BG, you can't. They decided there would be no point (since after converting to first level and changing to 3rd edition rules and stripping equipment, the only thing that'd be left is the name ).

Originally posted by Odonatathrope
<snip>
Your appearance in the game is completely determined by what you are wearing/holding. There are a lot of clothing options (assassin garb, monk robes, gladiator outfits, barbarian furs, etc.). So no matter what your class, you can look how you want. <snip>

This is indeed good news

Are you suggesting that if you don't have several levels as a thief, you won't be able to open a chest? A druid, for instance, wouldn't be able to handle it...?

How does the game compensate for different other differences in skills necessary to perform quests? For example, a level 1 barbarian is typically considered rather more formidable in battle than a level 1 wizard.

Can differently configured characters join different organizations in the game? In other words, if you're a lawful good paladin, do you get to join a Do Gooders Club, vs a chaotic neutral thief, who might want to become, say, a stockbroker?