Neverwinter Nights Interview
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GB: There are going to be around 200 spells, will the spells be very similar to the selection in BG2? BG2 added a lot of summoning spells, will NWN implement a lot of these as well? Rob: The new 3rd Edition D&D rules modified a lot of the existing 2nd Edition spells, cut some that were unpopular or unbalancing, and added a number of new ones to enhance gameplay. In other words, while the Neverwinter Nights spell list will still seem quite familiar to players of Baldur's Gate II, there will be plenty of noticeable differences as well. We're working hard to make sure our spell list reflects the changes made in 3rd Edition.
GB: I've seen Trent Oster post that large-scale battles will definitely impact framerates. In BG2 (and Icewind Dale), there was a restriction of 5 summoned monsters at any one time. Are there any such restrictions in NWN as far as the number of players, NPCs, and monsters that can be on screen at one time? If so, will DMs be aware of these restrictions when they design modules, such as an error if they try to place X number of monsters in one place? Or maybe some other way for a DM to know that he is causing serious graphic lag on the players' screens?
Rob: As a general rule of thumb, we try to avoid placing hard restrictions on future module designers. We will do what we can to optimize our engine, keep the content of the official campaign running at a reasonable framerate, and offer what advice we can on these sorts of issues. Ultimately, however, if a DM is creating custom modules for a group of friends and everyone has fairly powerful machines, we want that game to be the best it can be. We're designing Neverwinter Nights to have a long shelf life. We want it to age well and even improve alongside the advances in hardware that are bound to occur over the coming years.
GB: Will there be multi-colored equipment? For instance, can a player wear non-magical green plate mail if he chooses to? If so, will this have to be specifically bought or can a player simply buy regular plate mail and then just change the colors of his character?
Rob: Absolutely. The armor and clothing creation system we're including in the toolset will allow for part-by-part control over the basic geometry. Each of these parts has from 2 to 6 different color zones that can be manipulated independently by the module designer. Players will not have in-game access to the armor creation tool, so if a specific suit of armor catches their eye, they'll have to cough up the cash for it.
GB: How will ability scores come into play in Neverwinter Nights? In BG2, intelligence, wisdom, or charisma didn't do a whole lot unless you were a class that really *needed* them. Will having a high intelligence do anything for a fighter? Or a high charisma do anything for a thief? I realize there are role-playing reasons to want a high score in these abilities, but will there be anything tangible in the game?
Rob: Your character's ability scores will play a big role in Neverwinter Nights. The 3rd Edition designers have done a wonderful job of weaving the different ability scores into the fabric of the game and Neverwinter will definitely reflect that. An intelligent fighter will have a lot more points to spend on skills like Spot and Listen while a charismatic thief has the potential to be more successful when using wands and other magic items normally reserved for sorcerers and wizards. Overall, 3rd Edition is a much more robust, enjoyable system that past editions and much less prone to '˜min-maxing' imbalances.
GB: What will happen to characters when they die during a module? I have seen posts talking about how the person will be able to have a camera view of the rest of his companions while he awaits his resurrection, but will he lose gold, experience, or other treasure when he initially dies?
Rob: Correct. The default death setting for our official campaign is to provide you with a choice immediately upon death. If you just want to get back in the action, you can choose to be instantaneously raised or resurrected at some pre-defined location, such as a temple. This will probably incur the loss of a small but appropriate amount of experience. If your companions are capable of raising or resurrecting you themselves, however, you also have the option of waiting around for them to do so. While you wait, your camera will likely remain anchored to your corpse.
