Neverwinter Nights 2 (no spoiler thread)

[txa1265]

Just figured I'd start two threads to discuss the game - one for spoiler-based discussion and the other for general spoiler-free chat.

[ToddMcF2002]

Sweet. I'm trying to avoid buying this today. I'm a little under half way through Arx Fatalis and I really want to play through NWN1 Platnium - at least the official campaigns. I got bored somewhere in the 1st chapter but when I finish Arx I'm going back.

[Danicek]

I would say new forum dedicated to this game could be a good idea. Guess, it's time suggest it in the main RPGWatch forum.

[txa1265]

I had actually done the 'pre-sell' at Best Buy on a 'standard' version, but came home with the Limited Edition. So my kids will get the rings, and I get a free feat "Blessed of Waukeen" ... oh, and the cloth map and art book ;)

[ToddMcF2002]

NWN2 is tearing up the review circuit. That's fantastic. Now how the heck can I avoid playing it and ruining NWN1?

[txa1265]

Quit looking.

You have hudreds of hours ahead of you - especially if you dig into the Premium Modules and the (supposed to have been premium) Darkness over Daggerford.

[ToddMcF2002]

Hard not to! Its exciting! The release looks like the polar opposite of this G3 fiasco. And here I was: far more worried for NWN2! The Baldur's comparisons are particularly exciting. Whatever suits decided not to build a BG sequel in an engine at least as powerful as ToEE are complete morons! And look at all the crap they have been funding - like Mage Knight and other would be RPG's. Yawn.

[JDR13]

There's no need to feel like you HAVE to play NWN 1 before you play NWN2. I didn't like NWN at all and I stopped playing it in the first chapter, but I'm definitely going to give NWN 2 a try. Don't force yourself to play a game you don't enjoy just because you want to play the sequel.

Besides, it's not a direct sequel for storyline purposes anyways.

[Corwin]

Until those with all power and authority decide to establish a new forum for NWN, I have made these two topics a 'Sticky'.

[txa1265]

Thanks Corwin - since there are *0* entries in the spoiler thread so far, I don't see the rush for a new forum ;) I've been going to the official forums

[Corwin]

Well, the game doesn't even arrive here till the 16th, so I'd say people like me not yet having the game would stunt the number of posts!! :biggrin:

[Prime Junta]

@ToddMcF2002 -- Arx rocks. It's like a really nice lunch compared to some of the classics that are full banquets... and way better than the fifteen courses of stale bread and wilted salad that is NWN OC.

I say leave NWN for when there's a dry spell with RPG's, and play through the OC at easy difficulty settings (it's not worth doing properly). Hordes of the Underdark is (almost) good enough that it's worth playing through the OC and Shadows of Undrentide just so the background references make sense, even if you just sort of blaze through them.

There's some pretty good community-made content available too. Personally I've liked best the small-scale ones; with limited resources and just one or a few people working on them, the attention to detail is usually so much better than in more ambitious ones. I really liked "Pig Farmer" for example -- just perhaps 3-6 hours of gameplay that gets you from level 1 to level 7, but it's funny, tongue solidly in cheek, has a few interesting gameplay twists, and builds a real mental background to your character. Of the premium modules I've played, I only liked Darkness over Daggerford, and even that was a pretty straightforward quest crawler, although a quite a polished one with a lot of stuff to do.

[Acleacius]

I agree wilth JDR13.
NWN 1 is very boring and actually your better of not playing it, imo.
I suggest playing NWN 2 , then when your boared in 6 months or a year and want a little background you can play. :)
Now the addons are probably a different story. ;)

Btw I played this just in the first area/map and I think I can get into to it, but its very hard coming off G3 and knowing/feeling part of the story, then starting NWN 2 its kinda boring.
I know thats unfair casue its not giving NWN 2 a fair shot, just Gothic is Gothic even it this Beta game state which will proabaly serious damage G3 sales, thanks JoWood u A**hats, its hard to play something else. ;)

So far the most frustrating thing is the Camera, though playing Topdowns I have seen worst. :)
I was glad to see one of the recent reviews talk about how much and how good a sence of humor there is in the game, I was really worried about this after Avalone's interview in late summer.

Playing RPGs I am used to games with out of date graphics but you would figure with Bioware current engine Obsidian could have had better graphics which currently don't seem to match the Specs needed to run the game veruses the grapical output.

Also with Arx I thnk its better than Dark Messiah, well not grapically anyway. ;)

[txa1265]

So far the most frustrating thing is the Camera, though playing Topdowns I have seen worst. :)
Once I found that you could simply change the "CameraFollowAlways=" to "1" in the nwplayer.ini, I have been very happy with the camera.

Also with Arx I thnk its better than Dark Messiah, well not grapically anyway. ;)
Comparing Arx and DM is like comparing Baldur's Gate 2 and Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance on the GBA ... ;)

[Danicek]

Once I found that you could simply change the "CameraFollowAlways=" to "1" in the nwplayer.ini, I have been very happy with the camera.

I don't understand why they did not make it an menu option.

[Corwin]

Despite, (or inspite of) its idiosyncracies, Arx is one of the best RPG's ever made!! The greatest tragedy of RPG gaming in the last year, was not Oblivion, but the fact Arkane did not make Arx 2 rather than DM. Money rules unfortunately!!

[Acleacius]

"Comparing Arx and DM is like comparing Baldur's Gate 2 and Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance on the GBA ... "

Why?
Your analogy doesn't sound right to me.
Arx while much less refined was very involving, Dark Messiah is a very pretty game but very shallow of depth.
Not sure why you find it such an obscure comparison to bring up in thread where we are talking about games Arkane has made and how they compare indepth to NWN 2, seems perfectly normal to me. ;)

[txa1265]

"Comparing Arx and DM is like comparing Baldur's Gate 2 and Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance on the GBA ... "

Why?
Your analogy doesn't sound right to me.
Arx while much less refined was very involving, Dark Messiah is a very pretty game but very shallow of depth.
Not sure why you find it such an obscure comparison to bring up in thread where we are talking about games Arkane has made and how they compare indepth to NWN 2, seems perfectly normal to me. ;)

Yeah, perhaps my analogy is a but funky, but this isn't really an Arkane thread ...
My analogy is that despite having a similarity (developer), bringing Dark Messiah into a RPG discussion is like bringing the little GBA Baldur's Gate into a discussion about how BG2 compares to something.

So my analogy is a bit broken ... sort of like Dark Messiah ;)

[Acleacius]

"Once I found that you could simply change the "CameraFollowAlways=" to "1" in the nwplayer.ini, I have been very happy with the camera."

Its not even in my nwplayer.ini only;
Zoom Speed=3.000000
CameraTurnSpeed=1.000000
Enable ScreenEdgeCameraTurn=1
CameraMode=1

I guess I can safely add it?

"but this isn't really an Arkane thread ."
True and appoligies for posting OT. :)

[txa1265]

"Once I found that you could simply change the "CameraFollowAlways=" to "1" in the nwplayer.ini, I have been very happy with the camera."

Its not even in my nwplayer.ini only;
Zoom Speed=3.000000
CameraTurnSpeed=1.000000
Enable ScreenEdgeCameraTurn=1
CameraMode=1

I guess I can safely add it?

"but this isn't really an Arkane thread ."
True and appoligies for posting OT. :)


Here is the early part of my nwplayer.ini:
[Control Options]
CameraMoveSpeed=4.780000
CameraLagSpeed=1.000000
Enable ScreenEdgeCameraMove=1
Zoom Speed=2.980000
Enable ScreenEdgeCameraTurn=1
[Game Options]
CameraFollowAlways=1
CameraMode=2

As for the Arkane stuff - I wasn't saying OT posting was inappropriate, I was just trying to put my semi-broken analogy into context ;)

[Arma]

I know this is not the proper place to say this, and that many of you may not have played the excellent HeXCoda module for the first NWN, but ... the second part has just been cancelled.

I cannot express with what sadness I read this. The HeX Coda was an excellent piece of fiction, had memorable characters and despite using NWN as an engine, it offered great combat.

Anyone interested can read the script and story for it over at Stefan Gagne's live-journal http://twoflower.livejournal.com/

[txa1265]

Are they planning it for NWN2?

[Arma]

Nope. But you can still read the story over at the above journal.

[Korplem]

Is it just me or is this game annoyingly hard? I have it set on easy and I get wiped out on a regular basis. Sure, I don't make full use of my companions since I don't like to waste time micro managing. I really, honestly, think they added way too much combat for a combat system that just really isnt very entertaining. Sure, back when NWN1 came out it was fun to watch but I think this is sort of ridiculous. I mean, does every room in some random house in the merchant's quarter really need enough githyanki to occupy the city of Neverwinter? I wish I had the time and the patience to play this game on normal difficulty but as it is I just want to experience the story, which I find compelling enough to torture myself with the combat for, not memorize the save/load screen.

/rant

[mute]

I think the game is really hard when the game thinks for you. The AI is stupid and in my opinion worhless. Its alot easier to micromanage.

Try it. Its not that much to do and they are not drinking potions are wasting spells on "wrong" things.

I really don't see why they choose to have the AI on as default. It should be an option to turn it on instead off off, since it let you have the feeling its an action rpg your playing.

And the experience isn't ruined (i think) to micromange. The feeling of playing a true classic is there. Instead.

[Cormac]

I also immediately change the behaviour of every party member so that I control everything. And I'd recommend upping the difficulty to Hardcore, not having friendly fire on when you're tossing area of effect potions and spells at your enemies is just silly.