Darkness over Daggerford
Encyclopedia
Darkness over Daggerford is an expansion pack
for BioWare's
Neverwinter Nights
computer role-playing game. It was released for digital distribution
on August 16, 2006. Considered a user-made "mod
", the game was created by Canadian company Ossian Studios
, headed by former BioWare employee Alan Miranda
.
Daggerford was based on earlier Dungeons & Dragons
video games like Baldur's Gate
and Icewind Dale
. It takes place in the Western Heartlands region of the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting
, in the town of Daggerford
, near Waterdeep
and Baldur's Gate
. Completely a single-player experience, Daggerford's story revolves around the player character
investigating the recent death of the town's leader.
Daggerford was originally conceived as a Neverwinter Nights premium module, which were official products marketed through BioWare's website and supported by the game's publisher, Atari
. Several months before the game's scheduled release, the premium module program was cancelled. Ossian decided to publish Daggerford anyway, and it was released as a free download on IGN's
Neverwinter Vault, a community site for the Neverwinter Nights series
.
Since the game is an expansion of Neverwinter Nights, it uses the same engine
, Aurora, and basic gameplay is similar. Features created specifically for Daggerford include a world map and a stronghold, which players can use as a base of operations and a source for sidequests
. Players start the module at level 8. In addition to the main storyline of the game, there are numerous sidequests that can be undertaken for a variety of rewards.
The game begins with players working as freelance adventurers escorting a caravan from Waterdeep to Daggerford. Along the way, the caravan is attacked by a mysterious group and one of the player's party
members, Talarenne, is kidnapped. He soon discovers that Talarenne was mistaken for an agent of Waterdeep who came to city in order to find out truth about Pwyll Greatshout death and the current political situation. The player decides to aid the agent.
The rest of the story follows the player character's efforts to rescue the missing party member and find the truth about what is going on around Daggerford. Gradually, an evil plot by Zhentarim is uncovered, and player has to do everything to stop it from fruition, or the city might be taken over... or even destroyed.
. In 2003, he left BioWare to form his own company, Ossian Studios, with his wife Elizabeth Starr. Miranda approached BioWare joint CEO Greg Zeschuk in 2005 to discuss the possibility of Ossian developing a "premium module" for Neverwinter Nights. Premium modules were adventures created for Neverwinter Nights by BioWare and other companies. BioWare had been given autonomy on the premium module process from the game's publisher, Atari
, and Zeschuk approved Miranda's proposal. Miranda's initial draft of the project was a pirate-themed adventure in the Sword Coast, which happened to be the same idea that BioWare itself was creating a premium module for, Neverwinter Nights: Pirates of the Sword Coast
. Miranda revised the concept and chose the Western Heartlands as the setting.
Ossian began putting together the team for the module and decided to hire prominent amateur "modders" from the Neverwinter Nights fan community. The team set out to create a premium module that was ultimately to be as large as an expansion pack
, with a large number of sidequests and a focus on exploration, like Baldur's Gate
. Early on, the team decided to focus on the creation of a world map system for Daggerford, as well as a stronghold system that players could use as a customizable home and base.
Ossian estimated that a module on par with other large games like Kingmaker would take four to five months. Pre-production on Daggerford began in April 2005 and took a month and a half. Ossian went through five designers in this stage, none of whom worked out. Choosing a designer required much of the time allocated for pre-production, and to compensate Ossian developers immediately began creating the game, fleshing out details as they went. In order to keep in line with the exploration spirit of Baldur's Gate, Ossian hired designers specifically for the game's sidequests. The world map system in particular posed problems to designers; who stated "the toolset really wasn't made to do what we wanted it to do." In addition, only Miranda and his wife worked in a brick and mortar building—most of the game's design was coordinated online using Skype
. The production of Daggerford took longer than Ossian had anticipated, and in February 2006, BioWare's Live Team Lead Designer Rob Bartel offered the studio advice on their module. The next month, BioWare inspected the game and approved it for content completion.
In May 2006, Atari cancelled the premium module program, with no warning to developers of the current projects. Miranda and his team decided to finish the game anyways, and in August 2006 it was released free of charge on IGN's
Neverwinter Nights Vault. Despite the game being self-funded, the cancellation of the premium module program was "more than a little disappointing", according to Miranda. In July 2006, BioWare and Atari decided to release one of the other modules that had been cancelled, Wyvern Crown of Cormyr, which Miranda described as "perplexing".
in 2007.
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
for BioWare's
BioWare
BioWare is a Canadian video game developer founded in February 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip. BioWare is currently owned by American company Electronic Arts...
Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights , produced by BioWare and published by Infogrames , is a third-person perspective computer role-playing game that is based on third edition Dungeons & Dragons and Forgotten Realms rules. It was originally to be published by Interplay Entertainment, but the publisher's financial...
computer role-playing game. It was released for digital distribution
Digital distribution
Online distribution, digital distribution, or electronic software distribution is the practice of delivering content without the use of physical media, typically by downloading via the internet directly to a consumer's device. Online distribution bypasses conventional physical distribution media,...
on August 16, 2006. Considered a user-made "mod
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
", the game was created by Canadian company Ossian Studios
Ossian Studios
Ossian Studios Inc. is a developer of RPG games for the Neverwinter Nights and Neverwinter Nights 2 franchise of PC games.-2003 Ossian Studios Inc, is founded:...
, headed by former BioWare employee Alan Miranda
Alan Miranda
-Career:Alan Miranda is a previous BioWare employee, who had worked on Dungeons & Dragons titles like Neverwinter Nights and Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal. In 2003, he left BioWare to form his own company, Ossian Studios, with his wife Elizabeth Starr...
.
Daggerford was based on earlier Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
video games like Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate is a computer role-playing game developed by BioWare and released in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. The game takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using modified Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules...
and Icewind Dale
Icewind Dale
Icewind Dale is a computer role-playing game developed for Windows by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment. Released on June 30, 2000, it takes place in the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms campaign setting, and is based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition...
. It takes place in the Western Heartlands region of the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign setting
Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings
The flexibility of the Dungeons & Dragons rules means that Dungeon Masters are free to create their own fantasy campaign settings. For those who wanted a pre-packaged setting in which to play, TSR, Wizards of the Coast , and other publishers have created many settings in which D&D games can be based...
, in the town of Daggerford
Daggerford
Daggerford is a location in the fictional Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons and Dragons.-General:The village of Daggerford lies along the Shining River along the Sword Coast in Western Faerûn. It is a walled town with a population of approximately 900, with a number of outlying hamlets, farms...
, near Waterdeep
Waterdeep (city)
Waterdeep is a fictional city-state that forms part of a popular Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game campaign setting called the Forgotten Realms. It is a port city that is located along the western coast of the Faerûn sub-continent...
and Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate (city)
Baldur's Gate is a fictional city in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It is a coastal city on the north bank of the river Chiontar, located in the Western Heartlands region of Faerûn...
. Completely a single-player experience, Daggerford's story revolves around the player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
investigating the recent death of the town's leader.
Daggerford was originally conceived as a Neverwinter Nights premium module, which were official products marketed through BioWare's website and supported by the game's publisher, Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
. Several months before the game's scheduled release, the premium module program was cancelled. Ossian decided to publish Daggerford anyway, and it was released as a free download on IGN's
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
Neverwinter Vault, a community site for the Neverwinter Nights series
Neverwinter Nights (series)
Neverwinter Nights is a series of video games developed by BioWare, Obsidian Entertainment and Cryptic Studios, based on the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
.
Gameplay
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
, Aurora, and basic gameplay is similar. Features created specifically for Daggerford include a world map and a stronghold, which players can use as a base of operations and a source for sidequests
Quest (gaming)
A quest in role-playing video games — including massively multiplayer online role-playing games and their predecessors, MUDs — is a task that a player-controlled character or group of characters may complete in order to gain a reward...
. Players start the module at level 8. In addition to the main storyline of the game, there are numerous sidequests that can be undertaken for a variety of rewards.
Plot
The intro of the game tells the player about the recent events in city of Daggerford. Pwyll Greatshout, the duke of Daggerford, died during strange circumstances. To maintain stability, a new leader was chosen: baron Matagar Bugo, who promises the citizens to make Daggerford a new trading giant like Waterdeep. In the meantime, raider attacks on caravans become too often, and strange disappearings of cattle make people believe that hard times wait ahead.The game begins with players working as freelance adventurers escorting a caravan from Waterdeep to Daggerford. Along the way, the caravan is attacked by a mysterious group and one of the player's party
Party (role playing games)
A party is a group of characters adventuring together in a role-playing game. In tabletop role-playing, a party is composed of a group of players, occasionally with the addition of non-player character allies controlled by those players or by the gamemaster. In computer games, the relationship...
members, Talarenne, is kidnapped. He soon discovers that Talarenne was mistaken for an agent of Waterdeep who came to city in order to find out truth about Pwyll Greatshout death and the current political situation. The player decides to aid the agent.
The rest of the story follows the player character's efforts to rescue the missing party member and find the truth about what is going on around Daggerford. Gradually, an evil plot by Zhentarim is uncovered, and player has to do everything to stop it from fruition, or the city might be taken over... or even destroyed.
Development
Alan Miranda was a previous employee of BioWare and had worked on other Dungeons & Dragons titles like Neverwinter Nights and Baldur's Gate II: Throne of BhaalBaldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal is the expansion pack for the computer role-playing game Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and is the final chapter in the Baldur's Gate series. It adds a multi-level dungeon called Watcher's Keep to the game and completes the main plot...
. In 2003, he left BioWare to form his own company, Ossian Studios, with his wife Elizabeth Starr. Miranda approached BioWare joint CEO Greg Zeschuk in 2005 to discuss the possibility of Ossian developing a "premium module" for Neverwinter Nights. Premium modules were adventures created for Neverwinter Nights by BioWare and other companies. BioWare had been given autonomy on the premium module process from the game's publisher, Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
, and Zeschuk approved Miranda's proposal. Miranda's initial draft of the project was a pirate-themed adventure in the Sword Coast, which happened to be the same idea that BioWare itself was creating a premium module for, Neverwinter Nights: Pirates of the Sword Coast
Neverwinter Nights: Pirates of the Sword Coast
Neverwinter Nights: Pirates of the Sword Coast is a premium module for the computer game Neverwinter Nights that features sea-voyaging, pirate-style, swashbuckling adventure. As of December 2009 Atari owns the rights to the module, which is not available for purchase.- Description :The module is...
. Miranda revised the concept and chose the Western Heartlands as the setting.
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
, with a large number of sidequests and a focus on exploration, like Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate (series)
Baldur's Gate is a franchise of action role-playing games released under the Dungeons & Dragons Video Game Licenses. It is set in the fictional campaign setting of Forgotten Realms and takes place in its fictional continent of Faerûn. It takes place mostly in the Western Heartlands, but has also...
. Early on, the team decided to focus on the creation of a world map system for Daggerford, as well as a stronghold system that players could use as a customizable home and base.
Ossian estimated that a module on par with other large games like Kingmaker would take four to five months. Pre-production on Daggerford began in April 2005 and took a month and a half. Ossian went through five designers in this stage, none of whom worked out. Choosing a designer required much of the time allocated for pre-production, and to compensate Ossian developers immediately began creating the game, fleshing out details as they went. In order to keep in line with the exploration spirit of Baldur's Gate, Ossian hired designers specifically for the game's sidequests. The world map system in particular posed problems to designers; who stated "the toolset really wasn't made to do what we wanted it to do." In addition, only Miranda and his wife worked in a brick and mortar building—most of the game's design was coordinated online using Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
. The production of Daggerford took longer than Ossian had anticipated, and in February 2006, BioWare's Live Team Lead Designer Rob Bartel offered the studio advice on their module. The next month, BioWare inspected the game and approved it for content completion.
In May 2006, Atari cancelled the premium module program, with no warning to developers of the current projects. Miranda and his team decided to finish the game anyways, and in August 2006 it was released free of charge on IGN's
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
Neverwinter Nights Vault. Despite the game being self-funded, the cancellation of the premium module program was "more than a little disappointing", according to Miranda. In July 2006, BioWare and Atari decided to release one of the other modules that had been cancelled, Wyvern Crown of Cormyr, which Miranda described as "perplexing".
Reception
Darkness over Daggerford surpassed 25,000 downloads in five weeks, a higher number than that recorded for previous Neverwinter Nights Vault's Module of the Year winners. The game went on to win the site's Reviewer Award, a Gold Award for the second-best module of 2006, and an entry in their Hall of Fame, which collects the highest-rated and most popular modules. It also won the Best RPG Mod award at the Independent Games FestivalIndependent Games Festival
The Independent Games Festival is an annual festival at the Game Developers Conference, the largest annual gathering of the indie video game industry. It was founded in 1998 to assist and inspire innovation in video game development and to recognize the best independent video game developers...
in 2007.