Waterdeep has been discussed as a possible future zone. Cities are generally the most difficult environments to make though, so it would be down the road a bit. There are just so many amazing places in Forgotten Realms, it's difficult to choose what to add to the game first
I just wanted to chime in here and say that when you do an expansion, which, because of the popularity of this game and how friggin' amazing it's going to be, will be needed, the first one should definitely be Waterdeep.
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zebularMember, Neverwinter Moderator, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 15,270Community Moderator
I just wanted to chime in here and say that when you do an expansion, which, because of the popularity of this game and how friggin' amazing it's going to be, will be needed, the first one should definitely be Waterdeep.
Indeed. However, if Waterdeep is able to be added without being an expansion, I'd request that eventually when expansions do start coming, that they not be limited to one city but an entire region of Abier-Toril. For example, when you're done with the Sword Coast, go to the Heartlands, then the Shining South and then on to Kara-Tur and then cap it off with Al-Quadim.
So right there are four major expansions:
1) Heartlands
2) Shining South
3) Kara-Tur
4) Al-Quadim
Then we could have such things like expansions that go into the Astral Sea and other Planes. Or just keep sticking to the Prime and do things like New Evermeet, other regions of the Underdark or even explore some of the other continents of Abeir-Torl. Heck, just Netheril could be an expansion of its own with all the stuff possible there. Another heck, there is just so much also inbetween all those regions that could make great expansions and added content! Just going farther north towards the Spine of the World is enough possible content, in my opinion, for an expansion. Blimey, there's even the whole of Realmspace to behold!
I think this is the 2nd most thing I love about Neverwinter. One being that it is the Forgotten Realms. Two being that in it being the Forgotten Realms, the possibility of expansions, content and updates are practically endless. Then a third would be that anything released that is The Forgotten Realms is surely to be enjoyed by me. A long as it is done right and stays true to the lore.
I think I read somewhere that crypticmapolis's best zone was pirate's skyhold.
EDIT: And @ mnatic I wonder if you know that Luskan is more in ruins, rather than a city.
In the years after the Spellplague, Luskan fell into ruin. Over the next century, the rulership of the city changed from hand to claw to hand so many times that it would be nigh-impossible to document them in any kind of detail. The result is a mockery of a true city. Most buildings are ruined, murderers and demon-worshipers roam the streets freely, plying their trade in broad daylight. Wretched tribes of goblins and kobolds skulk in the shadows and the fetid bog that was once the estuary of the River Mirar is infested with aquatic horrors. The place has become a haven for escaped criminals who, while escaping punishment for their crimes will likely die on the end of a psycopath's blade or a monster's claw.
Sounds like a good zone.
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iamtruthseekerMember, Moonstars, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 0Arc User
Ahhh okay, in a very loose way similar to how you had PoT in EQ, and could port to each "zone" via the books, just without the option of going to them overland/sea. If that's what we are looking at I can live with that. Not ideal, but what game ever is.
hmmm this some what concerns me sounds similar to DDO which the only thing I really disliked about that game was everything was instanced. It only felt like an MMO while you were in the city. Games today like Rift and GW2 do a much better job of blending the world together.
If the zones are the size of say the commonlands in EQ EQ2 and open world type then maybe that works. Even if that is the case it seems like 8 zones not counting the 4 city zones seems on the low side for launch.
See my FAQ:
Is the game Instanced or Open world? I keep hearing it's one than it's the other!
Q: How much of the game is instanced compared to being an open world? Andy Velasquez: Right now, the ratio stands at 50/50, so we have a fairly even split between open world and instanced content.
The game will be half persistent world and half instanced, with both solo-friendly locations and end-mission multiplayer re-playable delves (more on this later) where you can get your top gear, confirmed by Zeke Sparkes (lead developer of Neverwinter Online) and Pokket (interviewer from MMORPG.com) from their E3 interview.
Quests and monsters will wander around their zones of the open world where a large number of people can participate with each other, but dungeons, special missions, and end-of-story-arc delves (more on this later) will be instanced for up to (and only) five players as per a typical Fourth Edition Dungeons and Dragons adventuring party.
Can you tell me how the Game World (or Server) will work then with player population?
Updated 10/05/2012: Cryptic uses one game server per game. This means, Cryptic makes a unified "world server" to play on composed of a bunch of physical computer servers to make one "game world." So no other "PvP Servers" or "Role Playing Servers" are done as separate servers to log into. This also means that User Generated Content via the integrated Foundry tool (and more on that is mentioned in the Foundry section) also is accessed by the same NPCs and objects in the "world Server."
When a public area zone in the game gets too large, it splits it into another "public instance" or "shard." So you could have "The Moonstone Mask" as a public place, then it splits into "The Moonstone Mask1" and "The Moonstone Mask2" when there are too many people for the capacity on a public location zone.
Users will have the ability to "switch" between shards (often by a pull down location option if there are multiple areas.)
This splitting continues if any of the the public area zones continue to grow to capacity again ("The Moonstone Mask3," "The Moonstone Mask4," etc.) and the zones lower in sequential number when the population drops so they can rejoin another (or original) shard (or zone) the next time players leave and re-enter said public zone. So if there are only 4 people in the original zone, and 2 in a second zone, that second zone goes away when the last player in a zone leaves, and the players re-entering that public zone go to the original zone. The game does automatically decide where the least load or most need for new population is needed for the shards, which the above players have the option to manually switch zones (especially for party-based grouping.)
However, when players join a party to do certain quests, they may instead of adventure in a public area be sent to a private instance which can hold a party of up to five adventurers. This will definitely be done in the "delves" described later in this section. Also see the (previous) "Is the game Instanced or Open world? I keep hearing it's one than it's the other!" question.
Finally, Cryptic does not "separate" players into their own servers. So there is not a "role playing" server and a "PvP" server and a "min-max" server, etc. We all play in one game world as mentioned above.
Half instanced half open world. It seems we'll be fast traveling between zones and using the shard system for public areas and combat and instances for private mission dungeon adventures.
aesclealMember, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 0Arc User
edited January 2013
Well, teleporting from one place to another can be fun, and not detract from the game, so long as there is also the option to run/ride/sail/fly your way to places as well. I mostly prefer the traveling, but admittedly there are times when you need to meet up with your party and get there fast. In those cases, it's more fun to hitch a ride on a teleport... or at least some other means of faster traveling. Pleeeeaze just don't make it exclusively like DDO where you are just ported to areas at the click of a button for everything.
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iamtruthseekerMember, Moonstars, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 0Arc User
Well, teleporting from one place to another can be fun, and not detract from the game, so long as there is also the option to run/ride/sail/fly your way to places as well. I mostly prefer the traveling, but admittedly there are times when you need to meet up with your party and get there fast. In those cases, it's more fun to hitch a ride on a teleport... or at least some other means of faster traveling. Pleeeeaze just don't make it exclusively like DDO where you are just ported to areas at the click of a button for everything.
Not teleporting, fast travel. As in map click and you're there. It's not a literal travel from one point to the other MMO. I think the WoW time of freakin forever and multiple methods of travel killed that development headache method for many.
Not teleporting, fast travel. As in map click and you're there. It's not a literal travel from one point to the other MMO. I think the WoW time of freakin forever and multiple methods of travel killed that development headache method for many.
Yeah the MMORPG world has become more casual; that's a good thing in a game like NW I think, which will have a pretty casual player base, with RL time constraints and all. Plus, D&D was never realy about getting from town to the dungeon, it was about the dungeon. Although I've had a few great wilderness only campaigns. Plenty of sandbox games on the horizon for folks like me who enjoy taking hours to get from one point to the other, and feel like they are in an actual world. No reason I can't enjoy both.
Yeah the MMORPG world has become more casual; that's a good thing in a game like NW I think, which will have a pretty casual player base, with RL time constraints and all. Plus, D&D was never realy about getting from town to the dungeon, it was about the dungeon. Although I've had a few great wilderness only campaigns. Plenty of sandbox games on the horizon for folks like me who enjoy taking hours to get from one point to the other, and feel like they are in an actual world. No reason I can't enjoy both.
cant wait for either pathfinder or EverQuest 3,and eq3 am hoping is gonna be truly zone free no instances
I think I read somewhere that crypticmapolis's best zone was pirate's skyhold.
EDIT: And @ mnatic I wonder if you know that Luskan is more in ruins, rather than a city.
O pants ive only just read Gauntlygrim and Neverwinter not read charons claw yet as its not turned up from amazon yet.
Or has luskan already been turned to ruins? I shall wiki it.
In the years after the Spellplague, Luskan fell into ruin. Over the next century, the rulership of the city changed from hand to claw to hand so many times that it would be nigh-impossible to document them in any kind of detail. The result is a mockery of a true city. Most buildings are ruined, murderers and demon-worshipers roam the streets freely, plying their trade in broad daylight. Wretched tribes of goblins and kobolds skulk in the shadows and the fetid bog that was once the estuary of the River Mirar is infested with aquatic horrors. The place has become a haven for escaped criminals who, while escaping punishment for their crimes will likely die on the end of a psycopath's blade or a monster's claw.
O pants ive only just read Gauntlygrim and Neverwinter not read charons claw yet as its not turned up from amazon yet.
Or has luskan already been turned to ruins? I shall wiki it.
thanks
Yeah its ruins, but not as bad as Port Llast. Prot Llast is buried and no residents live there - not even bandits unlike Luskan.
Owl Bear's well is gone too(abandoned) as there are no caravans which stop there anymore.
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zebularMember, Neverwinter Moderator, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 15,270Community Moderator
edited January 2013
Port Llast is under the control and thrall of the goddess of the sea, Umberlee the <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> Queen. There is little actual source material for it in 4th edition timeline, however here are some pieces I have managed to put together (and no, Port Llast is not in either the 4e FR PHB or the 4e FR Campaign Guide).
The reason I am assuming it hasn't been publuished in source yet is because we're still waiting for it to appear in the upcoming novel for the Neverwinter Saga that this game is based upon:
The Last Threshold - Neverwinter Saga, Book IV
New! Release Date: March 5, 2013
Determined to stand on the side of what's right in the Realms once again, Drizzt leads his colleagues on a mission to fight back the sea monsters plaguing the remaining residents of Port Llast -- only to discover a traitor in his midst. As he seeks out the mastermind behind the subterfuge, he finds himself caught in the Shadowfell -- facing an old foe he never expected to see again.
In Dungeons & Dragons Lair Assault: Talon of Umberlee, a group of adventurers from Neverwinter braves the dangers of Port Llast. There, they search for an artifact called the Talon of Umberlee. This was the basic plot and concept of the second D&D Lair Assault challenge when it started out. I wrote the first draft, and Chris Perkins did a major rewriting and development pass. The adventure itself has changed greatly, but the daring assault on Port Llast to get the Talon and the harrowing attack on the escaping ship remain.
Originally, Talon of Umberlee was based on the format for Forge of the Dawn Titan, the first D&D Lair Assault challenge. That meant the tech was based on a loose structure where the DM built the encounters from a set of components—monsters, hazards, and other elements—rather than using a single setup. Consequently, it included several options for different types of monsters in order to allow for plenty of variety over the course of multiple play-throughs. The first draft had a mix of enemies at Port Llast. Some were pirates who took refuge from the law in the abandoned port, others were undead that haunted rotting old ships and wrecks.
Yeah its ruins, but not as bad as Port Llast. Prot Llast is buried and no residents live there - not even bandits unlike Luskan.
Owl Bear's well is gone too(abandoned) as there are no caravans which stop there anymore.
is there a certain recommended reading that would be good for me to get to catch up on the lore.
Ive only read the crystal shard trilogy and the first two of the never winter books.
I'm looking to get the legend of drizz series next, but anything you might reccomend?
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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aesclealMember, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 0Arc User
Not teleporting, fast travel. As in map click and you're there. It's not a literal travel from one point to the other MMO. I think the WoW time of freakin forever and multiple methods of travel killed that development headache method for many.
Truth, I hope you are "mostly" wrong, if I'm reading you right. I hope they at least have land-zone tunnels. As EQ1 had, going from one zone to another at predetermined junctions. It doesn't have to be a huge open world made up of a grid of 4 sided connecting zones, but could at least be a string of zones that lead somewhere...
in any case, I can see why many (most?) would be turned off, or away from, the traveling in wow. But in EQ1 you could opt to run from zone to zone, making your way across the world, or you could hitch a ride with a Druid, who could bounce you around from Druid Ring to Druid Ring. That totally compressed travel times. NWO could do something similar to that. I'm not a fan of simply clicking on my map and suddenly I'm there. I get that people have busy lives. I'm one of those people too, with a limited window if gaming time per week. But the thrill of the game isn't solely in the dungeons/quests. It's in the exploring, the crafting, the PvE, the PvP. It's in the taverns.
Besides, why have horses if you can't travel great distances?
Besides, why have horses if you can't travel great distances?
Exactly! The exploration has always been one of the things I love about MMOs. I don't want to just appear where I need to go necessarily, but having that option would also be nice on nights with really high wife-aggro.
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zebularMember, Neverwinter Moderator, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 15,270Community Moderator
Check NW campaign guide then. It is in one of the three for sure I think.
@mnatic - above line should answer your question as well
This is the only reference to Port Llast in the Neverwinter Campaign Setting:
The loss of the Covenant's leadership proved deadly when the largest orc horde in history swept down from northern lands to attack settlements as far south as Waterdeep. These orcs conquered Illusk, which humanity did not reclaim until Waterdeep, Neverwinter, and forces from Port Llast retook it almost sixty years later. After driving the orcs beyond the Spine of the World, the victors renamed the fallen city Luskan to disassociate it from its tragic past.
Exactly! The exploration has always been one of the things I love about MMOs. I don't want to just appear where I need to go necessarily, but having that option would also be nice on nights with really high wife-aggro.
+1. Wife agro is a great reason to have fast travel options. Or an angry mob of real life friends that are sick of waiting for my sorry @ss... in that case, bring on the click to travel. Otherwise? I'm taking it slow, chewin' bubble gum, and kickin pixel butt.
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muzrub333Member, Neverwinter Beta UsersPosts: 0Arc User
+1. Wife agro is a great reason to have fast travel options. Or an angry mob of real life friends that are sick of waiting for my sorry @ss... in that case, bring on the click to travel. Otherwise? I'm taking it slow, chewin' bubble gum, and kickin pixel butt.
I avoided those attacks by not marrying, and simply ignoring my former friends.../forever alone Haha
This is the only reference to Port Llast in the Neverwinter Campaign Setting:
I will check my notes and book and get back on this. It might be from dragon magazines then or from novel, both places difficult to search. But because I have marked the lines with highlighter, it should be easier for me to search. (can also be from a conference notes in which case I would have to look up to its reference, which should not be that tough if I can find them)
Page 8, Chpater 1, 4e Neverwinter Campaign Book. Column 2 3rd Phara Under Helm's Hold.
One phara only (but long) however that is what that empty port deserves.
Ah yes, I wonder how that didn't turn up in my searches on my PDF version. It's plain as day here in my physical copy and now that I open my PDF, yes it is there too but doesn't appear in a search. Here's a few important snippets:
This town was a great city in ancient times - the most northerly safe harbor on the Sword Coast whenever Luskan would fall to orcs or other evil forces.
Then came the Spellplague, and with it the return of Abeir. The appearance of the new continent in the ocean to the west changed the tides around Port Llast, filling the harbor with silt and making Neverwinter an easier port to reach.
Now a ghost town, Port Llast is known as the realm of the evil sea goddess Umberlee and as a home to sea monsters.
I never trust those electronic things when they vanish at press of button. I always keep my lore in print
Having your entire library converted to pdf format allows you to find things very quickly. It's very addictive. Glossaries are dead, long live the search tab!
Da kitties don't speak for me, deez kitties speak fur us all!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I'll Keep this up till beta goes live. I'll improve it soon.
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zebularMember, Neverwinter Moderator, NW M9 PlaytestPosts: 15,270Community Moderator
Having your entire library converted to pdf format allows you to find things very quickly. It's very addictive. Glossaries are dead, long live the search tab!
Yep, puts my old clunky laptop to good use.
I think I found out why it wasn't finding Llast, for some reason it is reading the 2nd L as a 1, so if I search for L1ast, it finds it. Guess my laptop has a serious case of L33t Sp3ak.
Sounds like this is similar to ddo zone through a gate into a distant area. I am an explorer first and formost and apparently this is not the type of world i am looking for. One day they will have a dnd mmo with an open world to explore. Hopefully within my life time! 5 minutes to run diagonally across a zone is tiny. I still remember the runs from Quenos to Freeport and that was back in 1999. Hopefully the foundry makes up for the lack of an open world.
Sounds like this is similar to ddo zone through a gate into a distant area. I am an explorer first and formost and apparently this is not the type of world i am looking for. One day they will have a dnd mmo with an open world to explore. Hopefully within my life time! 5 minutes to run diagonally across a zone is tiny. I still remember the runs from Quenos to Freeport and that was back in 1999. Hopefully the foundry makes up for the lack of an open world.
After watching the video on the Foundry, it seems like the game is similar to Baldur's Gate. Basically you hop from zone to zone using an overland map.
After watching the video on the Foundry, it seems like the game is similar to Baldur's Gate. Basically you hop from zone to zone using an overland map.
kind of disappointing for me but hopefully the foundry is robust enough to overcome this game flaw.
Comments
I just wanted to chime in here and say that when you do an expansion, which, because of the popularity of this game and how friggin' amazing it's going to be, will be needed, the first one should definitely be Waterdeep.
Indeed. However, if Waterdeep is able to be added without being an expansion, I'd request that eventually when expansions do start coming, that they not be limited to one city but an entire region of Abier-Toril. For example, when you're done with the Sword Coast, go to the Heartlands, then the Shining South and then on to Kara-Tur and then cap it off with Al-Quadim.
So right there are four major expansions:
1) Heartlands
2) Shining South
3) Kara-Tur
4) Al-Quadim
Then we could have such things like expansions that go into the Astral Sea and other Planes. Or just keep sticking to the Prime and do things like New Evermeet, other regions of the Underdark or even explore some of the other continents of Abeir-Torl. Heck, just Netheril could be an expansion of its own with all the stuff possible there. Another heck, there is just so much also inbetween all those regions that could make great expansions and added content! Just going farther north towards the Spine of the World is enough possible content, in my opinion, for an expansion. Blimey, there's even the whole of Realmspace to behold!
I think this is the 2nd most thing I love about Neverwinter. One being that it is the Forgotten Realms. Two being that in it being the Forgotten Realms, the possibility of expansions, content and updates are practically endless. Then a third would be that anything released that is The Forgotten Realms is surely to be enjoyed by me. A long as it is done right and stays true to the lore.
[ Support Center • Rules & Policies and Guidelines • ARC ToS • Guild Recruitment Guidelines | FR DM Since 1993 ]
In the years after the Spellplague, Luskan fell into ruin. Over the next century, the rulership of the city changed from hand to claw to hand so many times that it would be nigh-impossible to document them in any kind of detail. The result is a mockery of a true city. Most buildings are ruined, murderers and demon-worshipers roam the streets freely, plying their trade in broad daylight. Wretched tribes of goblins and kobolds skulk in the shadows and the fetid bog that was once the estuary of the River Mirar is infested with aquatic horrors. The place has become a haven for escaped criminals who, while escaping punishment for their crimes will likely die on the end of a psycopath's blade or a monster's claw.
Sounds like a good zone.
See my FAQ:
Half instanced half open world. It seems we'll be fast traveling between zones and using the shard system for public areas and combat and instances for private mission dungeon adventures.
Not teleporting, fast travel. As in map click and you're there. It's not a literal travel from one point to the other MMO. I think the WoW time of freakin forever and multiple methods of travel killed that development headache method for many.
Yeah the MMORPG world has become more casual; that's a good thing in a game like NW I think, which will have a pretty casual player base, with RL time constraints and all. Plus, D&D was never realy about getting from town to the dungeon, it was about the dungeon. Although I've had a few great wilderness only campaigns. Plenty of sandbox games on the horizon for folks like me who enjoy taking hours to get from one point to the other, and feel like they are in an actual world. No reason I can't enjoy both.
cant wait for either pathfinder or EverQuest 3,and eq3 am hoping is gonna be truly zone free no instances
O pants ive only just read Gauntlygrim and Neverwinter not read charons claw yet as its not turned up from amazon yet.
Or has luskan already been turned to ruins? I shall wiki it.
thanks
thanks for this..
And yes, yes it does
Yeah its ruins, but not as bad as Port Llast. Prot Llast is buried and no residents live there - not even bandits unlike Luskan.
Owl Bear's well is gone too(abandoned) as there are no caravans which stop there anymore.
The reason I am assuming it hasn't been publuished in source yet is because we're still waiting for it to appear in the upcoming novel for the Neverwinter Saga that this game is based upon:
[ Support Center • Rules & Policies and Guidelines • ARC ToS • Guild Recruitment Guidelines | FR DM Since 1993 ]
is there a certain recommended reading that would be good for me to get to catch up on the lore.
Ive only read the crystal shard trilogy and the first two of the never winter books.
I'm looking to get the legend of drizz series next, but anything you might reccomend?
Truth, I hope you are "mostly" wrong, if I'm reading you right. I hope they at least have land-zone tunnels. As EQ1 had, going from one zone to another at predetermined junctions. It doesn't have to be a huge open world made up of a grid of 4 sided connecting zones, but could at least be a string of zones that lead somewhere...
in any case, I can see why many (most?) would be turned off, or away from, the traveling in wow. But in EQ1 you could opt to run from zone to zone, making your way across the world, or you could hitch a ride with a Druid, who could bounce you around from Druid Ring to Druid Ring. That totally compressed travel times. NWO could do something similar to that. I'm not a fan of simply clicking on my map and suddenly I'm there. I get that people have busy lives. I'm one of those people too, with a limited window if gaming time per week. But the thrill of the game isn't solely in the dungeons/quests. It's in the exploring, the crafting, the PvE, the PvP. It's in the taverns.
Besides, why have horses if you can't travel great distances?
Check NW campaign guide then. It is in one of the three for sure I think.
@mnatic - above line should answer your question as well
Exactly! The exploration has always been one of the things I love about MMOs. I don't want to just appear where I need to go necessarily, but having that option would also be nice on nights with really high wife-aggro.
[ Support Center • Rules & Policies and Guidelines • ARC ToS • Guild Recruitment Guidelines | FR DM Since 1993 ]
+1. Wife agro is a great reason to have fast travel options. Or an angry mob of real life friends that are sick of waiting for my sorry @ss... in that case, bring on the click to travel. Otherwise? I'm taking it slow, chewin' bubble gum, and kickin pixel butt.
I avoided those attacks by not marrying, and simply ignoring my former friends.../forever alone
I will check my notes and book and get back on this. It might be from dragon magazines then or from novel, both places difficult to search. But because I have marked the lines with highlighter, it should be easier for me to search. (can also be from a conference notes in which case I would have to look up to its reference, which should not be that tough if I can find them)
Page 8, Chpater 1, 4e Neverwinter Campaign Book. Column 2 3rd Phara Under Helm's Hold.
One phara only (but long) however that is what that empty port deserves.
[ Support Center • Rules & Policies and Guidelines • ARC ToS • Guild Recruitment Guidelines | FR DM Since 1993 ]
Having your entire library converted to pdf format allows you to find things very quickly. It's very addictive. Glossaries are dead, long live the search tab!
I think I found out why it wasn't finding Llast, for some reason it is reading the 2nd L as a 1, so if I search for L1ast, it finds it. Guess my laptop has a serious case of L33t Sp3ak.
[ Support Center • Rules & Policies and Guidelines • ARC ToS • Guild Recruitment Guidelines | FR DM Since 1993 ]
Foundry Content:Guide - Custom Channels and List (NW-DHBU9OTOS)
Asset upgrading poll.
After watching the video on the Foundry, it seems like the game is similar to Baldur's Gate. Basically you hop from zone to zone using an overland map.
kind of disappointing for me but hopefully the foundry is robust enough to overcome this game flaw.
Character is what a man is in the dark