I hoped so too...but then I saw some gameplay videos from their games...its even more grindfest cookie cutter MMO than Cryptic....doh....VeeVito wrote...
I know nothing of PW or their games yet so maybe they just want to revamp it into something completely different.
Atari gives up D&D license
Débuté par
foil-
, août 15 2011 06:23
#26
Posté 16 août 2011 - 12:59
SuperFly_2000
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Retour en haut
#27
Posté 16 août 2011 - 02:22
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dunniteowl wrote...
There really was no more chance of a third expansion, but I do know that Obsidian was working on bug fixes for an 'unofficial' patch before the lawsuit totally quashed it.
it would be awesome if there will be an unofficial final patch but i highly doubt it. obsidian ain't bioware back in the days with lots of money to support their game. it will cost too much just to get this thing out with absolutely no cash in. on top atari won't be interested to pay obsidian for the very slim chance of selling a few thousand units at most.
if there are no obsidian devs dedicated enough to work in their free time this simply won't happen.
hopefully i am wrong!
Modifié par -Semper-, 16 août 2011 - 02:23 .
#28
Guest_Chaos Wielder_*
Posté 16 août 2011 - 02:36
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I'd like to hope that we can pitch it. I'm for it in whatever capacity I can provide. There are several bugs that would be nice to be cleared up, and, honestly, skywing & pain have done so much that their changes alone could be a patch.
#29
Posté 16 août 2011 - 02:57
nicethugbert
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I don't mind if Atari or Hasbro patches the game. But, I don't want them to interfere with Skywing, et. al.
#30
Posté 16 août 2011 - 04:51
foil-
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nicethugbert wrote...
I don't mind if Atari or Hasbro patches the game. But, I don't want them to interfere with Skywing, et. al.
True. Patches have always been rocky ground for community made content: including a lot of modules that will likely no longer get updated. But I can get arround that with 2 installs of the game. I think over the years since release I've purchased at least 4 copies if you include my last Steam purchase. Darn those special gold box and collectors editions.
As for convincing Obsidian Entertainment, they have a new Dungeon Siege sequel out. If they could role the patch out with some Dungeon Siege III advertising or trailers, maybe they could be convinced to bite.
P.S.: sorry to say this but I couldn't even get through the Demo of Dungeon Siege III however. But I'm sure there are some NWN fans that would enjoy it.
Modifié par foil-, 16 août 2011 - 04:52 .
#31
Posté 16 août 2011 - 06:15
Quixal
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I can't say I am all that hopeful but I will certainly support the cause. I do wonder if a final patch is even possible now in a useful sense given that any work done previously to get it out likely conflicts with community efforts.
#32
Posté 16 août 2011 - 06:49
MokahTGS
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Frankly IMO the source code for NWN2 would be more useful to the community than a new patch. A new patch would just break things, and I really don't see Obsidian going back to NWN2 since no one is going to pay for that.
Now asking Obsidian to release the work they had done on the 1.24 patch to people like Skywing is more likely.
Now asking Obsidian to release the work they had done on the 1.24 patch to people like Skywing is more likely.
#33
Posté 16 août 2011 - 06:59
Kaldor Silverwand
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The Fred wrote...
I was going to post some anti-Mac sentiment, but really the biggest problems with Macs are that you can't run the NWN2 Toolset on them. True NWN-ists should shelve their Macs at once and go buy something else.Kaldor Silverwand wrote...
Not sure I want a patch at this point. If a patch is released for Windows then Windows will be ahead of the Mac and I don't see any possibility that Aspyr is going to release a Mac patch.
Shelve my Mac??? Not a chance. I don't have enough shelf space for all of them. The biggest problem with Macs for modders is the lack of a Mac version of the toolset. Right now the biggest problem with Macs for players is that the expansions were only released for Windows so you have to use alternative means to get them running on a Mac, but since both the Windows and Mac systems are at the same patch level there really are no other serious problems for Mac players. If a Windows patch were released and no Mac patch then I believe Mac players would be effectively locked out of MP and PW and that would be a significant problem for them when today they have no significant problems playing MP and PW.
Regards
#34
Posté 16 août 2011 - 07:19
dunniteowl
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You know, Mokah, the Source Code would definitely be a more productive thing, now that you mention it. So be on the lookout for a new thread in that vein. [sound of wings fluttering wildly]
dno
dno
#35
Posté 16 août 2011 - 09:01
LordNyvek
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I just read an article on Gamasutra. In it, it states that "Atari will continue to develop, market and maintain games based on the Dungeons & Dragons property, but they will do so under license from both Hasbro and subsidiary Wizards of the Coast." To me, this says that Atari still maintains the ability to do all games based upon D&D, obviously including Neverwinter. So, not all hope is lost to a third expansion, or even a true NWN3. But until the full details of the settlement, or a release from either company, we'll never truly know.
#36
Posté 17 août 2011 - 12:05
NWN DM
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Is the black kid really sitting on the floor with spitoons on his hands and a toilet trainer on his head?nicethugbert wrote...
Remarkable
#37
Posté 17 août 2011 - 12:51
foil-
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dunniteowl wrote...
You know, Mokah, the Source Code would definitely be a more productive thing, now that you mention it. So be on the lookout for a new thread in that vein. [sound of wings fluttering wildly]
dno
You might want to try easier ground first with the patch. Co8 heavily petitioned Atari and Troika for the source code for Temple of Elemental Evil with absolutely zero ground gained. It was a shame but source code likely means Atari is definitely going to be involved and likely means deaf ears. I'm not saying to not take a shot at it, just see if there is any chance at the patch first. If that can't be achieved then the source code is definitely out. I'm thinking baby steps here.
Of course, you're the one doing all the heavy lifting, so it's your call ultimately which is the best path to take. Just offering my perspective on likelyhood of success.
Modifié par foil-, 17 août 2011 - 12:53 .
#38
Posté 17 août 2011 - 01:03
painofdungeoneternal
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We need to focus on what we need, more than what we want.
Think about what we have done with symbols for the game itself, it's not trivial mods that are being done, but things like replacing the scripting engine, removing bugs, replacing the networking, and resource loader.
Source code is the best possible thing we can get, but the fact is that often the perfect is the enemy of the good, and there are other ways to get the same result, which are not actually that much harder. This is not a choice between which you prefer to get, it's about which one should we as a community focus on so we actually get the most benefit overall.
To me a patch means a new look at the game by people outside the community who thought the game was buggy. It should be done not for us, but to sell more copies of the game and increase the size of this community. Now i don't mean a rushed patch, or an expensive one, and perhaps access by a few people who have signed non disclosures ( who could spend 6 months making it perfect )
The toolset is hard to deal with as is, hard to modify and fix things, and that is why getting it's source code would be good. This would be minus quite a few things which are owned by other companies. Add to that the whispers from those inside Obsidian this might be possible. Remember a major hurdle in NWN2 is how long it takes to implement content compared to NWN1.
This is going to happen because the powers that be see a benefit to themselves. We need to think not only about what we want, but how this will benefit those people we want something from.
Think about what we have done with symbols for the game itself, it's not trivial mods that are being done, but things like replacing the scripting engine, removing bugs, replacing the networking, and resource loader.
Source code is the best possible thing we can get, but the fact is that often the perfect is the enemy of the good, and there are other ways to get the same result, which are not actually that much harder. This is not a choice between which you prefer to get, it's about which one should we as a community focus on so we actually get the most benefit overall.
To me a patch means a new look at the game by people outside the community who thought the game was buggy. It should be done not for us, but to sell more copies of the game and increase the size of this community. Now i don't mean a rushed patch, or an expensive one, and perhaps access by a few people who have signed non disclosures ( who could spend 6 months making it perfect )
The toolset is hard to deal with as is, hard to modify and fix things, and that is why getting it's source code would be good. This would be minus quite a few things which are owned by other companies. Add to that the whispers from those inside Obsidian this might be possible. Remember a major hurdle in NWN2 is how long it takes to implement content compared to NWN1.
This is going to happen because the powers that be see a benefit to themselves. We need to think not only about what we want, but how this will benefit those people we want something from.
Modifié par painofdungeoneternal, 17 août 2011 - 01:08 .
#39
Posté 17 août 2011 - 01:24
dunniteowl
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I'm not rushing into anything other than getting a sampling of information from the Community. I am definitely not the "go to" guy when it comes to what might be the "best overall" thing for the lifelong development of the game post interest by Atari/Hasbro/Obsidian. I am listening to the explanations and points of view in order to gain a better idea how to present this proposal in the first place.
Suffice to say, I am clearly interested in hearing how the majority feels about the situation and the overall point of views on what might be likely or how we might be able to present a case to them. I am definitely leaning into ways to make it palatable to the PTB and that means appealing to their financials. I prefer to wield leverage as opposed to a large stick as a blunt instrument.
I can see how a Patch could enliven the game's sales. I could also see, further down the line, how a small group of dedicated NDAd folks could apply their skills and provide Community Level Patching later on down the line. I know that IP holders have a tendency to say, "No! Mine! No sharing!" And I can respect that even if the point is basically moot years down the line from initial release or more importantly and to the point, years from the last official release of anything.
That said, I am unafraid to pitch it in any case. I would definitely prefer to have a better sense of the Community as a whole and a closer sense of the "movers and shakers" that this proposal would most strongly impact when it comes to improving aspects of the game and how that is best done. That is the intent of the Topic Which is Better for the Community? post.
I think this particular thread would be a good place to provide debate and discussion on aspects that would be best not heavily discussed in that thread. To avoid bogging it down with repetitive posts instead of getting a better sample of the Community's sense of things.
dunniteowl
Suffice to say, I am clearly interested in hearing how the majority feels about the situation and the overall point of views on what might be likely or how we might be able to present a case to them. I am definitely leaning into ways to make it palatable to the PTB and that means appealing to their financials. I prefer to wield leverage as opposed to a large stick as a blunt instrument.
I can see how a Patch could enliven the game's sales. I could also see, further down the line, how a small group of dedicated NDAd folks could apply their skills and provide Community Level Patching later on down the line. I know that IP holders have a tendency to say, "No! Mine! No sharing!" And I can respect that even if the point is basically moot years down the line from initial release or more importantly and to the point, years from the last official release of anything.
That said, I am unafraid to pitch it in any case. I would definitely prefer to have a better sense of the Community as a whole and a closer sense of the "movers and shakers" that this proposal would most strongly impact when it comes to improving aspects of the game and how that is best done. That is the intent of the Topic Which is Better for the Community? post.
I think this particular thread would be a good place to provide debate and discussion on aspects that would be best not heavily discussed in that thread. To avoid bogging it down with repetitive posts instead of getting a better sample of the Community's sense of things.
dunniteowl
#40
Posté 17 août 2011 - 02:09
foil-
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There is also this thread recently opened which is a discussion on the source code:
Question about NWN2 "source code"
And Dno, you may not be the go-to guy from a technical standpoint, but you are the person with his fingers in several different pots. You probably have the best overall perspective of various components of NWN2 engine and community and are in the best position to make the call on how to approach Obsidian, Atari, Wizards, etc. In a sense, you may not be the technical expert on modding, patches, etc, but you have the best overall view of all these components.
Now cut the false modesty and act like the NWN2 project manager you are!
No pressure 
^^kidding of course.
Question about NWN2 "source code"
And Dno, you may not be the go-to guy from a technical standpoint, but you are the person with his fingers in several different pots. You probably have the best overall perspective of various components of NWN2 engine and community and are in the best position to make the call on how to approach Obsidian, Atari, Wizards, etc. In a sense, you may not be the technical expert on modding, patches, etc, but you have the best overall view of all these components.
Now cut the false modesty and act like the NWN2 project manager you are!
No pressure ^^kidding of course.
Modifié par foil-, 17 août 2011 - 02:15 .
#41
Posté 17 août 2011 - 07:11
SuperFly_2000
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We still don't have the NWN1 source code...MokahTGS wrote...
Frankly IMO the source code for NWN2 would be more useful to the community than a new patch.
Modifié par SuperFly_2000, 17 août 2011 - 07:12 .
#42
Posté 17 août 2011 - 02:58
dunniteowl
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That's funny foil- I laughed pretty hard. Just prior to catching up I realized I posted the idea about discussions in the wrong thread -- I really think the link you provided is where I thought I was posting at the time. Additionally, I am an organizer and 'big picture' person. Which is why I laughed so hard when you told me to be the Project Manager I really was, because that's probably the best capacity description for me. Which I was just thinking a few minutes before opening this thread. Hmm. Psyhcic? I wonder.
But yes, the entire thrust of me gathering this information is to figure out the best arguments I can use to encourage an overall positive, if not enthusiastic response to the request in the first place. Further posts in that capacity will be placed in the NWN2 Source Code Questions thread. The rest of you, get back to work!
dno
But yes, the entire thrust of me gathering this information is to figure out the best arguments I can use to encourage an overall positive, if not enthusiastic response to the request in the first place. Further posts in that capacity will be placed in the NWN2 Source Code Questions thread. The rest of you, get back to work!
dno
#43
Posté 17 août 2011 - 03:11
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SuperFly_2000 wrote...
We still don't have the NWN1 source code...MokahTGS wrote...
Frankly IMO the source code for NWN2 would be more useful to the community than a new patch.
yeah, and knowing that obsidian only LICENSED the aurora engine from bioware there's no sense in asking them to release the source. you have to ask bioware first and afterwards obsidian. dunno if atari, as the publisher and owner of the rights, has to be asked too. and don't forget about the third party licenses like facefx and speedtree. they won't let you poke through their code.
Modifié par -Semper-, 17 août 2011 - 03:20 .
#44
Posté 17 août 2011 - 06:31
dunniteowl
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SpeedTree is a 3rd party plug-in to the toolset, so there's really no code, per se, that would be violated or required permission from them. The same would hold true for something like Face F/X, which isn't part of the NWN2 repertoire in the first place.
The whole process is like this: Bioware, Obsidian and Atari would have to be 'petitioned' (and I mean that in the classical not the common definition) to have the source code made available on a very limited basis to select members of the Community. As per my post and explanation, that would be a small cadre of folks who stand to make the most of that code's workings. All of them would have to be NDA'd (as I am by both Bioware and Obsidian as a moderator) and the actions of each of these people would have to be focused as a team oriented effort. No piecemeal or fractured community efforts would be allowed for the simple fact that only folks with the NDA to the parties would even be allowed to make use of the code in the first place. As it so happens, this small group is nearly constantly communicating now in regard to their efforts and have sort of already created a 'division of labor' concept that functions very closely to a team effort as it is.
Honestly, I am not sure how much a problem this really is, other than what Zebranky mentioned. Still, if we can generate a plausible request and provide some persuasive dialogue on how this could be translated into some increase in sales without more than trivial investment of time and effort on their part, we might be able to make a go of it. I am certainly willing to explore this as fully as we can.
Another aspect might be to get the folks doing the most groundbreaking work or the most workaround efforts and figure out how to make a patch that doesn't break more than it fixes (and still allows the broken stuff to be marginally treated to be fixed -- you know, a corrected script here, and replaced new script there -- voila, perhaps) and then have it vetted by Obsidian, then Atari, we could probably pull that off too.
My aim is to find the most effective and best long term solution for the Community in regard to this game. After all, there's still really nothing like NWN or NWN2 out there that has as wide a following and has as much power and flexibility altogether as they do, with DA:O coming in a distant second to them, I'd say. And, as long as there is no competitive product on the market and there doesn't seem to be any plans to develop or produce something along these lines even in the discussion stages by a major developer/publisher, I see no real reason for anyone to get gun shy.
So consider ways to 'sell' the idea by making more sales somehow. That's another aspect of this whole process. We have to brainstorm as many points as possible and figure out where to go from here.
dunniteowl
The whole process is like this: Bioware, Obsidian and Atari would have to be 'petitioned' (and I mean that in the classical not the common definition) to have the source code made available on a very limited basis to select members of the Community. As per my post and explanation, that would be a small cadre of folks who stand to make the most of that code's workings. All of them would have to be NDA'd (as I am by both Bioware and Obsidian as a moderator) and the actions of each of these people would have to be focused as a team oriented effort. No piecemeal or fractured community efforts would be allowed for the simple fact that only folks with the NDA to the parties would even be allowed to make use of the code in the first place. As it so happens, this small group is nearly constantly communicating now in regard to their efforts and have sort of already created a 'division of labor' concept that functions very closely to a team effort as it is.
Honestly, I am not sure how much a problem this really is, other than what Zebranky mentioned. Still, if we can generate a plausible request and provide some persuasive dialogue on how this could be translated into some increase in sales without more than trivial investment of time and effort on their part, we might be able to make a go of it. I am certainly willing to explore this as fully as we can.
Another aspect might be to get the folks doing the most groundbreaking work or the most workaround efforts and figure out how to make a patch that doesn't break more than it fixes (and still allows the broken stuff to be marginally treated to be fixed -- you know, a corrected script here, and replaced new script there -- voila, perhaps) and then have it vetted by Obsidian, then Atari, we could probably pull that off too.
My aim is to find the most effective and best long term solution for the Community in regard to this game. After all, there's still really nothing like NWN or NWN2 out there that has as wide a following and has as much power and flexibility altogether as they do, with DA:O coming in a distant second to them, I'd say. And, as long as there is no competitive product on the market and there doesn't seem to be any plans to develop or produce something along these lines even in the discussion stages by a major developer/publisher, I see no real reason for anyone to get gun shy.
So consider ways to 'sell' the idea by making more sales somehow. That's another aspect of this whole process. We have to brainstorm as many points as possible and figure out where to go from here.
dunniteowl
#45
Posté 17 août 2011 - 09:41
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dunniteowl wrote...
SpeedTree is a 3rd party plug-in to the toolset, so there's really no code, per se, that would be violated or required permission from them. The same would hold true for something like Face F/X, which isn't part of the NWN2 repertoire in the first place.
obsidian used facefx to generate the facial animations like expressions and lipsynch. dunno if there's something of the lines packed inside. and isn't there code from speedtree integrated to the nwn2 source to get the engine to render the trees efficiently?
whatever. i am hoping the best^^
#46
Posté 17 août 2011 - 10:36
The Fred
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We should probably just ask someone if it's even in the realm of feasibility for someone to get their hands on the source code. If it's effectively members of the community making the next patch for them after having had a look at the code, I can't see that they'd be unwilling, though they may have issues about having to check it all to make sure it's not dodgy. Still, it sounds better to me than having to make the whole patch yourself. If they are going to do anything they probably should release what was being worked on prior to the whole to-do over the legalities anyway.
As for selling it, well, Atari never bothered to sell NWN2 anyway. I don't know if it were even advertised even on like gaming sites on the internet... I saw a TV advert for Dragon Age, but I didn't know NWN2 even existed until after it was released, I think. Well, I can't actually remember, but as an NWN1 player, if I didn't know about it, I can't imagine their chances of pulling in new blood were great. That said putting some sort of label on it like "now extra super-cool!" on Steam mightn't be too much work (I don't know, I've never used Steam) and attracts a little interest. This sort of community collusion ought to be pretty big news, precisely because it may be unlikely to happen.
As for selling it, well, Atari never bothered to sell NWN2 anyway. I don't know if it were even advertised even on like gaming sites on the internet... I saw a TV advert for Dragon Age, but I didn't know NWN2 even existed until after it was released, I think. Well, I can't actually remember, but as an NWN1 player, if I didn't know about it, I can't imagine their chances of pulling in new blood were great. That said putting some sort of label on it like "now extra super-cool!" on Steam mightn't be too much work (I don't know, I've never used Steam) and attracts a little interest. This sort of community collusion ought to be pretty big news, precisely because it may be unlikely to happen.
#47
Posté 19 août 2011 - 12:36
dunniteowl
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It's got to be possible. Do you think Grinning Fool worked in the dark for the 1.23 Patch? I think that highly unlikely. It could be done with provisos and of course, anyone privy to the code would all be under an NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) which would legally bind them from offering it up to others or even allowing anyone that isn't a party to the agreement to inspect or review it.
If you think about it, there are like maybe 5-8 people active in this Community who have the chops and cred to work with it in the first place. As I stated earlier, they are all pretty well in touch with each other and each has their specific area of NWN2 they are plugging away with. They work together to solve issues, bat ideas around and then get back to their separate corners. The only real difference in such a case is that they couldn't discuss openly what exactly is the code itself. However they could talk about how they could overcome engine limitations and what the ramifications of it are. They could talk about graphics optimizations, or changing core game code to run on multi-core platforms and take advantage of parallel processing streams. That sort of thing.
Some people have mentioned that someone might make Patch A while another team would make Patch B and this couldn't be further off base. There will, even if the code were made available, be only a few individuals with access to it. They will be under an NDA which could put them in legal prosecution for any misconduct. They are also a fairly tight knit group already working on their own specific tasks, but coordinating their efforts.
The only real difference I see in that is that they'd have a bit more power to work some of their magic and they would still be coordinated in their efforts. It's not like you'd have what occurred with -- what was it? -- Baldur's Gate with three separate teams doing things their own way and not only not communicating, but openly fighting with each other. That's not going to be the case here.
Let me posit a few thoughts about why Atari/Obsidian might be persuaded to do this:
It relieves them of the responsibility to fix anything further (which of course, they arguably already have avoided as a responsibility) and still allows them to "publish" any fixes the Community makes as an Official Patch. This could also be seen as an Olive Branch by Atari.
Never underestimate the power of good press and good will. You do know that Atari convinced Nolan Bushnell to rejoin the board, right? That cat is a cool dude, no matter how you slice it. I played Asteroids with him once at his pizza place. You know, Chuck E. Cheese's? There are a few folks in this Community amongst the ones who'd be likely to be able to view the code who also have some communications lines to either Obsidian, Bioware or Atari or some combination.
These factors make it a possibility to persuade the powers that this would be a nice, cost effective method to make this game sparkle, drive up more Steam sales and profit everyone in the process. I don't know if everyone with access to the code would demand to get paid anything (I would like to think the PTB would offer a pittance of some sort for each working person,) but even if not, they're already working on making the game better. Why not give them the full monty of tools and code to make that sing and flow better than it currently is?
There might be stuff in there that's proprietary (possibly stuff by SpeedTree) but, honestly, proprietary and useful in the current development sense are two very different things. The rev of SpeedTree since SoZ is well beyond what could be in the code, I'm sure and having it doesn't mean anyone can get away with doing anything with it. And why would they? There are much better options out there.
It is true, also, that Atari essentially didn't advertise NWN2 at all. I found out about it by accident coming to the NWN boards a year and a half before release and just hung around waiting for it. However I'm a big video game fan of all sorts and I read the mags, the trades and the online periodicals as well as follow as much as I can about a whole host of games and the technology that drives them. I didn't see any NWN2 ads anywhere.
So, with that in mind, mayhap a good will gesture as they part company with future D&D games wouldn't be so hard to get them to do -- especially if we could point to the potential to drive more sales without any upfront costs on their part -- or maybe just a pittance to Obsidian if they are interested in taking a lead in approval of anything official patchwise. It'd be nice if Obsidian would do what Bioware did and provide a final patch unfunded by the Publisher out of Community goodwill also.
I am aware business is business and the objective is profit at the end of the day. However, it should be noted that profit for the sake of profit only can leave otherwise devoted game creators feeling a little hollow after a while. Maybe a goodwill gesture is just the ticket to fill that cup a little higher emotionally and give them a boost? It's always worth asking.
regards
dunniteowl
If you think about it, there are like maybe 5-8 people active in this Community who have the chops and cred to work with it in the first place. As I stated earlier, they are all pretty well in touch with each other and each has their specific area of NWN2 they are plugging away with. They work together to solve issues, bat ideas around and then get back to their separate corners. The only real difference in such a case is that they couldn't discuss openly what exactly is the code itself. However they could talk about how they could overcome engine limitations and what the ramifications of it are. They could talk about graphics optimizations, or changing core game code to run on multi-core platforms and take advantage of parallel processing streams. That sort of thing.
Some people have mentioned that someone might make Patch A while another team would make Patch B and this couldn't be further off base. There will, even if the code were made available, be only a few individuals with access to it. They will be under an NDA which could put them in legal prosecution for any misconduct. They are also a fairly tight knit group already working on their own specific tasks, but coordinating their efforts.
The only real difference I see in that is that they'd have a bit more power to work some of their magic and they would still be coordinated in their efforts. It's not like you'd have what occurred with -- what was it? -- Baldur's Gate with three separate teams doing things their own way and not only not communicating, but openly fighting with each other. That's not going to be the case here.
Let me posit a few thoughts about why Atari/Obsidian might be persuaded to do this:
It relieves them of the responsibility to fix anything further (which of course, they arguably already have avoided as a responsibility) and still allows them to "publish" any fixes the Community makes as an Official Patch. This could also be seen as an Olive Branch by Atari.
Never underestimate the power of good press and good will. You do know that Atari convinced Nolan Bushnell to rejoin the board, right? That cat is a cool dude, no matter how you slice it. I played Asteroids with him once at his pizza place. You know, Chuck E. Cheese's? There are a few folks in this Community amongst the ones who'd be likely to be able to view the code who also have some communications lines to either Obsidian, Bioware or Atari or some combination.
These factors make it a possibility to persuade the powers that this would be a nice, cost effective method to make this game sparkle, drive up more Steam sales and profit everyone in the process. I don't know if everyone with access to the code would demand to get paid anything (I would like to think the PTB would offer a pittance of some sort for each working person,) but even if not, they're already working on making the game better. Why not give them the full monty of tools and code to make that sing and flow better than it currently is?
There might be stuff in there that's proprietary (possibly stuff by SpeedTree) but, honestly, proprietary and useful in the current development sense are two very different things. The rev of SpeedTree since SoZ is well beyond what could be in the code, I'm sure and having it doesn't mean anyone can get away with doing anything with it. And why would they? There are much better options out there.
It is true, also, that Atari essentially didn't advertise NWN2 at all. I found out about it by accident coming to the NWN boards a year and a half before release and just hung around waiting for it. However I'm a big video game fan of all sorts and I read the mags, the trades and the online periodicals as well as follow as much as I can about a whole host of games and the technology that drives them. I didn't see any NWN2 ads anywhere.
So, with that in mind, mayhap a good will gesture as they part company with future D&D games wouldn't be so hard to get them to do -- especially if we could point to the potential to drive more sales without any upfront costs on their part -- or maybe just a pittance to Obsidian if they are interested in taking a lead in approval of anything official patchwise. It'd be nice if Obsidian would do what Bioware did and provide a final patch unfunded by the Publisher out of Community goodwill also.
I am aware business is business and the objective is profit at the end of the day. However, it should be noted that profit for the sake of profit only can leave otherwise devoted game creators feeling a little hollow after a while. Maybe a goodwill gesture is just the ticket to fill that cup a little higher emotionally and give them a boost? It's always worth asking.
regards
dunniteowl
#48
Posté 19 août 2011 - 02:00
kamal_
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- Members
- 5 240 messages
Please Tyr allow us to turn on/off the unholy swaying of speed trees on an area by area basis. There are not 30kmpb winds indoors.
#49
Posté 19 août 2011 - 01:28
dunniteowl
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- 1 559 messages
That's exactly what I was thinking when I said there were better solutions. Maybe a peek at the code would grant an insight into how to stop that damn swaying.
#50
Posté 19 août 2011 - 02:28
Mer1
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- 21 messages
To turn off the swaying you need to edit each speedtree individually or change SpeedWind_HLSL.ini from Data/speedtree.zip and replace every value with zeroes except the four under [General]. That will stop swaying of all speedtrees.
