To explain my “YES” answer, I’ll just say that NWN 2 isn’t only the sequel to NWN. It’s the evolution of the concept. Neverwinter Nights gave nerdy roleplayers like myself, a way to take their pencil and paper games and transfer them into a game engine. However, the Aurora toolset, which is what made PW’s possible, was relatively simple to understand. Combined with Bioware’s excellent tutorials, practically anyone with an idea could jump into the toolset and create something.
One of the largest differences between NWN and NWN2 will be area building and the evolution from tilesets(NWN) to height mapped terrains(NWN2). NWN2 is going to have a steeper learning curve and exterior areas will take far longer to create than they did in NWN. However, height mapped areas will allow an unbelievable level of creativity to be applied to the PW. No longer will we have to spend hours and hours getting eye strain combining tilesets.
My main reason to refer to NWN2 as an evolution rather than a sequel is simple: As brilliant as NWN was, it always looked like a module to me. I could never quite get the same visual immersion in a NWN module that I could in say, WoW or Asheron’s Call, where you basically enjoyed a seamless world where colors gradually blended and terrain didn’t repeat. Such are the limitations of technology for a game as old as NWN.
NWN2 will give people like myself that visual immersion we get from an MMORPG and the control and roleplaying quality that we can only get from a well run PW. It’s the best of both worlds. Height mapping, area maps that are four times as large, and the ability to scale, color, and personalize your critters will advance NWN2 PWs into full fledged mini-MMORPGs and that, my friends is why I say Yes! To the question.
