When I started my own PW 3 years ago, I initially added only the CEP, because it was easy to do and most players had it already. As building progressed, I added the CMP as well, since music would be an optional download for players and not a requirement to join the server. I'd also visited a good many other PWs over the years and decided that I really hated "cliffs" and liked the "slope" options I was seeing on many other PWs. So I added the old "JPX" Mountains to my PW. Even with the pathfinding issues I found, the visual asthetics I thought were worth it. I also stumbled upon Baba Yaga's "Spider Caves" and started caverns and underdark areas that I still use to this day.
Then, along came CEP 2.3 and the Bioware 1.69 Update, which broke most of the above haks for me. I just remade my JPX areas and avoided using the doorways in the Spider Cave Tiles that were now broke. Obviously, I had no clue how to fix the issues back then and my attempts to learn how met with frustration, mainly due to a lack of "How To's" to do it then. The CEP had however by then added in tileset expantions, which included slopes, so I was able to still make hills and even mountainous areas ... and, the pathfinding did improve, at least improved over my old JPX haks that is.
With each change, players complained, initially at least. Players balked at downloading the massively large CMP (music), but once a few did, the word spread about how fresh and new and fitting the music in areas was now and most if not everybody eventually added the music. Players also complained whenever the CEP was updated and they had to redownload it once again, but giving advanced warnings and making sure that the module had been updated to take advantage of new content helped motivate folks in the end.
Eventually, I stumbled upon some more tileset haks on NWN Vault, that had been updated for 1.69 and these worked pretty well alongside the CEP. Again folks complained, but ... by making areas and other things that added the content to my module in an update helped alot. Folks dislike having to download stuff constantly, but ... I've found that if you coincide it with an update that shows off the new "stuffs", most will grudgingly download more haks.
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I've also seen a change in attitudes amongst my own core group of players over the past few years. Now, many of them crave more "stuffs". I've always craved more too. With GameSpy dropping their services for NWN, it also caused me some issues with keeping my PW up and visible. My host, while having great bandwidth, was serviced by a Provider that wouldn't provide Static IPs without a hefty fee added. My host was also absent, travelling for business, days to weeks at a time, and whenever the IP changed (yes, we'd tried port forwarding, but the IP changed too often still and ...) I decided to just host it myself. While setting up a new connection and server, I began looking here and on NWN Vault to see what I could add to make the downtime wait worthwhile. I made a fateful decision. I decided I'd spend some more time trying to figure out "How To" and merge/add alot of things not quite -out of the box- useable. Many folk here are responsible for my success now. Rolo, OTR and others either answered my queries or directed me to what I needed. When my PW relaunches this coming week, it'll not only use even more haks from NWN Vault, but contain a large portion of new stuff from the Monthly CCC here and benefits from merging a good many overrides into my haks as well. I've also made a custom TLK to address things like personal tweaks to classes, spells, feats, etc... so players won't need to refer to my forum or IG notices to find out how something "really" works on my PW. Everything (for the most part) will work as "described" in descriptions now.
Being sidetracked to add new haks and content has lengthened my PW's downtime from a few days to a few months now. I know it'll be worth it however. The confidence and skills I've gained the past few months won't be a onetime afare either. My plan will be to now update haks/tlks at least twice a year from here out, although it'll involve only updating/adding a single hak and not require massive downloads as in the past.
I also want to thank all the CCC contributors here. Seeing all of your cool creations was a big insperation and a motivation to expend some persperation and add most of your stuff to my PW.
