Arelith

This was totally off my radar and I haven't seen it mentioned recently but evidently Nintendo Switch players may be arriving in a few weeks and X Box One players a month later.

https://www.beamdog.com/news/faq-neverw ... -xbox-ps4/

This means new players and seems like a mostly good development to me except for one kind of alarming thing. I assumed there would be keyboard input since consoles all support USB and or bluetooth. But instead it's only going to be controller-based software keyboards. That seems like a mistake on a very text-heavy game like this.

Well the singleplayer campaign, you select your actions from a list, not write them.

I am curious how Consoles support the use of NWNSync, since that is now present on Arelith. Consoles in general tend to be less compatible to mods than computers.

Suppose we shall see. You can probably plug a keyboard somehow, and if not, it gives a window for people to 'find' Arelith, so they can buy the PC version to engage properly in roleplay.

On the Reddit they specifically answer that there is no mouse and keyboard support, only software keyboard with predictive text.

https://www.reddit.com/r/neverwinternig ... d_edition/

I do think NWN coming to consoles could be a very good thing overall but this seems like a little thing that makes a tremendous amount of difference, not just for the Switch and Xbox players but for the rest of us trying to communicate with them.

ohhh no.. this will mean more "mute" adventures..

This seems like fun for co-op multiplayer running through the core campaign and premium modules, and ofcourse talking to your partymembers over a headset.


Textbased PW roleplay servers like Arelith seems not to benefit from this release at all since neither of the console version have mouse/keyboard support.

Interestingly the only PWs that will work are Arelith and Ravenloft.. They seem to have support built into the game. So coming here will be part of the "official" online multiplayer.

Menu-based interaction is fine for single player and groups of friends or perhaps online hookups could use voicechat to go through single player or modules together. But that makes me think groups of friends using voicechat and treating Arelith as a module to conquer and other players as NPCs could be a concern.

I just hope one of two things- keyboards work but aren't declared as supported (wouldn't be surprising if you could use a physical keyboard when the software based keyboard is brought up, they just don't tell you this) or a patch comes out very soon allowing them.

Like I say this could be a great development bringing hundreds of new players (and I'd even consider playing on the Switch) but this little thing could make or break the experience. I don't mean to be doom and gloom about it but maybe raising a little fuss would get that point across.

We'll need to keep some patience I think also. The Switch tends to have younger players also. Not all new people running amuck and causing havok are going to be doing it maliciously. It could be a child.

Rhavin76 wrote: ↑

Thu Nov 28, 2019 2:49 pm

Textbased PW roleplay servers like Arelith seems not to benefit from this release at all since neither of the console version have mouse/keyboard support.

Not only will they not benefit, I'm worried about this for reasons others mentioned. Switch players who don't 'get' that this is a roleplaying server and treat it as just another place to goof off and kill monsters with friends, without any roleplay.

If it really becomes a problem, I guess the DMs could add some sort of hak that only PC / notebook players will be able to download, though it would suck for the players using android.

Also, the lag. Jesus Christ, the lag.

The more I read about this, the more annoyed I am.

Has anyone else noticed how Beamdog is charging console players 44$ for access to an 'online experience' volunteers and supporters have funded and kept running for free, for decades, out of their own pockets?

Not to mention they haven't even done research on the PWs they now advertise as if they were their own. Otherwise they'd be aware the servers don't support hundreds of extra players without horrid, game-braking lag, not to mention the other issues.

I'm kind of hoping our Arelith team will pull the plug for console players and tell Beamdog to go develop and fund their own MMO experience. I'd even be okay with moving away from Steam.

Think its good , maybe some youngsters wil get into the whole rp thing.

Perhaps out of a 100 we get 5 cool dudes so would be worth it.

I think it will be more than good, it will be fantastic.. If and when you can play with an actual keyboard.

The console thing could bring in tons of new players over time, especially when the price drops to become reasonable, but according to Beamdog themselves there is a limitation of only using an onscreen keyboard where you pick letters via controller.

Aurian wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 29, 2019 5:37 pm

The more I read about this, the more annoyed I am.

Has anyone else noticed how Beamdog is charging console players 44$ for access to an 'online experience' volunteers and supporters have funded and kept running for free, for decades, out of their own pockets?

Not to mention they haven't even done research on the PWs they now advertise as if they were their own. Otherwise they'd be aware the servers don't support hundreds of extra players without horrid, game-braking lag, not to mention the other issues.

I'm kind of hoping our Arelith team will pull the plug for console players and tell Beamdog to go develop and fund their own MMO experience. I'd even be okay with moving away from Steam.

the price is not set by beamdog but by the console game distributor skyline or whatever the name is.

it also in the same range as other games for console.

as for the keyboard, i know people who can type as fast with those controllers as on a normal plug in keyboard, of which every console system beyond switch has a plug in variety

they are not marketing the game as an MMO,

Ebonstar wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 29, 2019 10:36 pm

they are not marketing the game as an MMO,

That's not really correct. Playing on the Arelith persistent world is specifically mentioned six times in the FAQ as a feature and support for this and one other PW (and only those two) are built into the game. We are the MORPG (lost the first "M" since we're hardly "massive.")

People can and do type on consoles, and the Switch is no exception.
Instead of being antagonizing towards newcomers from the console world, how about we welcome them with open arms and show them the ropes? I'm sure they will be more open to actually staying when we don't treat them with an elitist attitude.

I'd like to also point out that we have players who are disabled and might not be the fastest typers either. They shouldn't have to feel bad for not being able to type fast.

For my part I'm not antagonize any console player and that wasn't the intent of posting this. It was to point out that Beamdog isn't enabling physical keyboards and only allowing onscreen keyboards you have to scroll through letter by letter, and that's a shame because actual keyboards are available and easy to connect on consoles. I want to be able to play on a Switch myself but I won't until physical keyboards are enabled.

I'm clearly not getting that across so I'll stop responding and let it go. But yes, we should embrace Switch players, I certainly never said we shouldn't.

Wuthering wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 30, 2019 7:34 am

For my part I'm not antagonize any console player and that wasn't the intent of posting this. It was to point out that Beamdog isn't enabling physical keyboards and only allowing onscreen keyboards you have to scroll through letter by letter, and that's a shame because actual keyboards are available and easy to connect on consoles. I want to be able to play on a Switch myself but I won't until physical keyboards are enabled.

I'm clearly not getting that across so I'll stop responding and let it go. But yes, we should embrace Switch players, I certainly never said we shouldn't.

Thank you for clarifying =) And I agree, I think the support for physical keyboards should be added in as well. I'm hoping the reason they aren't at launch is because they're focusing on getting the games shipped out and working natively first, and maybe in the near future we'll see the support added in.

I'm angry at Beamdog for charging console players so much more and then not even giving them the tools and support they need to properly play on a PW. And marketing that PW as if it was some sort of action MMO without even doing some basic research on it.

I'm not angry at Switch or Console players at all, none of this is their fault. It's just not right that Beamdog 'sells' content that isn't theirs, using it for marketing to generate additional sales, when all the time and effort and server costs were on the backs of volunteers who provided this experience for free.

This is obviously a major deal, and something that has been keeping me busy these last few days.

I know the community has many questions, also in regard to our strategy and expections. I will making a longer post tomorrow evening (in around 24 hours) to answer many of these questions, and also publishing a FAQ for console players wishing to play here. Much like the launch of the EE itself, the console release raises many opportunities, and many challenges, for Arelith.

Hey Irongron, maybe you could ask Beamdog to adjust the way they describe the Arelith experience? The way they're referring to it now gives console players the impression it's going to be something like the NWN main campaign, just with other players (they even refer to the 'Arelith campaigns' when we have none because everything is player driven). It's going to invite a flood of players with the wrong expectations and potentially problematic behavior.

If they described and advertised the PW appropriately - as a text-heavy, player-driven roleplaying environment where players create their own stories instead of following a scripted storyline - I'm sure we'd face more opportunities and fewer challenges.

That’s a really well written article! Thanks.

I‘m curious about the mentioned follow & combat AI, any clues yet? I.e., what it does exactly and if it’s available for everyone, and so forth.

Revelations wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 02, 2019 10:04 pm

That’s a really well written article! Thanks.

I‘m curious about the mentioned follow & combat AI, any clues yet? I.e., what it does exactly and if it’s available for everyone, and so forth.

Yes, it will likely be available to everyone. It was my judgment that if we were going to have players clutching a console with a bazillion buttons able to interact with our role-playing environment, they really would need some kind of autopilot in order to type out messages on the virutal keyboard. The 'follow' aspect will be the same as the we already have, but in this case coupled also with a basic combat AI. Turn it on, and you'll be able to join in the adventure while happily role-playing. It will take the form of a feat you can activate akin to any other.

Sadly, as I'm sure some of you have realised, this is going to allow some ugly AFK play, but in this case I have decided it is price worth paying. Heck, there are times that even I would want to use it on a PC, especially in a large parties that very often have to keep stopping and starting due to people needing to step away for a minute or two.

Irongron wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 03, 2019 12:39 am

Revelations wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 02, 2019 10:04 pm

That’s a really well written article! Thanks.

I‘m curious about the mentioned follow & combat AI, any clues yet? I.e., what it does exactly and if it’s available for everyone, and so forth.

Yes, it will likely be available to everyone. It was my judgment that if we were going to have players clutching a console with a bazillion buttons able to interact with our role-playing environment, they really would need some kind of autopilot in order to type out messages on the virutal keyboard. The 'follow' aspect will be the same as the we already have, but in this case coupled also with a basic combat AI. Turn it on, and you'll be able to join in the adventure while happily role-playing. It will take the form of a feat you can activate akin to any other.

Sadly, as I'm sure some of you have realised, this is going to allow some ugly AFK play, but in this case I have decided it is price worth paying. Heck, there are times that even I would want to use it on a PC, especially in a large parties that very often have to keep stopping and starting due to people needing to step away for a minute or two.

How will this be implemented to prevent people from multiboxing? I see that as something that may come up, as this makes that process extremely easy, and it would be very hard to regulate. I'm more concerned about that than AFK grinding. The AFK grinding could probably be regulated by having the script turn off every XX minutes unless the person talks/emotes/uses an item/spell within the time frame.

garrbear758 wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 03, 2019 1:10 am

Irongron wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 03, 2019 12:39 am

Revelations wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 02, 2019 10:04 pm

That’s a really well written article! Thanks.

I‘m curious about the mentioned follow & combat AI, any clues yet? I.e., what it does exactly and if it’s available for everyone, and so forth.

Yes, it will likely be available to everyone. It was my judgment that if we were going to have players clutching a console with a bazillion buttons able to interact with our role-playing environment, they really would need some kind of autopilot in order to type out messages on the virutal keyboard. The 'follow' aspect will be the same as the we already have, but in this case coupled also with a basic combat AI. Turn it on, and you'll be able to join in the adventure while happily role-playing. It will take the form of a feat you can activate akin to any other.

Sadly, as I'm sure some of you have realised, this is going to allow some ugly AFK play, but in this case I have decided it is price worth paying. Heck, there are times that even I would want to use it on a PC, especially in a large parties that very often have to keep stopping and starting due to people needing to step away for a minute or two.

How will this be implemented to prevent people from multiboxing? I see that as something that may come up, as this makes that process extremely easy, and it would be very hard to regulate. I'm more concerned about that than AFK grinding. The AFK grinding could probably be regulated by having the script turn off every XX minutes unless the person talks/emotes/uses an item/spell within the time frame.

We have tools to detect multiboxers. This won't be a major issue.

I didn't realize that. Thanks!