Neverwinter Nights 2 delayed

[Everlost_MI]

Worthplaying (http://www.worthplaying.com/) is reporting (http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=35578&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0) that Atari has changed the release date on Neverwinter Nights 2.
"Given the sheer size and scope of Neverwinter Nights 2 and its 50 to 60-hour single player campaign, it was decided to move the global release date of Neverwinter Nights 2 out a month to late October. This extra time is invaluable as it allows fine tuning and polishing of both the single and multiplayer experiences to ultimately deliver a game that exceeds the tremendous expectations of the Neverwinter Nights fanbase."

[Zanzibar]

My guess is maybe 1 out of 10 games that have a "July to September" ship date actually ship during that time. Why bother, seriously? Everybody's broke, nobody can afford a new game, and letting the game slip to October means more tuning time, which NEVER, EVER hurts the final product.

[StANTo]

Well the students have just received their student loan at about that time.

[captainstrombosis]

I budget my money +100 bucks for games I am looking forward too (+100 for those under the radar ones). So that time frame isn't a problem. But I don't mind waiting a few months for a game if it means it will be more enjoyable out of the box.

[Kefkataran]

Everybody's broke, nobody can afford a new game, and letting the game slip to October means more tuning time, which NEVER, EVER hurts the final product.

Because everybody's going to be MORE broke during the fall with the shitton of good games and new consoles coming out. That's why I'd prefer some nice releases now.

[[Jez]]

Releasing it closer to Gothic 3 might not help much

[Draft]

60 hours is a lot of hours.

[Evil Avatar]

WhoHoo! Another Neverwinter Nights title with no emphasis on multiplayer! I'm all a-twitter.

[Wyrm]

You know, I never liked Neverwinter Nights. Dont know what it was about it, but as cool as it sounded, it always put me right to sleep when I played it. Even the downloaded stuff just wasn't all that fun. Such a cool concept though.

[Mr. Lake]

From Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6154251.html):

"The new toolkit will include all-new texture sets for new environment types, as well as implementation of the SpeedTree middleware, which lets the game render large clumps of trees and other vegetation quickly. "

Speedtree is becoming the Unreal 3 of middleware...going to steal the crown from Havok.

[Zacharai]

Everybody's broke, nobody can afford a new game, and letting the game slip to October means more tuning time, which NEVER, EVER hurts the final product.
It's a common corporate tactic to set a deadline, sometimes backed up with a public pronouncement (to hammer it home more), so developers don't waste time at the beginning of the development cycle. Allocating 3 years for a game versus 2.5 doesn't necessarily mean a better game. But, allocating 2.5 years and then, right near the end, giving it a few more months for polish, probably will.

[digitalErich]

Yes, release another game in the fall, cause you know, it's like a gaming drought every year from September to December. Fuck, when will publishers learn. There are at least 3 to 5 games every year that come out in the fall that if they came out any other time during the year, I'd have purchased them. This is just one example.

As much as I was looking forward to this game, there are at least 5 other games I am looking forward to more that I can think of off the top of my head that are being released in the fall, not to mention the console launches.

[Evil Avatar]

You know, I never liked Neverwinter Nights. Dont know what it was about it, but as cool as it sounded, it always put me right to sleep when I played it. Even the downloaded stuff just wasn't all that fun. Such a cool concept though.

It wasn't a bad little game, but I could never get past how in all the interviews prior to about 30 days before the title dropped all they could talk about was multiplayer and how the title was going to be a MMORPG where you could design the world and portal your world to other players worlds and then starting at about 30 days before launch they totally changed their tune and started talking up single player and totally ignoring multiplayer and then the title launched with no multiplayer campaign, difficult to use tools and almost none of the promised features (there was nothing except a combat engine, no real RPG stuff at all).

I could never really get over how Bioware lied to their fans for like 2 years leading up to the title launch.

As a PC RPG it wasn't a bad title, but it wasn't anything like what they had promised. (And graphically it was totally outdone by the PS2 title Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance with almost the exact same gameplay.)

[Skytram]

It's a common corporate tactic to set a deadline, sometimes backed up with a public pronouncement (to hammer it home more), so developers don't waste time at the beginning of the development cycle. Allocating 3 years for a game versus 2.5 doesn't necessarily mean a better game. But, allocating 2.5 years and then, right near the end, giving it a few more months for polish, probably will.

Wiser words were never typed. :eek:

[Skytram]

It wasn't a bad little game, but I could never get past how in all the interviews prior to about 30 days before the title dropped all they could talk about was multiplayer and how the title was going to be a MMORPG where you could design the world and portal your world to other players worlds and then starting at about 30 days before launch they totally changed their tune and started talking up single player and totally ignoring multiplayer and then the title launched with no multiplayer campaign, difficult to use tools and almost none of the promised features (there was nothing except a combat engine, no real RPG stuff at all).

I could never really get over how Bioware lied to their fans for like 2 years leading up to the title launch.

As a PC RPG it wasn't a bad title, but it wasn't anything like what they had promised. (And graphically it was totally outdone by the PS2 title Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance with almost the exact same gameplay.)

I completely agree. However, what it did do was lay the foundation for KOTOR and Jade Empire which are both on an enhanced NWN engine. I wouldn't be suprised if their new releases are, as well. Original NWN = great basic engine, mediocre game.

[Heretic Machine]

...I have no idea what you guys are talking about. NWN was exactly what I expected, and it is basically one of the best multiplayer RPG's, ever.

[captainstrombosis]

...I have no idea what you guys are talking about. NWN was exactly what I expected, and it is basically one of the best multiplayer RPG's, ever.

I have too agree. If you say it had horrible multiplayer... Then you are simply wrong. I STILL play the multiplayer with friends every couple weeks.

[PIPBoy3000]

I think what happened with NWN is that it was designed as a P&P style multiplayer setting initially. Essentially there were going to be some sample campaigns you could play with your friends, but the emphasis was on the toolset, the DM client, and multiplayer. After that, they realized they needed a solid single player game, which ended up being okay, but somewhat thrown together.

Now, Bioware worked really hard patching the game and I feel the toolset was extremely powerful. I ended up turning NWN into a hobby, making modules that hundreds of thousands of people played and they ended up on multiple game CDs. I think it ended up being an excellent game, well supported years after it was released.

[Phanto]

I realy hope that the single player is far better than the original.

[PopoWRX]

Obsidian is doing it so the writing should be top-notch. They really impressed me with their KOTOR2 story (if not for that horrendous last act) and characters (Besides the Dark Jedi with no face). I have similar hope for a more fleshed out story in NWN2 compared to 1.

[destoo]

The single player experience is not important.
Just like "Grayhawk", the original campaign setting in AD&D is usually not the world used by DMs and players.

Just give me the raw game with another 5 years of support and my group will be happy.

[net7runner]

Shocked. I am shocked. Is anyone else shocked? 'Cause I am. Shocked.

[baz]

I'm looking forward to it, the single player campaign is key to me, and if it can hit anywhere near the hights of BG/BG2/PST then I'm sorted.

[didragondi]

I was not too excited playing the original, because I usually prefer single player and the single player only allowed one supporting character, making for less tactical situations, like Baldurs Gate 2SoA and ToB had. However, I did some reading on this one and it supposedly allows 3-4 supporting characters like KOTR did, plus MP that functions better. If legitimate, I am all over this.

[PIPBoy3000]

Actually I think the single player store is pretty important. It's what makes reviews and sells boxes. If NWN2 has a broad distribution of close to a million, that's a pretty huge audience for fan-created mods, persistent worlds, and so on. NWN did well, but it took a couple years before reaching the million-sold mark.

[Serapth]

As a PC RPG it wasn't a bad title, but it wasn't anything like what they had promised. (And graphically it was totally outdone by the PS2 title Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance with almost the exact same gameplay.)

Now thats a bit steep. I wasnt a huge NWN fan, but comparing it to BG:DA is a little unfair.

I am happy to hear they are focused on Single player, I never once played NWN online and the part I enjoyed most about NWN was the HoTU campaign, the first part that actually seemed designed with a single player in mind.

I also dont mind hearing when RPGs slip. Many a great game SUCKED because they were shipped a few months early... Ultima X, Temple of Elemental Evil, Vampire, etc...

[PIPBoy3000]

For all those Planescape: Torment and Fallout fans out there, NWN2 has Chris Avellone (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=chris+avellone) as one of the head writers. He's doing the dialog for the companions and assorted other things. I have high hopes.

[zrikz]

I thought NWN was a pretty good game overall, I am looking forward to this game because I believe im going to be getting myself out of MMO's in general, but now there are so many games coming out in the fall area that I just wont have time / money to buy them all. Comon.. UT2K7, Wii, NWN, Gothic 3, lots of other crap too on top of the studies :( This is a good year for games and a bad one to be in school. =/ I'm all for a delay if it can help polish up the game. Delay's seem to be expected now days so its not a big deal anymore.