Neverwinter Previews
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The Homepage/Landing Page
It's a simple concept, but it makes a big difference. With modern shifts in MMORPGs moving toward being able to find a group immediately and get right into an adventure beyond grinding or questing, the landing page gives players an excellent overview of what options they have at any given time.
Have around 10 minutes? Queue up for a skirmish. Have more time and want to go on a dungeon crawl with a group? Option is right there. Looking for a solo experience? Find an interesting quest to participate in. All of the day's special events and popular Foundry quests are also available for perusal. It's a great way to answer that quintessential MMORPG question of (What am I going to do today?) and provides a plethora of options that encompass play styles from casual to core.
There's no standing around looking to find a group, no wondering (what is there to do?) The landing page takes concepts like World of Warcraft's LFD and LFR systems and elevates them to the next level as it offers a player a complete range of activities to explore and experience. The homepage is accessible to all characters through a simple icon on the top hotbar. If closed beta is any indicator you'll want to be around level 8 before really diving in.
And then we drop by Massively for day one of an "Early Access Launch Diary":
Neverwinter's tutorial went through a final pass during the last couple of beta weekends, and it's definitely much improved over its earlier incarnations. In my opinion, it's perfect: It allows me to fiddle with controls without pressuring me to do things, it explains the basics quickly and succinctly, the enemies aren't that aggressive, and it isn't agonizingly long.
The tutorial features the aftermath of the awesome CGI opening video (seriously, it's one of the better MMO movies I've seen -- don't skip it!) as your character helps to mop up the undead attack on Neverwinter.
Another thing to get used to in Neverwinter vs. other MMOs is a much more mobile combat system. Learning how to dodge, sidestep, and use terrain to your advantage is absolutely crucial here unless you like being a punching bag. The dodge animations are particularly neat; my Cleric does a sort of power-slide to quickly get away. I like to imagine that "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll" is playing when I do that.
The tutorial is XP-fixed, so you and everyone else will be level 4 when you finish. It dumped me out near the marketplace and encouraged me to explore for a little bit. This square has a lot of useful features, including specific vendors, the task board, and the town crier. I ran past it all to turn in the quest to Sgt. Knox, who then set me up with my first cosmetic outfit set: grubby peasant garb. Awesome. Thanks, Knox.
