34 réponses à ce sujet

[bussinrounds]

Should i even bother with the official campaign, or should i just dive into these amazing sounding modules ?

Also, what are the best cosmetic mods and what fixes am i gonna need ?

[jmlzemaggo]

I'm afraid you shall never learn from anyone else if there is something you like yourself as long as you haven't touch it.
I would kiss the OC, if I were you. Imagine you miss the love of your life by listening to your best friend...
who is gonna go away with her.
Do you wanna be one of those NWN players who pretend hating the OC... such as myself... only because they didn't write it? Do you seriously want to belong to such a bunch of losers? Trust me, I do, no fun. Now, if you're new to NWN, the OC is a great school for it.
And it's not thaaaaat bad.  
To me it's more a question of rythm, as it could get very tedious as some point... And I mean very... In some other words, it's more a question of how much you can take, if you're a ****, instead of a hero like myself, who could play something he doesn't care about for hours before surrendering to life.
I suppose NWN is quite a huge game, with many sides to get used to, before feeling alive in it.
To me today, it's almost like my second life, but I'm familar with both, and both feel home, I'm easy in them. I wouldn't face the community modules without, at least, some of that easiness about NWN, and some background, some history, something to hold to when you're gonna be lost and alone  in somebody else's mind.

There is only one way to play NWN, not matter what everybody would say:
Yours.
Find it, that's your only duty, your only key to access your own fun.
What you wrote made me realise the first thing I did when starting playing NWN was to make it mine. Right away. I'm aware it might sound a bit antagonistic, I wouldn't be offended, neither surprised, with what I just said earlier, about being a good kid at the OC school, and learn the rules by the official book, and, as a matter of fact, short for AAMOF... 
it kind of does...
But, I wouldn't have loved it so much before possessing it. I went right away for the add-ons made by the community, including the cosmetic mods as you called them, but not only. Which is probably what made me write a list, also in my signature, short for sig, about my first NWN friends, one you might find helpfull yourself eventually. Only I knew I could own the game my way, but not before seeing it the way it is by itself.
Without me. Without you.You might find me a bit pretentious. You bet.
So you are. You're already thinking about changing something you probably know nothing of yet.
You're kind of reminding me of someone I happen to know quite well actually...
This mod community is huge. It's like so many people decided to make NWN they're own. The ticket to themselves. I hope you'll find out why. You sound quite fit to the challenge already...

Oh, before I forgot, take a chair. I write quite too much sometimes.
Actually, I'd better write that warning at the beginning of my posts, wouldn't I, it's got no real use at the end...
Why I never remember this is simply beyond me, and I'm sorry.

Welcome!

Modifié par jmlzemaggo, 24 décembre 2010 - 07:24 .

[bussinrounds]

Good post. I actually got excited when i saw the length of it !!

[jmlzemaggo]

No doubt, you're one of a kind.

Modifié par jmlzemaggo, 24 décembre 2010 - 07:27 .

[NorthWolf]

If you're running a powerful computer, you might consider downloading NWShader or NWNCQ. Both increase Neverwinter Night's visual appeal, assuming you're willing to set them both up properly (neither are terribly complex, but NWShader can confuse you easily). If you intend to play online, you'll probably need the CEP, as well.



Cheers, and enjoy yourself.

[bussinrounds]

NorthWolf wrote...

If you're running a powerful computer, you might consider downloading NWShader or NWNCQ. Both increase Neverwinter Night's visual appeal, assuming you're willing to set them both up properly (neither are terribly complex, but NWShader can confuse you easily). If you intend to play online, you'll probably need the CEP, as well.

Cheers, and enjoy yourself.

   
    hey man thanks for the links great to get some imput.  i am running intel quad core 4 gigs ddr3 ram and a nvidia 1028mb 9500gt.  i am new to this game and the modules i do have some time into using mods with baldurs gate and oblivion but it is much different here.  would u be able to point me to a good guide for a beginner to install the mods that u are talking about? Ii have also been hearing about overrides and .hak files, what are the differences between these and the modules?  know this is getting off topic from the original post and is most likely in a very obvious post but i must have not seen it.

[jmlzemaggo]

Did you take a look at that list I mentionned?
Before going any further...

[NorthWolf]

NWShader is its own unique little gadget. I forget how it installs exactly, but basically you extract it to your /NeverwinterNights/NWN/ folder and then run one of its utilities. The utility will configure things for you, but you can always play around with it (they have some optional shaders, last I checked).

NWNCQ is something you'd want to download as an override, which leads into the explanation of haks vs. overrides.

Haks are probably what you're more accustom to as "mods". They're sort of like Oblivion mods, except instead of the user choosing which ones they want active when they play, a builder chooses which haks a mod uses, then players need to have those haks to play it. Your haks go in your "hak" directory.

Overrides are different. From a player's standpoint they can be used to literally override a file in the game with another file of your choosing. In this way you can change textures, music, etc. for the entire game without actually going in and override core game files. You'd want the NWNCQ override if you're playing modules; it'll make things prettier without you having to do anything more than extract them. They go in your "override" directory.

Careful with overrides; when you install/update/etc. Neverwinter Nights you can often make backups of your overrides. You always want the one named plainly "override".

As for being able to run any of these things, you'd essentially be hitting a fly with a sledgehammer with the PC specs you have, so you'll have absolutely no troubles having your computer run NWN content.

Modifié par NorthWolf, 24 décembre 2010 - 01:22 .

[HipMaestro]

bussinrounds wrote...

Should i even bother with the official campaign, or should i just dive into these amazing sounding modules ?

Also, what are the best cosmetic mods and what fixes am i gonna need ?

I am assuming you have not tried playing any NWN yet but have successfully installed on your machine at this writing.

If this is NOT the case, do so and patch to v1.69 using the critical rebuild for the version of the game you have purchased.

Vista, Win7 and 64-bit OS's have sometimes posed some problems running NWN and may need to be tweaked a bit.  If your installation is trouble-free, grasp your good fortune by the throat and dive in!

I would then recommend at least tasting the OC.  Most of the community content available has its ancestral roots in these modules and you may need some time learning the ropes of NWN's version of D&D before you take the plunge into more challenging adventures elsewhere.  Also, until you become accustomed to installing haks and overrides, it would probably be wise to establish a stable baseline before engaging in the more esoteric aspects of the NWN gaming experience.  This advice is coming from a self-proclaimed neurotic (as others may readily attest to) so digest it with a grain of salt.

It might also be interesting for you to play with the toolset for an hour or two to get a perspective on how the "magic" is created.  Aurora has designed a utility that a novice can jump into without much knowledge and begin creating their own games.  But consider that optional, of course.

Since you haven't mentioned the expansions, if you don't have them, I would place those on the top of my Christmas list since many/most custom content requires them.  If you DO have them installed, you are already ahead of the curve, will hit the ground running and be able to experience even more innovations (not to mention the premium modules, if you have them available in your package).

Once you've become comfortable with single player gaming feel feel to sample all the excellent offerings the on-line community has provided.  And don't be afraid to enlist your RL friends in joining in the fun with you playing NWN!

Happy Holidays and all the best fortune in your NWN experience, my friend!

Modifié par HipMaestro, 24 décembre 2010 - 02:21 .

[CalSailX]

bussinrounds wrote... Should i even bother with the official campaign, or should i just dive into these amazing sounding modules ? Also, what are the best cosmetic mods and what fixes am i gonna need ?

 I'd recommend playing the OC if for any reason, because more then one module you might end up playing from the vault poke fun at some of it's charactors.  Or try to tie up some of the loose ends left in its wake.

[ffbj]

Mp is the name of the game for me. Though I suppose you could play some of the OC in multiplayer. If you are just a single player then by all means play it. I did for a while, though I never finished any of them, got too bored, and discovered mp and building and that was Adios to the OC for me.

[NorthWolf]

Ditto with the above. Neverwinter Nights doesn't feel like a game for single player. Would sooner play Baldur's Gate or Planescape or Dragon Age or something if I was in it for the campaigns.

[NWN DM]

ffbj wrote...

Mp is the name of the game for me. Though I suppose you could play some of the OC in multiplayer. If you are just a single player then by all means play it. I did for a while, though I never finished any of them, got too bored, and discovered mp and building and that was Adios to the OC for me.

Agreed.

[bussinrounds]

Thanks for the replies everyone ! I didn't even know i could play the OC co-op with a friend, (or friends). Does the difficulty ramp up when playing with more ppl, or does it just get easier ? And what would you advise a new NWN player as the first things to do ? Start looking into character builds, or technical stuff like hacks & overrides ? Or just play ?



And, i know theirs THOUSANDS, it's a tough question, and very objective, but what are some of the modules that are considered, the cream of the crop, say ? (especially the classic p&p ones redone ) I'm an old school p&p guy, so ones with that classic d&d feel to them, i would def love.

[NorthWolf]

I think it gets harder with more players, but I forget. If you find it's getting too easy with friends, you could always just increase the game's difficulty to compensate. Failing that, download some custom AI that makes your enemies more intelligent.

Modifié par NorthWolf, 25 décembre 2010 - 11:28 .

[HipMaestro]

bussinrounds wrote...
And what would you advise a new NWN player as the first things to do ? Start looking into character builds, or technical stuff like hacks & overrides ? Or just play ?

PLAY!

And, i know theirs THOUSANDS, it's a tough question, and very objective, but what are some of the modules that are considered, the cream of the crop, say ? (especially the classic p&p ones redone ) I'm an old school p&p guy, so ones with that classic d&d feel to them, i would def love.

Understand that opinions are always based on personal bias so in that case only YOU can decide what is best for yourself.  We can only make suggestions based on own preferences.  Some like getting absorbed in the story, some could care less and revel in H&S aspects and building uber toons.  Some prefer the social aspects, others enjoy making all the decisions themselves.  Diversity is the fruit of the community. Until you begin to sample the game (and the OC is just as good a starting place as any and thoroughly debugged... IMO!), any subsequent decisions like if/when to hak/modify resources, etc.  is totally subjective. 

When you get to the point of boredom, visit the NWVault.  There are ratings assigned and discussions of each submission to help one decide if it is their "cup of tea".

Check jml's list of suggested resources if you have any technical questions about how the basic NWN engine works and to understand NWN's version of D&D which is version 2 rules.

Dive in and break your noobness!  None of us are getting any younger

Modifié par HipMaestro, 25 décembre 2010 - 04:13 .

[jmlzemaggo]

 I am. Every year. 

[bussinrounds]

HipMaestro wrote...

bussinrounds wrote...
And what would you advise a new NWN player as the first things to do ? Start looking into character builds, or technical stuff like hacks & overrides ? Or just play ?

PLAY!

And, i know theirs THOUSANDS, it's a tough question, and very objective, but what are some of the modules that are considered, the cream of the crop, say ? (especially the classic p&p ones redone ) I'm an old school p&p guy, so ones with that classic d&d feel to them, i would def love.

Understand that opinions are always based on personal bias so in that case only YOU can decide what is best for yourself.  We can only make suggestions based on own preferences.  Some like getting absorbed in the story, some could care less and revel in H&S aspects and building uber toons.  Some prefer the social aspects, others enjoy making all the decisions themselves.  Diversity is the fruit of the community. Until you begin to sample the game (and the OC is just as good a starting place as any and thoroughly debugged... IMO!), any subsequent decisions like if/when to hak/modify resources, etc.  is totally subjective. 

When you get to the point of boredom, visit the NWVault.  There are ratings assigned and discussions of each submission to help one decide if it is their "cup of tea".

Check jml's list of suggested resources if you have any technical questions about how the basic NWN engine works and to understand NWN's version of D&D which is version 2 rules.

Dive in and break your noobness!  None of us are getting any younger

I thought NWN was version 3 rules, not 2 ?

[HipMaestro]

bussinrounds wrote...
I thought NWN was version 3 rules, not 2 ?

Right. My bad. It's the 4th edition that stirs the pot more than some would like, not the 3rd.  Nevertheless, NWN runs on a modified version of the rules, which was really my point.  It's not like PnP.

[NorthWolf]

Also, if you're a hardcore D&D player, you might find the main campaign a little too generous with magic items, etc. I personally did, but maybe my dungeon masters just hate me in real life.

Modifié par NorthWolf, 26 décembre 2010 - 01:13 .

[avado]

The only thing the OC was good for, in my opinion, was to learn the keyboard and mouse. It was my first game on a PC so I played the OC one time only to learn the techy stuff. Character building is one thing, though it seems to be a specialized field (alot think they are good, but very few actually are - which is fine, since it takes YEARS to be good at it). Play the game. learn the ropes. If you have already, go online.

[bussinrounds]

HipMaestro wrote...

bussinrounds wrote...
I thought NWN was version 3 rules, not 2 ?

Right. My bad. It's the 4th edition that stirs the pot more than some would like, not the 3rd.  Nevertheless, NWN runs on a modified version of the rules, which was really my point.  It's not like PnP.

But it could be the closest thing you can get to p&p d&d, in a video game though. Especially if your talking about a mp experience, where you can party up with a few friends. And the whole DM thing too, with creating modules and running games, that's crazy. Not that i ever was a p&p DM or anything, but i did have great experiences with d&d because of my DM though.

What exactly does a DM do during the session though ? I thought that's what the cpu is for, to run the game for you ?

And if your playing a mp adventure with friends, say, how does the dialog work ? Whoever initiated the conversation, gets to pick the responses ? I guess ppl talk it over and decide on a response together, if that's the case ?

I know, i should have been into pc games and playing this a LONG time ago, being a lover of d&d. Haha, it really hit me when i looked at the module list sorted by prime materal plane !

And what exactly are the persistent worlds ? I read mabye a paragraph on it, but it sounded like some mmo type thing.

[olivier leroux]

Persistent worlds are multiplayer online environments but not really massively these days. Instead you'll most probably find small but friendly and mature communities. What a PW is totally depends on what its builders envisioned it to be. Some aim at simulating MMO's but most try to do their own thing and not just a few are focused on players roleplaying with other players, sometimes even with DM's moderating and drawing them into group adventures. Contrary to MMO's in PW's the players often have an important impact on gameplay and story.

[SuperFly_2000]

bussinrounds wrote...
But it could be the closest thing you can get to p&p d&d, in a video game though..

Yes it is actually.

bussinrounds wrote...
What exactly does a DM do during the session though ?

Well...the DM client is pretty powerful. The DM can do almost everything...except doing mayor building on the fly. Well actually...with some extra HAK files he can almost do that as well.

Anyway...the most common things you will see DM's doing is taking control of monsters and NPC's....also placing/creating more of them.

Start as a player though...you will have a lot to learn there to start with as well....

bussinrounds wrote...
And if your playing a mp adventure with friends, say, how does the dialog work ? Whoever initiated the conversation, gets to pick the responses ? I guess ppl talk it over and decide on a response together, if that's the case ?

Well...this is the advanced part. There is no game up-to date that has solved that in a good way for what I know.

Anyway...it is all depending on the design of the module you are playing. The OC is probably not the best at this...there are many other modules that better handle multiple players.

Personally I play on persistent world's mostly....where the above could be even more lacking...but a live DM will of course rock your socks....

bussinrounds wrote...
I know, i should have been into pc games and playing this a LONG time ago, being a lover of d&d. Haha, it really hit me when i looked at the module list sorted by prime materal plane !

Yes you should have hehe....damn I thought I was late into NWN about 7 years ago. Anyway...very welcome...there are tens of thousands left of us still...spread out in the NWN universe.... 

bussinrounds wrote...
And what exactly are the persistent worlds ? I read mabye a paragraph on it, but it sounded like some mmo type thing.

Oh man...I should get the nobel prize or something if I answer this in a good way.

Here goes...

Basically that is what multiplayer servers are called in NWN. Actually not the kind of multiplayer that you where thinking but the kind where anyone can log in. It is an open world. Yes...you could say it is like an MMO...only the playstyle that you will find is very different from your standard MMO...

This is like WoW for grown ups...and much more fantasy and roleplay feeling...

...and yes...as you mentioned yourself....this is as close to PnP as you will get on a computer...

Modifié par SuperFly_2000, 27 décembre 2010 - 03:09 .

[avado]

SuperFly_2000 wrote...

Here goes...

Basically that is what multiplayer servers are called in NWN. Actually not the kind of multiplayer that you where thinking but the kind where anyone can log in. It is an open world. Yes...you could say it is like an MMO...only the playstyle that you will find is very different from your standard MMO...

This is like WoW for grown ups...and much more fantasy and roleplay feeling...

...and yes...as you mentioned yourself....this is as close to PnP as you will get on a computer...

You get the award!  LOL

The other thing with PW's, there is no one HOST server for all pws.  Each PW is hosted by someone, like you or me.  Some folks go through ALOT of effort to make you feel at home.  That also means that each PW can play by different rules (using the nwn game as a base). That is what makes it so amazing.  In my mind, the campaigns were only there to show what bioware felt was possible way back in 2004 or something.  Things have changed since then.