Well, it is time once again for the Spotlight on the Forums. This week we have a treat for you fans out there. Here is a thread that was started not too long ago. Read it and then I'll tell you the goodies.
Vortimer writes:
As we still have many more months of frustration ahead of us before the game release how about a little competition to while away the hours and hone our gamesmaster skills? I can't offer any reward accept the satisfaction of winning but it may be great fun if enough people are willing to contribute.
My first challenge to you all is to write a short description of an interesting NPC in NO MORE THAN 50 WORDS. Include as much physical description and background as you see fit, and of course a name, but the most important aspect to portray is the personality of the character. Submit your entry to this thread and when we have enough contestants we can run a poll of the readers to elect a winner. No more than one NPC per contributor please, if you get a better idea before the competition ends please delete your first entry before you submit a new one.
If this idea proves popular I will issue further challenges to write some short roleplay sketches involving the NPC that you submit for the first challenge.
Ok here is what we here at Neverwinter Nights Stratics will toss in the mix to make it a sweet event. Depending upon how many entries there are, we will take the Top 5 or 10 winning entries and create scripted NPC's for inclusion in our City of Glendenmoor server. All winning entries will get credit for the scripted NPC's. And to top it all off, the #1 winning entry will get a character sketch done by one of our many artists here. How's that sound? So sharpen up your creative minds gang and may the best NPC's win. You can submit your entries here 50 Word Challenge
The First Ever Neverwinter Nights House of Commons IRC Chat is only one week away! Have you got all your questions ready? Tuesday November 7th at 6pm PST. For more information, tune into our Events Page
Every wanted to know more about the people who develop Asheron's Call? Then pop over to our new Meet the Devs section to read a Q&A with Designer Dave "Crowley" Javier. Look for more Q&As to come.
Competition Time! Win a Sidewinder Game Voice for submitting a profile for Asheron's Call for the Sidewinder Strategic Commander, or win a Strategic Commander for submitting a Game Voice profile. Read all about it.
Here at Atriarch Stratics we're proud to announce the third entry in our Developer Profiles series, which will be posted Wednesday morning of this week. Be sure to stop by and check it out! In case you missed last weeks profile on Mythfit, or the first profile on Joss, they are still available here!
Have you ever wanted to work with Atriarch Stratics? Does the idea of reporting and writing appeal to you? Well, if so, you might want to consider sending in an e-mail to atadmin@stratics.com with a quick application including any information you would consider pertinent. These positions will be volunteer only, however they are an excellent way to get involved in the community. I look forward to hearing from all interested.
As one of the newest additions to the Stratics network we present to you the Dark Age of Camelot, a full 3D MMORPG in a blend of old folklore and fantasy. We bring you News, Screenshots, Discussion Forums, Chat and many more. Make sure to drop us a visit!
Update to the new Spell Database and Items Database continue to come in. This utility lets you search for spells and items by class, race and a large number of other options. Check it out!
Everquest Stratics is proud to announce an Everquest House of Commons chat. Verant will be onhand to answer your questions about Everquest and its future. That chat will occur in #eqhoc on the Stratics IRC network on Monday, October 30th, at 6pm CST. Topics will range from the Scars of Velious to Epic Quests to EQ Festival 2000.
In The Addicted Player, Laton professes his views on the all too common addicted player of MMORPGs, and suggests a way to appease both the carefree, hardcore gamer and the immersed, dedicated role-player.
It's future is finally here! Stratics' newest MMORPG website; Neocron Stratics, is open for all to see. Be sure to check out the Neocron Beginner's Guide and get yourself prepared for some fast paced FPS combat and some hardcore roleplaying!
We have release the Glendenmoor section of Neverwinter Stratics site. This section is dedicated to information about our planned persistant Neverwinter Nights world called Glendenmoor. For more information on our plans for this server, maps, the Town Cryer and other information - see the Glendenmoor section of our site!
And last but not least... do not forget the upcoming Neverwinter Nights House of Commons chat with Bioware on November 7, 2000 at 6:00 PM PST. For the latest information about the chat, visit our Events page regularly.
Meet The Team - Several new members of the Origin Dev Team have begun posting to the message boards. Find out who they are and what they do in our Meet The Team Section.
Interview with Jeremy "Gaffer" Gaffney - The ORIGIN Stratics Interview Team recently got together with the Lead Programmer of UWO:Origin and asked a few questions about his views on the game that he has poured his heart and soul into. Make sure to check out our Interview Section and find out what it's all about!
Thanks to our great statistician Omenz, we now have completed Race to Class tables showing you exactly which classes may be chosen by which race. This will prove to be an invaluable resource when choosing your characters!
A great fan fiction story was submitted by Inkpot entitled Life or Death. Be sure to check it out if you're interested in a treat!
This week we'd like to point your attention to our Stories and Secrets section, where we store an archive of Ultima Online History. There you can find the text of in-game books, biographies, items & artifacts, the timeline and an essay on the virtues that Ultima is based on.
Also in Stories and Secrets, an archive of articles published on the official Town Cryer and Britannia News Network site and transcripts of several audio reports.
With many of our visitors wondering what BioWare's Neverwinter Nights is all about, we would like to direct our visitors, old and new, to the recently updated "What Is It?" page of our site.
Greyhawk and our roving reporter, Dead Velius, have pulled together some interesting information for this page that describes not only what Neverwinter Nights is but reveals some of its potential as well.
Enjoy!
Saturday - October 28 - 2000
Content Update: New Images Added to the Screenshot Gallery
We are pleased to announce the addition of the latest round of screenshots to our Screenshot Gallery.
Our Screenshot Gallery is a compilation of images provided by Bioware to many news and fan sites on the internet. The complete gallery allows you to follow the on-going development of Neverwinter Nights thus witnesses the growth of the game through its screenshots.
Neocron is a unique MMORPG being designed by Reakktor Media for release in the 2nd quarter of 2001. Set in a 27th century metropolis, Neocron allows you to live the online life you dream of. Whether it be normal day-to-day existence (in a futuristic setting) or running off on exciting adventures, the choice is entirely yours!
Neocron Stratics is the place to go to learn the latest about this genre-busting game! From the introduction, to a full listing of all game features, to the latest on the beta, to daily updated news, make Stratics your place to go for the latest in Neocron!
RPGPlanet posted a Neverwinter Nights "First Look" on October 25, while it does not reveal too many new things, it is a solid article and right now we need all of the Neverwinter tidbits we can find!
Here is a little bit from the article:
Even more hotly anticipated is the editing suite that will ship with the game called the Neverwinter Tools. Editors will be included that allow a DM to create just about everything necessary for a module besides the graphics. The buildings, passages and fields are all built from complex 10 by 10 meter tiles that include all the information about its looks, lighting and pathing. These can by arranged into a map by simply using a smart painting program; it knows how to connect them automatically. The editors also allow you to place monsters, non-player characters, items and treasure, the attributes of which can all be edited by the DM. it should offer everything would-be adventure builders need to make their own home-grown modules. In the future, BioWare plans to release expansion packs with new tile sets, items, monsters, spells, classes, and races.
Daily Radar has a recent interview with Trent Oster on Neverwinter Nights... and it has NEW screenshots! It also sports the newest Neverwinter Nights Movie from the Baldur's Gate 2 CD which you can also find in the Neverwinter Stratics Movie Gallery.
Here is a snippet from the article:
Daily Radar: Will all feats and skill be incorporated into the game? If so, will they be controlled in-game?
Trent Oster: Again, no. There are a huge number of skills and feats outlined in the PHB, and some of them do not really make sense in a computer game. We are striving to include as many feats and skills as possible. Our current plans include over 20 skills and over 40 feats, in addition to a large number of class-specific special abilities. All feats and skills requiring activation in-game will be controlled by the player through the radial menu or the quickbar.
With the announcement of the Glendenmoor server, we would also like to present the first taste of what Glendenmoor will offer. The expanded Glendenmoor section includes the following:
The Atlas - Includes a number of maps of the area surrounding Glendenmoor as well as a grid map of the city itself.
The Chronicles - The story of Glendenmoor, introducing many of the residents and the current intrigues of the town.
The History - Covers the past history of the area leading to the current situation that affects the town and its dynamics.
The Town Cryer - The newspaper of Glendenmoor provides information about the server and the goings on in the town.
More content will be added to this section - so check back regularly!
Neverwinter Nights Stratics is proud to announce its Neverwinter Nights game server: "Glendenmoor."
Located in the Forgotten Realms and based upon the storyline created by Stratics own Aartemis and Marizelle, Glendenmoor will take players into a thriving city filled with mystery, deception and high adventure. Continuing on from where the Glendenmoor Chronicles will eventually climax, players will enter into the storyline and continue the adventure as it plays out upon on our game server.
Night after night our dedicated Dungeon Master (DM) staff will bring to life the town of Glendenmoor and allow the players actions to write the pages of our ongoing epic story along with other side adventures that are sure to surprise you! During the coming months the Glendenmoor storyline will be revealed as the chapters of the Chronicles unfold. We will also be releasing Town Maps, Character Sheets, Timelines and other great bits of information to keep your appetite going until the town that is Glendenmoor becomes a reality with the release of Bioware's Neverwinter Nights.
"We provide the town and the history, how the story unfolds is up to you!"
Working on your first full adventure with the D&D 3rd Edition rules and need to figure how use your monsters more effectively? Wizards of the Coast is authoring a series of articles on monster tactics. Each article will cover a different monster and will supply information useful for both Neverwinter Nights Dungeon Masters and Module Creators as well as pen-and-paper Dungeon Masters.
Here is a small snippet from the article:
Setting the snare
Caravan raids garner the Narkal food and treasure, but their real purpose is to draw outsiders into the forest. Thrudahk knows his bugbears fight better in forest ambushes than in attacks against traffic on the road. After every raid, a squad of eight bugbears remains at the forest edge and leaves an obvious trail that meanders through the forest. The reprisal patrols and would-be rescuers that follow those trails are the Narkal tribe's real prey.
Thrudahk knows that someone follows the trail within three days of almost every caravan raid. Sometimes it's a military patrol, and other times it's a group of adventurers hired to rescue a captive. Often it's mercenaries hired by the original merchant to get the caravan cargo back. Thrudahk has connections with city folk through unscrupulous human bandits, and he often "leaks" that he's acquired noteworthy captives or rich treasure to draw victims to his ambushes.
After a day of trail making, Thrudahk splits his bugbears into three groups (typically eight bugbears and a 4 HD leader each, minus any casualties from the original raid). Each group sets an ambush along the trail about three miles apart.
Each ambush leader is under strict orders to withdraw at the first sign of serious resistance. Because the bugbears know the forest trails, each ambush group can typically elude pursuers and join the next group of bugbears down the trail in time to spring the next ambush.
Greetings Adventurer! Here's the latest on Gloomveil-
Gloomveil.com has grown significantly since its inception, and now sports a completely redesigned textual and graphical navigation system. The Gloomveil world continues to expand with the unveiling of "Rust Dragon's Lair," the encampment of a fearsome warlord.
Beyond the Web-based Gloomveil experience, "Extensions" to the Gloomveil world are being planned for cross-platform computer games such as Neverwinter Nights, Rune, as well as for print publication as a stand-alone game world manual.
Enjoy!
Bioware's Project Update for August & September 2000
Looks like with all the stuff going on around here we missed Trent Oster's latest project update! Here is the complete update or you can read it on Project Update for August & September 2000
The tempo of the project has slowly started to increase over the last month. With the completion of Baldur's Gate II we are now free to refocus the companies' energies on NWN and push aggressively towards completion. All in all, this has been a very interesting few months.
Programming
One of the most interesting additions to the Aurora Engine has been water. Our graphics programmers came up with a system for modeling water, creating very sharp looking pools and lakes with very little system overhead. Additionally, our collision detection system has undergone a massive reworking. The hit checking subsystem was the last bit of technology need for the game. From here on all the major questions have been answered and only implementation remains. The Linux, Beos, and Mac ports are coming along nicely and keeping pace with Windows version of the game. As well, the programmers have been hard at work on the game rules engine. There is still a large volume of work yet to support the 3rd Edition rules and all the combat and spell options we are planning. We are also hard at work assembling the huge array of GUI screens required by a D&D RPG. As a whole the programming tasks on NWN are massive and large in number. It is a credit to the talented and dedicated people who work here that we can develop such a large project.
Art
The NWN Art department is an unstoppable juggernaut, pushing forward tirelessly, creating volumes of beautiful artwork. Every day new tiles, characters, monsters, portraits and icons emerge from the talented staff to add to the impressive volume already created. With the GUI screens undergoing implementation we've been cranking out interface designs and the artwork required at a prodigious pace. From the character sheets to the icons we are ensuring that the interface will be very intuitive and easy to navigate, as this is crucial to the overall enjoyment of the game. Additionally, we have prototyped a number of new spell effects in the last few months. The effects systems are starting to look simply amazing and will do the D&D spells proud. I personally cannot wait to see some of the higher level spells. When the high level spells go off the world will seem to stand on end.
Design
Module design has been progressing at a brisk pace. The designers have been hard at work expanding upon the storyline to add more depth and variety to the gameplay. The designer database has been tweaked to make it more efficient and to better represent the game. We have also been finalizing the Skill and Feats systems and how they will be implemented in NWN. Overall, design has entered a consolidation phase where we take our earlier plans and condense them down into a final list of hard rules to be implemented.
Summary
Neverwinter Nights is a huge project. Our team has jumped to nearly forty skilled people. We are currently in the middle phase of development where ideas become final game content. I truly think that nothing can really prepare you when the concept that was only on paper and in your imagination is made real for the first time. We, as a team, look forward to the future and the completion of the grand vision that is Neverwinter Nights.
Check out our newly updated Stage 1 section, full of games that are new to the scene, but promise to revolutionize the industry. Just added, Dawn Stratics!
Are you a writer with something to say? Got a game coming out that you are super excited about? How about an opinion on the industry that you are dying to express? Stratics Central is looking for reader submissions for postings on the site. If you have what it takes, send in your article today!
There's a great community to participate in! Come on down and enjoy our Adellion message boards! Find the roleplayers and the strict roleplaying game you've been yearning for!
The opening of the Fan Media Section draws nigh! Lined up for this brand-new section of Anarchy Online Stratics we have not only the Story Contest submissions, but also everything and anything created by you, the fans! Tales, essays, drawings, music clips - if it's appropriate and original we'll post it! Submit your pieces to Fan Media.
Bam! We're kicking it up a notch with the AC Stratics Cookbook, a collection of the recipes you can try in Asheron's Call. If you fancy something seasonal, try the Pumpkin Soup or the Pumpkin Pie.
Also, you can check out our new front page update-o-meter which lists what's recently been added to the Bestiary, the Atlas and the Lore sections. Now you can keep an eye out to see if we're slacking...
Here at Atriarch Stratics we're proud to announce the second entryin our Developer Profiles series, which will be posted Wednesday morning of this week. Be sure to stop by and check it out! In case you missed last weeks profile on Joss, you can check it out here.
Have you ever wanted to work with Atriarch Stratics? Does the idea of reporting and writing appeal to you? Well, if so, you might want to consider sending in an email to href="mailto:ats@stratics.com">ats@stratics.com with a quick application including any information you would consider pertinent. These positions will be volunteer only, however they are an excellent way to get involved in the community.
How could names be handled in MMORPGs? How could a game not have 'floating names' yet still be fun? Tormanth has an article on just that subject. Check it out!
Check out our redesigned statistic pages! We've got new, easy to use pages for engines, guns, missiles, and powerplants! Now you can easily see what new add-on you might need for your ship!
Neverwinter Stratics is proud to announce the first Neverwinter Nights House of Commons IRC Chat on November 7, 2000 at 6:00 PM PST in the IRC #nwnhoc channel.
Experience Chart - The Origin Dev Team has finally revealed to us the system that they plan to use to determine level increases. Make sure to check it our on our Experience Chart Section.
Merchandise - We've recently added a section to our site dedicated to promoting Ultima Online and Stratics merchandise. Of special note is the Sword & Dagger Set being sold by Museum Replicas. So head on over to our Merchandise Section now and check it out!
IRC's Finest Moments has been updated thrice, yes thrice, this week! Be sure to check out the zany going-ons of #shadowbane on irc.stratics.com, including our plot to create the ultimate MMORPG!
After days of grueling labor, Shadowbane Stratics is proud to announce its Discipline Section. This section, of course, follows the massive update to the disciplines list Wolfpack just released, so we guarantee you've yet to set your eyes upon this information!
This weekend we've made several changes to the Dungeons section. For all the dungeons in Britannia and in the Lost Lands, we've listed what monsters to find where since the latest patch.
Neverwinter Stratics is proud to announce the first Neverwinter Nights House of Commons IRC Chat on November 7, 2000 at 6:00 PM PST in the IRC #nwnhoc channel.
What is the House of Commons? Quite simply, it is a conference set up between the players and the game designers. Held in a moderated channel, questions are submitted to a designated question taker to be posted, one by one, for the developers to answer. The chat is moderated by players of the game, most often those who update fan sites and are familiar with the community. If you would like more information about the Chat process as well as the tools you can use to access the Neverwinter Stratics House of Commons, visit the Stratics Chat site at http://chat.stratics.com/.
This chat will cover general information about the status of the game as well as whatever Bioware wishes to reveal. This will be a moderated chat by members of the Stratics staff. We will not have a lot of time - so we wish to get the most out of this!
How can you prepare for the chat you ask? Read the Dungeon Master FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) and the Neverwinter Nights Introduction found on Neverwinter Stratics as well as the FAQ on the official Neverwinter Nights website. We hope to use this time with Bioware to ask (and get answers to) questions that have not been answered on these documents so start thinking of new ones!
We will be providing more information and reminders as we get nearer the date of the Chat - we will see you November 7!.
Stratics Announces Its Newest Gamesite: Dawn Stratics
Stratics is pleased to announce the opening of its new Dawn Stratics website. Dawn is a unique new MMORPG in the alpha stage of development coming from Glitchless that is unlike anything you have ever experienced. Dawn will be the first game to be truly driven by players from the ground up. There will be no established cities populated by unintelligent NPCs when you arrive in this brave new world. Instead, it will be the players' responsibility to populate the land with towns and kingdoms and more. It will also be up to the players to create their owns laws and enforce them. Dawn will also be one of the first games to feature real death as well as the opportunity to choose your own parents!
Check out the Stratics Dawn Preview for more information about this exciting game! And then, don't forget to drop by #dawnhoc on the Stratics IRC server on Saturday, October 21st at 8pm CST for a Dawn House of Commons chat with Glitchless Software, and ask the designers your own questions about this groundbreaking game!
Gloomveil is an original work of online interactive fantasy - an eerie world enshrouded in a thick, magical Fog. Launched in February 2000, Gloomveil.com offers intrigue and adventure for players of any "pen-and-paper" or computer-based fantasy game. Gloomveil.com has grown significantly since its inception, and now sports a completely redesigned textual and graphical navigation system. The Gloomveil world continues to expand with the unveiling of "Rust Dragon's Lair," the encampment of a fearsome warlord. Beyond the Web-based Gloomveil experience, an extension to the Gloomveil world is being planned for Neverwinter Nights.
"Behold young adventurer, the fires of the city doth light our path and draw us ever nearer to the fabled lands." -Mordenkainen
Welcome once again to the Spolight on Forums where we showcase specific threads that rage on within our web forums, forging the way in uncharted topics. This week's spotlight is on a thread that was started on the topic of servers and details some concerns that the fans have about technical considerations versus area sizes for possible modules.
bertbo proposes
Very, Very, concerned about the functionality and promise of NWN. This post will spawn a ton of discussion, I hope, but let me list out my concerns and some thoughts.
#1) Every time I see a new post about game performance and limitations, I get a sick feeling in my stomach. I feel like there is WAY more hype behind this game than it may warrant. Example. The news post on Jason’s site about performance. A while back it was “NWN will run good on even lower end machines. There will probably be NO need for dual processors, and high-end servers. A decent system and a good line will be all you need.” BUZZ, BUZZ, (that’s the tap dance alarm going off) “. If you like that kind of scenario, I'd suggest you start saving for that 1Ghz+ server though.” This is bad.
#2) Every thing BioWare is releasing is very, very vague. They use terminology that changes meaning every different interview. Maybe I am getting myself confused on some of this and you guys can help me out here. What the hell is a module? I thought a module was an ‘adventure’ like a DM run one. Then it sounds like a module is a map. Then they use the term area. What is an area? 2 modules squared? Hehehe. Ok, help me out here.
I was working on my ‘world’ again this weekend. As of right now I have plans for 160 outdoor maps at approx. 32 X 32 in size. This is where I want to be in the 1st 2 months. There will be at least 160 more when my other DM’s get cranking and we expand. And the ‘high level’ adventuring area in the Dalelands, {The Ruins of Myth Drannor} are huge. This is an enormous city. I expect that this will cover an area of 30-40 32 X 32 maps! Now none of this even includes subterranean DUNGEONS! LOL. I need to know if I am planing WAY to big. I need to know if I am drawing my WRONG conclusions from the game info releases. Example off of the Drizah’s news post: “So if you imbue your 50 Orcs with complex AI, expect a bigger CPU hit.” …… ok? 50 Orcs on the screen at 1 time? Or 50 Orcs in the entire game, server wide?
And a sample of the responses:
DL-Gabriel responds:
1) From all the things I have seen, you will not need a dual processing server or even a gigahert processor, because the server program itself is very small. I would suggest lots of ram and probably a p3 processor of 450 and up to get decent preformance. - Of course, Im not on the dev team, and not a beta tester, so I could be full of it. Just goin on info I have put together from various sites.
2) An area is an "Area" that you create with the Toolset, like the first level of a dungeon, or a small town, up to I think they said 98X98. - gee thats hard to explain but each one of your 32x32 maps would each be called an area, and your areas put together would be a Module, and several modules put together would be a campaign, just like several small adventures in pen and paper stuck together would be a campaign.
Server side you are not limited by the number of areas you can run, BUT you should have each module on a seperate server with a portal linking the 2 together to allow more people to play those areas, and at the same time keep server load down. I haven't seen any "Clear" Specs on this yet. Or maybe I have and can't remember.
With the orcs, that would be 50 orcs per server that are executing AI at the same time..
3) I am not aware on a max number of "Maps(Areas)" You can run as many areas at once (by running a module or campaign I think) that your hard drive can hold and your processor can handle. Im sure if you had 64 people on your server with 50 orcs with good AI and 60 areas running with npc's running as well with all their AI scripts and all the animals in the woods too it would get pretty heavy on the server. Id suggest at least right now without knowing the server load cause I dont have the program to try to keep it down to running 10 "Maps" per server untill you know you can handle more - this will keep you from going nuts if the game comes out and that actually happens..
Vortimer adds:
I think perhaps you're trying to "run before you can walk". I too hope to build a large interesting game world but I don't intend planning it out until I've learnt what the true limitations of the game really are. My guess is we won't know that until we've all had some experience running the game. To that end I'm planning to start small with just a village and a few local adventures and then build from there.
I do share your concerns about the "hype". Statements like "you can run an acceptable game" are very vague as they depend entirely on what you consider to be "acceptable". Also the ever expanding scope of the game worries me. I've been a software professional for nearly twenty years and worked on plenty of projects where the requirements have expanded and changed as the development proceeds. This nearly always end in disaster as the project overstretches itself.
Well the other responses are just as varied and exciting to read. I really enjoy reading everyone else's views on subjects. Please do stop by the forums and read more of this thread at the NWN DevBoard and look for the topic: Future server owner with big concerns...
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