Steel_Wind
Legend
The development of modern computer games is fraught with compromises. In NWN's sake, at the time of its initial conception (1997-99):
So...all of the above persuaded both BioWare and Interplay (later Atari) that:
1. The game should seek to achieve a balance between story based gaming (BGII) and action-RPG gaming (Diablo);
2. The game should concentrate on real-time play and move away from a turn based strategy inherent in BGII pause n play mechanics ;
3. The game should feature online play as a single player with other players in co-op play and would feature a DM client. Party based play was thought to be a bad bet with non-traditional players.
That was the pitch that read the market at the time and BioWare made those compromises to secure exceedingly significant development dollars.
Sometimes it needs to be emphasized that the development funds behind CRPGs V-A-S-T-L-Y outweigh the budgets (and in most cases, the annual sales) of the RPG they are meant to simulate.
This is big business boys and girls. Like politics, computer game development is often the art of the possible. The quest for perfection may be a legitimate desire by members of this forum - but that's not the market conditions that game development occurs in.
Ultimately, NWN was an extremely solid game engine with a remarkably accessible toolset and reasonably moddable art assets. (And on this score, I do claim to know as much as anyone and more than most).
The original NWN 1 story and gameplay sought to strike a balance between the Diablo gamer and the BGII hardcore RPG player. IMO, it ended up pleasing neither of them. At the same time, the tail that the multiplayer technical design necessitated wagged the single player dog to an excessive degree. Much of what might have been possible to improve the hardcore CRPG experience became nearly impossible to implement on a technical basis because of the problems of multiplayer support.
SoU and, most especially, the HotU expansion delivered a far more satisfying and typical BioWare game experience. If you have not played HotU - I urge you to do so.
I would argue that Pirates of the Sword Coast continues in the progressive vein. Most especially, titles we can't discuss that remain in active development for NWN1 today push the envelope of gameplay and art in directions that few here realize are possible.
All along, BioWare and Atari have had to balance the interests of hardcore RPG players with a broad mass of players who have barely heard of D&D and have certainly never held a D20 in their hands. Some want party based play - others scream at the suggestion and insist on single player control of one character. Both desires are valid - both groups who espouse the view evenly divide the fan base.
All along, WotC maintains a tight fisted control over virtually every aspect of gameplay to a degree that they NEVER enforce on their own authors or other licensees in the RPG business. That's the reality in which BioWare operates - like it or not.
Add in a significant non- RPG player base who insist upon epic levels and the ability to simulate MMORPGs on a PIII with 512 ram and a fair to middlin' video card with a cable internet connection for 64 players at once....
And you start to appreciate the difficulty BioWare faces in being all things to all people with NWN.
Despite those unrealistic goals, I can say that even though NWN was released 38 months ago, BioWare continues to devote significant in-house resources (and external resources too) to improving the code base and game play possibilities for a game that has largely vanished from prime store shelves.
BioWare continues to HIRE people to the Live Team for the purposes of expanding the game's capabilities. (I know. My guys have been some of the ones to be hired.)
BioWare continues to devote significant resources to bug fixing the smallest elements of rule balancing to a degree which a pedantic fan base requests. Overall, there is not a single other computer game developer - anywhere - for any game on any platform that continues to put this level of effort into their products this long after ship. Not one.
I can assure you that a vast assortment of goodies and entirely new game play features and adventures are in development for NWN1. I know this for a fact as I have a very great deal to do with them on a daily basis in my life.
For those who judge NWN only by the official campaigns, I suggest that they make their way over to Neverwinter Vault and download modules by: Adam Miller, Stef Gagne, Rick Burton and BGP Hughes.
I've had the pleasure of working with all of these authors at one point or another. All of them have been offered work as pro game designers (and turned it down) or are currently working in the field for or with BioWare. (Rick Burton was a member of DLA before he was hired by BioWare and BGP Hughes as a member of DLA is currently working on a module for BioWare for the DD program.)
I am sure there are a number of other good module authors in the community with more focussed efforts with less broad based appeal; nevertheless, these are my recommendations to you. I live and breathe this stuff so I try to be as familiar with it as I can.
- Diablo and Diablo II were the kings of commercial success and reached a much broader audience than had BGI and II;
- Tactical turn based strategy was taking a big kick in the ass in the market place (and it continues to);
- Real time strategy and mad click fests were the focus of all major computer development dollars ~ turn-based games could attract little confidence or money from a publisher
- Quake II, Unreal Tournament and Tribes indicated that the "future" of all PC gaming was about online play. Early MMORPG efforts confirmed this.
So...all of the above persuaded both BioWare and Interplay (later Atari) that:
1. The game should seek to achieve a balance between story based gaming (BGII) and action-RPG gaming (Diablo);
2. The game should concentrate on real-time play and move away from a turn based strategy inherent in BGII pause n play mechanics ;
3. The game should feature online play as a single player with other players in co-op play and would feature a DM client. Party based play was thought to be a bad bet with non-traditional players.
That was the pitch that read the market at the time and BioWare made those compromises to secure exceedingly significant development dollars.
Sometimes it needs to be emphasized that the development funds behind CRPGs V-A-S-T-L-Y outweigh the budgets (and in most cases, the annual sales) of the RPG they are meant to simulate.
This is big business boys and girls. Like politics, computer game development is often the art of the possible. The quest for perfection may be a legitimate desire by members of this forum - but that's not the market conditions that game development occurs in.
Ultimately, NWN was an extremely solid game engine with a remarkably accessible toolset and reasonably moddable art assets. (And on this score, I do claim to know as much as anyone and more than most).
The original NWN 1 story and gameplay sought to strike a balance between the Diablo gamer and the BGII hardcore RPG player. IMO, it ended up pleasing neither of them. At the same time, the tail that the multiplayer technical design necessitated wagged the single player dog to an excessive degree. Much of what might have been possible to improve the hardcore CRPG experience became nearly impossible to implement on a technical basis because of the problems of multiplayer support.
SoU and, most especially, the HotU expansion delivered a far more satisfying and typical BioWare game experience. If you have not played HotU - I urge you to do so.
I would argue that Pirates of the Sword Coast continues in the progressive vein. Most especially, titles we can't discuss that remain in active development for NWN1 today push the envelope of gameplay and art in directions that few here realize are possible.
All along, BioWare and Atari have had to balance the interests of hardcore RPG players with a broad mass of players who have barely heard of D&D and have certainly never held a D20 in their hands. Some want party based play - others scream at the suggestion and insist on single player control of one character. Both desires are valid - both groups who espouse the view evenly divide the fan base.
All along, WotC maintains a tight fisted control over virtually every aspect of gameplay to a degree that they NEVER enforce on their own authors or other licensees in the RPG business. That's the reality in which BioWare operates - like it or not.
Add in a significant non- RPG player base who insist upon epic levels and the ability to simulate MMORPGs on a PIII with 512 ram and a fair to middlin' video card with a cable internet connection for 64 players at once....
And you start to appreciate the difficulty BioWare faces in being all things to all people with NWN.
Despite those unrealistic goals, I can say that even though NWN was released 38 months ago, BioWare continues to devote significant in-house resources (and external resources too) to improving the code base and game play possibilities for a game that has largely vanished from prime store shelves.
BioWare continues to HIRE people to the Live Team for the purposes of expanding the game's capabilities. (I know. My guys have been some of the ones to be hired.)
BioWare continues to devote significant resources to bug fixing the smallest elements of rule balancing to a degree which a pedantic fan base requests. Overall, there is not a single other computer game developer - anywhere - for any game on any platform that continues to put this level of effort into their products this long after ship. Not one.
I can assure you that a vast assortment of goodies and entirely new game play features and adventures are in development for NWN1. I know this for a fact as I have a very great deal to do with them on a daily basis in my life.
For those who judge NWN only by the official campaigns, I suggest that they make their way over to Neverwinter Vault and download modules by: Adam Miller, Stef Gagne, Rick Burton and BGP Hughes.
I've had the pleasure of working with all of these authors at one point or another. All of them have been offered work as pro game designers (and turned it down) or are currently working in the field for or with BioWare. (Rick Burton was a member of DLA before he was hired by BioWare and BGP Hughes as a member of DLA is currently working on a module for BioWare for the DD program.)
I am sure there are a number of other good module authors in the community with more focussed efforts with less broad based appeal; nevertheless, these are my recommendations to you. I live and breathe this stuff so I try to be as familiar with it as I can.
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