NWN Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition - Beamdog's final enhancement - now with new premium modules

[FeelTheRads]

Obsidian said they cut the animations because good animations felt bad for player or smth.

And good games also feel bad for the player, that's why Obsidian keeps rolling out mediocrity.

 

[Decado]

Lilura has gone insane. This meltdown is hilarious to watch.

Far from meltdown, I incline ever more steeply both as a 'Dexer and a commentator.

Someone in a state of meltdown would not have written off Beamdog and stopped commentating on their garbage. That is fucking inarguable incline.

As well, just posted a write-up on Best All-time Bugfixes. Incline.

Purging blog of critics of FPC/TB. Incline. Continual purging of shit taste in general. Incline.

Ramping up criticism of RTwP, regardless of which RPGs fall victim. Incline.

Declaration on prime page that Fallout is the greatest RPG of all-time (no one will dare devalue its legacy on my blog). Incline.

Getting better at assertive writing with each blogpost. Rare cases of "I just think that" will change to "This is how it is". Incline.

I continue to refine and assert my already cultivated taste in RPGs. This is foreign to a faggot like you, I know.

Proof:

In 2014, you started posting on the 'Dex. In 2017, your posts were no better than they were in 2014; you have stagnated: still just an impotent creep.

In 2014, my blog was getting no traffic at all. In 2017, I got a million views by covering three antiquated engines. INCLINE.

You need to stop thinking you are remotely on par with me in this sphere. You are a literal non-entity, a Nothing. Just remember that and you and I will get on just fine.

I don't know who you are but I looked at your blog and now I want to play BGII again, thanks a lot.

 

[Decado]

FPC for Fallout would have taken too much of the character away from NPCs IMO. As bad as getting killed by a spray to the back was it happened once or twice a game.

Part of FO2's charm was taking away Vic's guns because would spray Cassidy in the face for no fucking reason.

 

[Morkar Left]

I always thought NWN 1 looked bad. Graphics AND style. But the animations were actually high quality and good at its time. They are still servicable today.

 

[Morgoth]

March 27th.

 

[aweigh]

ive never understood the whinging about how FPC would somehow destroy muh NPCs or some shit in FO1 or 2. I played through FOs vanilla first then few years later with FPC mod and enjoyed the games MUUUCH more with the ability to control party members during combat.

i cant think of one single reason how lack of control is better than full party control

 

[rusty_shackleford]

March 27th.

Interesting, they added a bit specifically about not making porn mods in the EULA.

3. End-User Variations.  So long as you fully comply, at all times, with this License, Beamdog grants to you a limited, personal, revocable, non-exclusive right to:   (i) use the Software's toolset feature to create your own NEVERWINTER NIGHTS modules ("Modules"), and (ii) create your own modifications to work with the Software (e.g., custom data files not created using the toolset) (the "User Conversions", and together with the Modules, the "Variations").  Your rights to create Variations are subject to the following restrictions:  (1) your Variations must only work with the full commercial version of the software game NEVERWINTER NIGHTS; (2) your Variations must not contain modifications to any executable file; (3) your Variations must not contain any libelous, defamatory, pornographic, obscene, or other illegal material, material that is scandalous or invades the rights of privacy or publicity of any third party, or contain any trademarks, copyright-protected work or other property of third parties, or contain any viruses, worms, or other malicious code; and (4) you may not rent, sell, lease, lend, offer on a pay-per-play or timesharing basis or otherwise commercially exploit or commercially distribute your Variations (including, without limitation, hosting pay-per-play servers, hosting pay-per-download web-sites for Variations including sites that charge for bandwidth use, and independently selling Variations online, at retail, mail order, etc.).  Without limiting the foregoing, you expressly acknowledge and agree that in no event shall you have the right or license to make any modification (whether using the toolkit or otherwise) to any portion of the Software for the purpose of creating any data file, executable, or other derivative work  that is intended to operate in a stand-alone mode, with any pre-release or beta version of NEVERWINTER NIGHTS, or any software program other than NEVERWINTER NIGHTS.

 

[Lacrymas]

So much for "sex positivity", this is even starting to smell of censorship. Can they even realistically enforce that "rule"?

 

[Filthy Sauce]

Could be related to steam workshop support.

 

[FeelTheRads]

Wait.. "or other illegal material". Porn is illegal already?

So much for "sex positivity", this is even starting to smell of censorship.

On a scale of 1 to USA, how free do you feel?

 

[Roguey]

TBH that same EULA existed in the original. Pasted from the readme:

3. End-User Variations. So long as you fully comply, at all times,
with this License, Atari, Inc. grants to you a limited, personal, revocable,
non-exclusive right to: (i) use the Software's toolset feature to create
your own NEVERWINTER NIGHTS modules ("Modules"), and (ii) create your
own modifications to work with the Software (e.g., custom data files not
created using the toolset) (the "User Conversions", and together with the
Modules, the "Variations"). Your rights to create Variations are subject
to the following restrictions: (1) your Variations must only work with
the full commercial version of the software game NEVERWINTER NIGHTS;
(2) your Variations must not contain modifications to any executable file;
(3) your Variations must not contain any libelous, defamatory, pornographic,
obscene, or other illegal material, material that is scandalous or
invades the rights of privacy or publicity of any third party, or
contain any trademarks, copyright-protected work or other property of
third parties, or contain any viruses, worms, or other malicious code;
and (4) you may not rent, sell, lease, lend, offer on a pay-per-play or
timesharing basis or otherwise commercially exploit or commercially distribute
your Variations (including, without limitation, hosting pay-per-play servers,
hosting pay-per-download web-sites for Variations including sites that charge
for bandwidth use, and independently selling Variations online, at retail,
mail order, etc.). Without limiting the foregoing, you expressly acknowledge
and agree that in no event shall you have the right or license to make any
modification (whether using the toolkit or otherwise) to any portion of
the Software for the purpose of creating any data file, executable,
or other derivative work that is intended to operate in a stand-alone mode,
with any pre-release or beta version of NEVERWINTER NIGHTS, or any software
program other than NEVERWINTER NIGHTS.

Of course that didn't stop people from making and uploading porn so.

 

[d1nolore]

March 27th.

Fucking game has barely changed yet. That game video on the Steam page could be from the original game.

 

[octavius]

I guess people are still willing to pay for patches and blur filters. And Trent Shyster is smiling all the way to the bank.

 

[Lilura]

I don't know who you are but I looked at your blog and now I want to play BGII again, thanks a lot.

You're welcome. In the space of one month, I posted a dozen write-ups for BG2. My Best Classes write-up is now the most popular post on my blog.

 

[fantadomat]

So much for "sex positivity", this is even starting to smell of censorship. Can they even realistically enforce that "rule"?

Not really,the game will be pirated and the mods could splash their naked polygons on many sites that don't give a flying fuck about it. I wouldn't be surprise if there is similar clause in the original. Still it is a heresy and beamdong should be burned!!!

 

[Decado]

I don't know who you are but I looked at your blog and now I want to play BGII again, thanks a lot.

You're welcome. In the space of one month, I posted a dozen write-ups for BG2. My Best Classes write-up is now the most popular post on my blog.

You didn't need to write all of that, I could have told you that the best kit is Swash . . .

 

[Decado]

Though I do agree with you that Inquisitor is overrated. It almost -- almost -- keeps me from taking Keldorn in my party, but then he drops that op'd dispel, and well, I don't have the heart to throw the old guy out. His dex is fucking horseshit though.

 

[AwesomeButton]

Let me be the one to do it:

Though I do agree with you that Inquisitor is overrated

 

[Decado]

I know, it is a paradox, wrapped in an enigma.

 

[Average Manatee]

Inquisitor is one of the best kits for newbies since BG2 is in general an easy game so long as you have the right counter to what you are facing. To anything magic related Inquisitor is a hard counter and to everything else the counter is having 6 party members with decent equipment and a few buffs auto attacking.

 

[ga♥]

Keldorn is still the best option of TOB even with the shitty stats. Mostly for the saving throws vs let's say Sarevok, since AC becomes useless there.

 

[Lilura]

Vorpal all Inquisitor fags.

 

[LESS T_T]

New issue from Beamdog fan magazine Wild Surge: https://www.wildsurge.ca

https://drive.google.com/open?id=16KyRXxLEyi_GehIrwa2O4hb1lbBJXLxp

This month marks Wild Surge’s one-year anniversary. What started as a small community project has unpredictably blossomed into something magical. It certainly is living up to its name as it moves into its second year with our biggest issue yet.

Themed around Neverwinter, this issue looks back at all games that share the jewel of the north as a title, from AOL's early 90s classic, to Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2, to the Neverwinter MMO that millions are still playing today.

There is an interview with Rob Bartel, former BioWare employee and creator of Witch's Wake, one of the world's first DLCs. There is also a community highlight on Beamdog's niv and his work with the Neverwinter Vault.

This issue also has a guide to persistent worlds of Neverwinter Nights, a review on Shadows of Undrentide, and opinion pieces of Neverwinter Nights 2. Following his work from the Sounds of Gaming Issue, the fantastic Fandraxx also takes an in-depth look at the Neverwinter Nights soundtrack.

Not stopping at video games, the magazine also has a review of the 4e Neverwinter Campaign setting, looking at what has transpired after the events of the first two games.

In all, this is a massive issue that we hope you enjoy.

Poem ........................................................................................ by Andy Beale
Waking the Witch: An Interview with Rob Bartel ....................... by Tyler Smith
Before Neverwinter Nights, There was Neverwinter Nights ...... by Andy Beale
Unlocking the Secrets of the Vault: An interview with niv...by Matthew Brown
Neverwinter Nights: The Opus ........................................ by Ryley McKiernany
A Guide to Neverwinter Night’s Persistent Worlds .................... by Tyler Smith
Shadows of Undrentide Review ................................................ by Andy Beale
Neverwinter Nights 2 Opinion Pieces ............ by ComeandSee and mr_otyugh
A Look at D&D’s 4e Neverwinter Campaign Setting ................. by Tyler Smith
Corpse’s Corner ........................................................................ by Andy Beale

 

[Roguey]

Based on the design team's natural familiarity with the Baldur’s Gate gameplay model and the heightened risk aversion felt throughout the studio during those days, the decision was made to consolidate the smaller, 3-hour multiplayer-focused modules into the much larger, more familiar single-player chapters that they were used to. That decision triggered some significant re-engineering of the underlying game engine, however, which hadn’t been designed with that approach in mind.

And a mistake, given how awful the OC was.

I had planned out Witch’s Wake as a 5-module series, with the second module intended to be a flashback to the very start of the story.

That's an awfully weird way of handling a RPG, considering how leveling works.

Shadows of Undrentide was BioWare’s first attempt to outsource gameplay and story development to a third party and it wasn’t going well so, based on the success of Witch’s Wake I, I was pulled in at the last minute to provide some emergency support.

"Wasn't going well" is an understatement.

Wizards of the Coast had originally advised us to go ahead and create whatever post-release content we wanted. They had one rule: as long as it didn’t take place within one of their settings, such as the Forgotten Realms, we were free to do as we wish with no need for an approvals process
...
Just as I was about to start implementation on Witch’s Wake II, however, there were some staff changes within Wizards of the Coast’s licensing team and our new contact advised us, without even realizing the irony, that we were free to do whatever we wanted, so long as it all took place within the Forgotten Realms and went through their approval process.

Completely expected level of stupidity.

In the case of Pirates of the Sword Coast, I was much more closely involved and handled most of the writing, design, and implementation myself, similar to Witch’s Wake, with some supporting staff.

It was also terrible.

Witch’s Wake and Pirates of the Sword Coast are the two that I truly consider mine, alongside Neverwinter Nights and the Live Team. In Baldur’s Gate, I was in charge of the endless sea of filler quests. In moments of crunch time delirium, I’d create oddities and easter eggs like Noober or the kobold, xvart, and gibberling comedy trio, Larry, Darryl, and Darryl. I first learned about level design in Durlag’s Tower. When the Shadows of Undrentide expansion ran into troubles, I was brought in to write, design, and implement Chapter 2, from the Asabi Camp onwards. Every aspect of that was pretty much me, myself, and a week of Red Bull. Chapter 3 of Hordes of the Underdark was a similar scenario, although I remember having a technical designer assisting me with implementation of the Demon’s Hand.

Huh, so Bartel also created the supposedly-best part of Hordes. Too bad I will never, ever see it because chapter 1 is so excruciatingly bad.

Despite the game’s rocky launch, that longevity ultimately led Neverwinter to become BioWare’s best-selling game of all time, something that was still true when I left in 2012.

Huge if true.

People still reach out to tell me that Neverwinter Nights and the toolset changed their lives.

Imagine being the kind of person deeply affected by NWN.

 

[Infinitron]

Huh, somehow I'd missed the fact that there was a Beamdog fan magazine. Replacement for the The Familiar?

Roguey WTF finish Hordes. Chapter 1 is a cool dungeon crawl.