What is Never Winter Nights?

Never winter Nights (NWN) is a computer game set in a huge medieval fantasy world of Dungeons and Dragons. It is a role- playing game (RPG) which puts you at the centre of an epic tale of faith, war, and betrayal. As a player, you are able to choose what skills and abilities you will develop as you journey through the fantasy world of Forgotten Realms. You can be :- a deadly and dangerous Rogue moving through the shadows using stealth and secrecy a scholarly Wizard and wield powerful magic against your enemies a hulking Barbarian whose lust for battle is matched only by his terrible rage an armour-clad Paladin who protects the innocent and vanquishes his foes a crusading Cleric who heals the sick and defends the helpless

The game This game is designed to be a stimulus for learning and you will be looking Application of Number either level 1 or level 2 dependent on your GCSE results During the game you will have tasks to complete that will give you the underpinning knowledge required for AON You will have a learners guide to complete as you work your way through the game

Game sections The game is divided into sections Each section requires clear evidence to be presented to the tutor before you will be allowed to proceed to the next task You will then be given a password that will let you proceed to the next task The most important thing to remember is Have FUN !!!!!

Ready to start Double click the shortcut on the desk top You will get the Never Winter Nights Learning Environment Enter your Name – Write this down Enter a name for your character - Write this down Click Start Game

Next screen Click on the play button You have sound on the machines but you will need headphones to be able to hear it You can click the mouse to get through the next few screens to the next interface On this interface choose > New Then choose > other modules Then choose either Key skills AON 1 or Key skills AON2 – you will be told which by your tutor, write this down Double click to enter

Create a New Character You can create your own character for this game Gender - male or female Race – Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Gnome, Half-Elf, Half-Orc or Sub Race (your own race) Portrait – What your character looks like Class – This is the vocation or profession of your character Alignment – This is what is important to your character Abilities – you can increase the abilities that you think that your character requires, you can click on the recommended button and still change if required Package – You can choose a package of skills for your character Customise – This lets you change your characters appearance

Naming your character – You can generate a name and if you have sound you can choose the voice for your character Write down the first name and last name of your character and their age. You will need this! Click OK, you are now ready to play Your characters name

The once mighty city Never Winter is a hive of panic and terror. Thousands have died from plague and thousands are infected The Lords have declared a quarantine and shut the gates to all travel, trapping everyone within the city walls Lady Aribeth has asked for all adventurers within the city to keep order and help her find a cure The story so far …..

Interface Your character is always in the centre of the screen You interact with the world using the mouse to move the cursor around the screen The left and right buttons execute actions When you move the mouse over an object or creature, the mouse icon changes to an action icon indicating the default action for that object To perform the action right click on the target to bring up the radial menu Attack a hostile creature by moving your cursor over the creature and then left click to begin your attack

The Radial Menu It contains a ring of possible actions you can perform on an object (these may differ between characters) Issue a command – Heal me, Guard me, Stand your ground, Follow, Attack nearest Special Abilities (also shown on quickbar) – Stealth mode, animal companion, Detect mode, Crafting Skills, Taunt Emote – Goodbye, Cheer, Salute, Laugh, greet, Threaten, Bow Character Sheet (also shown in top right hand corner) Cast a spell – Special abilities, Druid Attack – Attack Special Attack – Parry mode, Power attack mode

The Quickbar The Quickbar – allows easy access to common game actions Each cell corresponds to a function key on the key board You can drag items from your inventory (top right hand corner) to the quick bar

Character Portrait This is the image that other players will see There is a narrow red bar to the left hand side of the image, this shows your character current health If the bar turns green then you are poisoned If the bar turns brown then you are deceased

The Options Box Top right hand corner Map – to see where you are Inventory – to see what you are carrying and drag new equipment Journal – 3 tabs – world journal (major events), characters journal (quests you have completed), empty journal (personal notes and impressions Character Sheet – displays info about you Rest – if you need a minute Spell book – your spells Options – to exit the game amongst others Player List

The Chat Window Bottom left hand corner Where you can interact with the game There may also be a chat box appear in the top left hand corner when interacting with characters within the game

Common Interactions Creatures – horrible creatures turn red when you mouse over them Non-hostile creatures appear blue (green if they are with your party) when you mouse over Items – right click to use the radial bar and then examine If an item is unidentified it may be magic, use the Lore skill or the identity spell to identify magic items

Common Interactions Containers, levers – open containers by left clicking and select the “use” option Locked containers can be picked, bashed open or opened with a spell – “lockpick” or “bash” from radial menu Spells can open containers, some spells can damage or destroy containers Destroyed containers open automatically The knock spell unlocks most containers without damaging them Levers and other devices are activated by left clicking them or by selecting the “use” option

Death is not always final A character death in games of this genre is not the end of the game The game is designed so that when your character meets a grisly end, only a minor inconvenience is suffered “Dead” characters are revived when the learner clicks “Respawn” and you will appear in a safe house at a secret location and then you must then make your way back to the situation you were in.