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Q: On a scale of 1-5, how interested are you in the 2nd Neverwinter Nights expansion "Hordes of The Underdark"?
(300 votes total)
5 (most) (111) 37%
3 (61) 20%
4 (57) 19%
1 (least) (41) 14%
2 (30) 10%
The majority of poll participants (37%) are most interested in the 2nd NWN expansion, Hordes of The Underdark, rating their interest in it 5/5.
20% of those who voted are still somewhat interested in HoTU, rating their interest 3 on a scale of 5.
Closely following are those who rated their interest in the 2nd NWN expansion 4/5 - 19% of those who participated in the poll.
Next are those who are least interested in the 2nd NWN expansion (14% of poll participants), rating their interest only 1/5.
Finally, the remaining 10% rated their interest in Hordes of The Underdark quite low as well, only 2 on a scale of 5.
Q: On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate the recently released Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil screenshots?
(184 votes total)
4 (86) 47%
3 (46) 25%
5 (best) (43) 23%
2 (7) 4%
1 (worst) (2) 1%
Judging by the poll results, the majority of those who voted were moderately pleased with the ToEE screenshots.
Almost half of the poll participants (47%) gave the first screenshots 4 out of 5 possible points.
A quarter of the people who voted (25%) were not so enthusiastic, however, rating the screenshots 3 out of 5 points.
On the other hand, slightly fewer (23%) were obviously very impressed with the shots, giving them 5 out of 5 possible points.
4% of those who voted were not pleased with the screenshots, rating them 2/5, and 1% of poll participants obviously totally hated the screenshots, rating them 1/5.
Q: Does it matter to you if you play any sequential CRPGs out of sequence?
(298 votes total)
Yes, I always play the original game first, then the sequels, in order (179) 60%
No, I play such CRPGs as I get them, not necessarily in the order they were released (119) 40%
Nice distribution of votes in this poll... The majority of poll participants (60%) always plays the original game first, and then everything else.
On the other hand, a large number of people who voted (40%) play sequential CRPGs as they get them, without paying much attention to the order they were released in.
Q: Do you currently subscribe to any PC gaming magazines?
(230 votes total)
No (159) 69%
Yes (71) 31%
Well, the results of one of the simplest polls ever run on SP are pretty interesting, even though not very many people bothered to vote.
69% of those who voted do not subscribe to any PC gaming magazines. I expected this number to be much lower, but the market is obviously still very much there for gaming magazines.
However, 31% of poll participants do subscribe to one or more PC gaming magazines.
Q: What kind of Internet connection does your gaming system have?
(334 votes total)
DSL (109) 33%
Dial-up (106) 32%
Cable (92) 28%
ISDN (13) 4%
T-line (9) 3%
Wireless (3) 1%
Satellite (2) 1%
Judging by the results of our latest poll, the majority of poll participants' gaming systems (33%) are well equipped to deal with the modern high-bandwidth needs, namely with a DSL connection of some kind.
Close on their heels are the less fortunate dial-up users with only a few votes less (32%). It is encouraging, however, that the number of dial-up users has been steadily declining over the years. Most of the remaining dial-up users today could opt for a faster connection but usually don't because they are not willing to pay extra for a faster connection.
Cable users are the third large group with 28% of votes.
The other four connection types are obviously not utilized by many gamers. Only 4% of those who voted use ISDN, and 3% have a T-line connection (lucky devils). Wireless and satellite aren't used by many either, with 1% of votes each.
Q: How do you like the NPCs that can join your party in a CRPG?
(320 votes total)
Few to pick from, but very detailed (158) 49%
Somewhere in the middle (144) 45%
Many different ones to pick from, but less detailed (18) 6%
There can be no doubt that the majority (49%) of those who voted prefer to have fewer joinable NPCs available as long as they are very detailed personality-wise.
Almost as many again (45%) like their NPCs to be somewhere in the middle - relatively many to pick and relatively detailed.
Finally, only 6% of poll participants prefer to have a big number of joinable NPCs available, but have them less detailed.
Please keep in mind that this poll was constructed with the realistic situation in mind - of course if there was an option "many to pick from and all very detailed" the majority would vote for that, but there are hardly any such CRPGs around. This poll was set primarily to determine if people preferred a big number of NPCs over detailed NPCs. (Obviously not the case.)
Q: What kind of campaigns do you prefer in 3e D&D?
(302 votes total)
Mid-level (131) 43%
Epic-level (98) 32%
Low-level (40) 13%
High-level (33) 11%
It appears that the majority of poll participants (43%) prefer mid-level 3e campaigns over all others.
Epic-level campaigns are also quite popular, with 32% of votes.
Low-level campaigns are favoured by only 13% of those who voted.
And, curiously enough, high-level campaigns are the most popular with only 11% of poll participants.
Q: Which type of spells do you like better?
(313 votes total)
Arcane spells (187) 60%
Both equally (84) 27%
Divine spells (42) 13%
The most popular kind of spells are obviously the arcane ones, with 60% of poll participants voting in their favour.
27% of those who voted like both arcane and divine spells equally, however.
Lastly, the divine spells alone are preferred by only 13% of the people who voted.
Q: Do you think Peter Jackson should make a film version of The Hobbit once he is done with The Lord of The Rings?
(387 votes total)
Yes, definitely (231) 60%
Only if he sticks strictly to the book (100) 26%
No, heaven forbid (56) 14%
The majority of poll participants (60%) are obviously strongly in favour of Peter Jackson making a film version of The Hobbit once he is done with The Lord of The Rings.
26% of those who voted are a bit less enthusiastic, only wanting him to film The Hobbit if he sticks strictly to the book with his version.
14%, however, have absolutely no confidence in Jackson and would not want him to film The Hobbit under any circumstances.
Q: Which of the following CRPG party models appeals to you the most?
(515 votes total)
One player character and several joinable NPCs (Baldur's Gate series) (378) 73%
Several player characters (Icewind Dale series) (110) 21%
One player character hiring henchmen if needed (Neverwinter Nights) (27) 5%
The overwhelming majority (73%) of people who voted obviously like best the party model used throughout the Baldur's Gate series of CRPGs, where there is one player character and several joinable NPCs.
The second popular choice is several player characters, as in the Icewind Dale series, but with only 21% of votes.
The least popular option of all is the Neverwinter Nights variant where there is one player character who can hire an additional henchman if needed. This option received only 5% of votes.
Q: What do you think about romances in CRPGs like Baldur's Gate 2?
(477 votes total)
They're a great feature (266) 56%
They're nice, but not really necessary (110) 23%
I couldn't live without them (78) 16%
They're distracting and not really needed (23) 5%
Not surprisingly, more than half of the poll participants (56%) think that romances in CRPGs are a great feature.
23%, however, say that while they are nice, they are not really necessary.
16% of people who voted are obviously very attached to their CRPG romantic interests and couldn't live without CRPG romances.
Only 5% of those who voted feel that CRPG romances are just distracting and not really needed.
Q: Which of the games (and their expansions) covered on SP would you most like to see made into a movie?
(555 votes total)
Baldur's Gate II (205) 37%
Planescape: Torment (193) 35%
Baldur's Gate (88) 16%
Neverwinter Nights (25) 5%
Icewind Dale II (22) 4%
Icewind Dale (16) 3%
Pool of Radiance: RoMD (6) 1%
In accordance with my expectations due the fact that the overwhelming majority of our visitors have (only) played Baldur's Gate II, it has received the most votes (37%) in favour of it being made into a movie. Though considering the fact that the game itself is a sequel, I would say making it into a movie over the original Baldur's Gate would be a bit... strange.
My personal favourite is the runner-up, with 35% of votes. I was pleasantly surprised that so many people voted for Planescape: Torment, despite the fact that it is (unfortunately), one of the less played games covered on SP. I suppose this just goes to show how we all loved its story.
The original Baldur's Gate, the one that started it all, received only 16% of votes. Which is a bit ironic, since if Baldur's Gate II should be made into a movie, the original Baldur's Gate would have to be the first one on the list.
Neverwinter Nights, the next in the line, was supported with 5% of the poll participants' votes. Certainly very easily translatable into a movie I'd say, if nothing else...
Icewind Dale II received 4% of votes, closely followed by the original Icewind Dale with 3% of votes. We could say the majority here agreed that there is not much content suitable for movies here...
The last (unsurprisingly), is Pool of Radiance: RoMD with 1% of votes.
Q: Which do you prefer to have in your parties more, druids or clerics?
(402 votes total)
Clerics (282) 70%
Both equally (70) 17%
Druids (50) 12%
The huge majority of poll participants (70%) much more prefer to have clerics in their parties than druids.
17% voted that they like to have clerics and druids in their parties equally. Lastly, 12% of those who voted prefer to have druids in their parties over clerics.
Q: Do you use the Turn Undead ability of clerics & paladins in the D&D CRPGs you play?
(435 votes total)
Occasionally (218) 50%
Yes, always (126) 29%
No, never (91) 21%
The majority of the people who voted (50%) occasionally do use the Turn Undead ability of clerics and paladins.
29% of poll participants use it always, while 21% of those who voted never use it at all.
Q: Which member of the Fellowship of the Ring is your favourite?
(559 votes total)
Legolas (137) 25%
Gandalf (127) 23%
Aragorn (102) 18%
Gimli (93) 17%
Boromir (35) 6%
What's a Fellowship of the Ring? (23) 4%
Sam (22) 4%
Pippin (12) 2%
Frodo (5) 1%
Merry (3) 1%
Well, the results pretty much speak for themselves... I don't know if people voted totally under the impression of the movies, but I suspect I couldn't really say "vote on the basis of the books", since everyone who has seen the movies would have been influenced even subconsciously.
Surprisingly enough, Legolas leads the poll with a quarter of votes (25%). Gandalf is close on his heels with 23%. Aragorn is the next most popular with 18% of votes, closely followed by Gimli with 17%.
There is a steep drop after this to Boromir, with 6% of people's votes. 4% of the people who voted actually don't know what the Fellowship of the Ring is, believe it or not. I suggest a good spanking with a big one-volume edition of the Lord of the Rings for this uneducated lot.
Anyway, the least popular of all are obviously the hobbits, though curiously, Sam is the most popular of them all with 4% of people voting for him. Pippin is next with 2%, followed by Frodo and Merry with 1% each.
Q: Which Baldur's Gate 2 (or ToB) NPC would you vote for president?
(689 votes total)
Minsc (168) 24%
Keldorn (104) 15%
Sarevok (81) 12%
Edwin (56) 8%
Jaheira (47) 7%
Viconia (45) 7%
Jan (34) 5%
Imoen (30) 4%
Mazzy (27) 4%
Aerie (19) 3%
Valygar (17) 2%
Haer'Dalis (16) 2%
Korgan (16) 2%
Anomen (10) 1%
Nalia (9) 1%
Cernd (7) 1%
Yoshimo (3) 0%
You'd have thought that people knew better by now than to support politics whose motto is "Swords, not words!", but since this is a purely fantasy poll, you can be excused for voting for Minsc, who has managed to beat all other NPCs in the presidential race with a majority of 24% of votes.
Keldorn the paladin would be the people's second choice, with 15% of votes. Looks like even divine grace can't help you get elected. Ahem...
Sarevok is also pretty popular with 12% of votes, and the third place in the presidential race.
Fourth place goes to the mage Edwin, with 8% of support. Say hello to dictatorship when this guy becomes president.
Jaheira and Viconia both received 7% of votes each. Well, at least the females were not totally neglected...
Jan received a 5% support from his fans. Looks like presidency is a bit out of reach for this gnome, however.
Another female duo are Imoen and Mazzy, both with 4% of votes each. Curious. Incidentally, Aerie is just below them with 3% votes.
The rest of the NPCs combined received about 10% of votes, but none more than 2%. Yoshimo is the grand loser of the poll, with 3 whole votes out of nearly 700.
Q: If you have seen the second The Lord of the Rings movie, how would you rate it?
(509 votes total)
5 (excellent) (268) 53%
4 (147) 29%
3 (32) 6%
I haven't seen it (28) 6%
1 (awful) (22) 4%
2 (12) 2%
I won't comment much on this poll since the results speak for themselves, so only a few observations:
The majority of people who voted (53%) really liked the movie, rating it 5 stars (excellent).
The next big group of voters (29%) gave it 4 stars, still a very good score.
6% of people who voted rated it 3 stars, and another 6% haven't seen the movie.
And finally, combined, 6% of all poll participants rated the movie either 2, or 1 (awful).
Q: What is the ratio of male to female characters in your Icewind Dale II party?
(411 votes total)
Half male, half female (189) 46%
Mostly male (145) 35%
Mostly female (77) 19%
The majority of poll participants (46%) are obviously very egalitarian, having the same number of male and female members in their party. (3/3)
When it comes to mostly male parties, however, that is not the case any more. 35% of those who voted have mostly male parties, so 4 or more males and 2 or less females.
Still, a surprisingly big number of parties (19%) consist mostly of female characters.
Q: The main villain from which of the games or their expansions covered on SP is your favourite?
(590 votes total)
Jon Irenicus (BG2) (236) 40%
Sarevok (BG1/ToTSC) (178) 30%
Transcendent One (PS:T) (104) 18%
Isair & Madae (IWD2) (23) 4%
Belhifet (IWD1) (15) 3%
Melissan (ToB) (14) 2%
Morag (NWN) (7) 1%
Pelendralaar (PoR: RoMD) (7) 1%
Icasaracht (HoW) (6) 1%
Quite unsurprisingly, the main bad guys from the Baldur's Gate saga are also the most popular. Jon Irenicus rules with 40% of fan votes, and Sarevok with 30%. Keep in mind, however, that BG1/2 are also the most popular games (and were played by the most people), which also contributed to the high placement of their villains.
Third favourite baddie is the Transcendent One from Planescape: Torment with 18% of votes. Certainly the most original nemesis of all listed.
The fourth favourite villains already have much fewer votes. Isair & Madae only received 4% of poll participants' votes.
Belhifet follows on the fifth place with 3% of votes. Next is Melissan with 2%.
The last place is shared by the triumvirate of easily forgotten villains Morag, Pelendralaar, and Icasaracht, each with 1% of votes.
Q: Which weapon fighting style do you prefer your fighters in CRPGs to use?
(437 votes total)
Dual-wielding (2 weapons) (221) 50%
Weapon & shield (126) 29%
Two-handed (1 weapon) (90) 21%
Quite surprisingly, about half of the people who voted (50%), prefer their fighters in CRPGs to dual-wield weapons. While I expected this figure to be high, I never dreamed it would amount to half of the votes...
The weapon & shield combo is already less popular, with 29% of poll participants voting for it.
Least popular fighting style is two-handed wielding of one powerful weapon, with 21% of votes.
Q: Are you going to buy Shadows of Undrentide, the upcoming Neverwinter Nights expansion?
(288 votes total)
Yes, definitely (133) 46%
Maybe, not sure yet (106) 37%
No, never (49) 17%
Judging by the results of this poll, the interest in the Shadows of Undrentide (someone must have a thing for shadows in the naming dept. at BioWare) expansion for Neverwinter Nights is quite strong, with 46% of poll participants voting that they will buy the first expansion no matter what.
However, the number of the undecided is quite high as well, with 37% of those who voted unsure whether they'll buy it or not. This crowd will most likely decide on the basis of reviews and so on.
17% of those who voted are not going to buy the SoU expansion under any circumstances.
Q: How do you feel about the next D&D computer game (Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil) being placed in the Greyhawk setting?
(366 votes total)
I don't know much about the setting but I'm willing to learn playing this game (273) 75%
Great, I know the setting and want to play a CRPG set in it (65) 18%
I don't know much about the setting and I'm not willing to learn playing this game either (16) 4%
I know the setting but don't like it and don't want to play a CRPG set in it either (12) 3%
Judging by the poll results, three quarters of poll participants (75%) are not very familiar with the setting, but would welcome the chance to learn more about it by playing Greyhawk: The Temple of Elemental Evil.
18% of those who voted, however, know the setting well and want to play a game set in it.
4% of people who voted don't know much about the setting and aren't thrilled about playing a game set in Greyhawk either.
Lastly, 3% know the setting and don't like it, and don't want to play a CRPG set in it either.
Q: Do you have a Christmas tree put up at home this year?
(288 votes total)
Yes, an artificial one (116) 40%
Yes, a real one (112) 39%
No, no tree (60) 21%
This poll was more for fun than any other purpose, but the results are pretty interesting. Of those who voted, 40% have an artificial Christmas tree at home, and only a few people less (39%) have the real deal. It's quite surprising that the ratio between the two is practically 50/50.
21% of poll participants have no Christmas tree put up at all.
Q: In Icewind Dale 2, do you (intend to) play the game in the Heart of Fury mode as well?
(247 votes total)
Yes, definitely (100) 40%
Maybe, haven't decided yet (91) 37%
No, never (56) 23%
According to the results of our poll, the majority of those who voted (40%) are either already playing Icewind Dale 2 in the harder but more rewarding Heart of Fury mode, or intend to play it in the future.
A few people less (37%) voted that they might play IWD2 in the HoF mode as well, but they haven't decided yet.
23% of poll participants have no intention of ever playing it in the HoF mode.
Q: What make of CPU is ticking in your gaming machine?
(371 votes total)
Intel (186) 50%
AMD (175) 47%
Other/Don't know (10) 3%
There's not really much that can be said regarding this poll. According to the results, the two major CPU makers share an almost identical percentage of units in users' gaming machines. I actually expected Intel's share to be smaller than AMD's, but it seems that Intel is still in the lead a bit. Personally, the last Intel I bought was a P2 400, and I've been happily using AMD's CPUs ever since.
Q: Which feature of the Shadows of Undrentide NWN expansion are you looking forward to the most?
(281 votes total)
Prestige Classes (100) 36%
New 40 Hour Campaign Story (84) 30%
Henchman Improvements (36) 13%
New Feats & Skills (18) 6%
New Items & Equipment (14) 5%
New Tilesets (10) 4%
New Monsters (7) 2%
New Spells (7) 2%
Toolset Wizards (5) 2%
Pretty much according to my expectations, the prestige classes to be included in the Shadows of Undrentide Neverwinter Nights expansion are the feature most of the people (36%) who voted are looking forward to the most.
Next most popular feature is the new 40-hour campaign story, which is supposedly going to be much better than the official campaign. (We can only hope...) 30% of poll participants voted in its favour.
Henchman improvements are third on the list of most wanted features, with 13% of votes. These improvements could include better AI & interaction for henchmen and possibly the ability to have more than one henchman at a time.
6% of those who voted are looking forward to new feats and skills the most.
5% of poll participants voted for new items & equipment as the most welcome new addition, and 4% for new tilesets.
The last three options (new monsters, new spells and toolset wizards) each only received 2% of votes.
Q: How does the Icewind Dale 2 music compiled by Inon Zur compare to the soundtrack of the original Icewind Dale by Jeremy Soule in your opinion?
(183 votes total)
IWD2 music is just (or almost) as good (75) 41%
IWD2 music is better (42) 23%
I didn't play both games (39) 21%
IWD2 music is worse (28) 15%
Though less than a half of the usual number of poll participants voted in this poll, the results are interesting nonetheless.
The majority of 41% voted that the Icewind Dale 2 music composed by Inon Zur is just (or almost) as good as that of the original Icewind Dale which was composed by Jeremy Soule.
That the IWD2 music is better has been voted upon by 23% of participants in the poll. Quite flattering, indeed.
21% of people who voted didn't play both games so they couldn't compare the soundtracks, which is most likely also the reason for the meagre number of votes total.
15% of those who voted, however, think that the Icewind Dale 2 music is worse than the music of the original Icewind Dale.
Q: Which of the (A)D&D games covered on Sorcerer's Place was the first that you played?
(538 votes total)
Baldur's Gate (380) 71%
Baldur's Gate 2 (94) 18%
Planescape: Torment (24) 4%
Icewind Dale (18) 3%
Neverwinter Nights (11) 2%
Icewind Dale 2 (8) 1%
Pool of Radiance: RoMD (3) 1%
Well, well... The poll results indicate that the majority of the people who voted in our poll (71%) have been fans of the (A)D&D games for quite a few years, since the release of the original Baldur's Gate near the end of 1998, if not earlier.
The second large group of fans (18%) started with Baldur's Gate 2, so combined, the Baldur's Gate saga spawned almost 90% of the current fan base of D&D CRPGs... Very interesting.
Planescape: Torment was the first AD&D game for 4% of people, with the original Icewind Dale following closely with 3%.
The last (and newest) three games were (combined), the starting point for only 4% of poll participants.
Q: On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate Icewind Dale 2?
(353 votes total)
8 (106) 30%
9 (93) 26%
10 (best) (68) 19%
7 (42) 12%
6 (22) 6%
5 (9) 3%
1 (worst) (7) 2%
3 (3) 1%
4 (2) 1%
2 (1) 0%
Well, the results pretty much speak for themselves, as with Neverwinter Nights. The majority of those who voted (30%) rated Icewind Dale 2 8 out of 10.
26% of people who voted awarded Icewind Dale 2 9 out of 10.
10 out of 10 was given to Icewind Dale 2 by 19% of poll participants. After this, the scores go down rapidly. 12% of people thought IWD2 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 13% of poll participants.
The average combined rating of all who voted is 8,1 or 81%. For comparison, Neverwinter Nights received a rating of 8,4 when we ran a rating poll like this for it.
Q: In CRPGs, do you prefer playing pure magic-users (wizards, clerics...), pure fighter-types (fighters, rogues...), or a bit of both?
(386 votes total)
Characters that can fight as well as use magic (146) 38%
Pure fighter-types (122) 32%
Pure magic-users (118) 30%
Judging by the results of this poll, the majority of people who voted (38%) prefer to play characters that can fight as well as use magic, as opposed to pure fighter or magic-user classes.
More interesting is the fact that the results for the separate entries of pure fighter-types and pure magic-users got almost the same number of votes, with pure fighter-types leading by a small amount at 32% of votes.
Q: Overall, which D&D game do you like better, Icewind Dale II or Neverwinter Nights?
(347 votes total)
Icewind Dale II (194) 56%
Neverwinter Nights (96) 28%
Both equally (57) 16%
Well, a poll like this certainly makes you think, and its results even more so.
The overwhelming majority of those who voted (56%) have picked Icewind Dale II over Neverwinter Nights as the game they like better overall. Whether this is due to our dedication to the departing Infinity Engine and the good memories playing a new game made with it brought back, or simply due to the fact that it is a good game, is up for debate. In my opinion, however, the end result is a very appealing combination of both which makes Icewind Dale II so popular.
Rated overall, Neverwinter Nights got half less votes than Icewind Dale II (28%). Being a radical change from the Infinity Engine games we have been used to in the past, it obviously did not appeal very much to most of the people who voted in our poll. The fact that the official Neverwinter Nights campaign is hardly on par with the stories of previous Infinity Engine CRPGs most of us are used to, the lack of a party, and the general feeling of not really being much of a hero are just some of the more obvious reasons for this, in my opinion.
Finally, 16% of poll participants liked both games equally, which is quite interesting, considering that the games share very little in common.
Q: Do you ever buy official strategy guides for games you play?
(297 votes total)
No, never (174) 59%
Yes, though rarely (86) 29%
Yes, but only for harder games (19) 6%
Yes, for every game that they are available (18) 6%
It is quite clear that the vast majority of poll participants (59%), do not resort to buying official strategy guides but find the info they seek elsewhere. On Sorcerer's Place, for example. ;)
29% of those who voted do buy strategy guides, but rarely.
Finally, 6% of the people who voted buy them only for harder games, and another 6% for every game that they are available.
Q: How do you apply official patches/bugfixes released for the new games you play?
(310 votes total)
I apply any patches as soon as they're available (156) 50%
I apply patches only when I remember to look for them (87) 28%
I usually don't apply patches unless I encounter a severe bug that is fixed by them (57) 18%
I don't buy/play the game until the first patch for it appears (10) 3%
The overwhelming majority of people who have voted in the poll (50%), patch up their games as soon as the game makers release the bugfixes. A wise practice these last few years when most companies are rushing games to the market and fix bugs they know of later with patches...
However, 28% of poll participants are not so diligent, and they only apply patches when and if they remember to look for them. Considering that I can count the games that I've played in the last 5 years that didn't need a patch on the fingers of one hand, it's pretty certain that there is an official patch for almost every game you're playing.
18% of those who voted are really sloppy... They don't install patches unless they encounter a very big bug that can only be squashed by the official patch.
Lastly, only 3% of people who voted in our poll are wise enough to wait for the first patch(es) for a game to start appearing before buying or playing it.
Q: If an official expansion for Icewind Dale II was made, would you buy it?
(372 votes total)
Yes, definitely (236) 63%
I don't even have the game yet! (86) 23%
Maybe, depends on the reviews (34) 9%
No, never (16) 4%
Surprisingly enough (or not?), people can't get over the fact that Icewind Dale II was the last game to use the the granddaddy Infinity Engine, and they want more. Even if just an expansion.
63% of people who have participated in our poll clearly stated that they would buy an expansion to IWD2, should one be made.
23% of people who voted unfortunately still don't have the game. The release date for Europe has recently been pushed back yet again, so the latest one is November 1, nearing two months' delay since the US release. Needless to say, this delay got even some of the most patient people to revert to illegal means of obtaining the game, so I'm sure that the percentage of people who don't have a legal copy of the game (yet) is much higher.
9% of those who voted aren't so sure an expansion to IWD2 would be worth their money, so they would wait for the reviews of it and then decide.
Only 4% of poll participants voted for the option that they would not buy the expansion under any circumstances.
Q: Have you ever played any Massively Multiplayer Online RPGs?
(332 votes total)
No, and I don't intend to (121) 36%
Not yet, but I intend to (97) 29%
Yes, in the past (83) 25%
Yes, playing currently (31) 9%
The results of this particular poll are quite interesting. 36% of people who voted in the poll have never before played any MMORPGs, and don't intend to in the future either.
A surprisingly big percentage of poll participants (29%) haven't played any MMORPGs yet, but intend to do so in the future.
An exact quarter of those who voted (25%) have played at least one MMORPG in the past, but aren't playing currently.
Finally, 9% of participants in our poll are playing at least one MMORPG currently.
Q: Which of the games (and optionally also their expansions) covered on SP have you played through with just 1 character, i.e. solo? (Multiple selections possible.)
(766 votes total)
Baldur's Gate II (161) 21%
Neverwinter Nights (128) 17%
Baldur's Gate (127) 17%
None (126) 16%
Icewind Dale (79) 10%
Planescape: Torment (68) 9%
Icewind Dale II (46) 6%
Pool of Radiance: RoMD (31) 4%
Unsurprisingly, the most popular games & their expansions have also been played solo by the most people. The winner is Baldur's Gate II, which has been played through solo by 21% of people who voted in the poll.
Close behind are Neverwinter Nights and the original Baldur's Gate with an almost identical number of votes (both 17%).
16% of poll participants obviously do not cherish the challenge of going through the game with just one character, so they haven't soloed any of the games on the list.
The original Icewind Dale has been played solo by 10% of those who voted in the poll, closely followed by Planescape: Torment with 9% of votes.
Icewind Dale II is still very new (not to mention the fact that is hasn't been released outside USA yet), so the 6% solos figure is quite encouraging at this point.
The surprise of the poll is Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor, which received 4% of votes. It's quite hard to believe so many people bothered to play it through solo.
Q: Which of the games (and their expansions) covered on SP are you playing currently? (Multiple selections possible.)
(1358 votes total)
Baldur's Gate II (317) 23%
Neverwinter Nights (311) 23%
Icewind Dale II (288) 21%
Baldur's Gate (136) 10%
Icewind Dale (120) 9%
Planescape: Torment (113) 8%
Pool of Radiance: RoMD (46) 3%
None (27) 2%
An almost equal number of votes have been received by both Baldur's Gate II (23%) and Neverwinter Nights (23%), so these two games are obviously the most popular. It is surprising, however, that Baldur's Gate II is still being played by practically the same number of people as Neverwinter Nights currently, even though there is a 2-year difference between the two games.
Icewind Dale II is currently being played by 21% of people who voted in our poll, which is a big number considering that the game still hasn't been released outside of USA.
The original (and to many, still the best) Baldur's Gate is still being played by 10% of poll participants. Legends indeed never die.
The first Icewind Dale is currently being (re)played by 9% of people who voted in the poll. Certainly not bad, considering that the sequel is already here. (In USA, that is.)
Planescape: Torment, one of the best CRPGs ever created, is still being played by 8% of those who voted.
The nice-try-better-luck-next-time of CRPGs, Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor is currently being played by overwhelming 3% of people.
Only 2% of poll participants are currently not playing any of the games covered on SP.
Q: What is your preferred method of buying games?
(300 votes total)
Local store (221) 74%
Online (43) 14%
I don't buy games (31) 10%
Mail order (5) 2%
The most popular way of buying games for the majority (74%) is obviously still the regular shopping at the local store/mall/whatever.
Online buying is the second method of choice, preferred by 14% of people who voted in the poll.
A whopping 10% of poll participants don't buy games at all. I think it is quite obvious that the methods of this group's, ah, "acquiring" games are shady.
A surprisingly small number of people (2% only) buy games via mail orders.
Q: Which chapter in the official Neverwinter Nights campaign was your favourite?
(196 votes total)
Chapter 2 (65) 33%
Chapter 3 (63) 32%
Chapter 1 (44) 23%
Chapter 4 (24) 12%
Well, not really much to comment on regarding this one. Except, it seems, that with every Neverwinter Nights poll I post less people bother to vote in it. I don't know if everyone's so fed up with it already or if everyone's just so lazy...
In any event, Chapter 2 wins as the favourite chapter (33%) by only 2 votes before Chapter 3 (32%). Chapter 1 is lagging behind with 23% of people's votes as their favourite chapter, and Chapter 4 only got 12% of fan votes.
Q: How many Neverwinter Nights modules have you downloaded and played thus far?
(284 votes total)
None (123) 44%
1-5 (77) 27%
6-10 (39) 14%
More than 25 (21) 7%
11-15 (15) 5%
16-20 (5) 2%
21-25 (4) 1%
Although the poll results were pretty poor in terms of how many people voted, they give a very clear picture of Neverwinter Nights' main problem.
44% of people who voted in the poll have not downloaded and played a single custom module thus far, which is probably a good indicator that they will not play (m)any in the future either. For a game that more or less bases its existence on fan-created content, this is not good.
I suppose there are various reasons for this. First and probably foremost is the official campaign which, frankly, leaves a lot to be desired. It seems that despite the popular opinion, after finishing it most people do not seek new (better) modules on the Internet. Either they turn to playing online, or drop Neverwinter Nights completely. Only a minority of people bother to look for new modules to play.
Neverwinter Nights' game model ultimately fails (in the eyes of non-hardcore fans) because gamers today are not used to buying a game, and then having to wait for fan-created content to surface AND having to look for it and download it. I also doubt that this model will ever work without serious modifications. Far too many people only play the single player campaign and/or are not keen on having to look for new material to play so quickly. And although not complicated, the process of finding and installing new modules is still not simple enough for most casual players. And when something like this is not as simple as clicking a button in the game and getting a new module to play, it does not happen. (Not with a majority of gamers, anyway.)
The second largest group of people who voted in our poll (27%) have played 1-5 new modules. Though not particularly bad, this is a very low number compared to the amount of modules available for download online.
14% of poll participants played 6-10 modules, which I expect is a number of played modules thus far that would have to prevail in this poll to show that NWN's system works well. It obviously does not.
7% of those who voted have played over 25 modules, which is certainly quite an achievement, showing that NWN has a comparatively large base of hardcore fans who find and play new modules regularly.
5% of poll participants have played 11-15 new modules thus far, which is also a pretty nice figure.
Finally, 3% of people who voted (combined) have played 16-25 modules.
Q: Now that Neverwinter Nights has been released, some gamers' allegiance to the venerable Infinity Engine has shifted in favour of NWN's Aurora engine. Which is your favourite?
(450 votes total)
Old school Infinity Engine (BG2, IWD2 etc.) (251) 56%
I like both equally (122) 27%
New generation Aurora (NWN) (77) 17%
The poll results show quite clearly that the Neverwinter Nights engine has a lot to live up to. Having seen so many excellent games made with the (now) classic Infinity Engine, players' emotional attachment to it is definitely huge. Aurora's design which does not allow for a whole party (unlike IE's), and the hardly memorable single player campaign of Neverwinter Nights are off to a bad start in this long-term remembrance competition. While there is certainly a lot going on in the NWN area in terms of fan-created content, I also expect BioWare to come up with some more roleplaying modules in the future, since the official campaign was really more of a cross between Diablo and Baldur's Gate than the promised roleplaying experience. Only time will tell why Neverwinter Nights will stay in our memories - because of excellently crafted roleplaying experiences or because of tons of custom content with little substance.
In any event , here is what the poll outcome looks like:
More than half of the people who voted (56%) say that the old school Infinity Engine remains their favourite, with games such as Baldur's Gate 2 and Icewind Dale 2 being the pinnacle of the engine's use.
27% of poll participants take no sides but feel that both the old and new engines are equally good.
Finally, only 17% of those who voted in the poll feel that the new generation Aurora engine beats the good old Infinity as their favourite.
Q: If another game set in the Planescape multiverse (like Planescape: Torment) was made by BIS, would you buy it?
(384 votes total)
Yes, definitely (280) 73%
Maybe, depends on the reviews (73) 19%
No, never (31) 8%
Well, there isn't much to say on this poll except that BIS should undoubtedly start working on another game like Planescape: Torment! The overwhelming majority of poll participants (73%) have enough faith in BIS that they would definitely buy a game like it.
19% of those who voted are undecided, but would probably buy it if they liked the reviews.
Only 8% of the people who voted said that they would never buy it.
Q: Have you encountered any problems with Neverwinter Nights so far?
(385 votes total)
A few, but nothing serious (169) 44%
Yes, some, but it's still playable (103) 27%
No, no problems at all (66) 17%
Yes, the game is unplayable (47) 12%
By now it's pretty obvious to any serious Neverwinter Nights player that the long game development cycle did nothing to diminish the number of bugs NWN shipped with. Thanks to the updater utility users at least don't have to manually seek out patches any more (except for those poor souls who don't have an Internet connection available on their gaming machine), but a bitter taste remains due to continuous need for patching to which there seems to be no end. On the other hand, PC gamers are a very forgiving bunch, and most of us take a number of patches for granted, and we're prepared to suffer this nuisance as long as the game is worth it.
44% of participants in our poll declared that they've had a few problems with Neverwinter Nights, but nothing really serious.
27% of those who voted experienced more problems, but concluded that the game was still playable for them.
17% of poll participants were the luckiest, they experienced no problems with the game at all.
Finally, an alarming 12% of people who voted can't play the game at all.
