Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark Interview
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GB: Will users that make use of HotU modules also require Shadows of Undrentide installed? How will compatability work between the main game and two expansions? Darcy: Shadows of Undrentide is not necessary for people to play Hordes of the Underdark. The two expansions are independent from each other, but we include epic features for the prestige classes that appeared in Shadows in Hordes, so those that own both expansion packs get an extra boost in features.
GB: How is the addition of another henchman working out? Will there be many more henchman customization options this time around? How about formations?
Darcy: We just love the second henchmen! The addition of the second henchman has increased the tactical aspect of combat in Hordes. A party can be configured to take full advantage of the strengths of the player's class. In addition to the tactical gains of the second henchmen, the writers have added inter-party banter between the henchmen. It is very interesting and sometimes very funny.
GB: Because the new level cap is 40th, is gaining experience going to be a little more lenient in HotU, or is it still set to 1/10th of the amount given in the PnP version?
Darcy: We are making sure that players have a good time and they gain experience in a challenging, and fun approach. The amount of XP given has increased as has the difficulty of the encounters and the puzzles the player needs to solve. All of these, we hope, will provide a very rewarding experience.
GB: Have you ever considered taking Neverwinter Nights and both expansions and making them into one big playable world (instead of their own entities), possibly even including new quests that span across all three scenarios? For example, instead of choosing to play HotU at a splash screen, add an entrance to the Underdark somewhere within the main scenario so players can enter at any time.
Tom: We haven't given that any specific thought, though it would be a fairly cool feature. However, at the moment, I just don't think the resources are there to make that happen. The fans, though, could definitely try and take a shot at this. Anything's possible with the Aurora toolset!
GB: To conclude, where do you plan on taking Neverwinter Nights in the next year? two years? five years? Do you intend to keep rolling out more expansions for quite some time?
Tom: We've got a number of cool ideas floating around to keep fans of the game entertained. We're not quite ready to discuss those yet, but stay tuned, and we'll be sure to let everyone know.
We'd like to issue our thanks to everyone at BioWare, especially Darcy and Tom, for taking the time to answer our questions. We hope you enjoyed reading their answers!
