To hak or not to hak?

[Legacy_Estelindis]

               

Knight_Shield wrote...
Seem to me they should have one commity to allow material to be added and with optional update buttons .Like option heads *push this button* so on.

One "commity" - do you mean one community?  One committee?  Either way, that's easier said than done.  To use the example you mentioned: there are only so many head "slots" in the game - 255, to be precise.  And, of those, only 50 show up in both the toolset and character generation.  Roughly 100 are chargen only, and roughly another 100 are toolset only.  Given the huge quantity of heads out there, who decides which heads make the cut?  It's not just a question of quality, but also one of flavour.  Some heads are excellent but more suited to a sci-fi or modern setting, and not everyone will want those heads to be available in their fantasy modules.  So, respectfully, although I can understand why you wouldn't know all this (you already said the technical details are somewhat mysterious to you), I don't think that would work.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_C Writer]

               When it comes to whether or not a module you have made should require hak paks, I think it really depends. Does the content provided make much of a difference in your module? How large is the hak pak? I've never had a problem with downloading a hak pak to play a module, but if the hak pak is larger than the module itself and the module could be just as good without it, then I see why someone would question its usage. Just be sure that whenever you do use hak paks that you've downloaded, make sure that they are either 1.69 compatible (assuming you have it) or that they don't contain any content (such as loadscreens) that may override content that pre-exists. This may also involve merging similar haks together early (as in some time before the module is complete fit for playing).



So, in short, if you know what you're doing and the content will make a difference (which in most cases, it definetely does), go for it.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Jared_704]

               I enjoy haks in PW's and I don't mind having to download a couple to play the game, within reason of course. If I have to download 20 separate haks I will most likely stay away. That being said, when I was a new player 5 years ago or so I had no idea that the vault existed or what haks were so when I tried playing online for the first time I couldn't join many worlds and only played the ones that had no custom content. So as a veteran player haks don't bother me at all and I enjoy them quite a bit, but when I was a newbie the haks would prevent me trying a world at all. Something to consider I suppose.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Darkfire_Avlis]

               All the custom content Haks can offer is well worth the effort you have to put to download them. I can't say what it was like for me to start NWN without haks, then discover a server with haks. I was introduced to the PW I play on at the same time I was introduced to NWN, so I went straight into it with expectations.



Though after having done lots of NWN installs, transferring haks over LAN or DVD to friends, reDLing individually, etc...  having an installer that does it for you is ten times as convenient.



I can definitely see how it would be discouraging though, especially on Dial-up. Ugh.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Estelindis]

               

C Writer wrote...
I've never had a problem with downloading a hak pak to play a module, but if the hak pak is larger than the module itself and the module could be just as good without it, then I see why someone would question its usage.

The trouble is, unless your models use Bioware textures that are already in the game, your hakpak will almost always have a larger download size than your module.  (Assuming the hak isn't just a few 2da overrides and actually introduces original models, that is.)  This is because modules compress *exceedingly* efficiently compared to textures.  So, even if your module and your hak are the same size to begin with, the module will still be a much smaller download.

Darkfire_Avlis wrote...
I can definitely see how it would be discouraging though, especially on Dial-up. Ugh.

Indeed.  With this in mind, I always try to minimise the size of my haks.  (Just because it may be difficult to impossible to make it smaller than the module doesn't mean that one should take no care with the size at all.)
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Just a ghost]

               I can give you a few experiences from a server that "caters for the masses". I don't think that's a policy to be ashamed of, by the way. I personally get more satisfaction from a compromise that gets me 100 people playing than a dogmatic approach that leaves me with an empty server. To each his/her own, of course. It's what I like most about NWN; you can let a thousand flowers blossom without getting shot.

Anyway.

The PW I am talking about (Amia) used to have a "no hak even if the world goes down in flames" policy. I don't fancy dogmatic thinking, so at the end of last year I polled the players and staff to see if we could go with a hak after all, and what people would be willing to download. After quite a bit of discussion (some people don't like any changes or are afraid of everything that can go wrong) we decided that I could have a go at it if I would:

* not take CEP (too big, and I don't like the quantity > quality approach)
* stick with a 75-100 MB download size
* divide new contents in about 50% tiles, 25% critters/PLCs, and 25% items/clothing
* limit updates as much as possible
* monitor impact on our community and remove the haks if it would be too much

So, I did (after polling the players again with the final idea).

Here comes the warning: making a hak pack like that yourself is a huge undertaking. I selected original materials as much as possible, imported some stuff from CEP and Q, and generally did anything possible to keep the size down. It took about 3 months of hard work, took a physical toll (dragging around items every evening gives you a stiff neck, dead arms, burning eyes, headache, etc), but now I have a hak that has most of the stuff I'd like to use (Worm's forest not, alas, it's just too big).

A job like this has bugs in it. You can do what you want, there will be bugs. So, I divided most of the resources over three big haks (you need to keep below 16K objects in a hak, and smaller haks compress better) and one top hak that only contained the 2da, set, ipl, and that kind of data files. I used that one to include overrides for broken stuff. We updated that 4 or 5 times since the hak went in and it's not too much of a bother to download a 1.5 MB (zipped) hak. We're doing a bigger update now, however, and that will force our players to download the whole lot again. Alas, you sometimes have to clean up and a new set of clothing will be a good bribe.

Now for the impact. The effect of the HAK on the amount of new players coming in was simply dramatic: half of what it used to be as so-so times. However, it didn't seem to have a lot of effect on the actual activity on the server. I think this happens because many people log in, look at the entry, log out and are never seen again. It seems to me that this group of players is gone. Incidentally the number of bans for "log in naked with hacked character" behaviour has been close to zero since the hak went in as well. I polled it and the overwhelming answer was: stick with the hak.

Check the image below for the data. Mind that the big drop at new year is caused by the week being chopped in two. The hak went in at the end of week 4.



This pattern continued. Incoming players is still about 60% of what it used to be, used accounts and hours stay the same (compared to the same weeks last year). I tried to minimise this by making our website more inviting to new players and adding clear instructions how to deal with a hak. I also offer it in different packages (from 10 part archive for people with lousy connections to a full installer for lazy people with Windows XP).

Anyway, people are really happy with the pack now, and the dissenting voices had to admit they were wrong about the server going to hell. I do think that has a lot to do with the effort I put into it and the way I dealt with the people involved. I wanted tilesets and PLCs, but I also know that to get something you have to give something too. So, there's a nice selection of new clothing because most players lke that. There's also a set of new critters, because DMs like that. It's pure bribery, but I admitted that straight away.

Anyway, that's how the unthinkable happened and Amia got a hak. I hope this info can help you with your decision.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Just a ghost, 25 août 2010 - 09:19 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Genisys]

               My final suggestion would follow along the lines of some other poster's comments..



Do make ONE download for ALL of the haks you want to use, and DO make it an executable file to automatically update their hak folder with your haks..  This will ensure ease of players wanting to come to your server module, and finally DO REMEMBER TO POST A LINK IN YOUR SERVER DESCRIPTION!!
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Urk]

               HAK! HAK! HAK! HAK! HAK!

I can't imagine building without the CEP or the classic Dungeon tileset any more. And I'll occasionally add other haks as the game requires.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Urk, 29 août 2010 - 05:03 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_kenween]

               don't like hak paks much. they are easy to install but they tend to make the game feel sluggish for me. nice eye candy though. i much prefer NWN CQ 1.3 :-



http://nwvault.ign.c....Detail&id=7848

This is a great upgrade to NWN's gfx which can be installed without needing to download any hakpaks. It works with all servers so it auto upgrades even older format servers.