13 réponses à ce sujet

[Allyahnah]

I've heard really good things about these games. I've never played them, though. I'm thinking about purchasing them as a break from DA every once in awhile.

What can y'all tell me about these games? Should I bother with NWN since I've heard most good things about NWN2? What do you like the best about one or both of these games?

[Mordaedil]

NWN1 is the better game, NWN2 is the better singleplayer game.



NWN1 has way more mods and a few of them are good, NWN2 has few mods, but most of them are good.

[Cuthlan]

NWN1 has more community content and better multiplayer.



NWN2 is better in just about everything else, and it doesn't have lego-block graphics.



If you've never played them, and you're going from Dragon Age, I would suggest just picking up NWN2 as the graphics of NWN1 will be really hard to swallow.

[Sidreus]

My personal opinion: NWN is better than NWN 2 but somehow shows its age so bluntly.



I really liked NWN: OC and Hordes of the Underdark. Sands of Undertide ain't impressive and has the lousy companion selection. Only Deekin saves its face a bit.



NWN 2 has better graphics for sure but I never liked it's story. Storm of Zehir is the worst thing I've ever played under the name of NWN.



I say try both and see yourselves. Different people different tastes after all.



Have fun.

[Seagloom]

It depends on what you're looking for...

Neverwinter Nights Pros
- Tons of mods and custom conent out there for lots of replayability and building.
- Better online multiplayer through several Persistent Worlds (Think of these as miniature MMOs, with or without role-playing.)
- Higher levels (This isn't important to me, but some dislike that NWN2 caps at level 30.)
- Better animation (Despite its overall hideous graphics, spell effects and combat animations are superior in NWN1. Compare the likes of Weird, Wail of the Banshee, and Ice Storm to their NWN2 counterparts. The latter is cringe worthy. Plus, the "dance of death" in NWN1 looks more natural and fluid, whereas in NWN2 everyone fights in melee like they're taking turns.)
- User Friendly toolset (If building an adventure of your own appeals to you, NWN is much easier to dive into. The toolset is very straightforward once you get past an initial learning curve.)

Neverwinter Nights Cons
- Ugly graphics. (This has been covered in above posts. The models are ooogly and the environments are often little better.)
- Limited toolset (That user friendliness comes at a price. Once you get a hang of of the toolset you will find there are certain logical things that should be possible, are not. It's also very hard to avoid similarity in appearances between areas due to its limitations.)
- Terrible single player campaigns (The original Official Campaign is garbage. Character interaction is only above BG1 level. The mediocre story is also stretched out way too long. You'll crawl through more filler dungeons in this game than the next two combined. Shadow of Undrentide is a big improvement, but is short and doesn't leave a strong impression. However, it's the chronological prequel to Hordes of the Underdark, which is the only campaign that feels like it belongs with BioWare's other games.)

Neverwinter Nights 2 Pros
- 3.5e rules (I consider these superior to 3e, which is what NWN1 uses. It isn't a perfect translation, but close enough.)
- Good/great single player campaigns (NWN2's OC is actually fun. Unfortunately it's obvious some areas were rushed towards the endgame, and there is a feeling of cut content here and there. However, it *feels* like a real RPG and not a glorified demo the way NWN1's original campaign does. I enjoyed it despite its numerous flaws. Mask on the Betrayer on the other hand is amazing. Easily the best campaign between both NWN games, and worth picking up NWN2 for alone IMO. Storm of Zehir is hit or miss. You either love or hate it depending on your tastes. On the whole, I feel NWN2 beats its predecessor in the single player department.)
- Overhauled epic rules (I prefer Obsidian's reimagination of these to WotC's version as implemented in NWN1.
- Robust toolset (There is way more you can do with this toolset than NWN1's lego session. Provided you have the time and patience.)
- Better graphics (NWN2 is much more visually appealing than NWN1. I would even go as far as saying it looks better than Dragon Age in many instances, as there are no weird texture issues leading to PS2 quality placeables and terrain tiles.)
- More races, classes, prestige classes, spells and feats (If you're the type that loves building multiple character concepts, NWN2 lets you go crazy. The selection is extremely diverse. Pretty much everything NWN1 had to offer is there, plus more. This changes if you use NWN1's custom content. Namely the PrC. But I'm trying to go with what both games have out of the box.)
- Quickcast menu and hotbars (NWN has ten hotbars as opposed to NWN1's three. If you play spellcasters this is a big deal. There's also a quick cast menu that's very handy if hotbars aren't your thing. Best of all, this UI can be customized with downloads.)

Neverwinter Nights 2 Cons
- Hardware hog (This game runs like a pig if you're not playing on a modern computer. It also doesn't take advantage of multiple cores, which is just crazy considering the ancient NWN *can*.)
- Multiplayer (NWN2 multiplayer is there, but the DM client isn't as user friendly, there are often fewer people online, and there's various issues that make connecting a hassle. Foremost among these is having to download a walkmesh file just to try a custom server out. There is a built-in program now that does this for you, but it's still an extra hassle NWN1 often doesn't have. The main problem is finding a server one likes with a decently sized population, however.)
- Crappy animation (Despite vastly superior graphics, I find many spell effects are either too bland or too distracting. Combat animations are stiff and awkward. As a result NWN2 is much more boring to look at it in a fight, which is sad considering everything else is much prettier than NWN1.)
- Toolset (The learning curve for this is extreme. It can't be helped considering the wealth of options offered through it, but it doesn't change the fact a beginner won't have an easy time of it. As with DA's toolset, you really have to know what you're doing, or be willing to invest time learning it to utilize its potential.)
- Awkward interface (Aside from the hotbars, I found NWN2's interface less intuitive than NWN1's radial menu. It takes a pop up bar selection approach that often feels clunky in the heat of combat, even if you lower its delay time to 0.)

There's my brief overview. Yes, that was brief.

I realize a lot of this is opinion as well. The best thing to do is buy them both if you can afford it. They should be cheap enough now. If you absolutely *must* buy one over the other, I'm fonder of NWN1, but contrary to the rampant criticism NWN2 hs received in the past, I don't think it's a terrible game.

[FollowTheGourd]

Yep, if you choose NWN2, look for the gold edition that includes Mask of the Betrayer or pick it up separately. It's much better than the NWN2 original campaign. You may not like the spirit meter, but it's still worth it. (There might also be some online store version with all three expansions...)

Ossian has a cheap, downloadable adventure pack for NWN2 called Mysteries of Westgate. It's not too shabby either; you might like it.

Modifié par FollowTheGourd, 17 décembre 2009 - 12:52 .

[Seagloom]

Seconded. If you do get NWN2 definitely download Mysteries of Westgate. It's well worth it. Moreso if you're familiar with Forgotten Realms lore.

[Rodro Lliv]

I agree with the last posts. Ossian Studios have done great modules for both NWN1 and 2. You should definitely try them.

[harrykim306]

Both games are good however I prefer NWN2 because of the better graphics gameplay/story and customisation on character and weapons/armour.



However if you are new to NWNs its good to start with the first one as it is a good start to the story and lore of the NWNs uneverse.



If you do deside to get NWN2 get it with Mask of the betrayer and Mysteries of westgate as they are both excellent add ones, and mask of the betrayer continues your main capaigns character.



Also like others have said in their posts avoid Storm of Zehir it really is that bad, its like waking up the next morning to a beatiful woman and finding out she has given you an std.

[Snoteye]

Seagloom wrote...

Neverwinter Nights 2 Cons
- Hardware hog (This game runs like a pig if you're not playing on a modern computer. It also doesn't take advantage of multiple cores, which is just crazy considering the ancient NWN *can*.)

NWN is not multithreaded, and can in rare cases actually be really tricky to get running on a multiple processor/core machine (mostly it works fine, however, and the tech support forum has many work-arounds if you encounter problems). Very few games are multithreaded (is DA even?) because it's very difficult to do specifically with games. NWN2 is indeed a hog, compared to its release date, however.

[Edit]
Also, on Storm of Zehir: What is important to understand is that Mask of the Betrayer is a very traditional RPG (expansion) and one of my personal all-time favourites. SoZ stands in stark contrast by being a very different type of game that does not try to be a traditional RPG; and what it does try to be, it pulls off really well. I bought it mostly to have all the games, well knowing SoZ would never be among my favourite games, but I'm happy to say that I was very pleasantly surprised by the game's overall quality. Where MotB is purely character driven, SoZ isn't in the slightest, and it borrows heavily from other RPG-light games (it is very action/exploration driven). SoZ is a good game; it is not another MotB.

Modifié par Snoteye, 17 décembre 2009 - 03:04 .

[Seagloom]

Ah, I could have sworn I read somewhere that it did. It seems to utilize all my quad core too. Whereas with NWN2 I had to set CPU affinity to avoid odd hiccups. Well, I stand corrected in any case.

I'm not sure if the second paragraph is addressed to me or simply your thoughts on Storm of Zehir, but I will reply to that regardless. I agree that Storm of Zehir does not try to be a traditional RPG as we understand that nowadays. It's clearly a throwback to older RPGs from a bygone age of gaming where exploration, looting, and combat did not play second fiddle to plot and narrative. It's that way right down to creating an entire party from scratch and potentially hiring fairly limited NPCs. Well, limited in comparison to MotB or NWN2. Storm of Zehir gives off a strong Menzoberranzan vibe. I note that game because it's one of the only old D&D PC titles I ever got to play. I was too young to afford a PC during the Gold Box heyday.

Anyway, some players will eat this up. Others will not. Unfortunately I'm in the second camp and find Storm of Zehir inferior to Mask of the Betrayer. I realize they cannot be directly compared due to their different approaches, but Storm of Zehir's style is not what I look for in an RPG. I bought it to keep up with all the servers that would inevitably require it, and because it threw in a few spells and classes I wanted to try out... but that was it. I did like some things about the campaign though. I lurve yuan-ti as villains and was glad to see Chult, an oft overlooked area of Faerûn explored. Although I did miss the lack of couatl and was rather disappointed none of the other snake gods had any real bearing on the plot during a chronological period where there were several of them other than Zehir vying for supremacy.

That said, I would still buy SoZ with NWN2. It is not expensive and offers a few new building and gameplay options even if one does not appreciate the campaign.

Modifié par Seagloom, 17 décembre 2009 - 04:03 .

[Snoteye]

NWN is able to use multiple cores, meaning it may indeed share its load between some or all available cores, but the game wasn't coded for it and the result is that in-game system time isn't synchronized, leading to all sorts of strange behaviours. 1.68 or 1.69 provided an .ini setting for specifying CPU affinity to counter this exact problem by forcing the game to run on only one core. I don't know how NWN2 handles the problem, I've been fortunate enough never to encounter it in either game.

[Edit]
That paragraph was mostly aimed at harrykim306, because I strongly believe SoZ really isn't a bad game -- much like I don't think Football Manager is a bad game even though I wouldn't play it if you paid me to. I, too, find SoZ vastly inferior to MotB because it's not my type of game, but I expected far less than what I got and have no regrets.

Modifié par Snoteye, 17 décembre 2009 - 04:09 .

[Seagloom]

See, that was how I understood it. That it used multiple cores to split the load between them. Whereas NWN2 never utilizes more than one core and can in fact run strangely on such systems. I wasn't aware that NWN1 wasn't coded for it, however. I guess I've been fortunate the game hasn't given me any problems on my current PC so far.

Edit: Gah! I hadn't noticed harrykim306's post before. Your reply makes waaay more sense now. I agree though. I do not believe SoZ is a bad game. Just not to everyone's tastes.

Modifié par Seagloom, 17 décembre 2009 - 04:13 .

[Allyahnah]

Hey y'all! I really appreciate everyone's comments. Thanks!