Neverwinter Nights | |
---|---|
Genre(s) | Role-playing video game |
Developer(s) | BioWare, Obsidian Entertainment |
Publisher(s) | Atari (formerly Infogrames) |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
First release | Neverwinter Nights (Microsoft Windows) June 18, 2002 |
Latest release | Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition (Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox 1) December 3, 2019 |
Neverwinter Nights is a series of video games developed by BioWare and Obsidian Entertainment, based on the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragonsrole-playing game. It is unrelated to the 1991 online game of the same name distributed by AOL.
Overview[edit]
Neverwinter Nights was the first multiplayer online role-playing game to display graphics, and ran from 1991 to 1997 on AOL.GameplayNeverwinter Nights was developed with gameplay similar to other games in the Gold Box series. Players begin by creating a character. After creating the character. A smooth and true action mmorpg for macOS is what we present now. This game is based on the Dungeons & Dragons universe, offering the same realm and character classes. Many critics have stated that Neverwinter is something new from the casual action mmorpg because the gameplay, the combat and the design are better than anything saw before.
The Neverwinter Nights series take place primarily in city of Neverwinter located in the Sword Coast, a region in the fictional land of Faerûn.[1] Also commonly referred to as the City of Skilled Hands,[2] Neverwinter grew from a multi-racial settlement named Eigersstor founded several hundred years prior to the start of Neverwinter Nights.[3] At the time the first game takes place, the city of Neverwinter was beset by a magical plague named the Wailing Death,[4] whereas in the second game the city is threatened by an invasion from its ancient enemy named the King of Shadows.[5]
Gameplay[edit]
The Neverwinter Nights series is a franchise of role-playing games with a third-person isometric perspective.[6] The systems of the games are based on the rules of Dungeons & Dragons, a table-top role-playing game developed by Wizards of the Coast[7]. Both Neverwinter Nights and Neverwinter Nights 2 contain three game modes: a default campaign, a multiplayer mode, and custom contents.[8]
Campaign
Both Neverwinter Nights and Neverwinter Nights 2 include a default campaign, which focus on the development of the player character through a series of distinct acts.[9] In addition to the main story, the player also has the opportunity to undertake a variety of side quests, some of which form storylines that span the entire game. The player has the ability to make key choices in specific quests can affect combat encounters, key plot points, and the outcome of the overarching story.[10]
Before the player can begin the campaign, they must first create a new character through the game's character creation interface. The player may customize a new character from scratch, or select one of the pre-set characters provided by the games. If the player chooses to create a new character, they are then guided through a series of choices about their character, including race, class, appearance etc. Some of the choices such as gender and appearance are purely cosmetic, whereas others such as race and class affect how the player character fights and what abilities they have access to.[11]
Syberia 3 - an automaton with a plan for mac. Custom Content
In addition to the base campaign and the multiplayer mode, both Neverwinter Nights and Neverwinter Nights 2 also included sets of software development tools which allow the players to create custom campaigns which they can then share with other players.[12]Neverwinter Nights shipped with the Aurora Toolset[13], while Neverwinter Nights 2 shipped with the Electron Toolset, which was completely rewritten by Bioware using the programming language C#.[14]
Reception[edit]
The first instalment in the series, Neverwinter Nights, was generally well received according to review aggregator Metacritic, which gave it a score of 91/100 based on 34 critic reviews and a score of 8.1/10 based on 608 user reviews.[15] Greg Kasavin of Gamespot praised the game's accessibility, calling it 'one of those exceedingly rare games that has a lot to offer virtually everyone, even if they aren't already into RPGs'.[16]Gamezone appreciated the game's graphic and sound design, and that 'the musical score foreshadows game action (the music picks up in intensity when combat looms), and is well done'.[17]Allgame reviewer Mark Hoogland commended the Aurora toolset shipped with Neverwinter Nights, calling the breadth of level, story, environment, and module creation options 'impressive'.[18]Eurogamer reviewer Gestalt was less convinced, criticising the single-player campaign's emphasis on combat encounters over 'actual roleplaying', but was optimistic that the game's mod support will give it longevity.[19]
Compared to Neverwinter Nights, Neverwinter Nights 2 received a lower Metacritic score of 82/100 based on 46 critic reviews and 6.6/10 based on 633 user reviews.[20] The game's story continued to attract praise from critics such as Greg Mueller of GameSpot, who was impressed by the 'very apparent' impact that player choice has on the way the story unfolds.[21] Some critics like IGN's Charles Onyett also enjoyed the game's sound and graphics design, in particular the visceral orchestral soundtrack during battles.[22]
A common complaint from critics was Neverwinter Nights 2's numerous technical glitches. Eurogamer drew particular attention to the bugs surrounding 'pathfinding and NPCs' artificial intelligence', a problem which contributor Kieron Gillen found made precise control in combat difficult.[23] IGN also acknowledged the game's technical glitches, but commented that none of them 'hampered….gameplay experience'.[24]
Legacy[edit]
The Neverwinter Nights series has been adopted by a number of educators for use in the classroom. University of Alberta's Professor Mike Carbonara and colleagues made use of the Aurora Toolset to develop an 'economics game' aimed at teaching the concepts of fixed price commerce, mark up, and supply and demand.[25] Squire & Jenkins at MIT Education Arcade created the multiplayer game Revolution, which allows players to roleplay characters with different dispositions and political views in 1770s colonial Williamsburg, with an aim to improve the student's understanding of the American Revolution.[26] In 2005, researchers Nora Paul and Kathleen A. Hansen designed a custom module for journalism students; players took on the role of a journalist investigating a train derailment in the fictional American town named Harperville, during which they must investigate and analyse multiple sources.[27]
Games[edit]
Neverwinter Nights SeriesTitle | Release | Platforms | Additional Info |
---|---|---|---|
Neverwinter Nights | 2002 June | Windows, Mac, Linux | |
Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide | 2003 June | Windows, Mac, Linux | expansion pack |
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark | 2003 December | Windows, Mac, Linux | expansion pack |
Neverwinter Nights: Kingmaker | 2004 November | Windows, Mac, Linux | premium module* (requires Hordes of the Underdark) |
Neverwinter Nights: Pirates of the Sword Coast | 2005 September | Windows, Mac, Linux | premium module* |
Neverwinter Nights: Infinite Dungeons | 2006 May | Windows, Mac, Linux | premium module* |
Neverwinter Nights: Darkness over Daggerford | 2006 August | Windows, Mac, Linux | premium module* |
Neverwinter Nights: Wyvern Crown of Cormyr | 2006 September | Windows, Mac, Linux | premium module* |
Neverwinter Nights 2 | 2006 October | Windows, Mac | |
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer | 2007 September | Windows | expansion pack |
Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir | 2008 November | Windows | expansion pack |
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate | 2009 April | Windows | adventure pack** |
Neverwinter Nights: Tyrants of the Moonsea | 2019 December | Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | premium module* |
- A 'premium module' is a small-scale, stand-alone adventure.
- A 'adventure pack' is similar to the first game's premium modules.
References[edit]
- ^Wizards of the Coast. Neverwinter Nights. Dungeons & Dragons. https://dnd.wizards.com/products/digital-games/pcmac/neverwinter-nights.
- ^Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting (pp.2). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN0-7869-5814-6.
- ^Jennell Jaquays (1988). The Savage Frontier (pp. 13). TSR, Inc. ISBN0-88038-593-6.
- ^Wizards of the Coast. Neverwinter Nights. https://dnd.wizards.com/products/digital-games/pcmac/neverwinter-nights. Dungeons & Dragons.
- ^Onyett, Charles (2006, November 4). Neverwinter Nights 2 Review. IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/11/03/neverwinter-nights-2-review
- ^Wizards of the Coast. Neverwinter Nights. Dungeons & Dragons. https://dnd.wizards.com/products/digital-games/pcmac/neverwinter-nights.
- ^Kasavin, Greg (2002, June 24). Neverwinter Nights. Gamespot. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/neverwinter-nights-review/1900-2872002/
- ^Kasavin, Greg (2002, June 24). Neverwinter Nights. Gamespot. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/neverwinter-nights-review/1900-2872002/
- ^jkdmedia. (2012, May 4). Neverwinter Nights - PC - Review. Gamezone. https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/neverwinter_nights_2_pc_review/.
- ^Chadwick, Gareth (2020, March 12). Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Review. The Sixth Axis. https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2020/03/12/neverwinter-nights-enhanced-edition-review/
- ^Mueller, Greg (2006, November 1). Neverwinter Nights 2 Review. GameSpot. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/neverwinter-nights-2-review/1900-6160878/
- ^Tonden (2019, May 31). Aurora Toolset. https://nwn.wiki/display/NWN1/Aurora+Toolset. Neverwinter Nights Wiki.
- ^Tonden (2019, May 31). Aurora Toolset. https://nwn.wiki/display/NWN1/Aurora+Toolset. Neverwinter Nights Wiki.
- ^Robertson, Judy & Good, Judith (2004). Children's narrative development through computer game authoring. TechTrends 49(5), 57-64. DOI: 10.1145/1017833.1017841
- ^CBS Interactive Inc. (2002, June 16). Neverwinter Nights. Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/neverwinter-nights
- ^Kasavin, Greg (2002, June 24). Neverwinter Nights. Gamespot. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/neverwinter-nights-review/1900-2872002/
- ^jkdmedia. (2012, May 4). Neverwinter Nights - PC – Review. Gamezone. https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/neverwinter_nights_pc_review/
- ^Hoogland, Mark (2020, June 19). Neverwinter Nights Review. Allgame. https://www.webcitation.org/5juwa9Bar?url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=19583&tab=review
- ^Gestalt. (2011, June 11). Neverwinter Nights. Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_nwn
- ^CBS Interactive Inc. (2006, Octoebr 31). Neverwinter Nights 2. Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc. (2002, June 16). Neverwinter Nights. Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/neverwinter-nights-2
- ^Mueller, Greg (2006, November 1). Neverwinter Nights 2 Review. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/neverwinter-nights-2-review/1900-6160878/
- ^Onyett, Charles (2006, November 4). Neverwinter Nights 2 Review. IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/11/03/neverwinter-nights-2-review
- ^Gillen, Kieron (2006, November 4). Neverwinter Nights 2. Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_nwn2_pc
- ^Blevins, Tal (2020, June 21). Neverwinter Nights. IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/06/21/neverwinter-nights
- ^Carbonaro, Michael et al. (2006, January). Adapting a Commercial Role-Playing Game for Educational Computer Game Production. Conference: 2nd International North-American Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, Game-On NA 2006.
- ^Squire, K., & Jenkins, H. (2003). Harnessing the Power of Games in Education. Insight 2003 (3), pp.7-33.
- ^Paul, N., Hansen, K., & Taylor, M. (2005). Modding' Education: Engaging Today's Learners. International digital media and arts journal, 2(1), Spring.
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of Neverwinter Review
Article Index
Of course, just because Heroes of Neverwinter is a social game doesn't mean we don't think it's worthy of a full review - it's an official licensed
The Social Network
Let's get one thing out of the way first - Heroes of Neverwinter is a freemium social game, and it comes with much of what that implies. It may have some strong core D&D-style gaming in it, but wrapped around it are a series of advertisements, in-game currency options, insta-win potions available for purchase, and so on. If you come into the game expecting to get away without seeing any ads, you will be disappointed. Unlike many freemium games, though, the basic gameplay is unaffected by these options, with most of them boiling down to customizations and 'get new content faster' buttons - just be aware that they are most definitely present.
Heroes of Neverwinter takes advantage of its social options decently, but unremarkably. The game allows you to add friends to the game via easy invitations, and you can form a party with them if you wish. There's no simultaneous multiplayer, but being able to create a team with the classes, races and skills you all want is definitely a boon for the game. You can also view each others' trophies and accomplishments, although there's little reason to look at this save for bragging rights. If you don't have friends to play with, you can hire on other players' heroes for a small gold fee (though your own hero doesn't get any of this upon being hired).
Another neat feature, and one which should have been at the forefront of the game, is the ability to create your own dungeons for other players. However, this comes with a pretty big caveat - you must either purchase the option for Astral Diamonds (the in-game 'real money' currency) or reach level 10 (the game's cap, as far as I'm aware), which can take months of standard play. This means that the option is likely going to be grossly under-used by most players, which is a real shame. Still, player-made modules do have their downsides - there are no experience rewards for completing them, and the gameplay scenarios possible are extremely limited.
Really, the big issue here is the lack of any sort of multiplayer. As a casual, 'fifteen minutes a day' sort of game that's understandable, but even some sort of asynchronous co-op or competitive battling would have been a nice addition. D&D might be a bit fast-paced for play-by-mail, but it would have been nice if the option was there all the same. The game does allow for an Active Spectator feature, which sees you looking on when another player recruits your hero; your reward is a percentage of the gold and experience. However, during my time playing I was never recruited once, and I certainly wasn't about to keep the game running 24/7 just to earn a little extra money.
Heroes of Neverwinter is a game of fairly limited scope. While other D&D-style games have always been a bit cut-down compared to what's possible on the tabletop, Neverwinter reduces things to the very basics of turn-based, grid-based combat. For what it's worth, the fundamentals are very much intact, with feats, flanking, traps and so on all factoring into combat. Tactical positioning is extremely important, when the dungeon layouts allow it, and smart use of choke points, spells and so on can often win an encounter.
The adventures themselves are very simple and quite short, only taking about 10-20 minutes of play to complete, but each one features a mini-narrative told through pop-up text boxes during the course of the adventure. There is no interactive dialogue to speak of, but as a framing device, the writing gets the job done just fine, even if the subject matter is very standard D&D fare - yes, goblins, bandits and undead are still the game's staple enemies. Still, a bit more variety, like some simple puzzles or less linear dungeons, would have gone a long way toward spicing things up.
The game's main freemium conceit comes in the form of Energy. Energy is represented as a purple bar, but is effectively a timer on the number of adventures you can perform in a given period. Energy recharges slowly over time, allowing you to play an adventure once every few hours, but the basic pool of 20 means that it's almost impossible to go on more than once adventure in a row. I never felt I needed to play the game for hours on end, but failing an adventure often means waiting to try again, which is annoying to say the least. Obviously the goal is to get you to pay for extra Energy, and while it's not too big a deal next to other social games, it's still a bit too transparent for my liking.
There were a couple of other issues I ran into while playing. Your player character must be alive in order to save progress - if your character goes down during combat, and you win, you'll still have to repeat the adventure. Furthermore, enemies have a habit of attacking your character above everyone else, often killing him or her instantly in the case of more powerful enemies. Playing as a Cleric, dying meant it was impossible to progress even if I had a Raise Dead spell on-hand, and taking two Clerics was a pretty poor alternative. This meant that on multiple occasions I had to replay the same missions again and again, which wasn't very fun at all.
Outside of combat, there isn't much to do. Aside from checking out your friends' houses, you can buy and sell items at the game's auction house (which automatically sets prices based on supply and demand), or you can create dungeons at the Dungeon Workshop once you've hit the level cap (or paid for access). These meta-game features are as sparse as it gets, and compared to other Facebook games, Heroes of Neverwinter
Neverwinter Nights: Heroes Of Neverwinter For Mac Download
could offer a lot more as far as mini-games and other activities go, especially as there is so little to do when waiting for Energy to refill.Dungeons & Dragons for the Masses
One thing that Heroes of Neverwinter gets right above all else is making D&D approachable. The begins with a guide, Edrick, helping you through a number of tutorial areas which introduce the game's basic functions - fighting enemies, healing, using items, trap detection, etc. - and this is pretty well-designed even if it's framed in a silly context ('Don't you remember? You inherited a house in Neverwinter! That's why you're here fighting goblins in the woods!').
What's more,
Neverwinter Nights: Heroes Of Neverwinter For Mac Iso
Heroes of Neverwinter has a very good user interface, especially for a Facebook game, and I think even a full-priced retail product could take notes. Context-sensitive radial-style menus make it extremely easy to perform actions in combat, and the game has a very clean and uncluttered look. Getting intoNeverwinter Nights Guzud
D&D has never been easier, and if there's one strength of Heroes of Neverwinter, it's allowing your non-gamer friends to jump in without too much trouble.The Social Network
Let's get one thing out of the way first - Heroes of Neverwinter is a freemium social game, and it comes with much of what that implies. It may have some strong core D&D-style gaming in it, but wrapped around it are a series of advertisements, in-game currency options, insta-win potions available for purchase, and so on. If you come into the game expecting to get away without seeing any ads, you will be disappointed. Unlike many freemium games, though, the basic gameplay is unaffected by these options, with most of them boiling down to customizations and 'get new content faster' buttons - just be aware that they are most definitely present.
Heroes of Neverwinter takes advantage of its social options decently, but unremarkably. The game allows you to add friends to the game via easy invitations, and you can form a party with them if you wish. There's no simultaneous multiplayer, but being able to create a team with the classes, races and skills you all want is definitely a boon for the game. You can also view each others' trophies and accomplishments, although there's little reason to look at this save for bragging rights. If you don't have friends to play with, you can hire on other players' heroes for a small gold fee (though your own hero doesn't get any of this upon being hired).
Another neat feature, and one which should have been at the forefront of the game, is the ability to create your own dungeons for other players. However, this comes with a pretty big caveat - you must either purchase the option for Astral Diamonds (the in-game 'real money' currency) or reach level 10 (the game's cap, as far as I'm aware), which can take months of standard play. This means that the option is likely going to be grossly under-used by most players, which is a real shame. Still, player-made modules do have their downsides - there are no experience rewards for completing them, and the gameplay scenarios possible are extremely limited.
Really, the big issue here is the lack of any sort of multiplayer. As a casual, 'fifteen minutes a day' sort of game that's understandable, but even some sort of asynchronous co-op or competitive battling would have been a nice addition. D&D might be a bit fast-paced for play-by-mail, but it would have been nice if the option was there all the same. The game does allow for an Active Spectator feature, which sees you looking on when another player recruits your hero; your reward is a percentage of the gold and experience. However, during my time playing I was never recruited once, and I certainly wasn't about to keep the game running 24/7 just to earn a little extra money.
Dungeon Crawling
Heroes of Neverwinter is a game of fairly limited scope. While other D&D-style games have always been a bit cut-down compared to what's possible on the tabletop, Neverwinter reduces things to the very basics of turn-based, grid-based combat. For what it's worth, the fundamentals are very much intact, with feats, flanking, traps and so on all factoring into combat. Tactical positioning is extremely important, when the dungeon layouts allow it, and smart use of choke points, spells and so on can often win an encounter.
The adventures themselves are very simple and quite short, only taking about 10-20 minutes of play to complete, but each one features a mini-narrative told through pop-up text boxes during the course of the adventure. There is no interactive dialogue to speak of, but as a framing device, the writing gets the job done just fine, even if the subject matter is very standard D&D fare - yes, goblins, bandits and undead are still the game's staple enemies. Still, a bit more variety, like some simple puzzles or less linear dungeons, would have gone a long way toward spicing things up.
The game's main freemium conceit comes in the form of Energy. Energy is represented as a purple bar, but is effectively a timer on the number of adventures you can perform in a given period. Energy recharges slowly over time, allowing you to play an adventure once every few hours, but the basic pool of 20 means that it's almost impossible to go on more than once adventure in a row. I never felt I needed to play the game for hours on end, but failing an adventure often means waiting to try again, which is annoying to say the least. Obviously the goal is to get you to pay for extra Energy, and while it's not too big a deal next to other social games, it's still a bit too transparent for my liking.
There were a couple of other issues I ran into while playing. Your player character must be alive in order to save progress - if your character goes down during combat, and you win, you'll still have to repeat the adventure. Furthermore, enemies have a habit of attacking your character above everyone else, often killing him or her instantly in the case of more powerful enemies. Playing as a Cleric, dying meant it was impossible to progress even if I had a Raise Dead spell on-hand, and taking two Clerics was a pretty poor alternative. This meant that on multiple occasions I had to replay the same missions again and again, which wasn't very fun at all.
Outside of combat, there isn't much to do. Aside from checking out your friends' houses, you can buy and sell items at the game's auction house (which automatically sets prices based on supply and demand), or you can create dungeons at the Dungeon Workshop once you've hit the level cap (or paid for access). These meta-game features are as sparse as it gets, and compared to other Facebook games, Heroes of Neverwinter
Neverwinter Nights: Heroes Of Neverwinter For Mac Download
could offer a lot more as far as mini-games and other activities go, especially as there is so little to do when waiting for Energy to refill.Dungeons & Dragons for the Masses
One thing that Heroes of Neverwinter gets right above all else is making D&D approachable. The begins with a guide, Edrick, helping you through a number of tutorial areas which introduce the game's basic functions - fighting enemies, healing, using items, trap detection, etc. - and this is pretty well-designed even if it's framed in a silly context ('Don't you remember? You inherited a house in Neverwinter! That's why you're here fighting goblins in the woods!').
What's more,
Neverwinter Nights: Heroes Of Neverwinter For Mac Iso
Heroes of Neverwinter has a very good user interface, especially for a Facebook game, and I think even a full-priced retail product could take notes. Context-sensitive radial-style menus make it extremely easy to perform actions in combat, and the game has a very clean and uncluttered look. Getting intoNeverwinter Nights Guzud
D&D has never been easier, and if there's one strength of Heroes of Neverwinter, it's allowing your non-gamer friends to jump in without too much trouble.However, this accessibility comes at a huge price. Namely, the game's class and race selection are very poor - you've got Fighter, Wizard, Cleric and Rogue, along with Human, Halfling, Eladrin and Dragonborn, and considering you have exactly four party slots, there's never any agonizing over which to bring. Moreover, the number of abilities is extremely scant, with only two to choose from every few levels. While I'm not entirely up to speed on the 4th Edition rules, even what's presented here is extremely limited. D&D
Neverwinter Nights Heroes Of Neverwinter
and all its complexity has been adapted well plenty of times over the years, and Heroes of Neverwinter simply can't compete with more fleshed out products on the market. It doesn't kill the game, but it will probably alienate some of the more hardcore fans.Conclusion
It's clear that last year, Atari were very intent on making D&D as mainstream as possible. Along with Daggerdale, the hack-and-slash downloadable title from Bedlam Games, getting into D&D has never been easier. At the same time, it's hard to ignore that this leaves hardcore players without nearly as much to latch on to, or to keep them playing. Considering that Wizards of the Coast are beginning to show off the 5th Edition rules, with the key tenet being a return to the complexity the game is known for, it seems casual focus may not have paid off as they intended.
Heroes of Neverwinter captures the fundamental fun of D&D, there's no question - truth be told, it's hard enough to find fun turn-based RPG combat in the Western scene these days. Beyond this, though, Heroes of Neverwinter simply doesn't have enough features to toy with, enough character classes or races to make party composition interesting, or enough variety in its gameplay to warrant more than short-term play. If your goal is to get a few rounds of combat in on your laptop or smartphone, then Heroes of Neverwinter is certainly capable, at least for a few weeks; additionally, if you've got a friend or family member you want to introduce to D&D, this isn't a bad supplement either. But, frankly, those looking for a more well-rounded experience should look elsewhere.