neverwinter nights 2

[eli]

how do you play this shit? EVERYTHING from the camera to consistent controls is retarded, HOW people played that shit on release?

 

[Xamenos]

You youngsters and your whining. You don't know how good you have it. Back in my day we had to wrestle with the interface to make a game work. And I mean real wrestling, not the fancy shit you call "wrestling" these days. Have you ever tried wtestling through a 640x480 screen, boy? The memories bring me shivers. You wouldn't last a winter back then, you hear me? God, whay a disappointment the new generation turned out to be. I can't believe I was hopeful, once. Nothing compares to the good ol' days.

 

[eli]

You youngsters and your whining. You don't know how good you have it. Back in my day we had to wrestle with the interface to make a game work. And I mean real wrestling, not the fancy shit you call "wrestling" these days. Have you ever tried wtestling through a 640x480 screen, boy? The memories bring me shivers. You wouldn't last a winter back then, you hear me? God, whay a disappointment the new generation turned out to be. I can't believe I was hopeful, once. Nothing compares to the good ol' days.

there is fallout 1 inventory management and there is this game lagging like an MMO for some reason.

 

[Fedora Master]

You don't. I played the OC and Motb but don't ask me how I managed back then, I certainly don't now despite my best efforts.

 

[Luckmann]

By pulling your teeth, really. The NWN2 engine is trash, the camera is trash, and the NWN2 OC is fucking awful - but MotB is a (narratively disconnected) sequel to it, and MotB was p. gud.

 

[overly excitable young man]

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

At least you’re not trying to play the launch version without the patched in camera modes.

 

[Roguey]

It's garbage but Mask of the Betrayer is worth it.

 

[Gargaune]

how do you play this shit?

A little more easily than you play Baldur's Gate 3.

Specifics? Sure:
- Exploration Mode is your bread and butter camera, and Strategy Mode is what you go for in those few instances where combat gets gnarly. Strategy Mode would be a better IE simulacrum, but its range from the party is rather short for comfort. Character Mode? Never heard of it, must be a communist ploy.
- Enable options to Turn/Scroll Camera on edges everywhere applicable.
- Enable Take Control of Companion with Left Click, but remember it's bugged. It works properly if you click on an unselected character while you only have one other character selected, but if you have multiples selected, it will issue a Go-To order. So, really, get used to selecting individual characters via the function keys or portraits.
- Pick Marquee Selection in both Exploration and Strategy Mode for click-and-hold, obviously.
- Now, in game, whenever you get a new companion, immediately issue a Stand Ground command and then go into their character panel and enable Puppet Mode. You'll have to do this whenever you get a new party member, but the ones you've already configured will stay that way even if you swap them out. Once you've done that, it's mostly familiar IE territory, minus the formations.
- Arm yourself with patience. NWN2's OC is a great way to do penance for your sins, if you absolutely must, and MotB if your just reward for it. Or, you know, just read a plot synopsis, skip to the reward part and simply go "la-la-la can't hear you" the few times the OC is referenced.

Now that we've covered the basics, a couple of mod suggestions - Tcho's UI for a proper interface on modern screens and Xaltar's heads for proper... heads. The rest of the visuals are okay, given their age. There's also the matter of the NWN2 Client Extender, which is usually recommended to resolve a clock bug that results in jittery animations the longer your PC goes between power cycles; I actually don't recommend it, because I've noticed another odd behaviour that leads to massive performance degradation in areas with many NPCs pathfinding, I'd rather just reboot the PC every few days when I'm playing.

That's it. Now man the fuck up and go enjoy one of the finest CRPG campaigns, right after you suffer through one of the worst.

 

[Luckmann]

Almost made the OC bearable, and then you don't even get to fuck her and then she (probably) dies like a bitch before Mask of the Betrayer. A yuge disappointment.

 

[Cyberarmy]

I played and finished it on the release without any patches. It was a horrible experience. Still better than Gothic 3 and Temple of Elemental Evil at release though.

Youngsters nowadays gets offended from mere bugs and glitches (like CP 2077) or rough gameplay, controls (like in ELEX). I just watch'em and laugh.

 

[Roguey]

then she (probably) dies like a bitch before Mask of the Betrayer.

She didn't die. Jerro talks about how her lucky coin allowed her to escape completely unscathed.

 

[Luckmann]

then she (probably) dies like a bitch before Mask of the Betrayer.

She didn't die. Jerro talks about how her lucky coin allowed her to escape completely unscathed.

Well thanks for reminding me that not including her was just a bad choice by the developers, then.

 

[Roguey]

Well thanks for reminding me that not including her was just a bad choice by the developers, then.

Why would she be in Rashemen? Jerro's there because he's a red wizard. Bishop makes an appearance because he's dead and getting swallowed up by the wall.

 

[Konjad]

It's garbage but Mask of the Betrayer is worth it.

And Mysteries of Westgate.

OC can be skipped (it's as mediocre as it can be) and SoZ as well (it's just okay).

 

[laclongquan]

Learn to use shortcut command to change the camera modes, angles and POV.

Underneath that horrible camera view, NWN2 Original campaign is a very nice game. Well worth the effort to learn to use camera modes.

ALSO, dont fucking tell me about Mysteries of Westgate. The one time I bother to try that shit the horrible DRM kick me out of mood prrrrrrretty damn quick.

 

[Grampy_Bone]

I think this place will be more to your liking https://www.rpgwatch.com/

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

The camera problems are vastly exaggerated. The over-the-shoulder camera is just fine, and exploration mode is what I used 99% of the time without complaint. Strategy mode, while giving you the most tactical view, is slightly unwieldy in the 3D environment. All the bitching and moaning about the camera are exaggerations. The OC doesn't commit too many offenses aside from being too long, as it is thoroughly mediocre--thought not without some high points. Mask of the Betrayer has a wonderful narrative, Storm of Zehir if a party-based exploration romp, and Mysteries of Westgate is a decent enough adventure itself. NWN2 is worth a try if you're a D&D fan, for sure.

 

[Butter]

I think this place will be more to your liking https://www.rpgwatch.com/

I just got brain cancer. My lawyer will be faxing you some papers to sign.

 

[Fedora Master]

It's not just the camera. The game looks like shit from a butt all around and even facelift mods can only do so much.

 

[Guvide]

Don't bother with the OC. It's just bland and mediocre with very few redeeming qualities, apart maybe from The Trial (but then you realize that no matter the outcome you still need to fight some dude TROLOLOLOL!!). Just go straight into MOTB. 50 hours of torture isn't worth it just to be able to play with the same character through both campaigns.

 

[Luckmann]

Well thanks for reminding me that not including her was just a bad choice by the developers, then.

Why would she be in Rashemen? Jerro's there because he's a red wizard. Bishop makes an appearance because he's dead and getting swallowed up by the wall.

No way, Jerro was a Warlock, he was never a Red Wizard. He was taken prisoner by the Red Wizards and brought to Thaymount. It's no more or less contrived than any potential explanation that would've brought Neeshka there, which would've been the patrician choice.

Literally the only worthwhile character in the NWN2 OC.

 

[Gargaune]

And Mysteries of Westgate.

I can't get into MoW. I've rolled several characters to try and get through it, but I always give up a couple of hours in. I don't know why, maybe it's just that the older I get, the less patience I have for social hubs. I crave crumbling ruins and mysterious temples in my D&D adventuring, not chatting up storekeeps about their local mafia problems. I think MotB hit the sweet spot for me, Mulsantir could've been visually larger, but the amount of gameplay you got there before moving out felt just right.

The camera problems are vastly exaggerated. The over-the-shoulder camera is just fine, and exploration mode is what I used 99% of the time without complaint. Strategy mode, while giving you the most tactical view, is slightly unwieldy in the 3D environment. All the bitching and moaning about the camera are exaggerations.

Most people misattribute their problems with the control scheme to the camera. The reality is that NWN2's camera is about as good as it gets for a title that mixes "isometric" CRPG gameplay requirements with a full 3D perspective. There are some thing that could be improved, like the zoom level or the pan range from the party, but there's not much more mileage that can be gotten from it, and its dedicated, manual Exploration and Strategy modes are more comfortable than BG3's integrated rubbish. NWN2's gameplay itself, which mechanically is 2.5D, would naturally benefit from a true 2.5D perspective like in PFKM, but back then players would've probably complained that it didn't fit their "cinematic" expectations.

The OC doesn't commit too many offenses aside from being too long, as it is thoroughly mediocre--thought not without some high points.

The OC's biggest failures, in my opinion, are the uninspired level design and the tedious, copy-paste encounter composition. You're just grinding your way through endless, boring corridors, fighting the same auto-generated packs of mobs over and over again, with no twist or reprieve. The level design and its fauna were clearly rushed. In fact here's a telling detail you might've missed - when you fight throngs of Thieves Guild mooks in Neverwinter, you'll note that they all have the same unusual, processed voice set with an attack bark of "Your taint shall be cleansed!" Now, if you've got any familiarity with the NWN toolset, you'll realise that this is the Aasimar voice that's automatically picked (being the first, alphabetically) when you generate a new NPC. So whoever built those enemies at Obsidian was in such a hurry that they even forgot to pick an appropriate voice set for 'em.

Another misstep is the staggered introduction of the companions. It's cool at first, and a benefit for narrative purposes, but after a while it gets tedious to be forced to break up your party composition to spec and gear up greenhorns again and again.

As for MotB by comparison, there are still plenty of trash mobs, but that pacing is more regularly broken up by interesting encounters and the environments are much more captivating. Everything about the expansion's content is more carefully considered and executed. Well, maybe with the expection of the essence loot, which should've been rarer and more potent to save you some clicking. I'm also not a fan of the Spirit Eater implementation, but that's because I think it should've been linked to rest and XP rather than dynamic time, but that's a design choice, not negligence.

The game looks like shit from a butt all around and even facelift mods can only do so much.

I genuinely don't get this complaint and how common it is. Low quality heads aside, I think that NWN2 holds up well visually for a 2006 game.

 

[Seigneur Locklear]

It's kind of tragic that Storm of Zephyr didn't come out more polished with more opportunities to actually roleplay with your characters based on their backgrounds, races, classes and attributes. I liked the concept of building up your party entirely and starting out a low level adventure.

 

[Roguey]

No way, Jerro was a Warlock, he was never a Red Wizard. He was taken prisoner by the Red Wizards and brought to Thaymount. It's no more or less contrived than any potential explanation that would've brought Neeshka there, which would've been the patrician choice.

Oh, right. They considered Jerro a threat, Neeshka wasn't. She also wouldn't fit the tone or the themes of the game, but Jerro did.

 

[Smoker]

How did DAO get it's camera so right compared to NWNs