Just got MotB… and it didn't install correctly
 

I just got MotB and installed it on top of NWN v1.10; I patched it using the "offline" technique yesterday.

The result is that the game starts up fine with the fancy new artwork — but all MotB-specific text fields are blank: "CAMPAIGN NAME NOT SET" in the "New campaign" screen, empty fields and descriptions for the new races in character creation, and so on.

I'm uninstalling NWN2 now; going to try running a fresh install from the original media to see whether that helps.

Game's always been a bit of a patching disaster. Like not putting all the patch data from old patches on the auto-patcher and having to go on-line and find the first 4 or so patches to get the full versions - then patch the game off-line with them.

Well, uninstalling, installing from the original DVD, installing MotB on top of that, and running the autopatcher did the trick. Up and running, dungeon-crawling with the best of 'em (or, at least, a very suspicious female wizard, a larcenous homunculus, a golem, and something that looks like a frozen tornado).

Now, if I can only figure out how to get the camera to rotate like I want to when in strategic camera mode…

So all you do in MotB is fight, just like the original game? :(

Übereil

I'm interested to see what they did to the renderer. I'm playing PS:T atm though so I'm in no rush for MotB.

Did someone break 'street date' or is it actually out early in your 'undisclosed country'? Heck I don't even have my review copy yet!

Well, I'm all of fifteen minutes into it. So far I've met about a dozen thingies that look sort of like earth elementals and a bunch of translucent wolf-like things. Hitting them with pointed sticks appears to work well. There's also been some talking, and even a voiceover narrator thing going on.

IOW, just like NWN2, only more so. Thus far. All the fifteen minutes of it.

I picked up mine at a local EB-Games in my undisclosed country. I don't know if it was legit or not, but it was on the shelf, I picked one up, forked over the cash, and walked off with it, so AFAIK I didn't do anything naughty.

I wasn't accusing *you* of doing anything naughty - but it was headline news when some stores were selling Halo 3 when they got it rather than when they were *supposed* to sell it … and since some of my review stuff is for a UK based site I tend to track releases through ToTheGame as well as local stuff. So I was surprised is all.

The word is it's out in Europe—I'll go ahead and post it on the news page.
from NWN2Vault:

@Prime Junta: are you using a saved character from the original, or starting with a new one? If new, was it by choice or because of patch incompatibility?

Neener neener. :p

I played a bit more. Hit more spectral beasties with pointy objects, sold some lewt, and eventually discovered a rustic out-of-the-way village with a couple of merchants inexplicably stocking +6 Keen Longsword Of Instant Deaths at 357,455 gold pieces a pop (10% discount for bulk orders).

There was also another merchant complaining about being dirt poor and having a broken nag too weak to pull his tottering cart out of the ditch, but who didn't have any trouble coming up with 55,475 GP (cash) to pay for some +5 Keen Rapiers of Instant Elemental Destructions I dug out of a pit by the road.

Can't complain about the loot anyway.

IOW, good clean epic D&D fun.

Yep - saw the news in multiple places … I had been going on this:
… oh well … now I am wondering where *mine* is …

Come to think of it, where do they keep all those coins? If I got my 'rithmetic right, 55,475 half-ounce coins would weigh a bit short of a metric ton.

Oh well, back to the game, I guess.

I have the game as well, been playing for quite some time now. All in all it's an improved version of NWN2, still with a bit clumsy combat and controls, but with much better writing - the NPCs are more interesting, the story as a whole feels more personal. In fact, the story feels sort of PS:T-ish, and it's obvious that quite a few elements are inspired by PS:T (same writer, so not a big surprise).

All in all I have to say it's quite an add-on, tons of content for an expansion pack, and it makes the game feel a whole lot smoother. In a way, it does do NWN2 what Notr did to G2.

My favourite NPC so far is Fall-From-Grace, oh, I mean Kaelyn the Dove. :)

Haven't checked the availability 'Down Under', usually depends on which version we're getting!!

Mine left the UK two days ago. Should be here by Tuesday.

I'm guessing the reason for the patch/addon problem is that you didn't need to patch - v1.10 is for vanilla NWN2 and the addon already has the "v1.10" stuff. Of course, it still should have played nicely but for those getting the addon straight away, don't bother patching yet.

Well, I happened to check my mailroom on my way out and had a surprise … now I'm not sure if I dare install it as it is my wife's birthday weekend ;)

My copy should arrive from the UK some time next week. Normally I'd just wait, but if it's really not coming out untill the 19th, then it'll be too frustrating hearing about otehr people playing it but having to wait 3 weeks.

Since I'm still heavily involved with Two Worlds, there's no rush for me. I'll get it as soon as it appears on a shelf!!

Played some more now, well into chapter 2. So far, so good, solid story and great NPCs. They really went all out in trying to make interesting NPCs, there's not a single one of them that's even remotely normal.

Small spoiler/advice:
I'd start as a tank type of class, since the first tank NPC is rather hard to get in the beginning, meaning you have to do quite a bit of fighting with nothing but casters. A solid tank is available, and isn't too hard to get once you know how, but during the first playthrough it will probably take 5-10 hours to get him.

Both. I usually play complex games like this by doing a couple of "false starts" to get a feel for how it plays; only then do I actually settle down with a character and play it through properly. I started out with my NWN2 character (a fighter/weapon master), then I tried it out with a couple of new characters. I'll probably give it a couple more shots.

Technically, both worked fine. My saved character started out with everything she was wearing but no weapon or other items; the first area is pretty richly lewt-laden though so there's no huge advantage to it.

I like it better than the OC so far. The writing is distinctly better and there appears to be more genuine choice and more unusual stuff going on… and yeah, it does have a distinctly Planescape-y feel, only with the very "spirited" Rashemen feel. I like it; it gives a surprisingly different feel from the usual elves-and-dwarves-and-oh-my generic pseudo-medieval fantasy thing.