Thinking about getting into NWN, the community still kicking?

[Legacy_Valente11]

               Hey guys,

I've been a fan of Bioware's since Baldur's Gate I, and yet for someone reason, the original Neverwinter Nights slipped from my attention until years later. Well now having played almost all D&D based games, and having a go at NWN2(and hearing all the praise for NWN1) I want to finally give the game go! I saw the diamond edition for 19.99 on best buy, I'm sure I can find it for even cheaper online. But I have a few simple questions:

1.) How is the technology jump? By this i mean: do you think it will be a challenge to get into the game, seeing as it's a dated rules edition(3.0?), dated graphics etc? I still play the original BG's, but I think nostalgia plays a huge role in overlooking the graphics difference, also the game is 2d which means it ages well.

2.) How is the community as far as mods and modules are concerned? I heard that the original NWN has countless more mods than NWN2, are they still around and easy to find? Do any improve graphics or performance? or maybe rules updates?

3.) Is the online side of the game still active? I never really got into PW's in NWN2 but that's because I didn't like the game as a whole. Is NWN much different in this aspect?


I think that's it. I've done plenty of research on the game, but these questions are really of importance to me. Thank you for you time and opinions.

~Valente
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Bardin]

               

Valente11 wrote...

Hey guys,

I've been a fan of Bioware's since Baldur's Gate I, and yet for someone reason, the original Neverwinter Nights slipped from my attention until years later. Well now having played almost all D&D based games, and having a go at NWN2(and hearing all the praise for NWN1) I want to finally give the game go! I saw the diamond edition for 19.99 on best buy, I'm sure I can find it for even cheaper online. But I have a few simple questions:

1.) How is the technology jump? By this i mean: do you think it will be a challenge to get into the game, seeing as it's a dated rules edition(3.0?), dated graphics etc? I still play the original BG's, but I think nostalgia plays a huge role in overlooking the graphics difference, also the game is 2d which means it ages well.

2.) How is the community as far as mods and modules are concerned? I heard that the original NWN has countless more mods than NWN2, are they still around and easy to find? Do any improve graphics or performance? or maybe rules updates?

3.) Is the online side of the game still active? I never really got into PW's in NWN2 but that's because I didn't like the game as a whole. Is NWN much different in this aspect?


I think that's it. I've done plenty of research on the game, but these questions are really of importance to me. Thank you for you time and opinions.

~Valente

1/ It has actually survived well due to the massive amounts of Custom Content on the Vault. While I dig the orginal BG nothing I have ever played has come as close to PnP rules that anyone can adjust/code for thier enjoyment. While the vanilla graphics are not the best they still play well and with the right overrides you will be very surprised.

2/ Very easy to find once again due to the vault. Just type in the google bar NWNVault and you will see a few thousands of pages pop up.

3/ Yes it is much different for NWN PWs. Check the thread here called Persistent Worlds and you will see countless worlds still growing and going strong.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_The Amethyst Dragon]

               

Valente11 wrote...
1.) How is the technology jump? By this i mean: do you think it will be a challenge to get into the game, seeing as it's a dated rules edition(3.0?), dated graphics etc? I still play the original BG's, but I think nostalgia plays a huge role in overlooking the graphics difference, also the game is 2d which means it ages well.

2.) How is the community as far as mods and modules are concerned? I heard that the original NWN has countless more mods than NWN2, are they still around and easy to find? Do any improve graphics or performance? or maybe rules updates?

3.) Is the online side of the game still active? I never really got into PW's in NWN2 but that's because I didn't like the game as a whole. Is NWN much different in this aspect?

1: The technology jump is ok.  Going from Baldur's Gate to NWN is an improvement in graphics.  Going from newer games to NWN mean going back a little in graphics.  The 3.0 rules work out just fine, and in most cases make perfect sense.  The versatility of the game engine and toolset far outweighs any aging in graphics (and there is a lot of custom content that improves on the default graphics).  

2. Countless modifications to the game and entertaining original modules are available.  Many improve the graphics (shameless plug), many provide thousands of hours worth of play time.

3. Online is definitely active. PWs are many and varied, catering to many different play styles.  You can also arrange regular scheduled sessions.  I'm biased, but I think online play is the key to really enjoying NWN.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par The Amethyst Dragon, 10 octobre 2010 - 12:41 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_ehye_khandee]

               Agrees with the above answers - this is the BEST game you ever have had in your hands - jump in, you'll see.



               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Valente11]

               thank you very much for the answers, very helpful. Yes I discovered the vault and it's a great resource. I found a nice deal on eBay so it looks like I'll be joining the community pretty soon. Thanks again for the help, I'm not much of a nitpicker for graphics but I do see that there are quite a few nice upgrade mods which is great.



~Valente
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Builder_Anthony]

               http://social.biowar...9/index/4993877
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Grizzled Dwarflord]

               Val, if you are as old as I am, just go to the PW in my link.  In fact, go to any PW even close to my link.  The ones that are left are all gold.  I just advertise mine because I'm an old school Greyhawk junkie from the 1980s.  So I'm biased in that regard, and I'm also biased toward Action.  But I can tell you that most of the PWs that are left these days are there because of love, skill, and devotion.  These are the best of the best, and you have several that you can go to depending on your mood and time of month.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Dourtimes]

               If everyone who owns the game but never got into the multiplayer/PW/fan module side of things suddenly discovered everything Neverwinter Nights could offer, imagine how alive the community would be.



I'm hoping if/when it appears on Good Old Games it'll throw more attention on the game. I feel it's developed an unfair reputation because of the lacklustre original campaign. I know I'm a real Johnny-come-lately when it comes to NWN; if I'd known half the stuff available existed for it I wouldn't have let it gather dust on my shelves for so long.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_tmanfoo]

               This game offers endless opportunity, in my case mostly because of the Toolset.  If you’ve ever wanted to create a RPG, this is probably where you belong.  I've been playing for years, and contributing to the mods I play on for just as long.  Depending on what you're interested in, it's most certainly worth the time and money involved.  The vault just adds upon what's available to begin with.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Jenna WSI]

               1. It's not hard to set up, and there are community guides if you run into trouble.

2. neverwinter vault's website has most of the mods for download, and yes there are so many that some people only play mods and never persistant worlds, there's just that much content.

3. The online worlds are still going. Our numbers are less than they were five years ago, but we still beat out other online games in numbers, depending on which game you compare it to.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Entreri MoonBlade]

               I agree. Anytime graphics and computers upgrade and newer supposedly "better" games come along the population ratio always drops considerably. In time though it seems that when the "better" game just doesn't stack up to it's older counterpart people play what they enjoy best.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_TSMDude]

               Look at this way...NWN2 came out and people flocked...then came home.



Dragon Age came out...people flocked...then came home.



NWN3 will coem out and people will flock...then come home.



No game gives such a wide variety of people fun times to do what they want as this does.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Vaalyah]

               To say the truth, I am on the opposite opinion. When I had NWN, I played it, hated it and decided not to buy NWN2. I got it for birthday present and I was a bit picked for that. No, I didn't want it, because the first game was sooooooo boring. Then, after about 2 or 3 years, I started played it, just because I had no other options! (all the other games had been already finished)

And I LOVED IT. So maybe you should specify what do you think is good in NWN2 to get more "aimed" suggestions. If you, as myself, like NPCs interactions and a good plot... well, leave NWN where it is. HotU (the second expansion) however, is not bad.

My 2 cents, so please, fan of NWN, don't kill me :-D
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Ranger Solo]

               I'm late in getting into NWN1 here. But from I have played, it's good. The biggest difference I can think of between NWN and NWN2 are the updated graphics and how the story plays out. NWN was amied at the 3rd addition rule set while NWN2 was at the improved version of 3rd addition. So naturally some may feel that NWN may have missed a few steps when compared to NWN2. However, I think NWN was working hard at doing something more than what BG and BG2 could while NWN2 went in the FPS point of view.

BG and BG had some high power items you could get but you had to work very hard to get them. NWN had some quests and or money system that made you work to get those items. NWN2 felt like it didn't matter because most normal monsters would drop something that was pretty powerful to use. Now this is going to sound strange. I do like both games. I just felt that NWN2 kind of smothers you with items that I think one shouldn't have so soon or so high. NWN had that affect to but at least you couldn't outright get it. You had to do some real hard work then you were able to get said items.

I just wish that the premium mods would be re-released and or open for all to use like Darkness of Daggerford is. The NWN community is really alive and good. I am happy with the mods I have played so far and soon will try the PW's out there. I am having a terrible time with the NWN2 PW's but that is an issue on my end. So dig in and enjoy this wonderful community. Don't forget about the other flip of the coin too. While I know this is the NWN1 forum there are some great community members for NWN2, too. So between these great communities and their hard work on SP Mods and or MP mods onlong with the PW's. We are truely covered for our AD&D needs.

Solo
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_MingWolf]

               I was late getting into NWN as well, though not quite so late.  I joined when NWN2 came out and naturally picked up both games.  I fell in love more in the NWN1 arena myself than its apparent successor.  Its not exactly like Baldur's Gate in terms of single-player storytelling, but its simple, fun, has a lot of community content and support, and after all these years, I still play it more than any other game.