Had fun as a kid with Dungeons and Dragons? Wouldn’t it make an awesome computer game? Well, it has, in the form of several games over the years. Neverwinter Nights is the latest incarnation, following the latest rules of D&D. The original talking and dice game of Dungeons and Dragons had a flaw: your dungeon master had better be a good story teller. Otherwise, people will realize that they are wasting hours sitting with each other rolling plastic dice.

Neverwinter Nights takes the elements of the dice game and turns it into an interactive computer game. You still sneak, and roll for chances of being discovered, but it is all done by the computer. Mage users need to prepare spells before they can use it, and party members all must rest in order to heal. The D&D game has come alive on the screen.

Before the praise becomes effusive, let me stop and say that this game is only for few people. For a game so devoted to the ideals of D&D, its multiplayer gaming mode is simply horrid.

In an unusual twist for a review, I will post the feedback from the various gamers who tried this out when we played as a group (everything is edited for clarity and some names are substituted for pseudonyms):

Starfury said:

“I have got to say that this game is crap. I'm totally disappointed in it and don't know if I'm going to continue playing. Movement sucks and combat sucks too. After dying the third time and having no idea where to find the party I gave up.”

I said:

“1. In multiplayer mode, when any one of the live players opens the door to a new section or activates a new story line, *everybody's* screens show new modules being loaded. Many times, you magically appear into a new part of town without finishing the story you are reading.

2. Related to that, only one person can interact with an NPC. If the live person clicks through the storyline, you have to stand around waiting for your turn with the NPC. He or she may read faster or slower than you, but you can only "overhear" the conversation while waiting around.

3. As Pisser has already pointed out, chatting in a multiplayer game is essential but annoying. I haven't learned the shortcut keys in this game, but the system from Final Fantasy XI (an online MMORPG game) is better. Actually, several things about FFXI are better than Neverwinter Nights, and I didn't like FFXI that much. It's mostly playing with young kids with potty mouth that I did not enjoy with FFXI, but the controls of NWN are annoying me.

4. I didn't know this, but the server kept on kicking people from the game. This usually happened around the time new modules are loading.

5. Compare the complexity of the D&D rule set with the simplicity of Diablo 2. D2 is faster, brasher, not as accurate, but much more fun. Slash-and-hack has its limited appeal, but the D&D rule set by Neverwinter Night is not exactly a strategy game either.”

Pascal said:

“The game would show me swinging at empty space and recording damage against NPCs that weren't there--and I hadn't initiated any combat. Arrows would come out of nowhere at me as well...anyone find invisible monsters tonight or was that a program glitch?

At one point I was running around under water in the Peninsula map where I shouldn't be able to access. I had problems moving more than a few steps at a time at other times.”

And finally, Andy said:

“As a NWN veteran, allow me to voice my 2 cents.

1) NWN is not designed for massive multiplayer. Its communication tools are clumsy and NPC/GM interaction is awkward. It has been a universal complaint about how the game pauses for everyone when 1 person talks to an NPC, or zones when 1 person does. No way to get around that but to have everyone know these rules and stick together.

2) I've found that unless you're into the Dungeons & Dragons rule set, which most people aren't, they treat NWN like a 3D Diablo, i.e. action hack and slash, and therefore come away very disappointed. It's very difficult, though not impossible, to make NWN a true computer version of a paper and pencil RPG. But this takes everyone having patience and changing their expectations. But since it sounds like a lot of people aren't familiar with D&D, I think many people will leave for Diablo, which is ok. You'll be left with a tiny core of people who actually enjoy D&D, so I think it'll work out.

3) Multiplayer isn't supposed to be so buggy. I've played multiplayer from 2 people to 100 people on a dedicated server, and hadn't run into the problems you guys had last night. Sounds like most people were playing it for the first time, which means there's still some hardware configs/software bugs to work out on their own computers. Once everything's working it can still be a lot of fun, but yeah, the experience isn't quite as "visceral" as the constant hack and slash of Diablo 2. NWN seems more like lots of waiting interspersed with hack and slash (when all you want to do is fight, rather than role play).”

I know there are many adoring fans of Neverwinter Nights out there. I’ve tried to be balanced, and presented several views. For me, a game so devoted to Dungeons & Dragon should make multiplayer work! It gets penalized for not living to the ultimate vision of a multiplayer game.