Newbie: new modules?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.neverwinter-nights (More info?)

Hi all,
I just finish NW, somehow a little bit dissapointed in how easy it was
to finish the game with a fighter character and a fighter henchman (red
tiger), but still I'd like to explore a little bit more this game.
I've read in this newsgroup about different new modules and
campaigns.... are there free campaigns to download?. If so, how is it
done?. Can I use the character I was using in NW?
I'm not interested in multiplayer games. I rather prefer, if possible,
to download a new campaign and play it without internet conection.
Also, yesterday I had a look at the toolkit for the first time, which
seems to be the tool to create new modules, but I have no idea how to
use it. Any good link for getting some information about what the
toolkit is and how to use it (remember: I'm a complete newbie)?
Thanks in advance

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.neverwinter-nights (More info?)

Sergio wrote:
> Hi all,
> I just finish NW, somehow a little bit dissapointed in how easy it was
> to finish the game with a fighter character and a fighter henchman (red
> tiger), but still I'd like to explore a little bit more this game.
> I've read in this newsgroup about different new modules and
> campaigns.... are there free campaigns to download?. If so, how is it
> done?. Can I use the character I was using in NW?
> I'm not interested in multiplayer games. I rather prefer, if possible,
> to download a new campaign and play it without internet conection.
> Also, yesterday I had a look at the toolkit for the first time, which
> seems to be the tool to create new modules, but I have no idea how to
> use it. Any good link for getting some information about what the
> toolkit is and how to use it (remember: I'm a complete newbie)?
> Thanks in advance

Well, there are the two official expansions, Shadows of Undrentide and
Hordes of the Underdark. There is also nwvault.com, which has tons of
mods to download and play. Just check the recommended starting level of
the character if you want to carry over your OC person.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.neverwinter-nights (More info?)

> Sergio wrote:
>> Hi all,
>> I just finish NW, somehow a little bit dissapointed in how easy it was to
>> finish the game with a fighter character and a fighter henchman (red
>> tiger), but still I'd like to explore a little bit more this game.

As a fighter, remember that your perception is limited. If you build a
character that focuses more on Intelligence, and Wisdom you may be able
(depending on the depth of the module) to perceive things that you would not
be able to otherwise. Also, having high Charisma will open up conversations
differently, much in the same way that a skill like Animal Empathy will
allow you to "talk" to animals that a character without that skill would
just pass by.

Just food for thought.
-Ned

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.neverwinter-nights (More info?)

Ned Flanders wrote:

> As a fighter, remember that your perception is limited. If you build a
> character that focuses more on Intelligence, and Wisdom you may be able
> (depending on the depth of the module) to perceive things that you would not
> be able to otherwise. Also, having high Charisma will open up conversations
> differently, much in the same way that a skill like Animal Empathy will
> allow you to "talk" to animals that a character without that skill would
> just pass by.

All that stuff *can* be true, but the builder would have to specifically
design the mod to take advantage of those things -- like having more
conversation options if you have a higher CHA. Most mods that I know of
aren't that indepth, although there are some more than others that focus
on using skills, like Persuade, Intimidate, etc.

When I finish the mod I'm working on, I might start working on another
one that uses nuances like this extensively. More options based on the
players stats and skills, that's definitely a more fun roleplaying
experience.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.neverwinter-nights (More info?)

I liked playing SOU/HOTU as a ranger - there's quite a bit of extra stuff
for characters with animal empathy though not nearly as much as I'd have
liked. Personally, I'd be really interested in a module such as you
describe. It'd be really great to make the gameplay experience as different
as possible for people with different skills and perceptions - but it sounds
like a LOT of work.

Best wishes
Maxon


"John Salerno" <johnjsal@NOSPAMgmail.com> wrote in message
news:gO2dnfpUGrTs77vfRVn-rw@rcn.net...
> Ned Flanders wrote:
>
> > As a fighter, remember that your perception is limited. If you build a
> > character that focuses more on Intelligence, and Wisdom you may be able
> > (depending on the depth of the module) to perceive things that you would
not
> > be able to otherwise. Also, having high Charisma will open up
conversations
> > differently, much in the same way that a skill like Animal Empathy will
> > allow you to "talk" to animals that a character without that skill would
> > just pass by.
>
> All that stuff *can* be true, but the builder would have to specifically
> design the mod to take advantage of those things -- like having more
> conversation options if you have a higher CHA. Most mods that I know of
> aren't that indepth, although there are some more than others that focus
> on using skills, like Persuade, Intimidate, etc.
>
> When I finish the mod I'm working on, I might start working on another
> one that uses nuances like this extensively. More options based on the
> players stats and skills, that's definitely a more fun roleplaying
> experience.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.neverwinter-nights (More info?)

Maxon wrote:

> liked. Personally, I'd be really interested in a module such as you
> describe. It'd be really great to make the gameplay experience as different
> as possible for people with different skills and perceptions - but it sounds
> like a LOT of work.

Yeah, it definitely is, but I think it would be something that would
interest me enough to do it. One thing I like about the Witch's Wake is
that it uses some stuff like this in the dialogue (Persuade, etc.), and
it shows you the DC and it feels very interactive. It makes since that
you would know the DC, because your character would perceptive enough to
know, at least generally, how hard it might be to persuade a particular
person, or intimidate them, etc. That's meticulous work, but I think
it'd make a great story.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.neverwinter-nights (More info?)

Ah, I DL WW1 ages ago (is that the same as the premium module?) - but I
haven't played it. I'd be interested in writing such a module too but I've
never scripted a thing so p'raps I should stick to writing stories. It's
one of the things that interests me about this type of game - the
possibility of writing interactive stories.

Best wishes
Maxon


"John Salerno" <johnjsal@NOSPAMgmail.com> wrote in message
news:-tednSKNPvVqo7rfRVn-1w@rcn.net...
> Maxon wrote:
>
> > liked. Personally, I'd be really interested in a module such as you
> > describe. It'd be really great to make the gameplay experience as
different
> > as possible for people with different skills and perceptions - but it
sounds
> > like a LOT of work.
>
> Yeah, it definitely is, but I think it would be something that would
> interest me enough to do it. One thing I like about the Witch's Wake is
> that it uses some stuff like this in the dialogue (Persuade, etc.), and
> it shows you the DC and it feels very interactive. It makes since that
> you would know the DC, because your character would perceptive enough to
> know, at least generally, how hard it might be to persuade a particular
> person, or intimidate them, etc. That's meticulous work, but I think
> it'd make a great story.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.neverwinter-nights (More info?)

Maxon wrote:
> Ah, I DL WW1 ages ago (is that the same as the premium module?) - but I
> haven't played it. I'd be interested in writing such a module too but I've
> never scripted a thing so p'raps I should stick to writing stories. It's
> one of the things that interests me about this type of game - the
> possibility of writing interactive stories.

I know that the premium version was overhauled from the earlier version,
so I'm not sure if the WW you have has all of the skill checks, etc.

Btw, about scripting, I started out not knowing a thing either, but I
used Lilac Soul's script generator to get started (which pretty much
writes all scripts for you and all you do is tell it what you want), and
then I started learning scripting on my own. Now I write my own scripts,
and it's a lot easier than I thought, once you get the basics. So don't
let that discourage you.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.neverwinter-nights (More info?)

Uh huh - maybe I should give that a look. I have two discouraging thoughts
about it though. The first is that it's not going to be long before we get
the new game - do we know when the next NWN is going to be released? I
thought it was this year. Anyway, I imagine a lot of people will move on to
that and the game engine will change and it's a whole new scripting language
to learn. And secondly, there's the small matter of the first chapter of my
PhD which needs to be written. I've been assiduously playing games since
Christmas in an effort to avoid it. I'm going to have to do something soon
though and that should take, well, several months. I'm tempted to write a
story but I really should do some work instead. Anyway, from someone like
me it's likely to be very wordy and focussed on being a story whereas most
people seem to like fighting and nothing else. Personally, the fighting
bores me if there's too much and it goes on too long, but that's just me, I
guess. I never even tried the Hardcore setting for the campaigns - "What,
make the fights longer and harder? Puh-lease."

Oh thanks for the info about WW, maybe I'll get the premium version and see
what it's like.

Best wishes
Maxon


"John Salerno" <johnjsal@NOSPAMgmail.com> wrote in message
news:7sqdnYgvmKbZLLXfRVn-gg@rcn.net...
> Maxon wrote:
> > Ah, I DL WW1 ages ago (is that the same as the premium module?) - but I
> > haven't played it. I'd be interested in writing such a module too but
I've
> > never scripted a thing so p'raps I should stick to writing stories.
It's
> > one of the things that interests me about this type of game - the
> > possibility of writing interactive stories.
>
> I know that the premium version was overhauled from the earlier version,
> so I'm not sure if the WW you have has all of the skill checks, etc.
>
> Btw, about scripting, I started out not knowing a thing either, but I
> used Lilac Soul's script generator to get started (which pretty much
> writes all scripts for you and all you do is tell it what you want), and
> then I started learning scripting on my own. Now I write my own scripts,
> and it's a lot easier than I thought, once you get the basics. So don't
> let that discourage you.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.neverwinter-nights (More info?)

Maxon wrote:
> Uh huh - maybe I should give that a look. I have two discouraging thoughts
> about it though. The first is that it's not going to be long before we get
> the new game - do we know when the next NWN is going to be released? I
> thought it was this year. Anyway, I imagine a lot of people will move on to
> that and the game engine will change and it's a whole new scripting language
> to learn.


NWN2 is slated for a 2006 release. Whether that's early, mid or late
2006 is unknown (my bet would be mid or late 2006). The scripting
language will be pretty much the same. The biggest change with be the
graphics engine, which will not be backward-compatible with the Aurora
engine.
--
Barry Scott Will
Pyric RPG Publications
http://www.pyric.com/

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.neverwinter-nights (More info?)

Maxon wrote:
> Uh huh - maybe I should give that a look. I have two discouraging thoughts
> about it though. The first is that it's not going to be long before we get
> the new game - do we know when the next NWN is going to be released? I
> thought it was this year. Anyway, I imagine a lot of people will move on to
> that and the game engine will change and it's a whole new scripting language
> to learn.

I had that same worry too, but like Barry said, the scripting language
won't be completely different. I'm sure there will be a lot more to
learn, but probably most of the existing functions will still be in
place. But even if you don't want to learn it, you can use Lilac's
generator to do all the scripting and you won't need to learn a single
bit of code.


> And secondly, there's the small matter of the first chapter of my
> PhD which needs to be written. I've been assiduously playing games since
> Christmas in an effort to avoid it. I'm going to have to do something soon
> though and that should take, well, several months. I'm tempted to write a
> story but I really should do some work instead. Anyway, from someone like
> me it's likely to be very wordy and focussed on being a story whereas most
> people seem to like fighting and nothing else. Personally, the fighting
> bores me if there's too much and it goes on too long, but that's just me, I
> guess. I never even tried the Hardcore setting for the campaigns - "What,
> make the fights longer and harder? Puh-lease."

Heh heh, I know what you mean. I'm working on my thesis this semester,
so my gaming activity has been put on hold for a bit (although I still
played too much, I think!). And as for writing story-based mods, there
are *a lot* of players out there who like this sort of mod, and prefer
it over hack'n'slash. Some people aren't interested in picking up a
weapon at all (although I think a little fighting helps keep a good pace
in the game), so you'll always have an audience.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.neverwinter-nights (More info?)

Barry Scott Will wrote:
> Maxon wrote:
>
>>Uh huh - maybe I should give that a look. I have two discouraging thoughts
>>about it though. The first is that it's not going to be long before we get
>>the new game - do we know when the next NWN is going to be released? I
>>thought it was this year. Anyway, I imagine a lot of people will move on to
>>that and the game engine will change and it's a whole new scripting language
>>to learn.
>
>
>
> NWN2 is slated for a 2006 release. Whether that's early, mid or late
> 2006 is unknown (my bet would be mid or late 2006). The scripting
> language will be pretty much the same. The biggest change with be the
> graphics engine, which will not be backward-compatible with the Aurora
> engine.

Do we know anything about the graphics engine? I happened to see a video
of Everquest II playing at Best Buy one day, and the graphics looked
great, and I was thinking how awesome that would be if NWN2 looked
something like that. The characters moved so realistically, and you
could see their individual features, muscles, faces, etc. Very fluid, too.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.neverwinter-nights (More info?)

John Salerno wrote:
> Do we know anything about the graphics engine? I happened to see a video
> of Everquest II playing at Best Buy one day, and the graphics looked
> great, and I was thinking how awesome that would be if NWN2 looked
> something like that. The characters moved so realistically, and you
> could see their individual features, muscles, faces, etc. Very fluid, too.


You can peruse the NWN2 boards, which are now hosted at Bioware--even
though Obsidian is still developing the game. The devs aren't saying
much right now, other than they are writing a new graphics engine from
scratch. My guess is we'll see the first bits and pieces at E3 this year.
--
Barry Scott Will
Pyric RPG Publications
http://www.pyric.com/

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.neverwinter-nights (More info?)

OK - maybe I'll see if I can think of a story (all I can think of at the
moment though, when I actually stop to think, is research, but still).
Anyway, thanks everyone for the info. 2006 is a way off yet and it's
interesting to hear about the code not changing all that much. I'll look up
Lilac's generator and have a try at it and see how it works.

Best wishes
Maxon


"John Salerno" <johnjsal@NOSPAMgmail.com> wrote in message
news:ndWdnXk3L_ZOcLTfRVn-2A@rcn.net...
> Maxon wrote:
> > Uh huh - maybe I should give that a look. I have two discouraging
thoughts
> > about it though. The first is that it's not going to be long before we
get
> > the new game - do we know when the next NWN is going to be released? I
> > thought it was this year. Anyway, I imagine a lot of people will move
on to
> > that and the game engine will change and it's a whole new scripting
language
> > to learn.
>
> I had that same worry too, but like Barry said, the scripting language
> won't be completely different. I'm sure there will be a lot more to
> learn, but probably most of the existing functions will still be in
> place. But even if you don't want to learn it, you can use Lilac's
> generator to do all the scripting and you won't need to learn a single
> bit of code.
>
>
> > And secondly, there's the small matter of the first chapter of my
> > PhD which needs to be written. I've been assiduously playing games
since
> > Christmas in an effort to avoid it. I'm going to have to do something
soon
> > though and that should take, well, several months. I'm tempted to write
a
> > story but I really should do some work instead. Anyway, from someone
like
> > me it's likely to be very wordy and focussed on being a story whereas
most
> > people seem to like fighting and nothing else. Personally, the fighting
> > bores me if there's too much and it goes on too long, but that's just
me, I
> > guess. I never even tried the Hardcore setting for the campaigns -
"What,
> > make the fights longer and harder? Puh-lease."
>
> Heh heh, I know what you mean. I'm working on my thesis this semester,
> so my gaming activity has been put on hold for a bit (although I still
> played too much, I think!). And as for writing story-based mods, there
> are *a lot* of players out there who like this sort of mod, and prefer
> it over hack'n'slash. Some people aren't interested in picking up a
> weapon at all (although I think a little fighting helps keep a good pace
> in the game), so you'll always have an audience.