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Legendary Adventure: The World of Higher Ground

Read an interview with Funky Swerve, the spokesman for Higher Ground, an NWN presistent world that is making the transition from NWN 1 to NWN 2. Learn about the cool features Higher Ground has to offer, such as its legendary levels system, intense action, and multi-server community.

Darkness Over Daggerford

The latest addition to the 4,400+ modules NWN fans have created comes from a professional game development house based in Vancouver. Ossian Studios, headed by former BioWare producer Alan Miranda, have completed work on a huge 25 to 30 Neverwinter Nights adventure called Darkness Over Daggerford. Formally a Premium Module, this adventure is huge enough to stand as its own expansion pack with new creatures, features, and content never seen before.

Wheel of Time Persistent World

The Wheel of Time Persistent World has been thriving for years, and we spoke with PW co-owner Lucky Day to learn about one of Neverwinter Night's most enduring and popular gaming destinations.

Tyrants of the Moonsea

We chat with Luke J.S. Scull, a.k.a Alazander, author of the exceptional Neverwinter Nights module, Tyrants of the Moonsea. Though once slated as a premium module, it is now available for all to download from the Neverwinter Vault, and fan reaction has been very positive.

The Overlooked Modules Reports

With a multitude of community-created modules at the Neverwinter Vault, it's easy to miss a few gems. Enter the Overlooked Modules Reports, which highlight high caliber modules that might have been missed in the avalanche of module submissions. We chat with community members who have actively been working on the project.

BloodSpell: From Concept to Finished Scene

If you ever wondered what goes into making a machinima film, Artistic Director of Strange Company, Hugh Hancock, gives us an in-depth, blow-by-blow account of each step in the crafting of BloodSpell.

BloodSpell: A Feature Length Machinima Film

BloodSpell, a full-length machinima film built with the Neverwinter Nights engine, recently released the first few installments to the public! We speak with Hugh Hancock, the Artistic Director of Strange Company who heads up the massive BloodSpell project.

Learning the Ropes of Game Design with Matt Deller

We speak with Assistant Principal Matt Deller, a.k.a Poetic Colossus, about teaching game design using Neverwinter Nights, and how a high score in Asteroids can actually mean something in the real world.

NeverTris: High Fantasy Tetris

This week we return to our bizarro roots with a profile about Neverwinter Tetris. We spoke with community member Primogenitor, who has created a finely crafted game of Tetris that can be added to any NWN module for an interesting diversion.

Independent Game Festival Winner: Challseus

This was the first year the Independent Games Festival awarded recognition to the top talent within the rich Neverwinter Nights modding community. We speak with the competition winner, Challseus, about his winning module, Rose of Eternity - Chapter 1 - The Coming, and what it was like to attend the festival.

The World of Layonara - Update

Nearly twelve moons ago we looked at a very impressive persistent world that had gone to great lengths to create a unique experience for serious fans. Since then, Layonara has evolved to produce several new, innovative world features, and we revisit their work and introduce this world to a new audience.

The Lands of Catara

We profile The NWN persistent world of Catara, which recently joined the Confederation of Planes and Planets.

The World of Arelith

We chat with folks from the Neverwinter Nights persistent world of Arelith, which began as small project between friends and grew into a huge, dynamic world for role-players.

Escape From The Underdark - A Dark Persistent World

What if you were a penniless, escaped slave trapped in the Underdark, desperately seeking a way back outside? This is the premise behind the NWN persistent world, Escape from the Underdark, and world founder Howland answered some of our questions regarding his ominous setting.

The Persistent World of Silver Spire

The team responsible for the persistent world of Silver Spire has not only created a new world with roots in the Forgotten Realms, but they have approached some of the fundamental cornerstones of running a persistent world in a different way to boot. We spoke with World Leader Reinstag about his fantastic realm.

Hala, The Heroic Domain of Ysgard

We speak with community member Arkon who is thick in the machinery of running a Neverwinter Nights persistent world set in a Norse theme.

Independent Game Festival Finalist: John Platte

We introduce members of the Neverwinter Nights community who have been named finalists for their outstanding work by the Independent Games Festival (IGF), which was established to encourage creativity and to support innovation and talent outside of the mainstream world of game development. In its eighth year, the IGF has added the category of 'Modding' to its list of awards. Read interesting profiles on: Challseus: Rose of Eternity - Chapter 1, Brian Watson: Runes of Blood, John Platte, a.k.a Scrotok: Bitter Harvest, Earnest Noa: Hythum II: The Halls Of Kilgirn, and Craig Bernardo, Will Harris, and Level Designer Skippy Schwartz: The Guildhall.

Erick D's Amazing Emitter Shields

Community member Erick D. treats us to new, emitter-based shields that look awesome and are for everyone to use.

BioWare's very own Georg Zoeller has crafted a pair of useful tools, known as Konfabulator Widgets, to bring you the latest Jade Empire and Hordes of the Underdark forum topics right to your desktop. Read more about these cool freebies and try them out for yourself.

Ravenloft - Prisoners of the Mist

We take a look at the classic setting of Ravenloft, which a group of fans have created using Neverwinter Nights. The project has been in development for nearly two years by a dedicated team of scripters, builders, and developers who are using custom content developed specifically for this project. We got a chance to interview four key members of the Ravenloft team about their project.

Students Tackle Game Development

The University of Alberta is trying its hand at teaching game development. Computing Science 299 hopes to introduce "computing technology such as artificial intelligence, computer graphics and animation, music and sound, programming challenges, and game design" to a group of enthusiastic students. Instructor Nathan Sturtevant gave us the rundown of the course.

The Persistent World of Ambrosia

The key to success in creating big projects in Neverwinter Nights is starting small and working your way through various levels of increasing skill until you find yourself looking down a mountain of experience. To enhance our Neverwinter Nights gameplay, longtime community member UO Abigail has been hard at work creating system after system, from the scandalous to the much-needed. We sat down and chatted about the opening of his latest project, the persistent world of Ambrosia, which features extensive custom scripting.

Interview with Brian "ThriKreen" Chung

I am fairly certain that the uber-talented folks at DLA would punch me in the kidney if they had a chance. The reason for this simmering hostility is that once again one of their number now works for BioWare. I wonder if a voodoo doll exists somewhere that is saturated with pins and is being slowly roasted over an open BBQ pit. BioWare has recently hired a fellow by the name of Brian Chung, a.k.a ThriKreen, who has become well-known for his impressive work in the Neverwinter Nights community. We caught up with Brian at his desk as he fends off both Stan Woo and Rob Bartel.

The Making of BloodSpell

The making of BloodSpell, the first feature length machinima using Neverwinter Nights, has been a challenging undertaking, a labor of love, and at times, a rampaging hydra of wanton destruction. We chat with the people behind the movie and get their expert advice for any budding film makers out there.

BloodSpell

We reintroduce a large Neverwinter Nights machinima project months in development by a team of dedicated professionals. Hugh Hancock, Artistic Director of Strange Company and site overlord at www.machinima.com, brings us new and fabulous information on the epic BloodSpell project.

Neverwinter Nights Wiki

Read about NWNWiki, created by Bastions of War founder, Alec Usticke. NWNWiki is an ideal solution for presenting the trillion bits of information and knowledge about Neverwinter Nights. It is easy to navigate and allows input from any fans anywhere in the world.

Charlie Stross: Monster Inventor, Hugo Winning Author, and NWN Gamer

Charlie Stross invented our beloved githyanki and slaadi. Not only is he an award-winning author, he's also an NWN fan. Read Mr. Stross's thoughts on D&D, computer games, writing, and gadgets.

Interview with Neverwinter Nights Guru Craig Welburn

Senior Live Team Programmer Craig Welburn is the undisputed Neverwinter Nights Master of the Universe. Don't believe me? Well, Craig is the main fellow who gives the imperial thumbs up or thumbs down to new code features, bug fixes, and any tweak that smoothes the way to happy Neverwinter gaming. The dynamic duo of Craig and Live Team Assistant Technical Producer Derek French chatted with us about that great, complex programming beast Neverwinter Nights.

DLA Member Now BioWare Character Artist

Character Artist Francis Lacuna began working at BioWare in June 2005. He comes from a background with DLA and his work there helped get him the skills BioWare needed. We chatted with Francis about his past experience, his involvement with the NWN community, and what being a character artist with BioWare is all about.

Drow On The Prowl - Dor Maeglin Underdark

The deceitful, brutal world of the dark elves continues to fascinate fans of Dungeons and Dragons looking for a challenging setting to test their characters' mettle. The Underdark serves as the central theme of Dor Maeglin Underdark, a years-old persistent world tempered into one of the best and broadest multiplayer experiences for Neverwinter Nights. I chatted with Siggy, the boss monster for quest integration, team management, and scripting.

On-going Campaigns

The Neverwinter community pushed the boundaries of the Toolset and DM Client creating a unique play style. We look at a more traditional use for Neverwinter Nights: the pen and paper style on-going campaign. Community member Venture, an on-going campaign expert, answers our questions about this intriguing gameplay style.

Fellowship of the Dragonsong Guild

Read about the two year old Fellowship of the Dragonsong Guild formed by a group of people who have crafted a persistent world and thriving guild to suit their own gaming style, preferences, and philosophy.

Machinima Tutorial

The new industry of Machinima is on the rise with its own celebrities, award shows, and multitude of fans. This sort of animation is something virtually anyone can get started in without extensive training or resources. This week, we profile Hugh Hancock who has developed a quick tutorial on using our beloved Neverwinter Nights to make movie magic.

The World of Layonara

A persistent world is a labor of love. It requires a tremendous amount of work to establish and even more work to keep it running. Pen and paper gamers often take their worlds online to open them up for everyone to play. Leanthar has taken his 10 years of campaign details and created a lush world to explore for courageous adventurers. With a special attention to detail, usability, and careful testing and implementation, Layonara has grown to become a very popular and welcoming world for new players and veterans alike. We spoke with Leanthar about some of the facets of his world.

The World of Aventia

A huge world of vastly powerful characters, nefarious villains, and hideous creatures. Aventia does things on a big scale. Great features like PvP battlegrounds, PvP Clans, Tournament Arenas, Guilds for Classes, Infinite Casting Nerf, Pick Pocketing Nerf, Disarm Nerf, Tenser's Nerf, Timestop Nerf, Area Binding, Server Portals, Loot Dividers, Player Housing, player account based bank and loot vault.... Yet you are still looking for more? Players are invited to submit material to a central DM committee to decide on new features, areas, and creatures. We spoke with founding organizer Jason de Cordoba, a.k.a Oclair Monanari, on how this all got started.

Back to School for NWN

Neverwinter Nights has demonstrated its impressive utility for RPG gamers by being a great tool for creating your own modules, allowing the utilization of new and exciting content, and connecting friends from around the world for some serious adventure time. Therefore, it is always a treat to hear when Neverwinter is used in a completely new and surprising way beyond the gaming world. Peter Gorniak, a.k.a. Sumpfork, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) joins the educators of West Nottingham Shire for crafting NWN into a tool entirely different than what BioWare expected.

Murder at Avedon Manor

One of the most enduring story archetypes involves solving a mystery. Add to this a sensational murder and a line-up of diverse and captivating characters as suspects and you have a setting for a fine story of sleuthing and intrigue. P.G. Holyfield, a.k.a gurney9999, has used Neverwinter Nights as a springboard to present a scandalous story of murder most foul and is closing in on completing his first novel from the experience.

ShadowrunnerNights

It is to my eternal shame that I admit I do not speak French as well as I should. I did, however, want to speak to one of the top rated module makers in the Neverwinter Nights community today, French-speaking Fabien Cerutti, and not impose my lack of language skills on him. Fabien has been kind enough to answer some e-mail question for me in the past in English, but for a longer interview I wanted him to feel comfortable in expressing himself in his native tongue and leave the translating up to the experts. With the help of BioWare localization producer Jenny McKearney, we present Fabien's thoughts on module creation today in both French and English

ShadowrunnerNights

If you spent any time in the trenches of the early Dungeons and Dragons days, then you probably bumped into this crazy cyberpunk game that came along not too long after: Shadowrun. Set in a future where magic has seen a rebirth, the world is still adjusting to the fact that Dragons and wizardry exist alongside advanced technology and global corporations that have more power then governments. Peacekeeping duties in Iraq have not stopped SDX from gearing up to reshape Neverwinter Nights into something that comes with a full clip.

An Interview with Rick Burton

Using the well-crafted community name 'Rick Burton', Rick Burton became well-known to fans as the author of several impressive Neverwinter Nights modules, including his 'Paladin' series, which is planned as a trilogy. His work garnered the attention of the BioWare design department, which concluded that he was the stuff that professionals were made of. Rick took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions on being the latest community talent to start working as a professional game developer.

The World of Amon

One of the best parts of the Neverwinter Nights community is getting a chance to explore the many private worlds of pen and paper gaming that have been recreated through the NWN Toolset for all to enjoy. Some have even gone so far as to run their home-brewed lands as Persistent Worlds, allowing players around the world to create even more detail and stories. We spoke with Craig Suter who has taken his pen and paper world of Amon and recreated it in NWN.

Neverwinter Nights: Resurrection

I'll admit it: I'm an old gamer. I will sneak into the computer room late at night and load up some flash version of Yar's Revenge or Archon for a few minutes of lo-res good times. Back a few years ago, a game came out called Neverwinter Nights that was a revolutionary online experience, an epic RPG with flashy graphics and a great story...5 years before BioWare even started doing business in Greg's basement. Neverwinter Nights: Resurrection is the vision of a dedicated group of gamers that have reshaped BioWare's Neverwinter Nights into a walk down memory lane, by remaking the early 90's game of the same name hosted by AOL. We spoke with Snake to get the old school goods.

Bastions of War

Bastions of War is a team-based, player versus player, arena module where NWN fans can flex their powergaming muscles, work out their daily stress, and beat the crap out of gnomes, bards, elves, and other deserving folk. :P We spoke with BoW's chief admin and scripter to find out more about this entertaining mod.

The Community Tileset Pack

With the release of the Community Expansion Pack (CEP) the Neverwinter community breathed a sigh of relief that a group of tireless and slightly crazy volunteers had gathered up some of the best community-made content into a well-documented, convenient to use package that has become nearly standard across this huge community. The one part of NWN that still needed to be addressed however, was tilesets - big, complicated, and painful to develop items that are nevertheless vital to Neverwinter players everywhere. It was understood that a group of very special and slightly crazy people was required to bring some order to our Neverwinter worlds. Project leader Banshe introduces a very special group indeed...

Eye of the Beholder Project

The original Eye of the Beholder grabbed gamers by their keyboards and wouldn't let them go. Its simple, fast, and door-bashing gameplay was fun and exciting. Now, some 14 years later, a team of community members have made a gigantoid mod of the original adventure for Neverwinter Nights; plus they've added a bevy (a whole flock even!) of new NWN content. We deployed a crack team of BioWare ninjas to track down Eye of the Beholder team members Rick and Mika and put them to the question.

The Player Resource Consortium Update!

Just what is the Player's Resource Consortium? In short, it began as a community developed prestige classes and soon developed into a large group of dedicated gamers who wanted more base classes, races, prestige classes, and spells. All this is wrapped up in a neat package ready to use. We got a chance to talk Lord Deimos to get all the details.

Neverending Nights - A Machinima Project

A pair of creative souls have teamed up and created a Machinima project using Neverwinter Nights. Adam Freese and Tawmis have produced a series of video shorts that bring out the humorous side of being a hero through their bedraggled protagonists.

David John, Composer

There is a profound effect adding music can have on gameplay. It can heighten just about any emotion and thereby weave a far more compelling experience for the listener. We spoke with David John, a Canadian composer who was contracted to compose some exceptional music for the premium Neverwinter Nights modules on sale now at the BioWare Online Store.

West Nottinghamshire College

Crushing your foes and driving them before you amongst the lamentations of their women (and men...this is an equal opportunity lamentation) is how Neverwinter Nights is generally expected to be used. Some enterprising staff at West Nottinghamshire College are changing that expectation though, and they're building excitement in their students at the same time. A team of staff and students have taken Neverwinter Nights and turned it into a learning tool to capture student interest in a wide variety of areas.

Skullport Game Guides

There are few among us who haven't taken a peek at some sort of game guide or walkthrough when we get stuck. For roleplaying games that we invest 30+ hours into, the importance of a walkthrough becomes critical in helping us have the best experience possible. The Skullport website has embraced computer games set in the Forgotten Realms and provides walkthroughs for such great titles as the Baldur's Gate series, the Icewind Dale series, Pool of Radiance 2, Neverwinter Nights, and Ye Old Gold Box games. We caught up with founder and obvious worklunatic, Sylvus Moonbow, to get the goods.

The Confederation of Planes & Planets

One of the original concepts of Neverwinter Nights was the ability to link servers together to allow player to jump from server to sever adventuring to different lands and meeting different people. A group of persistent worlds has used a plug-in that links them together so traveling between them has become a reality. We spoke with some of the head honchos of these worlds to get a better idea of what they have set-up for our gaming giddiness.

Dragonlance Adventures: Part II

In Part I, we introduced the massive community-made project known as DragonLance Adventures, and Top Uber Commander, Robert, gave us a peek inside the organization and thinking required to create such a large-scale project with talented volunteers. In Part II, we get the scoop on some of the details about what fans can expect when DragonLance is completed.

Dragonlance Adventures: Part I

The word DragonLance instantly brings to mind many lost evenings (followed by mornings, afternoons, and eventually evenings again) sitting around the kitchen table with friends exploring the treacherous lands of Krynn. Robert, a.k.a Steel_Wind, heads up a dedicated group of programmers, artists, and writers that are closer every day to bringing the lands of Krynn back to gaming in a new way using the Neverwinter Nights engine. We spoke with Robert on the progress of this huge community-made project.

NWConnections Player's Guide

At first glance, NWConnections may be a bit daunting to new people, so the idea of a guide began. We spoke with Gruush who was part of a team of authors who created a complete guide to NWConnections and all the possibilities it has to offer for the serious gamer.

NWTactics

Do you yearn to crush your friends like the dogs they are in gleeful player versus player (PvP) gaming under the Neverwinter roof? Look no further than the world of NWTactics! NWTactics is a tested, balanced, and exciting way to test your might.

The Persistent World Of Brysaar

Brought about by the Law of Three, Brynsaar is a crucible in the chaos of the cosmos. All vie for control: chaos and law, good and evil. It is a realm of conflict. In such a place, heroes and villains are forged, agents for one side or another, all able to make a name for themselves in a land where the conflict of dragons and gods reshape the world anew... Brynsaar is a persistent world where serious roleplayers come to pursue epic quests for fame and glory.

The Persistent World Of Glorwing

With engaging quests, glowing standing stones that transport you to far flung parts of the world, and interesting characters, Glorwing has become known for being an easy place in which to start your persistent world journeys with Neverwinter Nights. We spoke with founder and organizer Cornflower to find out more about the world of Glorwing. Discuss

The Persistent World Of Avlis

Avlis is one of the original NWN persistent worlds and has grown to include 2500+ areas to explore and offers exceptional roleplaying to experience. New players can read through over one hundred pages of history and details about this very mature world. Josh Simon, Team Leader, found the time to respond to some our questions about Blackdagger: The World of Avlis. Discuss

Introduction to Persistent Worlds

Have you finished Neverwinter Nights? Do you still lust for adventure? Neverwinter Nights is far more than just the official campaign. An entire universe of quests, treasure, danger, and monsters await you in the many persistent worlds that have been created by the community. Not sure what persistent worlds are? Lycius, founder and owner of Brynsaar, explains what a persistent world is and how you can continue your endless adventures. Discuss

Player Resource Consortium

The lack of career choices starting to chaff just a tad? Having trouble relating to the somewhat conservative fighter, wizard or rogue? Does your complex soul scream for more? Rejoice, for the Player Resource Consortium has the solution. Take a look at this exceptional group of people who have been hard at work creating huge extras for players of Neverwinter Nights. Discuss

NWCon II - 2004 Profile
Jay Watamaniuk grills Phil Elmore (aka eliandi) about getting everything set up for three days of multiplayer madness and expert panel discussions at NWCon II. Phil provides some thoughts and this year's con and shares some advice to people who want get involved with playing NWN online and are not sure where to start. Discuss

Profile: d20 Modern Project
Ditch the dragons and bring on the tanks. Booyah! Thanks to the d20 Modern Mod group, the Neverwinter Nights game is being dragged into the 21st century, replete with guns, skyscrapers, cyberpunk duds, and more. Read about the evil geniuses behind this ambitious plot and learn details about what's shakin' in the modern world. Discuss

Profile: Community Expansion Pack (CEP) Team
Meet the masterminds behind the Community Expansion Pack for Neverwinter Nights. Learn why the project got started, who is a secret geneticist in disguise, and what the team hopes you'll use the expansion pack for.

Role-Players Guide to Multiplayer NWN
Community Member Gruush has created the ultimate document for both new players and experienced veterans looking for helpful tips on how to bring their game up a notch or two. Read more in this profile of Gruush. Discuss.

Profile: LadyRolePlay Part 2 - Great Games or Bust
LadyRolePlay expounds on multiplayer games, gives us anecdotes and tips on how to become a multiplayer gamer and how to get into a great game. This is the second part of a profile by BioWare Community Manager Jay Watamaniuk. LadyRolePlay is one of the top ranked players at NWConnections. Discuss.

Profile of a Player: LadyRolePlay
BioWare's Community Manager Jay Watamaniuk profiles community member LadyRolePlay, currently the top rated player at NWConnections, the premiere matching site. The profile introduces the fascinating LadyRolePlay, her background, how she got into RPG games, and the state of the union on RPG's from a female perspective. Discuss.