Neverwinter MMO - User Generated Content??

[Blystos Re]

Very sketchy details on "The Foundry" - a proclaimed content generation tool for the Neverwinter MMO community:
http://www.playneverwinter.com/foundry

So, we have a free-to-play, free-to-download, free-to-mod MMO... what's the catch? Expansions? Micro-transactions? Being able to buy unique items with real money is going to turn me off to this, if that is in fact the case.

Not that I'm giving up on NS4, but forward thought is nice. There's not a lot to discuss concerning The Foundry, I just thought I'd post this in case anyone else has heard more about it; so far there isn't much on the main page from Cryptic, and I couldn't find it using search on the forums here.

[Blystos Re]

lil' more info from one of the dev's in their forum...

The Foundry for Neverwinter has already undergone major improvements from its current STO counterpart.

In particular, we have a new map editor for interiors that uses a modular room tile system. We currently have 5 completely unique environments working with that system, and we plan to make as many more as possible from now until ship. This means there will be much less emphasis on using pre-made environments like you saw in STO's Foundry (although we will still make maps from the main campaign available).

The room tile system is actually pretty cool at this point. You have a library of rooms and hallway tiles you can place for any given theme that are themselves highly customizeable. You can choose to auto-populate a room with props that can then be individually moved and tweaked, or you can start with an empty room. Each room tile has connection points that work dynamically with other rooms so when they meet up, it carves a doorway between them in which trigger-able/lockable/skill check doors can be slotted in. Room tiles also have an array of unique lighting themes and some will have multiple levels within a room (two story houses, towers, cave descents, etc.).

Props now have multiple states associated with them too, so we can have a chair prop for example that has an upright state, knocked on its side, on fire, possessed and floating around... (you know, the basics) all selectable in that object's property pane.

I definitely share your passion for user created content. The Foundry's ultimate goal is to empower players to create the stories they want to tell, to truly make the game theirs, and to share their creativity with the community.

[Ajantis.]

I started a discussion on this a long time ago. I've been following it since its inception. News on it goes from good to bad to good to bad.

http://www.nsrealm.com/public/ns/viewto ... &t=1002892

I've decided to just wait and see.

[mining]

*three weeks later* also, we're removing magic, clerics, bards, rogues and fighters. Commoners for everyone. */three weeks later*

[Bargeld]

The important part:

Neverwinter is being built with a modified version of the same engine used for Cryptic's two most recent MMORPGs -- Star Trek Online and Champions Online. Both of those games have gone (or are going) free to play, and have given Cryptic a lot of useful feedback around what should and shouldn't be charged for. Noticing that for basically every game currently on the market, every new piece of downloadable content sells less than the last for the same title, Cryptic has decided to make every content pack for Neverwinter totally free as well. Not all content will be free, though. The developer will be charging money for consumables (special potions, temporary items to increase experience gains, etc…) vanity pets and cosmetic items. Unlike the current trend of ex-subscription-based MMOs that lock out portions of their content to free players, Cryptic plans to avoid making any content premium-only in Neverwinter.

...this week...

[Blystos Re]

^Then we can count on Cryptic shutting it down because it doesn't make any money?

...I dunno, seems like that falls in the "bad" news category.

*three weeks later* also, we're removing magic, clerics, bards, rogues and fighters. Commoners for everyone. */three weeks later*

So Chase got on the Cryptic Dev staff? Love it.

[$chase$]

someone had to