NWN 2 has arrived...

[Domi]

I do of course, but I always wanted to do some playing once the new system is up. I haven't try neither KOTOR2 nor NWN2 yet

[berelinde]

I guess I can understand it. Everybody needs a break.

[Pekka]

It seems to me that many people gave up on NWN1 when they played the miserable official campaign that came with the game and never gave it another chance. The expansions were quite good, Hordes of the Underdark in particular, and did much to improve the product. But what really made me like NWN was the countless modules, some of which are truly amazing and clearly the products of talented people with a lot of love towards serious roleplaying.

 

NWN2's official campaign is much better than its predecessor's, but I think we're once again going to see the best adventures come from the module developers. Already there are several quite promising mods and mod series in development.

 

Having been involved in a NWN2 modding project for two years now, my advice for everyone who's planning to try his or her hands at NWN2 modding is this: gather together a team of intelligent, patient and determined people who *really* want to invest their time into module development. The workload can be quite staggering depending on how ambitious your plans are - I don't think it's even possible to create a long series of mods with dozens of hours of play time all by yourself.

 

BG modding community is so full of gifted individuals that I'd love to see some of them try their luck at NWN modding. I'm sure the results would be well worth the effort for all players and friends of real CRPGs.

[Domi]

It was not the official campaign that turned me off NWN1, well, not only that. Mainly it was the exceedingly ugly graphics and idiotic henchmen system capped at max of 2 NPCs even in the later expansions. From the modding side there are a lot of scary things for a person who goes from IE to Aurora/NWN2 engine. The necessity to write the whole story trying to match the professionals not just in one, two, three NPC, but in a whole story; the necessity to code quests and code it in the very different and very difficult system; the absence and BioWARE's stubborn refusal to consider such a convenient and necesasry thing as dialogue compiler.

 

I talked my fingers hoarse trying to prove to Gaider that one *needs* dialogue compiler to work with and edit complex dialogues, but it was like talking to a wall. Uhm, sorry, I was annoyed at my own inability to prove my point.

 

So, in short, working with NWN is much more difficult, and most especially for an ESL... and I am not even talking about scripting....

 

But well, I have that mod idea I wanted to do since NWN1 times, and a partner in crime who is eons ahead of me on scripting, so I want to give it a shot once IWD2NPC is done.

[cirerrek]

I do of course, but I always wanted to do some playing once the new system is up. I haven't try neither KOTOR2 nor NWN2 yet

 

 

In KOTOR2, be preparaed for a lot of WTF!? Since Obsidian neglected to complete several story arcs before and after releasing the game.

 

I still found it enjoyable, but it was a near thing.

 

At one time there was supposedly a group that was working to complete (flesh out?) all the incomplete stuff that the was hidding in the games files. I completed the game before that was finished so never went looking for it.

 

In NWN2, oooo, the PC AI is bad. Grab a mod, either Tony K's or Even's AI.

 

Of course, you might also want to wait a little longer into the patch cycle. I'm having some SaveGame corruption problems ATM. v1.04 is supposed to be out soon and then v1.05 shortly thereafter. Should address a number of the more obvious/pressing bugs.

[BigRob]

The NWN2 AI is pretty messed up, particularly the penchant that party members have for running blindly down very long (and trapped) corridors to attack barely seen enemies.

 

They also keep casting healing spells even if you've turned spellcasting off... this isn't all that much of a problem, until they insist on doing it when there's four of us whaling on some lone creature with only a sliver of health left.

 

Also, the inability to target party members with any hostile actions or spells has meant that every time Khelgar gets charmed, he cuts down my entire party and then has to face off against whatever enemies we're facing alone.

 

 

 

In KOTOR2, be preparaed for a lot of WTF!? Since Obsidian neglected to complete several story arcs before and after releasing the game.

 

I still found it enjoyable, but it was a near thing.

 

At one time there was supposedly a group that was working to complete (flesh out?) all the incomplete stuff that the was hidding in the games files. I completed the game before that was finished so never went looking for it.

 

They're still out there somewhere, I visited their website not long ago. I'll have to look around for the link, but they do have some stuff ready, I believe.

 

 

KOTOR2 may have the same issue about always bringing every joinable NPC with you as NWN2 does, but to me at least, bringing those people with you made a lot more sense than some of the people you bring along in NWN2 (like "random crazy sorceress why are you here again?" Quara and "threatens to rape party members, remind me why I can't decapitate you and leave you dead by the road?" Bishop)

[Lord Ernie]

The Kotor 2 group you're referring to is Team Gizka (Yeah, a fear-inspiring name), and they're coming along quite nicely. I, for one, am postponing replaying the game until their release.

 

As for the NWN2 AI, the first thing I always do is turn off spellcasting. True, the AI still tries to heal itself and party members if their health gets too low, but I solve that by not memorizing any healing spells in the first place. Oh, and to deal with Charm problems: in the charm-risky areas always buff up the main tanks with Protection From Evil, and you won't have them .

[Kulyok]

Folks(who actually have the thing installed), how much space does the full install eat up?

 

(I've read 5.8Gb somewhere, and I *don't* want to believe it - I've only 4.6Gb left.)

[pro5]

(I've read 5.8Gb somewhere, and I *don't* want to believe it - I've only 4.6Gb left.)

 

It's actually 6.4 GB on my HD.

[Lord Ernie]

6.9 up here. Mind, I've got quite a few patch-install files in the folder. Also, if you want to update the game, you need another 6 gigs of free space, else the patch won't work. She's a hungry beastie.

[Kulyok]

Oh dear. I'll... think some more about playing it, I guess. Thanks!

[Kulyok]

Having meticulously cleaned my disc, I installed this thing only to find out that my ATI 9000 video card does not support DirectX 9. Meh. It's either chasing someone from their computer and using their ATI X800, or buying myself a new laptop, and somehow I do not fancy either.

 

Nearly fifteen dollars wasted - for now, at least. Grrr. I think I am going to kill someone... now, where's me axe?

 

Ah well. Someone, tell me it is bad, so I don't feel *too* disappointed.

[Kelenthial]

It has its faults;]

 

However, if that will lighten your mood, know that my pc does not support NWN2 at all - I can't play without buying a new pc;/ Not that it is THAT bad...It is slightly worse than the minimum requirments... Btw, I've heard that if playing on the minimum, this game is a nightmare. Even on the (really) good pc the game is loading for AGES. My friends just can't stop complaining about this. That, and spoiled quickslots... They say that the NWN was far better with that. Also the AI is told to be poor and irritating.

 

 

So, feeling better now?

[BevH]

It's nice to know that I'm not the only one that bought this game and can't play it because of my 1 year old computer not being able to run it... Now whenever I got into a store and see it on the shelf, I mumble that they should put a very large warning sign... "Caution, you MUST have a compatible computer to play this game... if such a thing exists..."

[Miloch]

Nearly fifteen dollars wasted - for now, at least. Grrr. I think I am going to kill someone... now, where's me axe? Ah well. Someone, tell me it is bad, so I don't feel *too* disappointed.

Yer wasting yer time, Kulyok! It's just one big corporate multimedia conspiracy between Micro$oft, computer manufacturers and game makers to milk more money out of the hapless consumers, who end up getting second-rate merchandise and no satisfaction whatsoever. Maybe you only spent $15 so far, but what price can you put on your time? I'm telling you, just stick to IE modding and complete all these unfinished BG1NPC quests and whatnot... believe it or not, it might be a better bargain in the end.