NWN The Blades of Netheril - unofficial sequel to NWN1 OC from Ossian's Luke Scull

[Jack Of Owls]

Though I kind of hate how herky-jerky NWN EE runs, even on power rigs, compared to Diamond, I'll probably get this.

 

[Gargaune]

I'm ok with NWN's visuals. It's not a pretty game, never was, and I can certainly understand why people were shocked coming to it from the likes of IWD, but it doesn't hurt my eyes either. Particularly with the newer tilesets, ample use of placeables and a manual lighting pass, the game can look serviceable. TotM is a good example. In fact, aside from some blurry shaders to smooth over the rough edges, I'd argue it's not too far from PFKM in terms of general graphical fidelity.

There are plenty of low-res early 3D games that remain aesthetically charming today. NWN is not one of them. It was ugly when it came out, and it remains ugly today.

Just curious, what about the newer tilesets? Do those alleviate your suffering at all?

 

[rusty_shackleford]

NWN looked terrible when it released and it looks terrible now, I have no idea how anyone could possibly think it looks good.

 

[Bad Sector]

Man, I like NWN graphics, things didnt look too shinny, the textures had a "realist", clear, old age and rustic appearence to them, the lighting was moody and the low poligon models were easy to abstract and fitted with the rest of the art style. Compare it with NWN 2 that supposedly has better graphics but looks generic fantasy as fuck. NWN graphics were more dark, down to earth fantasy look to them than the high fantasy look of NWN 2 that is just worse with way too many graphical effects.

I like both games visuals though i think i like NWN1 a little more - but it might be that i've played it much more than NWN2. On the other hand i prefer NWN2's UI more as it can be customized. But i do not think that NWN2 tries to have any "higher" fantasy look than NWN1, it is consistent with the visual trends of the time - many games released around that period looked similar.

 

[Infinitron]

This is the opening cinematic for the NWNEE module Doom of Icewind Dale - the opening chapter of the 7-part campaign The Blades of Netheril, which continues the story of the Hero of Neverwinter!

Doom of Icewind Dale is currently scheduled for a summer 2022 release. Check out https://www.patreon.com/lukescull to keep up to date with the project and support the development of The Blades of Netheril campaign. Every cent received will be funnelled into new art, music and feature content!

 

[d1nolore]

To address a few points made in this thread:

The PC can have two companions at any one time. This is down on three from Tyrants of the Moonsea, but in my opinion lends itself to more challenging and manageable combat given the poor state of the AI.

The area and character designs used in the trailer are not final, but rather give an impression of the final game. In any event, though it'll look solid by the standards of NWN, the graphics are what they are. Hopefully Beamdog will have fixed the issues with the HD graphics pack by the time of release.

It isn't showcased in the trailer, but I'm attempting to mitigate the generally inferior combat of NWN with careful companion design, loot progression and encounter placement. It'll never be Pathfinder: Kingmaker, but hopefully it'll complement the story and writing well enough to keep the campaign engaging.

One cool thing I haven't spoken about is the respawn mechanic, which is justified in the narrative. The PC can respawn x number of times during the course of the entire campaign, and if they run out of respawns, that's it - they'll need to reload their save game. Carelessly respawning thirty times in Doom of Icewind Dale might mean they've used up all their respawns by the third chapter, with four more yet to go.

Are you going to use custom tilesets and other haks or mostly the default ones?

 

[Antigoon]

Now aiming for a September release...

But Luke, you may ask, when is Doom of Icewind Dale going to be released? You said it would be June!

Well, yes, I did. It was my goal, and honestly, we're not far off. Assuming the writing and areas are finished in July, and scripting takes 4-6 weeks of (pretty intensive) labour, I'd like to get the beta sent out in late August, with the public release landing in September. This is a little later than I'd planned, but honestly, it will be worth it. I'm committed to what is, in effect, seven Premium Modules forming an epic campaign over the next few years. A little extra time to make sure the first chapter really blows everyone's socks makes sense to me. I've been on the NWN scene for 20 years and I've since become a professional game designer and internationally published author and I still love doing this, so have no fear I'll see it through the completion. It's my happy place.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/june-2022-update-67185589

 

[Immortal]

Man, I like NWN graphics, things didnt look too shinny, the textures had a "realist", clear, old age and rustic appearence to them, the lighting was moody and the low poligon models were easy to abstract and fitted with the rest of the art style. Compare it with NWN 2 that supposedly has better graphics but looks generic fantasy as fuck. NWN graphics were more dark, down to earth fantasy look to them than the high fantasy look of NWN 2 that is just worse with way too many graphical effects.

I like both games visuals though i think i like NWN1 a little more - but it might be that i've played it much more than NWN2. On the other hand i prefer NWN2's UI more as it can be customized. But i do not think that NWN2 tries to have any "higher" fantasy look than NWN1, it is consistent with the visual trends of the time - many games released around that period looked similar.

NWN2 Character models are a travesty without mods but I think the terrain / level design feels generally more vibrant and more "Forgotten Realmsy" especially in SoZ / MOTB when Obsidian started hitting their stride in artistic style. (OC was pretty meh)

The superior VFX tools in NWN2 helped a lot of spell effects which definitely feel more high fantasy.. but again match BG/IWD a lot more closely IMO in aesthetics.

I love the Thayan Robes and Plate / Chainmails of NWN2 as well, It gives me a ton of BG1 / IWD vibes.

 

[Chippy]

Hmm. I can feel a tingling. Like a disturbance in my black-pilled mind. Something I haven't felt in years. The last time I felt it was in the presence the the Kickstarter days, where my hopes and dreams were dashed after being retarded enough to gold back 3 games. You could say I lost an arm and two legs. I'm not so carefree with my money these days, but this is shaping up to be the type of RPG I haven't experienced since the late 90s and early 2000s.

I can say there is no such thing as game fatigue for me for my favourites. I can still play BG1 with as much interest as I did 20 years ago. There just hasn't been anything like it since. But I'm getting a positive feeling here.

 

[notpl]

Starting a 3rd edition d&d campaign at level 16 sounds absolutely nightmarish. Like skipping your dinner and your dessert to go straight to the food poisoning.

 

[Average Manatee]

NWN2 Character models are a travesty without mods but I think the terrain / level design feels generally more vibrant and more "Forgotten Realmsy" especially in SoZ / MOTB when Obsidian started hitting their stride in artistic style. (OC was pretty meh)

NWN2 indoors areas feel very authentic when played in over the shoulder camera mode with all the rooms being fully modelled as opposed to NWN1 where there's no ceilings anywhere.

Starting a 3rd edition d&d campaign at level 16 sounds absolutely nightmarish. Like skipping your dinner and your dessert to go straight to the food poisoning.

I'd agree if we're talking a game with a 4-6 man party but for NWN1 where you only create a single character it seems fine. Low level NWN1 is absolutely horrendous to play with next to no tactics or interaction.

 

[Bad Sector]

NWN1 where there's no ceilings anywhere.

I wonder if being able to zoom that far in was a mistake for NWN1 as i always thought (and played the game like that) that you were supposed to play it with the camera zoomed out as if you were playing with miniatures on a table (of course i do zoom in and i do like being able to freely manipulate the camera for reasons i mentioned previously, but i never felt the need to have it right next to my character).

 

[Luke Scull]

Starting a 3rd edition d&d campaign at level 16 sounds absolutely nightmarish. Like skipping your dinner and your dessert to go straight to the food poisoning.

The campaign starts at level 10. The PC loses any levels beyond that (there are good narrative reasons for this) but can regain most if not all those levels during Doom of Icewind Dale.

 

[Average Manatee]

Level 10 sounds pretty good. That's about the point where you can start creating a real build rather than "fighter, 20 str 16 con something something weapon focus longsword"

 

[notpl]

Level 10 sounds pretty good. That's about the point where you can start creating a real build rather than "fighter, 20 str 16 con something something weapon focus longsword"

It does. I could've sworn I heard 16 in promo materials somewhere, so this is a huge relief to me.

The most important question is will it be compatible with the PRC mod that incorporates all the insane 3e splatbook goodness? Arcane tricksters and black flame zealots ahoy.

 

[Chippy]

Level 10 sounds pretty good. That's about the point where you can start creating a real build rather than "fighter, 20 str 16 con something something weapon focus longsword"

It does. I could've sworn I heard 16 in promo materials somewhere, so this is a huge relief to me.

The most important question is will it be compatible with the PRC mod that incorporates all the insane 3e splatbook goodness? Arcane tricksters and black flame zealots ahoy.

This is a great point. Everything that was wrong with NWN is balanced to an incline with this mod. And Luke Scull is a great author and module creator, so win and big win.

 

[Volourn]

NWN looked great when released, looks great now, and will look great a century from now when all of us are grounded up bones.

The combat is awesome. If you disagree, you are moran.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.patreon.com/posts/blades-of-guide-68776086

The Blades of Netheril - A Guide to What to Play Beforehand

A question I'm often asked is, which campaigns and/or modules should I play before The Blades of Netheril in order to get the best experience? Rather than providing variations on the same answer, I decided I'd put together a quick guide and direct players here!

In short, the only campaign it is highly desirable the player have some familiarity with is the original Wailing Death campaign. This is the story millions of players will have experienced, in which the Hero of Neverwinter starts out at the Academy and goes on to save the city of Neverwinter and defeat the evil plans of the Old One, Morag. (They are never referred to as such during the campaign, but the Old Ones are in fact sarrukhs - an ancient reptilian race whose empires spanned the Realms many, many thousands of years ago.)

The Blades of Netheril, which will consist of seven chapters, continues the story of the Hero of Neverwinter. The player should import the character that finished the Wailing Death campaign into the first chapter, Doom of Icewind Dale. This character should be between levels 15-19 and will probably have an inventory of powerful items. The character will be deleveled to level 10 and item-stripped at the start of Doom of Icewind Dale. However, there will be ample opportunity to regain those levels during the adventure, and the player will eventually be able to reclaim all of the items they lost.

It is recommended that the player is familiar with the Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark expansions, as well as the Ossian Studios Premium Module, Tyrants of the Moonsea, which you can purchase here. The two expansions follow a different player character from their beginnings as an apprentice to the dwarven adventurer Drogan Droganson in the village of Hilltop, to the conqueror of Mephistopheles after braving the depths of Undermountain and the Nine Hells.

The hero of Tyrants of the Moonsea is a different player character entirely. I'll get to that in a bit.

The epic, seven-part narrative of The Blades of Netheril campaign ties together all of the stories, characters, and narrative threads from the Wailing Death campaign, the two expansions, and the Tyrants of the Moonsea Premium Module. It is assumed they all occur in the same version of the Forgotten Realms.

You'll see, then, why it's recommended to have at least some familiarity with the events of the expansions and Tyrants of the Moonsea Premium Module even though we're dealing with three different player characters.

That's not the quite the whole picture. Tyrants of the Moonsea was itself a pseudo-sequel to two Hall of Fame modules, Siege of Shadowdale and Crimson Tides of Tethyr. I've provided links to these two modules, which you can freely download from the Neverwinter Vault. I say "pseudo-sequels" because even though the level ranges match up for a PC starting at Siege (level 1 to 7), and moving on to Tides (level 8-14), and then Tyrants (level 15+), the stories are all self-contained. The one connecting feature is that they all feature malaugrym, and reference the legendary artifacts known as the Blades of Netheril.

Familiarity with Siege of Shadowdale and Crimson Tides of Tethyr is a nice bonus, but the events and characters of those modules will not feature heavily in The Blades of Netheril. Still, they are treated part of the same continuity. If you are interested in playing them, I'm planning Enhanced Edition updates later this year, so you may want to hold off until then. Doom of Icewind Dale itself makes no reference to either of the two modules, so you miss out on absolutely no lore by waiting for the Enhanced Editions.

To add one final wrinkle to this complex tapestry, the Ossian Studios Premium Module Darkness over Daggerford (available here) is also considered canon. A few of the events and characters will be referenced in The Blades of Netheril campaign - though, as with the two Hall of Fame modules, these are minimal. Since both Crimson Tides of Tethyr and Darkness over Daggerford cover the same level range, it is assumed the player character is different in both campaigns. Indeed, The Blades of Netheril will treat them as different heroes. It is possible during Tyrants of the Moonsea for the character to state that they were the Hero of Daggerford, but this won't be reflected in the upcoming campaign.

I hope that goes somewhat towards clearing things up! The tl;dr version is this:

The Wailing Death Campaign (OC) - Player should have played or be familiar with.

Shadows of Undentride/Hordes of the Underdark/Tyrants of the Moonsea - Player will ideally have some knowledge of.

Siege of Shadowdale/Crimson Tides of Tethyr/Darkness over Daggerford - Entirely optional but may enhance the experience.

Finally, if you've played Tyrants of the Moonsea or Darkness over Daggerford, may I ask you to drop a review on Steam or GoG.com? Healthy sales and interest in these two Premium Modules directly increase the funding available to The Blades of Netheril campaign.

Many thanks!

 

[Gargaune]

The player should import the character that finished the Wailing Death campaign into the first chapter, Doom of Icewind Dale.

I assume this is a narrative continuity thing, not a mechanical requirement? As in, the campaign won't actually check for any variables set on the PC during the Wailing Death (if there are any), will it? 'Cause if it will, that might be an issue with onboarding...

I'm planning Enhanced Edition updates later this year

 

[KörangarTheMighty]

Might be the closest thing to an Icewind Dale III that we get.

 

[zapotec]

How many barrels are there to be broken

 

[Junmarko]

Darkness over Daggerford - Entirely optional but may enhance the experience.

Best campaign of the lot.

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://www.patreon.com/posts/septe...G97gMdJLOWTo98JP9pBKOP9g7fO2dtR4jpDeiq1aCtanY

September 2022 Update (Public)
Hello to all! This a public update on The Blades of Netheril project. There is some good news and some bad news. To start with the good news, and there is much: Doom of Icewind Dale is still progressing very well. The completed areas look fantastic, I've received nine of the 14 new music tracks, and all the art content is now in save for one or two placeables I didn't know I needed. I'm absolutely confident Doom of Icewind Dale will provide 10-15 hours of gameplay on a par with any of the official content, and form the start of a monumental D&D adventure that will do justice to the original Neverwinter Nights and expansion campaigns.

The bad news is that it won't be finished this month as I'd hoped. Content is still rolling in, and I'm still finishing the writing. I've had some other writing jobs that have demanded my attention - and these writing jobs ultimately pay the bills. In order to deliver the professional-standard module we all want, I can't rush any aspect of the production process. I'm drawing upon a great many favours from extremely talented folk who are working hard on my behalf, often for free or for much less than their usual rates. I am, in effect, producing a Premium Module that ought to have a budget of $30,000 for less than $10,000.

With that in mind, I've moved the release date back to December 2022.

It's a small delay, but one I know may prove frustrating for some. I would like to say how grateful I am to everyone who has supported the project, either financially or just through word of mouth: I would ask for a little more patience. I promise I won't let you down!

Now for some more good news. My plan was to release the enhanced editions of Siege of Shadowdale and Crimson Tides of Tethyr after Doom of Icewind Dale.

That plan has now changed.

Siege of Shadowdale Enhanced Edition will now be released in October 2022 - next month - with Crimson Tides of Tethyr Enhanced Edition following in November. Check out this post for details of the new features these enhanced modules will add.

With Doom of Icewind Dale landing in December, that means NWN fans get to enjoy a new (or at least renovated) adventure for each of the next three months, right up until Christmas. It also gives fans who haven't yet had a chance to the play the Siege of Shadowdale/Crimson Tides of Tethyr/Tyrants of the Moonsea trilogy the opportunity to catch up before Doom of Icewind Dale is released. You can read more about the play order here.

In the coming weeks, Patrons will have an exclusive look at some of the content featured in these modules. I'll also be sharing more art and music from the upcoming Doom of Icewind Dale.

Many thanks for your time and continued support!

 

[zapotec]

Why Elminster is still white

 

[ArchAngel]

So this shit is using NWN1 engine and UI? Why would anyone want to torture themselves with that LOL