SoZ Preview at IGN

[Warden]

I would also like to think there are many one of manies. If it's the same one of many from Motb, which I don't think is the case, it'd be a bit lame.
Anthony, don't you read my posts? Can you confirm I discovered a new joinable NPC? Umoja, the black guy?

 

[Starwars]

There is an option in MotB where you can basically release the souls of One-of-Many. They will then spawn and attack you in groups here and there in the Shadow Plane. But I don't think there's an option to release One-of-Many "as a whole" so to speak?

It is strange, since SoZ takes place during MotB. I guess it could be another One-of-Many, but that'd be a bit weird.

Hopefully there's a good explanation. Whatever it is, the idea of actually facing this monstrosity is pretty appealing at any arte.

 

[Warden]

Yes.. and people should realise, that this time, it won't be a potential party member 99%.

 

[Annie Mitsoda]

I can confirm it, Warden. He's a druid, and I made him SPECIFICALLY to be easygoing and not to be all "blah blah blee bloo balance" all the time but to just be awesome. He follows Ubtao, who is a pretty cool pragmatic deity, and he has a deinonychus companion named Yushai.

MAN it is good to reveal that. Umoja is a major favorite of mine. I have word from the testers that when he is in your party, he fucks shit up and proves druids are the shizzle.

Also One of Many is supposed to be a SUPAR SURPRISE ENCOUNTER. Way to go, IGN, YOU RUINED IT (OK, so they didn't, but dang).

 

[Warden]

Nice. I supposed it was a druid/spirit shaman given his outfit and weapon. But I couldn't be sure since I didn't see any animal companion or him casting any spells.. Maybe people at IGN are noobs and don't know how to use druids? :/

They could totally leave out the one-of-many "spoiler" (I hate this stupid word). I'm pretty immune to spoilers otherwise.. but I think unique encounters should be left out from previews.
Hah, but anyway, it's not nearly as "spoilerish" as the Septimund thingie revealed by an Obsidian employee.

Oh, and I discovered another thing.. it seems we'll be able to travel to Lantan via a portal (Lantan-Samarach portal). Lantan is a group of 3 islands in the Trackless Sea - I love so much the feeling of being on an isolated island in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Anthony Davis]

Why's One-Of-Many there? Can you load some save from OC and / or MoTB which changes some things in the world, or is it just "canon" that the spirit-eater devours Okku and creates One of Many?

That is a very good question. I will ask Tony Evans and post his reply here.

I asked Tony, Nathaniel and Jeff about it.

On first pressing them for an answer, they responded with 'IT IS A MYSTARY'.

After waterboarding Tony Evans, he relented and told me his own personal view. There is an ending in MotB that explains why OoM is in SoZ.

So there ya go!

 

[Demnogonis Saastuttaja]

Why's One-Of-Many there? Can you load some save from OC and / or MoTB which changes some things in the world, or is it just "canon" that the spirit-eater devours Okku and creates One of Many?

That is a very good question. I will ask Tony Evans and post his reply here.

I asked Tony, Nathaniel and Jeff about it.

On first pressing them for an answer, they responded with 'IT IS A MYSTARY'.

After waterboarding Tony Evans, he relented and told me his own personal view. There is an ending in MotB that explains why OoM is in SoZ.

So there ya go!

Okay, thanks for asking that. So that does mean that it's canon that the spirit-eater destroys Okku. Kinda lame, if you ask me. I really didn't even like that in MoTB it is assumed you destroyed the King of Shadows, Elanee loved you etc. Small stuff, but since in KOTOR2 you got to decide who Revan was at the start, I kind of expected that. It would be cool if you could import saves from previous games and that'd be the "canon".

 

[Warden]

http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/14259660/ ... =mediaFull


The woman in green has a new haircut model. I like it. :D

 

[Anthony Davis]

Why's One-Of-Many there? Can you load some save from OC and / or MoTB which changes some things in the world, or is it just "canon" that the spirit-eater devours Okku and creates One of Many?

That is a very good question. I will ask Tony Evans and post his reply here.

I asked Tony, Nathaniel and Jeff about it.

On first pressing them for an answer, they responded with 'IT IS A MYSTARY'.

After waterboarding Tony Evans, he relented and told me his own personal view. There is an ending in MotB that explains why OoM is in SoZ.

So there ya go!

Okay, thanks for asking that. So that does mean that it's canon that the spirit-eater destroys Okku. Kinda lame, if you ask me. I really didn't even like that in MoTB it is assumed you destroyed the King of Shadows, Elanee loved you etc. Small stuff, but since in KOTOR2 you got to decide who Revan was at the start, I kind of expected that. It would be cool if you could import saves from previous games and that'd be the "canon".

In KOTOR2, you get to decide for your own personal experience for playing the game, but your own personal experience is not canon, unless you actually picked teh canon choices.

The canon for KOTOR and KOTOR2 is acutally out there somewhere on the intarwebz.

 

[dragonfk]

I have always wanted to add one more D to it, but I had to bide my time--patiently, patiently--until the other lead designers at Obsidian either died off, devolved into producers, or accepted jobs at BioWare.

Great interview.

 

[Demnogonis Saastuttaja]

In KOTOR2, you get to decide for your own personal experience for playing the game, but your own personal experience is not canon, unless you actually picked teh canon choices.

The canon for KOTOR and KOTOR2 is acutally out there somewhere on the intarwebz.

Well I couldn't think of a better term (and I'm doing a ton of things at the same time, I suppose I'm obsolete since I can't do that very well), but that's what I meant - your personal experience for playing the game. Whatever internet canon says doesn't really matter, but if the game actually has OOM there, then it matters.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

In KOTOR2, you get to decide for your own personal experience for playing the game, but your own personal experience is not canon, unless you actually picked teh canon choices.

The canon for KOTOR and KOTOR2 is acutally out there somewhere on the intarwebz.

Well I couldn't think of a better term (and I'm doing a ton of things at the same time, I suppose I'm obsolete since I can't do that very well), but that's what I meant - your personal experience for playing the game. Whatever internet canon says doesn't really matter, but if the game actually has OOM there, then it matters.

I think MotB did very well with keeping the details of previous events open to interpretation.

 

[Kogorn]

From Tony Evans' Interview:

The only way you could get more bang for your buck is by packing your buck in gunpowder and setting it on fire (not recommended).

LOL i want to try that

 

[Warden]

Hey Anthony, I have one more question.

When I tried to delevel my char in the OC with the console commands it didn't go very smoothly. At the starting point I couldn't, for example, type -3500 because it only let me delevel in small xp chunks. Also, for testing purposes, I loaded a saved OC game where my char was high-level and it didn't let me delevel him at all.

Can you test for me if it's possible to delevel your party members to 0 xp when you start the game (i.e. after you get the starting bonus xp), please?

 

[Pastel]

Mr. Anthony, can you put in some encounters that are impossible for level 1 characters in the beginning, so that Warden's dream may crumble?

 

[Warden]

Nothing is impossible.. except you becoming relevant, useful etc.
He's not the guy who puts in encounters.

 

[Kogorn]

There's probably going to be a prequel contest on NWNvault for SoZ just like there was an "interlude" module contest between SoU and HoU for NWN. I think, with the more hardcore dnd-ness of SoZ, de-leveling your characters when it's tuned for lvl 3 is going to be more frustrating for you than worth it. My guess is that someone will have one out by x-mas.

 

[Erebus]

And the most important question, can you join Shadow Thieves?

Nah, the most important question about SoZ is...

...do we get to meet Drizzt ? And Elminster ? The Seven Sisters, maybe ? Oooh, what about Shandril Shessair ? Cadderly ? Jarlaxle ? Anybody ever invented by Ed Greenwood or R. A. Salvatore, in fact ? I'm just dying to know.

 

[Jaesun]

Mr. Anthony, can you put in some encounters that are impossible for level 1 characters in the beginning, so that Warden's dream may crumble?

 

[Warden]

Mr. Anthony, can you put in some encounters that are impossible for level 1 characters in the beginning, so that Warden's dream may crumble?

If they are impossible for my level 1 chars they would be impossible for your level 3 parties as well, so your dreams would crumble too.

 

[Jaesun]

EXCLUSIVE NEW SoZ Content revealed!*

Who is this new threat that threatens the Sword Coast? STAY TUNED!

 

[Gragt]

A haunted Hello Kitty sheet?

 

[Jaesun]

A haunted Hello Kitty sheet?

Or.... IS IT? DUN DUN DUN!

 

[Kogorn]

A haunted Hello Kitty sheet?

Or.... IS IT? DUN DUN DUN!

There actually IS such a thing as a "ghost sheet" in D&D.

If you go to http://www.headinjurytheater.com/article73.htm which lists a whole bunch of stupid or retarded D&D monsters, its either in the first "rant" or the second "rant." Even if you don't care about the ghost sheet, still worth reading anyway as it's pretty funny.

It's not a hello kitty sheet though...

 

[Jaesun]

I was trying to be funny*. But I should know better when trying to post when drunk. Hi.


*I am REALLY Looking forward to SOZ. You all at OEI are doing a kick ass job. <3 Looking forward to SoZ!