Neverwinter - Preview @ IGN

Dhruin

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IGN has an E3 preview of Neverwinter with substantial input from Cryptic's Jack Emmert and Any Velasquez:
There's a reason Cryptic's Neverwinter isn't called Neverwinter Nights 3. According to Jack Emmert, CEO of Cryptic, "Neverwinter represents a different style of game than the others. This is an online, co-operative RPG with a large focus on the online aspect. Therefore it is different than the other two. Also, I'm a big believer in simplicity. As far as I can figure, Neverwinter Nights games were about Neverwinter -- I have no idea why it was night time. So why not just call it Neverwinter."
A majority of the game's action will take place within and in the sewers below the city of Neverwinter, and occasionally bleed out into the nearby environs. Andy Velasquez, producer at Cryptic, explains the story setup. "It's about 100 years past what most players are familiar with from Neverwinter Night and Neverwinter Nights 2." Things have been hectic around Neverwinter, as they tend to be. A volcano blew up, taking most of the city with it. Foreign powers then entered the city to try and put the pieces back together. It's in this period of rebuilding that the game begins, where there's a clashing of interests as those who cling to the old ways of the city lock horns with the newcomers. Emmert added, "To sum up, you're going to kill monsters and get loot."
Thanks, Lucky Day, who notes "Andy gives more insight into the actual SP game and mentions new classes such as Artificer and Beastmaster Ranger without saying whether or they will be available at launch".
In related news, Blue's has some screens and a FAQ, although much of the document is "TBA".
More information.
 
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Only one word to say about what they are doing to my D&D

BARGAFLICKLE
 
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Usually yes; however, I always had thought that "Neverwinter" was MP-only.

And please don't ask now what the abbreviation of "MP" stands for …
 
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In one of the other articles it said that you will be able to play solo with joinables or in co-op with friends.
 
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Online only ? Then I predict ("prophesize" ?) that this game won't sell here much in Germany.
 
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Online only ? Then I predict ("prophesize" ?) that this game won't sell here much in Germany.

That's what they said when they announced it. You have to be online and logged-in to play just like an MMO. Also when asked about monthly fees they keep saying "we haven't decided yet."

Bullshit.
 
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That's what they said when they announced it. You have to be online and logged-in to play just like an MMO. Also when asked about monthly fees they keep saying "we haven't decided yet."

Bullshit.

I can agree with that. They keep saying the price to pay is still undecided. Now there tying to get the offline userbase who loved NWN to join by calling it a co-op action rpg.
Its still an MMO.
 
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I can agree with that. They keep saying the price to pay is still undecided. Now there tying to get the offline userbase who loved NWN to join by calling it a co-op action rpg.
Its still an MMO.

And even if someone accepts the always-online requirement why would we pay monthly for a game with 4 player co-op play? I remember the interview I read they talked about it being like Borderlands or Guild Wars and I just wanted to scream THOSE GAMES HAVE FREE ONLINE PLAY! Not to mention Borderlands has an offline mode.

It's just dumb. I imagine they think without a persistent online connection being required and MMO payments they won't make any money from a PC exclusive. They should just say that and quit being idiots about it.
 
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Jack Emmert said:
As far as I can figure, Neverwinter Nights games were about Neverwinter — I have no idea why it was night time. So why not just call it Neverwinter.

Brilliant! The title got streamlined. He's earned his stock/option awards.

Even if you ignore the IP's heritage as a multiplayer game where night-time is when people are going to gather to play the game, even if you ignore the fact that the city's name, neverwinter alludes to warmth, that together they bring the image of nights that aren't cold because you're not alone, you're playing with friends. Even the most gaming oblivious salesman/marketer would realize that Neverwinter Nights is a lot catchier than just Neverwinter, it even acronyms better: NWN.

They're already making a nwn game in name only and then they don't even use the name?

The CEO claiming that he doesn't even get why it was called NWN lines up perfectly with every other newsbit on this train wreck that paints them as clueless.

Reports of the new toolset being quick to pick up and use are the first good thing I've heard about it but I wonder if they remember that near the end of bio's nwn1 development they realized it wouldn't really sell just for the toolset and online play, they needed a convincing single player campaign and that most copies never even went on-line thus proving that point?

Most people who got the 3D nwns got them for the single player campaigns and I doubt they'd be interested in a single player campaign by Cryptic(for which you have to be online).
 
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if we're going to quibble Neverwinter is supposed to be the name of guy that founded the town, and the reason Bio had the words Nights in it, or that it was NWN at all, was to maintain the connection to the AoL online game that didn't have a toolset at all. Can't really call it the first MMORPG, tho some people do, but it was a way to keep people on and paying those hourly fees. When they switched to a flat rate, it was everything they could do to kick them off so they cancelled the game.

Reports of the new toolset being quick to pick up and use are the first good thing I've heard about it but I wonder if they remember that near the end of bio's nwn1 development they realized it wouldn't really sell just for the toolset and online play, they needed a convincing single player campaign and that most copies never even went on-line thus proving that point?

Most people who got the 3D nwns got them for the single player campaigns and I doubt they'd be interested in a single player campaign by Cryptic(for which you have to be online).

The push for a SP game has been answered several times in that it can be played with companions - just online.

NWN1 was going to have a SP campaign, and a good one from the looks of it, but the litigation with Interplay over stealing royalties from Baldur's Gate 2 prevented us from getting that one. You are right they planned to not ship one but ended up slapping one together in the last 6 months when focus groups proved customers were expecting one. So that's what originally got reviewed and the game got lambasted for, witht he tools virtually ignored.

As for the toolset being easy to pick up - that's one of the things I'm afraid of. I want something powerful; not simple. NWN1 was both; NWN2 was just the former. I'm afraid this one will be the latter. We already don't have the ability to make our own items.

I was going to try out Foundry in Star Trek Online but I just found out its not Free to Play. :p
 
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I think they underestimate the number of people who buy co-op games to play singleplayer. If Left 4 Dead requires a constant internet connection I don't think people would have just accepted that.
 
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