Nice interview. Had not realized the toolset was written with C++Builder - I have fond memories of that environment as it is what we used for the pitlane software, back in my Formula 1 days. Sadly, it had its own set of bugs and issues you had to be familiar with to workaround, and only really got stable as I moved on to pastures new.
Did you manage to upgrade the version of C++Builder you are using, or is it still tied to a seriously old version, like v3 or 4? My fondest memories were with v5 and v6 - although still have nightmares from some of the upgrade processes
We're using 5/6, yes; but it's not exactly the newest thing either, and upgrading would mean replacing the whole UI as the toolkit has changed in the versions after. No idea how you managed to keep fond memories of that thing.
It was an amazing tool for its day if you wanted to create GUIs using C++. We certainly wrote our own share of components and controls that integrated nicely into the environment. The steady drag of compiler bugs we uncovered did take its toll, but it was not until gcc and Clang pushed the expectation of C++11 that it really started to age.
IIRC, the nastiest bug that killed most of the Boost library support (a common reference) was finally fixed around XE2 or XE3, but I had moved onto another business by then.
One of our early(ish) decisions that I think paid off was to do as much work as possible in standard C++, and map to Borland types like AnsiString only in the forms themselves, where we had to interact with the Borland controls. OTOH, I also remember having fun writing iterator adaptors so that we could manipulate the contents of list boxes and list views using standard algorithms - I definitely needed a better hobby back then!
Unfortunately, I agree that upgrading from such an old version would be hard now - upgrades got trickier the more versions you skipped.
Apologies if this is not the place to ask this question, but I read through the pdf of intended changes. It all looks great, but I was wondering if you guys will be able to fix the issue whereby 'Attack Bonus' on a weapon functions exactly as 'Enhancement Bonus' does? Attack Bonus should not be able to pierce DR, though at the moment there's no distinction between the two weapon properties.
Considering the amount of effort that beamdog is putting in with new content, fixes and better implementation of modding (Such as workshop) Will you be supporting this pet project for a long time? indefinitely if you continue to garner support?
If I remember correctly the tileset included in this premium module was different from the one released later on to the public (a problem with walkpaths I think), If I am right I hope this problem is finally fixed.
Considering the amount of effort that beamdog is putting in with new content, fixes and better implementation of modding (Such as workshop) Will you be supporting this pet project for a long time? indefinitely if you continue to garner support?
I think this has been addressed a few times during the livestreams. The ongoing support for the project has been promised. Beamdog are still supporting Baldur's Gate: EE, after 5 full years.
https://www.beamdog.com/nwn_faq#26 - Will Beamdog provide ongoing server system support for Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition like BioWare did for the original game? - Yes.
Recap (though very interesting and useful) does not say anything specific. And on Trello board campaigns are among "most wished for" not something "planned" or "in development". No confirmation anywhere yet But I can still hope. THAT would be an instabuy for me.
I noticed the FAQ says the Aurora Toolset is still going to be Windows-only, at least for now. Are you going to look at options to get it to work for Mac/Linux. I wouldn't mind too much if it was just basically Wine wrapped, or if you guys would be willing to look into issues if we ran it in Wine ourselves. I would just be happy to have it usable in Linux. I assume most Mac users would appreciate this too.
The 1.69 toolset works using 'play on linux', just fyi.
Any chance of a Director's Cut in the future? Trent previously posted about it when trying to get the rights.
Neverwinter Nights:EE is on indefinite hold due to the licensing rights around the Neverwinter name. I can't see us creating an HD or EE version in the near future. As for re-creating the original campaign, I wouldn't do it, for an NWN:EE I'd wanted to do a "Director's Cut" and delete about half the content. I think we were all very focused on the tools during the NWN development and the story suffered as a result. I'm proud of the Hordes of the Underdark story as we actually managed to do it well. -Trent
So I as wondering if the critical rebuild 1.69 is redundant to the EE of NWN or if it is still something we should download for its fixes? the same goes for the Community patch 1.71?
So I as wondering if the critical rebuild 1.69 is redundant to the EE of NWN or if it is still something we should download for its fixes? the same goes for the Community patch 1.71?
1.69 is not needed for EE, check this thread for the Community patch (v1.72 already) to see if you want to install it.
With the March 27 Steam release less than two weeks away, the team is locking down features and fixes. Build 8164 is now available on Steam and the Beamdog Client.
I updated to -8164 and was really happy to see that the toolset is finally working in wine. At the same time I was really disappointed that the top down camera mode seems to not be working. It says top down but looks almost identical to the chase camera mode. I can't even scroll farther away or close up anymore. I'm finding this so annoying that I quit playing. Anybody else having this problem?
Comments
Did you manage to upgrade the version of C++Builder you are using, or is it still tied to a seriously old version, like v3 or 4? My fondest memories were with v5 and v6 - although still have nightmares from some of the upgrade processes
IIRC, the nastiest bug that killed most of the Boost library support (a common reference) was finally fixed around XE2 or XE3, but I had moved onto another business by then.
One of our early(ish) decisions that I think paid off was to do as much work as possible in standard C++, and map to Borland types like AnsiString only in the forms themselves, where we had to interact with the Borland controls. OTOH, I also remember having fun writing iterator adaptors so that we could manipulate the contents of list boxes and list views using standard algorithms - I definitely needed a better hobby back then!
Unfortunately, I agree that upgrading from such an old version would be hard now - upgrades got trickier the more versions you skipped.
(Sorry, waxing nostalgic here)
Premium Modules
- Pirates of the Sword Coast
- Infinite Dungeons
- Wyvern Crown of Cormyr
Soundtracks- Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Official Soundtrack
- Premium Adventures Official Soundtrack
Additional DLCIf I remember correctly the tileset included in this premium module was different from the one released later on to the public (a problem with walkpaths I think), If I am right I hope this problem is finally fixed.
TR
https://www.beamdog.com/nwn_faq#26
- Will Beamdog provide ongoing server system support for Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition like BioWare did for the original game?
- Yes.
There's also another Treallo board https://trello.com/b/K0C0i8wF/neverwinter-nights-enhanced-edition which gives an insight into what is happening with the game currently.
You can read about it in our Friday's recap: http://blog.beamdog.com/2017/12/december-15-livestream-recap.html (this one is a must-read for all NWN fans).
https://trello.com/b/Lb79bbgy/neverwinter-nights-input
https://trello.com/b/K0C0i8wF/neverwinter-nights-enhanced-edition
Want to know more about the Trello boards for NWN:EE - read here.
http://blog.beamdog.com/2018/03/neverwinter-nights-enhanced-edition_16.html
edit: Well I updated to the deluxe edition and it updated to the current patch. -8164.
I guess steam automatically updates without having to do anything. So now I wait until the PW I play catches up.