Hmm, I've been giving NWN2 another go. I decided to play SoZ, because I have yet to beat SoZ. Then...maybe another OC + MotB run with the SoZ OC and MotB makeover mods.
Without even getting to the other issues, the interface is my main reason to absolutely abhor this terrible blob of buggy code.
No matter how good the story of some of the modules are, or how decent the mods are, at the end of the day you are stuck with that god awful interface (and the camera that originally worked ok-ish but was actually messed up further in patches). It's a game...the gameplay is 95% of the experience, and if the gameplay is god awful it is crap. If i just want a choose your own adventure story, I'll read a book. If i just want a straight story I'll read a book or watch a movie. But when I play a game i expect the game to be of a decent quality, and it's not at all, which is just terrible all round since they copy-pasted so much content from NWN1, and yet left out it's interface which was perfect (companion management aside, which was fixed in a mod that put even NWN2's companion management to shame).
It's so bad, even the good parts of the game are tainted by the sheer frustration of having to constantly fight that damn interface to do anything.
It was a failed POS, and it will always be a failed POS in my eyes, compared to it's predecessor. For every genuine improvement they made, they also made 10-15 horrible choices.
I was never a huge fan of NWN2, the story is terrible compared to NWN1, and the companions are just...ugh. Khelgar is basically summed up in one word: dwarf. Pretty one-dimensional, and then you have the worst companion of all, Casavir.
Admittedly, Mask of the Betrayer was awesome, but sadly NWN2 OC is just a mess.
I don't understand what people mean specifically about the interface.
You have the Quickcast, various toolbars and everything can be accessed from the NwN Eye button or keyboard keys. You also have three camera modes and everything in the character sheet or inventory is tidy.
BG's interface is far messier with no toolbars, cluttered inventory and no way to put custom quickslots, or having to find the spell you want by browsing each time through the whole list.
I would personally put the NwN2 OC above the NwN1 OC where in the latter, the plot is summed into: "go towards four directions, defeat four bosses, take the four items, go to the next chapter, repeat."
Also, party control.
The most disappointing part of NwN1 was that you couldn't control your companions. In the OC, you cannot even access their inventories.
It was more of a Diablo clone than a real DnD game. Only in SoU/HotU that changed, slightly. You can now have two henchmen and access their inventories. Yay, so innovative. By the way, the AI is still garbage (looking at you Nathyrra or any caster) and you still need Tony K's AI.
Comments
the campaign ran pretty hot and cold for me and as with pretty much every obsidian game some sections felt under developed or unfinished.
I did like the theme tune for storm of Zehir even though I never played it due to the sound not working properly for me.
No matter how good the story of some of the modules are, or how decent the mods are, at the end of the day you are stuck with that god awful interface (and the camera that originally worked ok-ish but was actually messed up further in patches). It's a game...the gameplay is 95% of the experience, and if the gameplay is god awful it is crap. If i just want a choose your own adventure story, I'll read a book. If i just want a straight story I'll read a book or watch a movie. But when I play a game i expect the game to be of a decent quality, and it's not at all, which is just terrible all round since they copy-pasted so much content from NWN1, and yet left out it's interface which was perfect (companion management aside, which was fixed in a mod that put even NWN2's companion management to shame).
It's so bad, even the good parts of the game are tainted by the sheer frustration of having to constantly fight that damn interface to do anything.
It was a failed POS, and it will always be a failed POS in my eyes, compared to it's predecessor. For every genuine improvement they made, they also made 10-15 horrible choices.
Admittedly, Mask of the Betrayer was awesome, but sadly NWN2 OC is just a mess.
I don't understand what people mean specifically about the interface.
You have the Quickcast, various toolbars and everything can be accessed from the NwN Eye button or keyboard keys.
You also have three camera modes and everything in the character sheet or inventory is tidy.
BG's interface is far messier with no toolbars, cluttered inventory and no way to put custom quickslots, or having to find the spell you want by browsing each time through the whole list.
@Mhamza
I would personally put the NwN2 OC above the NwN1 OC where in the latter, the plot is summed into:
"go towards four directions, defeat four bosses, take the four items, go to the next chapter, repeat."
Also, party control.
The most disappointing part of NwN1 was that you couldn't control your companions. In the OC, you cannot even access their inventories.
It was more of a Diablo clone than a real DnD game. Only in SoU/HotU that changed, slightly. You can now have two henchmen and access their inventories.
Yay, so innovative. By the way, the AI is still garbage (looking at you Nathyrra or any caster) and you still need Tony K's AI.