NWN - Are people here still playing, what's your experiences with it?

[Fyrie]

I just made it to chapter II, and I got it the day the game came out, so that might tell you about my habbits with the game. I would say that it has been a bit tedious and fun at the same time. I have enjoyed it more than any dnd game since Pools of Radiance (the orig).

If only we could take the game engine of Morrowind and put NWN's mechanics and plot into it .

 

[LightPhoenix]

You must have been playing some other NWN than the one I played. Its nothing like what you said. It has excellent depth, few bugs, single char control is super, not "cookie cutter" like at all.
Maybe you didnt put in the time needed to find the extra story lines or something but all in all it is an excellent game

Not to start an argument or anything, but I found the plot to be terribly "cookie cutter" (no spoilers, as some people haven't gotten through Chapter 2), and the side quests often had little to do with the story.

The game IS excellent for what it is - a game creation engine. The game Bioware shipped with NWN isn't near to the quality, IMO, that BG 1 and 2 were. Perhaps I just anticipated too much.

 

[Thanee]

You must have been playing some other NWN than the one I played. Its nothing like what you said. It has excellent depth, few bugs, single char control is super, not "cookie cutter" like at all.
Maybe you didnt put in the time needed to find the extra story lines or something but all in all it is an excellent game

Eh, you sure you quoted the right one?

Bye
Thanee

 

[Frosty]

My computer took a dive in to hell last night so I'm afraid that both playing NWN and building the second part in my Black Isle-series is out of the question for the time being. I enjoyed NWN a lot but perhaps it's beginning to wear off now. If my hard drive is destroyed I won't have the energy to rewrite all the stuff I've already made. *sigh*

Perhaps I'll become a Luddite instead.

 

[Balsamic Dragon]

SPOILERS!!!!























I did indeed do many of the subplots. From what I can remember:

Chapter 1:
(Main plot) Get four parts of cure, bring em back.
(Thief) Steal three art objects, bring em back.
(Mage) Get four components, bring em back.
(Cleric) Find four tombs w/ stuff, bring em back.
(NPCs) Get one item in each chapter that NPC wants.

Chapter 2 (as far as I got):
(Main plot) Get four pieces of evidence, bring em back.
(Werewolf) Find four werewolves and kill them, come back for reward.
(Bounty) Find four criminals and kill them, come back for reward.
(Books) Find four magic books, bring em back.
(Gems) Find four special gems, bring em back.

There were a few more interesting subplots, usually along the lines of "rescue this person from the dungeon," but can you see my overall problem?

Balsamic Dragon

 

[WizarDru]

There were a few more interesting subplots, usually along the lines of "rescue this person from the dungeon," but can you see my overall problem?

I agree that some of the quests are repetitive. I also hasten to point out that you seem to have taken a sledgehammer to all the quests. The werewolves, for example, could be saved, not killed. You missed many sidequests that were more interesting, IMHO.

The thing I like about the main campaign is that it plays differently depending on your character or party. Playing as a half-orc monk, I got different quests and different reactions than when I played a half-elf paladin or human CLR/SOR. Some quests can't even be started without a good Persuade skill or Insight ability, and some characters will only share information with the right type of PC.

I also hasten to add that playing as a group is more of the focus of NWN than playing solo, and that just like pen-and-paper D&D, the right group makes the game. Playing with a group who wants to play Diablo II, 3E style, is going to color your perceptions. A good module, particularly with a good DM, is a lot of fun. YMMV. However, if you were expecting Baldur's Gate 3D, then you will surely be disappointed, as it's a different kind of game.

I eagerly await the arrival of the next generation of community-driven modules, as the serious designers get their hands in. Already we have the HCR set (for Hard Core Ruleset) designed to better emulate 3E. People are scripting significant changes to the game with each new module, such as NPCs getting angry at the 'home invasion' strategy so common in CRPGs, XP for rogues doing roguish things, complicated stories, and so on.

It's fair to say that the main campaign's primary mechanic is somewhat limited. It won't be to everyone's taste. But I suspect that more complex and more diverse games are coming, and hosted RPGs with an emphasis on actual RPing are there, if you look for them.

 

[Henry]

I've been downloading modules like a freak. Some of the home-grown modules are getting quite good, and some are giving me very fond trips down memory lane.

One I can HIGHLY recommend is shadowraven's keep on the borderlands. It does not violate any intellectual property, as it is his own inspired version of the B2 module concept, and he has been doing exceelent things to give much "roleplay" and problem solving, as well as interesting things to kill. Of the sea of 10-minute modules, shadoraven is working on a true gem.

Of course, I could recommend some others, but I don't want anyone to get upset with me recommending modules that are completely based on previosu games and direct module translations. Neverwinter vault has the better story for you.

 

[Bagpuss]

SPOILERS!!!!








Chapter 2 (as far as I got):
(Werewolf) Find four werewolves and kill them, come back for reward.
(Bounty) Find four criminals and kill them, come back for reward.

There were a few more interesting subplots, usually along the lines of "rescue this person from the dungeon," but can you see my overall problem?

Balsamic Dragon

Not only did you not need to kill the werewolves you didn't need to kill all the criminals either. I found most of the quests had atleast one other way you could approach them. Especially if you had a high charisma / persuade.

 

[Bagpuss]

My computer took a dive in to hell last night so I'm afraid that both playing NWN and building the second part in my Black Isle-series is out of the question for the time being. I enjoyed NWN a lot but perhaps it's beginning to wear off now. If my hard drive is destroyed I won't have the energy to rewrite all the stuff I've already made. *sigh*

Perhaps I'll become a Luddite instead.

Be a sad lost to the NWN community I really like the first Black Isle adventure you did.

 

[jester47]

The thing that messed with me the most about the solo game was that I couldn't die. There was no game over. However, I then realised that the solo game is not really a solo adventure. It is a showcase of how you can use the engine. What I did while I was running it was look at somthing in the game and then go try to replicate it in the engine.

The problem that I found was that it took a long time to put somthing together that actually was worth anything role playing wise. Time was the issue, and I really did not have much of it.

My conclusion is similar to Ryan Dancy's: that there wil be a talented few that can write and make very cool modules, while most others will turn out a lot of boreing stuff.

Aaron.