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

[Grauken]

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

better than NWN2 engine and UI

 

[ArchAngel]

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

better than NWN2 engine and UI

Yea lets compare shit with trash.

 

[Gargaune]

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!

Never got around to playing SoS so this should be a good first. As for CToT, it was already excellent, very curious to see what a little more love will do for it.

 

[Infinitron]

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

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.

Check out the trailer for Siege of Shadowdale Enhanced Edition - a revised and expanded update of the classic Neverwinter Nights module, 20 years in the making! This newly remade module features expanded and rewritten dialogue, new areas, new quests, a world map, new companions, as well as hundreds of bug fixes and quality of life improvements.

Coming November 2022.

 

[Chippy]

This is awesome news. Luke Scull seems to be the only current RPG writer I'm aware of that's on par with the classics.

-Maybe we could start a patreon for him to rewrite SOD.

-I think I might have mentioned that already.

 

[Gargaune]

Siege of Shadowdale Enhanced Edition just dropped yesterday, gents, go get!

"Like a tide of darkness they came, butchering the folk of the Dale with wanton glee. Many are the foes I have battled in my long life but were it not for the actions of one brave adventurer I fear even I would have been undone that fateful day..."

Elminster of Shadowdale, 1372 DR.

20 years after the original release, author and game designer Luke Scull is delighted to present a remake of the classic Hall of Fame module Siege of Shadowdale for Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition! This new version features rewritten and expanded dialogue, new quests, new areas to explore, and the addition of several henchmen, as well as a new world map and completely overhauled graphics.

A huge thank you to all the folk whose generous contributions helped make this module possible! Please visit https://www.patreon.com/lukescull(link is external) to keep up to date with development of The Blades of Netheril: an epic, seven-part campaign that serves as a mega-sequel to all the game's official content including the original campaign and expansions.

Swordflight Ch.5, SoS EE, 2022's turning out the be the year of NWN! You know, after the previous years of NWN two decades ago. And finally I've beat Infinitron to the punch!

 

[Gargaune]

Luke Scull, as someone with a professional connection to NWN and who's actively developing a new module series for the EE, what's your take on WotC's coming OGL changes, do you expect any knock-on effects on community content for NWN EE and the Blades of Netheril?

The base game's an official D&D licensed product, not an OGL derivative, so I can't imagine there'd be any fallout with relation to game systems which are just used as intended, but I'm wondering whether this move might foreshadow WotC tightening the noose on their Forgotten Realms IP. I dunno where the EULA is in the EE, only found GOG's one, but the old BioWare license specified under 3. End-User Variations that non-commercial user-generated content must not "contain any trademarks, copyright-protected work or other property of third parties", though I'm not sure whether WotC's Forgotten Realms formally counts as a third party relative to Infogrames' product. Informally, it's all been cool so far, but it makes me uneasy especially when you consider Atari's erratic stance on using WotC content in the Premium Modules program back in the day.

Anyway, what do you think, alarm bells or nothing of consequence?

 

[Infinitron]

Siege of Shadowdale gets semi-official recognition from Beamdog: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/704450/view/3708190554136921549

Siege of Shadowdale Enhanced Edition added to the curated community content
An Enhanced Edition of a classic Neverwinter Nights module Siege of Shadowdale by Luke Scull is now in the game launcher

NWN:EE just received new curated community content! An Enhanced Edition of a classic Neverwinter Nights module Siege of Shadowdale by Luke Scull is now available in the game launcher!

Play Siege of Shadowdale Enhanced Edition with new quests, overhauled graphics & more!

 

[Poseidon00]

Siege of Shadowdale gets semi-official recognition from Beamdog: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/704450/view/3708190554136921549

Siege of Shadowdale Enhanced Edition added to the curated community content
An Enhanced Edition of a classic Neverwinter Nights module Siege of Shadowdale by Luke Scull is now in the game launcher

NWN:EE just received new curated community content! An Enhanced Edition of a classic Neverwinter Nights module Siege of Shadowdale by Luke Scull is now available in the game launcher!

Play Siege of Shadowdale Enhanced Edition with new quests, overhauled graphics & more!

Not to derail a truly glorious thread but Beamdog coming out with a game like Mythforce! is just embarrassing. Couldn't even release a damn rpg

 

[Luke Scull]

Luke Scull, as someone with a professional connection to NWN and who's actively developing a new module series for the EE, what's your take on WotC's coming OGL changes, do you expect any knock-on effects on community content for NWN EE and the Blades of Netheril?

The base game's an official D&D licensed product, not an OGL derivative, so I can't imagine there'd be any fallout with relation to game systems which are just used as intended, but I'm wondering whether this move might foreshadow WotC tightening the noose on their Forgotten Realms IP. I dunno where the EULA is in the EE, only found GOG's one, but the old BioWare license specified under 3. End-User Variations that non-commercial user-generated content must not "contain any trademarks, copyright-protected work or other property of third parties", though I'm not sure whether WotC's Forgotten Realms formally counts as a third party relative to Infogrames' product. Informally, it's all been cool so far, but it makes me uneasy especially when you consider Atari's erratic stance on using WotC content in the Premium Modules program back in the day.

Anyway, what do you think, alarm bells or nothing of consequence?

I missed this. All's well that ends well! If anything, I'd hope WotC would be eager to score some brownie points and win back some good will by supporting fan content. Also - after they canned a bunch of D&D games recently, I wonder if they'll be more open to working with third party devs again? It seems the internal projects didn't work out so well...

 

[Luke Scull]

Siege of Shadowdale gets semi-official recognition from Beamdog: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/704450/view/3708190554136921549

Siege of Shadowdale Enhanced Edition added to the curated community content
An Enhanced Edition of a classic Neverwinter Nights module Siege of Shadowdale by Luke Scull is now in the game launcher

NWN:EE just received new curated community content! An Enhanced Edition of a classic Neverwinter Nights module Siege of Shadowdale by Luke Scull is now available in the game launcher!

Play Siege of Shadowdale Enhanced Edition with new quests, overhauled graphics & more!

Not to derail a truly glorious thread but Beamdog coming out with a game like Mythforce! is just embarrassing. Couldn't even release a damn rpg

I think it looks pretty cool, though I haven't played it. I like Beamdog - Trent's a friend and there are some great people there. I thought Siege of Dragonspear was pretty solid, too. I'd love to see an original, isometric RPG from them.

 

[Gargaune]

Not to derail a truly glorious thread but Beamdog coming out with a game like Mythforce! is just embarrassing. Couldn't even release a damn rpg

Well, at least they're not quitting NWN EE yet, there's a new patch on the horizon.

I missed this. All's well that ends well! If anything, I'd hope WotC would be eager to score some brownie points and win back some good will by supporting fan content. Also - after they canned a bunch of D&D games recently, I wonder if they'll be more open to working with third party devs again? It seems the internal projects didn't work out so well...

Maybe after Swen's done with BG3? I suspect WotC will be wary of diverting attention before that.

Congrats on releasing SoS EE on the curated repo, by the way. If your terms with Beamdog allow it, I bet a bunch of us would be curious to see your Vault vs. Content Browser downloads a month out.

 

[Immortal]

I think it looks pretty cool, though I haven't played it. I like Beamdog - Trent's a friend and there are some great people there. I thought Siege of Dragonspear was pretty solid, too. I'd love to see an original, isometric RPG from them.

As someone who wants to see beamdog be successful.. they have fumbled the ball at every turn

SoD was an amazing concept and on a technical level it really pushed what IE can do.. Only to be handed to an absolute shit show pair of writers neither of which even liked DnD and turned BG into her personal fan fiction.

NWN:EE released with basically no noticeable changes and even now Beamdog is going hot-cold with contracting artists then stopping then starting.

IWD2 source code apparently has been located.. nothing happening.

David Gaider hired to work on Planescape sequel.. then gone 2 months later.

--

I get you like Trent.. but it's really not surprising that WOTC gave BG3 to Larian. We'd all be playing some weird fanfiction BG3 trash in Infinity Engine right now with IWD asset flips.

 

[KörangarTheMighty]

IWD2 source code apparently has been located.. nothing happening.

Big if true. Is there an article I can look at somewhere about this or some other place to get the scoop?

 

[Roguey]

IWD2 source code apparently has been located.. nothing happening.

Big if true. Is there an article I can look at somewhere about this or some other place to get the scoop?

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/the-icewind-dale-series-thread.54564/post-8114521

It's only been six months, give em some time before proclaiming that nothing was done.

 

[Kedar]

David Gaider hired to work on Planescape sequel.. then gone 2 months later.

What the fuck?

I mean, I heard of Planescape: Unraveled, which they claimed wasn't an actual project, but this Gaider stuff is news to me.

 

[Roguey]

David Gaider hired to work on Planescape sequel.. then gone 2 months later.

What the fuck?

I mean, I heard of Planescape: Unraveled, which they claimed wasn't an actual project, but this Gaider stuff is news to me.

https://twitter.com/davidgaider/status/1136776096475623424 referring to this guy https://twitter.com/daigledopple/status/1133476290374193152

 

[Immortal]

Infinitron I don't need to cite shit - I have roguey.

Luke Scull since you are part of Ossian maybe you can shed some light on wtf happened to our NWN:EE graphics overhaul?

 

[Luke Scull]

I think it looks pretty cool, though I haven't played it. I like Beamdog - Trent's a friend and there are some great people there. I thought Siege of Dragonspear was pretty solid, too. I'd love to see an original, isometric RPG from them.

As someone who wants to see beamdog be successful.. they have fumbled the ball at every turn

SoD was an amazing concept and on a technical level it really pushed what IE can do.. Only to be handed to an absolute shit show pair of writers neither of which even liked DnD and turned BG into her personal fan fiction.

NWN:EE released with basically no noticeable changes and even now Beamdog is going hot-cold with contracting artists then stopping then starting.

IWD2 source code apparently has been located.. nothing happening.

David Gaider hired to work on Planescape sequel.. then gone 2 months later.

--

I get you like Trent.. but it's really not surprising that WOTC gave BG3 to Larian. We'd all be playing some weird fanfiction BG3 trash in Infinity Engine right now with IWD asset flips.

I'd have given BG3 to Larian, too. They were obviously the best fit, along with Obsidian.

The writing in Siege of Dragonspear is largely fine, IMO. One or two elements were poorly done, and the writer who gave the interview critising the original game (and, by extension, the fanbase) really did a disservice to her employers.

The original NWN launch was barebones, but it's come a long way since!

 

[Luke Scull]

Infinitron I don't need to cite shit - I have roguey.

Luke Scull since you are part of Ossian maybe you can shed some light on wtf happened to our NWN:EE graphics overhaul?

The HD textures pack Beamdog released goes some way towards improving the look of the game. I don't think we'll ever see a total overhaul of the base game in an official update, but the community is working on various projects to improve the visuals.

 

[Roguey]

The writing in Siege of Dragonspear is largely fine, IMO. One or two elements were poorly done, and the writer who gave the interview critising the original game (and, by extension, the fanbase) really did a disservice to her employers.

Way too many idiot balls to be fine. It's aggressively dumb.

 

[Immortal]

I'd have given BG3 to Larian, too. They were obviously the best fit, along with Obsidian.

The writing in Siege of Dragonspear is largely fine, IMO. One or two elements were poorly done, and the writer who gave the interview critising the original game (and, by extension, the fanbase) really did a disservice to her employers.

The original NWN launch was barebones, but it's come a long way since!

What do you call "good writing" ?

They wrote a campy story line that was basically a bullshit excuse to use IWD assets.. they broke the existing canon of the story leading up to it (SoD contradicts so many things stated in BG1) and lastly.. it feels like 50% of the effort went into Skie & Safana, a pair of literally who companions that nobody gave a shit about except the author.

(The new companions they added are all vomit inducing as well..)

The "writer" came here to this franchise to make their statement.
Not one shit was given for the fans.

I actually have to say.. SoD could of been amazing.
That was probably the perfect spot for an extra campaign / game expansion but it was totally fumbled.

Infinitron I don't need to cite shit - I have roguey.

Luke Scull since you are part of Ossian maybe you can shed some light on wtf happened to our NWN:EE graphics overhaul?

The HD textures pack Beamdog released goes some way towards improving the look of the game. I don't think we'll ever see a total overhaul of the base game in an official update, but the community is working on various projects to improve the visuals.

Wasn't someone from ossian doing "HD overhauls" of NWN:EE models?

 

[Kedar]

The HD textures pack Beamdog released goes some way towards improving the look of the game. I don't think we'll ever see a total overhaul of the base game in an official update, but the community is working on various projects to improve the visuals.

Wasn't someone from ossian doing "HD overhauls" of NWN:EE models?

I thought the HD models were already in the game as an optional download. I distinctly remember turning them on and being surprised by the quality. Is that part of the HD textures pack? Was there supposed to be another overhaul?

I know there was supposed to be a new renderer, but that was canceled.

 

[Gargaune]

The writing in Siege of Dragonspear is largely fine, IMO. One or two elements were poorly done, and the writer who gave the interview critising the original game (and, by extension, the fanbase) really did a disservice to her employers.

Ignoring the interview scandal, I think SoD's writing did hamstring an otherwise great BG expansion. Its main problems are the trivial tone, dialogue riddled with referential humour and questionable diegetic anchoring, as well as the muddled rationale behind the nominal antagonist. The former is a pervasive problem in contemporary media and you could argue that even the original BG1 had a very loose approach to tone, but it's worth pointing out BioWare specifically addressed that in BG2. And actually, I've referenced TotM in contrast as well - it's hardly po-faced and I might've rolled my eyes at Beirmoura once or twice, but it consistently approaches the fiction seriously, stays in-character and never shows negligence towards your suspension of disbelief.

I also feel like the plot's timing and some of its elements undercut various aspects of BG2, things that could've used a bit more finessing, but those are secondary concerns and, admittedly, quite subjective. Tone and core conflict, those would be my core complaints, and I believe someone from Beamdog did comment that SoD had a difficult development, with the scope having switched from minor quest DLC to standalone title to BG1 expansion in the end.

I thought the HD models were already in the game as an optional download. I distinctly remember turning them on and being surprised by the quality. Is that part of the HD textures pack? Was there supposed to be another overhaul?

I know there was supposed to be a new renderer, but that was canceled.

We got both the HD Art Pack for characters and a new rendering model, with updated lighting and shaders support. The "cancelled renderer" was a confusing bit of PR from Beamdog, presumably they'd planned for some more stuff, but what they delivered already satisfied the term. As for art assets, I remember they were experimenting with updating "everything" early on, but I'm guessing they figured out it was just a bridge too far, NWN has a lot of stuff.

 

[Luke Scull]

The writing in Siege of Dragonspear is largely fine, IMO. One or two elements were poorly done, and the writer who gave the interview critising the original game (and, by extension, the fanbase) really did a disservice to her employers.

Ignoring the interview scandal, I think SoD's writing did hamstring an otherwise great BG expansion. Its main problems are the trivial tone, dialogue riddled with referential humour and questionable diegetic anchoring, as well as the muddled rationale behind the nominal antagonist. The former is a pervasive problem in contemporary media and you could argue that even the original BG1 had a very loose approach to tone, but it's worth pointing out BioWare specifically addressed that in BG2. And actually, I've referenced TotM in contrast as well - it's hardly po-faced and I might've rolled my eyes at Beirmoura once or twice, but it consistently approaches the fiction seriously, stays in-character and never shows negligence towards your suspension of disbelief.

I also feel like the plot's timing and some of its elements undercut various aspects of BG2, things that could've used a bit more finessing, but those are secondary concerns and, admittedly, quite subjective. Tone and core conflict, those would be my core complaints, and I believe someone from Beamdog did comment that SoD had a difficult development, with the scope having switched from minor quest DLC to standalone title to BG1 expansion in the end.

I thought the HD models were already in the game as an optional download. I distinctly remember turning them on and being surprised by the quality. Is that part of the HD textures pack? Was there supposed to be another overhaul?

I know there was supposed to be a new renderer, but that was canceled.

We got both the HD Art Pack for characters and a new rendering model, with updated lighting and shaders support. The "cancelled renderer" was a confusing bit of PR from Beamdog, presumably they'd planned for some more stuff, but what they delivered already satisfied the term. As for art assets, I remember they were experimenting with updating "everything" early on, but I'm guessing they figured out it was just a bridge too far, NWN has a lot of stuff.

Fair points regarding the writing. I don't recall having an issue with the tone, but I'm due a replay of the saga, so I'll see if that remains the case on my next run.

I think the plan to overhaul all of the creature models, but various factors (cost, botched console release, WotC refusing to greenlight more DLC) made that untenable. The latest patch was, I believe, a voluntary effort by Beamdog devs and community members.