Looking for a new server

[Legacy_SuperFly_2000]

               Well...it doesn't have to be new actually....but when it comes to module design I am pretty picky probably.

I would like a server that is roleplay but not all the way..instead one that encourages grouping and going on adventure.

I know most roleplay servers are about players sitting in town and discussing who will be the next mayor but thats not the way I play. Some tactical discussions before we take of...sure.

I would like max level to be somewhere in the 20-30 range and it should take pretty long time to reach that. Magic gear should be scarce...but not impossible. (Lets say +2 to +4 gear as maximum at max level.)

I would like a world losely based on the Forgotten Realms. Dragon Lance is ok I guess but I prefer FR. No future, zombie, planeswalkers or similar. I'm oldschool...

The design has to be very clear, distinct, logical and not straying from the Bioware default game if not for a good reason. I know many servers love scripts but I don't. Of course...lets say you have a crafting system like the ATS. Sure...thats a lot of scripts...but they have meaning.

HAK's. Not too much really. It is the same as with the scripts. If they have a meaning and if they are well implemented...sure....in fact...this could probably lift the game if done right.

And no...I don't want to download a bundle of all your HAK files. I want links to every HAK's vault entry...and get it from there. So no autodownloaders or whatever.

The "restrictions" and "deviations from normal NWN" should be small if any. Sure...things like having a timed resting system and a fugue death system is probably standard but there are also many things that aren't standard and that are really not needed.

If the PW makers don't have a vault page for their PW or no homepage containing the same structured information of a vault entry this just shows that the PW makers didn't bother to present their server in a way that would make it easy for the players. Cluttered up forums or wikis are not ideal for showing vital information. Most server fall in this pit.

Like I said....design is very important to me. There are many small design flaws that will instantly turn me away. Here are some of them:

- No good information in the "starting room" is a mayor game breaker. Also if thedoesn't correspond with the vault entry or homepage.

- More than two starting cities sucks. Most servers don't have enough players to fill one starting city so having several is obviously a serious design flaw. At least not having a clear default starting city I mean.

- Starting city (and other cities/villages) not mapped up or lacking map pins sucks.

- General bad design like crappy "room" feeling...no idea where the transitions lead....no idea where the transitions are....giant rooms inside small huts...no logic design...naming of areas....buggy parts from custom tilesets blocking view (like giant placeble trees or whatever)....parts from custom tilesets that look like crap or are buggy....does the world have content? (NPC's, placebles and so on with some info on them)...quests are not necessary but they are cool....how are the encounters placed?....are they diverced (not talking about gimp monsters)...is it challenging?...balance? (is it balanced or will I max out my PC in a week?).....I could probably make this list long...


Lastly...one thing that makes me shy most of the top 10 mostly populated roleplay servers is that they tend more towards "social" gameplay almost as I mentioned before...but also that brown-nosing the DM's is needed to get to the top which is really awkward.

Some example on good servers:

Genesis Nordock (unfortunately not enough players nowdays)
Exaria (unfortunately not enough players nowdays)
Shores of Winter (unfortunately not enough players nowdays)
Escaped from Underdark  (unfortunately they recently removed the party system and also it is too low level)

If I had the time I would build a server myself....but I don't....so I am happy if anyone can give me a tip.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par SuperFly_2000, 20 septembre 2010 - 11:33 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Perramas]

               I am in the same boat as you are, I have been looking for a couple months for the perfect server with a good population in multiple time zones and let me tell you it does not exist.Your best bet is to find a persistent world server that has most of what you want in content and DMs that run sceduled groups once or twice a week and join one of those groups. Todays NWNs it is hard just to log on and hope to find enough players to group with at any time of the day.

If you do find a server be sure to come back here and post the server information, I would be interested in checking it out.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Zhurrie]

               We have a fledgling new server that has been in development for a VERY long time and now is in beta!  

We would love to host any new RPG groups or dungeon adventurers that would be willing to put up with "beta" reporting as they go.  We would also like to extend an invitation to all players, DMs, and developers that are looking for a world that they can have the freedom to build to their own needs and still remain part of a dedicated fun NWN community.  

Check out our project here:  http://social.biowar...m/project/3376/
and our website here: www.empiresofthesands.com

If you're interested E-mail me at Zhurrie@empiresofthesands.com or just do the registration process on the website.  Due to massive spammer effort on our website you need to read follow the registration instructions as if your not a computer to get registered.


~ Zhurrie
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Zhurrie, 20 septembre 2010 - 04:58 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_kalbaern]

               The Savage Frontier and Surrounds meets most of your requests.

Here's a link to our NWN Vault Page
http://nwvault.ign.c....Detail&id=1249

Here's a link to our Forum
http://frsavagefrontier.proboards.com

While primarilly an RP PW, we also believe that PCs should get out and adventure to RP becoming the heroes/heroins they were meant to be.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Elhanan]

               The World of Aenea does have a large HAK load, but it is due to the detailed crafting by the designer who makes many of the same award winning donations to the aforementioned Vault.

The world is not FR, but is based on the designers PnP world, and is well laid out in old school style. I have been playing D&D myself since '75, and felt comfortable while there. I do not currently have access to NWN1, but still consider many there as comrades in arms.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Aleron]

               Your name looks familiar, but have you tried World Serpent Inn? I get the feeling you might have but in case not, figured would throw it out there. '>

We mostly fit your criteria from what I can see, though my view is a little biased on some of those as I imagine your own vision of what you want is. Basic information: we only use CEP 2.3 for haks, Max level 30 (minus ECL if you play one of those races), most of the server is set in FR with the other half more planescape, there are some small changes to spells but most are improvements for more lackluster ones.

Here is the Vault Page:
nwvault.ign.com/View.php

Also the Forum Link:
www.worldserpentinn.com/

Good luck with your search. '>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Aleron, 21 septembre 2010 - 11:05 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_ElgarL]

               

SuperFly_2000 wrote...

If the PW makers don't have a vault page for their PW or no homepage containing the same structured information of a vault entry this just shows that the PW makers didn't bother to present their server in a way that would make it easy for the players. Cluttered up forums or wikis are not ideal for showing vital information. Most server fall in this pit.

What about people perma banned from the VN, like me (disagreement with biased mods '>)? No way can I ever have a vault page. Making that a limitation seems to be limiting yourself rather than others.

I also disagree with your limiting to only vault hosted hak's. Seems you want to push everyone to use the vault when some are unable to do so '>.
In the near future I'm releasing a HUGE client patch/update/expansion. It won't be on VN due to me being banned, It will be on my own servers, but I guess you'll not be using it as it won't be on the vault '>.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par ElgarL, 21 septembre 2010 - 11:16 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_SuperFly_2000]

               

SuperFly_2000 wrote...
If the PW makers don't have a vault page for their PW  OR  no homepage containing the same structured information of a vault entry this just shows that the PW makers didn't bother to present their server in a way that would make it easy for the players. Cluttered up forums or wikis are not ideal for showing vital information. Most server fall in this pit.

Notice the word "OR".

Sometimes you just have to be able to read

Besides...how hard is it to instruct someone else to make your vault entry...or make it yourself from another computer with another account...
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_ElgarL]

               ah, I guess that little old OR was too small for my old eyes to see '>

Even thought I disagree with the reason I was banned, I always follow the rules. Ban evasion is against their rules too, so making another account would be wrong.

Unless of course there's a sensible VN mod lurking that wants to lift the ban on my account .
               
               

               

                     Modifié par ElgarL, 22 septembre 2010 - 02:57 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_SuperFly_2000]

               

kalbaern wrote...
The Savage Frontier and Surrounds meets most of your requests.

Yeah...this looks interesting actually. Good choice of HAK's and not too many....

After losing 20 minutes of my life trying to find the server and its IP...I finally found it nicely tucked away in the forum :-P

That the server name was "Forgotten Realms" was something that fooled me a bit...I was kind of searching for "The Savage frontier" in the list or something....also there where like 20 other server calling themselves Forgotten Realms...anyway...it ended good as I found finally found the IP adress in the forum.

This IP is not static it seems though. It is not changing too often I hope....(?).

Anyway...to get to the point...I played a bit and the starting room felt really good. Logic and easy...some work has put into this obviously....my first feeling is that it look proffesional...at least script wise...


Unfortunately I started crashing before I could even get into the world. Crashed several times then just a couple of seconds after logging in. Even tried with another PC.

This smells like a problem where I do not have the same version of a HAK as the server.

As I knew I downloaded all the HAK's on their list I immediatly started looking at CEP...and used the CEP updater once again. Unfortunately it felt like that made it worse....

Any idea what could be wrong?


Noticed this server hides information about other player levels on login. I know many RP servers tend to do this. Although I am not a fan of that...as that information is usually very valuable in finding an adventuring party....but I can probably live with it....
               
               

               

                     Modifié par SuperFly_2000, 22 septembre 2010 - 12:04 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_kalbaern]

               

SuperFly_2000 wrote...

kalbaern wrote...
The Savage Frontier and Surrounds meets most of your requests.

Yeah...this looks interesting actually. Good choice of HAK's and not too many....

After losing 20 minutes of my life trying to find the server and its IP...I finally found it nicely tucked away in the forum :-P

That the server name was "Forgotten Realms" was something that fooled me a bit...I was kind of searching for "The Savage frontier" in the list or something....also there where like 20 other server calling themselves Forgotten Realms...anyway...it ended good as I found finally found the IP adress in the forum.

This IP is not static it seems though. It is not changing too often I hope....(?).

Anyway...to get to the point...I played a bit and the starting room felt really good. Logic and easy...some work has put into this obviously....my first feeling is that it look proffesional...at least script wise...


Unfortunately I started crashing before I could even get into the world. Crashed several times then just a couple of seconds after logging in. Even tried with another PC.

This smells like a problem where I do not have the same version of a HAK as the server.

As I knew I downloaded all the HAK's on their list I immediatly started looking at CEP...and used the CEP updater once again. Unfortunately it felt like that made it worse....

Any idea what could be wrong?


Noticed this server hides information about other player levels on login. I know many RP servers tend to do this. Although I am not a fan of that...as that information is usually very valuable in finding an adventuring party....but I can probably live with it....

There seems to be something about that area that causes some folk to crash repeatedly. It'll be redone soon. Its an issue generally linked to a clients video processing. Setting your resolution all the way to low will often resolve it. If a DM is on and they see someone relogging, they'll try and port you elsewhere and discuss options. I often play in windowed mode myself, but will crash there if doing so. So I wait until I've entered another area first and then switch over. The few folk that have had this issue all corrected it by updating their video drivers or simply turning down graphics until in another area though.

You can PM me here if you don't wish to make a forum account "there" for now too.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_SuperFly_2000]

               

kalbaern wrote...
The few folk that have had this issue all corrected it by updating their video drivers or simply turning down graphics until in another area though.

My graphics settings are pretty low. I love a high FPS :-) and hate when the game have a tendency to studder. Been using this installment and setting of my NWN for a very long and on many servers and it works really well.

I had a similar problem on another server. I found the problem there. I didn't have the newest CEP version.

It was a bit tricky also...becaue the CEP updater wasn't patching me up all the way for some reason.

So I downloaded the whole of CEP 2.3 and put that in overwriting existing hak's. That worked for playing at that server at least...

Here I don't know what is wrong.

Have you considered that some of the other HAK's you are using have not been totally backwards compatible?

Personally I think it is somewhere in the CEP though. That thing is so huge and it not being backwards compatible can really be a pain.

If you have some old remnant of something in an old CEP version that does not exist in a clean install of CEP 2.3 you will have a problem.

Actually I have CEP 2.1 installed I think...and 2.3 on top of that...just to be sure.....oh well...
               
               

               

                     Modifié par SuperFly_2000, 22 septembre 2010 - 03:26 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_kalbaern]

               

SuperFly_2000 wrote...

kalbaern wrote...
The few folk that have had this issue all corrected it by updating their video drivers or simply turning down graphics until in another area though.

My graphics settings are pretty low. I love a high FPS :-) and hate when the game have a tendency to studder. Been using this installment and setting of my NWN for a very long and on many servers and it works really well.

I had a similar problem on another server. I found the problem there. I didn't have the newest CEP version.

It was a bit tricky also...becaue the CEP updater wasn't patching me up all the way for some reason.

So I downloaded the whole of CEP 2.3 and put that in overwriting existing hak's. That worked for playing at that server at least...

Here I don't know what is wrong.

Have you considered that some of the other HAK's you are using have not been totally backwards compatible?

Personally I think it is somewhere in the CEP though. That thing is so huge and it not being backwards compatible can really be a pain.

If you have some old remnant of something in an old CEP version that does not exist in a clean install of CEP 2.3 you will have a problem.

Actually I have CEP 2.1 installed I think...and 2.3 on top of that...just to be sure.....oh well...

Its a Bioware default tileset used there. I suspect it may be an NPCs clothing causing it and will swap that next update (a day or two from now).

In the meantime, check your hak folder. If you've run the update recently you should be fine. But, look at all of the CEP haks and make sure they all end in ".hak" and not ".hak.update". If you find one ending in ".hak.update", delete it and rerun your updater.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_SuperFly_2000]

               Exactly....it can be NPC clothing or even placeables.

Removing that in the starting room will of course only solve the problem for that area.

A more in depth solution has to be found in some other way.

So you mean this is a known problem? Are there many having this problem?

If you could post a list with the sizes of your HAK's files on your computer that would be helpful I think.

You can automatically make such a list of all the files in your folder with programs like....gah...forgot its name now...think it was "DirPrint"....think I found it somewhere on download.com


Hmm..I should probably register on your forum now so we can discuss there..this is probably not the place for it...
               
               

               

                     Modifié par SuperFly_2000, 22 septembre 2010 - 04:06 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_kalbaern]

               

SuperFly_2000 wrote...

Exactly....it can be NPC clothing or even placeables.

Removing that in the starting room will of course only solve the problem for that area.

A more in depth solution has to be found in some other way.

So you mean this is a known problem? Are there many having this problem?

If you could post a list with the sizes of your HAK's files on your computer that would be helpful I think.

You can automatically make such a list of all the files in your folder with programs like....gah...forgot its name now...think it was "DirPrint"....think I found it somewhere on download.com


Hmm..I should probably register on your forum now so we can discuss there..this is probably not the place for it...

Actually, on my own and a few other PWs it's often a case of something from 1.69 causing folk heartburn. Never have I had an issue with the CEP or the other haks we use here. (other than someone not being updated)