Persistent Worlds in Neverwinter Nights - What are they, What are some of the Best?

From the moment of its release on June 18, 2002, the computer roleplaying game Neverwinter Nights offered players a deep single-player experience, and a multiplayer option that let them relive the fun of pen and paper roleplaying while in an online environment. Sharing a gaming event without the need to share the same physical space. Groups could gather together and play through the same adventure as a party, with provision made by the game that even allowed for an old fashioned Dungeon Master (DM) who could exert ultimate control over the players and the environment. The game release was a success, with the game becoming an instant hit. But from the start Neverwinter players wanted something more. They wanted an ever present world, and with the popularity of games like Everquest and Ultima Online, they were determined to get it. In this quest for permanence were the persistent worlds of Neverwinter Nights born.

What really sets Neverwinter Nights apart from other CRPGs is the Aurora engine toolset the developers released prior to the game  itself. This toolset allowed customers to create their own adventurers, modules, and content for Neverwinter Nights. These adventures could include everything present in the actual game itself, from monsters to items, in addition to community created content. But even more important for the online community was the release of a game hosting client, capable of connecting up to 75 players in a single world. Players looked at this as a chance to recreate the feel of pen and paper roleplaying groups in an online environment. And developers looked at it as a chance to create the gaming worlds they’d always dreamed of.

 The response from the gaming community was tremendous. Though the initial release of the toolset was problematic, the interface was best described as awkward, creators worked at breakneck speed, determined to be among the first to release player made content and modules for the enjoyment of a community which had been looking forward to the game’s release for months. The results were several player created modules available at release, and a growing interest in creating continuous world where players and DMs alike could live the adventure whenever they’d like. These continuing modules would come to be known in the community as persistent worlds, and would become one of the most used methods of playing the game from then on.