(NWN) Anyone still play this?

[SirFozzie]

While I'm waiting for my new monitor to be installed (driver issue), I reinstalled NWN, plus the two expansions. I want to do some multiplayer adventuring, but want to venture with people who I know aren't lamers

So.. who still plays this?

[Dutch]

I have the entire set now. I went on-line once and somebody walked up and I think they were talking to me. So while I was looking down at the keyboard trying to type back, I looked back up and saw my guy was dead. So I reloaded and my guy was creamed again in 10 seconds. So the next time I started I just started running around and some dude was chasing me the whole time! I felt like a kid getting beat up by a bully the entire time!

[Grid Iron]

I haven't played in a while, but you should check out Neverwinter Connections. From April 16-18, they will be hosting NeverWinterCon II , an "online" convention of sorts with lots of multiplayer NWN game matchmaking for all levels of players.

I played a few games in NWCon I and had a very fun time. Try as many games as you can, and you'll certainly meet some cool people to play with.

[wig]

www.Nordock.net is a great place to play online.

You can find wignifty on the difficult servers and I'm sometimes on Nordock3.

wig

[QuikSand]

I have semi-active characters at both Nordock and Avlis -- both have been discussed here before at some length, and both are very solid servers.

The Nordock server reference by wig above is probably pretty good for beginners... the progression of XP is pretty reasonable, and the area is pretty well thought out. I reside on Nordock 1 if you care - but it's pretty easy, I'm told, to port your character to their different sites.

[wig]

If you want to go between Nordock servers, just log out from the portal in the Benzor temple. You can then log in any of the other servers.

[QuikSand]

Nordock, for what it's worth, has just installed a new AI for its baddies. My character is getting his ass kicked by stuff that he used to round up easily before.

Don't know yet whether this makes the game better or worse for me... I had just started to get reattached to this game.

[wig]

The only problem about Nordock, is that it seems to cater to the long time players more than new ones.

Not that it is a bad thing, just something to know.

[Blackadar]

I just got done with NWN: Hordes of the Underdark.

I was underwhelmed by the underdark.

For some reason, I've never taken a shine to the NWN series. For all its potential, I don't think it's really been a great RPG. The amazing feat was the modability. But the graphics always kind of put me off - they never drew me into the game. And the conversations and plots of the games themselves weren't outstanding, either. Finally, at least to me, they always seemed a bit unbalanced and buggy.

Not that they're bad - but they don't even break my top 10 RPG list. Which is surprising, considering that they're from Bioware.

[QuikSand]

Never occured to me to really invest a lot of time into single player NWN.

[Draft Dodger]

bought the 2nd expansion a while ago, haven't installed it yet. I've never played NWN online - but I'd be willing to, if there were other cool people playing.

[QuikSand]

I'd be willing to find a decent persistent world server and try again to start a FOFC party from time to time.

So far, the execution has pretty dramatically fallen short of hopes and expectation... for what that's worth. Several of us played at Avlis for a while, but getting a party together and doing something interesting was a real challenge.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Never occured to me to really invest a lot of time into single player NWN.

I tried MP NWN. I've never had much luck in MP games. I had a devil of a time trying to get into a decent game. Then when I did, it was a pain in the butt and most of the people online were cheating - using hacked characters, etc. I found much the same in Diablo and many other games.

After a couple of hours, I gave up. Now I'm on dial-up, making it virtually impossible to play MP.

I've grown to really hate MP games. I simply won't play them anymore. Of course, if the *right* MMORPG ever came out and we got a decent crowd/guild going here, I might try again. But not without a "support group" already set up. Of course, that won't be a problem - almost every one of the new games has (or will have) the "EverQuest" over-the-shoulder view or a 1st person perspective - both of which give me motion sickness. Until I can have my isometric, top-down view, there's not a MMORPG I can play (except UO, which is horrid now).

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

but want to venture with people who I know aren't lamers

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I'd be willing to find a decent persistent world server and try again to start a FOFC party from time to time.

So far, the execution has pretty dramatically fallen short of hopes and expectation... for what that's worth. Several of us played at Avlis for a while, but getting a party together and doing something interesting was a real challenge.

Getting people to submit exports for MP may be easy, getting 4, 5 or 6 people together consistantly is damn near impossible. Not in this day and age or work and r/l.

When we are all retired, we have to promise to try MP sometime for real.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Quik: How is the lag at Avlis now compared to a year ago or so when there was a bunch of us playing over there?

I bought the first expansion just in time for them to make the second one mandatory, and I haven't picked up the second expansion yet. If the lag isn't as bad as it was before, I'd be up for getting it and doing some MP in July and August.

Despite the lag, I really enjoyed Avlis. Lots of good laughs, the vast majority of people I ran into were trying their best to role play the game, and the game was varied enough to keep me interested.

I still remember the time I (a human character) tried to help Chief Rum get something from a mage in a packed elven bar. Just being in the elven town as a human was a bit dangerous, as the elves and humans were at war, and my character was always getting a lot of insults and threats. Anyway, when the mage refused to hand over whatever it was we were supposed to get, things led to fisticuffs. I was standing back a bit, because I was much better with my bow than with any close combat weapon. Once Chief and the mage started fighting, I tried to help. I notched a bow, aimed for the mage, and promptly drilled an elf ranger in the back. There was this tangible moment of silence, and then the whole bar erupted. Chief was killed almost immediately--not because he was weaker--but because he was already in heavy combat with the mage, couldn't see what had happened, and got jumped from behind by a dozen elves. I had a headstart to the door, and somehow made it outside.

I spent a minute catching my breath, and when Chief didn't make it out, I figured honor should make me go back inside. I got two feet in the door before I got drilled with a dozen spells and arrows. Instant death.

And then there was the night AC Strider suggested that all our low-level characters go to someplace called "The Forests of Midnight". Brilliantly, we all said, "Sure!" "Sure" was not the correct answer.

Good humor.

Any one know where Hordes of the Underdark is on sale cheap?

[QuikSand]

I haven't been to Avlis recently (like the last six weeks) - ut if they now requite HotU, I don't have it, so I'm out. I'll try to log in today, and see if I can. I still like my portly monk from over there.

[WSUCougar]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I still like my portly monk from over there.

Filed under Blackmail: Things to be Taken Out of Context...

[Calis]

I'd be interested in trying out NWN multi, although the few times I tried it out it just didn't seem to work real well. Not sure what it is, but it lacks something for good multi. Never played a PW though, just modules.

Quik- You're actually really missing out by not trying SP. There are some outstanding player-made modules out there that far surpass the boxed campaigns by Bioware. Good stuff.

I'll try out this Avlis though, sounds like fun.

[WSUCougar]

Calis, can you recommend by name any particularly-good SP modules that you've enjoyed?

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by Calis

I'll try out this Avlis though, sounds like fun.

The thing with Avlis, if you haven't gathered it, is that they really want to create a "role playing" focus, rather than a "power gaming" focus. In concept, it's tough to argue against that -- there are plenty of places to go and power game, if that's what you want to do.

Trouble is, one of the main ways they have done this is by diminishing the XP rewards for doing things to literally a pittance. You can kill a variety of fierce monsters, putting yourself in great peril to do so, and only make very tiny progess toward a new level. To really advance, you need to commit an awful lot of time there.

That means that if you're more of an occasional gamer (like I am) then you're kind of stuck at level one or two, maybe forever. Nothing necessarily wrong with that, unless you want to actually do some adventuring... then you'll find that you are in trouble if up against all sorts of foes. So your options become limited, and by extension can be pretty boring (unless you'd rather just do a lot of role-playing and interacting, which is fine).

I enjoyed Avlis, built up my character to about 10th level, and it took a ton of time to do it.

When I switched to Nordock, and moved to more normal XP progression, it was a great joy -- I actually felt like my character was making progress and improving even though I was only playing from time to time. However, Nordock has recently kicked up its difficulty -- and my mid-level character there (7th) is in big trouble with anything but the most mundane conflicts. So, they may well have sapped all the fun out of that place for me, too.


That's where I am. Im really not an end-run style power gamer, but I'd like to be able to sit down with a new character and realistically think about his future -- what I might do with him as he gets to 3rd or 5th or 10th level, that sort of thing. Right now, I'm not sure I can do that with either of those sites -- both have gotten dramatically harder to advance in than they were since I started, and I don't think I'd have the patience to start a new character at either place.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by Calis

Quik- You're actually really missing out by not trying SP. There are some outstanding player-made modules out there that far surpass the boxed campaigns by Bioware. Good stuff.

Maybe so - and I have heard as much.

But I really enjoy the "building" process more than the "solving" process... and a single player environment just doesn't seem to provide me any of the same interest. It's not a matter of the design lacking or the layout not working to my tastes - it's just that I like the idea of the "persisten world" you can get online, where I build my character and then can apply what I've built to do other things -- party up with other people, explore areas that I've never been to, become a leader or a follower with another group as I choose... all that non-linear stuff mixed with the potential for interesting human interaction makes it more attractive to me.

[Calis]

I see what you're saying on the PW thing Quik. I guess I'm about the opposite though, as I've spent too much time on MMORPG's and am very burnt out on that style. I'm looking for more of a one shot, one sitting night of entertainment.

We might be better off just getting a group together sometime to play a single mod. There's some remakes of the old Pen and Paper Forge of Fury and Sunless Citadel that are designed for MP mostly, and that would let us play the multi and not be forced to devote a lot of time. Just a one shot deal really.

Coug, been a while since I've fired up NWN so I'm going on memory here, but the first SP one I really enjoyed was the Lone Wolf series, but I think a lot of that may be from fond memories of reading the books as a kid. Very linear, but good writing and one of the first classics. Very story-oriented though, not much hack & slash.

Anything in the Hall of Fame on NWVault is worth a look at. I really enjoyed the Shadowlords series and should start up the follow on Dreamcacher ones soon. It's neat to watch the modmaker evolve over the course of the series, you can really see improvement as it goes on.

For a more lighthearted fair, the Penultima series are quite a bit of fun...and the Eternum stuff also by Gagne is very good sorta horror-ish stuff.



NWVault Hall of Fame

Really any of those listed there are quality mods, it's just a matter of taste on which ones you like.

The Midnight and Twilight mods are real good as well. Well I'm assuming Midnight is as I only played the first. Probably time to re-install NWN so I can check out the 2nd. It's a Paladin only mod, but the guy does some neat puzzles if you're into that.

Great Thief mod I played also, can't remember the name though...think it might've been Grand Theft Otto or something? Maybe Company of Thieves.. been too long.

There was a mod based on George R.R. Martin's books that I tried out also and seemed to be pretty solid, but unfortunately I moved during the middle of playing it so I didn't get too far. The Night's Watch I believe it was called.

Anyway, I've played tons of the mods..and finished very few. I guess I'm more or less interested in seeing what new things people can do with the toolset. I get bored pretty quick with them though.

[wig]

What you guys need is someone to run a game server for predetermined game sessions, and to act as the live DM.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Maybe so - and I have heard as much.

But I really enjoy the "building" process more than the "solving" process...

I had to look twice to see if those words really were typed by PuzzleBoy himself.