For the game, not the campaign. There are 2 distinct elements in NWN, the campaign and the game engine/content.
The page is a bit ambiguous, though. Just a little rewording ought to make it clear that Hordes of the Underdark is not meant to be played multiplayer.
Well I was going to disagree but I re-read the box. Reading…what a wonderful skill. It does say 20 hour single player campaign although the bottom of the box lists multiplayer.
For the first time, characters can achieve epic status (up to Level 40), while braving an all-new, 20-hour single player campaign.
It says that on my box. What it doesn’t say is anything about a multi-player campaign.
Does it really matter what 90% of people use it for? What matters is if it is sold as a multiplayer experience, then it should not be broken out of the box so early.
This statement is a bit crazy to me.
Of course it matters what 90% of the people use it for. Should they market to the other 10%? They have to meet highest demand. Players wanted (and they were consistently criticized by “professionals” for not having) a strong single-player campaign, so they delivered that. Their was a trade-off, though.
And Hordes was never sold as “a multiplayer experience.” It’s an expansion pack for solid game, including a (as I understand it, great) single-player campaign and tools for multiplayer use.
Considerable marketing effort went into convincing people that NWN would be great for multi player gaming. With that in mind a simple “single-player only” sticker on the box for HoTU would have eliminated a lot of possible confusion regarding what gameplay was supported. Would that have been to much to ask?
More bothersome to me are the numerous scripting bugs in the game. It’s a really good solo campaign but the bugs…
For instance, here’s a real crippler…
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In Chapter Two you have the option to betray the Seer and the rebels to the Valsharess. Being evil, I did so. Beyond the fact that you have to blow the inner gates (generally using the alchemists’ fire in barrels nearby), something you are not explicitly told, before the “betrayal” will register, if you do in fact carry off the betrayal you are transported into the city with the task of killing the Seer. After I did so, I was immediately transported to the Valsharess’ lair where she chortles about what we can do together. Mephistopheles, her “bound” devil, asks to talk and we decide to betray the Val. She gets suspicious and commands the devil to kill me; he refuses and instead zaps all of her henchdrow. Then…
…I’m transported back to the gates to the rebel city, in a state prior to the battle in which I betrayed then killed the Seer! A clone of me is there too, as are (outside the now open outer gates) an army of the Val’s forces. No one is hostile, all green. The wisp thing commands me to protect the Seer (who of course is already dead). I have to blow the inner gates AGAIN, then get transported into the city, get told to kill the (already corpse-ish) Seer, and then run off to do so. Of course I find her already dead, and only get to fight a bunch of lackies, but the game won’t recognize that she has expired, and thus I’m stuck. Can’t leave the area, no one to talk to, nada.
It seems that there is at least one and probably more serious scripting errors here. Of course this all happened after the game went blank (main view, not menus) at the precise time I blew the inner gates the first time. Dunno if that corrupted something or what not. I may have to go back to before all of this AGAIN and do it all over…Grr.
END SPOILERS END SPOILERS END SPOILERS END SPOILERS END SPOILERS
Wow, Wombat, that’s a biggie. Playing a CN guy, I gave serious thought to the “betrayal” path. Now, I’m damn glad I didn’t.
For the first time, characters can achieve epic status (up to Level 40), while braving an all-new, 20-hour single player campaign.
It says that on my box. What it doesn’t say is anything about a multi-player campaign.[/quote]
Woah. Your quick. I edited my post about 3 minutes after I hit submit.
I still think it was a mistake to make it single player only after the first two installments(OC and SoU) were both multiplayer. Unless you read the box closely or followed NWN forums closely you were likely to miss the fact that multiplayer was left out.
In any case I am playing through HoU(single player of course). I am not particularly impressed. If I wanted a single player game I could play a better one (Kotor etc.).
minor spoiler
Making a bunch of boss monsters immune to just about everything is a cheap cop out in my opinion. Playing as a pure monk is going to give you a hard time on some of these critters. Is there a boss monster that is not immune to critical hits? That does not have massive physical immunities? The rd level of the M dungeon is a classic example with two brutal encounters one right after another.
But, it’s not single player only. Just the campaign is. Can you imagine the confusion if there was a sticker like that on the box?
But, it’s not single player only. Just the campaign is. Can you imagine the confusion if there was a sticker like that on the box?[/quote]
Ok, try a different wording then.
“The Campaign does not support multiplayer”
“Single-player only campaign”
“You cannot play the official campaign in multiplayer”
Would any of those be better? I’m just asking for a simple message on the box telling people that HoTO’s campaign cannot be played in multiplayer, given that it is not unreasonable that people will, and have, come to expect HoTU to work in MP.
“Single-player only campaign”
Doesn’t it say that?
It’s says “20-hour single player campaign”, that seems pretty clear to me.
I fixed my problem with Chapter 2 (above, spoilers included). It was simply a case of the game triggering two non-interactive “cutscenes” at the same time I think. At the same time it was supposed to play a cutscene describing my actions it was also trying to play one that was part of the default situation script. The result it seems was 1) the black screen and 2) the failure of the game to register some of the ongoing events as happening. Once I figured this out, I waited until the default scene played, then I did my thing, and everything worked fine.
If anyone has specific questions on what, where, and how, email me.
And it makes just as much sense as a Quake 3 expansion pack that had no multiplayer support. When you expand upon an original game and yet fail to support one of, if not the, facet of the core title’s gameplay, it’s misleading. Arguing otherwise is sophistry, plain and simple.
[quote=“John_Reynolds”]
And it makes just as much sense as a Quake 3 expansion pack that had no multiplayer support. When you expand upon an original game and yet fail to support one of, if not the, facet of the core title’s gameplay, it’s misleading. Arguing otherwise is sophistry, plain and simple.[/quote]
Have a look at the number of single player modules vs. multi-player that are on the net. Regardless of how you design a game, people will use it how they see fit. The single player in Q3 was nothing more than an advanced tutorial, I don’t see how you can call it the same thing.
NWN is equally useable in single and multi-player, so making an expansion for the single player market (which is what most customers asked for) was a prudent move. Read the link from our site above and then tell me it’s sophistry. The expansion still has tons of content that is useable in multi-player and worth it for those that want that content. I’m sorry you feel we misled people, but it has been stated in interviews and previews over and over again that it’s a single player campaign. If people make assumptions there isn’t much that can be done to prevent that.
So, if just the single-player campaign is not mulitplayer, what part exactly is multiplayer? Are there death match maps for multiplayer only use?
I buy games from the US, I dont get to see the box before hand so I depend on reviews etc. I’ll be honest and say it did not occur to me that you would make a single player only game when the 3 previous incarnations were multiplayer fine (generally). I dont think its an unreasonable assumption to think the next expansion would be multiplayer compliant. Its like assuming the next UO will have virtues. Do I really need to read all the box print to see if it REALLY does have virtues?
Seems a little dishonest to me.
Anyway, you got your 150$ from me, or whatever two boxes cost, so I cant really “vote with my money” anymore. I am sorely disappointed. I’ll be a lot more critical form now on with Bioware games.
I don’t think there wa anything dishonest about it. The problem is we all assumed that it offer a MP campaign, even though it says otherwise on the box. Hell I made the mistake too. I think they could have been a bit clearer about it, but the fault is mine for not paying close enough attention.
Everything that’s in the campaign–epic level rules, prestige classes, tile sets, monsters, items–is usable in multiplayer games that you design and build yourself. The only thing that is not ready for multiplayer games out of the box is the included self-described single-player campaign. As Dave I think noted, NWN is an engine with several (three at this writing) official campaigns. HotU is therefore both an expansion to the engine (and hence multiplayer friendly) and an additional campaign (which is not).
Whether that is confusing, sophistry, or clear as a bell I guess depends on your perception. I suppose someone used to playing the official campaigns multiplayer might assume the same for HotU. I only play solo so I wouldn’t know.
sigh I am venting as much as anything anyway.
I still feel I was cheated, but I also realise I made a mistake. The thought didnt even enter my mind it would be a single-player game only and that it was something I needed to check.
No matter. I’ll pass the games on to someone who might enjoy the single player only facet.