During PAX Prime 2012, we had the opportunity to sit down with Neverwinter's Lead Designer Andy Velasquez to talk about the Foundry; what it is, how it works and what it will bring to the game. See what we discovered and then let us know what you think in the comments.

All I can say is that Cryptic has done something truly amazing with the Foundry. While Star Trek Online players are familiar with the system, those who have not yet experienced it will be astonished at the ease with which player generated content can be made.

Read more of Suzie Ford's Neverwinter: PAX 2012 Best in Show - Here's Why.

Now THIS is innovation.

Guild Wars 2? WvWvW? Dynamic Events? Please.

Good job Cryptic. This is really bringing the traditional DnD experience to the MMO genre. Be a Dungeon Master! Its a fantastic idea.

It all sounds very promising.   My real concern is how we will be charged for this.   It has the potential to nickel and dime us to death.

I totally love D&D, but whether or not I will play this is very dependent upon their cash shop system.   I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Originally posted by rentantilus
Someone has finally stumbled upon the perpetual motion machine for MMOs: Get the customers to create their own content. Bravo!

I know, right? What's the most expensive component of MMO development? Content creation. Let developers give the basic story and create the systems to give players tools to create even more. It's a win-win proposition!

Very detailed and informative write-up!  Nice to hear more about this part of the game.  The Foundry, like the version in STO, provides a system that satisfies a lot of people - those that like to make quests/modules, and those that like to play them.  It's a rare feature for an MMO, and one I think is a lot of fun for all.

I'm glad to hear that they are still going to control rewards.  The Mission Architect from CoX was horrendously abusable, while the Foundry in STO is not.  Glad to see they are keeping this in mind.

I'm definitely looking forward to giving this one a go.

Originally posted by kevjards
oh crap and i just made a comment on never paying a sub fee again(fuckin retracted).awesome..very nice read ty.

Neverwinter will probably be a hybrid F2P like Star Trek Online. Cryptic has done a stellar job with STO's F2P so I can only surmise they will do equally so with NW. :D

Originally posted by Vannor
Is this game still largely aimed at groups of 3 players for instances or has that been changed now?

Good question and I've sent it to Andy to hopefully find out soon. My guess is they're off today....unlike me. :D

Originally posted by Starfired

Now THIS is innovation.

This WAS an innovation, in STO :)  and it's working pretty well.

Actually I never understood, why the option isn't there in other mmo's... If you have a dedicated playerbase (like d&d or trekkies in Cryptic's case), you just need to give them the tools, and they will deliver a s**tload of new content. The only task left at the devs is to dedicate a few people to decide, the content is good enough or not, and if it's good, they put it in-game. Win-win :)

Originally posted by Po_gg

Originally posted by Starfired

Now THIS is innovation.

This WAS an innovation, in STO :)  and it's working pretty well.

Actually I never understood, why the option isn't there in other mmo's... If you have a dedicated playerbase (like d&d or trekkies in Cryptic's case), you just need to give them the tools, and they will deliver a s**tload of new content. The only task left at the devs is to dedicate a few people to decide, the content is good enough or not, and if it's good, they put it in-game. Win-win :)

I totally agree. What I'm excited about? Tapping into the modding community from the original NWN. What would even be cooler would be if Cryptic could find a way to let DMs run campaigns within the content they create...you know, dynamic encounters and such? I would worship the game and its creators for eternity if they could recreate that most wondrous experience from the Aurora toolset from NWN. :3

Originally posted by Suzie_Ford

Originally posted by rentantilus
Someone has finally stumbled upon the perpetual motion machine for MMOs: Get the customers to create their own content. Bravo!

I know, right? What's the most expensive component of MMO development? Content creation. Let developers give the basic story and create the systems to give players tools to create even more. It's a win-win proposition!

The problem of putting the game in the hands of the players is that, they might just use it be be a-holes (pardon my french).

It's good that they plan to counter exploits, but, NeverWinter will, quite literally, be made or broken by it's community. I really hope for the best myself, don't get me wrong. An mmorpg with a playerbase dedicated to building the world around them, the lore, it's stories. This could be the game for immersion seekers and rp'ers like myself. Even better than a full sandbox. BUT, i will be on full cation mode.

Also, F2P scares be abit. Hope no P2W, and a certain degree of control on the cash shop. They'll probably use certain npcs, location, mobs, bosses, etc, etc exclusively for the CS , which is fine, but, they better be carefull.

Finally, while i love the action combat, and possible endless adventures, i really hope Cryptic also makes a good crafting system and nice fluff/rp items for when out characters return "home". Housing would be great.

All in all, i'm keeping my eyes on this, but, from afar. This may end up being an amazing game with an amazing community, or fall apart for the same reason.

I think the Foundry (at least the STO version) is more like for story-telling (ike modules in pen-and-paper era), and not capable for dinamics, but 100% agree. It'd be awesome to have a GM, who guides a party through his/her creation, and on the spot reacts to the party's actions... Almost like a real rpg session back in the days, just now through the net.

There's a few months until release, maybe they can develop it. We should petition for it :)

Edit: I ment it as reply for Suzie's "What would even be cooler would be if Cryptic could find a way to let DMs run campaigns within the content they create...you know, dynamic encounters and such?"

Due to my Life time subs with both Cryptic games, I automatically qualify for testing this game :)

urry up and give it to me, I wonder how long it will take for the Modding Community to convert some classic DnD modules to the game? Baldurs Gate etc will probably look AWESOME!

Originally posted by Obidom

Due to my Life time subs with both Cryptic games, I automatically qualify for testing this game :)

 

urry up and give it to me, I wonder how long it will take for the Modding Community to convert some classic DnD modules to the game? Baldurs Gate etc will probably look AWESOME!

Oh you ARE a sweet talker, aren't you? *swoons at the thought of original NWN, IWD and BG mods*

Originally posted by Obidom

Due to my Life time subs with both Cryptic games, I automatically qualify for testing this game :)

 

urry up and give it to me, I wonder how long it will take for the Modding Community to convert some classic DnD modules to the game? Baldurs Gate etc will probably look AWESOME!

Keep on the Borderlands!  White Plume Mountain!

I love the fact that a game puts the ability to create content in the hands of players, as long as they have some safeguards in place to keep it from the "Monty Haul" pitfalls.

The game itself looks like a lot of fun as well.  Definitely looking forward to it.

Originally posted by kelarcanus
Uh. Does nobody remember Ryzom and the Ryzom Ring? An MMO with player generated content isn't new :P

It's not new, as many have pointed out in the past, but it is a great feature.  The power of the feature in this particular game is something to be excited about.

Originally posted by kelarcanus
Uh. Does nobody remember Ryzom and the Ryzom Ring? An MMO with player generated content isn't new :P

It's definitely NOT new but it's been ignored for too many years. That Cryptic is bringing it back is ALL good. :)