NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer - E3 Preview @ GameSpot

Dhruin

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GameSpot has been the most active E3 campaigner for a while and this year looks no different. Anyway, here's a look at NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer -
Obsidian has also overhauled the influence system that governs your companion's reactions to you. You can actually check a numerical influence rating on your companion's character sheets; raising this number will allow both you and your companion to gain power. A high influence with a companion will let them give you bonus feats, and you'll return the favor. If you like playing in an especially hardcore fashion, though, you'll be pleased to know that all of the companions are optional in the expansion; you'll never be required to take anyone along on your adventures if you don't wish to. However, one of the cool new features of the expansion is the ability to select units by dragging a selection box around them, just like in an RTS, which makes it much easier to position your characters just the way you like them before an encounter.
Back to the future, I think.
More information.
 
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"However, one of the cool new features of the expansion is the ability to select units by dragging a selection box around them, just like in an RTS"
How cool indeed!1! Jesus, it should be an option present in NWN2 from the start, and not a 'cool option' lauded as one of the selling points of the expansion.

(As a sidenote - I don't hate NWN2 :))
 
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I really enjoyed NWN2, and this preview assures me that it has enough new tidbits to keep me enjoying it. But yeah, the E3 PR speak flood is really getting to me - especially all teh MS / Sony / Nintendo console stuff ...
 
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But yeah, the E3 PR speak flood is really getting to me - especially all teh MS / Sony / Nintendo console stuff ...

That stuff doesn't bother me as much as the disappearance of healthy skepticism in the gaming press at these things. IGN, G4, Gamespot, etc. seem like mouthpieces for the console makers and the major publishers at this time of year. After gushing over games like Republic: The Revolution and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, you would think that these people would have learned their lesson. Now we're going through that same thing with games like Assassin's Creed, Fallout 3, and Mass Effect.
 
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That stuff doesn't bother me as much as the disappearance of healthy skepticism in the gaming press at these things. IGN, G4, Gamespot, etc. seem like mouthpieces for the console makers and the major publishers at this time of year. After gushing over games like Republic: The Revolution and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, you would think that these people would have learned their lesson. Now we're going through that same thing with games like Assassin's Creed, Fallout 3, and Mass Effect.
That is pretty much what I meant.
 
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"However, one of the cool new features of the expansion is the ability to select units by dragging a selection box around them, just like in an RTS"

How cool indeed!1! Jesus, it should be an option present in NWN2 from the start, and not a 'cool option' lauded as one of the selling points of the expansion.

(As a sidenote - I don't hate NWN2 :))

I believe that GameSpot was being sarcastic. I think (hope) everyone knows that leaving this way of unit selection out of the original game was about as retarded as shipping a car with no review mirrors.
 
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"However, one of the cool new features of the expansion is the ability to select units by dragging a selection box around them, just like in an RTS"
How cool indeed!1! Jesus, it should be an option present in NWN2 from the start, and not a 'cool option' lauded as one of the selling points of the expansion.

(As a sidenote - I don't hate NWN2 :))
You're right on the nail there Elwro. This stuff was standard already in the 90's.

I'm tossing the coin with this expansion if nothing else better is available on fall, but meh this expansion doesn't really sound that interesting.
It's all epic content, too, so you'll be able to reach up to level 30 during your adventures, and reap all of the benefits of that, including epic feats and super-powerful loot (the demo character was armed with a +7 two-handed sword that dealt an extra 3d6 lightning damage per hit, for instance).
Don't let my cynical opinions harm you in anyway, but all in all when you can already instakill everyone in sight in the original NWN2 how can you really become anymore powerful in practise?
That includes the new genasi races, as well as over 20 new enemy models, including fel trolls, shambling mounds, and a couple of new dragon types.
20 new models for epic monsters eh? Guess we'll be fighting epic orcs 99% time of the 20-30 hours of content in the expansion.
 
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I buy NWN expansions mainly because you usually need them for the latest mods!!
 
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I buy NWN expansions mainly because you usually need them for the latest mods!!

Yep - that always helps, but at least in that case you can wait for price breaks or special deals.
 
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That's what I did with the original!!
 
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That's what I did with the original!!

With the original (meaning NWN 1 in this case) I got the Mac version first, so I payed full $50 at a time when the PC version was much cheaper ... bargains in reverse!
 
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Yes, not many, but a few and some of them are quite good!! Check out the Vault.
 
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It's more complicated to make good mods for NWN2, but once you get the hang of it, you can do things that simply wasn't possible in NWN1. Personally I hope the add-on will enhance the toolset enough for the community to make more good mods - I see a lot of potential with all the tools we're given in the NWN2 toolset compared to NWN1.

Edit: By the way, wasn't one of the developers (Sawyer?) working on a planescape mod for NWN2? Anyone know how that is coming along? Has there been any progress?
 
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Edit: By the way, wasn't one of the developers (Sawyer?) working on a planescape mod for NWN2? Anyone know how that is coming along? Has there been any progress?
Last I know it slipped from Spring to Summer release. Definitely looking forward to this one!
 
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JE Sawyer was lead designer on Van Buren and Jefferson. Van Buren as we know was the code name for Fallout 3 (BIS version) and Jefferson was Baldur's Gate 3. Since BIS lost their rights to BG we know it wasn't going to have that name on it were it even released.

A form of Jefferson is being made by him for NWN2. Nominally it will be free but many free projects for NWN1 ended up being DD products so I wouldn't be surprised if...

There is an irony with Sawyer's Jefferson product. Ferret Baudoin was the original Lead Designer for NWN2 and the two things that held it up were horse back riding and it turns out Running and Jumping.

In short, they were trying to make NWN2 what they had planned for Jefferson. So Ferret is out and Sawyer comes in to take over the project and then starts to design Jefferson as a mod for it.
 
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Fascinating. Where do you get all this info?
 
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I recall reading an interview about this actually, he explained that the main story would be inspired by his BG3 project, that some characters would be similar but some things would get replaced due to time limits (he's only one guy, not an entire team) and technical differences between the old BG3 engine and the NWN2 engine.

Edit: I looked it up, here it is:
http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/theblackhound1.php

Very interesting, looking forward to it!
 
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Thanks for the link!!
 
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