Neverwinter Nights is a series of video games developed by BioWare and Obsidian Entertainment, based on the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragonsrole-playing game. It is unrelated to the 1991 online game of the same name distributed by AOL.

Overview[edit]

The official walkthrough was published by Lead Designer and Writer BenWH of DLA on their forums. This walkthrough was lost when the DLA website was shut down. Some (but not all) of it can still be found on the wayback machine. If you already have the premium modules (Wyvern Crown of Cormyr, Pirates of the Sword Coast, or Infinite Dungeons), they will function properly in Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition. Will 1.69 clients be able to connect to NWN:EE servers? Neverwinter Nights 1: Wyvern Crown of Cormyr This premium module was not included with the GOG package for Neverwinter Nights: Diamond Edition, and in fact was one of the ones that are no longer for sale, but Bioware seems to be making them available for download from a prominent stickied post on their forum, which downloads the installers from. The Premium Neverwinter Nights Modules are listed below, in reverse order of release. (The most recent release is listed first.) Wyvern Crown of Cormyr edit edit source Compete in jousting tournaments to gain money and prestige in Cormyr. Neverwinter Nights: Wyvern Crown of Cormyr - Released later in 2006, this module highlights features introduced in the then-recently released V.2 of the Community Expansion Pack (CEP), including fully ride-able horses and horseback combat. Developed by community developer DLA, it is a single-player module, and (as of yet) the last Premium Module to be released by BioWare.

The Neverwinter Nights series take place primarily in city of Neverwinter located in the Sword Coast, a region in the fictional land of Faerûn.^[1] Also commonly referred to as the City of Skilled Hands,^[2] Neverwinter grew from a multi-racial settlement named Eigersstor founded several hundred years prior to the start of Neverwinter Nights.^[3] At the time the first game takes place, the city of Neverwinter was beset by a magical plague named the Wailing Death,^[4] whereas in the second game the city is threatened by an invasion from its ancient enemy named the King of Shadows.^[5]

Gameplay[edit]

The Neverwinter Nights series is a franchise of role-playing games with a third-person isometric perspective.^[6] The systems of the games are based on the rules of Dungeons & Dragons, a table-top role-playing game developed by Wizards of the Coast^[7]. Both Neverwinter Nights and Neverwinter Nights 2 contain three game modes: a default campaign, a multiplayer mode, and custom contents.^[8]

Campaign

Wyvern Set Neverwinter

Both Neverwinter Nights and Neverwinter Nights 2 include a default campaign, which focus on the development of the player character through a series of distinct acts.^[9] In addition to the main story, the player also has the opportunity to undertake a variety of side quests, some of which form storylines that span the entire game. The player has the ability to make key choices in specific quests can affect combat encounters, key plot points, and the outcome of the overarching story.^[10]

Before the player can begin the campaign, they must first create a new character through the game's character creation interface. The player may customize a new character from scratch, or select one of the pre-set characters provided by the games. If the player chooses to create a new character, they are then guided through a series of choices about their character, including race, class, appearance etc.. Some of the choices such as gender and appearance are purely cosmetic, whereas others such as race and class affect how the player character fights and what abilities they have access to.^[11]

Custom Content

In addition to the base campaign and the multiplayer mode, both Neverwinter Nights and Neverwinter Nights 2 also included sets of software development tools which allow the players to create custom campaigns which they can then share with other players.^[12]Neverwinter Nights shipped with the Aurora Toolset^[13], while Neverwinter Nights 2 shipped with the Electron Toolset, which was completely rewritten by Bioware using the programming language C#.^[14]

Reception[edit]

The first instalment in the series, Neverwinter Nights, was generally well received according to review aggregator Metacritic, which gave it a score of 91/100 based on 34 critic reviews and a score of 8.1/10 based on 608 user reviews.^[15] Greg Kasavin of Gamespot praised the game's accessibility, calling it 'one of those exceedingly rare games that has a lot to offer virtually everyone, even if they aren't already into RPGs'.^[16]Gamezone appreciated the game's graphic and sound design, and that 'the musical score foreshadows game action (the music picks up in intensity when combat looms), and is well done'.^[17]Allgame reviewer Mark Hoogland commended the Aurora toolset shipped with Neverwinter Nights, calling the breadth of level, story, environment, and module creation options “impressive”.^[18]Eurogamer reviewer Gestalt was less convinced, criticising the single-player campaign's emphasis on combat encounters over 'actual roleplaying', but was optimistic that the game's mod support will give it longevity.^[19]

Neverwinter Armaments Of The Wyvern

Compared to Neverwinter Nights, Neverwinter Nights 2 received a lower Metacritic score of 82/100 based on 46 critic reviews and 6.6/10 based on 633 user reviews.^[20] The game's story continued to attract praise from critics such as Greg Mueller of GameSpot, who was impressed by the “very apparent” impact that player choice has on the way the story unfolds.^[21] Some critics like IGN's Charles Onyett also enjoyed the game's sound and graphics design, in particular the visceral orchestral soundtrack during battles.^[22]

A common complaint from critics was Neverwinter Nights 2's numerous technical glitches. Eurogamer drew particular attention to the bugs surrounding 'pathfinding and NPCs' artificial intelligence', a problem which contributor Kieron Gillen found made precise control in combat difficult.^[23] IGN also acknowledged the game's technical glitches, but commented that none of them “hampered….gameplay experience”.^[24]

Legacy[edit]

The Neverwinter Nights series has been adopted by a number of educators for use in the classroom. University of Alberta's Professor Mike Carbonara and colleagues made use of the Aurora Toolset to develop an 'economics game' aimed at teaching the concepts of fixed price commerce, mark up, and supply and demand.^[25] Squire & Jenkins at MIT Education Arcade created the multiplayer game Revolution, which allows players to roleplay characters with different dispositions and political views in 1770s colonial Williamsburg, with an aim to improve the student's understanding of the American Revolution.^[26] In 2005, researchers Nora Paul and Kathleen A. Hansen designed a custom module for journalism students; players took on the role of a journalist investigating a train derailment in the fictional American town named Harperville, during which they must investigate and analyse multiple sources.^[27]

Games[edit]

• A 'premium module' is a small-scale, stand-alone adventure.
• A 'adventure pack' is similar to the first game's premium modules.

References[edit]

1. ^Wizards of the Coast. Neverwinter Nights. Dungeons & Dragons. https://dnd.wizards.com/products/digital-games/pcmac/neverwinter-nights.
2. ^Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting (pp.2). Wizards of the Coast. ISBN0-7869-5814-6.
3. ^Jennell Jaquays (1988). The Savage Frontier (pp. 13). TSR, Inc. ISBN0-88038-593-6.
4. ^Wizards of the Coast. Neverwinter Nights. https://dnd.wizards.com/products/digital-games/pcmac/neverwinter-nights. Dungeons & Dragons.
5. ^Onyett, Charles (2006, November 4). Neverwinter Nights 2 Review. IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/11/03/neverwinter-nights-2-review
6. ^Wizards of the Coast. Neverwinter Nights. Dungeons & Dragons. https://dnd.wizards.com/products/digital-games/pcmac/neverwinter-nights.
7. ^Kasavin, Greg (2002, June 24). Neverwinter Nights. Gamespot. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/neverwinter-nights-review/1900-2872002/
8. ^Kasavin, Greg (2002, June 24). Neverwinter Nights. Gamespot. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/neverwinter-nights-review/1900-2872002/
9. ^jkdmedia. (2012, May 4). Neverwinter Nights - PC - Review. Gamezone. https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/neverwinter_nights_2_pc_review/.
10. ^Chadwick, Gareth (2020, March 12). Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Review. The Sixth Axis. https://www.thesixthaxis.com/2020/03/12/neverwinter-nights-enhanced-edition-review/
11. ^Mueller, Greg (2006, November 1). Neverwinter Nights 2 Review. GameSpot. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/neverwinter-nights-2-review/1900-6160878/
12. ^Tonden (2019, May 31). Aurora Toolset. https://nwn.wiki/display/NWN1/Aurora+Toolset. Neverwinter Nights Wiki.
13. ^Tonden (2019, May 31). Aurora Toolset. https://nwn.wiki/display/NWN1/Aurora+Toolset. Neverwinter Nights Wiki.
14. ^Robertson, Judy & Good, Judith (2004). Children's narrative development through computer game authoring. TechTrends 49(5), 57-64. DOI: 10.1145/1017833.1017841
15. ^CBS Interactive Inc.. (2002, June 16). Neverwinter Nights. Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/neverwinter-nights
16. ^Kasavin, Greg (2002, June 24). Neverwinter Nights. Gamespot. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/neverwinter-nights-review/1900-2872002/
17. ^jkdmedia. (2012, May 4). Neverwinter Nights - PC – Review. Gamezone. https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/neverwinter_nights_pc_review/
18. ^Hoogland, Mark (2020, June 19). Neverwinter Nights Review. Allgame. https://www.webcitation.org/5juwa9Bar?url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=19583&tab=review
19. ^Gestalt. (2011, June 11). Neverwinter Nights. Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_nwn
20. ^CBS Interactive Inc.. (2006, Octoebr 31). Neverwinter Nights 2. Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc.. (2002, June 16). Neverwinter Nights. Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/neverwinter-nights-2
21. ^Mueller, Greg (2006, November 1). Neverwinter Nights 2 Review. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/neverwinter-nights-2-review/1900-6160878/
22. ^Onyett, Charles (2006, November 4). Neverwinter Nights 2 Review. IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/11/03/neverwinter-nights-2-review
23. ^Gillen, Kieron (2006, November 4). Neverwinter Nights 2. Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_nwn2_pc
24. ^Blevins, Tal (2020, June 21). Neverwinter Nights. IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/06/21/neverwinter-nights
25. ^Carbonaro, Michael et al. (2006, January). Adapting a Commercial Role-Playing Game for Educational Computer Game Production. Conference: 2^nd International North-American Conference on Intelligent Games and Simulation, Game-On NA 2006.
26. ^Squire, K., & Jenkins, H. (2003). Harnessing the Power of Games in Education. Insight 2003 (3), pp.7-33.
27. ^Paul, N., Hansen, K., & Taylor, M. (2005). Modding' Education: Engaging Today's Learners. International digital media and arts journal, 2(1), Spring.

Neverwinter Nights: Wyvern Crown of Cormyr is the final premium module for Neverwinter Nights. The story is a knight-themed adventure featuring horse riding. As of December 2009 Atari owns the rights to the module, which is not available for purchase.

Description

The module is set in Forgotten Realms, in Cormyr. The player character returns home and discovers a massacre and sets out for vengeance. The premium module includes many new features:

• Horse-riding: ability to use various horses, fight while on horse, and participate in jousting tournaments.
• New tilesets and locations comparable to Neverwinter Nights 2.
• New medieval knight-styled armor, weapons, and items.
• New prestige class 'Purple Dragon Knight'.
• Mini-games including darts, archery competition, 'recognize a spell', and jousting tournaments.

Plot

The story starts as the player character, the former adventurer, returns to his family in Cormyr after hearing news of a recent war. The hero works with his family members and friends in their farm in the Hullack forest. One day, while working in the forest aside from the farm, the hero, his brother Jonas and their friend Godfrey Cormas notice the smoke above the trees. Their rushes back but finds destroyed farm, with everybody killed, including Jonas' wife, Lena, and their father, Patrick. Few corpses of the attackers are found on the place: hobgoblins.

The hero, Jonas, and Godfrey decide to find Sir Gilbert Hawklin and become his squires in order to avenge the massacre. They journeys to nearby town of Morfen, where they meet Valetto, Sir Hawklin's trading partner and owner of the farm lands. He directed them to Thunderstone, where Sir Hawklin, along with his family and many other royal families live.

In Thunderstone, the hero manages to become Sir Hawklin's squire after winning in joust tournament. Sir Hawklin is willing to stop the raids on the farms that have become too often. He asks the hero to meet Manthis of the Forest Folk, the leader of the creatures living in Hullack forest. Hero meets Manthis the satyr, who reveals that the raiders are actually seeking ancient burrows.

The hero and his two companions end up fighting with raiders in one such burrow. There, Jonas finds a mysterious ring. The ghostly figure appears, claiming that if Jonas will wear the ring he will have a chance to avenge his wife. Jonas agrees, but the whole event is revealed to be a trap by the unknown villain. Jones becomes possessed, kills Godfrey Cormas and runs away.

The hero becomes a knight and soon is set out to storm the raiders' lair, Polter's Fort. After fighting his way through hobgoblins, ogres, undead and even vampires, he meet a strange masked person claiming to be a Witch Lord, an ancient lich. After defeating him, the Witch Lord reveals that he is not truly evil and that he is only a servant of true mastermind, the Wyvernvapor, a Mist Dragon. The main motive of the dragon is to find legendary Wyvern Crown.

After venturing to the dragon's lair, a mythical castle located on the Wyvernwater lake, hero successfully sabotages the powerful artifact, Mythallar, that holds the castle above water, and kills pirates who resides here and plagues the lake. The hero deals with Valetto, who is revealed to be the servant of the dragon and the one responsible for piracy. After sinking the castle, hero meets with Wyvernvapor himself, who reveals that hero was fooled by the Witch Lord, who is immortal. Both dragon and lich compete for the Wyvern Crown, and now, with dragon rendered powerless, lich will likely claim it.

After participating in a joust tournament where Jonas, under the guise of Black Knight, tried to kill the hero with poison, Caladnei, official high mage of Cormyr arrives to help with the case of Witch Lord. Jonas is now under the Witch Lord's power. The final battle for the Wyvern Crown's burrow is about to begin. There, hero, with the help of Caladnei, Purple Knights and Hawklin soldiers, crushes the Witch Lord army. After venturing in the burrow and destroying the golem guardians, hero is finally able to reach the Crown. Jonas is abandoned by the Witch Lord and his fate is decided by the player.

With the Wyvern Crown in his possession, the only thing left for the hero is to battle the Witch Lord, Szass Morg, and claim the Crown for Cormyr, or himself.