NWN GUI

[Legacy_cliff_g]

               I just stepped back from NWN2 to NWN1 HotU as I never completed the expansions.  One thing NWN2 has spoiled me on is, when playing a caster, the GUI can be modified for extra hotbars making spell access quick and easy.  Is there any way to do something similar in NWN1?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_HipMaestro]

               How many hotbars would you prefer? 3x12 slots seems like plenty to me but perhaps I have just gotten accustomed to it.  Dunno. I play lots and lots of casters/pseudo-casters and it never seemed to be an issue. There are also sequencer items made available (like in HotU) that casts a few spells at one time with a single click.

edit: Oh, yeah, I also remember downloading a fastcast rod (IIRC it was an erf) from the Vault that works like a sequencer but I believe it was set up for fast multi-buffing in a single click.  You would need to import it into each module, however.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par HipMaestro, 25 janvier 2011 - 11:12 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Frith5]

               The NWN2 Quickcast bar is a great thing, no doubt. And the moddable GUI is cool too.



For NWN, I'd forgo the GUI and use scripting instead. One could have a chat-based script for casters that really rocked, I bet.

!cast <spell> to cast by name? You could also specify a target: !cast <spell> <target>, and could choose to convert to healing spells maybe? !conv <spellname> heal could convert the memmed spell to the appropriate heal spell, and auto cast it.

To make it faster, you could implement shortcut names for a spell, letting the caster specify the alias:

!alias Cure Light Wounds clw would set the string clw to equal Cure Light Wounds, when used in the casting command, etc.

Meh, just brainstorming.



JFK

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_olivier leroux]

               The limited hotbar slots in NWN have always been an issue for me too when playing a high-level caster. Unfortunately, to my knowledge there is no way you can add extra GUI elements in NWN.

There are a few custom items on the Vault that work like sequencers and allow you to quickcast stored spells which can be set, for example, via a conversation and cast all at once by using the item's unique property. That way you could at least keep most of the buffing spells from the hotbar and regain a few free slots. But using these items often requires you to make a few modifications to the module you play (like importing the item's script with the toolset and ensure that tag-based scripting is enabled).
               
               

               

                     Modifié par olivier leroux, 25 janvier 2011 - 11:38 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_jmlzemaggo]

               I remember reading some about special keyboards with extra lines of slots?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Shadooow]

               

HipMaestro wrote...

How many hotbars would you prefer? 3x12 slots seems like plenty to me but perhaps I have just gotten accustomed to it.

If you play sorcerrer it may be enough, but even with sorcerrer I often need at least 4 slots for different items for easy and quick swap for situations (got for example amulet with +4 con, and +7 all saves and ring of regeneration +2 and ring with dex which gives me +1ac, normally wear con/regen but for pvp I must swap to saves/dex) and one slot for potion of Heal. With spellsword build or wizard this is absolutely deficient.

A good practise is to have only descending buffs like Premonition/(Greater) Stoneskin/Elemental protections/Spell mantle in quick-slots, and cast the rest of them via radial menu either via mouse or numlock shortcuts. If you play with one character most of the time, you can learn this and set up buffing sequence in few seconds (like me haha). However, sorcerrer must have in quick-slot also any buff that he want to cast with metamagic like extended elemental shield. Because unlike wizard he must look for it into sorcerrer - metamagic - extended - radial menu which is too hard in a middle of the combat.

Epic spells EMA/Warding are easy to found on radial menu, but beware, if you do not put warding into quick-slot and then you polymorph via spell, you won't be able to cast it through radial, so if you are using polymorph tactic, this might be important to have on quick-slot.

Offensive spells must be on quickslots, and wizard often must change few the quickslots, when he must memorise different spells. Which is quite annoying.

jmlzemaggo wrote...

I remember reading some about special keyboards with extra lines of slots?

Yeah for example Logitech G11 and its higher versions have special makro keys (18 keys with 3 memory sets) that can be programmed to press sequence of keys. I own this keyboard and I tried this feature, but it is not so great, because it can only cast spell through radial menu using numlock keys.

But these keys do not always refer to the same spell. Well yes for sorcerrer, but wizard, if he change his spell selection, than 1. spell from 7,8,9 spelllevels may be something different than IGMS which it was in the time you set up that key...

With so much keyboard slots, I guess it is possible to make it somehow, but yet myself couldn't managed a higher sense into it, atm using this macro for 3 spells, which are metamagic adjusted so I can always "reach" them on the first position in metamagic radial menu.

Anyway, to be able to cast it I must click right mouse to my target first, and only then press the macro button which then press numeric keys and choose the spell from radial. (and this make a light graphic lag btw)

I guess that some mouse (Logitech G9) can do macros too (and better). I think some players on Bastions of War had this, how else to explain how they could set twenty ice storms on me, when I showed only for three seconds?
               
               

               

                     Modifié par ShaDoOoW, 26 janvier 2011 - 06:24 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_jmlzemaggo]

               I never have enough slots, even for a fighter.

So I only use the higher spells I'm getting, and rest a lot.

But I only play sissy NWN, the single player one.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_HipMaestro]

               I pretty much use ShaDoOoW's method for all my casters, queueing all the long-term buffs via radial and leaving the quickslots for the shorter-term buffs like damage shields and offensive spells.  If I have summons or allies I open up inventory and start dropping pots on them so no need for quickslot there.  Although I do use spell-empowered items on occasion, those take up way too much space and I prefer not to go that way if avoidable (via wands/scrolls/potions).  Now THAT would be a good use of another dedicated hotbar specifically for item swapping.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Shia Luck]

               

ShaDoOoW wrote...

A good practise is to have only descending buffs like Premonition/(Greater) Stoneskin/Elemental protections/Spell mantle in quick-slots, and cast the rest of them via radial menu either via mouse or numlock shortcuts. If you play with one character most of the time, you can learn this and set up buffing sequence in few seconds (like me haha). However, sorcerrer must have in quick-slot also any buff that he want to cast with metamagic like extended elemental shield.

Wow, i think I have maybe 3-4 slots with my sorceresses that are not offensive spells, usually for stealth or divine might  or called shot or whatever her multiclass thingies are.... buffs I just do with numberpad.

(EDIT: Or I did, Now I am away and on a laptop and yes... total pita with a mouse.... tho I also get awful nbet connections ... Hence I am playing DA *laughing*)

jmlzemaggo wrote...

I remember reading some about special keyboards with extra lines of slots?

Yeah for example Logitech G11 and its higher versions have special makro keys (18 keys with 3 memory sets) that can be programmed to press sequence of keys. I own this keyboard and I tried this feature, but it is not so great, because it can only cast spell through radial menu using numlock keys.[/quote]

Wonderul keyboard (tho mine died and G11 is very hard to find now. All the others have fewer macro keys). I mostly used it for buffing online... 1 key-touch for long term buffing? 1 for the short term? Heaven!!   .. Can be used for feat activation too.

ShaDoOoW wrote...
Anyway, to be able to cast it I must click right mouse to my target first, and only then press the macro button which then press numeric keys and choose the spell from radial. (and this make a light graphic lag btw)

Keep it for buffs, no? 0 on the numberpad targets yourself, so program that into the macro key first. You will at least gain the slots you were using for prem/stoneskin etc and can put the offensive spells in those, no? 

... still no way ever enough slots for a wizard *grin* ...

Sooooo, hmmm, useful advice for the OP? Play a wiz like a sorc with multiple of the same type of offensive spells if you play online *grin*

Have fun '>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Shia Luck, 27 janvier 2011 - 12:12 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Shadooow]

               

Shia Luck wrote...

Keep it for buffs, no? 0 on the numberpad targets yourself, so program that into the macro key first. You will at least gain the slots you were using for prem/stoneskin etc and can put the offensive spells in those, no?

These macros do not work for wizard's selfbuffs very well (for sorcerrer, its fine). First as wizard I have the position of my buffs always different and then the macro do not work (there is offensive spell on the position) or cast something else. Not to mention, that if you use macro for selfbuff, it will throw off your cursor. So for example, if you want like me to cast True Strike and then immediately attack an enemy, with quick/slot it is pretty simple, you will position your cursor to the enemy and then you press F3 or whatever, and then you click on enemy.

However if you do that with macro, the cursor jumps in the corner which is annoying.

And unfortunately, it don't work with offensive spells if you start the macro with 0.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par ShaDoOoW, 27 janvier 2011 - 07:43 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_MrZork]

               IMO, the lack of sufficient quickslots is easily the biggest GUI issue for playing a wizard. I am usually okay until somewhere between levels 9 and 11. Then, lack of ability to reliably get to spells during combat becomes a game-changing factor. (And, of course, I already have no slots allotted to long-term buffs that I want before every fight; just offensive spells and shorter-term buffs.) Me and a friend are going through SoU and HotU (2nd time for me, 1st for her) and I was really tempted to play a sorcerer for the sole reason of insufficient quickslots for wizards.

And, unfortunately, it really changes the way a wizard is played in any non-pause-mode situation (e.g. almost any multiplayer). It becomes a temptation to forgo the wide variety of spells that make wizards more versatile than sorcerers because it is such a pain to clear and re-assign quickslots for spells I might want to change around and then hope I can remember where they are during the heat of battle. For example, if I know we are going up against the Lich King, I am not going to bother memorizing any normal death spells (Wail, Finger of Death, etc.) and I will probably use those slots for spells like Undeath to Death, Sunburst, etc. and variations of same with metamagic. Hopefully, I can remember where those are during combat. But, in most situations, I don't know what we will be facing ahead of time, so I like to keep a variety of spells memorized. And that, to me, is a big part of what playing a wizard is about. He may not be the best damage spell spammer (sorcerer); he may not be the best melee buffer (cleric); and so on. But, he can be ready with the widest variety of spells. But, the quickslot problem makes it a temptation to stick to a relatively small standard list of spells because I know where they are and I won't be frustrated by clumsy radial-menu miscasts during combat.

I was thinking a little while back that this is likely a sort of legacy problem from when screen resolutions were lower and fewer people were playing on widescreen format monitors. That is, when NWN came out, having two or three extra columns of mouse-clickable quicklots at the side of the screen might not have been good for many people because it took up too much screen real estate. But, nowadays, I would happily give up 100 or so pixels (out of 1920) at the left edge of my screen to have an extra 40 or 60 quickslots.

Also, the equipable item toggle slot is a great idea. I'd love to be able to drag two rings to a slot and it swaps between those two whenever I use that quickslot. Actually, that is something that's probably scriptable...