What are the best Neverwinter nights 2 mods out there? I'm looking for a good graphics update mainly. But I'd be open to other mods as well, that update the experience. I haven't played the game since about a year after it came out so I think a replay is in order.
Best NWN 2 mods?
PhotonFanatic
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What are the best Neverwinter nights 2 mods out there? I'm looking for a good graphics update mainly. But I'd be open to other mods as well, that update the experience. I haven't played the game since about a year after it came out so I think a replay is in order.
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Also I found this. Is that you bored gunner?
http://www.gnd-tech.com/threads/63893-Neverwinter-Nights-2-Essential-Mods
http://www.gnd-tech.com/threads/63893-Neverwinter-Nights-2-Essential-Mods
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I've been tweaking the game myself, just stats and what not, but man is it hard to find stuff. It literally has tens of thousands of script files, I've gained even more respect for the effort put into the game lol.
Yes it is. I recommend those. I haven't played enough custom campaigns to tell you which are the best ones though, but when it comes to graphics mods I haven't found anything better.Originally Posted by PhotonFanatic
Also I found this. Is that you bored gunner?
http://www.gnd-tech.com/threads/63893-Neverwinter-Nights-2-Essential-Mods
I've been tweaking the game myself, just stats and what not, but man is it hard to find stuff. It literally has tens of thousands of script files, I've gained even more respect for the effort put into the game lol.
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Now I noticed that on that page, you say to be sure to install all the mods in order to ensure they work right.
Can I just start at the top of that page, and work my way down? Would that be the correct order?
Also, for the Terrains folder. You show a pic at the bottom of that page, that shows what the override folder should look like when all these mods are installed. Which mod in particular, does the "Terrains" folder come from?
Can I just start at the top of that page, and work my way down? Would that be the correct order?
Also, for the Terrains folder. You show a pic at the bottom of that page, that shows what the override folder should look like when all these mods are installed. Which mod in particular, does the "Terrains" folder come from?
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Top to bottom is fine, install order doesn't really matter. Your override folder doesn't even have to look exactly the same, but that picture gives you an idea. The Terrains folder comes from the grass and cobblestone texture mods.Originally Posted by PhotonFanatic
Now I noticed that on that page, you say to be sure to install all the mods in order to ensure they work right.
Can I just start at the top of that page, and work my way down? Would that be the correct order?
Also, for the Terrains folder. You show a pic at the bottom of that page, that shows what the override folder should look like when all these mods are installed. Which mod in particular, does the "Terrains" folder come from?
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Thanks for the help again.
Do you have any other recommendations for older RPGs, that have been heavily modified like this? I've got the new Baldur's gate one, just waiting to finish NWN2 first. Perhaps NWN 1 has been modded significantly enough? Tracking down all these mods and which games have seen a lot of attention can be difficult.
Do you have any other recommendations for older RPGs, that have been heavily modified like this? I've got the new Baldur's gate one, just waiting to finish NWN2 first. Perhaps NWN 1 has been modded significantly enough? Tracking down all these mods and which games have seen a lot of attention can be difficult.
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NWN 1 is very mediocre, though I hear the expansions and some mods for it are great. I highly recommend KOTOR, KOTOR 2, and Planescape: Torment. For Planescape mods, look here, for KOTOR just use a widescreen mod, and for KOTOR 2 use a widescreen mod and TSLRCM. Let's not forget Morrowind, GND-Tech has a mod list for that too.
Keep in mind though that the expansions for NWN 2, particularly Mask of the Betrayer and Storm of Zehir, are the best parts. With that being said I advise finishing NWN 2 first, and then porting your character to Mask of the Betrayer since it takes place right after NWN 2. Also you might want to play something like Icewind Dale - NWN 2 before Storm of Zehir. As the name implies it's an unofficial Icewind Dale remake (and a very faithful one). You can make a party of four, and then after you beat it, port those four guys to Storm of Zehir which is a high level campaign anyway. This means more playtime, more leveling up, and thus more awesome abilities.
I must point out that in both Icewind Dale NWN 2 and Storm of Zehir, there is no single protagonist. The four characters you make in the beginning are all the protagonist, and you can use all of them in dialogue. This is great since you can make one of them have high Diplomacy, another have high Bluff, and another have high Intimidate, so that you can choose the appropriate one in dialogue. Storm of Zehir has so many contextual skill checks so that no single character can meet them all. You can make less than four characters if you want, and up to six in IWD, but Storm of Zehir only allows four so I'd stick with that.
I can help you make effective characters if you need. NWN 2 is pretty much all I've been playing as of late (revisiting it and the expansions and trying out some mods soon).
Keep in mind though that the expansions for NWN 2, particularly Mask of the Betrayer and Storm of Zehir, are the best parts. With that being said I advise finishing NWN 2 first, and then porting your character to Mask of the Betrayer since it takes place right after NWN 2. Also you might want to play something like Icewind Dale - NWN 2 before Storm of Zehir. As the name implies it's an unofficial Icewind Dale remake (and a very faithful one). You can make a party of four, and then after you beat it, port those four guys to Storm of Zehir which is a high level campaign anyway. This means more playtime, more leveling up, and thus more awesome abilities.
I must point out that in both Icewind Dale NWN 2 and Storm of Zehir, there is no single protagonist. The four characters you make in the beginning are all the protagonist, and you can use all of them in dialogue. This is great since you can make one of them have high Diplomacy, another have high Bluff, and another have high Intimidate, so that you can choose the appropriate one in dialogue. Storm of Zehir has so many contextual skill checks so that no single character can meet them all. You can make less than four characters if you want, and up to six in IWD, but Storm of Zehir only allows four so I'd stick with that.
I can help you make effective characters if you need. NWN 2 is pretty much all I've been playing as of late (revisiting it and the expansions and trying out some mods soon).
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They remade IWD in NWN2? That's freaking amazing! I'll get that next. Any chance of it ever happening to IWD2? I also really hope they are doing it with Planescape Torment. That NEEDS to happen.
But here are the instructions for installing the IWD-NWN2 mod, from the Nexus mods page:
"Installation Instructions
-Place the "Icewind Dale" folder in the following folder ...my documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\Campaigns
-Place the .bic file in the following folder ...my documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\movies
-Place all .hak files in the following folder ...my documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\hak
-Place all .mod files in the following folder ...my documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\modules
-Place all .bmu files in the following folder ...my documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\music"
My question is with the bolded one. It reads as though there is a single .bic file, inside that folder. There doesn't appear to be one. The only one I could find was in the Movies and Music folder, and it was "tower.bik". Is that the one they are referring to?
But there is only 1 other mod that I'd like to see for NWN2. A Dragon Age Origins style stretchy spells bar. Or abilities bar. At the bottom. Or even just doubling the length of the bar, so you don't have to click the little arrows and cycle through all the icons in order to get to the spell you want. You still might have to do it, but it would be a lot less if that bar had more little squares in which to put all the stuff you want. Right now its a little small.
But here are the instructions for installing the IWD-NWN2 mod, from the Nexus mods page:
"Installation Instructions
-Place the "Icewind Dale" folder in the following folder ...my documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\Campaigns
-Place the .bic file in the following folder ...my documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\movies
-Place all .hak files in the following folder ...my documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\hak
-Place all .mod files in the following folder ...my documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\modules
-Place all .bmu files in the following folder ...my documents\Neverwinter Nights 2\music"
My question is with the bolded one. It reads as though there is a single .bic file, inside that folder. There doesn't appear to be one. The only one I could find was in the Movies and Music folder, and it was "tower.bik". Is that the one they are referring to?
But there is only 1 other mod that I'd like to see for NWN2. A Dragon Age Origins style stretchy spells bar. Or abilities bar. At the bottom. Or even just doubling the length of the bar, so you don't have to click the little arrows and cycle through all the icons in order to get to the spell you want. You still might have to do it, but it would be a lot less if that bar had more little squares in which to put all the stuff you want. Right now its a little small.
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tower.bik is indeed the one that belongs in the movies folder. No word on an IWD 2 remake, and I would kill for a Planescape remake.
I agree with you about the hotbar, but NWN 2 has a decent solution in its own right: go into options and enable the second horizontal hotbar (note that you can drag any usable ability or spell into hotbar slots). Once enabled, you can see how I now have two hotbars in this screenshot.
![07Jz8.jpg]( "07Jz8.jpg")
Combined with the fact that the hotbar scrolls letting you cycle through 9 other hotbars (hold shift and move the scroll wheel), you can never run out of horizontal hotbar slots really. 12 slots x 10 scrollable hotbars = 120 hotbar slots, plus 12 more slots from the second horizontal hotbar. I don't use vertical ones.
But as you can see in my hotbar slots there, I don't bind spells to it. High level spellcasters will end up with too many spells I think, plus I prefer the organization of the quickcast menu (since it separates each category, e.g. cantrips, tier 1 spells, tier 2 spells, etc). Not to mention most if not all high level spellcasters should have metamagic, and divine spellcasters have spontaneous conversion, so the hotbar actually becomes less convenient.
To give you an idea of how many spells a high level spellcaster will have, look at the quickcast menu for this Cleric/Warpriest build. The only ones I never use are cantrips.
Regular
Extend
Maximize
This character also has spontaneous conversion, which can convert any and all of those spells into a healing spell equivalent to that level. It doesn't work with spells in the hotbars.
By the way, in case you didn't know, you can make Character Mode camera controls identical to Dragon Age: Origins, and Strategy Mode controls very similar to Dragon Age: Inquisition's tactical camera except without the zoom limitation and with more flexibility. I found the default camera controls to be really awkward.
I agree with you about the hotbar, but NWN 2 has a decent solution in its own right: go into options and enable the second horizontal hotbar (note that you can drag any usable ability or spell into hotbar slots). Once enabled, you can see how I now have two hotbars in this screenshot.
Combined with the fact that the hotbar scrolls letting you cycle through 9 other hotbars (hold shift and move the scroll wheel), you can never run out of horizontal hotbar slots really. 12 slots x 10 scrollable hotbars = 120 hotbar slots, plus 12 more slots from the second horizontal hotbar. I don't use vertical ones.
But as you can see in my hotbar slots there, I don't bind spells to it. High level spellcasters will end up with too many spells I think, plus I prefer the organization of the quickcast menu (since it separates each category, e.g. cantrips, tier 1 spells, tier 2 spells, etc). Not to mention most if not all high level spellcasters should have metamagic, and divine spellcasters have spontaneous conversion, so the hotbar actually becomes less convenient.
To give you an idea of how many spells a high level spellcaster will have, look at the quickcast menu for this Cleric/Warpriest build. The only ones I never use are cantrips.
Regular
Extend
Maximize
This character also has spontaneous conversion, which can convert any and all of those spells into a healing spell equivalent to that level. It doesn't work with spells in the hotbars.
By the way, in case you didn't know, you can make Character Mode camera controls identical to Dragon Age: Origins, and Strategy Mode controls very similar to Dragon Age: Inquisition's tactical camera except without the zoom limitation and with more flexibility. I found the default camera controls to be really awkward.
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Thanks for the help once again.
But yeah the camera, I did try to make it seem more like DA:O. By using those little buttons to the right of the hotbar at the bottom. However, unless I'm missing something here, the character in the lead only wants to strafe, or go forward. Its very difficult to make them turn and face a new direction. Which is of course vital to fighting and exploring.
I took a look at the options but they didn't seem to be worded in a way that would suggest that the character will now turn with the camera. I'd like to hear what your settings are to make it more like DAO
But yeah the camera, I did try to make it seem more like DA:O. By using those little buttons to the right of the hotbar at the bottom. However, unless I'm missing something here, the character in the lead only wants to strafe, or go forward. Its very difficult to make them turn and face a new direction. Which is of course vital to fighting and exploring.
I took a look at the options but they didn't seem to be worded in a way that would suggest that the character will now turn with the camera. I'd like to hear what your settings are to make it more like DAO
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My settings:
http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/532885921350776045/B392E7F636655DFA63869592ACD573B748AF490E/
http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/532885921350775927/39AD925BF971F31C4761D6B7441FD4BC49834A46/
http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/532885921350776277/6A921DBD5B83F9E31B1E1C7969D7A8D640C11795/
http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/532885921350776155/C5F6284B6DCA49E149E919B9A32B61EE3E8C7178/
This makes Character Mode just like DA:O and KOTOR, and Strategy Mode very similar to DA:I's tactical camera.
http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/532885921350776045/B392E7F636655DFA63869592ACD573B748AF490E/
http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/532885921350775927/39AD925BF971F31C4761D6B7441FD4BC49834A46/
http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/532885921350776277/6A921DBD5B83F9E31B1E1C7969D7A8D640C11795/
http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/532885921350776155/C5F6284B6DCA49E149E919B9A32B61EE3E8C7178/
This makes Character Mode just like DA:O and KOTOR, and Strategy Mode very similar to DA:I's tactical camera.
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I used to love NWN1 custom modules, especially Blackguard 1/2/3 and the old gold box and pnp remakes. I also wrote a couple modules myself way back when, but I'm pretty sure that the old module database no longer exists.
Also The Temple of Elemental Evil has a nice mod called C08. That game is pretty fun for D&D fans.
Wow I'm going to check out those Torment mods. I recently found my old disks for that game. I hope it works.Originally Posted by boredgunner
NWN 1 is very mediocre, though I hear the expansions and some mods for it are great. I highly recommend KOTOR, KOTOR 2, and Planescape: Torment. For Planescape mods, look here, for KOTOR just use a widescreen mod, and for KOTOR 2 use a widescreen mod and TSLRCM. Let's not forget Morrowind, GND-Tech has a mod list for that too.
Keep in mind though that the expansions for NWN 2, particularly Mask of the Betrayer and Storm of Zehir, are the best parts. With that being said I advise finishing NWN 2 first, and then porting your character to Mask of the Betrayer since it takes place right after NWN 2. Also you might want to play something like Icewind Dale - NWN 2 before Storm of Zehir. As the name implies it's an unofficial Icewind Dale remake (and a very faithful one). You can make a party of four, and then after you beat it, port those four guys to Storm of Zehir which is a high level campaign anyway. This means more playtime, more leveling up, and thus more awesome abilities.
I must point out that in both Icewind Dale NWN 2 and Storm of Zehir, there is no single protagonist. The four characters you make in the beginning are all the protagonist, and you can use all of them in dialogue. This is great since you can make one of them have high Diplomacy, another have high Bluff, and another have high Intimidate, so that you can choose the appropriate one in dialogue. Storm of Zehir has so many contextual skill checks so that no single character can meet them all. You can make less than four characters if you want, and up to six in IWD, but Storm of Zehir only allows four so I'd stick with that.
I can help you make effective characters if you need. NWN 2 is pretty much all I've been playing as of late (revisiting it and the expansions and trying out some mods soon).
I used to love NWN1 custom modules, especially Blackguard 1/2/3 and the old gold box and pnp remakes. I also wrote a couple modules myself way back when, but I'm pretty sure that the old module database no longer exists.
Also The Temple of Elemental Evil has a nice mod called C08. That game is pretty fun for D&D fans.
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I actually have all three parts of Blackguard installed. Do you get more than just a single henchman in it? That's one of my biggest gripes with NWN 1.
As for the Planescape: Torment mods, they're quite basic but still necessities I think. A widescreen mod is of course included, and they also list mods that restore cut content (both items and quests).
As for the Planescape: Torment mods, they're quite basic but still necessities I think. A widescreen mod is of course included, and they also list mods that restore cut content (both items and quests).
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Yeah I'm interested in that cut content. I can kind of remember some areas of the game seemed like bridges to nowhere.
I dont remember, but I know that you can have up to 3 henchmen in various expansions and mods.Originally Posted by boredgunner
I actually have all three parts of Blackguard installed. Do you get more than just a single henchman in it? That's one of my biggest gripes with NWN 1.
As for the Planescape: Torment mods, they're quite basic but still necessities I think. A widescreen mod is of course included, and they also list mods that restore cut content (both items and quests).
Yeah I'm interested in that cut content. I can kind of remember some areas of the game seemed like bridges to nowhere.
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Good to see some of these old gems getting some love.
![tongue.gif]( "tongue.gif")
Looks like I better bookmark this page, seems to have some good info, when/if I ever get back to NWN and those other titles.
Looks like I better bookmark this page, seems to have some good info, when/if I ever get back to NWN and those other titles.
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Now by custom modules, I'm guessing you guys are meaning whole new quests written by the fans? Something you could install that would add a new playable area to the game?
And boredgunner, when you were talking about the other game having the ability to have other characters do the talking...
Were you referring to NWN2's inability to do that? No matter what character you're controlling at the time you start a conversation, it always defaults to the character you created. This makes me wonder if there is even any point at all, in putting points into your party members' Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Bluff skills. Since they never actually get to be the one who's doing the talking.
And boredgunner, when you were talking about the other game having the ability to have other characters do the talking...
Were you referring to NWN2's inability to do that? No matter what character you're controlling at the time you start a conversation, it always defaults to the character you created. This makes me wonder if there is even any point at all, in putting points into your party members' Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Bluff skills. Since they never actually get to be the one who's doing the talking.
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Your assumptions about dialogue are correct - do not bother putting anything into those three skills for your companions. NWN 2 is like most other RPGs in that regard, like all three Dragon Age games, like the Mass Effect trilogy, etc.
Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir on the other hand is different. There's no single protagonist like NWN 2, instead there are four protagonists which you create at the start (like Icewind Dale). However, you can choose any of these four characters during dialogue, so you see the benefit there. During my first Storm of Zehir playthrough, I had two characters skilled in Diplomacy (a Druid/Stormlord and a Cleric/Warpriest), a Fighter who was able to Intimidate people, and a Rogue/Wizard/Arcane Trickster with high Bluff. So we worked as a team not only in combat, but in dialogue as well. Several other RPGs are like this, such as Wasteland 2 and Divinity: Original Sin (although the latter is limited to two people). Note that you can recruit several other characters throughout Storm of Zehir, and even though they are existing characters in the story, you can still choose them during dialogue and even give them new classes unlike NWN 2.
The downside to Storm of Zehir's approach is the lack of character development. Since you create 4 characters, there's no character development with any of them really. However, NWN 2 itself is lacking in character development so when comparing the two, it's not much of a downside. The downside is more evident when comparing Storm of Zehir to Mask of the Betrayer though, which has decent character development. The downside is even more evident when you look at games like Dragon Age and Mass Effect.
The solution to this downside of course is to play a variety of RPGs like you're already doing. If you're in the mood for character development then don't play Storm of Zehir.
Modules = custom campaigns basically, usually smaller scale ones that don't actually have anything added to the Campaigns folder like Icewind Dale - NWN 2.Originally Posted by PhotonFanatic
Now by custom modules, I'm guessing you guys are meaning whole new quests written by the fans? Something you could install that would add a new playable area to the game?
And boredgunner, when you were talking about the other game having the ability to have other characters do the talking...
Were you referring to NWN2's inability to do that? No matter what character you're controlling at the time you start a conversation, it always defaults to the character you created. This makes me wonder if there is even any point at all, in putting points into your party members' Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Bluff skills. Since they never actually get to be the one who's doing the talking.
Your assumptions about dialogue are correct - do not bother putting anything into those three skills for your companions. NWN 2 is like most other RPGs in that regard, like all three Dragon Age games, like the Mass Effect trilogy, etc.
Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir on the other hand is different. There's no single protagonist like NWN 2, instead there are four protagonists which you create at the start (like Icewind Dale). However, you can choose any of these four characters during dialogue, so you see the benefit there. During my first Storm of Zehir playthrough, I had two characters skilled in Diplomacy (a Druid/Stormlord and a Cleric/Warpriest), a Fighter who was able to Intimidate people, and a Rogue/Wizard/Arcane Trickster with high Bluff. So we worked as a team not only in combat, but in dialogue as well. Several other RPGs are like this, such as Wasteland 2 and Divinity: Original Sin (although the latter is limited to two people). Note that you can recruit several other characters throughout Storm of Zehir, and even though they are existing characters in the story, you can still choose them during dialogue and even give them new classes unlike NWN 2.
The downside to Storm of Zehir's approach is the lack of character development. Since you create 4 characters, there's no character development with any of them really. However, NWN 2 itself is lacking in character development so when comparing the two, it's not much of a downside. The downside is more evident when comparing Storm of Zehir to Mask of the Betrayer though, which has decent character development. The downside is even more evident when you look at games like Dragon Age and Mass Effect.
The solution to this downside of course is to play a variety of RPGs like you're already doing. If you're in the mood for character development then don't play Storm of Zehir.
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Some of the old pencil and paper boxed D&D adventures from the late 1970s-early 80s were built into NWN1 modules, and some of them were quite large, some even longer than the official campaign. There were also a lot of good remakes of the old gold box SSI games from the 1980s like Pool of Radiance, ect. It was probably the first gigantic user created content community in PC gaming that I can remember. I remember trying to learn the toolset and scripting commands for months and I started a Dark Sun-based module and a Legend of Zelda module.Originally Posted by PhotonFanatic
Now by custom modules, I'm guessing you guys are meaning whole new quests written by the fans? Something you could install that would add a new playable area to the game?
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Hmm... How many NWN2 ones are really out there? And did they actually make cutscenes with some voice acting? Like in the actual NWN2 game. That would be really cool.
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Also does anyone else have trouble with the characters not wanting to follow you sometimes? It can be a game breaker if you think they're right behind you when you wander into a big fight.
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