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Neverwinter: Update Interview with Andy Velasquez
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Neverwinter is a new MMO in development at Cryptic Studios and is one that many D&D fans are keeping their eye on. Cryptic has been fairly quiet lately so we wanted to know what was happening with Neverwinter. MMORPG.com's Bill Murphy caught up with Lead Producer Andy Velasquez to find out. Read on and then let us know what you think in the comments.
How has development been going on the game? What stage are you at right now?
Development recently underwent a big change as we switched from prepping for release in Q4 of 2011 to a launch date in 2012. We are currently back in full production for the game and this is pretty exciting for the team as we have an amazing base from which to expand our game from, a title that was, just a couple months ago, almost ready to ship.
Read more of Bill Murphy's Neverwinter Update Interview with Andy Velasquez.
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Comments
So was this created as a single player game at first? Are they just now trying to add in a multiplayer element to receive the MMORPG title?
I don't think this will do well at all.
Actually, they said in the begining it would be a "co-op" RPG. Now they are saying it will be a full blown MMO.
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
The shift is from CO-OP play, so it has always had a focus on multiplayer. They are obviously taking the time to expand on that. I am willing to wait and see how well that goes before judging them.
I have no built in loyalty to Cryptic (or their bosses) but this need to pounce and post 100% negatively on everything they say all the time just gets old.
The truth is there are certain thing that Cryptic do extremely well and they have a decent engine to work with. If they can get away with their conveyer belt production mentality they have the chance to deliver a good game. We shall see.
I am almost expecting a DDO-like experience with the exception of user-generated content thown into the mix. That is what it sounds like their attempting to do.
I remember when the Bioware's NWN was in development, they talked about hosting their own persistent character "vault". However, they scrapped that idea in favor of letting servers host their own character "vaults" or allowing players to bring in their own local characters.
Shudders at the thought of the foundry being built from the ground up for the F2P business model......let the nickel & diming begin. Something tells me that this game, whether it turns out well or not, will be much more expensive to play than a subscription based game and with nothing spectacular to justify the increased cost to the player.
*In before the mandatory "Eww, f2p" post*
It was definitely the last part that killed it for me. Once PWE got involved - when they changed it from RPG to action game - when they changed it from CO-OP to MMO - when they went F2P... yep, once PWE got involved - I died on the inside.
This could have been a MMO killer for many folks. The chance to design content, play out content, the co-op play with friends . . . yep, it was continuing NWN. It looked awesome, and I was willing to give Cryptic another shot - forgetting about CO/STO, remembering CoH and thinking about NWN . . .
...then PWE got involved and well, yeah - you can read it in the interview.
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Explorer: 87%, Killer: 67%, Achiever: 27%, Socializer: 20%
Ah well, there are so many naysayers out there...since it's going to be free2play no harm in giving it a chance.
Cryptic is whatever...so many worse companies that don't even give half the half-ass effort they give so you can always do worse. PWE they can be fair sometimes, but I do feel the good user content will be arm and leg deal, but still many people can create great user content with just even the basic amount of things, and the NWN community proved that.
I say it's worth the try.
I am very conerned by the fact it's a cryptic game being put out by PW, the sceptic in me is expecting a very cash shop heavy experience if you want to get the most out of the game, a real shame for this IP. I'll give it a go come release, at least F2P means anyone with a decent net connection can do that but at this stage I'm not that optimistic, it would be nice if they could prove me wrong.
This is NOT a MMO, although they are calling it for marketing purposes. It will be a cash shop nightmare because PW now owns Cryptic.
According to iQu's definition - LoL is a MMO. MMO has changed to include game lobbies without the need for the world (considering MMOs had basically become worlds that were basically game lobbies). There are a few game lobby games in the works which are listed as MMOs.
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Explorer: 87%, Killer: 67%, Achiever: 27%, Socializer: 20%
A lobby game is NOT a MMO in any way, shape or form. There is no persistent world.
have to say the neverwinter nights games are my favourites.i will be playing this..unless i misread you get the client for free as well..have to say if thats so its quite brilliant has a marketing type of thing..no layout at all.just hope they deliver...after STO there street cred dropped so far down a hole it would normally take a thousand years to climb back up..but here's hoping for a great game.
Time will tell, although Cryptic has let me down on previous games I will definitley give this game a good hard look when its released.
Hoping for the best.
Still pretty excited for this, I'm happy they were allowed to do more than they initially were expecting. The shift to "full blown MMO" is just a minor change for me and doesn't change my mind that I want this game.
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss
I really hope Cryptic doesnt foul this one up.
I've loved DnD for years. Have most of the books from Chainmail on up to the present.
Neverwinter Nights is the game i want to see modernized, but hopefully The Foundry will be powerful and expandable.
The initial concept of it being a Co-Op is lame anyway, making it so much like DDO.
The change from Coop to MMO, IMHO, is great for their game but seeing that it will launch as a F2P is not very reassuring.
Ready for GW2!!!
Good thing it was postponed, cryptic's standard of "almost ready to ship" is comparable to alpha stage for the people at Guild Wars.
CORPG, MMORPG...they're just titles. Everyone calls GW a MMO, but it is really a CORPG and a MMORPG. I think the big difference, and why many consider GW a MMO, is there's a feeling of a persistant world, even though it's still a lobby game. Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 are OFPS, but could be considered MMOFPS (well bf3 at least, 64 players is enough for massiveness?) because they also have the feeling of something more than just a single battle.
I will play this game, as should anyone. It's free anyways, so why wouldn't you at least try it...If you don't like how they have the item shop set up, it's no loss to you (maybe an overnight of downloading). I don't see what the big deal is. It's free
The initial concept of it being a Co-Op...would make it so much like D&D/AD&D. Kind of like...what it is.
If anything, the combination of changes mentioned - MMOish, Actionish, F2Pish, etc'ish . . . makes it sound like it is going to be a DDO clone where you can make your own adventures.
Previously this was not the case - previously, it would have brought back some of that old PnP RPG feeling - freeing us from the nonsense so inherent in MMOs these days.
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Explorer: 87%, Killer: 67%, Achiever: 27%, Socializer: 20%
There is a difference between Co-Op RPG and CORPG. ArenaNet used the term CORPG to reflect Competitive RPG - not cooperative RPG.
I can definitely see where saying there is no loss but time involved because it is free being a good thing to some, but to some people - that is a turnoff. It is one thing to have a time-limited trial of a game (all games should have some form of trial version before you buy them so you do not get burned on buying something), but F2P is a major turn-off to many.
There are many turn-offs with this game to some...to me specifically. To an extent, the game has gone from what could have been awesome - a MMO killer - imho; to just another likely piece of shoddy crippleware.
Part of it is also the IP. There was a thread about game developers that should be banned from making additional games - Cryptic came up often because of them crapping all over IPs. This is not just a case of Cryptic making a lobby game with design your own adventures - it is Neverwinter. It is an established IP - in a fantasy setting that many say has been developed well beyond anything LotR's has... the Forgotten Realms setting for AD&D.
It kind of sounds like the discussions that took place with the announcement of MWO (MechWarrior Online) - a F2P lobby MMO. MechWarrior is part of an established franchise - BattleTech - it is not just a case that somebody decided to make a mech game - they're crapping all over an IP folks like.
A person that may lack any interest in the IP or a successful game being made based on the IP, might say that it is not a big deal - try it cause it is free and if it sucks, no loss but time...
...but to a person that, dare I say, loves the IP - they're likely to have a far different view of the matter.
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Explorer: 87%, Killer: 67%, Achiever: 27%, Socializer: 20%
I'm willing to bet (up to $5) that this game is going to be a horrible P2W disaster. It will also be mostly single-player, even though advertised as MMO (like STO).
I'd also bet that it's going to be a smaller gameworld than Skyrim has right now. It's all about your wallet, not about the game with this company.
C-Store Online - the Neverwinter edition, coming soon!
Another turd in the Cryptic toilet. Seems like all their people with even the slightest shred of talent stayed with NCSoft when Cryptic sold City of Heroes to them. Champions Online is awful, STO is awful, and I have every bit of confidence that this, too, will be awful.
"I am the weapon that strikes/In the hearts of men I thrive/Feeding their fear with lies/I will devour/I will divide/I am the god of hellfire/inside every man there lives a liar/before their gods they cower/I will divide/I will devour" - "Divide Devour" by Iced Earth
Combining CS's half-baked work + PWI's greedy cash shops = disaster.