Neverwinter Nights 2: Planescape Trilogy Chat Log

Kalia: Let's start by letting the devs introduce themselves and their project.

Monty: My name is Montgomery Lee Markland, I'm the exec producer on the project and one of the lead designers. I'm an NWN1 player since the beginning and I used to design areas for the Myth Drannor and Gatecrashers PWs. And we'll give an overview of the project after everyone has intro'd themselves.

Fractal: Michael Epstein; Lead design. I basically tell everyone what to do in that dictator sort of way.. [insert some self glorifying background here].

LostWormOnItsWayHome: My real name is Cole David Lane, which some insist is a porn start name, but I digress. I've been everywhere Monty's been and done everything he's done, but not as well.

Lanessar: Well, my name is Lanessar, a.k.a. Jason Henseler and I'm a Lead Designer. That means "builder and stuff", for those uneducated in the lingo.

Anthony: I'm Anthony Lesink, interior area designer. I've been a fan of Planescape since it hit the shelves, and have put in a good bit of time with the NWN1 toolest.

Hippo: I'm Robert Rodgers, writer, NPC designer, and area designer. I've been playing DnD for ten years, Planescape for about 8ish, and working with the NWN1 toolset since it came out.

Monty: There are a lot more people that are making the module possible as well, and I want to thank them all for the hard work too.

LostWormOnItsWayHome: Unfortunately they have lives to attend.

Monty: Planescape is a phenomenal setting.

LostWormOnItsWayHome: Colossal, even.

Monty: And it lets you go so many different places story wise.

Anthony: I think i'm the new guy on the dev team, but after seeing the first few screens of the module, I knew I wanted to do anything I could to help bring the world to life.

Lanessar: And do not forget the outlandish accents. Gotta love those.

LostWormOnItsWayHome: I... was pretty much forced into it. Monty sent thugs to my house.

Monty: The trilogy itself is divided into 3 chapters: Purgatorio, Inferno and Eschatologia. And each of these chapters will tell a self-contained story in and of itself.

FuMiga: I am curious when, why and how you decided to name the chapters: Inferno, Purgatorio and Eschatologia.

Monty: Excellent question. There are certainly parallels to Dante's Inferno in the main plot. In fact the whole of the Divine Comedy informs the storyline to some degree but it is not a retelling of that tale. And I think the names of the chapters actually reveal that to some degree. Divine Comedy being in three parts, Purgatorio, Inferno and Paradiso.

Hippo: Plus, it just sounds cool. I mean, come on. 'Purgatorio'! That's like, 5 syllables or something.

Lanessar: A few tongue-in-cheek references, quite nicely done, if I might add.

Monty Whereas our naming scheme diverges in the third chapter and is called Eschatologia. And if anyone is wondering Eschatologia is roughly translated as the Science of the End or study of the end. I think at the most basic level the three chapter's names represent the fundamentals of any good story as well. Purgatorio is the struggle when faced with an initial problem. Inferno is the battle to resolve the problem. And Eschatologia is the struggle to overcome the cataclysmic difficulties that were not expected.

FuMiga: Nice answers and interesting previews they give to start with... That's the why and how... when did you decide it? I mean was it first choices or not?

Monty: The entire story revolves very much around the struggle of the individual when faced with the choice between being a force for a good and being a force for evil. Doing a campaign set in Planescape was and is by far my first choice for NWN2. I can't speak for the rest.

Hippo: Planescape was definitely my first choice, too. I've yet to encounter any setting more creative and crazy.

Anthony: Much like using a toolset that you don't have the game for is an attempt to overcome cataclysmic difficulties :-) I think i'm the new guy on the dev team, but after seeing the initial screens of the Hive Ward, I was completely hooked. Shelved the other ideas I had for NWN2 content in a heartbeat.

Unknown_Kadath: How long has the story been on the board?

Lanessar: I'd say about a month.

LostWorm: The story's been on the board since the announcement of the modules. We're quick. It's been twenty days.

Monty: I wish our head writer could be here to talk more about that: Roz. He's an outstanding talent. But yeah, the overall story has been in place, at least in terms of major beats for about a month. The detailing of that story has been an interesting process too. It's been a very cooperative process among a number of writers. And they've produced a truly phenomenal amount of material in the past month.

LostWorm: Basically we argue a lot.

Fractal: Very cooperative. Ryan spoke and we just sort of nodded in awe... no kidding, it actually is all pretty involving. We brainstorm in a chat and take the story further every day that goes by. So.. the story may end up being much different than we first envisioned, at the rate we're going.

Lanessar: I just gotta say, I've worked on professional development projects for major software releases with less talented and coordinated people.

ZombieB: I noticed you set a fairly short timeline until the first module release, do you believe this to be realistic now that you've had a chance to fool around with the toolset?

LostWorm: I think it's perfectly reasonable with plenty of narcotics.

Fractal: Hey I'll be truthful over here, I don't.

Monty: *nods* It's a good question and yes it's a very short timeline. Here's what I am certain of: After the Purgatorio module is completed and released We can, without a doubt, complete the Inferno and Eschatologia modules in a 100 day timeframe for each one.

Anthony: The toolset is sooo easy to get wrapped up in, I don't think it'll be too big of a problem. An area I figured would take 2 weeks to work up is just about finished in 3 days due to the fun I'm having doing it.

Monty: It is our -goal- to make the December release date. But if it comes down to releasing the module we want to release or making the release date we will delay.

Fractal: I don't think it's making a module in vanilla NWN2 that's the problem. We have some custom content to develop that we might want to see included in the first module.

LostWorm: Our biggest obstacle for Purgatorio was organizing in a way that everyone could be working at once.

Anthony: Not to mention, I'm just about in awe of the management of this project. I thought I was missing out on some sorta payroll due to the professionalism that's being used in creating and dividing work.

Monty: Like Fractal said, I think the custom content is the major stumbling block for a fast release.

FuMiga: Planescape is one of the richest sets, landscape wise, I've seen or read thus far. Do you plan on having custom material done and added to the modules right away or will you wait for community response?

Monty: The new toolset dramatically lessens the need for custom content, but certain iconic things are still necessary.

Fractal: We have some custom content already ready actually. Or mostly ready. http://www.roguedao.com/Podcast/mortuary.jpg for a preview (That wonderful placeable's being made by Romper Stomper btw).

LostWorm: We already have people working on custom content for Purgatorio.

Kalia: And what about the number of creatures included in the toolset. Is it going to be problematic to create the unique PS creatures?

Lanessar: Not really. See, creatures can be modified quite a bit with the VFX attachments, and the VFX editor gives us unlimited options. There's already a LOT you can do with it that people just do not see.

LostWorm: The limited number of creature models on release of the toolset was a bit of a disappointment, to be sure, but we have what we need I think, and we do have some talented modellers.

Fractal: We have some PS creatures modeled. Granny proves to be a thorn in our sides though, and it's up to the NWN2 community as a whole to find a way around that. I don't think I should release some of these model shots to the air prematurely though. Not until we're absolutely ready to port them to the game.

Kalia: Do you have plans to showcase some screens of your custom critters or do you want to keep those under you proverbial hats? Additionally, are you going to publicly release your models and areas for others to use in the same setting?

Fractal: Under the hat, for now. As for public release - absolutely.

Monty: We will definitely be releasing screen shots of everything that we reasonably believe we can get into the game in time for the next module's release. So for Purgatorio expect to see custom placeables, a few buildings possibly.

Fractal: Keeping it under the hat because, frankly, we don't know what the future holds as far as newly animated creatures are concerned in NWN2.

Monty: Static models, we believe we can get into Purgatorio, but yeah, like Fractal says. Until we know what the situation is with animations It would be premature to release screens of any creatures that would require them. In terms of releasing stuff to the community I intend on making everything we do available. We'll probably post some things on the vault that are good stand alones as well over the next couple of months like custom vfx or prefabs etc. etc.

Lanessar: Let me tell you from experience. The amount of stuff you can do with placeables in NWN2 is just insane. Try rescaling spike trap effects.

Kalia: Will we see visits from some of our favorite PS: T chars?

Fractal: No. PS:T is a title by its own right, and we want PT:P to be just the same. We're not going to lend on other brilliant work.

Monty: *nods* Yeah, this is going to be wholly distinct from PS:T. You'll be in some of the same places.

Kalia: What about the toolset. You've obviously all been using it since it was publicly released. What are your opinions?

Monty: I think it is outstanding.

Lanessar: Fan-fricking tastic.

Monty: There are a couple of bugs that I am sure will be fixed.

Lanessar: It has problems, but they are surmountable, and will become moreso over time with the plugin feature.

Monty: I'm not upset in the least. I was blown away.

Anthony: It's great. My poor xbox360 is mad at me for neglecting it.

Fractal: I think what bothers me the most is the encumbrance of NPC editing. Leveling them etc; that might've been the only -useful- wizard NWN1 had in its toolset.

LostWorm: The thing with the toolset is this: Initial release of content was limited, but what you can do with content is many, many times greater.

Monty: The height mapping is phenomenal, the vfx editor is phenomenal.

Fractal: The VFX editor is, indeed, a piece of damn work.

Anthony: The fact that there are a half dozen USEFUL plugins out there and it's only been out a few weeks is crazy.

Monty: In fact one of the first things that we release on the vault for general use will probably be a wide variety of custom portals.

Fractal: 'Course I imagine we've a long way to go before we discover all of the new toolset's pros and cons.

Anthony: The toolset's already cost me $160, however, since I had to get a second monitor for it. It's about 7x as cool with a dual monitor setup.

Monty: A dual monitor is definitely more than just a luxury with the new toolset.

Anthony: Agreed. If you're seriously into building, it's a must.

Kalia: Has your team created any module-specific plug ins or work arounds of necessity or are you taking advantage of what's already released by others?

Monty: I've used the tree randomizer plug in, Id like to mention the person who made it. Plug the plug in designer so to speak but I can't remember off the top of my head. But I am actually pretty comfortable with the standard controls.

Kalia: Aokis: Tree Randomizer Guy: http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2PlugIns.Detail&id=4

Unknown_Kadath: Does the toolset specifically stop you from doing something you really wanted too?

LostWorm: I don't think so Kadath. It's waaay more powerful than NWN's toolset.

Anthony: Camera and controls really take some getting used to, but after 20 or so hours, it's as comfortable as a FPS.

Hippo: Yes, but only briefly. Aside from a few oddities (like no true white), the toolset is INCREDIBLY powerful, just very cumbersome to learn.

Monty: Kadath, I have yet to come across anything that I wanted to do that I wasn't. Kadath, I have yet to come across anything that I wanted to do that I wasn't able to.

Kalia: Lanessar: Your screens of the Hive seem to be multi-leveled. Is this true and are the levels walkable?

Lanessar: Yes, there are five "levels" of walkable mesh in the area, with graded streets to each level. The Walkmesh From Hell (TM).

Unknown_Kadath: Are you modeling the lady?

Monty: One of our modellers has expressed interest in modeling the Lady of Pain but anything related to the Lady of Pain would be in the third chapter so months away.

Kalia: What about people who want to do the PC/NPC conversion thing. Can you talk about that a bit?

Fractal: Basically, a designer can go so much on inventing characters; people bringing in their own personalities to the table offers a broader range of dynamic NPCs that weren't all conjured by the same mind.

Monty: By casting real people's characters we can, imho, give the module's NPCs much more depth than a single writer alone would be able to because in most cases these characters are characters that people have spent YEARS breathing life into.

Fractal: I had to spend a lot of time reading really strange character biographies.

Monty: We've actually come up with another idea. Once we have a beta testable module we are going to run through it with the players whose characters were turned into companions in a sort of DM-d event and use their real reactions and real dialogue.

Fractal: It should be emphasized we're not forcing the spirits of the characters onto the module, but vice versa. Rather, the spirit of the module/setting we'll force upon the characters -- which warrants some changes from their original vision, granted, but...It's a necessity, as far as integrity is concerned.

Monty: Yes, Fractal makes an excellent point.

Monty Purgatorio module NPC applications are open until midnight tomorrow. Any apps after that will get put in the group for Inferno and Eschatologia.

LostWorm: When it comes to the NPCs we don't try to fit a square into a circular hole.

Monty: The characters are, in this regard subservient to story but I think it will really add some interesting reality to the module's interactions when we use real peoples real-time reactions as logged in a multiplayer play through of the module which is why I said up top, that this process is like smashing reality TV and MySpace and Neverwinter Nights 2 together, and seeing what comes out.

Spencer: Broad question: How have you considered players who are not very familiar with the history of the Planescape setting (such as myself)?

Hippo: The module will function as an introduction to Planescape. In fact, there are some features directly AIMED at people who have no idea what Planescape is about.

Monty: *nods* This is true, you don't need any experience with Planescape at all to enjoy this adventure.

Anthony: Planescape is about unique in the fact that it's one of the only settings it's sometimes more fun to play in if you don't know anything about it.

Lanessar: Definitely.

Monty: The help get you acquainted with certain vital elements of the setting such as the way portal keys work in Sigil.

LostWorm: I think everything's more fun if you know nothing about it.

Lanessar: I mean, what newb really knows about the multiverse and all the beings in it, or factions, or whatever? When they start?

Hippo: One of the great joys of Planescape IS the process of coming to understand it, and the exploration. It's a setting so broad and vast and with so much to know that you'll never figure it all out.

LostWorm: The point is, PS newbs will have fun too.

Monty: Compare it to LOTR: People who knew nothing about LOTR enjoyed those movies nonetheless.

Fractal: It can't ever be simple to introduce a player to a universe where a tongue-in-cheek attitude is so prevalent when concerning our various degrees, philosophies and ideals of being and existence.

Kalia: One last question and then we'll wrap it up: Do you have any plans to try to work out something 'professionally' with OE or Atari or in the development of your own paid studio?

Monty: We're just focused on putting out the best possible campaign we can. If we put out an incredible adventure for the Neverwinter Nights 2 community that will be reward enough. But I won't say I wouldn't love making premium modules or doing game design professionally, it would be incredibly rewarding. But our number one job right now is designing and building the best SP campaign we possibly can and delivering a Planescape-set adventure that is worthy of the name.

Thanks once again to the ever-generous Rogue Dao Studios staff for their candid answers. Keep your eyes on this spot for more information from the team in the months to come.