1. The way NWN handled factions and parties seriously impacted performance when parties of over 20 players formed. Will NWN2 handle factions and parties similarly, or will parties over 20 players cease to exponentially increase server lag?

RR: It is handled similarly to NWN1. The party has to update each other fairly frequently to make sure all the relevant information is present to all those in the party. We do expect that the increased minimum specs to alleviate some of these issues, though.

2. What will be the approx. compression ratio for a NWN2 module? In NWN a 50MB module could be compressed via .rar into around 3-5MB. Will NWN2 modules compress similarly?

RR: Right now we aren't compressing anything so exact or even relatively close. The numbers aren't available. Once we have that information we will pass it on. We have noticed a bit of a sized crunch though.

3. Will it be possible to disable the boots, gloves etc, overriding the complete armor suit graphics, feature?

RR: It is possible and pretty easy. You can set the base appearance and go from there and then save the blueprint. If you want to not include pieces of armor in a set/suit that is an option as well. You can never get naked though. Not wanting to get screwed like Oblivion did, the closest to naked is the default clothing.

4. What has changed in relation to the Reputation system in NWN. Reputation in NWN was highly static and immaterial, and could be summed up by two reactions: Hostile/Friendly, or, to simplify it: kill, or speak. I wonder if intermediate reaction archetypes are being coded to allow more flexibility in that way.

RR: On a scale of 1-100 we have the (1-10)-(11-90)-(91-100) type of system. With a faction from 1-10 whatever NPC around you will actively try and kill the player. 11-90 is where the NPC is friendly, and the 91-100 where the NPC is friendly and actively seek out to defend the player from outside aggression. In those respects it is fairly similar to NWN1.

5. What kind of traps can we expect to find in NWN2? Just the same as in NWN or does the dev team have prepared us some nasty surprises? Will we have wicked things like CEP had tried to do on NWN, like pits and boulders, but with a standardized use and script package to make them run properly?

RR: This is from Constant Gaw, one of the designers. " Traps have not been significantly revised from the systems introduced in NWN-1. Instead, our focus has been on the balance and creative use of the existing system. Our most unique traps are typically a combination of standard template traps modified with customized scripting. This allows for the creation of some fun situations, like timing-based fireball traps, jets of steam that shoot from the ground in patterns, or even trap triggers that, when disabled, prevent future, rather than immediate, catastrophes. Between the robust scripting system and the many new visual effects created for NWN-2, modders have the tools available to create many unique traps."

6. What type of GUI elements can be created by script or is the Inputbox the only one?

RR: Parameters can be reflect in XML but a script cannot create content in the XML itself. For example, you could have a script that uses a button in XML but you couldn't use a script that would create a button in XML.

7. Can GUI elements be created in the xml file and then optionally called up by script?

RR: Now this is something that can be easily done.

8. Gamespot mentioned enhanced online multiplayer options for NWN2 but forgot to tell us what those enhancements would be in their article. Anyone have any info on these new enhancements or was that a embellishment on Gamespot's part?

RR: I would have to know what they said in the first place. I couldn't find the article.

9. Will there be any limitations on crafting based on race or class, or will a player be able to advance equally in everything?

RR: All players are created equally in our eyes and there are no limitations on race or class. However, some players are more equal than others... For example, Crafting a Wondrous Item that has the requirement of having a spell cast on it as part of the components would require the player to be one of the spell casting classes. So for a majority of the crafting there are no differences.

10. Can you comment on the post-release support that Obsidian will offer for NWN2? I.E. Will there be a live team, comparable to Bioware's team for NWN?

RR: The logistics are being worked on but right now any official announcements would have to come from Atari proper.

11. Can the influence system be applied to any NPC or is it only for those designated as companions?

RR: The Influence system only applies to the player and the companions. The closest thing to Influence to be had with an NPC is faction related.

12. Can you comment on the advancements of AI? Specifically I'd like to know if a caster NPC is going to use worthy spells or are they going to stand there casting stupidly (i.e. Fear on a Barbarian)?

RR: Lots. I will get the list together but they aren't completely smart. Basically they will choose a target that is closer rather than what class they are.

13. It was said that a Ranger with decent survival can use their Track to view an enemy at an extended range in the mini-map, can you explain this a bit better?

RR: Josh has a nice write-up on this.

14. There was mention of the mini-map being able to be zoomed in or out. How far out can it be zoomed (per "tile" or can it show the whole area)?

RR: It won't show the entire area of a huge map. It has the approximate maximum of around 40 meters and zooms into about 10 meters.

15. On the question of the mini-map, can it be disabled server side or at very least have a black map created so the players can't see anything but what is on the screen?

RR: *Cough* Nope. That doesn't mean it won't happen, but on shelves it is not a key feature we are focusing on.

16. Will it be possible to easily alter the starting equipment for a particular class, in character creation?

RR: The changes can be made in a 2DA and they will reflect that in the character creation but there aren't any settings in the character creation itself. The changes also reflect armor only at this time and may change to other items.

17. Will it be possible to change the default key mapping?

RR: The exact ways this will happen is TBD but there is at minimum a way to change the default mapping. Obsidian gets to play with all kinds of European keyboards because they don't always have the exact same key placement. Yay!

18. Can you attach event scripts to PCs?

RR: You certainly can script events to the PC. Right now it is as easy as changing the 2DA and you can change the script dynamically.

As always our thanks to the Obsidian Entertainment folks, Ryan in particular, and the guys at Maverick PR, Shane & Brandon. Your input is greatly appreciated!