Jack Emmert on Neverwinter & the Cryptic’s New Philosophy

MMORPG.com's
Garrett Fuller had the chance to sit down with Cryptic Studios head
Jack Emmert. The discussion started with questions and information about
the just-announced Neverwinter, a cooperative online RPG being
developed by Cryptic. Emmert is out to prove that Cryptic has a new
philosophy and is more than up to the task. Read Garrett's very candid
interview with Jack Emmert and see what you think.

Interviews By Garrett Fuller on August 24, 2010

Yesterday we had the chance to chat with Jack Emmert, COO of
Cryptic Studios. The obvious topic of the Neverwinter co-op RPG was the
focus, but we changed some questions to give more insight into the how
Cryptic is approaching the project. Jack was willing to openly chat
about the game as well as talk about Cryptic’s past and future. In a
very revealing interview we get the sense that Cryptic really is putting
their best foot forward on this one and will show the game industry
something new for the future.

I first asked Jack what it is like to work with
the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms world. He explained that it
was the game world he grew up with as a teenager. Playing D&D for
him took place in Forgotten Realms and remains close to his heart. He
explained that Cryptic’s goal is to create a game that will help players
relive those old memories in a new format. It will also introduce new
players to a fantastic game world with a rich history. Jack also
explained that they have a lot to live up to with the games created
before. Bioware’s Neverwinter Nights series did very well and for many
is the defining RPG among gamers. Jack said they truly want to live up
to the expectations set and are working hard to do so.The next
topic that came up was why the game was being made as a co-operative RPG
and not really an MMO. Jack said that the concept is much easier than
an MMO and there are a lot of things they can work on differently. He
referenced the crafting system in Champions Online saying that it was a
mistake to add to the game. He said that City of Heroes got attacked by
MMO players for not having enough crafting, yet when they added the
system to Champions it could have been done much better. For a
co-operative RPG Jack said they can add systems in if the game demands
it. Because MMOs had to follow a certain criteria, systems were added
that did not meet expectations. This way with an RPG they have more
freedom to create the systems if needed rather than to make sure they
were part of the original design.

The other thing Jack mentioned is that the game will follow the play style
of something like Borderlands with a Dragon Age/ Oblivion feel to it.
The game won’t have to live up to the MMO expectations that have become
so widespread in online gaming. Instead of having a full on MMO, Cryptic
wants the game to be a place where old D&D groups can get together
no matter where they are and play a night of gaming without having to
deal with grinding monsters or endless repetition. They want the game to
be a fun experience to have with your friends.Jack explained
that after Champions and Star Trek they realized that the studio had to
shift gears from the typical MMO template. This new style of game is
working with a tested engine and allows Cryptic to make the games they
want. After the feedback they got from their most recent MMOs Jack
explained that the studio is now moving in a new direction, “It’s a
brand new Cryptic.”

So in talking about the game itself Jack did say that Cryptic will
continue with the customization features which it has become known for.
They want players to really be able to customize not only their
characters but also to create dungeons and quests for other players to
explore. The player created content is one of the end game scenarios
that Jack thought would give a lot of tools to players to help create
their own fun. He also said that with the success of downloadable
content they have many plans to keep players active with new adventures
in the future. They will have expansions to boost the level cap and
allow players to experience Epic style adventures as seen in the fourth
edition of Dungeons & Dragons currently being played today.Jack
went on to explain the design strategy behind the new Neverwinter game
as using Veritcal Slices. Each slice is a full game play experience that
the team and outside reviewers can look at and make assessments on.
Back when they made Champions Online and Star Trek they had each team
working on different systems that would eventually combine in the end.
The problem with this design philosophy, Jack explained, was that it was
difficult to make changes to the game once all the systems were in
place. Using the new vertical slices system the team can make changes as
they go. Jack also mentioned that the team is currently working on its
second vertical slice in development, which means there is a full game
play version of the game out there. Not the full game, but a playable
tier of the game for Cryptic to test and make changes to as needed. Jack
explained that development is going well and the team are very excited
with results.

The biggest area that Jack address was quality, “We have to get better!” he
explained. “It is a brand new game and a brand new Cryptic,” Jack was
excited to say. Overall it seems like Cryptic is putting on their game
faces for Neverwinter and seems to have a new design philosophy that
benefits their approach. Jack addressed the tough past with Cryptic and
is excited about the bright future with this new game and new game
style. Thanks to Jack for taking time to talk with us and after our
conversation we are also looking forward to what Cryptic has to offer in
the future.

hope they really make a good mmo this time or they will probably close down like acclaim due to bad reviews since they already made a bad name for them in startrex and champions online ^^

good to know this time they admit firsthand neverwinter will not be a full mmo.never try to market something for what it isn't.apb taught the industry a good lesson on this heh.

E3 2011: Neverwinter Overview

The D&D setting of
Neverwinter is one of the most beloved locations ever created. Cryptic
Studios has taken on the monumental task of creating an MMO based in and
around the city of Neverwinter. At E3 2011, MMORPG.com's Joe Iuliani
had the opportunity to attend a presentation by Cryptic showcasing
Neverwinter.During this year’s E3, Cryptic Studios showcased Neverwinter. Set
one hundred years in the future from Neverwinter Nights. Neverwinter is
aiming to bring the classic feel of Dungeons & Dragons to the MMORPG
genre. Players can team up with other players or go it alone using the
henchmen (and women) available in game. No game of Dungeons &
Dragons would ever be complete without players having the ability to
create their own content. For any of you old school RPG players you can
think of the persistent world of Neverwinter as developer-created
modules. They’ll be sure to please and great to advance a character, but
the dungeons your friends design always seemed to have that unique edge
to them. To that end Cryptic Studios introduces The Foundry to Neverwinter.

The
majority of the E3 demonstration with the team revolved around this
element of the upcoming game. The Foundry is taking the popular aspect
of User Generated Content found in Neverwinter Nights to the next level.
This built-in tool will allow players to create content, controlling
elements such as story, maps, dialogue and character appearance. To many
this already sounds familiar as Neverwinter Nights is famous for its
user generated content. What will allow the UGC to stand out in
Neverwinter is its overlap with the persistent PVE world. Creators will
have the ability to choose an NPC character within the game to initiate
their content. You can choose something as commonplace as a guard to the
entrance of the city, to the most obscure NPC character that exists.
Meaning when you click on a NPC not only will you see the PVE content,
but also those scenarios created by your fellow players.

Dialogue
has always played an important part of both PVE and UGC scenarios, The
Foundry allows creators to create their own dialogue as well. Creators
can be as verbose or terse as they choose. Half of the RPG experience is
the story. The control over dialogue allows the story tellers to tell
the tales they want. The Foundry’s asset table unfolds much
like a flow chart for dialogue creation. Players can choose their
response which in turn shows the next option available to them. More
experienced story tellers may use this feature to ensure that only those
of the right mindset enter their scenario. Conversely the choices to
enter a scenario can be as simple as “yes” &”no”.

Dungeon
design with The Foundry can be as simple as allowing players to choice
from existing room templates. These templates then can be dragged and
dropped to a grid. Watching the design was reminiscent of the old graph
paper designing days. Creating your own dungeon can be as simple as
just aligning the doors to rooms you select, and voila… instant custom
dungeon. That simple method may be enough for amateur scenario creators,
but nowhere near enough for those looking to truly create something
unique. Never fear, The Foundry allows for an incredible amount of user
controlled detail. Some of the tiny facets shown during the
demonstration for each room were lighting, webbing, shadows, and some
color choices. Theses aspects will help allow players to create a more
custom feel for their environment and make them stand apart from their
counterparts.


RewardsThe
question of custom rewards for UGC dungeons is still up for debate. A
lot of thought is still going into finding the right reward balance. A
dungeon created with one rat to kill and some kind of uber-sword for a
reward is hardly balanced. There is speculation on some kind of point
system to be added. Players can be sure that the Neverwinter creators
will be giving careful thought to this issue.


Mission RatingsUser
Generated Content will receive a mission rating from players. The more
popular a custom scenario is, the higher its ranking. The possibility of
the highest mission rated scenarios may even by officially recognized
by Cryptic Studios, with some kind of potential reward. Of course that
is a very early development idea; we’ll see if it evolves to the
released game.

For more details about the Foundry, click here.
Ok, maybe there are that many details available at the moment, but keep
an eye for them as we’re told plenty is coming. Neverwinter is aiming
for an October release, although Cryptic Studios assures us that it will
not be released until they feel it the best their players deserve.

Covering Neverwinter has always been a dicey proposition for Massively. We've always considered the upcoming D&D game by Cryptic Studios
"multiplayer" rather than "massively multiplayer," yet because the game
was being developed by Cryptic, the urge to cover it persisted.

Now we'll be entirely justified. An article on IGN today delivers the news that Cryptic and new publisher Perfect World Entertainment are reorienting the game's design to make it a true MMO in the style of Vindictus or Rusty Hearts:

Neverwinter is shifting from the co-operative multiplayer game
that was announced last year and into full-fledged, free-to-play MMO
territory. In fact, it's shifting towards the action end of the MMO
spectrum.

How free is free-to-play?

Not all content will be free, though. The developer will be charging
money for consumables, [...] vanity pets and cosmetic items. [...]
Cryptic plans to avoid making any content premium-only in Neverwinter.

The restructuring of the game will push back its release date to 2012.

Newerwinter mmo so good

Perfect World releasing it so bad

PW can turn the best into the worst so it's a pass for me