Neverwinter Nights, Review Request

mrushh · 02-23-2003, 11:16 PM

Can anyone give me a personal review (not a link to website) on your thoughts, yea or nay, for getting/playing Neverwinter Nights?

Thanks

ACStrider · 02-24-2003, 04:35 AM

IMO Neverwinter Nights is a solid game. If you find some good modules (or make your own) it's really fun with other people, but it's good enough single player. The graphics are really good and the interface isn't too hard to work with. I still haven't seen a computer RPG which allows for theme based character development but as far as I can tell NWN does a fair job. If you have the money for it and are into RPG's, I'd say go for it. I know this isn't too indepth of a review, but it's a start I say. If you have any particular questions about game play feel free to ask.

TZone · 02-24-2003, 06:48 PM

I bought NWN the first week it came out and have been playing it sporatically ever since.

First off, don't expect it to be Baldur's Gate 3. The vast majority of dissatisifed buyers were expecting this and very disappointed. The two major differences between it and the BG series are:

1. In single player, you can only have one henchman, or other party member, with you at one time. The henchmen follow simple commands that you issue, but lack the depth that the BG characters had. In fact, unless you download a hack, you can't even have the henchman switch weapons in battle or alter their inventory in any way.

2. In my opinion, the single player story is very weak and even cheesy in spots, so it doesn't compare to the story in BG 1 and 2. Other people disagree however. You can basically rest anywhere without risk. So far (I haven't finished the game) I find that you can get away with way too much stealing, killing, etc., and still be considered a good guy. Also, Very early in the game you receive, what I think are, very cheesy items that make the game way too easy. I'll spare the details because I don't want to spoil anything for you. So just like FOF, I've forced myself to play by a set of "house rules".

That said, if you take it for what it is, I think it still is a pretty good game. It uses the D&D 3rd edition rules, which allow far more character customization than the older rules did. There will be a steep learning curve if you aren't familiar with the D&D rules -- the manual is over 200 pages and really only covers the very basics. And even though the story provided is weak, there are many sites where you can download fan-created adventures (modules). I have downloaded several and have had fun with a couple of them. If you are so inclined, you can even create your own with the toolset provided. The toolset can be difficult to use, however, if you don't have any programming background. A basic set of places, creatures, and items are provided, but you will have to write custom scripts to really create something special.

If you are considering purhcasing it, be sure that you have a decent system. The reccomendation is a 800+ mhz system with 256mb of RAM and this is for real. I have it running on a 600mhz system, but only with all of the detail turned all the way down. Don't even think of trying to run it with less than 256 of RAM or with anything less than a GForce 2 video card.

The game does have some stability problems, but it seems to get better with each patch. Expect that it will freeze up occasionally. I have done everything possible and reccomended to stop this (drivers, patches, etc.) and it still happens every 5 or so times I play. For me, it seems to run much better in Windows XP than it did in either 98 or 2000.

The graphics are good, the music is good, and the gameplay is good overall, but I wouldn't say that NWN is spectacular in any area either. Had the single-player story been better, I would give NWN an A-, but as it stands I think it's a solid B. Once I got the stability down to a decent level, I can honestly say I'm having fun with it. But I have to admit, I've all but given up of the single-player story and I mostly play modules I've downloaded. Every so often I put it down and go back to BG 1 or 2 - they just seem more immersive to me. NWN does have almost limitless replay value though, since there are hundreds of character choices and the availability of free user-created advenutures.

I have no real muliplayer experience however, so I can't really comment on it. Long ago I got tired of the player immaturity that comes with online play with strangers and just gave up on it for the moment. I suppose if you can find the right people to play with, you could have some real fun with it.

I know that you had asked for personal reveiws and not links, but I would advice you to check the boards/forums at the following sites, if you haven't already. This may give you a broader range of attitudes toward the game.

http://nwn.bioware.com/
http://nwvault.ign.com/index2.shtml
http://www.planetneverwinter.com

I hope this helps you out -- feel free to post any specific questions you might have and I'll try to get back to you.

mrushh · 02-24-2003, 10:59 PM

Thank You

Coffee Warlord · 02-25-2003, 09:14 PM

Honestly, I don't know what I was expecting from the game.

Not what I got though. As far as singleplayer mode goes, it's Diablo 2 using D&D 3rd edition rules, basically. The 'choose what you say/how you act' stuff is basically meaningless when it's dealing with the main plot. I could sit there and insult the plot moving characters all day, and my mission would remain unchanged.

I am an avid pen & paper roleplayer, and I ran a MUD back in the day. So, I bought this one with the dream to get my old MUD building / roleplaying group a new world to build, and thusly, a new place to RP, as we had all scattered across the country.

I found the world builder frankly impossible to use for what I had planned. I'm into depth, and the level available in the builder, while not insufficient, it's simply not feasible. For every building I'd create, one would have to make an entire new zone file, which, if you expand that to include a whole world, I'd be dead of old age by the time I finished. Hell, designing one city with the level of detailed to sustain a driving, interactive world would take months and months.

I got bored with this one quick. Had a VERY short lifespan on my hard drive.

HeavyReign · 02-27-2003, 01:51 AM

I was able to pick this up for $24 at Costco today. It seemed like a pretty good deal when most places here still have it for $40 or more.

02-24-2003, 04:35 AM	#2
ACStrider High School JV Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Austin, TX	IMO Neverwinter Nights is a solid game. If you find some good modules (or make your own) it's really fun with other people, but it's good enough single player. The graphics are really good and the interface isn't too hard to work with. I still haven't seen a computer RPG which allows for theme based character development but as far as I can tell NWN does a fair job. If you have the money for it and are into RPG's, I'd say go for it. I know this isn't too indepth of a review, but it's a start I say. If you have any particular questions about game play feel free to ask. __________________ "I'm evil." "Oh you are not!" "Oh I am too." -- Brak

02-24-2003, 06:48 PM	#3
TZone n00b Join Date: Feb 2002	I bought NWN the first week it came out and have been playing it sporatically ever since. First off, don't expect it to be Baldur's Gate 3. The vast majority of dissatisifed buyers were expecting this and very disappointed. The two major differences between it and the BG series are: 1. In single player, you can only have one henchman, or other party member, with you at one time. The henchmen follow simple commands that you issue, but lack the depth that the BG characters had. In fact, unless you download a hack, you can't even have the henchman switch weapons in battle or alter their inventory in any way. 2. In my opinion, the single player story is very weak and even cheesy in spots, so it doesn't compare to the story in BG 1 and 2. Other people disagree however. You can basically rest anywhere without risk. So far (I haven't finished the game) I find that you can get away with way too much stealing, killing, etc., and still be considered a good guy. Also, Very early in the game you receive, what I think are, very cheesy items that make the game way too easy. I'll spare the details because I don't want to spoil anything for you. So just like FOF, I've forced myself to play by a set of "house rules". That said, if you take it for what it is, I think it still is a pretty good game. It uses the D&D 3rd edition rules, which allow far more character customization than the older rules did. There will be a steep learning curve if you aren't familiar with the D&D rules -- the manual is over 200 pages and really only covers the very basics. And even though the story provided is weak, there are many sites where you can download fan-created adventures (modules). I have downloaded several and have had fun with a couple of them. If you are so inclined, you can even create your own with the toolset provided. The toolset can be difficult to use, however, if you don't have any programming background. A basic set of places, creatures, and items are provided, but you will have to write custom scripts to really create something special. If you are considering purhcasing it, be sure that you have a decent system. The reccomendation is a 800+ mhz system with 256mb of RAM and this is for real. I have it running on a 600mhz system, but only with all of the detail turned all the way down. Don't even think of trying to run it with less than 256 of RAM or with anything less than a GForce 2 video card. The game does have some stability problems, but it seems to get better with each patch. Expect that it will freeze up occasionally. I have done everything possible and reccomended to stop this (drivers, patches, etc.) and it still happens every 5 or so times I play. For me, it seems to run much better in Windows XP than it did in either 98 or 2000. The graphics are good, the music is good, and the gameplay is good overall, but I wouldn't say that NWN is spectacular in any area either. Had the single-player story been better, I would give NWN an A-, but as it stands I think it's a solid B. Once I got the stability down to a decent level, I can honestly say I'm having fun with it. But I have to admit, I've all but given up of the single-player story and I mostly play modules I've downloaded. Every so often I put it down and go back to BG 1 or 2 - they just seem more immersive to me. NWN does have almost limitless replay value though, since there are hundreds of character choices and the availability of free user-created advenutures. I have no real muliplayer experience however, so I can't really comment on it. Long ago I got tired of the player immaturity that comes with online play with strangers and just gave up on it for the moment. I suppose if you can find the right people to play with, you could have some real fun with it. I know that you had asked for personal reveiws and not links, but I would advice you to check the boards/forums at the following sites, if you haven't already. This may give you a broader range of attitudes toward the game. http://nwn.bioware.com/ http://nwvault.ign.com/index2.shtml http://www.planetneverwinter.com I hope this helps you out -- feel free to post any specific questions you might have and I'll try to get back to you. Last edited by TZone : 02-24-2003 at 06:49 PM.

02-24-2003, 10:59 PM	#4
mrushh High School Varsity Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Dallas,Tx	Thank You __________________ Visit "Cowtown, Arise. A TCU- TCY Dynasty" in the Dynasty section.

02-27-2003, 01:51 AM	#6
HeavyReign Fast Break Basketball Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Spokane, WA	I was able to pick this up for $24 at Costco today. It seemed like a pretty good deal when most places here still have it for $40 or more. __________________ Brian Nichols [email protected] Fast Break Basketball / Fast Break Basketball: SE / Season Ticket Basketball 2003 / Fast Break College Basketball / Fast Break College Basketball 2010 / Fast Break Pro Basketball 3 http://www.fbbgames.com/forum/

02-25-2003, 09:14 PM	#5
Coffee Warlord Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Colorado Springs	Honestly, I don't know what I was expecting from the game. Not what I got though. As far as singleplayer mode goes, it's Diablo 2 using D&D 3rd edition rules, basically. The 'choose what you say/how you act' stuff is basically meaningless when it's dealing with the main plot. I could sit there and insult the plot moving characters all day, and my mission would remain unchanged. I am an avid pen & paper roleplayer, and I ran a MUD back in the day. So, I bought this one with the dream to get my old MUD building / roleplaying group a new world to build, and thusly, a new place to RP, as we had all scattered across the country. I found the world builder frankly impossible to use for what I had planned. I'm into depth, and the level available in the builder, while not insufficient, it's simply not feasible. For every building I'd create, one would have to make an entire new zone file, which, if you expand that to include a whole world, I'd be dead of old age by the time I finished. Hell, designing one city with the level of detailed to sustain a driving, interactive world would take months and months. I got bored with this one quick. Had a VERY short lifespan on my hard drive.

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