My Neverwinter Nights series ranking.

[Shannow]

And I'm sure your PC ran it fine. Good for you. Mine, I exceeded the minimum specs and it still took ages to load, looked extremely dated AND it had weird graphical glitches.

Aww, come on. I agree with everything else you said and yes, NWN2 ran very badly for the graphix it actually provided (which I consider the first 3d/iso RPG to actually provide graphics that are on par with what 2d provided nearly a decade before /OT), but whining that it didn't run greatly because you "exceeded" the minimum specs? Start whining when you exceed the recommended specs and it still runs sluggishly, stutters once in a while and has long loading times (like it did for me).

 

[Eyeball]

I actually meant the recommended specs. It still didn't feel OR look like it was something made post-Y2K.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

It still runs like shit for me on an 8800GTX. SoZ had bits that fell to single-digit FPS, it's just an absolute shit engine.

 

[Andyman Messiah]

I feel compelled to mock your shitty computers so here we go.

I mock your shitty computers.

 

[mydnight]

MotB and HoTU are two of the more decent RPGs of the past 10 years. They didn't have a lot of sidequests but they emphasised C&C at key places, and epic level D&D rocks.

NWN2 OC>NWN OC mostly because IMO D&D3.5E>3E. Other than that they both feel like a mediocre mod that lasts way too long. And SoU is only slightly better than the OC by virtue of being shorter.

Someone should take storm of zehir and make a wonderful campaign. MotB writing + Storm of Zehir mechanics have a lot of potential.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

No, NWN OC feels like total shit. HoTU is barely adequete.

Each NWN2 title was vastly superior to the originals.

 

[Eyeball]

No, NWN OC feels like total shit. HoTU is barely adequete.

Each NWN2 title was vastly superior to the originals.

Disagree. NWN1 never really pretended to be much more than a glorified hack and slash and it was fine for what it was - Diablo with more stort, less randomness and companions.

NWN2 got all pretentious and tried to think it was an actual RPG with STORY and meaningful companions and shit and failed awfully at having either while shitting up the gameplay. I just remembered why I uninstalled - after the 5000th fight against hordes of uninteresting orcs, kobolds and sodomites, I just got too damn tired trying to get my retarded companions to do what I wanted them to. The default system control was unintuitive as hell and they had an infuriating tendency to ignore what you told them to do ANYWAY.

Basically, it looked like they ported the NWN1 system and both did a crappy job of that but also failed to make it work for multiple companions.

 

[genci88]

No, NWN OC feels like total shit. HoTU is barely adequete.

Each NWN2 title was vastly superior to the originals.

Disagree. NWN1 never really pretended to be much more than a glorified hack and slash and it was fine for what it was - Diablo with more stort, less randomness and companions.

NWN2 got all pretentious and tried to think it was an actual RPG with STORY and meaningful companions and shit and failed awfully at having either while shitting up the gameplay. I just remembered why I uninstalled - after the 5000th fight against hordes of uninteresting orcs, kobolds and sodomites, I just got too damn tired trying to get my retarded companions to do what I wanted them to. The default system control was unintuitive as hell and they had an infuriating tendency to ignore what you told them to do ANYWAY.

Basically, it looked like they ported the NWN1 system and both did a crappy job of that but also failed to make it work for multiple companions.

Well, I enjoyed the NWN2 story and companions, which means it wasn't shit and didn't fail, and I value my opinion more than yours, so let's just leave it at that.

You said you stopped while saving some dwarves from a cave (which was a companion sidequest BTW), which means you didn't even make it past Act 1. So maybe you shouldn't be talking about the story, since you didn't see much of it to begin with. You missed a lot of good parts in this game: the Ember story culminating with the trial, the Crossroads Keep management, the Ammon Jerro haven, etc...

In fact I'd go as far as to say that companions in NWN2 were as interesting and developed as the ones in Arcanum. But you admitted giving up on the game before the end of Act 1, which implies you didn't see their story develop. And yet, you bash them. Hmm...

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

No, NWN OC feels like total shit. HoTU is barely adequete.

Each NWN2 title was vastly superior to the originals.

Disagree. NWN1 never really pretended to be much more than a glorified hack and slash and it was fine for what it was - Diablo with more stort, less randomness and companions.

NWN2 got all pretentious and tried to think it was an actual RPG with STORY and meaningful companions and shit and failed awfully at having either while shitting up the gameplay. I just remembered why I uninstalled - after the 5000th fight against hordes of uninteresting orcs, kobolds and sodomites, I just got too damn tired trying to get my retarded companions to do what I wanted them to. The default system control was unintuitive as hell and they had an infuriating tendency to ignore what you told them to do ANYWAY.

Basically, it looked like they ported the NWN1 system and both did a crappy job of that but also failed to make it work for multiple companions.

Actually, the combat of NWN2 is an improvement over that of NWN1, even if minor (further improvements in the expansions when resting was limited). The only actual degradations of the system is if you really liked the radial menu of NWN1.

Also, why isn't NWN2 an actual RPG? It is pretty much on the same page as BG2 in this regard (slightly moreso, due to influence, alignment changes and skill checks), and it definately isn't pretentious about itself.

The control system is an old Codex favourite from the Infinity days (plus queues), with being pretty much the same after add in the camera mode from SoZ.

Now, I wouldn't say encounter design is worse in NWN2... SINCE IT'S ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME BORING STUFF A LOT OF THE TIME. Except this time you can deal with it quicker due to having a party. And it has a couple of actually semi-challenging fights. And SoZ vastly improves the OC encounters due to making the enemies smarter (mods would enhance it more, but it's about official products here). NWN1 is 100% chop-it-until-it-dies. It's interesting someone would quit NWN2 OC over filler combat, when there is less of it than in NWN1, WHICH IS PRETTY MUCH ENTIRELY FILLER COMBAT.


And as said, it definately gets way better after the infamous Orc Caves.

 

[Dele]

NWN 1 custom modules > Motb > Hotu > nwn 2

Also i enjoyed nwn 1 combat vastly more than nwn 2 combat, a big part for me was the dance of death animations that were missing from nwn 2(blocking, cleaving animations, combatants moving around in and not just standing in the same spot)

 

[Volourn]

"Actually, the combat of NWN2 is an improvement over that of NWN1"

No. Fuck no. Hell fuck no.

 

[Shannow]

Actually, the combat of NWN2 is an improvement over that of NWN1, even if minor (further improvements in the expansions when resting was limited).

No.

The only actual degradations of the system is if you really liked the radial menu of NWN1.

And liked a working UI without nonsensical delays.

Also, why isn't NWN2 an actual RPG? It is pretty much on the same page as BG2 in this regard (slightly moreso, due to influence, alignment changes and skill checks), and it definately isn't pretentious about itself.

Yep. Only "Influence" doesn't make it more of an RPG it makes it more of a "how to train to be a brown-noser - predicting the reactions of virtual people"-game. And alignment changes were already present in NWN1 and don't make an RPG either. The genre did fine without them even before PS:T came around.

The control system is an old Codex favourite from the Infinity days (plus queues), with being pretty much the same after add in the camera mode from SoZ.

No, just: No!

Now, I wouldn't say encounter design is worse in NWN2... SINCE IT'S ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME BORING STUFF A LOT OF THE TIME.

Yes.

And SoZ vastly improves the OC encounters due to making the enemies smarter (mods would enhance it more, but it's about official products here).

Whatever AI improvements SoZ brought (and I didn't notice any) were due to the half-assed inclusion of Tony_K's AI and companion mod...

NWN1 is 100% chop-it-until-it-dies.

No...unless, did you play a pure fighter?

It's interesting someone would quit NWN2 OC over filler combat, when there is less of it than in NWN1, WHICH IS PRETTY MUCH ENTIRELY FILLER COMBAT.

Yep, doesn't seem very consistent...unless one brings in NWN2's atrocious UI and camera and clunky control and nonexistant AI which could severely decrease a player's patience with boring filler combat. Just speculation, though.

And as said, it definately gets way better after the infamous Orc Caves.

No, it pretty much stays the same. You have a short break with the shitty Trial and are tantalized with never fulfilled promises of stronghold management, but otherwise it stays the same.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

I am *not* going to make a VD quote post.

For the UI of NWN2 to be so bad one quits over it, it'd have to be really bad. For instance, many top-of-the-line strategy games have clunkier UIs (many Paradox games). But then again, UI and camera don't matter that much here, since the game is played with pauses and by indirect command where there is no twitch that would necessitate a good UI and camera.

And just pointing out, but in IE games there was random lag in receiving commands, which is on the same level as having a menu appear slightly after your click. As for the UI similarity, just play BG2 and SoZ back to back. The only difference is that BG2 uses circles instead of 3D models, which makes for easier selections at times. Otherwise, there is little difference.

Influence in NWN2 is at least a barebones element for party relations, which is far more than can be said for RPGs where the party follows your every whim without any effect at all. Not to mention getting exposition for each level they spend with you (shitty exposition at that).

Well, at least the little team Annie had went through the trouble of integrating better AI as a standard for the game. Which is more than can be said for NWN1 expansions.

There were considerably less alignment shifts in NWN1. I remember only a scant few, such as the ghoul extermination quest in Blacklake with that hidden door thingie. Actually, that's the only one I remember, otherwise only killing peasants and robbery caused shifts.

 

[Reject_666_6]

1 MotB
2 MoW
3 HotU
4 SoZ
5 NWN2 OC
6 SoU
7 NWN OC

It takes two pages of drivel for somebody to get it right.


And to whomever started this thread (too lazy to scroll and look), those "shitty" caves that MotB starts with are better than the entire NWN2 OC in every way.

 

[genci88]

those "shitty" caves that MotB starts with are better than the entire NWN2 OC in every way.

Nope. Wrong.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

those "shitty" caves that MotB starts with are better than the entire NWN2 OC in every way.

Nope. Wrong.

No, he is definately right. MotB is in a whole different league from the OC from the moment it starts.

 

[Quilty]

hai guys what's going on in this threa-

Oh I see so you've spent three pages discussing which instance of a shitty franchise is shittier even though it's pretty obvious motb is the only one that is not entirely, painfully mediocre but actually contributes some incline

ok se ya guys, this is depressing

 

[Xor]

I still haven't figured out what makes people think the NWN2 UI sucks or that the camera controls are flawed. Actually, I found the quickcast bar to be much, much better than anything in NWN1 and I ended up using it instead of the action bar.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Yea, and the spell list quickmenu was better than the previous radial menu as well.

 

[Freelance Henchman]

It still runs like shit for me on an 8800GTX. SoZ had bits that fell to single-digit FPS, it's just an absolute shit engine.

Something's not right there, my PC is old and I never had that bad framerates even with an old ATI 1950. In any case, always set the shadows to something minimal, the engine just doesn't know what to do with those. Without shadows or minimal ones it should run smooth.

 

[Volourn]

"Yea, and the spell list quickmenu was better than the previous radial menu as well."

bULLSHIT.


"I still haven't figured out what makes people think the NWN2 UI sucks or that the camera controls are flawed. Actually, I found the quickcast bar to be much, much better than anything in NWN1 and I ended up using it instead of the action bar."

bULLSHIT.

 

[circ]

I would rather install Dragon Age again and listen to the opening tune for no reason than install any Neverwinter Nights and do nothing. They all have excellent opening menus, DAO included. It's all downhill from there.

 

[Reject_666_6]

I would rather install Dragon Age again and listen to the opening tune for no reason than install any Neverwinter Nights and do nothing. They all have excellent opening menus, DAO included. It's all downhill from there.

SoZ, for all its sozziness, has the best few seconds of main menu music of all. Very few themes punctuate themselves with dissonance, especially so effectively.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn72ub3It0E

 

[circ]

That's fucking amazing composing. A little 60's adventure movie, 70's and 80's shiny fantasy, some stupidly fly harmonies and melodies.

 

[Serus]

To be honest - all NWN2 games suck. I wanted to like MotB. I really did, the story and characters show promise but the camera/ui killed it for me.
Yes, i'm with the "anything running on NWN2 engine is shit" crowd. The camera in NWN2 was among the worst abominations in gaming history imho.
NWN 1 OC sucked for different reasons and i never played anything except the OC.