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MMORPG.com Q&A with Andy Velasquez
l3dz3p85
Member Posts: 2 Arc User
Recently, we asked the MMORPG.com community for the burning questions they wanted to ask Neverwinter's Lead Producer Andy Velasquez. We took the best of the best and sent them on with the answers fresh on the page today. See what Andy has to say about one of the most anticipated titles for the coming year.
http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/634/feature/6848/Community-QA-with-Andy-Velasquez.html/page/1
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This was a little disappointing, but hopefully soon after launch. We got bridges before we expected in STO and it wasn't too long after launch that we got ship interiors ifrc.
This stuck out at me the most. To be honest I half expected this already. I was really looking forward to creating my own areas when telling a story. Not having the ability to change textures can drastically change what you want to convey. Even if its as simple as creating pathways and streets. It does seem like there are a lot of exterior map variants, so hopefully it can be worked around and we can find something similar to what we want. However it does limit the authors.
I am definitely looking forward to seeing them implement brush editing at some point. Hopefully terrain deformation will become available at some point too.
Another thing i'm interested in was lighting. I haven't really seen or heard what can be done with lighting in the Foundry. Lighting is extremely important for creating the atmosphere you want in telling a story so I am hoping we will have access to it even if it is minimal.
Wow, so much to update and clearly state new things in my FAQ. Edit: Massive reorganization on my Gameplay/Foundry section due to this!
And you thought my potential missions would be hard before? If this is ever done...
Okay, but only once as the real life DM.
*Rubs hands evilly* MUHUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
They've said there's no day to night cycle in their areas, it 'limits their artistic vision' or something along those lines. The Foundry demo video shows interior areas built by the toolset are pre-lit, I didn't see a lighting tab in the Foundry demo video, but that does not mean there is not some sort of light control, they have not said anything either way about that yet.
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My foundry content is going to be the best user generated content there is - irrespective of whether you are comparing it with mods of various games, NWN or NWN2. I am confident from what I have seen that it is possible.
If you think I am wrong, then search for a quest (or campaign - if names for campaign are different than quests) named "Silverstars of Sel?ne" with my handle[if that name is not allowed, it will be "Silverstars of Selune", or if already taken by somebody else, it will be "Lake Silver Teardrop"] when open beta starts.
It will have story, RP, combat and graphics.
And the only basis for my claim is that creativity has no limits when you are motivated enough.
I don't think people who told you you didn't understand have ever used the STO foundry. While it is always possible we will see more detailed terrain and interior editing, I don't think it is high on the priority list. One of the vids posted talked about how even the devs have a limited set of "sets" to play with when building environments, I think this was in reference to the Orc fortifications in Neverwinter. This keeps costs down. Honestly I don't really notice much and as a foundry author I don't notice the limitations much either, since there are other limitations that make terrain and interior editing less important. I enjoy the foundry, but anyone expecting to be able to "create your own world" type content is going to be disappointed.
I believe the day/night cycle reasoning is also to keep down costs. It is a lot of artwork needed to make both look good and not just light/dark.
Lighting for outdoor maps is usually baked into sky artwork files.
Interior maps can have placeable lights in STO (including dynamic ones, like discotheque).
OMG! No day/night cycle?!
DOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Seriously, the game isn't using a day/night cycle, let alone the instanced foundry! Show me where they said "limits their artistic vision," and I'll show you player tested feedback that will change that position (eventually!) Cryptic listens very carefully to mass feedback, even if the updates are not mentioned or shown until ready to release. However, I stress mass feedback. Just because a few or some people want day cycles doesn't mean it's cost-effective enough to implement it. I'll explain why next.
As mentioned before, it's costly making artwork work in both a daylight and nighttime cycle (in regards to viewing all objects let alone individual lighting and shading for each object twice in day/night!) You literally double your work sometimes. Besides that, coding for a persistent time cycle and syncing it with each game "city" area (which is actually its own independent "shard" open zone...)well, these reasons are why most often games don't use a persistent cycle. I know some NWO game areas look like they have a "night" cycle" in the open world (that werewolf one) as well as the "day cycle" seen elsewhere. Know that if they have both, you can "select" how the sky is based on pre-made "layers" based on what the STO Foundry can do. Unlike the "ground-based combat missions" before, I know we're going to be seeing a LOT more outdoor effects.
Looking at what was shown again and again and again, as well as with my limited knowledge of STO's Foundry.....the Library section on the right side has a Details tab. I'm pretty sure they'd have Light there. I'm not sure if they would have a lighting slider tab or not (hey devs that's a great idea!) The other response has addressed interior lighting and we both are mentioning the sky lighting whether "layers" or "files."
Until then, they are very...Cryptic about the "progress" of their work (as we've seen.) Heck, if even they earned some respect from Aandre, that's incredible in itself! (And no, we didn't bribe him with double ultra secret game access to buy his silence...but dagnabit, why didn't I think of that earlier?!
*Singsong* Oh Cryyyyyyyptic....may I request a favor with any upcoming internal testing pleeeeease...)
Alright, hope that helped that topic and thanks proactively Aandre for being such a good sport (even if there's no Beta yet.) On another bold claim...
Nahh, I bet Zeb will kick your <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font>!
As for me, I just hope my stories are as entertaining as my combats are memorable. Wait am I hoping my stories are as good as my combats or my combats as good as my stories? Wait...you don't believe....Awww, forget it! You pissed off the DM and you will SUFFER!
*Runs off crying with his Dr. Pepper and his Flamin' Hot Cheetos.*
Of course Selune will prevail over a goddess who was only created after her and died before her... not to mention created by her.
If Cryptic spends enough time to give the tools that allow we builders to build interesting plots, with unique challenges and fun quests, I think that is the best first focus. Pretty art can be added later, but as the saying goes ... "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig!" (no offence to pig lovers intended).
Sounds like a lot of fun!!
Mystryl was a by-product of Selune's fight with Shar and not a creation of intention. Selune cast off all her magic and tried to use it to destroy Shar, instead it ripped all Shar's magic out of her as well and the two combined magics formed into Mystryl.
Mystryl has since become far more powerful than Shar and Selune and even at one point came close to worrying Ao himself, so he made laws that Mystryl must endow mortals with her power (chosens) to keep her in check. Mystryl at one time held the portfolio of Time itself and was even able to deny any God, save for Ao, access to Magic. As evident from the past and the spoilers of the future, the Mystryl entity can never truly die.
For the record, I am not competing with anybody and just because my first campaign is being dedicated to the lore of ancient Mystryl, as evident by its name, it does not mean that is all it shall be about or further campaigns. Heck, even the surroundings of the Statue in my first mission is planned to hold an "easter egg" that relates to Selune. The second mission I have planned will end with a similar "easter egg" of something to be revealed in a later mission.
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~Zeb
Anyways, not to diverge from topic - nothing wrong with some friendly competition. Eventually I am sure the standard of both the campaigns will rise higher. So both will benefit from a friendly wager
It will certainly be grand.
~Zeb
Well, I will honorably judge in Mystryl/Mystra's/Selune's name...if one of the competitors wasn't so chicken. Bwack Bwack Bwack Bwack
Seriously I respect whatever the authors decide and both are fantastic storytellers! My storyline really kicks in on chapter 2 of my campaign anyway (as the first one is more of a sudden mystery and a "question of why the direction takes you that way" after the "simple" request.)
I would really like to read your story knowing your writing skillz fro tavern, but I am writing one myself (My campaign will start from Volume 2 of this story). I am afraid if I read it now, I will unintentionally end up copying it
But yeah, I have no doubt Zeb's campaign will be good, but our "real enemies" are NWN's modules. We must smash that content with awesomeness of MMO's UGC
Great gillrmn, you made my NWN 2 game cry! Happy now?
*Comforts* there, it's okay, he doesn't know you, and spoke from hate. You want to suck some souls like a good little godling avatar?
I want to be clear about the terminology he is using here.
In this context, what exactly is a 'quest' and what is a 'campaign'?
I hope when he uses the word 'quest' he is talking about the D&D concept of a 'module'; and then 'campaign' means a series of modules. I think he uses the term 'foundry content' interchangeable with his idea 'quest' (which I think should be 'module')?
To me:
a 'quest' is an assignment given by an individual NPC.
a 'module' is the entirety of content represented by one slot in the foundry list that contains many quests
a 'campaign', then, is the theme that represents multiple modules
In this example. "Quest" and "module" may be interchangeable. Module is often used to represent the "slot" of collected encounter adventures that one publishes. Interestingly enough, "slot" also comes from the PnP modules, or mods that run in certain convention slot times (slot 1 slot 5) of a convention's 3 to 4 day run.
But for the sake of consistency, I'll refer to a published event as a module or mod.
Often, in the MMO world, a "quest" is just one "assignment", not necessarily an entire story. However, in CAN envelop an entire "mod" sometimes (like the scepter of Neverwinter is missing and you must retrieve it quest.) But more often than not, the quest would be, "return the missing orders lost on the battleground then return it to the general." Sometimes the work "task" is used instead if there is any question. A task is ALWAYS one thing almost all the time. In an MMO, when you have a step in your mod adventure, that is the next "task". Find your contact, survive the ambush, decipher the letter, etc.
PnP Mods are made up of several encounter, of role-playing (dialog,) combat, and puzzles, in any weight (or even exclusively one of these.) Foundry mods often follow this pattern, but it should be noted most of the xp comes from combat. Now xp is weighted with the active time spent needed to complete all encounters in a mod. But before, xp was solely from what you killed.
A series of adventure modules linked together is called a campaign. For instance, I have several adventure mods in a series called "All Things Revealed." In that campaign, I have several "chapters" or modules: "Chapter I A 'Simple' Quest", "Chapter 2: Time to Find," "Chapter 3: [classified]" and Chapter 4: Classified.]" All of these currently make up my story-arc of all my mods in my campaign "A Time to Find." If I were to continue this series, I would need to write a new mod with dialog, puzzles, and combat scenarios for a Chapter 5 to the Campaign.
"Content" can mean anything from an encounter to an item to a feature in the Foundry software. often, when used, it's specified in the paragraph what it means if not universally used in previous paragraphs or consistently in a forum or campaign description.
Hope I wasn't too confusing there.
http://nw-forum.perfectworld.com/showpost.php?p=192741&postcount=157
I used single quotes when I said it, not double quotes like you did, because I paraphrased since I didn't remember the exact words, I also said 'or something similar'.
Instead, they should allow us to change the day and night by our will - by our choice of map. Having a map changing in a quest (e.g. after a rest) is better realistically speaking.
This is the quote so everyone can see it without going to the link.
I still read this as, yeah it can be done and it is nice, but it is a hassle and hassles mean it costs more. The part about mood/lighting doesn't come across to me as an artistic thing, but rather a workload issue.
As shown in Vellosk, players should have the ability to create maps with day or night n static sense. So if I want a campaign spanning over a few days with rain, snow etc. I would make a set of (say) 5 Quest.
Quest 1:- You cover a lot of ground on a sunny day then you sit down to rest and sleep.
Quest 2:- Next morning at dawn you get up from your tent and there is fog. You make your way through the fog but fall victim to an evil mastermind.
Quest 3:- You wake up in a torture cell and make your way out of dungeon to find yourself outside during MIDNIGHT of FULL MOON - and its werewolf area.
Quest 4:- You were saved by forsaken who are debating if to kill you or to let you live. It is raining outside during day and lightning is there.
Quest 5:- You stepped in a teleporter but as portals malfunction after spellplague, and ended up being in a snow capped mountain - all alone. And worse - its night with no moon.
EDIT: And in the end, join the 5 of them as a campaign.
Compare it with, a long boring mission where you keep walking and walking killing things with lights dimming in the background.
Artistically which one is appealing?
I think I'm going to take the dev's word on this.
I showed how having dynamic day/night cycle is a step backwards from what they are offering.