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Review of first NWN 2 modules
- Thread starter aboyd
- Start date
doctor_kaz
Scholar
Baphomet said:
That's a huge understatement. The overwhelming majority of the stuff there is total crap. Even most of the stuff in the Hall of Fame sucks ass.
To be fair, that's the same issue that judges have when seeing the first athlete -- you just don't know how well the first things you see will hold up. I suspect that none of the modules that made Hall of Fame in the first year could hold up to the Hall of Fame for 2006. People vote relative to what they know.doctor_kaz said:
But you're also right that there are some people who award 10s for general competence, which is stupid. There are some votes of 10 for NWN 2 modules already, which is ridiculous. None of the modules are that good. It seems some people think "no bugs" equals "perfect."
On another topic, all the ToEE fans out there might like to know that Temple of Elemental Evil was just released as a module for NWN 2. I won't be reviewing it for a long time. It appears to be unfinished. Also, the developer appears to be recreating the pen & paper version, not the Troika version. So I'd expect it to be even more hack & slash. Elmo is in a working state, so that's a good start.
I'm really enjoying Grim's Tavern 2 (www.grims2.com) at the moment. It's a PW with alot of promise. Most of the community is interesting and tend to roleplay appropriately. Desaria's also a decent one, although a tad too bloated and overly laggy for my tastes. All in all the world building I'm seeing is very well done, but the glitchy problems with the online component seems to be the major hangup for these PW mods.
Damn good review of that Mystery of Willowbow. I saw it the first time but couldn't muster the effort to download and try it out. But after reading your review I decide to give it a try and enjoyed the setting.
You're right on the swamp. I haven't finished it yet with my Ranger but overall very satisfied. Here's hoping to find more fun mods like these.
You're right on the swamp. I haven't finished it yet with my Ranger but overall very satisfied. Here's hoping to find more fun mods like these.
Fresh
Erudite
aboyd said:
How would you rate Tales of Arterra as compared to vanilla nwn? To BGII? To PST? (With the exception of length/scope)
Hmm. Let's write it out, and see what it looks like.!HyPeRbOy! said:
Arterra vs. NWN 1
Arterra contains much better writing, a much better story, and much more interesting companions. Arterra's battles are fewer in number, but more difficult. I liked that. Some won't. You get no XP for killing things, so even though good effort went into making the fights more hardcore, the game rewards you for trying more cerebral approaches.
For me personally, NWN was a wasted purchase until Tales of Arterra came along.
Arterra vs. BG2
Arterra's opening city contains a turnip salesman, probably a nod to Jan Jensen from BG2. The city is lively, just as the BG2 cities are. Just as Minsc was memorable in BG2, so are the companions in Arterra. You will find Persey to be otherworldly, hard to hold, and maybe perplexing. You will find Monty to be a royal pain in the ass, but if you dig enough, you can learn why.
Arterra's dialogue and writing is better. The story/plot itself, hmm. I found Arterra's story to be way the hell more compelling, but I know a lot of people who will criticize everything about BG2 except the story. Clearly the BG2 story gets respect in some circles.
Arterra is not really trying to be BG3, even though it seems to pay homage. If you're looking for something more like Baldur's Gate, then you really need to just go straight to Darkness Over Daggerford. That module set out to be like BG2, and succeeded, mostly.
Arterra vs. PS:T
Ah. Now here's a good comparison. Planescape: Torment has some of the best game writing ever. It's lengthy, rich, and prolific. Arterra has less text, but it is still very good text. It retains some of the flavor of the PS:T companion dialogue. Arterra rewards peaceful solutions to quests, just as PS:T does. Just as PS:T sets you loose on the planes, so does Arterra. You will end up in Limbo. You will probably barter with demons. You may find yourself just wandering around, happy to be looking at something different from the typical Forgotten Realms city tileset.
What I like about both PS:T and Arterra is the otherworldly feel to it. While both games have standard dungeon adventures, both games also offer some strange environments. Also, the companions in both games share the same heart -- at least for me, I ended up feeling quite attached to them, in the same ways. I felt fiercely loyal. This is something that didn't happen in BG2. When Imoen was kidnapped in BG2, I was like, "Oh, OK, I guess I have to solve that." But Annah? I cared what happened to her. And Persey? Hell yes I will go to the ends of the universe, damnit.
Overall, I'd say that it's a great module. But I'd also say that nowadays there are a lot of modules that are superior to the original NWN 1 campain. Arterra, Daggerford, Kingmaker, Pirates of the Sword Coast, Wyvern Crown of Cormyr -- maybe An Ancient Heart also, as I have it installed still and seem to remember playing it a lot. Tortured Hearts, The Hex Coda, Saleron's Gambit, lots to consider.
Fresh
Erudite
Now I'm definitely intrigued. I didn't care for NWN at all, but this sure sounds good. Thx for the feedback.
Admiral Rimjob POOBUM
Arcane
Anything for NWN2 worth playing yet?
mister lamat
Scholar
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2006
- Messages
- 570
the legends of moonsea pw looks like it has a bit of promise as well.
Tragedy at Tragidor was a highly-rated NWN 1 module that the developer recreated and enhanced for NWN 2. So that module is out now, and plays like a module that had been in development for many, many months. I guess that's the advantage of being a long-term module developer. So that may be a worthwhile module. I won't be able to post a review of it here until late March.
Also, Pool of Radiance (Chapter 1 of 4) is out now. And I still like Avendale -- it has been revised & expanded multiple times by the author. I think it's good.
Also, Pool of Radiance (Chapter 1 of 4) is out now. And I still like Avendale -- it has been revised & expanded multiple times by the author. I think it's good.
Volourn
Pretty Princess
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2003
- Messages
- 24,924
Tragedy at Tragidor is a tragic mod. Overrated. I was done with it within 5 minutes.l Any mod whose npcs have the mantra of 'Not talking to you now' or '99% of doors are locked until a quest opens them." automatically gets terminated by me.
That's the NWN2 version. I cna't remember playing the NWN1 version though I might of. *shrugs*
That's the NWN2 version. I cna't remember playing the NWN1 version though I might of. *shrugs*
Yeah, I haven't played it. I've just read about it, and I note that it has a rating of 9 over at NW Vault. But I share the same feeling you do about locked doors -- if I play it and review it, that's going to get mentioned if it's at all bothersome.
From the reviews posted at NW Vault, it seems that most people loved it for the story, and were willing to overlook some faults because of that.
From the reviews posted at NW Vault, it seems that most people loved it for the story, and were willing to overlook some faults because of that.
Is the Penultima guy doing any mods for NWN2? His mods were the only thing worth having NWN installed on my HD.
I just have not been keeping up with any of his mods for a few years. Or were Obsidian smart and just hired this guy. :D
I just have not been keeping up with any of his mods for a few years. Or were Obsidian smart and just hired this guy. :D
Admiral Rimjob POOBUM
Arcane
sheek said:
Don't make me get my list again.
Jim Kata
Arbiter
Volourn said:
So you should have your lawful good palidin able to walk into anyone's house any time?
Admiral jimbob said:
Oh yeah, I remember that, got it saved on HD. So far I've just got some 'Classic PnP conversions' and my dislike for the game engine is receding. I think it was mostly the awful default campaign that soured me.
Trash
Pointing and laughing.
Tragic at tragidor was actually the best of the bunch of modules that I've tried. Most of them look and feel like rather bland dungeon slashers, this one felt more of an rpg. Quite balanced, interesting story and locations and some fun quests. Not too deep or involving, but the first mod that managed to feel polished.
In no way would I call it great, but it kept me busy for the short while that I've played around with mods. Got to admit that I've been having too much fun with company of heroes mp and gothic 3 (goddamn, it really is good!) since I've finally been able to get a new pc.
In no way would I call it great, but it kept me busy for the short while that I've played around with mods. Got to admit that I've been having too much fun with company of heroes mp and gothic 3 (goddamn, it really is good!) since I've finally been able to get a new pc.
Admiral Rimjob POOBUM
Arcane
sheek said:
I haven't actually tried many PnP conversions, since I never played PnP (no nostalgia value) and most of them seemed to be heavy on the hack-n-slash... though I suppose they'd be better played with a DM.
Volourn
Pretty Princess
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2003
- Messages
- 24,924
"So you should have your lawful good palidin able to walk into anyone's house any time?"
You should be allowed to do anything. And, yes, that includes having a LG paladin break into other people's houses. Like Jasede pointed out, by doing stuff like that, your paladin shouldn't be a paladin too long. Dumbass.
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You should be allowed to do anything. And, yes, that includes having a LG paladin break into other people's houses. Like Jasede pointed out, by doing stuff like that, your paladin shouldn't be a paladin too long. Dumbass.
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