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Choose My Adventure: Neverending Neverwinter story
Of all the things this trip to Neverwinter has shown me, the ability to continue a character's story beyond the quest that Cryptic provides stands as the greatest thing I think any online game can give us. Although I don't believe that Neverwinter (or any other game, for that matter) gives me everything that I ever hoped for, the Foundry does allow those who enjoy dungeon mastering in the classic Dungeons and Dragons sense a chance to test out their skills at creating a story within a realistic development environment. Most writers would love to have a blank slate, a platform to do whatever they want to do, but realistically, that never happens. Every development environment contains its own limits and challenges content creators have to overcome. Sometimes the engine doesn't allow writers to do what they would like. Sometimes budgetary limits constrain the creative process. Sometimes writers forget that they are making a game and not a novel, so "fun" adds its own limits. As a writer and a gamer, I have been given a taste of what it takes to make an enjoyable quest for a gaming community.
The Soapbox: Seriously, we have enough fantasy MMOs
Let's play a game. I'm thinking of an MMO that features magic, monsters, humans, and a vast fantasy world full of steamy swamps, grassy plains, and deep, dark dungeons -- can you tell me which MMO it is? If you answered RIFT, you're right. You're also right if you answered TERA. Or World of Warcraft. Or Guild Wars 2. Or Neverwinter. Or... you get the idea. We're people who play MMOs. Our hard drives are practically bulging with games featuring wizards and warriors. We've plunged our swords into millions of orcs and gnolls. We've looted more imaginary copper pieces than anyone could possible imagine. We've even slain so many dragons that you have to wonder why dragons even bother showing up anymore. It's not the gameplay but the setting that can make the whole exercise so soul-crushingly boring.
Neverwinter announces Hunter Ranger booster pack
Cryptic today revealed a new booster pack bundle that will go live with Neverwinter's upcoming Shadowmantle expansion. Designed specifically for the Hunter Ranger, the Hunter Ranger booster pack offers a few key goodies that should soften the starting experience for players checking out Neverwinter's newest class. The bundle includes a Hunter Ranger-exclusive bow and hatchet, account-wide neck and slot items, and hunting hawk companion. Additionally, it contains a bag of identification scrolls, assorted skill kits, and a 24-slot bag. Those who purchase the bundle will receive the title Master of the Savage Wild. The Hunter Ranger booster pack launches alongside Shadowmantle on December 5th, 2013.
Choose My Adventure: Neverwinter wonderland
When I think about what separates a good Neverwinter Foundry mission from a great Foundry mission, I have to say that it's the ambiance. Ambiance ranges from sounds to lighting to special effects. I could create the best mission ever, write the best story, but if I don't create the best ambiance for the quest, my design could fall flat. What are some of the best ways to create ambiance? Which ones should I put into this Choose My Adventure? In my limited time in the Neverwinter Foundry, I have barely been able to scratch the surface of everything that the design tool has to offer. Of course, decorations such as a dining table in a dining room add to the atmosphere of the setting, but so does the sun shining through the window or the NPCs clapping in the next room. Today, I need your assistance in choosing the different types of ambiance for different parts of our adventure.
Neverwinter details its upcoming Collections System
So let's say you're one of those players who really, really enjoys keeping track of every single aspect of your adventuring from loot types to dungeons conquered. Well, in an upcoming Neverwinter patch called Module 2: Shadowmantle, you'll have the chance to complete all the things. The new system will not only keep track of the loot you have but also point out the loot that you are missing! It will tell you the zone rewards, companions and artifacts you need as well. Good luck finding sleep after this goes live. Don't worry, you won't have to have each of these items in your backpack in order for them to count. Once you obtain an item, it will unlock in the Collection, and completed armor sets will be rewarded with a title. It all comes together in a new interface that will actually tell you where to find all of the missing items. The patch will also contain Artifacts, the Dread Ring Campaign, new Paragon Paths, a new adventure zone and the new Hunter Ranger class (finally!).
Perfect World ends the quarter strong, looks to Dota 2's China release
Perfect World Entertainment, the China-based publisher behind games like Perfect World International, Neverwinter, Star Trek Online, and Champions Online, ended the last financial quarter in a strong place. Citing the Chinese release of Swordsman Online and Saint Seiya Online as driving factors, Perfect World claimed $136.2 million in revenue and $19.8 million in net profit -- up from last year's marks of $114.2 million and $14.2 million respectively. Perfect World also expressed its hope for even better quarters to come thanks to big launches in the pipeline. It is currently localizing Neverwinter for a Chinese release and will be overseeing Valve's Dota 2 as it makes its way into Chinese markets.
The Soapbox: Developers build MMOs backward
How many of you MMOs players have ever maxed out a character's combat level then stood around wondering, "What do I do now?" I would venture to guess that a vast majority of you at one time or another have done that, and I'd also guess that it's been recently. That's because developers have built your game backward. Far too many MMOs rely on the leveling process to be the primary content for the game, and everything after max level appears to be an afterthought tacked on to the game until the developers can come up with new stuff for you to do. I propose that if developers would start building a game's endgame first, we would be looking at a very different kind of game, a more enjoyable game. If a game is intended to be played for months, then developers should spend the most time on the content that players will spend the most time on. It's only logical to me. However, if you ask most developers they will likely tell you that the most expensive or time-consuming part of the game is the leveling process. Why is that?
Neverwinter dev blog dives deep into building the Hunter Ranger
Neverwinter's next expansion, Shadowmantle, will bring an all-new class to to game in the form of the Hunter Ranger. The Hunter Ranger will enable players to switch between melee and ranged combat on the fly, and possesses skills designed for mobility and destruction. Cryptic has posted a detailed dev blog about the development of the Hunter Ranger, authored by one of the folks who helped to piece the new class together. The post explains how the team went about building the Hunter Ranger's playstyle by quickly prototyping new abilities and testing them in-game, and walks through the decision-making process that led to the Hunter Ranger being given two full combat styles. Hunter Ranger abilities include Hawkeye, which buffs the Ranger's next attack, Marauder's Rush, which quickly charges and strikes a distant target, Hindering Shot, which roots the target, and Hawk Shot, which deals damage based on the distance from the target. The Hunter Ranger class goes live with Shadowmantle December 5th.
Neverwinter shows off Paragon Paths for more classes
The Paragon Paths in Neverwinter aren't just about making your character more powerful; they're about customizing your character to your playstyle. That's part of the reason why both Great Weapon Fighters and Guardian Fighters wind up sharing some potential paths. Yes, the Guardian Fighter is a tank and the Great Weapon Fighter isn't, but the added features of these paths make for very different characters. A Guardian Fighter on the Swordmaster path sacrifices some defense for more damage, producing a tank capable of hitting much harder than your average meat shield. Great Weapon Fighters who choose to be Iron Vanguards, meanwhile, pick up more control-based effects and wind up being more of a support archetype in the process. The latest development blog also shows off the new Control Wizard path, the Master of Flame, allowing this class to do some more serious damage over time by juggling flame and ice abilities. Check out more details on these new paths in the aforementioned development blog.
Neverwinter dispels the mystery of its artifact system
For those of you who are a little mystified over the new artifact system coming with Neverwinter's Shadowmantle module, Cryptic's put out a clear-cut guide to what's what with these special objects. Artifacts are items that imbue the possessor with certain bonuses while at the same time giving players new skills to use. These skills recharge every few minutes and offer significant benefits, from healing to damage boosting to... shopkeeping. Players will get their first artifact for free at level 20, after which additional artifacts will need to be found elsewhere in the game. Artifacts can be leveled up through the refinement system (also coming with module 2). Ultimately, a player can have one active and two passive artifacts slotted at any given time, with the passives offering only the stat bonuses.
Neverwinter's Shadowmantle module coming December 5th
Neverwinter's Shadowmantle update will be arriving in plenty of time for the holidays. Today Cryptic announced that the game's module 2 will arrive on December 5th. "We're incredibly excited to share the release date of Shadowmantle -- our second free expansion," said Cryptic Studios Executive Producer Craig Zinkievich. "With Neverwinter, our plan has always been to release massive regular updates that provide new unique online experiences with exciting new content for players to explore." Shadowmantle will include the Hunter Ranger class, new paragon paths, the Dread Ring zone, and the artifact system. If you're unfamiliar with it, get up to date with the changes by reading our preview of the module.
Choose My Adventure: On such a Neverwinter's day
This past weekend, I believe I've worked out all the mechanics I will need to complete our Neverwinter Foundry quest. It contains a total of three boss fights. I don't want to give any spoilers at this point, but I'll say that one of them has a very cool mechanic that I made using the Foundry story tree. I admit that at first I saw only the limitations of the Foundry, but after diving in full-steam this weekend, I've realized that some of the tools are quite robust. One of my favorite tools is the dialogue tree. There are a few limitations on what dialogue can affect, but if you think outside the box as some creators have, you can actually make varying levels of difficulty for your dungeons or even allow players to bypass some content. Today's Choose My Adventure is a bit different from the norm. I've included the first half of my script for the quest after the break. There is no poll this time, but that doesn't mean that I don't want your input. After all, we are making this Neverwinter quest together. After you've read through the script, give your suggestions on possible changes in the comments -- I will certainly consider all of them. Enjoy!
Neverwinter highlights new paragon paths for Devoted Cleric, Trickster
Last week, Cryptic announced Neverwinter's new paragon paths for all classes coming with the Shadowmantle module. This time around, the studio is detailing more of the how and why of those new paths, focusing on the Devoted Cleric and Trickster classes. The Anointed Champion path for Devoted Cleric offers this class more of a healing role, unlike the DPS path currently offered; it gives the cleric a chance to perform last-minute saves with a brief invulnerability bubble that surrounds both the Cleric and a groupmate. With the Whisperknife path, Tricksters get more up close and personal, using new utility skills that mark and debuff a target before the rogue teleports in to inflict damage.
Neverwinter dev blog unveils Sword Coast Adventures
So you're a mighty adventurer of Neverwinter who has travelled the lands of Faerûn and amassed a small army of companions to accompany you on your travels, but what exactly do those companions get up to when they're not fighting by your side? Well, the folks at Cryptic Studios are giving you the chance to find out with the introduction of a new Neverwinter Gateway game called Sword Coast Adventures. Sword Coast Adventures is described as "a press-your-luck, dice-matching game in which players send a party of 4 companions into a series of random, mysterious locations to earn rewards and gain companion experience." Players assemble a team of four companions and send them on a perilous adventure that consists of a number of challenges. Challenges are completed by rolling a character's power dice (which are unique to each companion) and matching symbols on the dice to those presented by the challenge, which should be a familiar mechanic to fans of tabletop games such as Elder Sign. Completing challenges rewards players with treasure and/or companion XP, and the overall goal is to complete the final challenge and complete the adventure. For the full run-down on the rules and mechanics of Sword Coast Adventures, check out the full post at Neverwinter's official site.
Choose My Adventure: A Neverwinter storm is brewing
Making a Foundry mission is difficult, but not because Neverwinter makes it difficult -- not yet, anyway. The number of elements used in creating a good mission is bigger than I had initially thought. However, we will stumble through it, as I did this weekend. When I initially tried out the Neverwinter Foundry, there were many elements that were just clunky. I constantly had to switch from Foundry mode to 3-D-mode just to add objects, and I had to hope that they were placed correctly. With the recent changes, I can now pop into editor mode and place objects directly into the world, an amazing step forward. The tough part comes in creating the story and building the world in which the story takes place. Today, I'd like you to help me with a few of the elements I still need to round out my story.
Free for All: Five ways to create immersion in MMOs
Immersion. I've used the word so much over the past several years that it has almost lost all meaning. I've played around with my Immersion Project, a set of rules designed to force me to play in a way that creates an almost physical connection with my characters. I've written about immersion and why it is important. I've even played the other side and fell in love with MMOs that are seemingly designed to be anything but immersive. It's one of those flashy terms that sounds more complicated than it is. The fact is that it's important only to those who value it. And those who value it do not value it all the time. Immersion is simply a feeling of being lost in an MMO. It's the same feeling we get when reading a good book or when completely entrenched in a good movie. It's a feeling that designers must pay attention to, but if you pay too much attention to it, the game you design can miss the mark. So what defines immersion for me? Well, it's easier to list off some specific game elements that help me feel immersed.
Neverwinter's new paragon paths detailed [Updated]
Neverwinter's upcoming Shadowmantle module will finally be giving players a second option with their paragon paths. A new dev diary from the folks at Cryptic gives an overview of these new paths along with details regarding the skills involved. Devoted Clerics will get a buff-centric path, Trickster Rogues will be flinging knives more, Control Wizards will go all pyro on their enemies, and Guardian Fighters and Great Weapon Fighters will be swapping each other's paragon path for a different playstyle. Don't just take our word for it: Check out the Shadowmantle paragon paths preview video after the jump for a visual inspection of these lines. [Update: We had to take down the video at Cryptic's request; we'll get it back up as soon as the new one is out!]
Neverwinter debuts new item refinement system
Cryptic has taken a long look at Neverwinter's enchanting system, and after listening to feedback from players, is planning major changes to the way fusing, runestones, and other components of the system function. For starters, you'll now be able to upgrade enhancement items while they're still equipped, and you'll no longer need four of the same kind of stone to strengthen an enhancement. The new system, which Cryptic is referring to as "refining" rather than "fusing," enables item enchantments to gain refinement points as you play; once an enchantment has enough refinement points, you can use reagents to rank the enhancement up to the next level. Additionally, unslotting enchantments and runestones now costs gold instead of astral diamonds. Refinement stones, which are effectively large bundles of refinement points, have also been added. They'll drop from skill nodes and bosses, albeit rarely. The changes are live on the Neverwinter test server -- Cryptic is asking all players to check them out and offer feedback before they deploy.
Choose My Adventure: Tell me the story of Neverwinter
At your bidding, I took my first foray into the Neverwinter Foundry this weekend, and it wasn't too shabby. The Book of the Dead by Magic88255 captured the melodrama of a classic supernatural horror film and coupled it with a bit of game combat. But I think the most important thing that The Book of the Dead had to teach us was about triggers and transitions. When we eventually make our own Choose My Adventure Foundry quest, we will want to keep that sort of thing in mind. Although the overarching storyline is important, I think the little things are what differentiates good Foundry quests from the great ones. During my livestream on Sunday, I tackled another Foundry quest to get a feel for other possibilities. I completed the runner-up from last week, Valerie's Dream. Although the storytelling was a bit weaker in this quest, the character development was great. Both quests were fun, so examining the quest beyond just the fun-factor amazes me. I am actually astonished overall at the quality of quests being created in the Foundry. I hope I can live up to that when we create our own. Let's take a look at some of the elements that seem to make for a good Neverwinter Foundry quest.
Neverwinter sheds light on Dread Ring zone
The Neverwinter community is buzzing over the upcoming Shadowmantle module, and today Cryptic is giving us a closer look at one of its core features: the Dread Ring campaign. The Dread Ring is a new zone in which Valindra Shadowmantle and her motley crew are attempting to resurrect a mighty dragon in order to make it the world's biggest dracolich. The zone has many significant landmarks amidst the bones of this long-dead dragon, but Valindra's Tower, an epic dungeon, will be the one everyone will be eying. The dev diary gives some of the lore behind the region, but of course all preservationist players have skipped past that to see which rewards might be worth the risk. Cryptic assures us that these will be "more plentiful and more powerful" than anything seen to date. The studio is also tweaking its daily quest system, promising more variety in the themes, instances, and rewards that it offers.
