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Q: In general, how has Neverwinter Nights as a whole lived up to your expectations?
(410 votes total)
Totally (157) 38%
Not completely (156) 38%
Only somewhat (60) 15%
Not at all (37) 9%
It's been a while since we've had a tie in the polls, but in this one practically the same number of people (38%) voted for the choice of NWN totally living up to their expectations, and another 38% for not completely living up to their expectations.
15% of poll participants voted for Neverwinter Nights as only somewhat living up to their expectations, and the last 9% voted for it not living up to their expectations at all.
Q: Which is your favourite Neverwinter Nights henchman?
(795 votes total)
Tomi Undergallows (214) 27%
Daelan Red Tiger (188) 24%
Linu La'neral (146) 18%
Sharwyn (142) 18%
Grimgnaw (81) 10%
Boddyknock Glinckle (24) 3%
It seems that the majority of those who voted (27%) think that Tomi Undergallows is the best all-around henchman. This obviously coincides with BioWare's opinion, since they put the rogue practically in front of you to take...
However, some of the more physically challenged characters need someone to take the brunt of the assault, and here is where Daelan Red Tiger steps in. 24% of poll participants have him as their favourite henchman, and for good reason. This half-orc packs a mean punch!
Linu La'neral is, surprisingly enough, slightly more popular than the other available female hireling. 18% of those who voted in the poll favour the clumsy cleric.
Sharwyn is only a few votes less popular than Linu. 18% of poll participants prefer the beautiful bard over all other henchmen. Whether due to her battle skills or the romance option is another question entirely...
The grim dwarven monk Grimgnaw (heh) is also quite popular, especially for an evil dwarf that he is. 10% of those who voted think of him as their favourite henchman.
Boddyknock Glinckle is (surprise, surprise), the least favourite of the henchmen. Whole 3% of people voted for Spock's little cousin. There simply is no end to gnomish popularity these days...
Q: On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate Neverwinter Nights?
(934 votes total)
9 (293) 31%
10 (best) (257) 28%
8 (207) 22%
7 (91) 10%
6 (31) 3%
1 (worst) (19) 2%
5 (18) 2%
3 (8) 1%
4 (6) 1%
2 (4) 0%
Well, the results pretty much speak for themselves. The majority of those who voted (31%) rated Neverwinter Nights 9 out of 10.
10 out of 10 was given to NWN by a few poll participants less (28%).
22% of people who voted awarded NWN 8 out of 10. After this, the scores go down rapidly. 10% of people thought NWN deserves a 7 out of 10 rating, and all subsequent ratings of the game (6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1) combined were voted for by 10% of poll participants.
The average combined rating of all who voted is 8,4 or 84%.
Q: Are you going to use the Neverwinter Nights Aurora Toolset to make your own modules?
(528 votes total)
Yes, definitely (335) 63%
Maybe, but I doubt it (128) 24%
No, highly unlikely (65) 12%
As expected, the huge majority of those who voted in our poll (63%) will be using the Aurora Toolset to make their own modules.
A bit less than a quarter of poll participants (24%) voted for the option of possibly giving the module creation a shot, but feel that it is unlikely that they would do it.
Only 12% of people who voted will not be making their own Neverwinter Nights modules.
Q: Neverwinter Nights has been released and Icewind Dale II is on the horizon. What will you do?
(895 votes total)
I will buy both (536) 60%
I will only buy NWN (289) 32%
I will only buy IWD2 (48) 5%
I will buy neither (22) 2%
60% of those who voted, i.e. the majority of poll participants, will buy both Icewind Dale II and Neverwinter Nights. A wise decision indeed, and one wholeheartedly supported by SP, since we feel that IWD2 is going to be an excellent game.
A percent short of one third of votes, 32% of people who voted will only buy Neverwinter Nights. I suppose if 3D is all that matters to them, IWD2 will not provide much in that area, though the game has many other qualities worth considering.
5% of votes came from people who will only buy IWD2, and I expect this to be mostly people who have computers that do not meet the system requirements of Neverwinter Nights.
Only 2% of votes were cast by people who won't buy any of the two games.
Q: Do you also intend to play Neverwinter Nights over the Internet or just offline?
(960 votes total)
Yes, definitely also online (589) 61%
Maybe also online, but not much (259) 27%
No, offline only (112) 12%
The vast majority of people who voted in our poll (61%) have declared that they will definitely play Neverwinter Nights online as well. Not that this comes as a surprise, since the game's focus has always been multiplayer, and there are (in addition to regular play servers) literally dozens of online NWN worlds fervently in the making at this moment.
2% more than a quarter of poll participants (27%) are not that enthusiastic about multiplayer. While they say they might also play online, they don't expect to do it very often.
Only 12% of those who voted in the poll intend to play Neverwinter Nights offline only.
Q: In the single player campaign Neverwinter Nights, you will be able to have a maximum of 1 henchman (i.e. person) in your party at any time. (Yes, you and one more character is maximum.) Consequently, will you be looking for a henchman of the opposite sex, with whom you might be able to have a romance?
(897 votes total)
Maybe, but my hiring him/her will depend on what their stats/class are like (440) 49%
Yes, definitely (367) 41%
No, not at all (90) 10%
Almost half of the poll participants (49%) will definitely not fall in love with a certain henchman (henchperson?) based solely on their outwardly appearance, but will first determine what their stats and class are like, and only then decide upon having a romance with them or not. (If one is possible, that is.)
On the other hand, 41% of those who voted are obviously not that concerned with the stats, class (and race?) of the henchmen (hirelings would definitely be a better word to use), and will be looking for romances while being a lot less picky than the above 49%.
Finally, 10% of the people who voted are not interested in romances at all.
Q: Which race is your protagonist in Neverwinter Nights going to be of?
(681 votes total)
Human (221) 32%
Elf (185) 27%
Half-elf (145) 21%
Dwarf (42) 6%
Half-orc (34) 5%
Halfling (33) 5%
Gnome (21) 3%
How... unimaginative. Really, I'm quite surprised that almost one third (32%) of people who have voted in this poll decided to play a regular human character in Neverwinter Nights.
The next big group of poll participants (27%) intend to play elves, one of the most popular fantasy races.
Half-elves are the race that 21% of people are going to play Neverwinter Nights with.
After these 3 main races, which have collected 81% of votes altogether, there are 4 races left with surprisingly few votes.
Dwarves, otherwise a very popular fantasy race, are going to be played by only 6% of those who participated in our poll. Very curious.
The powerful half-orcs and sneaky halflings have it even worse; either of these two races gained nearly the same amount of votes, 5%.
And, as usual, the gnomes are trailing far, far behind and remain the most unpopular race to play. Only 3% of people are going to play a gnome in Neverwinter Nights.
Q: What is the best new feature of Icewind Dale 2 in your opinion?
(273 votes total)
Subraces (83) 30%
3e feats & skills (65) 24%
3e multiclassing (50) 18%
3e classes & half-orcs (27) 10%
3e combat rules (17) 6%
New portraits (10) 4%
Specialized clerics (8) 3%
New interface (7) 3%
Other (6) 2%
Subraces are, without a doubt, the best new feature of Icewind Dale 2 according to the 30% of those who voted in our poll. Really, what could be more cool than being able to play Drizzt, err, I mean a drow.
3e feats & skills have got a big number of people excited as well. 24% of the participants in our poll say that these 3rd edition D&D elements are the best new thing in IWD2.
3e multiclassing is also quite popular, with 18% of poll votes. Ah, now everyone can finally play that elven barbarian and gnome paladin they've been dreaming of... (Well, maybe not, but hey, the option's there.)
3e classes & half-orcs are the best new features in the opinion of 10% of those who voted in the poll. Just to refresh your memory, the classes are monk, sorcerer and barbarian and the half-orc is... Well, still ugly and mostly orc. Tough luck.
3e combat rules, (including the AC now going upwards and so on) are what 6% of people regard as the best new feature of IWD2.
Some people (4%) even went so far as to say that new portraits we'll see in IWD2 are the best new feature of the game. Though I don't know if that's a compliment to BIS or an insult to everyone else but the artists. Still, we have to admit that the portrait art has been excellent in IWD, HoW and ToTL...
Specialized clerics (Dreadmaster of Bane for example) only excite about 3% of poll participants. Same goes for the new interface (3% of votes as well), which obviously doesn't get many people falling out of their chairs. And you can hardly see the portraits now. (My main gripe.)
The infamous Other got only 2% of votes, but no one bothered to comment what their "other" is, so we can only guess.
Q: Do you think that Icewind Dale 2 will be more enjoyable than Baldur's Gate 2?
(454 votes total)
No, never (196) 43%
I couldn't say (176) 39%
Yes, definitely (82) 18%
Heh, heh, what a way to provoke all the overprotective fans of Baldur's Gate 2. ;)
Of course, the majority of poll participants (43%) voted that Icewind Dale 2 could never be more enjoyable than Baldur's Gate 2. I really wouldn't be so sure about that... The conversion to 3rd edition D&D rules and the addition of subraces sounds mighty enjoyable to me. The fact that IWD2 is supposed to be longer than the original Icewind Dale, the expansion Heart of Winter and the expansion's expansion Trials of The Luremaster put together only adds to my feverish anticipation.
On the other hand, 39% of those who voted in the poll were undecided about IWD2 being more enjoyable than BG2. Of course, only time will tell.
18% of those who voted are thoroughly excited about the sequel to Icewind Dale and believe that it is going to be more enjoyable than Baldur's Gate 2. Now that's quite a compliment...
Q: Have you tried out the beta of the Neverwinter Nights Aurora Toolset yet?
(273 votes total)
Yes, I'm playing around with it (117) 43%
Not yet, still waiting to get it (80) 29%
No and I won't (76) 28%
There is no denying the immense popularity of the beta Toolset released by BioWare. The overwhelming majority of people who voted in the poll (43%) have said that they are already playing around with it. We've even begun to see fan-made content and additions, so I have no doubt that when the game and toolset finally ship, we will have so much fan-made stuff that we won't know what to do with it.
The next bulk of votes was from people who were either still downloading the massive file (thank God FilePlanet is not the only option), and from people whose connection would not allow them to download it so they were probably waiting for magazine cover CDs, which will all undoubtedly have the Toolset. 29% of votes were collected for this option.
Lastly, 28% of poll participants voted that they are not interested in the Toolset at all and will not try it out.
Q: The release of Icewind Dale II has been delayed till Summer (sometime). What are your feelings on this?
(368 votes total)
Good, at least the game won't come out half-finished (229) 62%
Bad, I can't wait to play it already! (81) 22%
Indifferent, I don't know if I'll buy it anyway (58) 16%
Well, the latest on the release date is that we can expect the game to ship around the first half of July. Which isn't that bad, I suppose... If it actually gets released then, that is.
Anyway, the majority of our visitors who voted in the poll (62%) don't hold any grudges on the delay because they know it means a) more stuff being added to the game and b) more bugs squashed. Hopefully.
22% of those who voted do feel bad about the delay, however. Mostly because they can't wait to play this new truly 3rd edition D&D game already. But I'm sure that deep down in their hearts they know that it's better that the game comes out late than seriously bugged.
16% of poll participants don't have any feelings regarding this delay at all, since they're not sure yet if they'll buy the game.
Q: What do you think of Icewind Dale 2's new main interface panel?
(253 votes total)
A change for the better (133) 53%
As long as it's there, I don't care what it looks like (88) 35%
A change for the worse (32) 13%
It appears that more than half of the people who voted (53%) really like the new interface. (You can check screenshots of it on Page 2 of our IWD2 Screenshots subsection.)
The second large group of votes (35%) goes to complete indifference... Quite a lot of people obviously don't care what the interface looks like, as long as it performs its function.
Finally, 13% of poll participants think the new interface is worse than the old one.
Q: The NWN beta test will be beginning soon. An enormous number of people have signed up for it, and yet only a handful of people will actually get to test the game. How do you feel about this?
(290 votes total)
I never play betas so I couldn't care less (124) 43%
It's no big deal if I won't be able to play the beta (88) 30%
I'll cry like a baby if they don't let me play it (56) 19%
I'll be very disappointed if I don't get to play it (22) 8%
Heh, not that big of a disaster after all. 43%, a vast majority of all who voted, couldn't care less about the beta test of Neverwinter Nights, since they never beta test games anyway.
30%, the next big group of poll participants, is not very concerned about not being able to beta test the game either, stating that it's no big deal if they don't get to play it.
19% of those who voted, however, will be devastated and cry like babies if they are denied the pleasure of getting their hands on the game early.
8%, least of all, voted for being very disappointed if they won't get to play the beta.
Q: Icewind Dale 2 has been officially approved as a 3rd edition D&D game. What are your feelings about this?
(466 votes total)
I would buy it regardless of which D&D edition rules it used (203) 44%
Great, I love 3e D&D! (183) 39%
Sucks, I liked AD&D better! (60) 13%
I won't buy it either way (20) 4%
Obviously the overwhelming majority of those who voted (44%) doesn't really care whether IWD2 will use 2nd or 3rd edition D&D rules, as long as it will be a good game. Since most people familiar with both the old and the new edition of rules usually have one they prefer, I expect this group of votes also includes all those people who are not very familiar with either of the D&D rulesets.
2nd place with 39% of votes goes to 3rd edition D&D rules. Many people have grown to love 3e and they are obviously looking forward to a good game that will also be utilizing their favourite ruleset. (Unlike the PoR flop...)
However, we still have 13% of die-hard 2nd edition D&D lovers who have expressed their disappointment over IWD2 switching to the new rules.
Lastly, a meagre 4% of votes were placed by people who will not buy the game at all.
Q: Have you played any bigger unofficial add-ons to Baldur's Gate 2 like The Darkest Day and Epic Endeavours?
(342 votes total)
No (143) 42%
I still plan to (117) 34%
Yes (82) 24%
Not surprisingly, the vast majority of of poll participants (42%) have not played any major unofficial add-ons, and don't plan to play them in the future. I suppose that reasons for this are various, from the inaccessibility of the add-ons except as huge downloads and not trusting anything that is not official, to not wanting to mess up the original game with an unsupported add-on and so on.
Surprising, however, is the number of people who still plan on playing them in the future. A bit more than one third of people who voted in the poll (34%) intend on installing an unofficial add-on in the future.
Only a percent less than a quarter of those who voted (24%) have actually played one already. Still, for any unofficial add-on to reach this many people must be considered a success.
Q: Which of the new 3e classes will you have in your Icewind Dale 2 party? (Multiple choices were possible.)
(545 votes total)
Sorcerer (200) 37%
Monk (149) 27%
Barbarian (136) 25%
None of the above (60) 11%
Well, this certainly is a surprise. Seeing 37% of poll participants vote for having a sorcerer in their party seems quite strange to me. After all, IWD2 will still primarily be a hack & slash game, so I expected the barbarian to come out on top... Just goes to show how wrong you can be when making assumptions. ;)
The next in line after the sorcerer is the monk, with 27% of people voting for having at least one in their party.
Barbarian was only a little less popular then the monk, with 25% of votes.
11% of those who voted will not have any of the new 3e classes in their party.
Q: Do you think Neverwinter Nights will be able to live up to all the expectations?
(326 votes total)
Mostly it will (154) 47%
Yes, of course (90) 28%
In some ways it might (53) 16%
No, it won't (29) 9%
Hmmm... It appears we have a quite sceptical crowd here. 47% of all who voted went for the second choice from the top, saying that Neverwinter Nights will mostly be able to live up all the high expectations. It is going to be hard to satisfy everyone, so NWN will still be a great game if our high expectations are (mostly) met.
28% of poll participants are more certain of the game delivering what it promises. They all voted that NWN will, of course, be able to live up to all the expectations.
Nearing the waters of doubt, 16% of those who voted think that Neverwinter Nights might live up to all the expectations only in some ways.
Lastly, 9% of voters are certain that the game will not be able to live up to our expectations. We will have to see about that!
Q: What would like to see added or changed on Sorcerer's Place the most?
(275 votes total)
More focus on p&p D&D and role-playing (79) 29%
3rd edition D&D concept art (images, wallpapers etc.) (76) 28%
Don't change anything (57) 21%
New site design (41) 15%
Other (specify in poll comments) (12) 4%
More message board features (10) 4%
Like I suspected, more focus on pen & paper D&D and role-playing is something most of the people who have voted (29%) would like to see changed at Sorcerer's Place. However, as grand as my plans might be, this is also something that would take a lot more of my time, on which I am chronically short. *sigh*
Moving into the fields of the more feasible, almost as many people (28%) would like to see 3rd edition D&D concept art like images, wallpapers and such posted on SP. Now this is something that I have been planning to do for quite some time now, so hopefully it will not still be an option when another poll of this kind is posted. ;)
21% of the poll participants are so happy with Sorcerer's Place that they say nothing should be changed. Very flattering indeed!
A new site design (wanted by 15% of voters) is something that certain annoying elements have been forcefully trying to squeeze out of me for some time, but even if I wanted to do it, it would have to be done during my holidays. (Changing the site's design would require much more work than anything else on this list, considering the fact that more than 500 pages of SP would have to be set totally anew.)
The infamous Other (4%), as usual, did not really yield any useful data for analysis. The only repeated request was for more stability & uptime, but since this is my primary goal I did not even put it in the list. Now that SP is on our own paid server, things are running smoothly.
But, of course, there's no such thing as free pizza. Server hosting costs alone are at $140 a month now, so please check the "help support SP" link on the left side of all SP pages for info on how you can help.
Finally, new message board features were requested by 4% of poll participants. And yes, there will be more.
Q: Do you use walkthroughs when you play CRPGs?
(367 votes total)
I only check them to see if I missed anything (186) 51%
Yes, occasionally (123) 33%
Yes, constantly (29) 8%
No, never (29) 8%
More than half of the people who voted in this poll (51%) only use walkthroughs after they've already gone through a certain part of the game on their own; to check up if they missed anything on their way as it were.
33% of poll participants do use walkthroughs, but only occasionally, unlike the third group (8%), who use them constantly.
An interesting coincidence is that the exact same number of people (8%) also voted that they never use walkthroughs at all.
Q: Have you ever posted on our message boards - Boards O' Magick?
(224 votes total)
Yes (114) 51%
No, I only read what others post (47) 21%
No, I'm not interested (43) 19%
No, but I plan to (20) 9%
The poll results show that more than a half (51%) of people who voted in the poll have posted on our message boards at least once.
A surprisingly large number of people (21%) do not post anything, but only read what other people post. I have no idea why this is, when it's so easy to register and start posting your thoughts right away...
19% of all who voted are not interested in our message boards at all.
Finally, 9% of poll participants said that they plan on starting to post at Boards O' Magick in the future.
Q: Do you think that the point buy system being used in Icewind Dale 2 will be better than the previous system of (re)rolling?
(362 votes total)
I'm not sure (141) 39%
Yes, definitely (134) 37%
No, they shouldn't have changed it (87) 24%
As it turned out, almost 40% of people are not sure whether the decision to go for the point buy system in IWD2 was for better or for worse. I suppose we will have to wait till the game is released and see for ourselves...
However, only a couple percent less (37%) voted in favour of the new point buy system.
Finally, 24% of those who voted said that they like re-rolling better and that it should not have been changed. Oh well, old habits die hard. ;)
Q: Which races will be present in your IWD2 party? (You can tick off up to 6.)
(1969 votes total)
Humans (449) 23%
Elves (447) 23%
Dwarves (317) 16%
Half-elves (298) 15%
Halflings (185) 9%
Half-orcs (181) 9%
Gnomes (92) 5%
It's interesting how paired the top 6 races came out...
Humans and elves will be represented in practically identical numbers in most people's parties, since 23% of people voted for each of the two races. (64% combined.)
The same situation occurs with dwarves and half-elves. 16% of people voted for dwarves in their party and 15% for half-elves.
Amazingly enough, half-orcs will be actually a bit less popular than halflings in the parties of people who participated in the poll. Only 9% of people voted for halflings, and another 9% for half-orcs.
Gnomes came out at the bottom, as usual. Only 5% of people who voted will have one or more present in their party.
Q: Which of the subraces that will be in IWD2 do you want to play the most?
(562 votes total)
Dark elf (drow) (247) 44%
Aasimar (97) 17%
Tiefling (88) 16%
Wood elf (57) 10%
Gold dwarf (22) 4%
Deep gnome (svirfneblin) (20) 4%
Ghostwise halfling (14) 2%
Lightfoot halfling (10) 2%
Gray dwarf (duergar) (7) 1%
I'd love to say that I did not see this one coming but... Nah, we all knew that people have wanted to play dark elves since the original BG1 was released, and now they will be finally given a chance in Icewind Dale II.
Almost half of all the people who voted (44%) want to play a drow more than anything.
Aasimar are next on the popularity list, but quite far behind the drow. 17% of people who voted want to play an Aasimar most of all the new subraces.
As usual, the other half of the people will take Tieflings over Aasimar any day. 16% of all voters decided that the more chaotic side is what they want.
Wood elves are the fourth most popular subrace with 10% of people wanting to play them most. After these, a steep decline in the popularity of the other subraces becomes noticeable.
For example, only 4% of people want to play Gold dwarves the most, and another 4% the svirfneblin (Deep gnomes).
Both of the halfling subraces didn't do much better either, since only 2% of poll participants are especially excited over the Ghostwise halflings and another 2% over the Lightfoot halfling.
At the rock bottom (heh), we have the duergar, which are obviously the least popular of all subraces (a whole 1% of people voted for them), which amazes me to no end. I would think that people would be at least as excited about them as about the drow, considering that the advantages of this subrace in IWD2 are pretty cool, if nothing else. So I have to wonder whether this unpopularity is due to most participants not knowing what a duergar is, or not seeing the advantages the subrace gets in IWD2. Of course it could also be that I'm the only one who thinks gray dwarves would be cool to play. *grin*
Check our IWD2 subsection for more info on all of these subraces.
Q: Will you buy Icewind Dale 2?
(481 votes total)
Drool, yes, drool (327) 68%
Hmm, not sure yet (100) 21%
Nah, not interested (54) 11%
We ran a very similar poll a few months ago (before IWD2 was actually announced) and, not surprisingly, the results now that the game has actually been announced are very similar to what they were back then.
The exact same percentage of people (a good majority of 68%) have voted in favour of buying the sequel to Icewind Dale.
A little less people (now 21%, back then 29%) took the middle option. These will probably wait for previews and reviews to either convince them to buy the game or not.
Interestingly though, the number of people who voted for the third option (11%), has risen substantially since the last poll where only 3% of all who voted said that they will not buy the game.
Q: What do you usually drink while playing computer role-playing games?
(562 votes total)
Coke/Pepsi (178) 32%
Nothing (103) 18%
Other soft drinks (79) 14%
Alcoholic drinks (77) 14%
Coffee (68) 12%
Juice (various) (57) 10%
Evidently the majority of people who voted (almost one third, i.e. 32%) drink either Coke of Pepsi while playing CRPGs.
Second largest group of people (18%) doesn't drink anything at all.
In third place with 14% of votes are other soft drinks, closely followed by alcoholic drinks with 14% as well.
Coffee is drunk by 12% of people while gaming, and finally, various juices are consumed by 10% of poll participants while they play CRPGs.
Q: If you have seen The Lord of the Rings movie, how would you rate it?
(704 votes total)
5 (excellent) (501) 72%
4 (123) 17%
I haven't seen it (42) 6%
3 (19) 3%
2 (10) 1%
1 (awful) (9) 1%
I won't comment much on this poll since the results speak for themselves, so only a few observations:
The vast majority of people who voted (72%) really liked the movie, rating it 5 stars (excellent).
The next big group of voters (17%) gave it 4 stars, still a very good score.
6% of people who voted haven't seen the movie (waiting for the DVD?!).
And finally, combined, only 5% of all poll participants rated the movie either 3, 2, or 1 (awful).
Q: Which of the games & expansions covered on SP have you played?
(4114 votes total)
Baldur's Gate II (723) 17%
Baldur's Gate (715) 17%
Throne of Bhaal (581) 14%
Icewind Dale (569) 14%
Tales of the Sword Coast (527) 13%
Planescape: Torment (447) 11%
Heart of Winter (359) 9%
Pool of Radiance: RoMD (193) 5%
(The poll allowed multiple selections, so the number of votes total is a bit larger than usual.)
As per expectations, the majority of people who voted (17%) have played Baldur's Gate II.
Practically just as many (another 17%) have played the original Baldur's Gate.
Throne of Bhaal, the expansion to Baldur's Gate II, was also played by a large number of people - 14% of all who voted, in fact.
Icewind Dale was played by 14% of all poll participants.
Tales of the Sword Coast, the expansion to the original Baldur's Gate, was played by 13% of the voters.
Planescape: Torment was played by 11% of people.
Heart of Winter, the expansion to Icewind Dale, was played by 9% of those who voted.
The last game on the list, Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor, was played by only 5% of poll participants.
Q: Have you played Trials of the Luremaster, the free official expansion to IWD: Heart of Winter?
(328 votes total)
I still intend to (127) 38%
Yes, I did (117) 36%
No, and I won't (84) 26%
Quite interesting. An overwhelming majority of almost 40% of people who voted said that they still intend to play Trials of the Luremaster. I don't know if all that interest was spurred by the ToTL page link here on SP, but is certainly is encouraging to know that there are still many people who count on this free expansion as a source of entertainment.
Almost as many people (36%) voted that they have played ToTL already. Considering the relatively small percentage of people who bought and played HoW, I'd say that this means ToTL was downloaded or got from another source by practically everyone who bought Heart of Winter.
A bit more than a quarter of all poll participants (26%) said that they didn't play it, and won't play it either. This includes people who either didn't buy Heart of Winter, or don't wish to play ToTL for some reason.
Q: What was the passing year 2001 like for you, personally?
(256 votes total)
Ok (69) 27%
Very good (56) 22%
So-so (51) 20%
Excellent (40) 16%
Awful (40) 16%
(The choices were, from top to bottom: Excellent, Very good, Ok, So-so and Awful.)
As expected, most people voted for the "ok" choice, with 27% of votes. The year was very good for 22% of people, the second largest group of votes in. 20% of those who voted evaluated 2001 as so-so, putting this choice in the third place.
The last two groups received an identical amount of votes. 16% of people voted for Excellent, and just as many for Awful.
Q: Besides NWN, Bioware is currently developing Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic role-playing game. On a scale of 1 to 10, how interested are you in this title?
(405 votes total)
10 (very interested) (109) 27%
1 (not interested) (88) 22%
8 (44) 11%
7 (40) 10%
6 (27) 7%
3 (23) 6%
9 (22) 5%
4 (19) 5%
5 (17) 4%
2 (16) 3%
This poll was mostly for my information, to see how interested you all are in the game at this point (when practically nothing is known about it yet), and it turned out pretty well. Since I can't really comment much on these numbers, I'll just provide some statistics.
27% of those who voted are very interested in SW: KOTOR, giving it a 10 on the interest scale.
The next big figure is 22%, which is the percentage of people who voted 1, saying that they are not interested in this title.
Combined numbers on the scale of interest from 1-5 (the lower half), net a total of 40%. This is the number of people who are either not interested in the title at all, or take little interest in it.
Combined numbers on the scale of interest from 6-10 (the higher end), amount to a total of 60%. This is the number of people who take a moderate interest in the title, to those who are very interested in it.
It seems that a fair number of our visitors share an interest in this upcoming game. I don't expect SW: KOTOR to be released sooner than in 2003, but if I will still have enough time to run SP then, it might turn out to be the first non-(A)D&D game we will provide coverage for. Stay tuned. ;)
Q: What aspect of the BG series did you enjoy the most?
(582 votes total)
Plot (193) 33%
Party interaction (121) 21%
Quests (93) 16%
Exploration (84) 14%
Combat (42) 7%
Other (23) 4%
Graphics (14) 2%
Music (12) 2%
This poll ran for 2 weeks, because the site move which caused significant downtime prevented some people from voting during the first week.
The majority of people (33%) who voted say that plot was the most enjoyable aspect of the Baldur's Gate series. Despite the fact that some have criticized it in the past, looking at it from the perspective of the whole saga (concluded with Throne of Bhaal), we cannot but say that it is pretty good.
Party interaction was the second most popular aspect with 21% of people voting for it. This entry was also meant to include romances, although some people have complained in the Comments that they should have been a separate entry... Well I didn't make one intentionally, since there were no romances in BG1 and this poll is supposed to cover BG1 as well.
In 3rd place by popularity are quests, a favourite of 16% of those who voted. After all, questing is what adventuring is all about, is it not?
Ah, finally we come to the aspect which was so sorely lacking in BG2, exploration. 14% of people found this to be their most enjoyable aspect, but I suppose most of those who voted for this entry must have been thinking about the original Baldur's Gate, not so much of its sequel...
Combat is, surprisingly enough, a favourite aspect of only 7% of those who participated in the poll. Since combat was very important throughout the whole series, it makes you wonder if there wasn't a bit too much of it, since not that many people seem to like it much.
4% of people voted for Other, which would include various things, but mostly romances. (For those who didn't consider them to fall under party interaction.)
Graphics and music scored 2% of votes each, which makes them the least popular aspect of the series by far.
Q: When playing CRPGs, what do you listen to?
(337 votes total)
Game music (272) 81%
Other music of my own (45) 13%
I turn the music off (20) 6%
Not surprisingly at all, a vast majority (81%) of people who voted in the poll listen to the original game music.
However, 13% of people listen to other music of their own.
To conclude, a total 6% of those who voted turn the music off completely. Egad, isn't that dull?!
Q: During this time of no new Bioware/BIS CRPGs, what do you play?
(282 votes total)
Past Bioware/BIS hits (148) 52%
Other types of games (67) 24%
CRPGs by other companies (49) 17%
Nothing (18) 6%
Quite according to expectations, the majority of people (52%) are still playing previously released Bioware and BIS titles, or replaying them over and over again till something new comes up.
About a quarter of people who voted (24%) are playing other types of games during this time. From personal experience I'd say first person shooters would be a favourite to relieve yourself from post-RPG stress. ;)
CRPGs by other companies are what 17% of people play while waiting for the next Bioware/BIS title. Arcanum is quite popular, judging by the number of people discussing it in our community. Some even go as far as Pool of Radiance: RoMD. Kudos to them.
And finally, 6% of poll participants don't play anything at this time. A bit of rest from gaming never hurt (much) I suppose...
Q: Which of the upcoming fantasy movies (Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings) are you going to go see?
(493 votes total)
Lord of The Rings movie (268) 54%
Both of them (201) 41%
Neither of them (20) 4%
Harry Potter movie (4) 1%
As always, it has proven that our allegiance to Tolkien is universal. A vast majority, 54% of people who voted in the poll, are determined to see the Lord of the Rings movie. Combined with the votes from those who will see both of them, 95% (!) of people who voted will see the Lord of the Rings movie. Brings a tear to my eye, it really does. ;)
41% of poll participants voted for seeing both of them, that is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone and the Lord of the Rings movies. What wouldn't I give to be the one collecting the cash these fine movies bring in...
Only 4% of people said that they would not see any of the two movies, for reasons unknown.
An absurd 1% of people voted that they will see the Harry Potter movie, but if we combine the votes from entry #2, we get a grand total of 42% of people who will go (or have already at this point) see the movie.
Q: Do you prefer Real Time or Turn Based combat in CRPGs?
(355 votes total)
Real Time (152) 43%
Turn Based (129) 36%
No preference (74) 21%
Not surprisingly, the Real Time combat is the most popular combat style in CRPGs with 43% of votes. In the poll I've explained that Infinity Engine's quasi-Real Time (with the pause button) was included in this category.
Trailing not much behind is Turn Based with 36% of people voting for it as their preferred style of fighting in CRPGs.
21% of those who voted have no preference and are equally happy with either of the two systems.
Q: Would you buy Icewind Dale 2 if it was made using the Infinity Engine with the modifications from SoA/ToB?
(429 votes total)
Yes, definitely (291) 68%
Maybe, depends on reviews (124) 29%
No way (14) 3%
Surprisingly enough, it seems that people still aren't fed up with games made with the Infinity Engine. Not that I can blame them, since the only different type of a D&D game lately has been the poor Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor. And we all know how well that was received...
Anyway, on the figures. 68% of people who voted in the poll wouldn't think twice about buying Icewind Dale 2 if it contained all the tweaks and mods that were introduced with Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal. Since BIS haven't announced any new CRPGs in quite some time, we can only hope that IWD2 will be next.
29% of poll voters would not be so quick as that and would rather wait for the reviews before heading to the shop to get their copy.
Only 3% of the poll participants exclaimed that there is no way they would buy another Icewind Dale game. Needles to say, this figure is very encouraging.
Q: Do you use game editors and/or hacks in the CRPGs you play?
(365 votes total)
Occasionally (179) 49%
No, not at all (141) 39%
Yes, all the time (45) 12%
As I expected, almost half of the people who voted in the poll (49%) use game editors or hacks in the CRPGs they play at least occasionally. Judging by the popularity of fan-made (and those semi-official ToB ones) most people have no objections to hacking or editing their games. I won't even begin to talk about the wide-spread usage of the *Keeper family of editors either, since practically everyone knows about them, even if they don't use them.
Surprising however is the number of people who don't use hacks or editors at all. Vote count for this group stopped at 39% which is quite a large number. I suppose this group consists of people who are dead-set against cheating or tweaking of any sorts and of those who are too intimidated to try any modifications to the game since they think they might break something.
12% of people who voted are hard-core game fans and edit and hack their games all the time.
Q: Do you think that the period of 2D computer RPGs is finally over?
(431 votes total)
If it's a good CRPG, I don't care whether it's 2D or 3D (344) 80%
No, 2D forever! (50) 12%
Yes, 3D all the way! (37) 8%
Seeing the outcome of this poll makes me wonder. Why all this rush into 3D CRPGs when an overwhelming majority of people who play role-playing games doesn't care whether they're 3D or not? We are told by the developers that 3D games allow for much more freedom and customization, and that data for them takes much less space, so you don't need 5 CDs or more to make a decent game. Another fact is that people who spend enough money to buy the latest GeForce card (or whatever) want to be able to use them in any type of game, because otherwise, what is the point of buying one in the first place?
But, as our poll results show, 80% of people who voted aren't particularly concerned with the number of dimensions their games are running in. As long as it is a good game, they're happy with either 2D or 3D.
12% of those who voted are more on the traditional side and are die-hard fans of 2D CRPGs. With the amount of good ones we've seen, it's not really surprising that so many want to hold on to the past.
Only 8% of voters believe that the era of 2D is at an end and that 3D role-playing games are taking over. The first 3D D&D game (Pool of Radiance: RoMD) was not exactly a shining example of what 3D allows a good development team to do, but I am certain that Bioware will do better with Neverwinter Nights. We will just have to wait and see.
Q: Do you ever get tired of playing computer RPGs?
(354 votes total)
Sometimes (172) 49%
No, never (168) 47%
Yes, constantly (14) 4%
Although playing computer role-playing games is undeniably fun, it also becomes tiresome from time to time. Approximately a half (49%) of people who voted in the poll say that they sometimes get tired of playing them.
Interestingly enough, another (almost) half, 47% to be exact, never gets tired of playing these games.
Only 4% of people who play them also constantly get tired of them.
Q: Do you think a patch can fix most of the problems with Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor?
(258 votes total)
Yes, if they make a good one (137) 53%
I seriously doubt it (82) 32%
No way, it's too buggy (39) 15%
Well, it seems that the predictably buggy release of the game has thoroughly shaken the faith of a number of people who expected the first CRPG to use the 3rd edition D&D rules to be much more than it actually turned out to be.
When asked about the probability of a patch fixing most of the problems with Pool of Radiance: RoMD, only 53% of people answered that they believe it is quite possible to fix all mishaps with a very thorough patch.
32% of people answered that they seriously doubt that a patch could fix most of the problems with the game.
And finally 15% of those who voted have answered that they believe the game is simply to buggy to be remedied by any sort of patch.
To wrap this poll up let me just note that there are currently three patches on the schedule. The first one to correct the most serious install problem has already been released, and two more that will fix other most notable bugs have been announced for the upcoming weeks. I seriously thought that we wouldn't see a CRPG this buggy released again (after the flop that was Ultima IX: Ascension, where the situation was nearly identical to this with PoR:RoMD) but it seems that people in the gaming industry learn nothing from the mistakes of their predecessors.
Anyway, despite all the negative publicity the game has received, it is still selling well and will probably bring in profit for the people behind it. Just like Ultima IX, where a famous name was enough to sell a game so buggy that calling the state it was released in "beta" would be a compliment. On the other hand, the sales charts don't mention anything about how many people returned these games...
Q: When do you think Neverwinter Nights will be released?
(359 votes total)
I don't have a clue (80) 22%
After April 2002 (79) 22%
December 2001 (55) 15%
March 2002 (55) 15%
February 2002 (31) 9%
April 2002 (25) 7%
January 2002 (24) 7%
November 2001 (10) 3%
Now this sure turned out to be a pretty interesting guessing game. The majority of people who voted (22% of them) in the poll exclaimed that they don't have a clue when the game will be released. With all the confusing and inaccurate dates floating around the web this really comes as no surprise.
Only one person less than in the previous batch (still 22%) thinks that Neverwinter Nights is going to be released after April 2001. I myself wouldn't be surprised if it were, but still, I expect it to be out sooner than that.
15% of people who voted think it is going to be out by December 2001 (which is a bit unlikely), and exactly the same number of people (another 15%) think it is going to be released in March 2002.
There are 9% of people who think the game will be released in February 2002, which is in my opinion the most likely release date of all.
Even fewer people think that Neverwinter Nights will be released in April 2002, 7% of them to be exact.
However, another 7% of people think that it will be released in January 2002.
Only 3% of people think that it is going to be released in November 2001, which is the only date that has been officially confirmed as "not going to happen".
All in all, there seem to be 6 major groups of people, each firmly convinced that they know the exact release date, but in fact, they are all only guessing. I don't believe that in 150 or so polls that we've run on SP thus far we've had such a grouped outcome where results would come in 3 batches of the same amount of votes (2x 22%, 2x 15%, 2x 7%). Of course with so many polls probability kicks in, but this is one field of mathematics I really never got the hang of. ;)
Anyway, to conclude let me just say that the official release date is still "this winter", while winter stretches almost to the end of March next year...
