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I suppose this is a good thing because people keep complaining that the essential idea of most MMORPGs on lower XP levels is hunting every damn rat in the world... and paying for that. Not exactly my idea of fun, though =)

Personally, I'm currently playing smaller-scale CRPGs. My favorite has much better and free character adjustment in case the adventure in question needs a high-level character: DebugMode 1, GiveLevel 10 (or whatever), DebugMode 0 =)

C'mon you make this too easy...

nwn is almost here

as is WCIII

What we can't give you right now:
- an exact completion date

All we can estimate is that we expect the Linux Client to be available for download in Fall 2002.

What we can give you:
- Linux client screenshots
- an assurance that the Linux client will be released
- a web page for the Linux Client where all updates will take place

Interestingly enough, the latest patch (1.23) for Neverwinter Nights removes the SecureROM copy protection. (Now you don't have to insert the "play disc" when you start the game)

I guess Bioware figured out just how annoying something that minor can be.

Bioware has Neverwinter Nights [bioware.com], it as pretty graphics and revolutionary features and blah blah blah

Bioware has Neverwinter Nights, it as pretty graphics and revolutionary features and blah blah blah. Morrowind. Driving games... etc. The fact is, however, that the FPS develops tend to lead the industry in the development of new technology in terms of graphics engines and network code. Other than them, its the massively-multiplayer crowd.

Stormfront Studios' Neverwinter Nights launches on America Online. It was based on the Gold Box SSI AD&D games, and was programmed by Cathryn Mataga.

NWN was the first experience I had with PvP (Well maybe the second -- I played a lot of Trade Wars.) The game, even though it was on AOL was lot of fun and the best part of about it were the guilds. I spent a lot of time in the "Temple of Lloth" as Gomph and was a great lackey.
I remember playing around with a Mad Cleric by the name of Holy Church that eventually got kicked off of AOL for his overzealous PVP tactics.

NWN, back then was not supposed to be a PVP game, A player could not even hit another player with his/her sword when in an "encounter" with another. But it was dicovered that magic spells did have an effect on others. I think Mataga (the programmer)assumed people would cast spells to help each other. So spells like 'haste' were great. But where benificial spells helped, so did the bad spells. Fireball and hold person and lightning come to mind.

Three years ago when I heard about Bioware making NeverWinter nights, I was taken back down memory lane. (It's only been 10 years since I played on AOL... Argh!)

>> If you think I'm wrong, could you tell me what legitimate purpose the DMCA serves?

> It makes it harder to obtain software cracks off the internet, which decreases copyright infringement.

Recent versions of Neverwinter Nights for Windows will not work on my machine because of an overly zealous CD protection scheme.

The only way I can play the game I bought on the machine which which I bought (both legally) is to use one of the noCD cracks.

Use of these noCD cracks incidentally, is not illegal. After all, I bought the game not for the CDs but for the data on the CDs.

I fail to see how the DMCA is allowed to restrict my rights in this regard. (FWIW, it can't, as I don't live in the USA but I expect the EU to toe the party line any time now.)

Just wondering if anybody knew what sort of specs you'd want for your Linux box to run NWN.

It shouldn't be that different from the Windows specs, seeing as they're running on the same hardware. From the Neverwinter Nights page:

• Pentium® II 450 MHz or AMD K6 450 MHz
• 128 MB RAM
• 1.2 GB HD space
• 8X CD-ROM drive
• 16 MB OpenGL 1.2 video card
• 56K modem

Now, if you want a playable game that runs faster than one frame per second:

• Intel Pentium 5 or Athlon Clawhammer processor
• 1024 MB RAM
• 4.7 GB HD space
• CD-ROM drive fast enough to shatter CDs
• NVIDIA GeForce 5 video card or equivalent
• T1 Internet connection

Getting to the shot was a pain in the ass. Actual link to screenshot is here.

So, can't you script your own?

Cool, thanks. A little additional research turned up this link where Al Schilling (product manager for MacSoft) gives a lengthy update on the progress of the project. He also mentions that he'll be watching that forum thread and attempting to answer questions. MacSoft++

I was just about to type up a long flame against Bioware's practices, because of the fact that they would not re-write the user interface....specifically the dreaded camera angle restriction. I had actually quit playing the game because of this reason.

I went to Bioware's site to find the forum link(with the other 10,000 complaints against the horrible camera angle restriction) and the first post says that the angle has been hacked! Apparently a very talented dissatisfied customer with a few drops of common sense (clearly not a Bioware employee) put a decompiler to work and made the interface useable! Rejoice!

Here's the link:

Bioware's camera angle thread.

I'd rather see the Linux server piece get some more attention. I have basically given up running a full time linux NWN server - it's not very stable.

To the NWN community's credit, several neat tools are available to help and make things easier.

The sticky Linux server thread has alot of good information for this, including lots of good scripts that will restart the server if (I mean when) it decides to dump core.

Besides that, there is no good way to have complete and failproof protection (short of having EVERYTHING be controlled by one group). For non-interactive content, video and sound is eventually going to be displayed/played by something. Most of the time, you can intercept that signal with a non-copy protectioned device. If not, then you sacrifice a little quality and capture the display/sound through other means.

As for interactive content, short of having the whole computer controlled by a dictidorian system, you can't really stop someone from editing assembly.

What can be done? Well, if the public is willing to give up their freedoms and have one group control their entire AV systems, and have their computer completely controlled by one group as well (sound familiar? think M$), then yes it can be done. However, this is not the American way. The RIAA/MPAA would have us give up our right to breathe if they thought they could make more money. We must resist, and continue to fight for our rights!

Will it be able to play Neverwinter Nights at a LAN party? ;-)

Neverwinter Nights was released...
Bioware's NWN's Site...
So umm... do you mean support for it under WineX? I hope it will be supported too, but I think it will be before 2004.

The official site has a list of modules that you can download here.

Is thanks to the new game, Neverwinter Nights.

FYI, User Friendly's latest cartoons are about a game of AD&D...

from the bioware FAQ :

The Linux dedicated server will be distributed freely online, as close to the game being available in stores as possible. The Linux client will follow shortly thereafter. Linux users will need to own a Windows copy of Neverwinter Nights, as the Linux executables must import certain resources from those Windows CDs. All users will need to register their CD Keys (Linux users register the Windows CD Keys) at the Neverwinter Nights community site (www.neverwinternights.com). The Macintosh version will be available later in the fall (BioWare is completing the Macintosh Neverwinter Nights client and server programs, MacSoft is completing the Toolset).

EQ is coming for OSX. Neverwinter Nights is due out soon.

Assuming that I would want to play an online RPG (which will NEVER be a true RPG in my opinion; it can only be, at best, a war game), why would I want to play a game that's been out for the PC for so long? I see that players are gaming with other players, some good, some evil, some teenagers with nothing better to do than go online and wreck havoc...

I spoke to a buddy on EverQrack who has some rediculously high level character(s). He's not the only one.

These games seem to put a huge emphasis on Power Levels (again, where's the role playing in that?) What would make me, a new player, want to play in a power-hungry world with high level characters already out there? My joke to my friends who are playing NeverWinterNights already (PC version, natch), is that I can join as a 1st lever character and be a burden to the party as soon as the Mac client comes out. :lol: By then they should all be 7+ levels...

This is why Neverwinter Nights seems like such a good idea. Instead of hacks, people make legit modules with tools they provide. And, of course, it's all based on D&D 3rd Edition, so the modules can fit in perfectly.

I don't know who neverwinternights.com is, but the offical page is actually:

nwn.bioware.com

I loved the old skool mods that Doom and Quake brought about, but in order to enjoy the newer games these days I'd have to buy a new box every year, which is more than participation in the scene is worth to me.

There are exceptions though, and the releases of NWN and Warcraft 3 have resparked my interest in PC ghaming and given me reason to upgrade my aging desktop.

Atari had a hand in making Neverwinter Nights.

Well the manual patches are available from the following directory:
http://nwdownloads.bioware.com/neverwinternights/p atch/
But this is not listed on their homepage, so I can't be 100% sure they work (I've already updated my version so I can't try them out either).

>Hopefully these will be released soon.

It's a simultaneous release, check here.

Atari is one of the developers working on Test Drive, Unreal Tournament 2003, VRally3, Godzilla, Terminator, Splashdown, Transworld Surf, MX Rider, Neverwinter Nights, and Stuntman.

Infogames will be doing the port to Mac in the fall. Press release at http://www.bioware.com/bioware_info/press_releases / wnmac/

The big news remains that no Linux client is available, so anyone running a server will have very little they can do with it if they don't have a Windows box to create modules on.

And, unless there is another new eula, you forgot to read it as this is still in the eula:
Here is the link for the new eula from bioware site.
Extract:
We have tried to address your concerns and here is the new EULA.
.......
5. Infogrames' and BioWare's Use of Variations. If you Distribute, or permit others to Distribute, your Variations, you hereby grant back to Infogrames and BioWare an irrevocable royalty-free right to use and distribute such Variations by any means.

And this is still illegal in my country where the original work of an author is protected and his rights in court are "souverain". Which means that if someone distribute any original work of an author without his written concent in a legal contract, his work is still his and a contract and repairs have to be done and paid that must be the most favorable possible to the author.
And this country is still infogramme's country.
On the other hand Infogramme is famous for having acquired a lot of works at incredible low rates wich then made incredible sales. Try to find what the author of "alone in the dark" say about his cooperation with them. His name is Frédérick Raynal.
(in french it's here.)

I can't remember the last time a major gaming company released the Mac version of a game the same time they released the Windows version.

How's about Neverwinter Nights?

- grunby

This is bad news by any reasonable definition. Note that the official FAQ still says "we are planning a simultaneous PC/Macintosh/Linux release for Neverwinter Nights, with all three versions to be included in a single box."

Also note that Macsoft expects it will take them two months to finish the Mac version, not including the toolset. No clue how long the toolset would take if they decide to port it at all. Third, note that Bioware has never released a single Mac (or Linux) demo appliction, or even a screenshot of a partial prototype.

For comparison, other porting houses like OmniGroup and Westlake can plow through an entire port, starting from raw Windows-only DirectX-based source code, and turn out a complete Mac game in the same amount of time.

The obvious conclusion is that Bioware has spent the past three years working solely on the Windows version, and their claims about parallel simultaneous development were a crock.

Totally patently FALSE. Here's some references:

• 1999: Dungeon Masters moderating online games will be able to create their own scenarios using BioWare's Solstice Toolset.
• 2000: From the very start of our development cycle, we have been designing Neverwinter Nights not only to be multiplatform but also to be fully interoperable between the different OS versions," says Oster. "We want a Be OS player and her Windows friend to be able to play together on a Mac server under the guidance of a Linux-based dungeon master.
• 2000: Neverwinter Nights will support the Windows, Mac, Linux, and the ever-popular BeOS operating systems, and all versions will be completely interoperable.
• 2001: * The powerful and user-friendly Neverwinter Aurora Toolset allows players to create entirely new adventures, campaigns, and worlds of their own devising. The toolset is a major features of the title and will receive full post-product support. * Single-box release across multiple Operating Systems (Windows, Linux, Macintosh and BeOS). All versions will be fully interoperable.
• 2001: So the big question in everyone's minds seems to be "Why did you wait this long to tell us that the toolset is Windows-only?" That's a fair question and the honest answer is that we didn't know, we still don't know. [...] The truth is that we want our toolset to be available on all platforms.
• 2002 (right now): We are planning a simultaneous PC/Macintosh/Linux release for Neverwinter Nights, with all three versions to be included in a single box.

The FAQ still says that they're doing a simultaneous release for WIn/Lin/Mac. It looks like the Marketing is not in sync with reality yet.

IPX? For Christ's sake, does ANY game support IPX anymore? According to the FAQ, Neverwinter Nights does. It's a dead protocol. Even Novell has gotten rid of it for IP. IP is where it's at jack. Thanks for the news flash, Jack. Some gaming companies unfortunately use IPX as a way to limit unauthorized internet play, with IP support in the game requiring authentication with a designated registration server.

Just found the answer: no subscription required

It should be noted that concerns from the community prompted this from bioware:

We have been in contact with Infogrames and the concerns over the wording of the EULA, by the fans, has been duly noted.

The legal beagles will be taking another look at this issue and we should have more information for you in a few days (Monday is a holiday up here).

Until that time, we won't have any further comment on the EULA until a more official statement can be made.

...but I don't know if anything came of it. Seeing how the game is now gold, I imagine we're gonna hear soon, or they didn't change the license.

My problem is with the revocation rights. Those should go away. I'm hesitant to even bother learning the tools if they retain that right. It's the principle of it all. (why should this be any different than say a text-editor?)

Get your wallpaper image if a penguin viciously attacking a Doomknight here!

Poor Doomknight doesn't know what he's up against...

Penguins, anyone?

Are they making a none-too-subtle statement about the awesome power of linux?

Hehe, yeah, maybe that was going overboard. Didn't even notice. Guide for the uninitiated:

IWD = Icewind Dale
IWD2 = Icewind Dale 2
IE = Infinity Engine -- powers BG/BG:TotSC/PS:T/IWD/IWD:HoW/BG2/BG2:ToB and IWD2
NPC = Non-Player Character
NWN = Neverwinter Nights
DS = Dungeon Siege
TA = Total Annihilation
OP = Original Poster
TotSC = Tales of the Sword Coast. BG1 add-in adventures
PS:T = Planescape: Torment
ToB = Throne of Bhaal. BG2 expansion.
HoW = Heart of Winter. IWD add-in.

Hehe, yeah, maybe that was going overboard. Didn't even notice. Guide for the uninitiated:

IWD = Icewind Dale
IWD2 = Icewind Dale 2
IE = Infinity Engine -- powers BG/BG:TotSC/PS:T/IWD/IWD:HoW/BG2/BG2:ToB and IWD2
NPC = Non-Player Character
NWN = Neverwinter Nights
DS = Dungeon Siege
TA = Total Annihilation
OP = Original Poster
TotSC = Tales of the Sword Coast. BG1 add-in adventures
PS:T = Planescape: Torment
ToB = Throne of Bhaal. BG2 expansion.
HoW = Heart of Winter. IWD add-in.

Hehe, yeah, maybe that was going overboard. Didn't even notice. Guide for the uninitiated:

IWD = Icewind Dale
IWD2 = Icewind Dale 2
IE = Infinity Engine -- powers BG/BG:TotSC/PS:T/IWD/IWD:HoW/BG2/BG2:ToB and IWD2
NPC = Non-Player Character
NWN = Neverwinter Nights
DS = Dungeon Siege
TA = Total Annihilation
OP = Original Poster
TotSC = Tales of the Sword Coast. BG1 add-in adventures
PS:T = Planescape: Torment
ToB = Throne of Bhaal. BG2 expansion.
HoW = Heart of Winter. IWD add-in.

From here

Quote: Posted 06/11/02 23:36:49 (GMT) by Derek French

I believe that the EULA has changed. Due to legal reasons (as none of us are lawyers here) we still can't comment on the EULA. Ever.

Jay (Community manager) just said that there'll be some news for mac-ites later this week.

the ppl at the forums are goin crazy!! IM ONE OF EM!!! AHAHAHAHH ITS DONE W00T!! (huff puff) *goes crazy*

There is still no information on whether or not NWN will be available for Mac OS X or just Mac OS 8/9, or both, or what. In fact, they don't even mention the platform in the press release.

You think they'd know by now, wouldn't you? I get the feeling that it just isn't ready yet.

Same reason you can't have Photoshop for Linux, or Microsoft Office for Linux: because the vendor wouldn't make any money off of a version of their software for Linux.

Yet you can buy Maya for Linux, which costs just a hair more than Photoshop or Microsoft Office. You can buy Star Office, but most people don't, because OpenOffice is nearly the same quality with the definate promise of improvement. There's also Abiword. Gnumeric is a top-notch spreadsheet program that I've come to prefer to excel. There's more like this. There's really very little incentive to buy an office suite when you can get better for free.

In other fields, the Free alternatives tend to kick the hiney of their commercial counterparts. Let's try a few, okay? Pan, a newsreader based loosley on Agent. Pan is the only newsreader to score perfectly on the GNKSA Evaluations. Compared this to its commercial basis, Agent's score really sucks. Then there's Quanta for HTML editing. VIM is fine for most people, but if you need that Dreamweaver-like crap, Quanta does it without getting in your way. And it's REALLY good. Oh yes, it's Free with a capital "EFF."

This is a silly arguement to make against "Linux." This is Capitalism 101. Good products offered under better conditions succeed while inferior products do not. Maya is wonderful under Linux, and there is nothing else in its league available on a Unix-ish (OS X, Linux) platform.

Oh, yes. You can also buy numerous games, of course. Neverwinter Nights in particular will be releasing for all three major platforms in a single box. We'll see what this does for sales.

Same reason you can't have Photoshop for Linux, or Microsoft Office for Linux: because the vendor wouldn't make any money off of a version of their software for Linux.

Yet you can buy Maya for Linux, which costs just a hair more than Photoshop or Microsoft Office. You can buy Star Office, but most people don't, because OpenOffice is nearly the same quality with the definate promise of improvement. There's also Abiword. Gnumeric is a top-notch spreadsheet program that I've come to prefer to excel. There's more like this. There's really very little incentive to buy an office suite when you can get better for free.

In other fields, the Free alternatives tend to kick the hiney of their commercial counterparts. Let's try a few, okay? Pan, a newsreader based loosley on Agent. Pan is the only newsreader to score perfectly on the GNKSA Evaluations. Compared this to its commercial basis, Agent's score really sucks. Then there's Quanta for HTML editing. VIM is fine for most people, but if you need that Dreamweaver-like crap, Quanta does it without getting in your way. And it's REALLY good. Oh yes, it's Free with a capital "EFF."

This is a silly arguement to make against "Linux." This is Capitalism 101. Good products offered under better conditions succeed while inferior products do not. Maya is wonderful under Linux, and there is nothing else in its league available on a Unix-ish (OS X, Linux) platform.

Oh, yes. You can also buy numerous games, of course. Neverwinter Nights in particular will be releasing for all three major platforms in a single box. We'll see what this does for sales.

Neverwinter Nights is a perfect example of how a game should be published - cross-platform, same box.

Except that the most important part of the game is Windows-only. I currently own only Macs, but if the Wine group gets Aurora running, I'll snag a spare PC and install Linux.