Neverwinter Nights (AOL)

This article explains the online role-playing game Neverwinter Nights . For the computer role-playing game of the same name from BioWare from 2002, see Neverwinter Nights .

Neverwinter Nights
Studio	Stormfront Studios
Publisher	SSI
Senior Developer	Don Daglow
Erstveröffent- lichung	1991
platform	PC ( DOS )
Game engine	Gold box engine
genre	MMORPG
Subject	Dungeons and Dragons
Game mode	Multiplayer
control	Mouse , keyboard
language	English
Current version	2.2

Neverwinter Nights is one of Stormfront Studios developed and Strategic Simulations, Inc. published massively multiplayer online role-playing game in the D & D -Spielwelt the Forgotten Realms . It is considered the first graphic MMORPG and was offered exclusively through AOL from 1991 to 1997 .

Gameplay

Neverwinter Nights is based on the AD&D set of rules. At the beginning the player creates an optional male or female character, for whom he can choose from six races (human, elf, half-elf, halfling, dwarf, gnome) and classes (fighter, cleric, ranger, paladin, villain, magician, as well as possible combinations of these classes) can choose. The values ​​of the six main attributes (strength, constitution, intelligence, dexterity, wisdom, charisma) are randomly chosen by the program, but are within certain limits that result from the choice of race and class.

In the game, the player explores the region around Niewinter, a fictional city in the D&D campaign world of the Forgotten Realms. This also includes the cities of Lletzthafen, Luskan and other areas in the surrounding area. As usual in the games of the GoldBox series, the player receives orders, for the completion of which he receives experience points, as well as for killing opponents. Once a character has accumulated enough experience points, they can exchange them for level advancement in the so-called practice halls in Niewinter and thus improve their character values ​​and skills. The character can reach a maximum of level 12.

The battles are turn-based and are carried out on special tactical overview maps. Each player has a time window of 20 seconds per turn to carry out an action. Otherwise the turn is forfeited and the next player or computer opponent has a turn. Players can join other players' battles that have already started and support them at any time. If a player is in the vicinity of a corresponding fight, he will be informed of this by the program. Loot and experience points are shared equally among the participants by the computer at the end of a fight. If a character dies during a fight, he will be brought back to life in the entrance area of ​​the area with reduced health points. With the help of a follow function, several heroes can form a group and explore the game world together.

Neverwinter Nights specialty was the combination of the characteristics of the GoldBox computer role-playing games with the role-playing aspects of Multi User Dungeons (MUD). Players were able to communicate with each other with the help of a simple text entry using onscreen text. The resulting social interaction was one of the main attractions of the game. Players organized themselves in player groups, so-called guilds, and designed the game world through their own activities and actions. Committed players largely took care of the community and contributed to the further development of the game.

The PvP mode has also been adopted by MUDs . Although not originally planned, it was subsequently integrated into the game after extensive discussions among the players. However, he was limited to magic users. A set of rules imposed by the community itself limited the areas in which PvP was allowed. PvP subsequently developed into a standard functionality of numerous MMORPGs and in the multiplayer mode of computer role-playing games.

development

The development of Neverwinter Nights was preceded by business relationships between the founder of Stormfront Studios Don Daglow and AOL boss Steve Case as well as the AOL producer Kathi McHugh. Stormfront programmed several online games for AOL before developing a retail title for SSI for the first time, Tony La Russa's Ultimate Baseball . Chuck Kroegel, Head of Product Development at SSI, finally commissioned Daglow's team in 1989 to continue the GoldBox series. The game was released in 1991 under the title Gateway to the Savage Frontier .

In 1989 AOL commissioned Stormfront to develop a graphical online multiplayer role-playing game. On the AOL side, producers Scott Gries and Jessica Mulligan were involved in the project. In a collaboration between Stormfront, SSI and AOL, Neverwinter Nights was finally created , which, like Gateway to the Savage Frontier, was based on the engine of the GoldBox series. In the beginning Neverwinter Nights only supported 50 players at a time. The capacity has increased to 500 players over time.

In order to be able to use Neverwinter Nights , in addition to the program, the player needed Internet access from AOL, as the game server was only accessible via the provider's closed online network. In addition to the internet connection costs, an hourly usage fee was due. A flat rate tariff was only introduced for the game in 1997. Nevertheless, the game enjoyed great popularity and players had to wait until the end of the rush hour for seats to become available. The player base was put at a total of 115,000 users over the entire duration, of which around 2,000 were active players until the end. It is estimated that the revenue for 1996 was approximately five million US dollars.

Although Neverwinter Nights was rated as a financial success by AOL, the further development of the game was treated with secondary priority due to the booming business with private Internet connections. On July 18, 1997, AOL switched off the game server despite protracted and high-profile protests from the remaining players. Officially, this step was justified with the outdated technology of the game. Unofficially, disagreements about the business model between the contractual partners AOL, SSI and the D&D rights holder TSR are considered the reason for the termination of the cooperation. As a result, the contract, which was valid until July 15, 1997, was not extended.

The game can still be played offline. Since there is no memory function, however, all progress is lost when the program ends.

reception

The D&D fan magazine Dragon rated the game in its March 1992 issue 179 with four out of five stars. The authors Patricia Hartley and Kirk Lesser particularly emphasized the caring care provided by the active players, the combat system and the opportunities for interaction. On the other hand, the high costs were criticized.

The success of Neverwinter Nights prompted the AOL competitor AT&T to commission an MMORPG in 1994 for their own online network Interchange. SSI then developed Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands based on its then current Dark Sun engine . The game was released in 1996 via Total Entertainment Network after AT&T decided to discontinue Interchange in November 1995.

In 2008 Stormfront Studios received the Emmy Technology Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for creating the first online graphic role-playing game.

Follow-up projects

There is no direct successor to Neverwinter Nights . Nevertheless, over the course of time, several projects have emerged that refer directly to the title through their gameplay or the choice of name and the associated choice of game world.

Forgotten World

Forgotten World is a fan project that was created in 1998 and aims to maintain or continue the original Neverwinter Nights . It is a clone of the original game that can be played online using a Windows client developed in-house.

Neverwinter Nights (2002)

→ Main article : Neverwinter Nights

In 2002 the Canadian developer BioWare released another computer role-playing game under the same name together with publisher and D&D license holder Atari . Unlike the original, it had a single player mode and could therefore also be played offline. The core of the product, however, was an easy-to-use editor for creating your own adventures and an extensive multiplayer mode. This enabled the game to be played both over the network and online with friends. An active modding community developed, which contributed to the long-lasting success of the game.

The possibility of providing self-created modules online for up to 96 players with the help of dedicated servers resulted in so-called persistent worlds based on the game . In terms of play, there was a great proximity to the original Neverwinter Nights and fan remakes of the old AOL title were also made.

→ Main article : Neverwinter Nights 2

In 2006 Obsidian Entertainment developed the official successor to Bioware's Neverwinter Nights for Atari . The features of the predecessor have been consistently developed, while the technical framework has been modernized. Even if the reactions to the title were more restrained compared to its predecessor, the second part also developed long-lasting fan activities around the game.

Neverwinter

→ Main article : Neverwinter

In 2010 Atari announced the development of Neverwinter by Cryptic Studios . The developer, who formerly belonged to Atari, is developing an MMORPG based on the 4th edition of the rules, which is also located in the vicinity of the city of Niewinter.

Heroes of Neverwinter

In June 2011, Atari, in cooperation with Liquid Entertainment, announced Heroes of Neverwinter as a game application for the social network Facebook . It is based on the D&D set of rules of the 4th edition and offers the player smaller adventures that he can play alone with a group of six heroes or together with friends within the network. The social interaction possibilities are a main feature of the game. When it was first published, there were a total of 45 missions, but an editor allows players to create their own adventures and share them with friends. The game's combat system is turn-based. The game is basically free to use, but offers players certain advantages in return for payment. An open beta started in September 2011.

Web links

• Neverwinter Nights (AOL) at MobyGames (English)
• Bladekeep.com (English), documentation and archive site.

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences: Stormfront Studios Honored At 59th Annual Emmy Technology Awards For Creating First Graphical Online Role-Playing Game ( English ) In: MCV . McCormack & Morrison. January 10, 2008. Archived from the original on February 14, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Patricia Lesser, Hartley Lesser, Kirk Lesser: The Role of Computers . (Article scan) In: Dragon . No. 179, March 1992, pp. 57-62.
3. ↑ Bladekeep.com: About the Guilds , last accessed on 15 September.
4. ^ Matt Barton: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part III: The Platinum and Modern Ages (1994-2004) ( English ) In: Gamasutra . UBM TechWeb. April 11, 2007. Retrieved September 15, 2011: “ Although it's beyond the scope of this article to discuss MUDs in any detail, suffice it to say that the appeal of these games is based far more on the thrill of playing with other people than anything else. A case in point is the original Neverwinter Nights, an online game available on AOL between 1991-1997 that was based on SSI's Gold Box engine. Rather than get excited about stories or quests, players spent time creating and participating in a player-created “guild” system; the bulk of the game's appeal consisted in socializing and building up one's social status. In short, the difference between the typical MMORPG and the traditional CRPG is as sharp as that between attending a Renaissance Fair and reading a good fantasy novel. "
5. ↑ Bladekeep.com: Player Vs. Player Combat , last accessed September 15.
6. ↑ ^{a b c} Jon "BuckGB" Birnbaum: Stormfront Studios Interview ( English ) In: Gamebanshee . UGO entertainment. April 16, 2005. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
7. ↑ Jessica Mulligan , Bridgette Patrovsky: Developing Online Games: An Insider's Guide . New Riders, 2003, ISBN 1-59273-000-0 , pp. 455 .
8. ↑ ^{a b} Jessica Mulligan: History of Online Games ( English ) In: Imaginary Realities . February 2000. Archived from the original on December 22, 2001. Retrieved September 28, 2011: “ Jessica Mulligan, now a Quantum Computer Services employee, writes a white paper on the gaming industry and recommends that Quantum license the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons game from TSR, Inc. It does so, and AD&D: NeverWinter Nights is born, based on SSI's Gold Box series of AD&D games. Once launched, NeverWinter Nights will run continuously for several years, even though the technology of the graphics interface is hopelessly outdated. In it's last year of existence as a for-pay game, 1996, it will rake in an estimated $ 5 million dollars. "
9. ^ William Sims Bainbridge : Berkshire Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction . tape 2 . Berkshire Publishing Group, 2004, ISBN 0-9743091-2-5 , pp. 474 (Quote: “It already had the game Neverwinter Nights , but that could handle 'only' five hundred simultaneous players; the demand was much greater.”).
10. ↑ Bladekeep.com: The History of NWN , last accessed on 15 September.
11. ↑ ^{a b} Janelle Brown: Gamers Claim AOL Is Playing Bait-and-Switch ( English ) In: Wired . Condé Nast Publications. June 24, 1997. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
12. ↑ Bladekeep.com: The Demise of NWN , last accessed on 15 September.
13. ↑ Bladekeep.com: NWN Offline , last accessed September 15.
14. ^ Andre Vrignaud: Postmortem: SSI's Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands ( English ) In: Gamasutra . UBM, plc . October 24, 1997. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
15. ↑ Benji Edwards: 12 Forgotten Online Games ( English ) In: PCMAG . Point Davis . October 1, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
16. ^ Forgotten World . Project website, last accessed on September 15, 2011.
17. ↑ NWN Ressurection ( Memento of the original from August 12, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Project website of an NWN remake, last accessed September 15, 2011. 
18. ↑ Jon "BuckGB" Birnbaum: Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of Neverwinter Announced ( English ) In: GameBanshee . UGO entertainment. June 7, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
19. ↑ Griffin McElroy: Heroes of Neverwinter preview: Facebook fantasy ( English ) In: Joystiq . AOL . June 11, 2011. Archived from the original on January 31, 2015. Retrieved on February 28, 2011.
20. ↑ Jon "BuckGB" Birnbaum: Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of Neverwinter Open Beta Begins ( English ) In: Gamebanshee . UGO entertainment. September 15, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2011.