Обзор аддона с PAX:

While I was at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Seattle this year, I managed to sneak a peek at the new Dungeons and Dragons Forgotten Realms game Neverwinter Nights 2: the Mask of the Betrayer, the new expansion pack. Even though I found it under the Atari banner, it is really a compilation of several companies, including Obsidian, Bioware, Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro, and, of course, Dungeons and Dragons. Which leads to the obvious question: how many companies does it take to release an MMO game? Answer: as many as needs to license it. Yet all joking aside, I discovered a lot of great new additions to this game that takes place right after the original Neverwinter Nights 2. For example, the addition of four different Genasi, elemental characters that the D&D crowd knows pretty well. There is, of course, the Fire, Air, Earth, and Water, and there are all sorts of graphic iterations to make them look very cool. For example, the Fire Genasi have a fiery look to them, the Air Genasi have wind flowing about them, and so on. The character creation generators also give the users some great new choices for their characters look, such as tentacles for the Water Genasi's hair. Players have the option of starting Neverwinter Nights 2 (NWN2) with these new character races if they wish. In addition to the Genasi, there are two other new races: the wild-elf and the half-drow. Apparently, there was enough demand for these to incorporate into the game. There are also new character classes, such as the Spirit Shaman, who can cast all sorts of new spells to control spirits. Speaking of spells, there are some new epic level ones in this version. The game takes place after a battle, and it starts with your player character in a burial mound chamber. Here, you will learn about your mission. If your character is at level 18, the adventure will start right away. If you are lower than that, then you can manually raise your level up. The game developers spent a lot of time on the graphics and improving them completely. For example, there is this one toggle that allows a very wide angle view. I had to admit, this was one of the great features. It was kind of like an RTS mode, and you could move your party of characters around just like they were in a strategy game. I'm certain that this game is a huge graphics engine eater, and I don't know how they got it to work without the game crashing every time. The representative there at PAX told me they had given NWN2 a complete overhaul with improved graphics and lighting. One of the new features involved going into the "spirit-world", which was this monochromatic style world that was very unusual. It was like stepping into a black-and-white movie, which was unusual for a fantasy game, to say the least. Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer should be available in Fall of 2007. It should be pretty exciting when it finally gets here.

Взято от сюда.

Fans of NeverWinter Nights are in for a treat as Atari unveils it's latest expansion from Obsidian Entertainment, NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer. I was able to get a look at this anticipated new title on the first day of Gencon.

I sat down with Nathaniel Chapman, Mask of the Betrayer's Assistant Producer. As the hero in this ongoing saga, you find yourself banished to an unknown place with the Shard of the Silver Sword wrenched from you body. You don't know where you are, or how you're going to get back.

Does this sound familiar? Of course it does! It's the premise of every good RPG since the beginning of time. The only thing missing is the jail cell and the giant rats. Jails and rats aside, you will find yourself with a hunger for spirits which spirals you into an epic conflict involving past events.

Mask of the Betrayer really expands upon the previous NWN titles by amping up the Single Player, Multiplayer and Toolset features. The game itself has 20 to 30 playable hours as well as the capability to host 50 to 60 concurrent players on a server. Obsidian has also beefed up the toolset.

"We use the same tools to develop the game that we give to the players," Nathaniel told me. "We're very community driven in this effort. We want to make tools that the players want to use and we want to make a game that encourages our fans to play."

Something a little different in this version is Obsidian's desire to really bring the game to life. In order to do this, they've beefed up the artistry of the game. As your character runs through the maps, you will encounter a more lifelike environment. Alot of work has gone into creating art effects, floating particles and moving vegetation. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous and the monsters are badass as ever.

I talked to Nathaniel about the toolset, because it just wouldn't be NWN if we couldn't get mods. As I mentioned before, they use the same tools to create the game that we are provided for the mods. You are able to create quests, maps, new monsters and completely unbelievable environments with this set. As a person who has never been able to master the art of modding, I was curious to see how easy it would be to make something exciting and new. Nathaniel, took me through and showed me how to create an environment full of dragons and mountains in less than five minutes. So, if you're a novice don't fear, you may become a huge game designer yet.

When I asked about creating mods and quests and how Obsidian supports those players he replied, "It's not about the stories we want to tell. It's about the stories YOU want to tell." That was enough to get me excited for the next installment of my favorite RPG.

NeverWinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer will be available mid September to early October. The game is finished and ready to hit the shelves, but Atari wants to ensure that they can do a simultaneous world-wide launch. As soon as those translations are complete, you'll see it at your closest game store. You can get more information on this and other Atari titles at http://www.atari.com/nwn2/ and http://www.atari.com.

Взято от сюда.

No one ever denied Obsidian Entertainment's talent. Founded by Black Isle refugees after the demise of Interplay, the company's previous outings have all suffered from the same problem, great design and fun gameplay marred by bugs and performance issues. Fortunately, the company itself seems to be acknowledging this problem and is addressing it through Mask of the Betrayer, the upcoming expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights. The expansion pack offers a laundry list of cool new stuff for fans of the original game and the mod community along with performance and gameplay enhancements that will hopefully produce a product as polished as it is inspired.

Mask of the Betrayer continues the story of the heroic adventurer introduced in Neverwinter Nights 2. After the final fight with the big bad guy from the first campaign, the hero wakes up in a mysterious "soul prison," an underground cavern below Thay, a magocracy in the Forgotten Realms controlled by the terrible Red Wizards. The silver shard that was inside the hero's body is gone, leaving a gaping wound and a whole bunch of questions. What happened? How did the hero end up here and can the young Red Wizard who frees the adventurer be trusted?

One of the key new elements in the game's single-player campaign is that the Nevewinter Nights 2 team really listened to fan feedback. The new campaign sports quite a few improvements from both a technological and storytelling perspective. The game now has an "AI on/off" switch and a host of new interface controls designed to make it much easier to control the party's actions.

They've also re-worked the camera, allowing players to switch at will between a "Character" cam that defaults the camera to a position over the main character's right shoulder for a perspective similar to that seen in Knights of the Old Republic. The other mode -- "Strategy" -- moves the camera to an overhead perspective similar to that employed by the classic Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale adventures.

Storytelling has also been much improved. The number of companions has been reduced and no one companion will ever be forced on the player at any time during the campaign. The companions are also quite a bit more interesting. They include the aforementioned Red Wizard, a half-angel Plane-touched Cleric and an undead thing called "One of Many" that seems to consist of the imprisoned essence of hundreds of evil human souls. Each companion also has considerably more dialogue with more distinctive personalities and more opportunities for the player to influence them.

Lovers of things that go boom will be excited to learn that the expansion comes loaded with a ton of high-level D&D content. The campaign itself starts off at 18th level and new characters will be suitably leveled up and provided with equipment. 18th level also means a bunch of new 9th level spells, insane new feats for fighters and rogues and even epic spells that include one that can turn multiple enemies into chickens.

The expansion sports new player races including all four varieties of Genasi, humans touched by the essence of an elemental. New Prestige classes include Red Wizard and Spirit Shaman and Favored Souls make an appearance. These are the Druid and Cleric equivalent of the Sorcerer, natural spell-casters who, while not as versatile as learned magicians, make up for it by being able to cast multiple versions of spells.

In examining the version present on the floor at this year's GenCon, it seems like the various new elements present in the expansion are tailored to not only give an exciting single-player experience, but also to give modders all sorts of new toys to play with. New stuff includes snow terrain, classic monsters like the Treant and Shambling Mound and new lighting filters. This last is actually used in the campaign to great effect in one section that takes place on the Plane of Shadow. Once there, almost all color is drained from the world, leaving players to adventure and fight in a noir-ish world of black-and-white.

For all the cool new stuff being added to the surface experience, modders can be most excited about the stuff that's going in under the hood. Several AI, movement and spell enhancements first created by mod makers are making their way into the official product in this expansion. The team is also working on performance smoothing that'll make the game run better on a wider variety of system along with more robust multiplayer code that will be tweaked with the idea of better supporting user-created virtual worlds. That last should excite anyone looking for a great RPG experience. Obsidian's already proven it can design a great game. Hopefully by the time Mask of the Betrayer hits store shelves in October, it'll have polish to match.

Взято от сюда.

One of the many games being shown off at this year's Penny Arcade Expo was the expansion to one of the biggest RPGs from last year, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer. Obsidian's Nathan Davis, the Assistant Producer for the title, was on hand to tell us a bit about the highly anticipated expansion. Read on to see what he says on how they've fixed some of the lingering problems from NWN2 and details on some the cool stuff they've added.

Early on one of the major complaints with Neverwinter Nights 2 was with the camera system. Have you guys worked on making it better in the expansion?

We have improved our camera system quite a bit. So we have two new modes now including a character camera mode that is similar to the one in World of Warcraft and also a new strategy camera mode that is more reminiscent of what you would see in Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale. The character mode is great for exploration and general activities, while the strategy mode is great for big combat scenarios where you want to have a good feeling for where all your teammates and enemies are.

One of the other problems with Neverwinter Nights 2 initially, was poor system performance. It was helped a bit by later patches, but you still needed a fairly powerful machine to run it. Have you been able to optimize this at all for the expansion?

Yeah, we've done a lot to improve that, we brought in programmers specifically work on performance issues and to fine tune everything. So we've gotten a better and more responsive game engine now. We're really trying to reach for a much improved graphical look to the game without creating a heavy draw on systems. We've tested the expansion on a number of different systems and it's running reasonably well. In general I think it's running better than the original NWN2.

Now this is a design choice, but another issue that some longterm Baldur's Gate/NWN fans had with Neverwinter Nights 2 was the fact that you moved away from attractive high quality 2D portraits for your characters and instead got a zoomed-in look at their 3D model's head instead. And honestly, it looked like crap.

Haha, well we've actually made it now so that players can customize their portraits with their own pictures and also increased the quality of the provided portraits for your NPC teammates. That's one of those things - we get a lot of feedback from the community and we respond to that.

Going back to Neverwinter Nights 2 -- it really was a fantastic game and the only other real problem with it was the fact that it started off really really slow. I know a lot of people who never even reached the town of Neverwinter because they were so turned off by the initial pacing. Does the expansion do a better job of keeping the player's initial interest?

You mean storywise? In Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer you can import your NWN2 character or start a new one and either way you start off the game with the shard [see NWN2] being ripped from your chest, covered in blood and a Red Wizard woman is offering to help you. So it kind of immediately puts you in a mysterious place that's pretty dangerous, it has a lot of angry spirits that want to attack you almost immediately.

Overall, I know what you're saying but I think the pacing is a lot better in the expansion. When you come into the main city, there's so much new stuff that it kind of brings back the joy of exploration. There are a lot of secrets in the city, like a shadow portal that transfers you to a black and white alternate version of the town populated with monsters. The game really immerses you into the story more quickly.

What are some of the other changes that have gone into the expansion?

We've changed the companion system to give you a much clearer view of your level of influence with them. You now see exactly what that level is by looking at their character page. You can also view your alignment in a points value on your own character page, which helps give the player a better view into whats going on. And speaking of companions, we've upgraded the benefits you get from gaining influence with them. Now they'll gain new feats, you'll get new feats from them, like special companion feats. There's a lot more to it, a lot more reward for putting in the time and getting into the companions stories.

How many different companions are there?

None of them are ever required really by you, but total I believe we have five.

About how long is the single player campaign going to be?

Initially we were shooting for 15-20 hours, but by the time we added everything we're looking at more like 20-30 hours. It really is more of a full game than an expansion in a way.

And one last thing, will we find out what happened to our companions from the first game? It ended on a bit of a downer with all your companions apparently getting killed and your character getting transported to who-knows-where.

There are some special appearances from your old party and there hints about what happened to the other ones as well. *grin*

Взято от сюда.

За остальное спасибо, надо переварить

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One of the many games being shown off at this year's Penny Arcade Expo was the expansion to one of the biggest RPGs from last year, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer. Obsidian's Nathan Davis, the Assistant Producer for the title, was on hand to tell us a bit about the highly anticipated expansion. Read on to see what he says on how they've fixed some of the lingering problems from NWN2 and details on some the cool stuff they've added.

Одной из многих игр, показанных на Penny Arcade Expo в этом году, было продолжение одной из лучших рпг прошлого года - НВН 2: Маска Предателя. О Долго ожидаемом продолжении нам рассказал Натан Дэвис - помощник продюсера Обсидиана. Он рассказал о долгожданных изменениях НВН2 и дал описание новых вещей, которые привнесли разработчики в дополнение.

Early on one of the major complaints with Neverwinter Nights 2 was with the camera system. Have you guys worked on making it better in the expansion?

Одно из главных нареканий в НВН2 вызывала система обзора. Ребят, вы чего-нибудь сделали по этому вопросу?

We have improved our camera system quite a bit. So we have two new modes now including a character camera mode that is similar to the one in World of Warcraft and also a new strategy camera mode that is more reminiscent of what you would see in Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale. The character mode is great for exploration and general activities, while the strategy mode is great for big combat scenarios where you want to have a good feeling for where all your teammates and enemies are.

Мы немного улучшили систему обзора. Темерь у нас есть два новых типа обзора: камера персонажа (такая же как в ВОВе) и стратегическая камера (больше напоминающая то, что вы видели в Балдурах и Айсвиндейле). Камера персонажа удобней для путешествий и «основной активности», а стратегическая камера предпочтительнее во время сражений - она позволяет видеть, чем занимаются ваши напарники и противники, и удобнее для тактики.

One of the other problems with Neverwinter Nights 2 initially, was poor system performance. It was helped a bit by later patches, but you still needed a fairly powerful machine to run it. Have you been able to optimize this at all for the expansion?

Другой основной проблемой НВН2 было ….(то что она тормозила и имела высокие системные требования ). Это конечно было немного исправлено последующими патчами, но все равно нужен мощный комп. Удалось ли вам исправить (хоть) что-нибудь в дополнении?

Yeah, we've done a lot to improve that, we brought in programmers specifically work on performance issues and to fine tune everything. So we've gotten a better and more responsive game engine now. We're really trying to reach for a much improved graphical look to the game without creating a heavy draw on systems. We've tested the expansion on a number of different systems and it's running reasonably well. In general I think it's running better than the original NWN2.

Да, мы долго пытались это исправить, мы привлекли программеров … и теперь в игре будет более мощный и чуткий движок. Мы очень хотели добиться улучшения графики не привнося существенных изменений в движок. Мы тестировали дополнение на различных системах, и в принципе довольны результатом. В целом, мне кажется, что игра работает лучше оригинальной части (хотелось бы)

Now this is a design choice, but another issue that some longterm Baldur's Gate/NWN fans had with Neverwinter Nights 2 was the fact that you moved away from attractive high quality 2D portraits for your characters and instead got a zoomed-in look at their 3D model's head instead. And honestly, it looked like crap.

Еще одно недовольство закоренелых Фанов БГ и Айсвинддейла, было то, что вы убрали в НВН2 нормальные аватарки для персов, вместо этого предоставив нам возможность любоваться угловатостью увеличенных голов персонажей. Честно, это - чепуха.

Haha, well we've actually made it now so that players can customize their portraits with their own pictures and also increased the quality of the provided portraits for your NPC teammates. That's one of those things - we get a lot of feedback from the community and we respond to that.

Гыгы, мы сделали так, что игрок может использовать свои собственные картинки для настройки аватаров, также увеличили качество портретов сопартийцев. Мы отвечаем на просьбы сообщества геймеров - это одна из тех вещей, что они просили.

Going back to Neverwinter Nights 2 -- it really was a fantastic game and the only other real problem with it was the fact that it started off really really slow. I know a lot of people who never even reached the town of Neverwinter because they were so turned off by the initial pacing. Does the expansion do a better job of keeping the player's initial interest?

Возвращаясь к НВН2 - замечательная игра, но ее основная проблема (?) - действие разворачивалось слишком медленно (!???!). Я знаю многих людей, кто даже до Невервинтера не дошел (вот боты буржуйские!!), потому что им не понравилась растянутое начало. Будет ли дополнение поддерживать интерес игрока?

You mean storywise? In Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer you can import your NWN2 character or start a new one and either way you start off the game with the shard [see NWN2] being ripped from your chest, covered in blood and a Red Wizard woman is offering to help you. So it kind of immediately puts you in a mysterious place that's pretty dangerous, it has a lot of angry spirits that want to attack you almost immediately.

Вы имеете в виду сюжет? В НВН2 МБ вы можете импортировать персонажа из оригинальной кампании, или создать нового, начиная игру с того момента как осколок был вырван из вашего заляпанного кровью тела и предложения помощи со стороны женщины - Красного Мага. Т.е. вы будете сразу в гуще событий - в таинственном, и довольно опасном месте - там много злобных духовблаблабла.

Overall, I know what you're saying but I think the pacing is a lot better in the expansion. When you come into the main city, there's so much new stuff that it kind of brings back the joy of exploration. There are a lot of secrets in the city, like a shadow portal that transfers you to a black and white alternate version of the town populated with monsters. The game really immerses you into the story more quickly.

Я понимаю, о чем вы говорите, но думаю, что (сюжет?) намного лучше в дополнении. По прибытии в главный город, вы обнаруживаете огромное количество квестов и т.д., что вы точно не разочаруетесь. В городе много тайн, например, теневой портал, который может перенести вас в темное или светлое измерение города (??), населенные монстрами. Игра втягивает вас значительно быстрее.

What are some of the other changes that have gone into the expansion?

Какие другие изменения в дополнении?

We've changed the companion system to give you a much clearer view of your level of influence with them. You now see exactly what that level is by looking at their character page. You can also view your alignment in a points value on your own character page, which helps give the player a better view into whats going on. And speaking of companions, we've upgraded the benefits you get from gaining influence with them. Now they'll gain new feats, you'll get new feats from them, like special companion feats. There's a lot more to it, a lot more reward for putting in the time and getting into the companions stories.

Мы изменили систему управления сопартийцами, изменили систему влияния на них (в сторону большей адекватности). Теперь вы сможете точно узнать каков ваш уровень влияния на сопартийца на его листе персонажа. Вы так же можете посмотреть влияние в цифрах на листе ГГ. Говоря о компаньенах, мы увеличили бонусы от хорошего влияния на них. Теперь вы получите новые фиты от них, а они от вас, если у вас хорошее влияние. Будет еще много всего.....

How many different companions are there?
Сколько будет компаньенов?

None of them are ever required really by you, but total I believe we have five.
Всего будет 5, но впринципе таскать всех за собой не обязательно.

About how long is the single player campaign going to be?
На сколько часов геймплея рассчитана игра?

Initially we were shooting for 15-20 hours, but by the time we added everything we're looking at more like 20-30 hours. It really is more of a full game than an expansion in a way.
Ну сначала мы хотели 15-20 часов, но так разогнались, что после добавления всего задуманного получилось гдето на 20-30 часов (+). Игра больше по приколу, чем линейное движение к развязке.

And one last thing, will we find out what happened to our companions from the first game? It ended on a bit of a downer with all your companions apparently getting killed and your character getting transported to who-knows-where.
И последнее - узнаем ли мы что-нибудь о судьбе почивших в оригинальной части камрадах? Ее конец - сопартийцы поумирали, а ГГ хрензнает куда телепортировался - вгоняла в депрессию.
There are some special appearances from your old party and there hints about what happened to the other ones as well. *grin*
В игре будут упомянатся ваши прежние сопартийцы, а некоторых можно даже будет встретить. *скалит зубы*