About Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights (NWN) is a computer game set in a medieval fantasy setting based on
the fantasy worlds of the Dungeons and Dragons® (D&D) roleplaying game (RPG).
This RPG puts you at the center of an epic tale of faith, war, and betrayal.
As an introduction to NWN, let’s discuss a bit of gaming history.
Dungeons & Dragons®,
a
roleplaying game system based in fantasy worlds where
wizards and knights battle evil cults and freakishly hideous monsters,
has been around since the 1970's.
The current sub-title '3rd Edition' comes from the fact that several versions
of the rules system for this famous game have existed before the current version.
Originally created by the decidedly revolutionary game designer
Gary Gygax, the D&D rules have
undergone several revamps, including supplements to the 1st Edition
(one of which originally introduced game concepts such as the Barbarian character class and weapon specialization),
a fully revised 2nd Edition
(which introduced, among other things, a skills system to the game but lost certain things like the Monk character class),
and finally the recently released 3rd Edition rules from the new owners, Wizards of the Coast.
While the 3rd Edition brings back some
of the character classes and other ideas from the original version that had been lost in the 2nd Edition,
the differences between the versions are most apparent in this latest incarnation
- it is a large departure from either of the previous versions.
It is good to note, however, that while D&D has an interesting history, as a new player of either D&D or NWN
you do not need any experience with the previous versions of the Dungeons & Dragons rules systems;
in fact, it may be helpful to understanding these rules if you do not have preconceived notions.
Wizards of the Coast's 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons®
rules allow for an unprecedented
flexibility in creating a truly unique character. For example, two players who each choose to play a Fighter
can be as different as night and day depending on what feats, skills and other
characteristics they choose to develop during play. Also, in addition to Fighters, there are 10 other character classes on which
to base your character concept, such as deadly and dangerous Rogues moving through the shadows
using stealth and secrecy, sage-like Wizards who wield powerful magic against their enemies, hulking
Barbarians whose lust for battle is matched only by their terrible rage, armor clad Paladins who protect
the innocent and vanquish their foes, and crusading Clerics who heal the sick and defend the helpless...
not to mention that you can choose to be any one of 7 different 'races', such as human, dwarf and elf,
creating a vast number of possibilities for your character concept! For more on character creation, see the
Character Creation Guide
In addition to the nearly endless flexibility for play, NWN also allows players to construct their own
unique worlds of adventure using an excellent peice of software that comes with the game called
the Aurora Toolset. The Toolset allows even novice users to construct everything
from a quiet, misty forest to a dripping cavern of foul evil to a king’s court. All the monsters, items,
set pieces and settings are there for world builders to use. But do not stop there... you can also construct traps and
deadly encounters, as well as custom monsters and magic items to make your adventure unique.
And with a little bit of scripting (NWScript, based on the C language), you can make your adventures truly shine!
But the Neverwinter experience is not just for one person! You can also adventure with all your friends.
Neverwinter Nights can be played online with up to 64 players all sharing in the adventure.
And, using piece of software included with Neverwinter Nights called the DM Client,
you can even take the role of the Dungeon Master® (DM), an optional game organizer, storyteller and referee
who can control some or all the monsters and other non-player characters the players meet as they journey on their quest.
Fundamental Components
The five fundamental components of Neverwinter Nights are:
-
The Official Campaign: Players create a character in accordance with a slightly modified version of the
Wizard of the Coast’s 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons®
rules, then adventure through an epic story, battling fearsome creatures, improving their character,
and immersing themselves in the popular fantasy milieu of the Forgotten Realms.
Players can expect over 60 hours of story-based gameplay from the official campaign.
Neverwinter Nights is fully playable in both single player and multiplayer:
Play through the game by yourself or, if you have an Internet or LAN connection, share the adventure with friends
from around the world using our dedicated in-game matching service.
Players can move their characters seamlessly between the two modes with no need to convert
files back and forth or maintain separate versions of their characters.
-
Other Modules: Neverwinter Nights will also have an assortment of modules, both at ship- and at post-release dates,
in the game and on the community site. These other modules will offer a high replay value outside that
provided by the official campaign. These may be built by BioWare and other partners subsequent
to the initial release of Neverwinter Nights.
-
The Dungeon Master (DM) Client: Pen and paper role-playing games draw their appeal from having someone
who controls the flow of the story, making sure that the players are having a fun time.
In D&D, this person is called the Dungeon Master (DM). With its fully integrated DM Client software,
Neverwinter Nights revolutionizes the computer role-playing genre by putting that power back in the
hands of our users, where it belongs. As the game progresses, Dungeon Masters will have the power
to control the difficulty of the game in real time; place and remove creatures, items, and other
objects within the gameworld; possess non-player characters and monsters to speak through them
and control their actions; and use various other tools to enhance the mood and heighten the
gameplay experience of their players. Neverwinter Nights does not require a Dungeon Master
to play the game, however in multiplayer mode a Dungeon Master will certainly enhance the
enjoyment of the game of all playing.
-
The Neverwinter Aurora Toolset: The true power of any role-playing system lies in its ability to unleash the imagination.
The Neverwinter Aurora Toolset does just that. It is a powerful but user-friendly RPG creation toolset –
the same one BioWare is using to create their Official Campaign. A series of "wizards" and automated assistants
will speed up the workflow of advanced users while at the same time providing novice users with the necessary
help and guidance to bring their dreams to life. The average user will be able to construct an enjoyable dungeon
crawl in under an hour. Advanced users will be able to add narrative depth using our extremely flexible
conversation editor and NWScript, our powerful C-styled scripting language.
-
The Portal System: Massively multiplayer games are becoming increasingly popular and prevalent within the industry.
While the Official Neverwinter Nights Campaign will not include a massively multiplayer component, the toolset will
give players the power to create their very own persistent worlds. This is made possible by our innovative Portal System.
Through the placement of Portals within your gameworld, you will be able to connect your Neverwinter module to other modules
running on the machines of friends, guildmates, and fellow players. This modular structure allows for a persistent
gameworld of theoretically infinite dimensions and with an equally infinite player capacity.
Other Important Features
NWN has many other important features, including:
-
Excellent simulation of Dungeons & Dragons role-playing,
using a slightly modified version of the Wizard of the Coast D&D 3rd Edition rules.
-
Official campaign takes place in the Forgotten Realms®, D&D’s most popular campaign setting.
-
Highly customizable characters.
All 7 races and all 11 classes presented in Wizard of the Coast’s 3rd Edition D&D Player’s Handbook can be played.
Both genders are equally supported.
A wide selection of unique spells, skills, and feats can be chosen as characters gain experience.
A flexible armor and clothing creation system allows for literally billions of unique looks for your character.
-
Powered by BioWare's fully 3D Aurora Engine, offering dynamic shadows, advanced particle and animation systems,
and dynamic weather effects, among its many other features.
-
Integrated matching service via Gamespy for free multiplayer gaming. No monthly fees for the matching service or playing time.
-
When you've played through the official campaign, extend the life of your game by playing all-new adventures created by
the talented members of the fan community.
This process will be facilitated via the BioWare Live Community Team that will be both developing new content for
the game, and working with the community to help them build adventures for the game.
For more information, navigate to other areas of this site, or check out BioWare's official Neverwinter Nights site
at http://nwn.bioware.com/.
NEVERWINTER NIGHTS © 2002 Infogrames Entertainment, S.A. All Rights Reserved.
Manufactured and marketed by Infogrames, Inc., New York, NY. Portions © 2002 Bioware Corp.
BioWare Aurora Engine © 1997-2002 BioWare Corp. All Rights Reserved.
BioWare, the BioWare Aurora Engine, and the BioWare Logo are trademarks of BioWare Corp.
All Rights Reserved. Neverwinter Nights, Forgotten Realms, the Forgotten Realms logo,
Dungeons & Dragons logo, Dungeon Master, D& D, and the Wizards of the Coast logo are trademarks owned
by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. and are used by Infogrames Entertainment, S. A.
under license. All Rights Reserved. Windows and Windows 95/ 98/ 2000/ XP are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
All Rights Reserved. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Interactive Digital Software Association.
All other trade-marks are the property of their respective owners.
