Enchanced Edition - Discussion

[Maladus]

It's forced if you want to play NWN and don't have a copy. Because now the there is only one place to get it, not many. Beamdog didn't just remaster NWN They bought it outright or were given exclusive license so that now they are the only place to go to if you want NWN, Baldur's gate, Planescape, Icewind dale or any other game they enhance this way.

So no they are not altruistic. And yes people have a right to question or criticize this just as others have the right to defend it.

If you want to play NWN and don't currently own a copy, the only reliable way to buy it now is on GOG. With this release you will eventually be able to purchase EE on Steam, Beamdog's page, GOG, possibly the Mac store, possibly the Windows store, not to mention any number of resell sites such as Green Man Gaming. All of this translates to exposure which leads to new players, and with the game being updated to work on modern machines with a working server browser these new players will not have to jump through hoops to play it.

Literally two nights ago I went through my Steam library and tried installing two or three games that are fairly old at this point. After booting them up I eventually gave up because there isn't a great solution for playing them on modern machines. The only reason NWN is as playable as it is now is due to the thriving online community that has provided resources to prospective new players.

[Urch]

I'm liking the idea of support for Mac and Linux machines again. NWN lacked that sadly.

As someone who actually works in the software development industry, I'd say that $20 is fully justifiable. I couldn't give a damn about graphics, but to pay in order to have on going support for modern hardware and the ability to play NWN with my wife (she has a mac, and wine doesn't seem to work), is a great draw.

It may work fine currently for the next few years, but eventually older and obselete systems and components will be phased out and replaced with newer, more advanced methods, and older legacy software like NWN will become unusable. It is always worth money (at low price too) to ensure such software becomes modernised.

I am worried however they may ruin it like they did with Baldur's Gate EE. The new gui, the general changes to visuals and ergonomic design that made Baldur's Gate II so fluid and user friendly, I feel Beamdog screwed up.

If done right, I may come out of my NWN retirement...

[CragOrion]

Right now I'm getting this graphical bug where the game will randomly not render robe appearances and some other things, and it persists after updating drivers. So if this new version fixes that for me? I'll be a happy camper

[Black Wendigo]

Literally the only reason for me to buy EE would be to play on Arelith and -possibly other EE servers that come out as well. But this is just temporary. Eventually NWN will not be worth upgrading every few years as it gets less and less cost effective to do so. Arelith will not go on forever as nothing does.

So I am asking myself is it worth it to mr to spend $20 just to continue to play the game for what? How many years? as time goes on, the answer to this increasingly becomes no.

I would much rather put my money in developers that are creating ga,es that have the look and feel of the infinity engine games (Pillars of Eternity, Tyranny, etc). THan continue to invest it old technology.

This is something that no one can get around. So if people want to pay $20 to support Arelith inthis manner, to them I say good on you. Have fun and continue to to produce the great RP I've come to know all these years. Just , you know, don't be too hard on those of us that leave NWN forever.

I am not saying goodbye . I am not certain if I will upgrade. Just trying to put things into perspective.

[Ork]

the new ui is pretty lazy

[Trunx]

The EE is not the game we all own now.

No? What tangible changes are there that you, as a player, will be able to see at launch? It sure looks like the exact same game we all already own. Plays like it, too.

Many good things might come with it in the future, but that isn't the issue here. The issue is that right now, they're charging 20 dollars for something that adds absolutely nothing of value to the vast majority of players. Especially Arelith players, who already benefit from Liareth's performance wizardry.

Like many in this thread have said, I'd have liked to see them actually enhance NWN in some tangible way -- at launch, rather than promising to add some nice features, possibly, in the future. Not just because it'd be better value for my money, but because it'd have been a much better business decision. There's nothing attractive about NWN:EE to people who aren't active, current players, which is really bad.

For the future of NWN, our best hope is that a lot of people assume it'll have cool new content and buy the game without bothering to read the supremely unimpressive list of new things.

[gilescorey]

It's really odd to me how many people in this thread take an almost personal offence to any and all criticism of the new game.

[Rivace_Silver]

When SoU came out and servers upgraded, you had to buy it or get left behind. When HotU came out, same thing.

The EE is an expansion in many ways - but it is an expansion aimed at devs, not players. While I can wish that there was more new content aimed at regular players, and that some of the new content that IS being introduced was less nonsensical (has anyone figured out what that patch note about uncanny dodge means, btw?), I also trust that our devs will make the most of the new capability being given to them to create things they would otherwise have been unable to.

To no fault of our own

This is a big misunderstanding that I see common with a lot of these posts. Its this attitude of, I have to pay $20, so ... What's In It For Me... This is actually a normal consumer attitude, and its natural to weigh the "what do I get" against the "what are you asking me to pay"

This expansion is aimed at Devs.. that's is an incredible way to put it.. and that's a huge thing. there is A LOT that we get, we just don't see it Immediately, no instant gratification.

Whats in it for Us?

the Devs get to... Develop... Easier, more efficient, expanded toolsets, this shader thing that scholar midnight was hyped about.. They create content, new capabilities things that we couldn't have had before, new toys they will employ. Give it 6 months, Give it a year, and you will see an Arelith that we probably couldn't have had without the EE This "expansion" is not a direct in your face player content, but it allows Irongron and his team to churn out more of the Awesome Amazing, Ambitious content that they have been giving us for so long, and from what I've seen... Its going to be Marvelous. We are getting new Content, in the form of new ways the Devs and DM's can present us with new and exciting adventures, events, abilities.

Please I encourage everyone to look at it this way.

[Trunx]

This expansion is aimed at Devs.. that's is an incredible way to put it.. and that's a huge thing. there is A LOT that we get, we just don't see it Immediately, no instant gratification.

Whats in it for Us?

It's not a misunderstanding to expect and to want a new game to deliver new content for people buying it. More tools for hobbyist-devs is great and all, but that's stinks of a lazy re-release and offers nothing for people who aren't hobbyist-devs. There's no new content until and if players make it. There's no guarantee that new content will be good, or worth the twenty dollars, because it's player-made.

Usually you expect the professional developers who made the game to add new content for every player, rather than them expecting the community to do all the content creation for them.

Because Arelith has good developers, the dev tools will probably be worth the twenty dollars eventually. But that doesn't mean that A) Beamdog should be praised for their business practices or B) that saying "the community might create some new stuff later on, give us 20 dollars" is a good way to attract a large number of new players.

[Black Wendigo]

Personally I don't think it will attract new players because new players do not want to play an old retro game much. I think it will attract existing NWN fans and draw them more towards Arelith than perhaps the few other servers out there.

[Maladus]

As Irongron said, it’s impossible to know how many players this will bring in. It’s also not safe to assume that there will be zero players.

[Ork]

I mean. You're arguing that the $20 isn't justified, but the game isn't even done yet.

[Trunx]

I mean. You're arguing that the $20 isn't justified, but the game isn't even done yet.

You think they'll add some crazy new features in a month that they, for some reason, didn't yet mention at all?

[Rivace_Silver]

I mean. You're arguing that the $20 isn't justified, but the game isn't even done yet.

You think they'll add some crazy new features in a month that they, for some reason, didn't yet mention at all?

for an extra $10.. sure

[Baron Saturday]

It's fairly clear at this point that the people who oppose this move understand the arguments for, but simply disagree with them and the value judgments behind them. I guess if you're determined to be angry about it, that's your prerogative?

Whether you're angry or excited doesn't actually change the situation, though, so I'll hope to see you around after the change to EE. If I don't, it's been a pleasure playing with you.

[One Two Three Five]

Given that a release date isn't listed from Beamdog, only a tentative Arelith EE one.. The EE could be done next month or next year. Who knows!

Also, wonder if there's any chance of them grabbing some of Sinfar's stuff BEAR WITH ME they have a character height changer, a weapon resizer, and several extra weapon VFXs.

[Wytchee]

Arelith feels dated. Not NWN in general, Arelith specifically.

EDIT: visually, not mechanically. Our devs are gr8

New stuff will be gud. Just hope I don't end up having to pay extra for "new features" in the future.

[dallion43]

Isn't the main point here that if one day Irongron's wife will break the server on his head we all will see a sad *offline* message. If EE will increase the chances, even if by 5%, that then I will have elsewhere to go then Sinfar...damn.
Not to mention that Arelith's in-house beta testing this year of some of the features that went to EE already gave us plenty? But, well, maybe I misread between the lines..sorry, sorry. :p.

Most of the devs already stated it will help them develop. So..who cares what 3rd party we have to pay $20 to achive it?

People that maintain Arelith had interaction with the 3rd party, and they optimistic about it. Lets stay positive so they will stay positive ).

I am sure a copy of current Arelith server will be saved somewhere and if worst come to worst, will be restored. The lead DMs won't let someone else sink their baby, if it ever comes to EE harming Arelith in any major way.

With the direction games and people that play games are moving to, we won't see anything close to NwN Arelith expirience untill full/partial VR will become somewhat accessible.
Businesses create for the majority, and we are definitely not a majority. I doubt Beam.. will get more money from us that they would get if they would develop yet another tamaguchi for the common idi..I mean..consumer, putting the same effort.

P.C It been a long, long time when I posted three long posts in one topic anywhere...heh I guess I do have a personal *heated* opinion on the matter. Maybe the fact that one angry wife already sunk the first NwN server I been on long ago, so I want to avoid a repetition for as long as possible ).

[Black Wendigo]

You can have a successful fan game that doesn't rely on trying to bring a beat to death retro game into the modern era. People actually make entirely new games based on the style and gameplay of old ones. Many of them a re good or better. Some, well not so much (I'm looking at you Blade of Destiny ). I'd rather reboot NWN with entirely new code and such rather than keep trying to work around old technology that doesn't function anymore.

Painting over an Edsel doesn't impress me much because it's still an Edsel. It looks better but it's the same car.

[One Two Three Five]

viewtopic.php?f=16&p=129036#p128956
The FL server is actually pretty excellent so no worries there.

Edit: Yo I just realized we can have magic items with up to 250 charges? Artificer subclass when

[CragOrion]

Also, Thain is a pretty cool server too

[Scimiter]

Spent about an hour kicking around our demo server on Head Start. Visual changes thus far are minor but visible. I've got a few glitches to report already but I'm not dismayed by that since it is unfinished and you have to think of it as a beta.

I can't wait to see what our DEVs do with it once it's complete and they have full access to all the things that have been hard coded up until now.

Read the FAQs Dunshine put up and the transition phases, looking forward to that, but can we get our new NWNEE key linked to our current vault so we can play on the demo server with our current characters or are we stuck waiting for phase 2?

EDIT: NVM. Found that answer in Mith's post.

[Nemain]

Gonna keep on asking in case someone who knows happens to read- at risk of sounding repetitive, it's a literal gateway for me: the pricetag for the game's okay and I can do. A new computer, is not.

Beamdog's page lists a set of requirements, and Steam a completely different one, and this 64 bit compatibility I've seen do in the past at the cost of losing 32 bit: is NWN EE still compatible with 32 bit machines?

[Scimiter]

Lacking a nwn.ini to mod has anyone found a way to get Windowed mode yet?

[Hunter548]

Lacking a nwn.ini to mod has anyone found a way to get Windowed mode yet?

Alt + enter, adjust resolution to whatever you want. Leaving it at full resolution gives you a window'd fullscreen.