Neverwinter Interview: A Turning Point for Players and the Game

We conducted an interview with Thomas Foss, Lead Designer of the MMORPG Neverwinter, discussing the new add-on The Cloaked Ascendancy and the renaissance of MMORPGs on consoles.

Mein-MMO: In “The Cloaked Ascendancy,” players return to Neverwinter, where they are welcomed as heroes. How important is it for players to feel like heroes, and how challenging is it to implement this in an MMORPG where players of different levels play in the same areas and encounter the same NPCs?

Thomas Foss: We believe it is extremely important at all times. Because being a heroic adventurer is exactly what Dungeons & Dragons is about!

Even the role-playing villain is more of an “anti-hero” than truly evil. The player’s role in the world changes. Over time, you surpass the individuals who give you quests or instructions. In Neverwinter, players should feel like “the good hero next door.”

Sergeant Knox is actually more of a drinking buddy and trusted figure than a quest giver. Lord Neverember and his new court wizard Kavatos (to whom you have proven your skills in the Icewind Dale) are now asking for your help again, this time you are even to become their bodyguard. The Cloaked Ascendancy brings players back to places where they may not have been since level 4 and connects them again with NPCs they might “remember from before.”

Some of these contacts have also developed since then. The opening of a new area of Neverwinter is also a great opportunity to show that the world continues to evolve with the storylines.

The implementation is not extremely difficult as long as you have a good story and know where you want to go. The team has debated these ideas for a long time, and now we are excited to be able to implement them.

Mein-MMO: Visible and permanent consequences are something that is difficult to implement in MMOs. For example, when important characters die or a village is destroyed because the player made a specific decision. However, this is very important if you want to tell exciting stories. You have done such things in the past, can we expect more visible and permanent consequences in the future, triggered by our actions, for example in The Cloaked Ascendancy?

Thomas Foss: You are right; it can indeed be a challenge. We have ways to mitigate this or give it a grand stage. We can design a story or an adventure for players where “something big” happens in the world. If it is important for the overall growth of the game, such as the opening of a new area like the River District, then this will be a permanent change.

Other things, such as rescuing someone from a burning building or the explosion of the Plague Tower, can be narrated in instances. Just think of it as visiting the Disneyland ride “Pirates of the Caribbean” (my absolute favorite!). Each time it is a great adventure, but then everything is reset for the next group. Does that make you not want to go on it again, or do you get back in line right away?

Away from linear campaigns

Mein-MMO: How does the new area of The Cloaked Ascendancy differ from the previous areas? I have read that you want to give players more freedom and do something against the rather linear and “tunnel-like” design of the adventures. How does this manifest in the River District?

Thomas Foss: The Cloaked Ascendancy is not only a turning point in the story of Neverwinter but also for the role of players in this world. It marks a turning point in design as well. Something that has been somewhat lacking in the game recently is the feeling of really being an adventurer who makes their own choices.

This expansion (partially tried this in the Icewind Dale) was specifically designed to give players more choice in how they want to experience the story and in what order. Instead of a linear campaign, players can choose which wizard they want to attend to first. To reach the tombs and advance the story, players must help secure areas and set up outposts. It was fantastic to see how players came together to secure an area so they could retrieve treasures from the tombs.

Another aspect is the ability to replay things. Our new encounter “The Illusionist’s Gambit” is a perfect example. Every time you play it, it is a different experience. And let’s not forget about the rewards. Plenty of choices. We have an amazing four artifact weapons that can be earned in this campaign. We call them the Ascended Sets. Our goal here was less to emphasize class roles, but rather to focus on different builds for the classes. This benefits not only your main character but also the side characters on your account.

The feedback we have received from you regarding the changes has been truly positive, and in the future, we will see these changes and features in further adventures!

Mein-MMO: MMORPGs are very successful on consoles. Could one say that the interest in this genre has been revived now that they are playable on PS4 and Xbox One? Could we also say that the interest in MMORPGs on consoles surpasses that on PC?

Thomas Foss: I think it’s more about being visible as a genre. It’s more a rekindling of interest than a revival. It’s always a great thing when you can present your game to a broader audience on more platforms that may have different tastes. Neverwinter has definitely received a lot of positive attention from players on console.

Console ports take time

Mein-MMO: How difficult is it to make an MMORPG that works on console? What do you have to consider when working on a new expansion to be released on different platforms? Are there things that work better on PC or console?

Thomas Foss: Well, it takes some time to port a game to console. With Neverwinter and now Star Trek Online on Xbox One and PS4, we feel that we are getting better at it. As for the content, the only difference on consoles is that we have to build the user interface differently. It has to fit the console controller and also accommodate the fact that players usually play on a TV, where they typically sit further away than at a PC monitor. There are also a few contextual buttons (instead of pressing “F” on PC, you have to press “X” on console), but that’s pretty much it. The game itself is still the same.

Mein-MMO: Do players play an MMO on console differently than on PC? I could imagine that players, as they get older, might prefer to play on a large TV while sitting on a couch rather than on a PC… Would you agree with that? And is there any necessity to adapt to this type of player?

Thomas Foss: Players on PC and console are more similar than you might think. It has nothing to do with age or growing older. If anything, we have a wider range of ages on consoles. We also have players who go on adventures on both PC and console.

One of the things I love about working on MMOs for Cryptic is the fact that our games evolve based on the things that players enjoy. With more and more players playing the game on console, we are constantly learning more about what it means to play the game with a controller rather than a keyboard, and how we need to implement dialogues, screen division, and of course the user interface. The cool thing is that this streamlining process benefits not only console players, but also improves the game overall.

Mein-MMO: Speaking of the future, can you tell us more about the upcoming adventures as The Cloaked Ascendancy will be released on console in a few weeks?

Thomas Foss: The River District was part of old Neverwinter and known for its wealthy merchants, nobles, and wizards. This district has withstood the spellplague relatively unscathed, but was heavily affected by the outbreak of Mount Hotenow. After that, it became a hive for monsters and daring adventurers seeking riches.

Lord Dagult Neverember, the protector of Neverwinter, is dedicated to the River District, where he hopes to recover the lost riches. But suddenly, four wizards appear who not only claim the River District but also want to seize the crown of Neverwinter!

A large part of the story of The Cloaked Ascendancy revolves around learning more about these wizards and holding them accountable. During this detective work, you will need to talk to many people in the city, from sages and oracles in the Protector’s Enclave to Nasher rebels in the Blacklake District. In the end, you will find yourself in the place where your journey in Neverwinter once began!

The adventure module The Cloaked Ascendancy will be released on April 11 for Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

Here is more information about The Cloaked Ascendancy