Neverwinter Nights Forum News

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(Originally posted by Veldrin)

Here are today's Neverwinter Nights forum highlights. Please take into account that these are only single parts of various threads and should not be taken out of context. Bear in mind also that the posts presented here are copied as-is, and that any bad spelling and grammar does not get corrected on our end.

Georg Zoeller, Designer

HotU Scripting: There will be a new function for those things in Hordes, making it easier to switch all kinds of modes (stealth, detect, power attack, expertise, etc...)

Discipline: Discipline was intended to go for paladins in SoU, but we were already in lockdown mode, so it hat to wait until the patch. Monks and Rangers and, if I remember correctly, Harpers will get Discipline in Hordes of the Underdark. Since the game can not guess how you would have distributed your skillpoints, you need either to create a new character if you want to spend a lot of ranks in Discipline, or start taking Discipline with your character when you level up the next time after installing the 1.31 patch. You do not gain any skillpoints retroactive.

NW_FLAG_STEALTH: The SpawnConditions NW_FLAG_STEALTH probably does not work correctly in 1.31 at the moment. I think I fixed a problem in x0_i0_walkway.nss causing it, but it will take a while until that fix goes out in a patch because a new scripting command is involved. I have to check those stealth waypoints, but I suspect they might not work as well. In any case, NW_FLAG_AMBIENT_ANIMATIONS needs to be set for those NW_STEALTH waypoints to be honored (code is in x0_i0_modes), but as said, I doubt it will work correctly.

Object Interaction: When you want two objects to interact with each other (i.e. triggering certain events on another object), you should use SignalEvent(oTarget, EventUserDefined(XXXX)). This makes oTarget's OnUserDefined Event fire, in which you can check using GetUserDefinedEventNumber, which event (XXXXX) has been triggered. This way each object maintains its own functionality and it does not get messy with objects modifying other objects. A noteworthy difference between ExecuteScript and SignalEvent is the actual execution order.

Whirlwind Feat: The whirlwind line accidently slipped into the current talktable. It is a feat upcoming in Hordes of the Underdark.

Item Properties: Nope, you can do permanent modifications to the item properties. If applied as DURATION_TYPE_PERMANENT, the property is added to the item just like in the toolset, forever. DURATION_TYPE_TEMPORARY ones do not carry over between modules, basically like temporary effects.

Custom Legal Item Enforcments: There are scripting command to closly examine an item and its property in Hordes, which could be used to create very powerful filter scripts for localvault servers

Ambient Animations: Actually, I think uncommenting the following line in the SpawnScript does this in a more complete fashion:

SetSpawnInCondition( NW_FLAG_AMBIENT_ANIMATIONS);

Quote: Second, I had read that post, and it didn't answer my question. Which is basically, if you're not using the default level up package with LevelUpHenchman (ie, specifically telling it which class to take), then what package is used? The post (and thread) is very vague on this point.

For the first class it should be the package specified. For the second class, the package specified in the Package column for the class.2da. If that column is missing from your 2da, this means that this functionality is not yet available in your version.

Quote: Does this mean we can remove properties from weapons permanantly as well -- say, as part of a curse?

Sure

Quote: Now maybe I'm jumping the gun here but... Will Mordenkeinen's Disjunction remove item properties?

Our spells and scripts will ever remove permanent item properties, but you can surely script it very easily

Quote: Not too ask for too much here, but is there any chance of seeing some of this functionality in the DM client? Modifying item properties on the fly using the DM client would rule beyond belief...of course, depending on the functions, we could probably script a wand for it. Still, having it as a GUI function would be best. Any plans for this, Georg?

I don't think so, the time required for a new GUI would be quite hefty, definitly nothing for an expansion pack. However you could script some kind of interface for it using conversations, but thats up to you guys. (Put item in container, select property through conversation or even keyword driven, ...)

Quote: Just wondering, with the NW Wednesday contest additions...There is no mention of any specific model to use when it comes to the "Relic of the Reaper". I hate assumptions, so is it free to the module entrant to use their item-of-choice to represent the Relic? Furthermore, do we need to use a specific Tag or ResRef name in conjunction with it?

I think a small or medium misc. item would be ok, through other types of items might work as well. And, yes, it would be replaced at the start of the official campaign anyway.

Don Moar, Tools Programmer

Problems Opening Modules: There are no specific limits as to the number areas a module may contain. There are many modules that are much larger than 3 MB, so it isn't just a size issue, either. To verify that the module is still intact, try opening it using the ERF editor (available from the For Developers section, here) and transfer the contents to a new .mod file. If the new .mod doesn't work, try opening the module.ifo file contained in the .mod using the GFF editor (also available here). If you can open it, use the module.ifo documentation (also available here) to see if you can spot any problems with your file.

SoU Modules: Things like prestige classes and such should work by virtue of running the module on an SoU server. If you have specific plot points that depend upon the classes of the player characters, you'll have to update your module accordingly however.

Invalid Pointer Operation: Go to the folder where you installed NWN and run nwupdate.exe. This is the program that is run when you press the Update button in the launcher. Running the program directly will avoid the "invalid pointer operation" problem.

Rob Bartel, Co Lead Designer

Quote: Anyway, this is just a long-winded way to ask: Rob, if worse came to worst and you are not able to continue the series for some reason, do you think you could write up a short synopsis on where you were going with it? I really want to know what the heck is going on.

Should it come to that, I'll do my best to jot down some notes and pass them on. At this point, however, there's still reason to hope for an official sequel (this is not new news so please don't interpret it as such).

David Gaider, Designer

Alternative Lifestyle NPCs: Alright, enough. This conversation can be continued in the Off Topic forum if it really has anywhere else to go. It certainly has little to do with HotU, if it ever did.And, for the record, we not only can have homosexual NPC's, but we have. We're just not very blatant about it, and we really don't think that a Teen-rated game is the place to be blatant about that sort of thing. If we were going to include such a theme in a Teen-rated game, I think we'd make the story relate more to one of tolerance for your fellow man... something a few posters in this thread could certainly practice a bit more of. So I hereby exert my superpower of The Final Word and shut this one down.

NWN: Let's not forget a couple of things which may have been mentioned here but probably need to be emphasized. NWN may use the Forgotten Realms license as its setting, but first and foremost its mandate back at creation time was to implement the 3rd edition ruleset. The races are put in NWN as they exist in the Player's Handbook, NOT as per the 3rd edition Forgotten Realms handbook (which didn't even exist when we did the game), and this is the way that WotC wanted it. We still implement many FR-specific things, as we can, but when there's a contradiction (taller FR elves vs. the smaller Player's Handbook elves) we have to evaluate whether it's something that's worth changing just for that. So far, sub-races have been a big No on that front. As for not planning better for Prestige Classes and other things that would come up in our Expansion Packs... ummm... sorry? I'll admit there's some things we could have left more open programming-wise (like, say, spellcasting) with the idea that they might need to be changed in the future. Things went that way, however, simply because there was little choice. NWN was a huge project that we had to make work as it was back on release, never mind giving any kind of priority to what may come. Add to that the fact that Prestige Classes did not exist... how can you blame us for not preparing for them? The 2nd edition kits only modified the base class... nobody told us that we'd need to add an infinite number of new classes (which is, effectively, what Prestige Classes are) into NWN. Indeed, that's something that WotC specifically did not want us to enable (no non-D&D custom classes by the community).

And as far as listening to the community goes... really, that depends on your definition of "listening". If "listening" is getting input and feedback and sometimes changing our minds based on this or implementing what we can when possible, then great. If "listening" is dropping everything to implement every idea that comes up on the message board that seems like it has a bit of vocal support or is a bit neat, then not so great. I think we do plenty of the former, and if you want to fault us for not doing the latter then, sorry, but I'd have to say too damn bad. Find fault in us for many things we try to do, if you wish, but some of the things you've selected here to take fault with I really disagree with.

Deekin: Well, we can't change a model's size dynamically within the game. So IF Deekin is a Dragon Disciple the only way his size could increase is if we made larger models especially for him. Which we haven't.

Mithral: There are numerous things in D&D which are part of the generic fantasy "mythology", like elves and dwarves, that you can find in some variation in any use of the genre. Mithril is one of those things. In D&D, it is spelled mithral. Heck, they could have made it mythrille if they really wanted to... but the D&D version is still its own even if it was used first in Tolkien. Fair enough?