NeverWinter Nights - Feedback Loops and Reward Structures

Title: Neverwinter Nights

Developer: Bioware

Release Date: June 18, 2002

Neverwinter Nights is a third-person “Dungeons & Dragons” based role-playing game. Rewards in D&D based games, like NWN, have a unique system most games do not aim to do. Players can really build anticipation when playing NWN because of the variable reward system. You can open a chest and get a low grade item, reload the game, open the same chest, and get a rare, high grade item. Some items have continuous reinforcement and will not change no matter how many times you reload the game. Since the player does not know which items are variable and which items are continuous, it leaves them wanting more in a game. Some items received need to be identified as well, which can be a quest in its own for the player, creating another reward motivator. The player has to open their inventory and look for their loot to see details on it or if it needs to be identified.

Every item and every decision has its own feedback loop. The player can have a bad conversation and end up in a battle. They can have a good conversation and end up with a reward. The possibilities are and endless and as a result, it keeps the dynamics of the game fresh. The player wants to keep playing over and over because even if they make the same decisions in a new play-through, they will still end up with different results. This is what keeps me playing this game to this day and it is one of my top 3 favorite games of all time.

Thanks for reading!

-Nastassia