Is huge in D&D. Limitless adventures which one doesn't repeat ad nauseam. Differing Story lines within a campaign. I would like to play 12 characters which each had a totally different experiance in Neverwinter Online. If the Foundry is robust enough perhaps more Stories will be created by talented folks. Thus in time making the possibilities within a campaign world near limitless.
Yep, just like the Choose Your Own Adventure Books had, and then some...
Easiest way I can see something like this, is to have several initial adventures to choose from, and then chains off of each of them, with seperate endings, and additional adventures.
A simple two possible endings each adventure, providing two seperate follow-on adventures, with two endings, becomes 64 seperate endings after just 6 dungeons.
One thing for Neverwinter,
The toolset needs to be available to all subscribers, and not gated by a ton of currency like the toolset is in Star Trek Online.
NWN1 had a vast creative player base, and to gate the toolset behind a ton of currency, will hamper the games ability to be creative.
I have spent hours and hours in NWN1's toolset, and created customed content as well in the 'old days' before I moved on to other game experiences, so hopefully the toolset will be available from the start.
One thing for Neverwinter,
The toolset needs to be available to all subscribers, and not gated by a ton of currency like the toolset is in Star Trek Online.
NWN1 had a vast creative player base, and to gate the toolset behind a ton of currency, will hamper the games ability to be creative.
I have spent hours and hours in NWN1's toolset, and created customed content as well in the 'old days' before I moved on to other game experiences, so hopefully the toolset will be available from the start.
The tool-set should be available without pay options. If you meant something else please clarify for me, thanks.
Which brings up an interesting thought? They have already stated that they will not be charging for content they build but what about UCC? UCC will be a huge part of this title no doubt about it and if they allow full use of the foundry at zero cost and aren't charging for content where's the money comming from?
I'm thinking that if some things are not buy only then were gonna end up with some pretty crappy c-store shenanigans like the infamous leveling sigil from DDO. If having to pay a little cash to use the higher end functions of the foundry keeps either of these things from happening I'll gladly pay that bill.
P.S And before anyone starts screaming "but they don't own the UCC so they cant sell it" you might wanna take a look at just about any user license agreement youve even "signed" for a game.
I don't care if there are pay to play items,classes and races as long as all adventures are free. I don't want to, just because I am poor, to constantly repeat lame adventures and stay at level 5 for ages while the other ptp player already fight in the astral planes and such. This is how it worked in ddo, and I definitely don't want that. I am done with ptp adventures, please keep that free!
I don't care if there are pay to play items,classes and races as long as all adventures are free. I don't want to, just because I am poor, to constantly repeat lame adventures and stay at level 5 for ages while the other ptp player already fight in the astral planes and such. This is how it worked in ddo, and I definitely don't want that. I am done with ptp adventures, please keep that free!
Thats not fair assessment. There are many F2P at all levels of the game, including at the end game. Its work, but its very achievable. It might cost a few bucks but relatively cheaper in most cases compared to those who are paying $15 each month. Free to play does not mean free. Neverwinter will not just charge for a few unimportant optional items and let you play entirely for free.
They need to bring in revenue so that you can sit at your computer all day and night... thats just fact.
We shall see. I'll be paying attention closely to this very tidbit when the promotion engine hits hig gear at PAX...
Free to play does not mean free. Neverwinter will not just charge for a few unimportant optional items and let you play entirely for free.
Yes, game companies must bring in revenue to stay alive, but it's not necessary for them to bring in revenue from each and every single player. In fact, game companies tend to be more successful when they don't bring in money from everyone. Why? Because not everyone can afford to pay, so the people who can't will shy away from games that require them to and go search for games that don't... and then they'll tell other people how much fun those games are, and some of the players they bring in will be able to pay. Which is more valuable? A player who buys $10 worth of content a month, or a player who brought over 3 of his friends who each buy $10 worth of content a month? And yes, players who pay can bring their friends into their games as well, but only if their friends can afford to pay. The spread of gaming enthusiasm gets cut off at people who can't afford to pay, so the optimum business strategy is to have no such barrier... provided that players who can pay do so. Additionally, the more players there are in a multiplayer game who are having fun, the more fun the game will be for all of its players. This is simple enough to understand... the more players you have, the more people there will be looking for groups, duels, trades, etc. So, free players not only help with customer referrals but also with customer retention.
How do you get players who can afford to pay to do it while letting players who can't enjoy the game forever for free? 2 ways: premium content and unlockable content. Premium content should be extra fluff that isn't necessary to be able to play the game enjoyably, but is still nice enough to have that you'd want to buy it if you could. For example, if there's a single free default rogue model, and a few totally HAMSTER premium rogue models, I guarantee some people will pay $10 to be able to look totally HAMSTER in front of their friends and guild mates. Unlockable content is content that is important in terms of gameplay, but isn't something you need to have right now in order to be able to play on even terms with everyone else. That cool new swordmage class that everyone's been hoping for? You can pay $10 to play it now, or you can play through the game using one of the five basic classes to earn enough points to unlock it.
Of course, there are other strategies for free to play games which are more destructive, namely energy and pay to win. With energy, you can play the game for a certain amount of time per day or per week, and if you want to keep playing beyond that you have to buy energy. With pay to win, you can play all you want for free, but you will always be a second class citizen unless you pay... you'll either have to spend inordinate amounts of time grinding to catch up to the people who buy xp potions to whizz by, or your character will be significantly weaker unless you buy buff potions to power up. Both of these systems destroy the enjoyment factor for people who can't afford to pay, creating negative impressions in these players' minds (which they'll spread) and driving them away to other games. This is why I'm worried about the article that the-truthseeker pointed out to me a while back... I'd hate to see this happen to the only serious 4e computer game in existence.
(*sigh*) There's not going to be pay to win, unlock-able content or or premium/freemium foundry stuff. And please do not use my post links to imply that anybody is definitely pushing this.
Again, Read the company's own news site. It's 99.997% clear in intent that they are absolutely not charging for content, and the only possibly hinted "restriction" mentioned for user content (UGC) is community voting. It isn't even said 100% that mods will be "voted off," just rated. I did save some of the "old summary" on the foundry from the E3 Review still up on the neverwinterconnections.com site, including why it may not be emphasized anymore per the "edit":
Custom content will require submission and rating before being released and playable, and user ratings from then on to decide whether or not it will remain accessible.
Edit: by Urk: Sounds like they expect us to do their jobs for them. What a brilliant way to save money on developers!
Neverwinter is being built with a modified version of the same engine used for Cryptic's two most recent MMORPGs -- Star Trek Online and Champions Online. Both of those games have gone (or are going) free to play, and have given Cryptic a lot of useful feedback around what should and shouldn't be charged for. Noticing that for basically every game currently on the market, every new piece of downloadable content sells less than the last for the same title, Cryptic has decided to make every content pack for Neverwinter totally free as well. Not all content will be free, though. The developer will be charging money for consumables (special potions, temporary items to increase experience gains, etc…) vanity pets and cosmetic items. Unlike the current trend of ex-subscription-based MMOs that lock out portions of their content to free players, Cryptic plans to avoid making any content premium-only in Neverwinter.
MMORPG:
MMORPG.com:
How does the game cater to players who want to make their own instances or scenarios?
Andy Velasquez:
User Generated Content is a big part of the NWN franchise legacy and we are creating a system to continue that tradition in Neverwinter. The UGC toolset is called The Foundry and is being developed to allow players to quickly and easily create content like what they would experience in official Cryptic releases.
The Foundry editor itself, the content browser, the ability to review other user's custom content, and the ability to launch UGC content are all accessible from within the main Neverwinter client, in-game. So, players won't have to worry about maintaining a separate executable for content creation, or going to some forum to find out what the good content is, or trying to figure out where to save certain files to be able to play someone else's content. The Foundry is seamlessly integrated into the client and quests created with The Foundry can be seamlessly integrated into the world.
MMORPG.com:
Why has the team decided to take Neverwinter from a CORPG format to a true MMO? And what does it ultimately mean for the game and The Foundry content and all of that? Is anything sacrificed?
Andy Velasquez:
The change from CORPG to a full action RPG F2P MMO is a change that just made sense for us. Perfect World wanted to go big. Expand everything. Do more. Do better. Take your time. Really blow it out. Pushing into 2012 allows us to make these changes. Transitioning into a full-featured action RPG, free-to-play MMO allows us to reach a whole new audience of people. Never underestimate barriers to entry. With a free client, anyone can play. Try it. Where's the harm? It's better for the game, better for us, better for D&D and infinitely better for fans and gamers. With Neverwinter, we're going to prove that F2P does not describe a type of gameplay - it only describes the fundamentals of a business model. We're going to deliver what could be the first AAA Western-developed action RPG MMO. No after-the-fact transitions. We're building it right from the ground up.
That being said, there is no sacrifice. Everything we had planned to do for the Foundry is going in. More than we ever had planned for the game is going in. If anything, focusing on a free-to-play experience pre-launch allows us to do more with the game and The Foundry than we had previously planned, as we have more time to make more environment kits, more monsters, more traps, more... everything.
Note the lack of "freemium" classes, which if they were doing, they would list under the planned F2P "extra" charges. As other companies who tried to copy DDO's transition FTP/P2P setup have shown, charging for partial content/classes doesn't work universally and they can lose more revenue in each successive release for generating profit. Don't believe me? Read the quotes above again and see why Cryptic and western-marketed mmo's with cash shops often now go for vanity-only or full pay (subscription) and not "freemium."
Going into why Asian MMO/social network game markets do this is very long and even when backed up by fact, could come across offensive, so I'm not posting it here. Please don't post here or elsewhere on this site for the same reason we don't post politics or religion, thank you.
But going back to "Western Economy:" MMO Micro-transactions do work very well, even for "boost" or "vanity only" mainly US revenue heavy options (vs "play to win" transaction requirements.)
Q: What is The Foundry?Top
The Foundry for Neverwinter is your chance to craft the world of Neverwinter your way. A robust and powerful toolset, you can use The Foundry for Neverwinter to create and build new adventures and campaigns to share with your friends and the entire Neverwinter community. Learn more by visiting our Foundry informational page.
You’ve played tabletop campaigns, sketched out dungeons and imagined ancient ruins, wishing all the while that you could make them come to life. Now, you can. The Foundry for Neverwinter lets you build and share the adventures you've always wanted to see.
The Foundry gives you the tools to build dungeons, castles, cities, foreboding woods and everything in-between. Build NPCs the way you see them in your mind’s eye and populate your world with tavern keepers and soldiers, Queens and scullions. Lay the groundwork for an epic adventure that takes players into the depths of the earth in search of dwarven treasure, or pits them against near impossible odds to save the city of Neverwinter.
Easy to use, The Foundry also features a dynamic rating system that allows players to rate and highlight the best player-designed adventures.
NOTE: The Foundry is currently in development and due to the nature of games development, information and content found on this website may not be representative of the current gameplay experience.
So, until something is explicitly posted from PWE/Cryptic charging for character/location/Foundry content, can we put away the "they're going to charge me blind and to bankruptcy" fears?
Kinda raising my eyebrows at the whole free try out related to the F2P, wondering how all this will pan out. They need to establish some revenue and just hope that they don't pull a P2W store.
Anywhos, back to the on topic. What I'd like to see in this MMO is what the NWN PW's accomplished. The thrill of playing a seemingly endless of class possibilities (while launch that is not an option but later on as they raise level caps and add more classes) while the atmosphere of D&D being established.
One of my biggest gripes with DDO was the whole PrEs. There was no real class splashing or PrCs anywhere near to what I expected in a D&D game coming from NWN2. For instance Wizzies and Sorcs, you almost had to go all out max class unlike say an Arcane Trickster who required multiple classes which I felt what should have been done, an actual PrC class that you took levels in. I just don't want this game to become what DDO became and that is RPG took a backseat to an atrocious gear grinding mechanic. Being F2P and with Perfect World does have my worries but I am putting faith in the Cryptic team to produce a true D&D MMO, the one type of MMO that has been way long overdue in the MMO genre.
QFT and just ground teeth remembering that "prE nightmare."
The final straw for me was when the "adjusted" Deepwoods Sniper and never restored missile combat functionality ever again. What was the point of the classes when you were all but "forced" to be single class? I was the exception as a WF wiz with 2 levels of rogue (*and the evasion was worth it, as well as my trap disarming.) Still, the "progression was a magor pain for the PrE setup.
Here's to Paragon/Epic options later and custom fun in the Foundry in the upcoming present.
Kinda raising my eyebrows at the whole free try out related to the F2P, wondering how all this will pan out. They need to establish some revenue and just hope that they don't pull a P2W store.
Anywhos, back to the on topic. What I'd like to see in this MMO is what the NWN PW's accomplished. The thrill of playing a seemingly endless of class possibilities (while launch that is not an option but later on as they raise level caps and add more classes) while the atmosphere of D&D being established.
One of my biggest gripes with DDO was the whole PrEs. There was no real class splashing or PrCs anywhere near to what I expected in a D&D game coming from NWN2. For instance Wizzies and Sorcs, you almost had to go all out max class unlike say an Arcane Trickster who required multiple classes which I felt what should have been done, an actual PrC class that you took levels in. I just don't want this game to become what DDO became and that is RPG took a backseat to an atrocious gear grinding mechanic. Being F2P and with Perfect World does have my worries but I am putting faith in the Cryptic team to produce a true D&D MMO, the one type of MMO that has been way long overdue in the MMO genre.
I know it's a little on the simple side, but I would like to see the ability to change the height of all characters/monsters based on racial statistics. Weight and muscle definition could also factor in so that not all characters look like beefy gladiators or super models. Perhaps a group of sliders with appropriate heights, weights, chest, and bust sizes listed as you go so you're not guessing whether your athletic rogue is 5'6" or 6', then walking around to realize all elves are actually taller than you. This would allow for a more diverse field and more individuality. Players are more likely to play more often with a character they feel is truly "their own".
I know it's a little on the simple side, but I would like to see the ability to change the height of all characters/monsters based on racial statistics. Weight and muscle definition could also factor in so that not all characters look like beefy gladiators or super models. Perhaps a group of sliders with appropriate heights, weights, chest, and bust sizes listed as you go so you're not guessing whether your athletic rogue is 5'6" or 6', then walking around to realize all elves are actually taller than you. This would allow for a more diverse field and more individuality. Players are more likely to play more often with a character they feel is truly "their own".
Cryptic is pretty good when it comes to character appearance customization, but /seconded on the sliders.
Also I would love if the game included first person view. If the game will have the first person view it would be the best if you could see your characters hands and weapon as if really in the game. In DDO the first person view was present, but it sucked as you couldn't see how you swing your weapons or anything.
Although I agree there SHOULD be a possiblity for a first person view this should however be more of a temporary camera angle. You shouldn't be supposed to be playing the game like that.
For me rolepalying game means isometric/strategic view.
Shooter style? Why would it have to be shooter style? Why couldn't it be role-playing from the first view? For me role-playing is acting as if I really am my character and this could only enhance the feeling. Skyrim, for example, has great first person view and it doesn't at all remind me of shooter games.
Ever since the simplifcation of roleplaying games and WoW-clone MMORPGS ruled the market, which has been for quite some time now, all roleplaying games seem to have an over the shoulder (default) camera angle which highly resembles the first person shooter camera.
Simple games supposed to be played with simple controls worsens this even more...as the case with Skyrim....think console games...
For me...this is not a roleplaying game. I need something that at least a bit more resembles the pen and paper version of the games where a typical DM led session would perhaps have figurines on a tactical grid or perhps even just an overhead map.
I'm not saying to make EVERYTHING in the computer games like pen and paper D&D but I am saying at least take SOMETHING from the original pen and paper game.
As always I use the computer game Neverwinter Nights 1 (NWN1) as the referencepoint as it still to this day is the best roleplaying game in my eyes (multiplayer, semi massive, at that).
If you want first person actiony RPG's you could EASILY find MANY of thoose. You have already mentioned a couple yourself. Also luckily for you there is a whole industry preparing to launch even more similar games. Unfortunately for me there are still no somewhat "NWN1-like" games in the making...
NWN is a great game, and there are not many d&D like games in making so I am still for the first person view in Neverwinter. If you don't want to you don't have to play in first person, but I would love to play like that. It is just the matter of opinion, and since it is possible for everyone to choose their style of camera angle it shouldn't be a problem to allow first person.
NWN is a great game, and there are not many d&D like games in making so I am still for the first person view in Neverwinter. If you don't want to you don't have to play in first person, but I would love to play like that. It is just the matter of opinion, and since it is possible for everyone to choose their style of camera angle it shouldn't be a problem to allow first person.
Mouse driven controls, with controllable views to scroll in and out of first person, is my choice in an MMO styled game.
Neverwinter will be an MMORPG and I am sure they will cater to other play styles for viewing ones characters.
NWN1 and NWN2 "play modes" were both clunky and hard to control.
Mouse and keyboard driven control combinations I think, should win out
I have played a number of MMO's some having great control options others not so much ( DC Universe, had horrible controls in my opinion, while other games, like DDO, LOTRO, Star Trek Online, Champions Online( to a lesser degree ) , and Asheron's Call 1 ( which just switched over to have a mouse driven option ) really handle well and smoothly in a game environment. )
Being stuck in 3/4 view or always 3rd person really ruins roleplay immersion in my opinion. I don't mind 3rd person for combat situations, but I do want that option myself, and not something that the game forces on me.
Heres to Neverwinter having a good system, for us all!
*cheers*
The tool-set should be available without pay options. If you meant something else please clarify for me, thanks.
What I meant, is the toolset "should" be available without payment in game or out of game, in my opinion.
Star Trek Online, which is a game produced by this company now, has toolset that you need to use Dilithium ( a ton of it ) to purchase.
That hinders growth of the game in my opinion, locking away a toolset like that.
I saw the Dev reply earlier, about having toolset available for beta testers, my hope though, is that like others say, it is made readily available for everyone.
Just make it to where you are required to log in to the game to actually upload a new area. That way you are "tagged" via your account name and responsible for any violations of the Code of Conduct that might arise.
I thought NWN had a first person camera zoom thing...amjig...
Gack...been playing the game for like 7 years but I am unsure of this. I know you can zoom in pretty far in. As close to first person view as possible I think.
This is mostly used for when chatting with other PC's / NPC's though....not for when walking around. Well you can...but its easier to see where you are going with the normal zoomed out isometric view.
NWN1 and NWN2 "play modes" were both clunky and hard to control.
Mouse and keyboard driven control combinations I think, should win out
They wherent clunky at all. They where years ahead of its time as well as the whole game. Also for your information both NWN games DO have mouse AND keyboard control combinations.
In my personal opinion, I found NWN's style to be acceptable, but NWN2 to feel more clunkier and not as intuitive. I found DDO's UI to be clunky when it came to switching views, but they changed their setup years later and it did improve. WHen it comes down to it, there *is* no "as close to the original" as possible, as we were looking at character sheets on a table when it came to "visual."
Which means the decision has to be based on a computer/digital history or original development method.
And everybody has an opinion, good or bad.
So, while I personally like the overhead for my fantasy/RTS gaming, what is "right" for an MMO (or even if this can be decided as an "MMO decision" because it's D&D which breaks the mold of typical MMO setups based on its ruling) development is unsure.
Easiest answer is whatever the developers set for the original view with a toggle option for the other viewpoint, if applicable.
But no matter what their class, if people hate it, all trolls use flames
My two cents is that an overview style is more for tactical gameplay which the game is more action oriented so the typical shoulder view is more apt plus if you RPing your are seeing things from your Character's perspective/point of view and don't really think an overview is applicable. PnP is a more tactical style so an overview would be more suited.
While it would be nice to have both to suit whichever style you prefer but I think coding for it would cause problems. Two separate view points could cause a lot more issues with lag or glitches or whatever have you.
Combat in a game claiming to have something other than just the logo from D&D SHOULD be somewhat tactical.
And about the over the should view being the best just play a normal WoW game and look at how much people are actually interacting compared to logging in to a Neverwinter Nights 1 roleplaying server....just saying....
Anyway...I know I am hoping for too much here. Perfect World taking over is just plain bad. They are the masters of WoW-clones and making games for the mainstream market. The only reason I'm still here is to see if Perfect World drops this project to someone else...
The market COULD actually someday be saturated with WoW-clones even though successes of games like SWToR I really think that someday...even the industry and mainstream will realise they are just that...
There are many of them in the making. Many big ones.
You also have many pretty new ones to choose from like DDO, LOTRO, AoC and much more....all of theese with the typical WoW interface and camera.
While I don't have ANY NWN1-like game to play or wait for...
(NWN2 didnt cut it...)
Really?
I don't agree with you. All the new games that are in making are either 4e, not MMORPGS or are in horrible campaign setting.
For example DDO. It is not playable. First of all it is in Eberron, and I really dislike that campaign setting. Next, it is, despite its name, very limited if you don't pay. After you get to level 8 you can go no longer without constantly repeating same quests..
I, like you, am waiting for NWN1-like games as well, because it was one of the best games ever.
I dislike WoW but I do think that first person view should be present.
Neverwinter has everything I need; my favorite campaign setting, game style and rules. (would be better if 3.5e but it is still the best for me) All I am hoping for that since it already has my favorite attributes they could also add first person view and than this game would be perfect for me and many others that think like me.
Combat in a game claiming to have something other than just the logo from D&D SHOULD be somewhat tactical.
And about the over the should view being the best just play a normal WoW game and look at how much people are actually interacting compared to logging in to a Neverwinter Nights 1 roleplaying server....just saying....
Anyway...I know I am hoping for too much here. Perfect World taking over is just plain bad. They are the masters of WoW-clones and making games for the mainstream market. The only reason I'm still here is to see if Perfect World drops this project to someone else...
The market COULD actually someday be saturated with WoW-clones even though successes of games like SWToR I really think that someday...even the industry and mainstream will realise they are just that...
People don't play WoW for RPing, there is RP servers but never played on one, but really you are comparing an extreme orange to an extreme apple. The camera angle is irrelevant and there is enough over the should max zoom out to provide a limited overview.
How bout waiting to see the demo before sprouting your doomsayings? Thats like saying GW2 will be what all of NCSoft games become even though it clearly is ANets baby, same applies to Neverwinter. Cryptic is developing it and from interview impressions that will maintain the control. PW is an investor, while they might have some say I doubt they have a complete say.
Comments
Yep, just like the Choose Your Own Adventure Books had, and then some...
Easiest way I can see something like this, is to have several initial adventures to choose from, and then chains off of each of them, with seperate endings, and additional adventures.
A simple two possible endings each adventure, providing two seperate follow-on adventures, with two endings, becomes 64 seperate endings after just 6 dungeons.
The toolset needs to be available to all subscribers, and not gated by a ton of currency like the toolset is in Star Trek Online.
NWN1 had a vast creative player base, and to gate the toolset behind a ton of currency, will hamper the games ability to be creative.
I have spent hours and hours in NWN1's toolset, and created customed content as well in the 'old days' before I moved on to other game experiences, so hopefully the toolset will be available from the start.
The tool-set should be available without pay options. If you meant something else please clarify for me, thanks.
I'm thinking that if some things are not buy only then were gonna end up with some pretty crappy c-store shenanigans like the infamous leveling sigil from DDO. If having to pay a little cash to use the higher end functions of the foundry keeps either of these things from happening I'll gladly pay that bill.
P.S And before anyone starts screaming "but they don't own the UCC so they cant sell it" you might wanna take a look at just about any user license agreement youve even "signed" for a game.
Thats not fair assessment. There are many F2P at all levels of the game, including at the end game. Its work, but its very achievable. It might cost a few bucks but relatively cheaper in most cases compared to those who are paying $15 each month. Free to play does not mean free. Neverwinter will not just charge for a few unimportant optional items and let you play entirely for free.
They need to bring in revenue so that you can sit at your computer all day and night... thats just fact.
We shall see. I'll be paying attention closely to this very tidbit when the promotion engine hits hig gear at PAX...
^ This ^ is true, but V this V shouldn't be.
Yes, game companies must bring in revenue to stay alive, but it's not necessary for them to bring in revenue from each and every single player. In fact, game companies tend to be more successful when they don't bring in money from everyone. Why? Because not everyone can afford to pay, so the people who can't will shy away from games that require them to and go search for games that don't... and then they'll tell other people how much fun those games are, and some of the players they bring in will be able to pay. Which is more valuable? A player who buys $10 worth of content a month, or a player who brought over 3 of his friends who each buy $10 worth of content a month? And yes, players who pay can bring their friends into their games as well, but only if their friends can afford to pay. The spread of gaming enthusiasm gets cut off at people who can't afford to pay, so the optimum business strategy is to have no such barrier... provided that players who can pay do so. Additionally, the more players there are in a multiplayer game who are having fun, the more fun the game will be for all of its players. This is simple enough to understand... the more players you have, the more people there will be looking for groups, duels, trades, etc. So, free players not only help with customer referrals but also with customer retention.
How do you get players who can afford to pay to do it while letting players who can't enjoy the game forever for free? 2 ways: premium content and unlockable content. Premium content should be extra fluff that isn't necessary to be able to play the game enjoyably, but is still nice enough to have that you'd want to buy it if you could. For example, if there's a single free default rogue model, and a few totally HAMSTER premium rogue models, I guarantee some people will pay $10 to be able to look totally HAMSTER in front of their friends and guild mates. Unlockable content is content that is important in terms of gameplay, but isn't something you need to have right now in order to be able to play on even terms with everyone else. That cool new swordmage class that everyone's been hoping for? You can pay $10 to play it now, or you can play through the game using one of the five basic classes to earn enough points to unlock it.
Of course, there are other strategies for free to play games which are more destructive, namely energy and pay to win. With energy, you can play the game for a certain amount of time per day or per week, and if you want to keep playing beyond that you have to buy energy. With pay to win, you can play all you want for free, but you will always be a second class citizen unless you pay... you'll either have to spend inordinate amounts of time grinding to catch up to the people who buy xp potions to whizz by, or your character will be significantly weaker unless you buy buff potions to power up. Both of these systems destroy the enjoyment factor for people who can't afford to pay, creating negative impressions in these players' minds (which they'll spread) and driving them away to other games. This is why I'm worried about the article that the-truthseeker pointed out to me a while back... I'd hate to see this happen to the only serious 4e computer game in existence.
(*sigh*) There's not going to be pay to win, unlock-able content or or premium/freemium foundry stuff. And please do not use my post links to imply that anybody is definitely pushing this.
Again, Read the company's own news site. It's 99.997% clear in intent that they are absolutely not charging for content, and the only possibly hinted "restriction" mentioned for user content (UGC) is community voting. It isn't even said 100% that mods will be "voted off," just rated. I did save some of the "old summary" on the foundry from the E3 Review still up on the neverwinterconnections.com site, including why it may not be emphasized anymore per the "edit":
I (yet once again) give you the Changing Neverwinter from IGN, the MMORPG interview from Da Squez, and the relevant info quoted below for those too busy/lazy/ADHD/etc. to read trhe interview in full--
Note the lack of "freemium" classes, which if they were doing, they would list under the planned F2P "extra" charges. As other companies who tried to copy DDO's transition FTP/P2P setup have shown, charging for partial content/classes doesn't work universally and they can lose more revenue in each successive release for generating profit. Don't believe me? Read the quotes above again and see why Cryptic and western-marketed mmo's with cash shops often now go for vanity-only or full pay (subscription) and not "freemium."
Going into why Asian MMO/social network game markets do this is very long and even when backed up by fact, could come across offensive, so I'm not posting it here. Please don't post here or elsewhere on this site for the same reason we don't post politics or religion, thank you.
But going back to "Western Economy:" MMO Micro-transactions do work very well, even for "boost" or "vanity only" mainly US revenue heavy options (vs "play to win" transaction requirements.)
I even went to Cryptic's other on-site location and gave you a "bonus" (really often missed rather than extra) description of the Main FAQ for Foundry and The Neverwinter Foundry in Their Own Words:
So, until something is explicitly posted from PWE/Cryptic charging for character/location/Foundry content, can we put away the "they're going to charge me blind and to bankruptcy" fears?
Thank you.
Anywhos, back to the on topic. What I'd like to see in this MMO is what the NWN PW's accomplished. The thrill of playing a seemingly endless of class possibilities (while launch that is not an option but later on as they raise level caps and add more classes) while the atmosphere of D&D being established.
One of my biggest gripes with DDO was the whole PrEs. There was no real class splashing or PrCs anywhere near to what I expected in a D&D game coming from NWN2. For instance Wizzies and Sorcs, you almost had to go all out max class unlike say an Arcane Trickster who required multiple classes which I felt what should have been done, an actual PrC class that you took levels in. I just don't want this game to become what DDO became and that is RPG took a backseat to an atrocious gear grinding mechanic. Being F2P and with Perfect World does have my worries but I am putting faith in the Cryptic team to produce a true D&D MMO, the one type of MMO that has been way long overdue in the MMO genre.
The final straw for me was when the "adjusted" Deepwoods Sniper and never restored missile combat functionality ever again. What was the point of the classes when you were all but "forced" to be single class? I was the exception as a WF wiz with 2 levels of rogue (*and the evasion was worth it, as well as my trap disarming.) Still, the "progression was a magor pain for the PrE setup.
Here's to Paragon/Epic options later and custom fun in the Foundry in the upcoming present.
Cryptic is pretty good when it comes to character appearance customization, but /seconded on the sliders.
For me rolepalying game means isometric/strategic view.
Not shooter style game plz...
Ever since the simplifcation of roleplaying games and WoW-clone MMORPGS ruled the market, which has been for quite some time now, all roleplaying games seem to have an over the shoulder (default) camera angle which highly resembles the first person shooter camera.
Simple games supposed to be played with simple controls worsens this even more...as the case with Skyrim....think console games...
For me...this is not a roleplaying game. I need something that at least a bit more resembles the pen and paper version of the games where a typical DM led session would perhaps have figurines on a tactical grid or perhps even just an overhead map.
I'm not saying to make EVERYTHING in the computer games like pen and paper D&D but I am saying at least take SOMETHING from the original pen and paper game.
As always I use the computer game Neverwinter Nights 1 (NWN1) as the referencepoint as it still to this day is the best roleplaying game in my eyes (multiplayer, semi massive, at that).
If you want first person actiony RPG's you could EASILY find MANY of thoose. You have already mentioned a couple yourself. Also luckily for you there is a whole industry preparing to launch even more similar games. Unfortunately for me there are still no somewhat "NWN1-like" games in the making...
Mouse driven controls, with controllable views to scroll in and out of first person, is my choice in an MMO styled game.
Neverwinter will be an MMORPG and I am sure they will cater to other play styles for viewing ones characters.
NWN1 and NWN2 "play modes" were both clunky and hard to control.
Mouse and keyboard driven control combinations I think, should win out
I have played a number of MMO's some having great control options others not so much ( DC Universe, had horrible controls in my opinion, while other games, like DDO, LOTRO, Star Trek Online, Champions Online( to a lesser degree ) , and Asheron's Call 1 ( which just switched over to have a mouse driven option ) really handle well and smoothly in a game environment. )
Being stuck in 3/4 view or always 3rd person really ruins roleplay immersion in my opinion. I don't mind 3rd person for combat situations, but I do want that option myself, and not something that the game forces on me.
Heres to Neverwinter having a good system, for us all!
*cheers*
Star Trek Online, which is a game produced by this company now, has toolset that you need to use Dilithium ( a ton of it ) to purchase.
That hinders growth of the game in my opinion, locking away a toolset like that.
I saw the Dev reply earlier, about having toolset available for beta testers, my hope though, is that like others say, it is made readily available for everyone.
Just make it to where you are required to log in to the game to actually upload a new area. That way you are "tagged" via your account name and responsible for any violations of the Code of Conduct that might arise.
There are many of them in the making. Many big ones.
You also have many pretty new ones to choose from like DDO, LOTRO, AoC and much more....all of theese with the typical WoW interface and camera.
While I don't have ANY NWN1-like game to play or wait for...
(NWN2 didnt cut it...)
Gack...been playing the game for like 7 years but I am unsure of this. I know you can zoom in pretty far in. As close to first person view as possible I think.
This is mostly used for when chatting with other PC's / NPC's though....not for when walking around. Well you can...but its easier to see where you are going with the normal zoomed out isometric view.
They wherent clunky at all. They where years ahead of its time as well as the whole game. Also for your information both NWN games DO have mouse AND keyboard control combinations.
In my personal opinion, I found NWN's style to be acceptable, but NWN2 to feel more clunkier and not as intuitive. I found DDO's UI to be clunky when it came to switching views, but they changed their setup years later and it did improve. WHen it comes down to it, there *is* no "as close to the original" as possible, as we were looking at character sheets on a table when it came to "visual."
Which means the decision has to be based on a computer/digital history or original development method.
And everybody has an opinion, good or bad.
So, while I personally like the overhead for my fantasy/RTS gaming, what is "right" for an MMO (or even if this can be decided as an "MMO decision" because it's D&D which breaks the mold of typical MMO setups based on its ruling) development is unsure.
Easiest answer is whatever the developers set for the original view with a toggle option for the other viewpoint, if applicable.
But no matter what their class, if people hate it, all trolls use flames
While it would be nice to have both to suit whichever style you prefer but I think coding for it would cause problems. Two separate view points could cause a lot more issues with lag or glitches or whatever have you.
And about the over the should view being the best just play a normal WoW game and look at how much people are actually interacting compared to logging in to a Neverwinter Nights 1 roleplaying server....just saying....
Anyway...I know I am hoping for too much here. Perfect World taking over is just plain bad. They are the masters of WoW-clones and making games for the mainstream market. The only reason I'm still here is to see if Perfect World drops this project to someone else...
The market COULD actually someday be saturated with WoW-clones even though successes of games like SWToR I really think that someday...even the industry and mainstream will realise they are just that...
Really?
I don't agree with you. All the new games that are in making are either 4e, not MMORPGS or are in horrible campaign setting.
For example DDO. It is not playable. First of all it is in Eberron, and I really dislike that campaign setting. Next, it is, despite its name, very limited if you don't pay. After you get to level 8 you can go no longer without constantly repeating same quests..
I, like you, am waiting for NWN1-like games as well, because it was one of the best games ever.
I dislike WoW but I do think that first person view should be present.
Neverwinter has everything I need; my favorite campaign setting, game style and rules. (would be better if 3.5e but it is still the best for me) All I am hoping for that since it already has my favorite attributes they could also add first person view and than this game would be perfect for me and many others that think like me.
People don't play WoW for RPing, there is RP servers but never played on one, but really you are comparing an extreme orange to an extreme apple. The camera angle is irrelevant and there is enough over the should max zoom out to provide a limited overview.
How bout waiting to see the demo before sprouting your doomsayings? Thats like saying GW2 will be what all of NCSoft games become even though it clearly is ANets baby, same applies to Neverwinter. Cryptic is developing it and from interview impressions that will maintain the control. PW is an investor, while they might have some say I doubt they have a complete say.