GZ Interview
9/19/02

Journey into the world of Icewind Dale II with Josh Sawyer
By Michael Lafferty

A weary ship, the Wicked Wench, pulls into a harbor fraught with danger. Aboard is a group of adventurers fresh from Luskan, ready to aid the besieged town of Targos.

Icewind Dale II is a remarkable game that continues the adventures along the Forgotten Realm. Created by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay, this game is a remarkable role-playing/adventure tale surrounded by the 3rd Edition Dungeons and Dragons rules set.

Not only is the program visually stunning, but the vocal characterizations are a treat. Other game features include auto-balancing game play to adjust to player’s abilities, real-time combat (and two-weapon fighting), more than 300 spells, pre-made parties, and improved multiplayer support for up to six players.

(For a review of Icewind Dale II, please see http://www.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r19777.htm )

There are a host of lands to explore, quests to accomplish as well as combat around almost every corner. It is truly an enjoyable game.

But how does a game like Icewind Dale II come together? For those answers, GameZone got the opportunity to talk with Josh Sawyer, the lead designer for Icewind Dale II ( IWD2) at Black Isle Studios.

Question: Is this a true sequel to the original game, or does it track another aspect and adventure in the Forgotten Realms?

Josh: “It is a sequel to the original because the main plot involves characters from the original Icewind Dale game, but the storyline isn't a direct continuation of the original.  It also takes place thirty years later.  So, even though the game takes place in the same geographical area, it deals with different problems.”

Q: It seems to be a hallmark of these games that players who own the previous version can import favorite characters to the new installment. Is that true with Icewind Dale 2? Will there be any kind of penalty incurred for bringing in older characters (in terms of experience or skills)? Are there new characters in this game, and if so, what are they?

Josh: “Icewind Dale 2 takes place thirty years after the original, and most of the characters that finished IWD/HoW/TotL were pretty high level.  So, no importing for those powerhouses.  Also, there are massive system incompatibilities between 2nd Edition AD&D and 3E D&D, so it would have been technically difficult to import characters in any case.”

Q: At E3, the word was that this game had been completely revamped and retooled, making the IWD2 experience better and more intense that its previous namesake. The original Icewind Dale boasted stunning graphics and game play. How does this game expand upon that? What have been some of the changes to the feel and playability of the game?

Josh: “We bumped the minimum resolution for the game to 800x600, and this allowed us to use more of the screen ‘real estate’ for a revised interface.  Not only does the interface use all new art, but we have improved functionality a great deal.  We have included weapon combination boxes that allow characters to have up to four sets of weapons, weapon/shield combos or missile weapons that they can quickly cycle through.  The spell memorization and casting interfaces have also been streamlined, and the action bar is now customizable for each character.  So, if you want to map your barbarian's rage ability straight to the task bar, it's very easy to do.

Q: Does the game do anything new or different technologically speaking?

Josh: “Most of our improvements have been devoted toward the rule set and interface.  The renderer wasn't upgraded or anything like that.  So, technophiles, this may not be the game for you.”

Q: Does the game explore any new regions of the Forgotten Realms and what will game players experience?

Josh: “The player explores many new and different areas of the Icewind Dale region, but also gets the chance to visit some pretty unique locations.  The two most different areas I can think of are the Black Raven Monastery and the Jungle of Chult.

“The Black Raven Monastery is perched high in the Spine of the World.  When the party encounters the Black Raven monks, they find that the monastery is currently involved in a power struggle.  The characters have an opportunity to help resolve these problems and face the Eight Chambers of challenge -- or they can mercilessly slaughter all of the monks at the request of nearby gray dwarves.

“The Jungle of Chult is radically different from the Icewind Dale region.  Located thousands of miles south of the Spine of the World, the party reaches the jungle through a magic portal called a Crossroads.  They have to prevent a temple full of yuan-ti from organizing an attack on Kuldahar by either initiating an attack of their own or by sealing the portal.”

Q: Please explain how the battle structure has changed in the game?

Josh: “In general, players have more options when they decide how their characters will respond to the variety of threats in the game.  A lot of this has to do with the addition of feats to the game, but it also has to do with increased character flexibility.  The overall structure of 3E gives players more freedom for designing and using their characters.

“The way combat ‘works’ in the IE is similar -- the controls are all pretty familiar -- but the way it plays out often feels different than it did in other IE games.”

Q: Have any of the 3rd Edition D&D rules been modified to accommodate game play?

Josh: “We had to leave out attacks of opportunity, metamagic feats, and a few other things due to interface and general engine issues, but we've hit the majority of the core class and race abilities.”

Q: What element(s) of this game proved to be the most challenging to realize? What do you think will be the most memorable aspect of the game?

Josh: “Implementing the 3E rules was very difficult for both the designers and the programmers.  At the design level, I had to work out the general engineering of how a lot of the rules worked.

“The programmers then had to actually implement those changes, and the designers had to revise creature files, areas, items, etc. to meet the new requirements of having a 3E compliant game.

“I think what most people will remember about IWD2 is how much fun they could have creating different parties to run through the game.  With 16 races and 11 classes, people have a lot of options.”

Q: While there are legions of fans used to this genre and style of play, what does the game offer to newcomers to the series and/or genre? Does the AI evolve as newcomers become more adept at the style of gaming? How should newcomers prepare for the experience and depth of play of a game like Icewind Dale 2?

Josh: “For newcomers to the series, it offers the chance to make the largest, most diverse group of 3E PCs in a CRPG to date.  The overall game play should be familiar to people who have played the Icewind Dale or even Baldur's Gate series of game.  But, if our fan discussions are any indication, people really love making parties and parties and oh, more parties.

“Newcomers to the genre might find IWD2 somewhat daunting.  Even though the 3E rules have been streamlined in comparison to the 2nd Ed. Rules, there are still a lot of nuances.  And, when you have so many options in character creation, it can be kind of overwhelming.  There's a lot to keep track of.”

Q: What is your favorite part of this game? Are there plans for, or has the door been left open for a third installment in this series?

Josh: “My favorite part of the game is the final area (no spoilers here, folks).  There are so many things to do and so many different challenges (both combat and otherwise) that it's really a lot of fun.

“I think there's room to make an Icewind Dale III, but we need to take a break from it for a while.  A long while ...

”A really long while.”

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