Will there ever be another NWN?

[Legacy_omen_shepperd]

               The only way I think we will ever see a NWN like game again is if bioware makes a Pathfinder game based off of NWN.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Guest_Lowlander_*]

               No.

The confluence of events/technology at that time are unlikely be to be repeated.

On the multi-player front, the days of free lan play and free and clear server setup seem to be gone. Bean counters have determined that multi-player must be monetized now.

On the ease of building front, it is unlikely anyone would go back to a tile based system that made building so easy in NWN.

Maybe you could see some kind of Open Source D20 platform being tried, they would be fine with free multiplayer, and less than state of the art graphics, but I could never see it matching the depth and breadth of NWN.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_billywaffles]

               NWN is a unique specimen of the gaming industry. It is very unlikely we will see anything like that... ever.

Unless a group of hardcore d&d 3.0-3.5 (or pathfinder) players start learning how to program a game (not mod it) and create a new engine which resembles a modernized aurora, this will never happen.

I sometimes wonder what happened to the old bioware '>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_ffbj]

               Shortest possible answer to the OP original question: NO!
Expanded answer: No, because there is not enough money in it.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Elhanan]

               I hope so, even in the face of doubt.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_WebShaman]

               I think the solution is rather easy.

Make a core engine that you can plug NWN into, and it runs better (smoother), with better graphics.  Make everything open source, so that anyone can implement changes to it, as they see fit.

That should solve just about everything, IMHO.  You get around the D&D thing, as it is just another modification to NWN (like a hak, etc).

The PRC basically rewrote the entire combat engine part of NWN, and it never got "dinged".  So one should be able to practically rewrite just about every part of the engine, and still consider it NWN.  Then just inject it as an inofficial patch as was recently discovered, and presto!  Enhanced NWN.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Syii_Gardan]

               You got it WebShaman. That was what I was hoping for, an open source enhanced NWN game engine. Something that would we could use all the premade haks/mods on the vault and that still uses the same basic tool set. Just an enhanced version that ran smoother. It would be nice if it could have a little better looking characters but I can live with them.

In the end something that ran a little quicker, smoother, and a little more internet friendly.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_NWN DM]

               No company wants to make a game that holds the player's interest longer than about six months.  The CoD model is as follows;

Month 1 - Release buggy game, not really optimized but has a %$#%&%load of marketing behind it.  Accompany with release day patch so it might actually work for a few people.

Month 3 - Second patch, fix a few issues, but nothing major because that would actually require substantial time/resources that couldn't be used to create DLC.

Month 4 - Release 1st DLC offering.  This is content that was already completed when the game was released, but was 'held back' to get people to pay an extra $15 for what should be the base game.

Month 5 - Release another patch.  Fix a few more bugs, generate a few new ones by accident.  Ignore community when they complain and call them "edge cases".

Month 6 - Release 2nd DLC offering.

Month 7 - Announce the next version of the game is coming in just 5 months.  Move almost everyone to the new title (if not there already).

Month 8 - Release 3rd DLC offering (depending on how the 2nd one sold).

Month 9 - Ramp up marketing and talking heads who tell everyone why the new version is the best thing since compound interest was invented.  Make claims that you've listened to feedback about what needed to be improved from prior game (or, if you're talking with the PC crowd, claim you actually care about their market segment).

Month 10 - More marketing propaganda.

Month 11 - Highly controlled media exposure to select "reviewers" who receive all expenses paid trips to warm places and all sorts of perks to look at a restricted view of the game.  Everyone agrees the new game holds more value to society than a cure for cancer.  11/10 pre-views start to show up in the media.

Month 12 - New game released.  Month 1 repeats itself.  Public starts to wonder why bought and paid for reviews give 11/10 when the paying public rates it a 6/10.  Company employees start to post competing 12/10 reviews to compensate for the more representative reviews.

etc....

[And the rest of us keep playing NWN and/or NWN2 getting huge value for our gaming dollar.]
               
               

               
            

[Legacy__Guile]

               

TSMDude wrote...

I would love to see a new Dungeons and Dragons game completely based of off the NWN BioWare Engine come out by EA. It would be a great seller if it had many of the same features but was JUST for PW/Module building and stripped most of the stuff out of the Standard Palettes.<br />
<br />
They could sell little Script Packs or what not piecemeal for people/Admins to buy. Like Pre Made gear up to this level or a system for this or that. In the end it satisfies the greed of the dev/publishers, it makes it even more customizable for us who want variety like Forgotten Realms vs Kara-Tur and it keeps this world going.<br />
<br />
Imagine all the possibilities they could do.<br />
<br />
You buy one Main Disk Set for about 20 bucks. Has all the script sets and such like that a person willing to host/admin for a world can turn on or off. Hen if you want to say adventure in the Forgotten Realms, you and the admin buys a premade disc of JUST Forgotten Realm themed stuff. You could have one for Greyhawk, one for Kara-Tur complete with classes and spells. Even the World of Krynn.  A true deity system could even be included for each world. Or for those who do home campaigns there could be a blank fill in the names system JUST for them. Sell those for say 5 bucks to download or buy the disc. <br />
<br />
I think it would even help spark a small step up of NWN in a way if they made the disc able to be used with NWN.

I don't want what you are smoking, no thanks...

=======================

Did everyone forget about D&D Neverwinter Coming out This Year???
               
               

               

                     Modifié par _Guile, 28 mai 2011 - 02:36 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_jmlzemaggo]

               

NWN DM wrote...

No company wants to make a game that holds the player's interest longer than about six months.  The CoD model is as follows;

Month 1 - Release buggy game, not really optimized but has a %$#%&%load of marketing behind it.  Accompany with release day patch so it might actually work for a few people.

Month 3 - Second patch, fix a few issues, but nothing major because that would actually require substantial time/resources that couldn't be used to create DLC.

Month 4 - Release 1st DLC offering.  This is content that was already completed when the game was released, but was 'held back' to get people to pay an extra $15 for what should be the base game.

Month 5 - Release another patch.  Fix a few more bugs, generate a few new ones by accident.  Ignore community when they complain and call them "edge cases".

Month 6 - Release 2nd DLC offering.

Month 7 - Announce the next version of the game is coming in just 5 months.  Move almost everyone to the new title (if not there already).

Month 8 - Release 3rd DLC offering (depending on how the 2nd one sold).

Month 9 - Ramp up marketing and talking heads who tell everyone why the new version is the best thing since compound interest was invented.  Make claims that you've listened to feedback about what needed to be improved from prior game (or, if you're talking with the PC crowd, claim you actually care about their market segment).

Month 10 - More marketing propaganda.

Month 11 - Highly controlled media exposure to select "reviewers" who receive all expenses paid trips to warm places and all sorts of perks to look at a restricted view of the game.  Everyone agrees the new game holds more value to society than a cure for cancer.  11/10 pre-views start to show up in the media.

Month 12 - New game released.  Month 1 repeats itself.  Public starts to wonder why bought and paid for reviews give 11/10 when the paying public rates it a 6/10.  Company employees start to post competing 12/10 reviews to compensate for the more representative reviews.

etc....

[And the rest of us keep playing NWN and/or NWN2 getting huge value for our gaming dollar.]

That's a pretty decent thinking as it is. 
Especially since you're talking about a company, not a gaming company only. 
Yeap, I'm afraid, there is some truth in your statement, along with money. Even if those don't get along well...
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_WebShaman]

               Make an Open Source Framework that one can "mix and match" parts from NWN2 and NWN.

I personally want the Party Mode of NWN2 and perhaps some graphical advances, the Spell Targeting Template, and the Outdoor Editor of the Toolset from NWN2 for my NWN pleasure!
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_UrkOfGreyhawk]

               I can't speak to creating some kind extended framework as Shamen suggests but if it could work that would keep both games going for another decade. Shamen's definitely right about one thing though... it's a pretty safe bet that if there's ever a worthy successor to NWN it won't be a commercial endeavor with cutting edge graphics. It will be fan made and utilitarian.

AndarianTD wrote...

Lord Sullivan wrote...

Ok
well, let's just say that, as a possible open source project to create a
pseudo "NWN" I'm not inclined to have to license(if that is even
possible) D&D and have to deal with the owners rules for a free for
all open source game platform(which was what I was talking
about).

I think this is a major part of the reason why an
open-source modding system should not (and arguably, could not) rely on
D&D. Even Bioware walked away from the franchise, to instead create
something over whose IP they had full control. While I don't pretend to
be privy to their reasons I would be extremely surprised if it had
nothing to do with the hassles and creative stifling associated with
having to satisfy WotC's licensing requirements for D&D.

Speaking
personally I don't really care for the D&D system even in terms of
game mechanics (leaving aside licensing issues) and would not mind
leaving it behind.

There are no legal issues blocking the continued use of the 3.5 D&D rules, or any other existing rules sets for that matter. Copyright law does not extend to procedures and games rules. Nobody owns the copyright to "Football" or "Baseball", only the artistic presentations of an athletic event, like "NFL" and "MLB", can be legally copyrighted. That's why professional sports leagues depend so much on logos, colors and other artistic elements and why they protect them so fiercly. Industrial procedures can be patented, but that doesn't apply here. Hasbro doesn't own the 3.5 rules, just the artistic presentation of the rules. In other words, they own "Neverwinter" and "Faerun" and the "Leomund" in "Leomund's Tiny Hut"  but they don't own the underlying game rules and it would be be perfectly legal to use them and just add a new spell called "Freddy's Etherial Tent".

That said, I like the idea of using a basic framework that allows us to "plug in" whatever rules we want. It would only be a matter of time until people started posting "Base Mods" for different rules sets. Mind you identifying them would be problematic. Hasbro OWNS the trademark to D&D, so you couldn't call it a "D&D 3.5 Base Mod". You'd have to call it "D20 Fantasy Themed Base Module" or something like that.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par UrkOfGreyhawk, 01 juin 2011 - 06:35 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_WebShaman]

               

Mind you identifying them would be problematic. Hasbro OWNS the trademark to D&D, so you couldn't call it a "D&D 3.5 Base Mod". You'd have to call it "D20 Fantasy Themed Base Module" or something like that.
- UrkofGreyhawk

No, you are missing the point!  If one creates an Open Source Framework that can Plug-In NWN2 and NWN, then anyone can make Mods for these two games and get around the limits here.  As long as it is not being offered for sale, of course.

BG Tutu is a good example of this.  As is also The Temple of Elemental Evil Front End from Circle of Eight for their Keep on the Borderlands Mod, etc!

This is the next obvious "step" for NWN/NWN2 IMHO.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Shadooow]

               what about that NWN remake project started years ago? anyone have any more informations?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_WebShaman]

               I have a beta version of an unofficial patch for NWN - but I am not sure if that is what you mean here.