cole and amanda cheek

Hello, all! I hope someone can answer these questions for me. I've been a
fan of the Baldur's Gate games for A WHILE, beaten them both a few times
over, and still love'em. I've heard Neverwinter Nights is just as good
(expansion packs included). I'm considering buying the game but wanted to
find out the low down (how good it really is) from gamers and not the
game-review websites. I haven't played icewind dale either, and may pick
that up eventually; though, I'd prefer info on Neverwinter Nights. Other
suggestions on these types of roleplaying games, however, would be welcome.
Please post here or email at cacheek@kopower.com

Thanks in advance,

Cole

oke fireberg

You heard wrong, IMHO. Neverwinter Nights has none of the nice group
interaction of BG. The NPCs are boring. The user interface ****s.
Basically, it ****s.

Oke

jason compton

: game-review websites. I haven't played icewind dale either, and may pick
: that up eventually; though, I'd prefer info on Neverwinter Nights. Other
: suggestions on these types of roleplaying games, however, would be welcome.
: Please post here or email at cacheek@kopower.com

At best, hardcore BG2 fans seem to enjoy NWN as "a different sort of
game." But an awful lot of serious BG2 players hate NWN with a burning
passion.

--
Jason Compton jcompton@xnet.com

arian

I've heard that the single-player campaign that comes with the game was
meant more as a demo of what the toolkit could do than as the Thing
You'd Buy It For.

NWN's strengths are:

a) as a multiplayer game with more than one PC, each controlled by a
different player (unlike the BG or IWD games, one player can only ever
control one character, plus a few additions such as one henchman, one
summoned animal etc)

and

b) the many modules that have been created by people using the toolkit,
some of which are *much* better than the "demo" campaign.

--
Arian

Address me by name at North-net (with no hyphen), a 3-letter company
trading in the great south land.

kharsis

I am just playing NWN nights now after playing Baldurs Gate, Icewind
Dale etc. I have not found it to be as bad as most people are saying.
The thing I miss the most is the interaction between the NPCs in the
party as you are limited to one henchman.
I do suggest plaing the Icewind Dale series - Icewind Dale, Heart of
Winter, Trials of the Luremaster; Icewind Dale II.
If you want the best interaction of any CRPG then play Planscape
Torment. IMO it is the best CRPG game available.


Kharsis

arundell

NWN is very different than the Baldur's Gate games. Kind of like AD&D
for beginners. No real strategy or thinking involved. You endlessly open
boxes and hit things with your sword. Fetch things. Fetch some more
things. Everything is very predictable. You have a henchman that sort of
plays his or her own game. You just watch it do stuff with very little
control over it. Kind of amusing to watch your henchman unload every
spell it has to defeat the weakest of the weak opponent (way to go
dumb-ass). I only made it through most of chapter 2 so perhaps I gave up
too soon. The game is not an advance from the Baldur's Gate games (as
in, they just get better and better) which I think I was expecting.

devast8or

True, the original campaign is not what makes this game shine.

Yes, this was AFAIK the original intent with NWN - multiplayer.


Yes. I have played some really great user created modules, some that were in
a whole other class than the OC.

And as you say the toolkit also comes with the game, letting anyone build a
module (most of them can be found at nwvault.ign.com)

Cole: I think there is a demo of NWN released at some point. See if you can
find it so you can try it out and decide for yourself.

Oh, and about the user interface - at first it seems strange but when you
get used to it, it's really great IMO.

Devast8or

sqweek

As has been said, the single player experience is not the greatest part
of neverwinter nights. You only get to control a single character
(though you can get some computer controlled buddies), which has a
couple of implications:
-You can only utilise a couple of classes, which limits your tactics.
So, the fights tend to be more dull than in BG, kinda diablo-ish (hit-
hit-hit-drink healing potion-hit-hit-hit). OTOH, I haven't really played
a mage in NWN... that could change things a bit.
-Actually that's all I can think of.

On the upside, 3rd ed. rules are pretty fun.

urquan

IMO mages in NWN are actually more powerful melee-wise than straight
melee types, because 1) the mage's familiar rises in power with the
mage, 2) the mage can summon bigger and badder creatures as they
level. (Direwolves and dire spiders in particular are good)

Familiar + summon, both buffed by mage, = at least as powerful as a
melee type of similar level. Add in things like magic missiles/acid
arrows/etc and it isn't even close. If you have a cleric/bard/mage
henchman that can also summon things, that's practically a BG-size
full party, in encounters that are expecting at most two hostiles.

(Assuming single-player here. Any sentient opponent would know not to
waste time with the summons)

grackle

Get the demo and see what you think. Seems to me people who compare it to
Baldur's Gate hate the game, while those who take the game on its own think
it's at least worth a try. Either way, very few thinks it's a great game.
Personally, the demo saved me from wasting my money (despite the supposedly
glowing reviews from various sites).