Adios NWN 2

I gave it the old college try but the game is just too bug ridden and doesn't play nearly smooth enough on my system for it to be worthwhile to keep building. So this blog is officially closed. I will keep the worldwright name though after all, I do lots of stuff that could fall under that heading and who knows what the future may hold.

Procedureal guidlines

I've discovered that on some occasions, errors in the tools set can completely destroy a mod, making it unplayable, and un-openable in the toolset. Having tis happen when you're just fiddling is one thing but if this were to happen after spending hours on a module It would be incredibly disheartening. To avoid this I am going to adhere to some sensible guidelines in procedure, designed to ensure that no more than a couple of hours worth of work is lost, should the worst happen.

1. filenames should include the date of the last save.
2. When beginning a session in the toolset, the first order of business shall be to "Save As".
3. Experimentation with new objects should occur in a seperate testing module, and exported as erfs, or prefabs.
4. Areas should be completed in a testing module and imported to the main mod when finished.
5. Bake and run all areas and custom objects and test them in game before importing to the main mod, most mod killing errors seem to happen while baking.

I'm sure I'll think of more as time goes on, I'll post them here.

Module plans

I've been giving some thought to my first module. As a world builder it is my first instinct to create an original world in which to set the adventure but when you think about it that adds A LOT of work to the whole process. All of the item descriptions are firmly tied to the Forgotten Realms as are all of the races, prestige classes, and deities. Setting a module in a unique world would require substantial TLK editing, and the last I checked custom TLK files still aren't supported. I think I'll stick to the realms for the time being.

I've always found it useful, when starting a new project, to lay out some benchmarks and ground rules to lend some direction to my efforts.

For my first NWN2 module...

1. Do NOT start the adventure by having the village attacked. This is the most tired plot device on the planet. Looking at my gaming shelf, I'd bet that a good 35-45% of my games start that way. (NWN2 included).

2. There are to be no less then two full fledged companions.

3. Start small, this first module should be a self contained story. I can create a full fledged campaign after I've done this first one and am fully familiar with the tools at my disposal.

4. This first module will be set in the realms, for the afore mentioned reasons.

5. The module will be designed for low level characters with all classes and races fully supported.

6. This will be a single player module, no additional steps will be taken to make it multi-player friendly at this time.

Prefab submitted to the vault

I've cleaned up the slave wagon prefab and I've uploaded it to the community. I've discovered that if you export doors as part of a prefab, weirdness occurs. A strange little hairless dwarf will appear halfway across the map and your door looks all wonky. I removed the door and discovered that the toolset adds it back in when you open the prefab, it's still the wrong size but at least the creepy mystery dwarf went away. All you have to do is resize the door and you're golden.

The slave wagon can be found behind the link to your left.

I think I'll hold on to the Gypsy wagon a little longer. I have to keep some goodies for myself if I want my mod to be unique.

-Den O'

Prefabs in progress

Say what you will about the toolset and how unfriendly it is, I am continually amazed at what you can do with a little patience and creativity. A little tinting, scaling, and grouping and bam! Brand new placables with no modeling. Here are a couple of prefabs I am making for a module Idea of mine.

A gypsy wagon













And a slave wagon...

Essential tools

As I discover them I will be linking to tools and plugins that I have found to be particularly usefull, and should be considered part of the module builders standard kit. Currently there are three, though there are definitely others who have not updated their plugins to 1.03 yet, so I can't use them.

I have found these to be particularly helpful...

PowerBar : Adds a slew of useful features to the tools set. The camera tools are a must have for setting up cut scenes.

SpellPlug: Adds Spellcheck to the toolset. Nothing kills emersion like typos (for me at least).

NWN2Mapper: vastly speeds up the process of creating interior areas.

Links can be found on the left of the page.