NWN2 - v1.07 "Premonition" Preview

Dhruin

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Rob McGinnis and Nathaniel Chapman have posted a preview and pre-release notes for v1.07 of NWN2, which is apparently so significant they have given it a title: Premonition. This update is essentially the engine improvements for Mask of the Betrayer and the additions and changes are extensive. The post is simply too long to reproduce in whole, so here is part of the intro and a portion of the patch notes:
Update 1.03 saw massive performance improvements, and now Update 1.07 will include a second set of performance optimizations. We’ve worked with the community to improve some of the walkmesh and AI issues with the game, and our dedication to supporting our scriptable, customizable graphical user interface (GUI) has paid off with the community developing UI modifications that allow people to customize the game’s UI to their liking. The DM client you’re getting with this patch is a full featured tool for running multiplayer games. [...]
NEW FEATURES IN PREMONITION

General


Character Mode and Strategy Mode – In advance of the release of the Mask of the Betrayer expansion pack this September, we’ve included one of the major new revisions we’ve made to the camera and control modes. Now, the four camera modes (Top Down, Chase, Driving and Free Camera) have been consolidated into two modes that are more configurable and clearer to use than the old modes – Character Mode and Strategy Mode.

These modes affect both the function of the camera and the controls for each mode, and are designed to be most efficient for the two primary styles of play – controlling a single character, and controlling a full party. Note that while the information given here refers to the default function of each mode, these modes are highly configurable. Please check out all of the options in the newly updated Options Menu. You can toggle which mode you are in by pressing the * key by default.

  • Character Mode: In Character Mode, the camera follows behind and over the shoulder of the currently controlled character. This mode is useful for getting a good look at your surroundings and exploring an area while focused on controlling an individual character. While in Character Mode, by default, holding the Left Mouse Button down and moving the mouse to the left or right will turn the character. You can also turn by moving the mouse to the edge of the screen. Holding down the Middle Mouse Button or pressing the Arrow keys will allow you to rotate the camera around the currently controlled character.
  • Strategy Mode: Strategy Mode is a top down Play Mode that is intended to make controlling a full party easier. This mode is most useful for controlling combat situations involving a full party of characters against a large number of enemies. In Strategy Mode, by default, you can click and drag to select multiple party members. You can rotate the camera either by holding the Middle Mouse Button and moving the mouse, by moving the mouse cursor to the edge of the screen, or by pressing the Arrow Keys.
  • New Options Menu – Patch 1.07 also introduces a new options menu that gives you access to consolidated and clear options for each camera mode, and better organization of the already existing options.
  • Marquee/Multi-Selection Revamp – Marquee and Multi-selection have been dramatically improved to make controlling a full party much easier. You can see the new improvements to Marquee and Multi-selection in the new Strategy Mode.
UI Improvements

  • Party AI On/Off Button – There is now a button on the main game UI, next to the rest button, that will toggle the entire party’s AI on or off.
  • Player Chat List – A list of all players on the server is now available on the Player Menu (the NWN2 “Eye” button in the lower left corner of the screen). You can select any player from this list to send them a tell.
  • "Handles" have been added to the chat windows to allow them to be moved more easily.
  • A logcommands console command has been added that allows you to dump all of the console commands to a text file.
  • Console commands are no longer case sensitive.

Gameplay Improvements

  • Darkvision and Low-light Vision are now modes that can be toggled on or off using the Mode Bar. They also have new visual effects to accompany this change.
  • Bronze Dragon - New Creature! The Bronze Dragon creature has been added to the Toolset, so expect him to show up in new community content as well as Mask of the Betrayer.
  • Stealth Improvements – Some improvements have been made to stealth to make it more effective in a Multiplayer environment. Among these, characters who are hidden will no longer show up when detected by any party member, and hidden characters should be hidden properly regardless of faction.
More information.
 
Joined
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I love big patches. I love patches. I love patches to roleplaying games. I've been waiting for NWN2 to get patched a bit more before even starting it. I think I'm gonna start it after I install this one.
 
Same here :) . Still have the Euro CE sitting here, almost untouched but when this one comes out + MotB, then I think I'm a gonna have an epic NWN 2 run, taking a character plus party through the main game and the expansion all in one fell swoop. Glad they finally got around to finishing the game.
 
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Same here :) . Still have the Euro CE sitting here, almost untouched but when this one comes out + MotB, then I think I'm a gonna have an epic NWN 2 run, taking a character plus party through the main game and the expansion all in one fell swoop. Glad they finally got around to finishing the game.

I too have the euro "chaotic evil" CE waiting on my shelf pretty much untouched.
I did make sure it runs and all but thats about it. Once they release 1.07 I'm gonna
start the OC and play it through in a frenzy.

I have reason to believe that I will like this game. And yeah... I will be getting the mask expansion.
 
It really looks like they've given a lot of attention to the camera, and I couldn't be happier about that. That and the difficulties in managing a party in combat were my two biggest problems with NWN2.

Cool they 'named' their patch. :)
 
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I like the fact that they release add-on content as a patch, to those who do not intend to buy the add-on. All of the changes in this patch, as far as I know, have been developed for Mask of the Betrayer, so it's a nice gesture from Obsidian to release it - far from all developers would do the same.
 
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But Obsidian were beginning to look a bit stingy compared to Bioware who frequently put premium module content into patches. Thankfully they've shown that they have a real desire to be generous.
 
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