Neverwinter Nights, a Guide for Newbies
niv
Member, Moderator, Developer Posts: 410
If you're coming from Infinity Engine games, then this thread is for you. Here, are a few bullet points to give you a crash course on what NWN (and NWN:EE) is.
- NWN is a D&D 3.0 game. There are differences, of course, but the basic rendition of the ruleset is faithful enough to be comfortably familiar. The most marked change to IE games is that you are playing in a 3d perspective; always focused on your own/main character. Other characters in your party (NPCs or players) are not directly controllable and will act on their own.
- There are other games carrying the Neverwinter title. There is the original Neverwinter Nights from 1991. There is also Neverwinter Nights 2, the successor developed by Obsidian Entertainment; and the Neverwinter MMO by Cryptic. This game is neither of those: It was published originally in 2002, developed by BioWare and headed by Trent Oster, Beamdog’s CEO. The reason you are here specifically is the Enhanced Edition of that game.
- Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition includes the Neverwinter Nights base game, two expansions (Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark) and three premium modules (Kingmaker, ShadowGuard, and Witch’s Wake). This is the same content included in "Neverwinter Nights Diamond Edition".
As part of the Enhanced Edition, Premium Modules have been made to work again and three additional premium modules (Pirates of the Sword Coast, Infinite Dungeons, and Wyvern Crown of Cormyr) will be sold separately.
- Arguably, the biggest driving factor for NWN:EE is not the original campaigns or even the Premium Modules, but the customisation aspects of the game. It ships with a very flexible toolset that allows players to create their own adventures in ways few other games or platforms do. The Aurora Toolset is easy to use and thanks to its tile-based approach allows someone with only a little know-how produce great content.
NWN:EE keeps this alive and attempts to foster the custom content community. At this time, the toolset is only available on Windows.
- Neverwinter Nights has modding support built in, where modules (and servers) can add new creatures, items, tilesets, and so on. This extra content is usually packaged up in "HAK packs" (extension: .hak).
For Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition, nothing in this regard has changed. Modules and custom content created so far, will keep working just like before.
- In addition to modding, the multiplayer scene is huge. The game distro allows anyone to host a server and run their own adventures. Some go so far as to create full persistent worlds; servers that remain online indefinitely with game styles as varied as can be. Some are pure action, others are as roleplay-heavy as the MUDs of old.
- The authentication servers and matchmaking servers were taken down a few years ago when GameSpy shut down, effectively breaking multiplayer. The community stepped up and made their own registry, which you can find at http://nwnlist.com/. This workaround requires both client and server changes.
NWN:EE brings back fully working multiplayer out of the box.
- A few crafty people created extensions to NWN that go beyond modding. These were called NWN Extender, or NWNX; they added things like database support and more script commands.
NWN:EE is now collaborating with the authors of NWNX to make sure compatibility is met as best as possible.
Resources to check out/read on:
- Promo Page: http://nwn.beamdog.com/
- Server list for 1.69 (the old/current release): http://nwnlist.com/
- Where all custom content is at: https://neverwintervault.org/
This thread exists so you can ask questions about the game. If anything that is unclear, please ask! We'll answer to the best of our abilities and amend the initial post, if needed!
- NWN is a D&D 3.0 game. There are differences, of course, but the basic rendition of the ruleset is faithful enough to be comfortably familiar. The most marked change to IE games is that you are playing in a 3d perspective; always focused on your own/main character. Other characters in your party (NPCs or players) are not directly controllable and will act on their own.
- There are other games carrying the Neverwinter title. There is the original Neverwinter Nights from 1991. There is also Neverwinter Nights 2, the successor developed by Obsidian Entertainment; and the Neverwinter MMO by Cryptic. This game is neither of those: It was published originally in 2002, developed by BioWare and headed by Trent Oster, Beamdog’s CEO. The reason you are here specifically is the Enhanced Edition of that game.
- Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition includes the Neverwinter Nights base game, two expansions (Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark) and three premium modules (Kingmaker, ShadowGuard, and Witch’s Wake). This is the same content included in "Neverwinter Nights Diamond Edition".
As part of the Enhanced Edition, Premium Modules have been made to work again and three additional premium modules (Pirates of the Sword Coast, Infinite Dungeons, and Wyvern Crown of Cormyr) will be sold separately.
- Arguably, the biggest driving factor for NWN:EE is not the original campaigns or even the Premium Modules, but the customisation aspects of the game. It ships with a very flexible toolset that allows players to create their own adventures in ways few other games or platforms do. The Aurora Toolset is easy to use and thanks to its tile-based approach allows someone with only a little know-how produce great content.
NWN:EE keeps this alive and attempts to foster the custom content community. At this time, the toolset is only available on Windows.
- Neverwinter Nights has modding support built in, where modules (and servers) can add new creatures, items, tilesets, and so on. This extra content is usually packaged up in "HAK packs" (extension: .hak).
For Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition, nothing in this regard has changed. Modules and custom content created so far, will keep working just like before.
- In addition to modding, the multiplayer scene is huge. The game distro allows anyone to host a server and run their own adventures. Some go so far as to create full persistent worlds; servers that remain online indefinitely with game styles as varied as can be. Some are pure action, others are as roleplay-heavy as the MUDs of old.
- The authentication servers and matchmaking servers were taken down a few years ago when GameSpy shut down, effectively breaking multiplayer. The community stepped up and made their own registry, which you can find at http://nwnlist.com/. This workaround requires both client and server changes.
NWN:EE brings back fully working multiplayer out of the box.
- A few crafty people created extensions to NWN that go beyond modding. These were called NWN Extender, or NWNX; they added things like database support and more script commands.
NWN:EE is now collaborating with the authors of NWNX to make sure compatibility is met as best as possible.
Resources to check out/read on:
- Promo Page: http://nwn.beamdog.com/
- Server list for 1.69 (the old/current release): http://nwnlist.com/
- Where all custom content is at: https://neverwintervault.org/
This thread exists so you can ask questions about the game. If anything that is unclear, please ask! We'll answer to the best of our abilities and amend the initial post, if needed!
30
Comments
If you "let them act on their own", they're going to do a lot of stupid stuff and keep getting killed. You can exercise some control to stop this from happening.
By right-clicking on a quickbar slot, you can bring up a radial menu that includes the following "voice" commands: 1) Hold your ground. 2) Follow (without attacking). 3) Guard me. 4) Attack nearest. Once you issue one of these four commands, the companion stays in that "mode" until you change it.
You can also access these commands by right-clicking on the companion directly, but I find that in an emergency danger situation, it is better to have fast-click access to the commands on the quick bar, especially if you are playing with summons. With summons, you will often need to issue the command quickly to both your companion and to all summons. I often play a druid and need to issue a universal command to my companion, my animal companion, and my summoned beast or elemental in a single click.
Rogue companions will find and disarm traps automatically, but you have to stop moving for a bit and give them a chance to do their thing. There is a slight delay before their AI works. They will open locks automatically after you click on a locked item, but you have to move out of their way after you click it. If you block their path, they'll just stand there.
Party control in NWN isn't as precise as in BG, but it can be done. I think the quality of the content in the game is well worth learning the new set of tricks you will need to be able to control it. The original single player campaign lets you have only one additional party member, but the expansions and most of the user-created content have two or more companions to travel with your player character, so there is a D&D party feel to the game. When people say NWN 1 is not party-based, that is a misleading statement.
Seriously. I know that communication can go a long way here, but I can no longer commit to sitting for long periods at a time anymore. More often than I'd like, I often have to run away from the keyboard with little forewarning. I've had to cancel all of my MMO subscriptions because of this. Should I even be considering multiplayer here?
People are quite understanding when playing online, in my experience. They might even help protect you until you get back to your keyboard.
So far, CEP seems to work perfectly on EE.
You only need to download the latest CEP2. Some older modules need the latest CEP1. Those are the only versions you'll ever need - Required Projects sometimes specifies an older version, but that can safely be ignored.
If you do install it, remember to uninstall it before playing fan-made modules like mine.
Inventory Management Tips:
1. As soon as you possibly can, get "containers". In NWN this is magic bags, a boxlike chest and Bags of Holding. I don't recommend the boxlike chest as it does not reduce your weight.
2. A good way to organize your inventory is to put your containers on your first section, potions/kits on the second, Reagants on the third, spells on the fourth, ammo on the Fifth(unless you're ranging, then put this on first) and Gems/rings/necklaces on 6th.
3. on your first section with the bags, put your sellable loot. This is stuff you're not going to use in armor and weapons, often just common ones. Put these in the bags that drop the most weight for you. Once you find one, bags of holding are best for these as it will basically render the item weightless.
4. Also, in the first section, use your bags that drop the least weight for scrolls, quest items, quest books. Try to empty them out as you can. A good place to do so is right by the divining portal in the temple. If that item might be used again, it will show up in that portal. Sell quest items like that to the portal and drop the ones you can't right next to it.
5. Also, in the first section put your Stone of Recall. This is just for ease.
6. Potions, in the second section, stack in groups of 10. A good rule of thumb is once you get 2 sets of 10, sell one of the sets.
7. Spells stack too. It's wise to never sell(if you can help it) all of one spell but do sell the copies by splitting(available to the right once you right click on it)
8. **Try to sell your items at the same place but NOT at the Divining pool. Why? It gives the worst $$ for it. Just sell quest items there. By selling at the same place, you know where it is. This is more for Baldur's Gate than NWN but it applies to both. (BG games don't use divining pools)
9. Gems also stack, but rings and necklaces do not. Sell all rings and necklaces when you can(unless they're enchanted and worth keeping) but sell all but 1 gem. That way when you find more of that gem or spell they will automatically go to that section to stack instead of first.
10. In the BG and ID series, you have scroll cases. These can also hold books and papers.
The common containers can often be found at merchants. Not all carry them of course, but the ones that do, find and buy. Bags of Holding are usually found in quests and it's often a good thing to use the Internet to find out where they are and see if they're obtainable early.
Weight distribution is a key factor often in obtaining loot which is why the containers are so handy and especially those that reduce weight. There are armor you can wear that reduce weight as well, but don't make them priority over better ones at protecting yourself.
The things I've mentioned may seem a bit complicated overall, but it's not. If you do it, you'll spend less time worrying with your inventory and more time playing the game as the organization becomes routine to the point it doesn't take long at all. It may be slow at first, but it'll definitely make playing easier.
If you have other tips or want to ask me questions, feel free to do so. I enjoy helping others and would also appreciate knowing more ways to manage inventory.
Edit: Some items may seem completely worthless but are actually quest items/plot items. Many are used as Forge items later. Look up in search "Miracles of the Forge". http://nwn.wikia.com/wiki/Recipes_of_the_forge
Reagants may also seem worthless and honestly, many of these things should stack but don't. They can simply just get in the way of inventory control. Unless you are playing a mage, don't save more than 5 of any reagant. Some reagants can also work in forging is why keeping 5 is ok but there is no need to keep more than that. If you're a mage, collect all you want but be prepared to have a bunch of lesser bags to store them in.
Also merchants: In chapter 2, the temple dwarf gives bad prices but the elf in the pub just outside next to the investigation HQ gives great prices.
Use the teleport to regularly dump junk like books and other 1GP loot on the dwarf and teleport back after the short walk outside to the elf in the pub to ID/sell armour & weaps.
I've found many "ancient" links to various spreadsheets and so on, but nothing quite like the nwn2db builder.
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TR
I'm not sure there's any way to automate turning on things like rapid shot, but there should be a setting to hide second story tiles which should make seeing enemies and containers easier.