Neverwinter Nights 2 Q&A - More Single-Player Details

D&D may have gone online recently with Dungeons & Dragons Online, but fans of single-player role-playing games need not fear. Obsidian Entertainment is working on Neverwinter Nights 2, the sequel to 2002's hit role-playing game set in D&D's Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Like its predecessor, Neverwinter Nights 2 will feature both a single-player campaign as well as a multiplayer component that will let you create your own virtual role-playing modules and play them online with one player acting as a dungeon master. It's been a while since we last saw the game, so we caught up with lead designer J.E. Sawyer for the latest details.

Neverwinter Nights 2 has a new graphics engine and a deeper story.

GameSpot: It's been about four months since we've last seen Neverwinter Nights 2, and the game was in a very early state at that point. How far has the game progressed since then, and what's it looking like now?

J.E. Sawyer: It probably won't be surprising if I say that all of the pieces are coming together. Removing the old Aurora renderer and implementing Obsidian's new Electron renderer required a lot of changes in the code. We're patching all of that stuff together and finalizing the major revisions to the editor. It's been a bumpy ride, but the editor is now an even more powerful tool for both designers and end users.

For our "official campaign," we're taking a good look at where we are and how we can best spend our time to get a quality product out for people to enjoy. We're past the point of content lockdown, so our focus is very much on strengthening what we have and eliminating or revising those things that detract from the experience.

GS: Obsidian's had a history of working with Bioware before with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II. Are you consulting much with the original Neverwinter Nights team at Bioware, or do you pretty much have a free hand to do what you'd like?

JES: Not really. The programmers have done so much revision to the engine that it wouldn't be all that productive, and the rest of the content is being generated internally.

GS: What can you tell us about the story? We know that the sequel is set sometime after the events of the original game, and that Neverwinter city is different because much of it was rebuilt following the cataclysmic events in the first game. What sort of new places can you reveal to us at this point?

JES: The story revolves around a dire figure from the history of the Sword Coast known as the King of Shadows. I can't honestly remember a game where the sentient embodiment of shadows is ever a good thing, so that should be a clue about his role in the story.

Your character starts in the village of West Harbor. It's a pretty peaceful town until the King of Shadows messes it up. Your character is caught up in the attack and has to survive through the assault. The events in West Harbor bring the village, and your character, to the attention of Lord Nasher in Neverwinter. Rulers of cities tend to get nervous when nearby villages are overrun with supernatural creatures, so some of Nasher's mental alarms go off. Your character gets caught up in a political and moral struggle that spans a healthy stretch of the Sword Coast, with some planar meddlers thrown in for good measure.

Anyway, it's an exciting thrill ride through the Forgotten Realms filled with mystery and intrigue. Sometimes the intrigue is even mysterious. However, those with weak hearts need not worry about the mystery being intriguing. Obsidian knows where to draw the line!

You'll still be able to play online with all your friends (and enemies).

GS: Neverwinter Nights 2 is supposed to have a much stronger emphasis on story, but could you give us an idea of just how much deeper the story will be? For instance, we've heard that there's going to be a much more "believable" world, or, at least, as believable as a fantasy world filled with elves and dwarves can be. What does that mean, exactly?

JES: Your character comes from a very humble background. West Harbor is a pretty rural community and not a lot happens there. When you first arrive in Neverwinter, people don't think much of you. Your actions help build your reputation among people. Over time, you become increasingly feared and respected. Your role in the story increases in a manner that is believable within the setting. The reactions that people have to you are reactive and sensible. By the end of the story, you're entrusted with matters of grave importance because you have built up a reputation befitting a heroic figure.