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[bryanthelion]

I have just installed it in my new computer and I'm having a blast!
but then, an idea popped in my head!
Maybe the QC forumites could play a weekly NwN2 game.
OR We could make a mod, and have medevil Marten, Faye, Dora, and the rest of the gang fight monsters!

Just a thought..

[Narr]

I would love to make a mod.

however, I have no idea how to use the stupid toolset for anything. 

[0bsessions]

I'm of the mind that this might work out better over in the video games forum.

[bryanthelion]

This is the videogames thread...?

[Ally]

It wasn't before!

OHMYGOD ALLY MODDED SOMETHING?!?!! WHATTHEFUCKK

[bryanthelion]

Thats weird..

Anyway about the mod/weekly game. Anyone up for it?

[KvP]

Allow me to make a suggestion.


Go buy it. It's like Planescape: Torment, but a little less complicated.

Obsidian sort of dropped the ball with their toolset. NWN's was fine, but NWN2's is a resource hog that was full of bugs when it came out. It's a shame that the mod community's not as robust as the first one, because the new toolset, despite its flaws, is a hell of a lot more powerful.

[Storm Rider]

Well, Obsidian didn't make NWN, Bioware did.

[KvP]

Right. Obsidian made NWN2. I'm saying the first NWN's toolset was fine, but the second one (the one developed by Obsidian) wasn't, at least initially. I know a few of the devs, and they're pretty embarassed, but they're working on it. At this point it just takes more effort to make a NWN2 module than it took to make a NWN module, and not just because of the more advanced engine.

[Shamana]

By the way, how's the Planescape Trilogy coming along? I thought the first module - Purgatorio - was supposed to be coming out soon, but I don't know how far they've gotten.

[StaedlerMars]

I stopped playing this game because it was so buggy at the beginning of last year.

Did it get any better?

[KvP]

By the way, how's the Planescape Trilogy coming along? I thought the first module - Purgatorio - was supposed to be coming out soon, but I don't know how far they've gotten.

They're making progress, I wouldn't be able to tell you just how far along they are. Check their website.

I stopped playing this game because it was so buggy at the beginning of last year.

Did it get any better?

Oh yeah. The patch they released with the expansion really straightens out the engine in a lot of ways. It's by no means perfect, but it'll work better on more systems than it did previously.

[bryanthelion]

Im going to bolster what Kid Van Pervert said.
They reworked the control scheme bucketloads, I noticed that at start. (the origional control scheme sucked ass)

[The extra letter]

Is NWN 2 the game with the totally out-of-place product placement in it? Or am I thinking of another medieval themed RPG released around the same time?

I'm actually replaying BGII at the moment. Great game, that.

[TheFuriousWombat]

I'm pretty sure I liked NWN a lot more than the sequel. I don't quite remember why because it's been a while since I've played either but the first one had a certain draw to it that the sequel lacked. I'm sure it has to do with the change in developer. Not that NWN2 isn't pretty awesome, it just didn't wow me like the first (and it's awesome expansions/mods).

[Narr]

Is NWN 2 the game with the totally out-of-place product placement in it? Or am I thinking of another medieval themed RPG released around the same time?

I'm actually replaying BGII at the moment. Great game, that.

BG2 is really awesome.  You should talk to my buddies soulmata and ThunderCl on #whattheboat on efnet about their BG2 glory runs.  My personal favorite is soulmata's contingencey spell.  (For the record, it's Incapacitated -> Horrid Wilting, Horrid Wilting, Horrid Wilting.)

Anyway, I am enjoying NWN2 a lot.  I'll be honest, a lot of the fun I've had is simply exploring metagaming options.  I love creating absurdley powerful characters that are out of the norm.  (Like right now, I'm going Favored Soul 13, Stormlord 10, Weapon Master (Spear) 7, giving me the ability to eviscerate things upon a critical hit as well as being a rather powerful divine spellcaster in it's own right.)  It works from an RP aspect too, which are always my favorite ones.  She's just a chosen of Talos.  Simple enough, right?

I am such a Forgotten Realms nerd.

[KvP]

If you're going to metagame you should at least max out levels in Red Dragon Disciple. Totally unbalanced. Just start off with 1 level of Bard with high intellegence and level as a fighter from then on. Once you hit level 4 you'll be able to take RDD and watch your stats get buffed permanently. It comes out to about +8 strength, +2 con, +4 charisma, along with all the immunities and abilities that a half-dragon gets and d12 hit dice. As long as you've got 16 int you can max out 5 or 6 skills as well. Best way to RP through MotB.

And as long as we're on the subject of BG2, I'll turn out the Unfinished Business and Ascension mods, which really improve Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal, respectively. Ascension is really only for those who know BG2 inside and out as it ratchets up the difficulty nearly to the point of unfairness at parts, but the way it changes the end of the game is awe-inspiring.

I'm pretty sure I liked NWN a lot more than the sequel. I don't quite remember why because it's been a while since I've played either but the first one had a certain draw to it that the sequel lacked. I'm sure it has to do with the change in developer. Not that NWN2 isn't pretty awesome, it just didn't wow me like the first (and it's awesome expansions/mods).

Really? NWN2 was pretty flawed, but compared to vanilla NWN it's quite an improvement, design-wise and story-wise. As far as the expansions go, I'd say MotB is better than any of the NWN expansions. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but even the poison heart of CRPG fandom has love for that game. NWN was actually the start of the, uh, more "academic" players like those in the Codex turning against Bioware in a big way.

[Storm Rider]

By 'academic' I assume you mean 'anal-retentive, elitist assholes who are impossible to please'?

I don't understand why some people can't just enjoy games. It's ridiculous.

[Dimmukane]

So, on a related note, Bioware is hiring writers who can use the toolset to make a basic conversation tree and give good dialog/story and choicelines.  They've hired accountants over accomplished authors and screenwriters, so this could be your chance to get an awesome job.  I know I'm trying.

[KvP]

So, on a related note, Bioware is hiring writers who can use the toolset to make a basic conversation tree and give good dialog/story and choicelines.  They've hired accountants over accomplished authors and screenwriters, so this could be your chance to get an awesome job.  I know I'm trying.

That's for their MMO studio in Austin, right? I imagine that's incrediby competitive. Good luck with that.

By 'academic' I assume you mean 'anal-retentive, elitist assholes who are impossible to please'?

I don't understand why some people can't just enjoy games. It's ridiculous.

I don't think it's about enjoyment, for them, which is why I say they're "academic". Games are judged by their fidelity to certain concepts, mainly unrestricted, meaningful player choice. Depending upon how strict they are, they might not actually hold any game in esteem, since actions in games are necessarily deterministic. The last games they fully endorsed were probably PS:T and the original Fallout. But the fact that they endorsed MotB is certainly notable.

[Storm Rider]

So if you can endorse two games in a decade, then I am not interested in your opinion, sorry.

[Dimmukane]

Even if it's competitive, they've indicated that you don't have to have written bestseller or even anything approaching a book to get the job.  Former/current Dungeon Masters are much more likely to be their kind of writer, so I'm going for it.

On a sad note, my copy of NWN2 is too scratched for my drive to read, and I fall well out of warranty (90 days, right?), so um...yeah.  I'll see what I can do. 

[Narr]

Download it.

You can buy it from their store online and download it, never requiring a CD key again.  If you don't have the expansion already, I suggest doing that when you buy it.  That's what I did.  No CD required.  It's very helpful.

[Shamana]

So, on a related note, Bioware is hiring writers who can use the toolset to make a basic conversation tree and give good dialog/story and choicelines.  They've hired accountants over accomplished authors and screenwriters, so this could be your chance to get an awesome job.  I know I'm trying.

Oh, they've gotten some good writers, believe it or not. I was a big fan of NWN fan-made modules, and there was a project called the Paladin trilogy - easily the best modules I've seen, RP-wise and buildwise. Unfortunately it never lived to its name, as after the second module - Midnight - the guy was hired by Bioware. And speaking of fan modules, that's easily the biggest appeal of the old NWN: it had insane replayability because there was just so much stuff for it, and it ranged from diablo-like clickfests to some hardcore roleplaying. The Shadowlords/dreamcatcher campaign, for example, had me captivated for longer than any of the official modules. Just check nwvault.ign.com and http://nwvault.ign.com/reviews/index.php?topic=71.0 in particular; many of the high-rated modules imo rank higher than a few of those can rival any of the official campaigns. I last played A Dance with Rogues*, which later won the module of the year award for 2006, and it sure deserved it - although I'm less than happy with the ending, but I guess I just wanted to do a liiiitle more.

*: btw, the module is rated mature, and they mean it.

[bryanthelion]

Even if it's competitive, they've indicated that you don't have to have written bestseller or even anything approaching a book to get the job.  Former/current Dungeon Masters are much more likely to be their kind of writer, so I'm going for it.

On a sad note, my copy of NWN2 is too scratched for my drive to read, and I fall well out of warranty (90 days, right?), so um...yeah.  I'll see what I can do. 

Wait, anyone could write for them? As in if I sent in a book to be published they'd probably publish it?

[Dimmukane]

As in, if you write something that they think works well from a game storyline point-of-view, it doesn't matter how much writing you've done in the past, they'll probably call you up for an interview.

[bryanthelion]

but how exactly would they find out about me?

[Dimmukane]

You make a NWN module and send it in.  It doesn't matter if you can program or not, they'll look at stuff that's just a few characters in a room and having a conversation with the player that offer good story branches and such.

As for downloading NWN2 again, that costs money (technically).  Right now I can't afford it, so I'll have to think of...other methods.

[bryanthelion]

I'm totally doing this. They didn't exactly have an age requirement. So, I dont see why I cant.

[bryanthelion]

I know not to give me hopes up, When I was reading the requirements for the contest I took a giant gulp at the "Professional Portfolio" part "Uhh? Does a xanga and a couple of comics count!?" But, whats the harm in trying you know?

[Dimmukane]

Well, after you've bought the game and you're screwed because of a scratched disk, you've made your contribution to the money pool. Can't you torrent the game illegally and use your own, valid CD key?

Theoretically, yes, but this itself is turning out to be a problem.  I'm dling it now, it's taking forever.  It's a 6gb file, which normally takes me a night.  There's at least 50 seeders, and so far I've only got about 20%.

[KvP]

Well, after you've bought the game and you're screwed because of a scratched disk, you've made your contribution to the money pool. Can't you torrent the game illegally and use your own, valid CD key?

Theoretically, yes, but this itself is turning out to be a problem.  I'm dling it now, it's taking forever.  It's a 6gb file, which normally takes me a night.  There's at least 50 seeders, and so far I've only got about 20%.

I'm not sure if that will work. If it does, great, but don't be surprised if you can't patch your game (Direct2Drive versions of the game set off its anti-virtual drive mechanism, I imagine burned copies do the same)

[Dimmukane]

I'm not burning, it I'm leaving it directly in image format.  I'll try to use my valid CD-Key, but if that doesn't work, I'll just patch it with the cracked patches.  After having Steam let me redownload all the games I bought when I was getting CRC's, I began to want every company to do that for me.  Alas, when we run on fiber optics this shouldn't be an issue.

[bryanthelion]

Kind of a necropost, but making a new thread would be retarded....


Anyway, I got mask of the betrayer!

[thehollow]

I'm playing through MotB right now, and I gotta say, it's really damn fun. The campaign is a lot of fun, and the shadow plane stuff is a really cool addition. I've got an elf ranger (with a level or two of other stuff) dual-wielding +8 shortswords with with a ton of fire and cold damage, and I'm stomping ass. Good times.

[Narr]

Mask of the Betrayer is indeed pretty awesome.  It's a TRUE role-playing game because YOU define the experience you get from the game.  Want to be a murderous fuck-face? Go ahead.  Want to save the world from a soul-consuming evil?  Go ahead.  Get a giant bear god on your team or even better yet sacrifice it's dead husk to house a bunch of dead spirits!

The NPCs you get to party with are just plain awesome, too.  The writing for Gann is fantastic.

I am playing through it with two characters.  One is my stormlord/soon-to-be weapon master chaotic evil bitch of a character, and the other is a stereotypical dumb barbarian half-orc.  I'm having a lot of fun with the latter because I took 10 levels in frenzied berzerker so with the ice troll lodge buff you get for joining them, I do roughly 60 damage a hit when I rage.

That's THROUGH most damage reduction spells, too, as my axe is made of adamantium.

[KvP]

I think Gann was written by Chris Avellone, who was the main dude behind PS:T. Seeing as how Gann is a hagspawn, there are several references in his dialogue / sidequests to PS:T.

The rumor 'round the company boards is that they're working on another expansion set in Chult, which is, as far as I know, the Africa / Amazon of the D&D Forgotten Realms setting. So if that turns out to be true, it could be interesting.

[Narr]

I thought the next NWN2 game to come out is going to be "Mysteries of Westgate."  Is Westgate around Chult?  I thought it was in the Silver Marches or something.

*hunts down Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book*

[est]

I didn't much like NWN2 when I got it, but that was because my computer was made from bark and twigs held together with luck and dreams.  Now I have a decent PC and the game has been patched up a bit I may go back and revisit it and see if I enjoy it enough to get the expansion pack.

[KvP]

I thought the next NWN2 game to come out is going to be "Mysteries of Westgate."  Is Westgate around Chult?  I thought it was in the Silver Marches or something.

*hunts down Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting book*

That's being done by another company, a company that seems to specialize in custom content for NWN games (I think they made Witch's Wake for NWN1?) Obsidian made MotB, and they'd be doing a Chult game. It's pure speculation at this point, as they're wrapped up in a couple of things for SEGA at the moment, most notably an Aliens RPG.

Consulting my FR Campaign book *pushes up glasses* Westgate is South of Cormyr and a ways East and a bit North of Baldur's Gate. According to the book, it's notable for being run by vampires. Chult is waaaaay South, it's a jungle continent that has a lot of dinosaurs and yuan-ti (snake people). There was actually a portion of Icewind Dale 2 set in Chult.

I didn't much like NWN2 when I got it, but that was because my computer was made from bark and twigs held together with luck and dreams.  Now I have a decent PC and the game has been patched up a bit I may go back and revisit it and see if I enjoy it enough to get the expansion pack.

I think you'll find the expansion pack to be superior to the OC, actually. But even that's worth going through at least once.

[Narr]

I didn't much like NWN2 when I got it, but that was because my computer was made from bark and twigs held together with luck and dreams.  Now I have a decent PC and the game has been patched up a bit I may go back and revisit it and see if I enjoy it enough to get the expansion pack.

The original campaign isn't that enjoyable, to be honest.  Mask of the Betrayer, while it's TECHNICALLY a continuation of the same character's story, is really it's own thing in comparison.  It is hands-down better, in every possible way.  It's very reminiscent of older Black Isle games, whereas the original campaign is kind of sloppy and drawn out.

@ Kid van Pervert:

Too bad there's no D&D games based out of Mulhorand I'm aware of.  The fact it's got it's own pantheon of powerful gods makes it pretty cool, in my books.  The ending of Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 2 showed they were PLANNING on making that the next area you ravage, but alas that game didn't sell well and spelled the doom of Black Isle.

[thehollow]

I dunno about in every possible way. MotB has little to no interaction between different party members. It's like they don't even acknowledge that there's other people following you besides themselves. I really enjoyed the bickering between Neeshka and Khelgar. But, that's about it. In pretty much every other way, MotB was better.

[KvP]

That's only half-true. The NWN2 party banter wasn't really complete. About the time it becomes possible for Khelgar to become a monk he becomes quiet. Most of the party does. There was more content cut from NWN2 than most games, on account of the lead designer leaving the company in the middle of development. MotB is the first complete game Obsidian's produced.

[thehollow]

hmm, i guess i didn't really notice that. Still, at least there was some. Speaking of Khelgar becoming a monk, did anyone do it, and was it worth it? I kept him as a fighter so he could use the ironfist belt/gauntlets/warhammer combo.

[KvP]

When Khelgar becomes a monk he's pretty high-level, and the higher the level, the harder it is to kill a monk in 3.5 D&D. Just leave him without armor and give him his gauntlets and warhammer and he'll be standing long after everybody else is "dead".

[thehollow]

hmm, sounds like a good deal, I'll give it a try if I replay the main campaign sometime. I've never actually used a monk character before, in this or nwn1, so I suppose I should try em out at some point.

[Narr]

If you turn Khelgar into a monk, give all the Ironfist gear to Casavir.  Monks are better off punching things to death anyway, and it helps partition gear out to get the maximum effect out of more characters that way.

It's not a bad idea to make Khelgar a monk just because he sort of reverts to level 1 with all his experience.  You get to keep all the feats you gained and stats you've upped, as well, so if you've been jacking up Khelgar's wisdom from the get-go, he'll be godly.

Or you could not use any of them like I did.  My party was all female at the end, on accident.  Qara is just awesome, Neeshka is arguably required at all times just to disarm traps, and I'm a big fan of divine spellcasting in general so Zhjave made a good compliment to my Devout Soul/Stormlord.  I think I replaced Zhjeve with Ammon when I could because Eldritch Blasts in general are pretty overpowered.