Steve Bokkes on the Heart of Winter Expansion
by MageDragon - May 8, 2001
It was said on the message boards that access to the expansion would be in Lonelywood. How will this occur and what is the setup story?
Once the expansion is installed, a new NPC will show up in the common room of the Whistling Gallows Inn. If the party strikes up a conversation with him, he'll spin a few yarns about legendary heroes and forgotten treasure. Ultimately, he'll offer to lead the party to the ruins of a haunted castle. The party can either choose to accompany him, thus beginning the new expansion adventure, or they can continue their current adventures in the vicinity of Lonelywood, and come back to the NPC later.
It seems some people are having a bugger of a time playing multiplayer over the Internet. Is this going to be addressed in the expansion?
Yes. All the remaining documented multiplayer issues that weren't addressed in the v1.41 patch should hopefully be fixed in the expansion.
Will there be any new music, or will it rely on tracks already in Heart of Winter.
We do have some original tracks that weren't in Icewind Dale or Heart of Winter. However, again, we'll have to wait and see how big the overall size of the download is before we commit to including new music files.
What new monsters will we fight in the Expansion?
Hmm. I don't think I want to give that one away. I will say that, in addition to the monsters from our original bestiary, the downloadable expansion will contain one brand new creature, and four creatures originally featured in Baldur's Gate or Baldur's Gate II.
The cinematics for both Icewind Dale and Heart of Winter were great; any new cinematics in the expansion?
Thanks. I really enjoyed working on the cinematic sequences for Icewind and Heart of Winter. We considered including some new ones for the download, but the size constraints and accelerated project schedule have made it next to impossible. I am, however, looking forward to working on the cinematics for the "next project" after the expansion.
Will the number of player character sound sets be expanded with this expansion?
Nope. We realized that new voice over would push our target date deep into summer, so we decided to cut it altogether.
The scroll cases, potion bags, and gem bags were great. How about a key ring?
Actually, we've discussed the possibility of implementing a key ring. Based on what our programmers have told me, I don't think we'd be able to get it in without significant code changes. Keys are generally considered "quest items" and must be located in the "root" of the character's inventory. Otherwise, the engine cannot locate the proper key to unlock a door. However, we are working on getting a bag of holding into the expansion. That should help out considerably with inventory management.
Several reviewers felt that Heart of Winter was too short. Is this expansion a response to that criticism, or were there other reasons for doing it?
I think we're making this free expansion for a number of reasons. Obviously, we want to keep our fans happy, and I believe that to be the most compelling reason to expand upon Heart of Winter. But there were other factors involved in the decision as well. As I previously mentioned, some of our team members are helping out on TORN. With our team's resources divided, it made sense to do this expansion rather than launch into full-scale production of our "next project."
With this likely being the last Dungeons & Dragons product for the internal Black Isle team for a while, how eager are you to tackle new worlds and rules? What are you slated to work on next?
I'm actually looking forward to a change of pace. Don't get me wrong, I love Dungeons and Dragons, particularly the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. But I've been designing D&D CRPGs now for two years straight. I can't wait to try my hand at something new. As for what I'll be working on after the expansion... I think I'll take a couple weeks to work on my tan. After that, it's on to the "next project," which, of course, is a carefully guarded secret.
Will you have a chance to attend the E3 trade show and, if so, what are your plans there?
Hopefully I'll get a chance to go this year. If I do manage to make it past the badge nazis, I imagine I'll wind up wandering the floor, getting liquored-up on free Budweiser. Eventually, I'll probably stagger over to the Dynamix booth to "discuss" the differences between Tribes and Tribes 2. After that, the usual BIS crew will undoubtedly head over to our usual perch at the Bonaventure and drink till our kidneys burst.
I would like to thank Steve for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer these questions. Once again it proves the loyalty and dedication that Black Isle Studios has for its fans. We here at PlanetBaldursGate wish them nothing but success in all things current and future.
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