NWN 2 has arrived...

[Gabrielle]

Npcs that are forced into your party management.

[BigRob]

That's probably one of the bigger problems with NWN2, in my opinion. It removes a layer of variability from the game because X NPC will always be with you at a given point in the game, it's lazy in terms of the writing and unrealistic that you can't get rid of an NPC of your choosing completely. Paladins, for example, should NOT be associating with Bishop, or, to a lesser extent, Neeshka.

 

There are a couple of valid excuses for NPCs to be forced on you in the game, but to my mind, it doesn't work anywhere near as well in NWN2 as it did for the KOTOR games (and even there, I'm sure there were NPCS that some people wanted to get rid of).

[Domi]

I'm yet to play KOTOR 2 where it is said the 'forcing' of the characters is more prominent than in KOTOR1, but in KOTOR1 I was more annoyed by the characters who could *not* join. Mainly I was annoyed on behalf of Carth's son and when I could not take anyone at all into the final battle. Both restrictions did not make any sense to me, and were emotionally wrong for my character.

[Gabrielle]

The developers need to rethink their course of action in forcing npcs in your group. It sucks. If I personally dislike someone, the hell if they are going to be in my circle of friends. Same goes with games. Like in NWN2 they force that sexist pig Bishop to be in your group. I would have plunge a sword in his got for talking to me the way he did in our first encounter. Another problem, you can't kill npcs. Kotor 2 forced that useless GOTO into your party also. Someone who has been hunting you down with bounty hunters, assassins and cut throats and he wants to join you after you blow up his ship? Where the hell is the logic in that?

 

@Kotor 1 comment

 

You should have been able to bring your two members with you to fight Malak. HK-47 my loyal droid would have followed as well as Bastila.

[Bri]

What is the phrase? It jumped the shark?

 

But yeah, the whole NPC bit in NWN 2 is really screwed up. Hell, even NWN 1 handled it better (at least as far as the games go) (not to mention BG 1 & 2).

 

But yeah, the character image generator is less than impressive. I mean, it doesn't have to go into detail like the Sims 2, but it still could have been handled better. Hell, I can't even really get the 'red' hair I wish unless I go the tiefling route...(within reason, of course. I have no problems with gray dwarves not necessarily having that option.

 

And I finally figured out why the whole 'build your stronghold up' bit finally got to me. I've seen it handled better in other games much older than NWN 2 (and this isn't including the small stronghold scenarios in BG 2: SoA). Anyone ever play the Suikoden series? One of the established themes of the series is to establish a stronghold and try to recruit people for it (108 in total). Not that the story can focus on everyone, but you manage to get people who run an inn, an armorer, a gambler, bard/minstrel (who will play music from the game), even a bathhouse. Heck, some of the later games you can even decorate it somewhat (such as placing statues, art, etc. up...both in the bathhouse and other areas of the residence). Later versions after the first even had restaurant, trading houses, gardens, and whatnot. The sad thing? This game first came out on the Playstation...not exactly a graphics hog, and yet it felt better done than NWN 2.

 

And I like strategy elements thrown into a game when done well. At least to me it seems to give it a 'role-playing' feel in that by the time my character has elevated herself in society, then her decisions matter.

[Domi]

You should have been able to bring your two members with you to fight Malak. HK-47 my loyal droid would have followed as well as Bastila.

 

Not in my game. Bastilla quit half-way or something saying she is doing something important holding back the attack or whatever, and Carth I think was cut out without any reasons given. Maybe it is a difference between LS and DS, I dunno, I only played it once.

[cirerrek]

But yeah, the character image generator is less than impressive. I mean, it doesn't have to go into detail like the Sims 2, but it still could have been handled better. Hell, I can't even really get the 'red' hair I wish unless I go the tiefling route...(within reason, of course. I have no problems with gray dwarves not necessarily having that option.

 

Bri - Red Hair, Purple Skin, Orange Eyes

 

United Colors

 

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2UI.Detail&id=43

 

Takes a hair longer to load than the built in color pallet, but other than that es bueno!

 

The Sims 2 really should have been the benchmark for character image generation. Albeit a little more grit and less cartoon, but still. If you are putting a game out there X # of years later, one would suppose that it should look better not worse than the previous benchmark. Of course, it is still built on top of the Aurora Engine, so they may have only been so much that they could do.

[Bri]

Takes a hair longer to load than the built in color pallet, but other than that es bueno!

 

The Sims 2 really should have been the benchmark for character image generation. Albeit a little more grit and less cartoon, but still. If you are putting a game out there X # of years later, one would suppose that it should look better not worse than the previous benchmark. Of course, it is still built on top of the Aurora Engine, so they may have only been so much that they could do.

Thanks Cirerrek.

 

And I admit I was using Sims 2 as a benchmark...not necessarily the most realistic but it is nice to be able to put on some flourishes...

[Domi]

Oh, nice, I was kindda dissapointed that a wood elf could not chose a brighter green eye color.

[Gabrielle]

No red hair or red highlights.

 

They should have done the face options better, even NWN had more options.

[Domi]

Yep, but the areal art is *eons* better than NWN1 amazing square worlds.... Hmm, I am going to play a little more, I think

 

Does anyone know if you can play a bit with your character's appearence after starting the game, sort of like changing colors in BG? I could have sworn there was just 1 elven female head, but maybe I am wrong?

[BigRob]

Sadly, I don't think you can mess with the character's colours and such in-game. There might be a way to do it by using cheat codes, but I have no idea what that would be.

[cirerrek]

You might be able to edit your appearance with LETO. It was built for NWN, but sort of works for NWN2. I found an updated feat list at NWN vault someone put together for it and that seemed to smooth out some errors I was getting previously. I'd say use with caution if you are going to use it at all.

 

I've also heard mention of using a GFF editor. Not sure if that is a type of editor or the name of a particular editor.

 

The areas are much nicer than NWN2 and the textures with Anti-Aliasing x6 are close to impressive. Chainmail actually looks like, well, like it is made of mail links.

 

Full platemail looks like crap though. More like a He-Man body suit than actual armor. I 'love' seeing Khelgar in a set. A Dwarf with huge shoulders and a itty bitty waist makes me want to laugh like and idiot when I see it.

 

Helmets. Love the fact that all the party joinable PCs have non-standard heads, so none of the helmets fit. So now I have a huge shouldered, narrow waisted, shaven pated dwarf running around with a two-handed battle axe. More amusment.

 

Supposedly they made some improvments to tree textures in Patch v1.04. I can't tell that much of a difference, but maybe that is because they disappear as soon as you get near them. The fading away of certain terrain obstacles is nice for sightlines, but kind of sucks if you want to be a sneaky thief and hide behind things.

 

The hair selections are close to gawd awful though. About one per head look good IMO.

 

And what is with the skinny Stoutheart halflings that look like wizended kender?

 

Clipping is still a problem, so you occasionally get to see Khelgar's beard clips through his chest or a weapon rammed through a companion's torso or appendage.

[Domi]

Well, I am starting to get used to the idea that the "elves do not have facial hair" *includes* eyelashes, but other than that the game is a blast.

 

I mean I found just *one* piece that irritated me, and that arguable, because I think others would *love* it. Meaning, I did not like that my PC reply included the explanation why I got it, ie:

 

PC: (Intelligence) Blah-blah-blah.

 

Shooting arrows animation is pweeety! And the menu controls! Very-very convenient. I can see though how the second spell-caster will become difficult to manage, but I hope to discover 'sequencing' or whatever option by the time I will actually *get* party members as opposite to being stuck with the same guy, 'cause we are from the same village.

 

Damn, my foster father had to have been joinable. He is awsome

[cirerrek]

Well, I am starting to get used to the idea that the "elves do not have facial hair" *includes* eyelashes, but other than that the game is a blast.

 

I mean I found just *one* piece that irritated me, and that arguable, because I think others would *love* it. Meaning, I did not like that my PC reply included the explanation why I got it, ie:

 

PC: (Intelligence) Blah-blah-blah.

 

Shooting arrows animation is pweeety! And the menu controls! Very-very convenient. I can see though how the second spell-caster will become difficult to manage, but I hope to discover 'sequencing' or whatever option by the time I will actually *get* party members as opposite to being stuck with the same guy, 'cause we are from the same village.

 

Damn, my foster father had to have been joinable. He is awsome

 

I hadn't noticed eyelashes. Do any of the characters have eyelashes?

 

I see your point on the [intelligence] Convo option. Kind of immersion breaking. It would be nice to have an option to turn them off if you wanted to and have it off by default.

 

The basic controls are pretty easy to figure out an use. I've tried out at least one UI mode (Charlie UI), because I dislike the 4 layers of inventory that you have to wade through. Two layers was much more reasonable, although one would be better.

 

I also really liked that the Charlie UI but a cone on the mini-map to show which direction you were facing, or was it which direction the camera was facing? Either way, it helped me figure out how to make the mini-map, which I found to be obtuse, to acutally become somewhat useful.

 

Unfortunately Tony K's AI alters the same files as the Charlie UI, so they don't play nicely together.