Combat

How will Neverwinter Nights' real-time combat system work?
While Neverwinter Nights takes place in a real-time environment, we have been very careful to keep our combat system from becoming a 'click-fest' where the player with the lowest ping and fastest reflexes wins. Instead, we are opting for a multi-layered approach to combat. The base layer consists of a 'single-click' combat system: Your character will repeat basic attack actions until either your target is slain or you have assigned other actions to your character. The second layer consists of a 'queued' combat system: You can select special combat actions for your character, such as disarming your opponent or using your monk's 'flurry of blows' ability, and these are entered into your combat queue to be performed in the coming round. These actions do not repeat and, once you have finished performing them, you will revert back to your base layer action. The result is a very lag-tolerant system that keeps the player actively engaged in what's going on while not penalizing those with high-latency Internet connections.

What will the combat animation in Neverwinter Nights look like?
We are currently working on a very detailed and realistic combat animation system for Neverwinter Nights. Reflexive combat actions, such as dodges, thrusts, and parries, will be visually represented in the game, with combatants interacting in a dynamic and believable fashion that remains true to the 3rd Edition D&D combat rules. Don't expect to just sit back and watch it play out, though. Dungeons & Dragons is a game of both action and tactics - even the greatest fighter must decide when it is best to disarm his opponent, knock them down, or make a tactical retreat.