My Neverwinter Nights 2 Project: The Whispers of War

I don't think you'd need to gut it too much, just write some wizards that automate the process some. Remember that the more detail the end user can control perforce the more time it takes to draw something.

But that's the problem with NWN1 over NWN2. It's also one of the big reasons there are so few NWN2 modules that have been released:

It takes too freaking long to build these maps.

NWN1's use of tiles allowed anybody to go in there and make something reasonably cool (in terms of a map) in about 10-20 minutes.

I've used NWN1's toolset for on the fly map making during game sessions for use with a projector - and I can do it in about 3 minutes.

Tiles are great for some purposes. Don't underestimate their utility.

That ease of use is the sort of tool that will find widespread use among gamers. While the ability to endlessly tweak a map is nice, you need to be able to give people the tools to make a GOOD map in 30 minutes.

Dundjinni takes too long - far too long. A great map in the program is a 6-8 hour exercise. CCPro3 and DD Pro 3 take forever to learn and at the dungeon scale, they look cartoony and pretty damn crappy too - and they take a long time to build too.

To be useful, a modern 3d map making program needs, in my view, to offer amazing output, giving non-artists the tools to create maps using shadows and shading - and be able to do that in a VERY short period of time. For that, you need to make all these tools far easier to use and to bury the tweak and by pixel height map adjustment. Sure, a few users might use it and that's fine - but for the mainstream? They want ease of use.

I'm not going to argue those points, it's a classic conundrum for programmers - power vs. flexibility. But these issues are a little bit off topic for the thread, which about creating a module from scratch. Then again, no one has joined in on that original conversation so hmm..

Here are some of the areas I've mapped out or plan to map within the week (I have Lochshire and Sondol's Ford done so far.

And a bump. Any character ideas for companions?

What kind of ideas are you looking for? Basic personality sketches and plot/quest ideas, I'm guessing? How much information are you looking for, and how technical? Would the NPC creator be responsible for all aspects involving that particular NPC? I'm guessing the answer is "as much as they want" but I'm just trying to make sure what you're looking for.

The answer is as much as they want to be involved. If you guys just want to pitch out a personality sketch that's fine. If you want to get into the toolset and write every single dialog script of the NPC in question that's fine too.

Started a post game of sorts here. to draft out one of the first conversations in this game. See how it goes.

Opening plot hook #1 for characters coming out of the Green Gables. From the game start the player is instructed to do the morning rounds - waking up clients who have asked to be woken up. Player character finds one of them, a dwarf, dead. Dead dwarf turns out to be the mayor of Vesper. Thoughts?

That sounds kind of interesting...