Questions about D&D.

[Naron]

... and what can't be (time travel, psychics, The Doctor, subatomic self-replicating nanarobots).

Never say never

I haven't read the Terminator novel, I have just seen the film. And in the film, he didn't seem to have free will. I based my explanation on the film. Anyway, I find that text quite contradictory with the film Terminator 3. If T-1000 was such a risky creation that Skynet created because of its desperate situation, how did it happen that despite the failure in T-1000's mission, Skynet survived for for several years and even got to create T-X the Not-Badass-Enough-Terminator. Even years after the creation of T-1000 in a very desperate situation, Skynet still had a chance to win by killing enemy commanders (if a battle is in a really bad situation, replacing a few good generals by worse generals will not change the situation). Also, T-X was its even more advanced version (T-1000 + huge firepower - badassery), if T-1000 was absolutely risky, how insane Skynet got to create T-X then?

From what I understand, T3 isn't canon. Also, the T-X is superficially resembling the T-1000. She could be entirely programmed, like the T-800, so her creation was not risky. The T-1000 cannot be fully programmed, just conditioned, that's the difference. This is because he has free will.

A molecular matrix brain allowed the T1000 to carry the same data, programs, and detailed files that the T800 series could, as well as actually be able to learn. The T1000 also differed from the T800 in that it had only one mode; autonomous. When SKYNET created the T1000, it was desperate for victory, but it also realized that it was, quite possibly, creating the one weapon that might turn against its own creator. A weapon that SKYNET didn't know if it could defend itself against. The nature and disposition of the T1000 was hard to calculate and SKYNET took great pains into programming the unit with a myriad of fail-safes to keep it from turning on the creator. Still, SKYNET was unsure about the wisdom of creating such a powerful unit with total autonomy and free will.

So, the T-1000 would be a formidable D&D character.

[Dugi]

From what I understand, T3 isn't canon.

Oh, there is also some canon? So you're the expert, not me

[Naron]

From what I understand, T3 isn't canon.

Oh, there is also some canon? So you're the expert, not me

No, I'm by no means an expert, but I have read the Terminator forum and it seems that the fans are considering canon only the movies directed by James Cameron (T1&T2). That's all.

[Naron]

Dugi, how I can manually install a module on NWN 1? I want to play a few modules, but I cannot figure out how do so. And what is CEP? I've seen that it's required for some modules.

[Dugi]

I can't remember how exactly did I do it, but it should be something like this:
1. Find the game's userdata directory, it should be somewhere in My Documents, My Documents/My Games, C:/Users/(your name)/AppData (careful, this folder is hidden, you'll need to enable showing hidden folders) or C:/Users/(your name)
2. You'll see that the userdata directory contains folders with the same names than the folders in the module's directory. Add the files from the module's folders into the userdata folders that have the same name

CEP is community expansion pack, it contains tons of resources, new monsters, area types, encounters, non-playable races and other stuff, but no actual story. The latest version is like 4 gigabytes large if I remember correctly. It has a nice installer exe that you just run, fill some GUI and it installs. Just download it somewhere and install.

[Naron]

I can't remember how exactly did I do it, but it should be something like this:
1. Find the game's userdata directory, it should be somewhere in My Documents, My Documents/My Games, C:/Users/(your name)/AppData (careful, this folder is hidden, you'll need to enable showing hidden folders) or C:/Users/(your name)
2. You'll see that the userdata directory contains folders with the same names than the folders in the module's directory. Add the files from the module's folders into the userdata folders that have the same name

CEP is community expansion pack, it contains tons of resources, new monsters, area types, encounters, non-playable races and other stuff, but no actual story. The latest version is like 4 gigabytes large if I remember correctly. It has a nice installer exe that you just run, fill some GUI and it installs. Just download it somewhere and install.

Dugi, what you have described seems more suitable for NWN 2 & Windows 7. I have NWN 1 & Windows XP (I know, it's outdated&unsupported, but it's great for old games. Anyway my primary OS is Debian Linux). But your answer led me in the right direction. After many attempts, I learned how to install a mod on NWN 1:
1. Download the mod + any additional required files (music, haks, etc), and unzip them. Then install CEP.
2 Go to the install directory of NWN (in my case C:\Games\Neverwinter Nights) and copy the files from the folders of the mod+additional content into NWN's folders with the same names.
3. Play the mod!

It's quite complicated, compared to the Wesnoth's system.

[Naron]

I found a cool site. After you fill out a questionnaire, you can find out what D&D class you have. According to the website, I would be a Chaotic Good Human Bard 2/Wizard 1 .
What would be your results?

[Dugi]

That was a LONG test. But I hope that the algorithm used could use efficiently the data. Seems I would be a lawful neutral human, ranger/sorcerer class, attributes STR 12, DEX 11, CON 13, INT 18, WIS 14, CHA 11 (in the game, I tended to pick chaotic good elf sorcerer, quite a difference). Thinking about the honest answers I provided, it seems like quite a reasonable result (but quite crappy gameplay-wise).

[Naron]

Dugi, I understand that you are playing NWN 2, right? I would like to ask your advice. I have installed now NWN 2 on my system, but I have problems with the game. The camera is spinning too fast and jerky when I move the cursor to the edges of the screen. I have set the camera speed to minimum, but the problem persists.
Another aspect that I do not like: the characters are moving too slowly. By this I mean the visual animations (walking, fighting, etc). It's like the characters are moving in a gelatinous medium. It just does not look natural to me.
How can I fix these problems? So far, I am tempted to delete the game. NWN 1 looks more natural, even if it has an outdated graphics.

[Dugi]

I was playing NWN 2 about 2 years ago, I am not playing it anymore. I am playing mostly Path of Exile when I actually play something.

I never used the default camera system in NWN 2, I am not used for that. I was mostly character camera, so that the camera was centred at my character and turned when my character turned. If you want to use that camera system, maybe it's controlled by another slider, I don't know.
I don't think anything can be done about those slow characters, maybe you could cast Haste with Persisten Spell metamagic on all of them (all Mass Haste frequently, considering that you'll most likely need to rest a lot) to make them faster.

I agree that NWN 1 looks more natural, but one can't play one game forever, especially a game that isn't made for that. Community campaigns can make up for that, but not forever.

[Naron]

I was playing NWN 2 about 2 years ago, I am not playing it anymore. I am playing mostly Path of Exile when I actually play something.

I never used the default camera system in NWN 2, I am not used for that. I was mostly character camera, so that the camera was centred at my character and turned when my character turned. If you want to use that camera system, maybe it's controlled by another slider, I don't know.
I don't think anything can be done about those slow characters, maybe you could cast Haste with Persisten Spell metamagic on all of them (all Mass Haste frequently, considering that you'll most likely need to rest a lot) to make them faster.

Thanks for the info. I searched the Internet and it seems that there are many problems with the camera in NWN 2. But it seems that you can make some adjustments in the nwn2player.ini file, I'll try that.
About the characters, I want to say that all the characters (my PC and all NPCs) have slow animations. like they are moving into a denser medium than air. It's annoying to me. Unfortunately, it seems you're right, there is nothing that can be done about this. It's how the engine works, from what I understand.

I agree that NWN 1 looks more natural, but one can't play one game forever, especially a game that isn't made for that. Community campaigns can make up for that, but not forever.

Blasphemy! NWN 1 is blessed by gods and immortal!
More seriously, I now like NWN 1 a lot. Did you know that there is an unofficial patch for the game? NWN 1.71. This patch fixes many bugs and make improvements to the gaming experience, from what I read. Then there are many mods that improve the graphics and make it look more modern. And there are so many modules/adventures ...
It is a neverending game. Yes, I would play NWN 1 forever, unless something better comes.

[Dugi]

I must agree that my visual experience from NWN1 was better than from NWN2 and the animations could have been the cause. Or maybe because it was unable to handle large areas properly and was jerky like hell if I entered a large area like the Skean under the Slumbering Coven. NWN1 had really nicely done blocking. You attacked, the enemy visibly blocked the attack and took the recoil (it was quite possible because the game chose the exact moment when you attacked and also adjusted your position, so many games have an excuse why this isn't there). Also, NWN1 is the only game where I have seen offline singleplayer lag, that's something you don't see often.

For me, NWN1 is a piece of past. I don't look at it negatively, but I wasn't very attached to it when I tried to play it after some time. I don't mind old graphics, I was playing Jedi Academy recently and had no problem with the graphics from year 2003. I can't say that I don't enjoy good graphics, but I don't hate it if they aren't very good. I just think that I am not enough attracted to it.

A friend told me about a game named Neverwinter, that is a MMORPG made from Neverwinter Nights games, it's quite modern, played a lot currently, you can play custom storylines and adventures so it isn't like many MMORPGs from today... It's free to play, you pay for getting some items you would get otherwise far harder, but as far as I know, paying only removes the challenge and is quite disrecommended if you want to enjoy the game. I haven't played it personally, though.

[Naron]

I must agree that my visual experience from NWN1 was better than from NWN2 and the animations could have been the cause. Or maybe because it was unable to handle large areas properly and was jerky like hell if I entered a large area like the Skean under the Slumbering Coven. NWN1 had really nicely done blocking. You attacked, the enemy visibly blocked the attack and took the recoil (it was quite possible because the game chose the exact moment when you attacked and also adjusted your position, so many games have an excuse why this isn't there). Also, NWN1 is the only game where I have seen offline singleplayer lag, that's something you don't see often.

You mean NWN 2 . I haven't seen any lag in NWN 1. But NWN 2 lags a lot, at least for me. I'm disappointed because I was hoping that NWN2 is better than NWN1. Or maybe it is better in other respects? Some advantages that I've noticed: full control of the party, more classes available and nicer graphics. But the disadvantages are too many, for me: crappy animations, a crazy camera and sometimes low fps. And the loading time is so awful (loading 44 areas...)

For me, NWN1 is a piece of past. I don't look at it negatively, but I wasn't very attached to it when I tried to play it after some time. I don't mind old graphics, I was playing Jedi Academy recently and had no problem with the graphics from year 2003. I can't say that I don't enjoy good graphics, but I don't hate it if they aren't very good. I just think that I am not enough attracted to it.

It's a matter of taste. Personally, I find NWN1 very appealing. The game seems to have a very passionate community. If ever NWN1's source code will be made available, then the game will be effectively immortal.

A friend told me about a game named Neverwinter, that is a MMORPG made from Neverwinter Nights games, it's quite modern, played a lot currently, you can play custom storylines and adventures so it isn't like many MMORPGs from today... It's free to play, you pay for getting some items you would get otherwise far harder, but as far as I know, paying only removes the challenge and is quite disrecommended if you want to enjoy the game. I haven't played it personally, though.

I don't play online games, because I dislike them. Again, a matter of taste. I do prefer single-player games. But I do not limit myself to NWN1. Now I play a game called Spellforce Platinum. It is very interesting, a mix of strategy and RPG.
But NWN 1 will always remain my favorite game.

Are there other D&D-based games? Besides Baldur's Gate, which I don't like too much.

[johndh]

Are there other D&D-based games? Besides Baldur's Gate, which I don't like too much.

Heresy!

But really, there are a bunch. Similar to BG are BG 2 (obviously), Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment (often considered one of the best RPGs of all time). There was also an action-oriented spin-off, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, which seems like their attempt to make a Diablo game set in Forgotten Realms. Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor got pretty terrible reviews and I didn't much care for the lackluster combat, but if you're looking for a more tactical dungeon crawl, it might be worth a look.

All of these are games I remember from my teenage years, so I have no idea what has been made since then.

[Dugi]

You mean NWN 2 .

No, I meant NWN 1. There was a place where some ice giants ran towards me, I ran towards them, they ran across me and I kept running forward, then I appeared suddenly a bit back and they appeared before me. It always happened in that one location (Frozen Wastes of Cania or something like that).

full control of the party, more classes available and nicer graphics.

Yeah, this one is nice, but the insane loading is quite bad. Unless you have a machine built several years after the game was released and you have it installed on an SSD.

If ever NWN1's source code will be made available, then the game will be effectively immortal.

Yes, it would be bloody cool if they released it. They have almost zero profit from the game anyway and it's not easy to compile such thing.
There is another way around. Another old and legendary game, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, is having an open source remake. It's almost done, they've used a much more modern graphic system, remade all the scripting and game behaviour from scratch and now it's almost fully operational, with better graphics by default and possibility to make mods that improve the graphics far more than usual. Maybe NWN1 shall get something like that too.

Besides Baldur's Gate, which I don't like too much.

How do you even run it? It kept crashing on my Windows 7, no matter what compatibility I set. I guess I could get something of it on Linux, it can handle old Windows games better than new Windows, but who knows.