Source (http://es.biz.yahoo.com/080213/189/5ui7t.html)Titles) we plan to release during the next fiscal year of 2008-2009: [blah, blah] NeverWinter Night 2 Expansion Pack2 PC [blah, blah]

The fact that they can't get the name of their own game right doesn't exactly fill me with confidence :p.

It's unclear as to whether or not good ol' Obs are developing this one but we do have this from over on the Codex (http://www.rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=22703):Well) I guess the proverbial cat is out of the bag now.

How in the world is anything supposed to stay sekrit on the intart00b.

Let's hope it's more along the lines of MotB than the OC, eh?

Whooooo. I can't wait

But I would rather have a sequel

I'll be happy if it's just half as good as MoTB

Ooooooh, absolutely delightful news! Here's to a totally over-the-top level 30-50 campaign following MotB. (And perhaps a proper Epic spell system to go with it?)

Bah, they'll probably just go the way BioWare did with SoU and make it something completely new. But here is to the level cap being raised again in any case. (At least 40 like in NWN would be very nice.)

But I would rather have a sequel

Don't get your hopes up. With how large a selling point modding has been for the series Obsidian isn't likely to uproot the community after giving it only a yearish to settle in with the current game. I'd predict if we'll ever see a NWN3 it'll be in three or four years (or shortly after the release of 4E at the absolute earliest).

I wouldn't mind if I didn't have to patch it the first 7 days I owned it just to make it playable.

Still, I can't see much of a sequel coming out of MotB...

This is taken from a loading screen in MotB, they did the same thing with OC, they mention Rashemen in a loading screen

"Evan as far north as Rashemen, sailors whisper of distant Chult, a land of steaming jungles, deadly disease, and massive reptilian monsters. Local peoples cling to coastal regions, mounting occasional expeditions into the deep jungle... and living in fear of serpents who can take the shape of men."

So next stop Chult ? ^^

This is taken from a loading screen in MotB, they did the same thing with OC, they mention Rashemen in a loading screen

"Evan as far north as Rashemen, sailors whisper of distant Chult, a land of steaming jungles, deadly disease, and massive reptilian monsters. Local peoples cling to coastal regions, mounting occasional expeditions into the deep jungle... and living in fear of serpents who can take the shape of men."

So next stop Chult ? ^^

Wow, the biblical references are just....just....


so lame.

Im currently tired of mmos... atleast until Chronicles of the Spellborn come out... any good mods for this game?

Does the wait between actions get any better? Or is it always attack wait reattack wait attack again...?

It's turn based, but I think you can turn the feature off if you don't want to wait.
Combat also goes a lot faster once you get out of the first few levels because you get more than one attack per round as you increase in levels.

I'm ashamed to say I haven't got MotB yet, but it still warms my heart should Obsidian announce a second expansion to the game, after the success of the first campaign. Let's hope it's true.

I really don't understand all the complains about that you attack then need to wait, are you not using the rest of your party members ? Of course you need to wait if you just watching your own characther, its the same in Kotor. But you have a hole party. If you controll evryone in a battle you don't need to wait. I think i have to short time in some of the larger battle to micro my party ^^

Im currently tired of mmos... atleast until Chronicles of the Spellborn come out... any good mods for this game?

Does the wait between actions get any better? Or is it always attack wait reattack wait attack again...?It's only like that at low levels. Once you get a higher BAB you get more attacks per round, and the animation speeds up.

I really don't understand all the complains about that you attack then need to wait, are you not using the rest of your party members ? Of course you need to wait if you just watching your own characther, its the same in Kotor. But you have a hole party. If you controll evryone in a battle you don't need to wait. I think i have to short time in some of the larger battle to micro my party ^^

Youre both right and wrong. There is a wait in the other games, but its not noticeable. In NWN2 there is a discernible wait between actions in battle... but if it goes away as I level up then Im fine.

Now if we could just make the characters not-ugly, the game would be great.


I just bout MotB today, and I love the way the genasi look! Really great. If they keep up the nice looking characters in their second xpack, I might forgive them the fugly characters in the original. >.>

Source (http://www.rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=24582)

According to a news post on a <Romantic Language Here> site, Neverwinteros (http://www.neverwinteros.com/), The Sword Coast seems set to make a return in Obsidian's next installment of the Neverwinter Nights 2 saga. Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir will plunge the player into an epic and truly heroic world of... economic manipulation.

The news apparently comes straight from the horse's mouth, Atari Europe having issued this release to all European Community representatives. Confirmation comes from Obsidian's Anthony Davis; who declared it as "realz" (http://www.rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=24582&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=25).

In the aftermath of the defeat of the King of Shadows, the Sword Coast is in the midst of an uneasy economic recovery. Trade syndicates have sprung up to exploit the post-war confusion for their own ends. The players’ party will wade into this uncertain environment; in order to increase their own fortunes, they can either ally with a syndicate to create a trade empire, or cut their own path through Faerûn by preying upon caravans and selling the goods on the black market. As they attempt to extend their influence, players will become aware of a new faction working behind the scenes: the evil, shapeshifting, serpentine Yuan-Ti."

Obsidian seems to be taking Neverwinter Nights 2 in a very different direction from both the one started on in the original game and the one found in Mask of the Betrayer. I can't say that's a bad thing, to be honest, it suggests that they're not afraid to take the series in new directions, nor are they above experimenting with fresh ideas.

For the second time with their handling of the NWN licence, Obsidian have pleasantly surprised me. Once again I have read a press-release that doesn't involve the word 'epic'. Though not much is clear at this time, the plot seems more centred on intrigue than it does fighting Ancient Evil; refreshing, I tells ya!

Something about the word "streamlined" causes horror to lock her icy arms around my chest, though.

Update: Anothny Davis (http://rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=534621#534621) has said that while he's not yet able to talk specifics on this project, "I will say this about the game, the very first time I saw the new over land map stuff, it FELT like a completely different game than NWN2 and NX1, in a good way."

^^Is it just me, or does this trade warz from hell scenario apear to be rather grey? Heres to hoping it turns out that way.

Pavlos: Combat is NWN2's weakest link, if the streamlining is aimed at making it more entertaining I have nothing agains it.

Something about the idea of "an economic adventure in Faerun" makes me both curious and fearful. But I'll wait to find out more before passing judgement.

Who is this Zehir anyway?:P

The Bioware boards seem to agree that the KC's story is done (sigh, no saving the smexy Bishop?), so looks like we'll be starting from scratch. Economic adventure, hrm. I'm not exactly fond of managing my finances in RPGs (save obsessively gathering and selling things until I realise that I don't actually *buy* anything besides ammo), but I have faith in Obsidian:)

Sounds interesting to try as a multiplayer game though.

To be honest, if I see economic stimulation, I can find it in real-life economies, or if I want simulation I have my trusty Sim City. A Sim City mmo would be interesting to say the least, though I have no real desire to do so in the Faerun setting.

New info, and level 30 is still max level. So no halfgods here
http://www.actiontrip.com/previews/neverwinternights2stormofzehir_i.phtml)
http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/neverwinternights2stormofzehir/interview.html)

Source (http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?showtopic=49928&st=285&p=863933&#entry863933)

ActionTrip (http://www.actiontrip.com/previews/neverwinternights2stormofzehir_i.phtml) and Strategy Informer (http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/neverwinternights2stormofzehir/interview.html) and Rock, Paper, Shotgun (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=1950#more-1950) are sporting new interviews with Obsidian Entertainment's Kevin Saunders, Lead Designer on MotB and a Producer (according to ActionTrip) on SoZ.

For those who are wondering, Tony Evans is the lead on SoZ; he designed both Mulsantir and the Slumbering Coven in MotB. Seeing as how the latter of those two areas is some of the most fun I've had in a game for a long time (the Infernal Contract dream sequence was awesome), I have hope that even if the plot is not the main focus, it will still be both enjoyable and well-thought-out.

Another benefit from the Overland Map has been our D&D rules implementation. We’ve never been thrilled with the role Skills have played in Neverwinter Nights games. They are not as well integrated into the gameplay as we would have liked. On the Overland Map, skills like Spot, Survival, and Listen could all be given gameplay effects that would be fun and interesting, clear to the player, and more faithful to their D&D implementation.

At least their plans for improving gameplay seem well planned, even if I'm not overly pleased that the plot is not the focal point. The sheer concentration of the word Fallout brings a smile to my withered heart, at any rate. Although I may have to add it to my list of buzzwords should they continue to use it...

Edit: Damn you, Lantzen! :xp:

Long post is long:xp:

It's the same team that did mask of the betrayer that work on this expansion. So i think this can be really good if they put down the same effort as last time

(the Infernal Contract dream sequence was awesome)

While the dialogue for it was all very well-written (the PC's actually differs in style from the rest of the game if you look closely), it wasn't a terribly open-ended sequence. All you had to do was click through all the options (reading them wasn't necessary) and you'd come across the solution to Faras' dilemma.

Granted, as I said, the dialogue and premise of that side quest was all very well-done. It was just rather lacking in player choice, but thankfully there looks to be an emphasis on that here.

we do have some major 4th Edition story tie-ins.

4th ed butchered all that was good about the Forgotten Realms when they destroyed everything east of the Sword Coast (who needs original settings like Thay and Rashemen when you can have an overused medieval sword-and-sorcery one?) so that doesn't sound good. Hmm, maybe they'll kill off Elminster or Drizzt...? I can dream, can't I? I'd so love to see them dead. Serves them right, intruding in BG2 like they did.

We would love to create a 4th Edition D&D game

Go to hell. One of them anyways. >:|

Bah, I never wanted a NWN3 in the first place.

Source (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=191562)

ComputerAndVideoGames.com (what a long name...) has posted an interview (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=191562) with the lead designer of Neverwinter Nights 2's latest expansion pack, Storm of Zehir, along with some random screenshots from Neverwinter Nights for reasons which, I'm sure, were clear to the site's editor if not to me. [They've fixed their goof]

Some good stuff in there along with confirmation of the level range (3 - 15) that SoZ will be covering.

We focus on giving players maximum reactivity based on how they play and how they customise their party. No longer will you put points in a skill like Survival and then not be able to tell what effect it has in the game.

As players explore Samarach and the Sword Coast and interact with its many fascinating characters, the player will reap the benefits, and drawbacks, of their choices.
Choices having a negative effect on the progression of a character? :hug:

An economic/political theme in this expansion? O.o That sounds like it could be really cool!

*nerd-gasm*

Sounds interesting. I really liked MOTB's story but there are two things that really annoyed me in that game and I am not quite sure if I will want to go through another expansion:

1. The horrible camera (I thought I'd get a tendinitis from trying to keep the camera in place with the mouse).

2. The influence system. The idea is good but I really dislike how it has been implemented. I found it extremely annoying and "immersion breaking" to have to go through the same dialog options over and over in order to maybe get a different answer that will reveal a bit more about the story and the characters. I didn't liked that in KotOR 2 but I felt that it was just worse in MoTB (perhaps because it was more "dialog heavy").

Well, atleast it's better in MotB then in normal NWN2. There it was plain broken, you coudeln't get all the influence dialougs with numerous partymembers if you didn't use bugs in the game.

Hmm... any modders what to try and do a female model edit to make them skinnier? Particularly the plaintouched. >.> Or a model switch with the elves...

Darth333, that complainer thread is hilarious.

Hmm... any modders what to try and do a female model edit to make them skinnier? Particularly the plaintouched. >.> Or a model switch with the elves...They were pretty chunky come to think of it, weren't they? I always thought my warlock looked a bit heavy.

Yes they were, and they werent attractive in the slightest... except from the neck up. The way I describe them:

Its like the model designer was blind, and he was touching several different women to get an idea of what a woman was like physically. And thats what we ended up with. >.>

Does anyone know what the name of the base skin of the model is? For female air genasi? Such as:

p_hhf_cl_body164.dds

I know thats not it though...

Source (http://www.warcry.com/news/view/85061-NWN-2-Storm-of-Zehir-Facts-Screens)

A fact-sheet (http://www.warcry.com/news/view/85061-NWN-2-Storm-of-Zehir-Facts-Screens) has just been released for Storm of Zehir -- Obsidian's second expansion for 2006's Neverwinter Nights 2 -- which details the features of the game. While it's mostly a rehash of old information, it does contain our first glimpses of the game in action.

"Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, Atari will be expanding on the Neverwinter Nights 2 franchise with Neverwinter Nights™ 2: Storm of Zehir, by delivering an engrossing DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® experience. Neverwinter Nights™ 2: Storm of Zehir hearkens back to the days of the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale franchises by including full party customization, dungeon crawling, and free exploration of a non-linear game world via Overland Map. This thrilling game is scheduled for worldwide launch in Q4 2008."

The shots aren't that breathtaking but, then again, look at some of the first shots (http://static.computergames.ro/cg/assassin/images3/nwn2maskofthebetrayer/nwn2maskofthebetrayer009.jpg) of Mask of the Betrayer compared to the end product (http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2007/234/939027_20070823_screen004.jpg).

Updated

Source (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/07/16/rps-ish-at-ish-e3-day-two-atari/)

Rock, Paper, Shotgun have just put up a preview of Obsidian's Storm of Zehir and CD Projekt Red's The Witcher: Enhanced Edition on their site (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/07/16/rps-ish-at-ish-e3-day-two-atari/).

It's an interesting, if short, read if you want to hop on over. It's a shame that the coverage of Storm of Zehir at E3 has not been greater; it seems to be shaping up nicely

"Now, I have absolutely no experience with NWN2, so my impression of the expansion pack – that it seems kind of good – might not really mean anything, but the title does feature some interesting features, from a party system that gives you four main characters (in any situation, such as conversations, you can pick the one which will do the best job) and an intentional effort to make the skills from Dungeons and Dragons that no one ever uses useful (so you can “craft” items from debris found at your shipwreck, or use “spot” to find hidden items)."

I'm confused about the references to BG & IWD. Are they only talking about the Tactical Combat only of both games. Or are they also including the Party Interaction of BGII?

Heh, It sounds like I'll be able to create 4 chars instead of one, if so, it might be time to let IWD2 rest.

Neverwinter Nights™ 2: Storm of Zehir hearkens back to the days of the Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale franchises by including full party customization, dungeon crawling, and free exploration of a non-linear game world via Overland Map.All right. If this is true then I might have to finally break down and buy this game.

Source (http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/891/891207p1.html)

IGN has posted a short preview (http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/891/891207p1.html) of Storm of Zehir which details the new party dialogue system and overland map but does contain some spoilers for the beginning of the game. A more in-depth and spoiler-free (but unofficial) explanation of the dialogue system can be found here (http://www.rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?p=544220&highlight=#544220).

Since you're in charge of a four-person party now, you can use each member to access different dialogues. The fighter in our party, for instance, intimidated a soldier into giving up his sword, while our rogue used diplomacy to convince another survivor to hand over her bow. This is all part of the developers' efforts to make your characters' skills more meaningful throughout the game. Another extension of that thinking is the ability of craft-trained characters to create weapons out of the wreckage that has washed ashore.

Update

Source (http://www.rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=25250&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=25)

Gametrailers has uploaded an interview (http://www.gametrailers.com/player/37137.html?type=) about Storm of Zehir with the mysterious Matthew Rorie, Obsidian's new(ish) press manager. Perhaps most interesting is the screen behind Mr. Rorie's head which shows Storm of Zehir live and in action. If you keep an eye on it you should catch a clear view (especially if you're watching in high-def) of the overland map.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b73/Pavlos_1/StormofZehirmap.jpg) (http://www.gametrailers.com/player/37137.html?type=)

The map certainly appears to do what they say: open up the environment to player exploration, extending the use of Spot as a skill beyond finding ore deposits in the OC. We shall have to wait and see. Keep up the good work, guys.

Interest++

Update 2

Source (http://www.rpgcodex.net/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=25250&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=75)

Every time I close our news management page, I come across a new piece of Storm of Zehir news. Anyway, a French site, La Bibliothèque de Neverwinter Nights, has managed to get its paws on some new snaps (http://www.bbnwn.eu//phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=12191) of SoZ.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b73/Pavlos_1/SoZcombat.jpg) (http://membres.lycos.fr/lultimerendezvous/forums/images/mes_images/sto_005.jpg)

I'm not sure if the area design is of as high a standard as MotB but I suppose we will have to play the game to find out.

With the emphasis placed on exploration, I would imagine that they have less time than they did on NX1 (a game with an emphasis on a tight and short plot) to craft areas as breath-taking as Ashenwood. I have this horrible feeling that the world map will simply end up the same way as Mass Effect's unexplored worlds: generic maps with a smattering of combat. Time will tell...

i'm 50/50 on this...a new expansion is awesome, but of the two campaigns we have, only one can be played to the finish for me (OC always crashes at some random point during the Crossroad Keep Siege...YAY!!!), so i've never seen the ending, but MOTB worked great...hope that's true of Zehir

I am already slightly disappointed in SoZ. The party limit of four reminds me of the horrible console Baldur's Gate games. :disaprove

I am already slightly disappointed in SoZ. The party limit of four reminds me of the horrible console Baldur's Gate games. :disaprove

Is there really much difference from how it is in Neverwinter Nights 2 already? Both the NWN2 campaign and Mask of the Betrayer gave you a party of 4 through parts of those campaigns, if I remember correctly.

(And hopefully you can mod it, like those two earlier games, to bring along as many as you want :))

Is there really much difference from how it is in Neverwinter Nights 2 already? Both the NWN2 campaign and Mask of the Betrayer gave you a party of 4 through parts of those campaigns, if I remember correctly.

(And hopefully you can mod it, like those two earlier games, to bring along as many as you want :))

You're right. I must have been having a senior citizen moment. :giveup:

Source (www.nwvault.com)

NWVault have posted an interview (http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Interviews.Detail&id=333) with Obsidian's Tony Evans, lead designer on Storm of Zehir, the second expansion pack to the developer's 2006 Neverwinter Nights 2. Spoilers are present within the article but are clearly marked for those wishing a virgin gaming experience.

Yes, there is something I’d like to get off my chest... I am really, really jealous of all the people who will get to play Storm of Zehir later this year. You see, the team at Obsidian set out to make the kind of RPG that we’ve always wanted to play but, the problem with that is, game developers typically cannot bear to play the games they make once they are finished. It would be kind of like dating your daughter after you’ve finished raising her. So, you guys (and gals) will be able to enjoy Storm of Zehir in ways that are sadly lost to us poor developers.

Looks like Annie Carlson is taking on the role of Creative Director for Storm of Zehir, the role held by George Ziets on Mask of the Betrayer. We also have confirmation of Port Llast's return, safe and secure with some new music.

Yay, so I'll get to create my own party, though I'm not exactly thrilled to return to port everlast.

Source (http://rpgvault.ign.com)

RPG Vault has posted an interview (http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/899/899068p1.html) with a few of the core team members -- including Creative Lead Annie Carlson -- working on Obsidian's new expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights 2, Storm of Zehir.

You will return to Crossroad Keep, Neverwinter and West Harbor. Each map has been extensively updated, and is now much more detailed than the original versions. In Neverwinter, you return to the Blacklake District. The main area in front of the castle has been completely rebuilt after the battles the community endured in the previous games. The Thayan Academy and Temple of Waukeen have constructed new building headquarters located here. Also, the castle wall has a new viewing stand to see the rest of the cityscape.

Obsidian continues to impress me with each and every article they put out about this game. Personally, I'm hoping this new dialogue system add yet another dynamic to dialogue.

Rather than just having skills affect how an NPC reacts, what about race, class, and appearance too? Sure your Drow party member may have a huge Diplomacy score but that doesn't mean he's going to get a positive reaction from the average person on the street. The player will be forced not only to think about whose line to choose in a dialogue based on statistics but also based on what sort of emotional response the character will have to the speaker. Perhaps that's a bit too progressive in terms of NPC interaction for an expansion pack, though...

We shall see.

What would we do without you, Pavlos? You always bring us the latest news... :urpdude:

And they're all new, no leftovers from Neverwinter Nights 2 or Mask of the Betrayer*weeps for the lack of Bishop and Asa Seigel's voice*

Apart from that, it sounds fantastic! I always thought it was silly how traveling with someone with survival as a skill made absolutely no difference, one way or another. Looks like I'm going to have to save up for it!

RPG Vault has posted an [url=http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/899/899068p1.html]interview) (http://rpgvault.ign.com) with a few of the core team members -- including Creative Director Annie Carlson -- working on Obsidian's new expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights 2, Storm of Zehir.

The only Creative Director/Chief Creative Officer at Obsidian is Chris Avellone. He always will be unless he leaves the company. CD/CCO oversees Obsidian's all projects.

Thus, Annie Carlson is not a creative director. She may be a Creative Lead because a CL at Obsidian means a lead writer for a single project.

Well, I gotta give Obsidian some credit - they made it so that I don't have to deal with party members like Elanee the Rapist, Qara, or Neeshka. *Shudders* On the other hand, this means no genuinely amusing banters, such as with Sand. Ah, well, you can't have your cake and eat it, too.

Thus, Annie Carlson is not a creative director. She may be a Creative Lead because a CL at Obsidian means a lead writer for a single project.
My mistake, I'll correct the misprint.

sequels tend to get darker and grittier, but we've gone in the other direction with Storm of Zehir. <snip> it's a tale of light-hearted adventure and exploration. It's more fun and less serious.

Ah, crap. :(

Source (http://ve3d.ign.com)

Fourteen shots of Obsidian's Storm of Zehir can be found over on Voodoo Extreme (http://ve3d.ign.com/images/fullsize/35824/PC/Neverwinter-Nights-2-Storm-of-Zehir). While mostly showing off some of the game's combat scenarios -- and a dinosaur -- we do catch a glimpse or two of the world map in Glorious High Resolution.

Source (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=332471)

GameSpot have uploaded a ten minute long video (http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/neverwinternights2stormofzehir/video/6196650/gc-2008-neverwinter-nights-2-storm-of-zehir?tag=videos;title;1) of Obsidian's Storm of Zehir expansion pack for 2006's Neverwinter Nights 2 featuring the world's smoothest boat journey. The video does contain spoilers for the beginning of the game so you may wish to avert your eyes.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b73/Pavlos_1/StormSnakes.jpg) (http://uk.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/neverwinternights2stormofzehir/video/6196650/gc-2008-neverwinter-nights-2-storm-of-zehir?tag=videos;title;1)

The video features the first full-blooded demonstration of the new dialogue system which should clarify the mechanics to those who are still uncertain. In addition we catch our first detailed look at how the world map works and looks. A pretty packed video, all in all, which shows off some impressive area design.