Well, I'll be a player, no builder or GM, so it is not up to me to decide.

However, two things.

If you go for something medieval, I've recently done _a lot_ of research into the timeperiod 1100-1280 AD, mindset, aristocracy, geography, history, eating habits, you name it. I'd be happy to play answering machine and referrer-of-links/books, should any builder need it.

Secondly, while I personally think there's a jewel behind any cliché, if you care to delve and create (i.e. I love what I have done with FR myself ), there are also other, somewhat quick alternatives to the ambitious path (creating a unique setting). There are a lot of fantasy setttings that could be imported into NWN2, if that would appeal to the Makers (TM) more than FR, and if creating a unique world proves to be too much.

Just saying of course, I'll happily play what you come up with. When I have a better computer

It's unlikely I'd be playing this any time soon due to computer limitations, but I'll give my input anyway:

1) I'm not interested in Forgotten Realms or any other kind of D&D fantasy. Not using a D&D world would, however, cause difficulty, since the rules, especially the magic system, are geared for that.

2) What do you mean by alternate history? Something like Ars Magica with basically a medieval setting but with all the beliefs and superstitions being true? Or some sort of different timeline?

3) If we go for a unique setting, we need to have a clear vision as to what the world is all about. Otherwise everyone will contribute their own great stuff and the world will lose all focus. In my opinion this would require that someone gets a position of authority to dictate what goes into the world and what doesn't.

4) A medieval world would be nice, but it could easily become watered down. For example, there's always the problem that real medieval women rarely got to do any "adventuring" or other such things generally considered interesting content in games. And if we made it more equal, it would not feel as much like medieval anymore. This would apply to peasants etc as well, as they didn't lead such exciting lives either (unless you create some kind of an interesting farming system). Also, we couldn't use many aspects of the engine, like the magic system.

EDIT: Whichever we choose, I'd personally like to see something down-to-earth and rather gritty, not super-epic "everyone's a great here" kind of thing. As for magic, I'd like it to be mysterious, not just another branch of technology ("Hi, did you learn that new firebolt spell already?" "No, I prefer to maximize the efficiency of my healing magics - just need to find some herbs with the correct divinity levels.").

Last edited by Kryigerof (2006-11-07 10:37:29)

Alternate History: This is what I would like best. I've always liked reading books like that too . Also often make stories like that.

If not, I'd say go for an Alternate World.

---

I'd rather not see a true history setting, for various reasons.

Sci-fi: too hard to do, perhaps.

traditional Forgotten Realms: Mwah, not necessarily opposed to it, but it's been done so many times before, and I don't see right now how you could come up with anything that wouldn't feel like we hadn't seen it a hundred times before already, that wouldn't feel clichéd and somewhat boring.
I do usually like the Forgotten Realms games themselves and their stories (not so much the original NWN story), but they don't ever feel like much of a surprise.

heh..compared to the eberron setting FR rules!! The biggest mistake DDO made was going with the new setting instead of using FR imo...

As for the topic at hand:
I dont mind FR, i quite like it actually. However..it has been done sooo many times already and no doubt a lot of perma worlds with similar setting will pop up with time. We might as well go for something different in my opinion.
As for what - I dont really know. Sci-fi would be great but it may be to difficult for us.
An alternate world *can* be good.... but it requires a good setting and has been said before someone who we all apoint as the "leader"

ps. i took a look at the toolset yesterday and was quite impressed...cant wait to test it out some more, but i feel like completing the campaign first so it may take a while

This is undoubtedly my kind of thinking, as well. If we do take that path, I've got... rather a lot of ideas to heap into the project. Magic and mystic knowledge should be obscure and dangerous. The occult is still interesting even after you realise what it's about because of the texture and detail of it. On no account should we let it deteriorate into mundane chatter about how best to use a fireball spell.

From what I can see, we've got some harsh anti-FR stances, which kind of makes FR a bad choice, since we'll want to have as many people along as possible. Alternative History is strong. As it looks now, that's what I'd expect would make the most sense.

Another possibility would be to come up with a setting which already exists and adapt it for use with the NWN2 engine. There are many pen-and-paper RPG settings which would work well with the D&D core ruleset, and could therefore be easily adapted to the NWN2 setting. My own favourites for this would be:-

Talislanta (For a fantasy feel which is very different to default D&D but with the same structure. Probably one of the easiest to implement, but the least RP-intensive setting)

Shadowrun (D&D meets Cyberpunk)

Fading Suns (Fantasy and Sci-Fi meet, picture Dune or a lighter in tone Warhammer 40,000)

The Dying Earth (The inspiration for the D&D magic system, and a true classic RPG)

Of course, if I had my dream setting, then setting up an online version of the Empire of the Petal Throne setting would be ideal- fantasy, distinct from regular D&D but can be done with the rules, and the original RP-intensive setting.

On a different note, whilst I don't have the game and won't be working on the building of the setting, I do have 20 years experience in running being a pen-and-paper GM, and have designed my own settings more than once. Feel free to ask for any advice on constructing the background details of the setting (in fact, you'll be hard pressed to stop me from giving such at great length).

just a small note for you kryig - I dont have 2.4 ghz either, i am running the game on a p4 1.8 ghz...of couse many of the settings are very low and my computer doesnt seem to like it when i go "inside" (ie in buildings etc) as it can lag a bit there.... but nothing that keeps me from playing the game.

Tantavalist: Implementing another PnP RPG's world would be an option, given. The problem with choices like Shadowrun and Fading Suns (if I don't misremember) is that they would require as much modelling as a sci-fi world would.

As for the bit about how much can actually be done in NWN2, well, there were haks that introduced spell-book based magic to NWN.. just to point out how deep you can actually change things.

Sandling: I've been kind of thinking along those lines as well, actually. I'd be willing to do so, even though I'm loving NWN2 in style and graphics. Also, of course, using NWN would give us access to immense amounts of custom content.

What do the rest of you think about this? As Oluf said, it's probably possible to run NWN2 on a slower computer with all the settings pulled down, but it's likely to be fiddly.

I'd be happy to go for the original Neverwinter Nights. I did some stuff with the toolset back then too (nothing radical like changing the rules or anything, though, but I did some scripting). I'd be happy to help with the work some time in the spring.

As for the world: whatever we make, we should start small, like Seed was except even smaller. The NWN part of our community isn't that big so making a huge world from the start would be not only wasteful but detrimental to the experience.

Last edited by Kryigerof (2006-11-08 23:34:11)

I am all for gm'ing as well... i guess most of us here is

If we don't go with a standard setting it maybe would be easiest if we use some kind of 'build-up' scenario, for example the cliche one would be the sail-, space-, other ship or maybe plane crash somewhere in the nowhere, either using mostly standard landscape, plant and wildlife models with only few own models at start or a Seed like scenario with a very limited full custom area and both expanding as we play along.

This sounds incredibly interesting to me for a few reasons, but those reasons hinge on my being able to get a copy of 3DS MAX and a tutorial for it. Even if that isn't possible, the scenario sounds promising and serves as a nice homage to Seed.