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Salith Grinn Vala
Joined: 28 Jan 2007 Posts: 336 Location: Baltimore
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Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 10:44 pm Post subject: Rivendel? Whats Rivendel? |
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Its probably time to let this one slip out....at first I thought this would be our biggest surprise to our existing player community, but....perhaps it is better you all know and have a chance to digest this one....
Lands of Arda 2 is set in the 1st age!!!
Why?
2 reasons: First, to avoid the copyright issues that eventually lead to the closing of Arda on NWN1. While we were not asked to shut down, it was decided that there was a legitimate risk.
A 1st age setting avoids all the issues of copyright tied up with The Lord of the Rings and the movies, not to mention the online game set to debut shortly. A 1st age setting was deemed "safe".
Secondly, the team was very excited to make this change. It gives a chance to build the same world, but to avoid redoing everything exactly as it was. It will now be entirely fresh to everyone. Also, there is no shortage of descriptions, details, and stories that come along with the new setting. We will be able to provide a richer, more true to the source feeling (though we wont copy any text verbatim).
For those who are unaware, The Lands of Arda on NWN1 took place in the 3rd age of Middle Earth. It was around the time period presented in the movies and book "The Lord of the Rings". We will now be in the 1st age of the world, which is outlined in the Silmarillion. This new setting takes place thousands upon thousands of years before the 3rd age. Even the locations are different, as the Lands of Arda 2 will take place in the continent of Beleriand. Which, by the 3rd age, had long since been destroyed by the Gods, or Valar. It is a time of relentless war between the forces of Angband (Evil) and the Elves of the Valar and their allies(Good).
So, there will be no Rivendel, no Minas Tirith, no Aragorn, Legolas, or Gimli and none of the other main characters from the movies....though I promise you will run into some other interesting NPCs, who lead even more epic lives.
I invite you all to post comments and ask questions. You wont be able to run around in Rivendel, but some day...if you can find it...You may be able to walk the streets of Gondolin itself. |
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Tagnar
Joined: 28 Jan 2007 Posts: 28
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Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 11:05 pm Post subject: Re: Rivendel? Whats Rivendel? |
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Salith Grinn wrote: |
You wont be able to run around in Rivendel, but some day...if you can find it...You may be able to walk the streets of Gondolin itself. |
Nooooooooooooo, Rivendale was my preciousss...does this mean I need to go find me a new basecamp
Actually i find this idea of the First Age great, it's fresh and new to us all. And to be honest, Silmarillion is my favorit Tolkiens' book, can't wait to see Angband, Gondolin, Nargothrond and even the Menegroth. |
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Exavior
Joined: 28 Jan 2007 Posts: 309
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Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 11:44 pm Post subject: |
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interesting view...no anduril then. Are we being able to wield weapons of old like Glamdring and orcrist, etc? or are we just having totally new weapons? |
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Sir Nathan Ayloud Vala
Joined: 28 Jan 2007 Posts: 22
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Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 11:57 pm Post subject: |
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Exavior wrote: |
interesting view...no anduril then. Are we being able to wield weapons of old like Glamdring and orcrist, etc? or are we just having totally new weapons? |
Yup, if it existed in the First age chances are it'll be there so yeah, you can expect Glamdring, Orcrist, Anglachel, Gurthang and such |
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Salith Grinn Vala
Joined: 28 Jan 2007 Posts: 336 Location: Baltimore
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 12:17 am Post subject: |
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...in some form or another
who knows, you may even establish your own legends |
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Lanalon Vala
Joined: 28 Jan 2007 Posts: 202 Location: State College, PA
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 6:48 am Post subject: |
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No Anduril Ex, but Narsil was forged by Telchar in the first age, so who knows... |
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Big V Vala
Joined: 28 Jan 2007 Posts: 53 Location: MI
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:41 am Post subject: |
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I think having new changes that players won't expect brings some new excitement, and won't be the same old hat of hunting down "the usual suspects" as far as pieces of equipment and such. There will be a bit more mystery and surprise when players loot the corpses of monsters, minions, and bosses for the first several times.
It's also noted that things change over time, and as the world becomes more complete, the more "trinkets" and other artifacts will be introduced. All for purposes of flexibility, lore, and balance. I also think it's in the dev team's best interest to keep everyone on their toes, and always surpriseable. _________________
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Vindel
Joined: 28 Jan 2007 Posts: 24
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:11 pm Post subject: |
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Great idea Silmarillion is best of Tolkien's books imho... But what timeline exactly? There were 5 (as far as i remember) great battles between Noldor's and Morgoth and every one was very important... |
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Lanalon Vala
Joined: 28 Jan 2007 Posts: 202 Location: State College, PA
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 5:23 pm Post subject: |
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For the purposes of including as much of the history as possible, it is very hard to choose a specific time. I believe that for the most part we will be set after the Nirnaith Arnediad, the Battle of Unnumbered Tears. Though things from before or after that time may be included. As much as old arda was an amalgamation of the entire third age, so new arda will be of the first. |
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Salith Grinn Vala
Joined: 28 Jan 2007 Posts: 336 Location: Baltimore
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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 7:30 pm Post subject: |
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I think Lan put it right, as Arda was a mix of times, so will be Arda2. Basically we need to set up areas in a manner that will work best in terms of game play mechanics, so not every area can be destroyed and wiped out, and at the same time they cant all be strongholds of Elven might. |
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illuminus Vala
Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 382
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Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 5:01 am Post subject: |
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Vindel wrote: |
Great idea Silmarillion is best of Tolkien's books imho... But what timeline exactly? There were 5 (as far as i remember) great battles between Noldor's and Morgoth and every one was very important... |
I was looking at this timeline a couple months ago: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda#Years_of_the_Sun_in_the_First_Age
509 seemed like a good starting time, but that's really up to our Loremaster. That gives you a game year (2 minutes per hour) of character building before the action in Gondolin. Also, there is a day and night cycle in the game so the years following the sailing of the Sun looked appropriate. |
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Tagnar
Joined: 28 Jan 2007 Posts: 28
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Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 6:03 pm Post subject: |
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illuminus wrote: |
Vindel wrote: |
Great idea Silmarillion is best of Tolkien's books imho... But what timeline exactly? There were 5 (as far as i remember) great battles between Noldor's and Morgoth and every one was very important... |
I was looking at this timeline a couple months ago: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Arda#Years_of_the_Sun_in_the_First_Age
509 seemed like a good starting time, but that's really up to our Loremaster. That gives you a game year (2 minutes per hour) of character building before the action in Gondolin. Also, there is a day and night cycle in the game so the years following the sailing of the Sun looked appropriate. |
I think it could be a bit earlier so that there would be the battles of Nargothrond and Menegroth also...I think it would be cool if those big epic battles could be run by our DMs |
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Vindel
Joined: 28 Jan 2007 Posts: 24
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Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:44 pm Post subject: |
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Heh... I remember DM events in Arda It was real fun... Hope it'll be possible to make them in neew Arda But i dunno if NwN2 allows so much people and monsters in one place on "normal" PC without Nvidia 8800GTX in SLI configuration... |
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Salith Grinn Vala
Joined: 28 Jan 2007 Posts: 336 Location: Baltimore
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Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:49 pm Post subject: |
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I believe NWN2 does a better job of allowing more people and monsters at a time on screen. If you can get past the initial hardware hurdles..it should be fine.
However, spell effects may be a different matter |
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