NWN Neverwinter Nights (NWN & NWN2) Modules Thread

[Lilura]

A promising new NWN2 module has just been submitted on the Vault: The Scroll by Lance Botelle.

The most notable aspect of this module is the extensive modding to the GUI, its customizability of various mechanics, and its "sort of" turn-based combat. The diary reminds me of the one in Morrowind, the bestiary screen reminds me of The Witcher, and the quest-acquisition noticeboards remind me of Dragon Age: Origins. It uses Storm of Zehir's dialogue mode. Lots of effort has gone into the documentation: a 34 page PDF with pics.

At this point I haven't played enough to judge it on any lvl (f.e, resource management, encounter design, reactivity etc.), but here's a vid of my lil' play around in the first two areas (excuse occasional drops in framerate, I haven't yet tailored my settings to this PC).

 

[InD_ImaginE]

A promising new NWN2 module

Can you endrose some of the better NWN2 modules Lilura? I've only played OC and MoTB for NWN2 and never actually tried any of the custom modules.

 

[Lilura]

Can't endorse anything at this point, except maybe Subtlety of Thay and Harp & Chrysanthemum? My taste has changed a lot since I last explored NWN2 modules, and I doubt any of them meet my expectations, these days. That said, I'm still looking and will let you guys know if I find anything that isn't shit when compared to Swordflight.

 

[Lacrymas]

NWN2 kills my boner. I can't play it anymore, the engine is just so awful and the controls so finicky I lose any enthusiasm quite fast.

 

[V_K]

extensive modding to the GUI

Have they fixed camera controls?

 

[Aeschylus]

A promising new NWN2 module

Can you endrose some of the better NWN2 modules Lilura? I've only played OC and MoTB for NWN2 and never actually tried any of the custom modules.

There's not a lot of good NWN2 modules, and probably no great ones. The only two that really left an impression on me were: The Wizard's Apprentice Chapter 2 (chapter 1 was okay-not-great, and chapter 3 was never really finished) and Misery Stone (somewhat unfinished-feeling and buggy, but I'm a sucker for Ravenloft, and it has a great atmosphere).

 

[Lilura]

extensive modding to the GUI

Have they fixed camera controls?

What's wrong with the cam controls? Hah! Most of the issues were fixed if you use Strategy cam in free cam mode with ceilings off and marquee select on (see the above vid).

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Conan Chronicles for Nwn2. That is all.

 

[Orobis]

I've seen posters on the Codex call NWN1 ugly, I've seen a few others say NWN2 looks better than NWN1. These ppl have the aesthetic taste of an ape.

Vanilla NWN was ugly

NWN1 was always an ugly game

Welcome to the ignore list, apes.

:trigglypuff:

 

[Starwars]

Why, why, why do modders have the compulsion to add voiceacting to their stuff. I mean... that voiceacting in the clip Lilura posted... just... no...

I haven't played any NWN2 mods that are up with the best NWN1 stuff but there are some good ones I think. Harp & Crysanthemum is good fun I think, though pretentious. I think it does show what NWN2 toolset can accomplish visually in the hands of someone skilled. Goblins Bandits of the Delimbiyr Route was a nice little adventure if I recall. Trinity was an excellent adventure, probably one of the best. The Conan Chronicles are good. The Maimed God's Saga is also well worth playing. Asphyxia started off real nice though it turns shitty later on. Crimmor is unusual and kinda fun, with a well done city.
The Zork mod is also kinda cool.

EDIT: And while I haven't tried them, I think Dorateen from these forums have done a couple of mods also which could be worth checking out. I remember Edinmoor was one of them I think? Or am I misremembering?

 

[Jack Of Owls]

I'm playing SoU right now in the first part of an epic EPIC NWN playthrough. Using the Project Q mod and it looks grand on my 1920x1080 display. In the past I always played exclusively in top-down isometric perspective because I liked the God's Eye view and seeing these tiny mortals below whose destinies I manipulated at my whim. As flies to wanton boys are we to The Jack of Owls. But I'm playing in 3rd person now because it looks gorgeous in widescreen HD. I like seeing the details on those lush pillows, or the hapless final expressions of the dead heads on sticks. After SoU I'll maybe play HotU since I abandoned it about a quarter of the way through back when it first came out. I didn't like being stumped by that Golem puzzle cavern and then immediately after that having my ass char-broiled by a vampire mage in a Globe of Invulnerability so I quit in a hissy. Then maybe I'll play some modules I missed. By the way, SoU is pretty hardcore. Even my Red Dragon Disciple feels gimped. It can be tedious though, unlike some of the better modules I've played

 

[Jack Of Owls]

The most intriguing of the NWN2 modules I attempted was Legacy of White Plume Mountain because it was this massive open world RPG. But it had bugs up the ass. Even the author would say things like "If you go into the gnoll mines, you might crash when going up or down a level" and "Oh, and if you go into the underdark, you might crash if you try to enter or exit so save often as you masturbate!" Well, upon my 5th otr 6th crash in the gnoll mines (I think it was gnolls, could have been kobolds) I said, "Fuck it." So play Misery Stone instead. It's a goody, and only has one bug...unfortunately, that one bug is the size of The Monster That Challenged The World. In the final boss battle the lich becomes multiples of himself until you're facing 50 liches, so beware.

 

[felipepepe]

The Maimed God's Saga is a must-play for NWN2. Fantastic Cleric-only module that uses spells like Bless or Dispel Magic in dialog-checks and goes for a "realistic" encounter design, where battles are short and rare, but even a single soldier is a threat.

 

[V_K]

What killed Maimed God's Saga for me was the pixelhunting.

 

[Jack Of Owls]

What killed Maimed God's Saga for me was the cut-scenes. And it didn't even have voice acting! I was really getting into it, imagining the Maimed God to look like something eerie, haunted, and tortured in my mind's eye...then he makes his appearance. He looked like Don Ameche as Alexander Graham Bell in fantasy cosplay at Dragon Con. I then lost all interest in continuing. All interest.

 

[Semper]

"the black scourge of candle cove" is also a must play. it's well done and one of the best looking modules out there.

 

[Lilura]

I mentioned that one on Page 15, but I don't remember why. Can you refresh my memory as to why it's must-play material?

 

[Semper]

it's lore heavy, stuffed with little details, feels like a pnp session with a dm reading flavor text, has nice roleplaying situations and diverse gameplay, marvellous areas and the story is interesting too. all in all it's a very entertaining module.
the best: afair there are no (or hardly) cutscenes!

 

[Lilura]

There are a few things I can no longer stand in these modules, and RPGs in general:

Non-existent resource management and non-existent rest restrictions. This is huge for me, to the point where I'm just not interested in playing if they are non-existent, or half-assed in their enforcement.

Lots of fluffy dialogue in which not a single concept is conveyed. Are there no concise, terse ppl in fantasy worlds?

Modules that lack a starter zone. The object of these is to ensure the PC is balanced for the campaign the DM is presenting (i.e, not OP and not UP). The best starter zones strip imports of their OP shit and set starting experience points, gold and items to what the DM balanced their campaign for. I hate it when this is left up to the player. It seems only 1 in 20 modules have this feature.

Being plonked in some massive boring-ass town that I have to explore the entirety of just to get underway. It's Dungeons & Dragons, not Cities & Supermarkets. Isn't a single Inn enough? Think the Prancing Pony in Bree: that's my ideal. A lil' hamlet; then - wilderness adventure!

 

[Jack Of Owls]

I remember an NWN module by the author of the Blackwall Keep series by ZeornWarlock (excellent by the way...the author was also a professional fantasy & horror artist and introduced a highly unique - in both appearance and behavior - and professional looking, high quality custom boss design in that series) where I was attacked by rust monsters, I think, that completely destroyed all my armor. I was quite startled to notice that I had a huge schlong a'dangling down under (another custom touch by the author), and when I went back to town to lick my wounds, the town guards started chasing me for public indecency and were gonna put me in irons, so I had to find a way to sneak back into town unseen, find an unlocked window, climb through and put some clothes on, for God's sake!). Now that was role-playing! You won't see that in any boring Bioware or bland Bethesda product.

 

[Lacrymas]

Being plonked in some massive boring-ass town that I have to explore the entirety of just to get underway. It's Dungeons & Dragons, not Cities & Supermarkets. Isn't a single Inn enough? Think the Prancing Pony in Bree: that's my ideal. A lil' hamlet; then - wilderness adventure!

I'm over being plonked in a massive boring-ass anything, mostly because sandboxing (yeah, I'm using it as a verb) around doesn't have any structure or purpose most of the time. It feels tacked on. It's not like in PS:T where every quest contributes to your, and your character's, understanding of Sigil. I hate all extraneous, purposeless, dangling appendages in games. And they seem to litter 99% of games.

 

[Lilura]

Yeah, PS:T was brilliant from the Mortuary to the depths of the Weeping Stone Catacombs. I also loved Mulsantir (and its shadow, including a good chunk of Death God's Vault) after Bear God's Barrow. That was perfection, to my mind.

Another thing I loathe is massive empty areas with nothing in them but trees and undulating terrain, thoughtlessly dotted with maybe a few trashmobs. Might as well play Oblivion. It's instant uninstall for me. Give me a series of small, tight, content-rich areas over that aimlessness, anyday.

 

[Lacrymas]

We'll see how TToN handles this, I'm not optimistic though.

 

[Lilura]

What were the devs thinking when they failed to include formations in NWN2? Your party just moves around in a retarded clump. Even PoR:RoMD included formations.

Marquee selecting a clump of epic turds:

That, and the obvious cam issues aside, there are other control issues, too: 1.) sometimes a unit will simply refuse to move to a point on the playing field 2.) selecting a unit is sometimes like pulling teeth because their selector indicator hit box is deceptive 3.) Even with AI off and puppet mode on, units have a mind of their own. 4.) units sometimes gets stuck on placeables and just run on the spot. 5.) sometimes they run on the spot and then suddenly appear at their destination.

I've known about this for years, but I just like to bitch about it once in a while.

 

[Lacrymas]

What were the devs thinking when they made/used this engine?