NWN2 - Rogue Dao Studios Interview

[Dhruin]

An interview (http://www.clandlan.net/index.php?page=entrevistas/RogueDao-25-10-06_en) on the major NWN2 Planescape Trilogy project by Rogue Dao Studios is up at Clan Dlan:
Speaking of Planescape and roleplaying games, we have a question we must ask. Everyone has in mind the mighty Planescape: Torment, and might of course compare your work to that game. How are you planning to create something equally original and of high quality?

Hippo: It's important to keep in mind that this game isn't P:T. We aren't trying to 'recreate' P:T. P:T was a brilliant game, made by brilliant people, and most of us have played it and absolutely adore it. But that's not the game we're making here.

It's inevitable that the game we make will be compared to P:T, and that's both a good thing and a bad thing. It's good because, frankly, at least some of us are of the opinion that P:T is the single greatest role-playing game ever created, and we enjoy being held to such a rigorous standard - but on the other hand, it's a bad thing, because people who are expecting to play a sequel to P:T are going to be sorely disappointed. We're doing our own thing over here, and we'd like to think we're doing it pretty damn well.
More information. (http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/newsbit?newsbit=5984)

[Maylander]

More often than not, ambitious mod projects like this end up with nothing, but I hope these guys actually pull it off - a solid mod in the Planescape setting is definetly something worth playing. I've been waiting for a game set in the Planescape setting since PS:T, and I doubt I'm the only one.

Good luck Rogue Dao Studious!

[talesfromthecrypt]

Anyone knows the release date? Ive been waiting for this promising module since a long time, but it seems that it has been postponed forever.

So, whats the release date now´? I think it was september, october?

[Moriendor]

Anyone knows the release date? Ive been waiting for this promising module since a long time, but it seems that it has been postponed forever.

So, whats the release date now´? I think it was september, october?

Hm? Was this originally in development for the first NWN or why do you use terms such as "waiting [...] since a long time" and "postponed forever"? :)
I mean NWN 2 has been out for under a year. That's nothing in terms of mod development. With mods you need to think in categories of three, four, five years and not in months.

[Badesumofu]

Well, this was supposed to be released at the beggining of this year originally, iirc. They drastically increased the scope of the project, and so they've been pushing back the date a lot. I'm pretty sure it's in internal beta now though, and I recall Monty saying he wanted 1000 playthroughs before they released it.

This module/series of modules could be great, it seems like a very big/ambitious project given that there's no apparent way they can directly make any money from it. That's a whole lot of man-hours of unpaid work.

I love the Planescape setting, and so I'm hopeful that this will be a hit.

[txa1265]

Yeah, it was originally early spring, then spring/summer, then summer ... the site says 'internal beta underway' and hope that means it is coming soon! They also say that the other parts are coming in the next year.

[magerette]

It's content like this, if successful, that will give some real longevity to NWN2. Looking at this mod, Sawyer's Black Hound( which I wouldn't expect to see any time soon) and the new expansion, NWN2 becomes a game that may stay on the hard drive instead of the play and file experience I've had with it to date. I wish them lots of luck with their project.

[GothicGothicness]

It doesn't look much like planescape at all, from the trailer.

[Lucky Day]

It's content like this, if successful, that will give some real longevity to NWN2. Looking at this mod, Sawyer's Black Hound( which I wouldn't expect to see any time soon) and the new expansion, NWN2 becomes a game that may stay on the hard drive instead of the play and file experience I've had with it to date. I wish them lots of luck with their project.

I won't be surprised to see Black Hound end up being an expansion or a digital download. When sales slow it's hard to justify continuing to pay a staffer for something they'll give away for free. Witch's Wake was supposed to be a 10 part free giveaway and we know what happened there. The Trials of the Luremaster free giveaway for IWD still required Heart of Winter. In other words, HoW was bad and overpriced so they gave away ToL to help sales.

The only thing I can see preventing it might be IP concerns if Interplay argues it has rights to what Sawyer's doing (this is a Jefferson remake). Even if that's true I doubt Interplay has the cash to file a lawsuit.

[Holly Avenger]

I won't be surprised to see Black Hound end up being an expansion or a digital download. When sales slow it's hard to justify continuing to pay a staffer for something they'll give away for free. Witch's Wake was supposed to be a 10 part free giveaway and we know what happened there. The Trials of the Luremaster free giveaway for IWD still required Heart of Winter. In other words, HoW was bad and overpriced so they gave away ToL to help sales.


The difference here, though, is that Rob Bartel worked on Witch's Wake in company time, whereas JE Sawyer is working on Black Hound on his own time.

[BillSeurer]

Given the strong feelings of fans of PS:T I suspect this project will catch the same flack that Fallout 3 is getting.

[Corwin]

I disagree. It has been announced clearly that this isn't PS-T2, and I think we're so keen to see another game in the PS universe, that we'll eagerly anticipate their vision and wish them well!!

[BillSeurer]

So why aren't you applying the same standard to Fallout 3?

[txa1265]

So why aren't you applying the same standard to Fallout 3?

Because this is a small-shop mod being delivered to NWN2 players, as opposed to a mass-market full price game by a company that is very divisive both due to games and policies.

[Corwin]

Nicely put Mike, nicely put!!