Neverwinter Nights Mods Guide
Mods and modules are the reason Neverwinter Nights 1 is ranked highly in cRPG History. The magic of Neverwinter Nights is its Aurora toolset that strikes the perfect balance between flexibility, power and Ease-of-Use. World-builders, writers, coders and artists alike have long since hit the jackpot with Aurora. It's why we players have access to some of the finest campaigns out there. Masterpieces like Swordflight, Aielund Saga and Bastard of Kosigan, for example, all of which can contend with commercial cRPG offerings in terms of depth, breadth and polish.
See also: NWN1 vs NWN2 and Aurora & Electron.
Thanks for all your hard work! This is a really nice guide on what's optimal for enjoying Neverwinter.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Joe! I'm glad it was of use to you.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for this summary on NWN graphic mods and tools!
ReplyDeleteThis was really helpful. Thanks a lot!
ReplyDeleteIt's my pleasure, guys!
ReplyDeleteI will update it whenever I come across new content.
Many thanks! Replaying NWN after a longish time so these were quite useful.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I just picked up NWN for free from GOG and was looking for something like this.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Fred. It was a kind gesture by GoG to offer it for free over 48 hours. The NWN community is in dire need of more players. There is so much great content out there that isn't even being played, let alone receiving commentary.
DeleteI'm sorry to hear that. I hope this gives a boost to its community. I will try out a player made module alongside the OC.
DeleteWhen I think about it now, NWN has been in a somewhat odd place for more than a decade since its release (I can't believe it's been that long). It's neither been that popular or that unknown even at its launch. It just has had relatively light player response in comparison to other similar games but I am glad to see people are still making stuff for it and playing the multiplayer still.
I remember I tried playing it shortly after it launched but hated the beginning area that was really just a overblown tutorial but funnily enough I find myself enjoying the whole game now after so many years and have already sunk a few hours into it.
I hope now I can provide some support to the community by reviewing some of the player made modules sometime soon in the future.
Geez you've put a lot of useful stuff all in one place. Is there any way to expand your meta? I only mention it because using goog and other searches seldom point me to your Blogs. Of course, I use basic keywords, often not sure of the exact terms, but I watch my spell(cast)ing closely. In any case, it's exceptionally well-organized and comprehensive proving you must be an avid longtime fan, eh?
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting the extra installation tips I mentioned on your index page. Anything helps. ;)
ReplyDeleteHave you ever heard of the following working to launch an unlaunchable game session of NWN1...?
I've seen some users rename "nwnmain.exe" (yes, the actual executable in the game folder, not a shortcut) to something benign like "launchnwn" without any extension and they claim it works perfectly and that it works to run most of the older games on the newer WinOS that would not start otherwise. I am interested in finding out WHY (it seems a dangerous practice to me, but hey, if it starts the game...). I can only guess that it bypasses something in the registry that is preventing the normal execution but that's a stab in the dark on my part.
Do you or anyone else have any idea why/how the renaming business works? Before recommending something like this to a troubled soul fumbling to get their installation working I'd need to feel comfortable about the dynamics first.
I've heard of that trick but have never tried it because I've never needed to. Try asking on Vault, GoG and reddit.
DeleteVirtualBox doesn't run NWN smoothly but you can use it to run many older games flawlessly (Win XP SP3, ftw). I only throw that out there for ppl like you who might be trying to get other, older games to work; and also, it's just something to keep in mind in case VirtualBox ever actually gets robust 3d support.
Actually, it's not for me. All works well enough on my latest Win7Pro machine. Had to apply the DirectDraw fix to a few of the titles, though.
DeleteMainly, the interest is for exactly those sites you've mentioned where replies are stabs in the dark most times. Requesters don't provide full hardware/OS disclosure like they did at Bioware so it is always a slow process gleaning the necessaries.
NWVault really doesn't address these OS-related sort of issues. I've never heard of VirtualBox before so I may try that for some of the REAL old discs I have laying there collecting dust... just for giggle value.
That's why I prefer a virtual guest Win XP SP3 for Infinity Engine RPGs like IWD and PS:T. You don't need to apply any fixes. You can just Run -> type dxdiag and completely disable Direct3D and DirectDraw. The games then run just like in the old days, with no glitches or slowdowns. Same with Fallout and Fallout 2. There are quite a few games I was never able to get to work in Win7 or later; namely, TIE Fighter and Warblade. It's pretty cool when you just mount the original ISO and play these oldies.
DeleteHi Lilura,
ReplyDeleteQuick questions- Is the Project Q pack compatible with the CEPs? In the instructions it says that it isn't, or I may be misreading it. Second, your installation instructions are very different than the read-me's, there it says to copy the unzipped folders to the NWN directory and overwrite any folders. Is your "patch" instructions basically doing the same thing? Sorry for the noob questions, I'm still learning the modding process with NWN. I've installed pretty much all of the visual enhancements and CEPs you recommend. I was interested in Project Q, but not sure if it's even worth it due to all of the other visual overrides I've installed, such as the creature overrides, weapons, grass, etc (as posted above). Plus it sounds like it may not play nice with other modules. Thanks!
Hi Cody, and thanks for your queries.
Delete- I have never tried the Project Q patch hak with a CEP-based module; sorry, you will have to experiment for yourself on that one (or ask on the Vault where the gurus hang out).
- Yes, for installation of Project Q there is no difference between unzipping to the folders and just copy-pasting them in there.
- Also, please note that the latest version of Project Q (2.2) may cause more issues in some modules than the previous one (2.0), which is the only one I've tested out.
- Just to be clear, you don't need to install many of the visual overrides if you are going to use Project Q (See the first important note in the PQ section, above).
Cheers, and good luck!
Hi Lilura
ReplyDeleteFirst, really nice blog, with a good summary of important mods/overrides.
You write that NWshader is of little benefit to players. I would say that it can make any module look a lot nicer with bloom etc. and if a builder has actively used nwshader it can make a huge difference, using shaders ex. to distort the world while in the Abyss etc.
You'll never know if you don't have nwshader installed :-)
/Paphjort
Hi Paphjort, and thanks! I've added your comment into the body of the post. Hope you don't mind. Let me know if you do and I'll remove it. Also, if you could be assed taking a screenshot showing it in effect, I'll post it in there and credit you. Cheers!
DeleteSure, no problem. How can I send the screenshots to you?
ReplyDeleteHere they are on Imgur :-)
Deletehttp://imgur.com/a/EOBT1
To activate a shader is a single line of script. I either script it, or as a DM make an item target a player and toggle the shaders. Many uses. Get poisoned/bitten by a zombie? Turn you world green! Cursed? everything gets red and distorted etc. Don't overdo it of course, or players will get tired of it
I think I'll make a post on the vault with examples of scripts and how to set it up.
:-)
/Pap
Nice pics, Pap! Added one into the body of the post and linked to your imgur page. An example posted on the Vault would ofc be very welcome, too. Cheers to you.
DeleteQuick note on the Reforged weapons: There have been projects over the years that have been started by people, but never completed/released to the community. I didn't want that to happen with Project Reforged. They were released in sections as they were completed, since I didn't want the community to miss out on what I'd done if I couldn't complete the project for some reason. The entire project ended up being 8 releases over the a year and a half it took to complete.
ReplyDelete-The Amethyst Dragon
Hi Amethyst, and thanks for the explanation! I've pasted your comment into the body of the post, as I've just discovered that I can't link to comments on blog pages (only posts.) Hope you don't mind, but let me know if you do and I'll remove it.
DeleteQuick note on Progect Q - it has ridiculously bad replacer for Dire tiger. New tiger looks too slim and its back legs just look really broken... Thats mostly a problem for shifter, but still. Also elementals absolutely change their style to less "material" one, making them somewhat harder to spot in spellthrowing crowd(also I find old elemental style a bit more adorable xD)
ReplyDeleteOther then that Project Q is really cool
HEre is one more nice executable mod:
ReplyDeletehttps://neverwintervault.org/project/nwn1/other/nwncx
together with Community patch version 172_R2(doesn't work with lower version) it gives you ability to persist combat mads(like in nwn2) so you can turn it on once and it wont be turned off when you run around. Additionally it let you to use monk additional flurry attack in the first round. Nice stuff xD
Thanks for the very useful guide!
ReplyDeleteI had to opt out of Tony K's AI completely though because of either major bug or very annoying feature: every time I hit henchmen with harmful area effects they betray me and never stop attacking until either of us are dead.
And they don't even care if those fireballs deal 0 damage.
Also there is apparently no way to instruct your familiar(which is not the case with animal companion!) until HotU and this means mighty panther will run away from the lowest of goblins in OC and SoU.
Which is shame because other than these two issues Tony's AI is a definite improvement over vanilla, but something tells me it's not really meant for arcane casters...
Not sure about the Familiar issues you're having, but to stop companions attacking you as a result of friendly fire, you should be able to simply right-click on them and tell them to "stand their ground". From memory, this is not a Tony K's issue.
DeleteThanks. Unfortunately this works only for stand the ground\follow and I mostly use guard mode, I even recorded that behavior with test sorcerer:
Deletehttps://giant.gfycat.com/HelplessMemorableDeer.webm
...Now that I think about it more, I recall henchies retaliating only in guard mode.
Also this image below is the very problem with familiars, left dialogue window is from OC\SoU, right one is HotU:
https://i.imgur.com/VnqhV7x.jpg
...apparently there is no way to tweak anything other than follow distance in OC\SoU and if I understand it correctly Tony's familiars have their base cautiousness(?) set to "run away from everything" so they won't aid in combat on their own.
Really sorry for bothering with these. I searched internet in hopes to find people with similar problem, I hope that my mishaps will help people who would browse this page or google things later, maybe some solutions will be found too. There aren't many active places about nwn nowadays it seems.
Thank you for going to all that trouble. It does seem a bit silly that Familiars are scripted to flee, when they can be quite useful at tanking/DpR. Not being a modder, I do not know how to correct the issues you are having, I'm afraid. And most people that frequent this blog are gamers. Thus, I would suggest also posting this on neverwintervault.org where the active modders hang out. Good luck!
DeleteLilura you mentioned in your 'Project Q Hak' section that Q can possibly break HoTU 2/3 through? I feel like I am experiencing this break. Upon entering chapter 3 my character has turned invisible and I am no longer able to remove party members from my party leaving me unable to get Aribeth. You mention that this is fixable (although difficult to do so), do you have a link to a resource that details how to fix it?
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Daniel
Hi Daniel,
DeleteThat footnote about the bug relates only to Q Campaigns, not Project Q.
Q campaigns is Project Q already infused/hard-baked into campaign modules whereas Project Q patch hak pre-loads Project Q assets to simply override default assets.
All you need is Project Q patch hak. Q campaigns is bugged because it was made for an older version of NWN.
Thus, you shouldn't be experiencing the bug if you only have the Project Q patch hak installed.
At any rate, a possible solution:
Try loading the nwm file for Chapter 3 into the toolset. Once loaded, go to edit module properties and check to see how the module is named.
If it is named something like "HOTU_warlock_3", then change it to "Chapter 3" (to be consistent with other Chapter names). You may need to change the module tag to "x0_module3", too.
Save the module when done. You may have to reload your save-game to pre-Chapter 3 in order for the fix to take place. Hope that helps.
Intermittent/perma invisibility is usually a symptom of graphics chipset/driver incompatibility. You may find a solution in the troubleshooting section at the top of this post.
Thank you, no luck so far. I'm starting to think that there might be something wrong with my nwn.ini. Windowed mode works fine but I'm unable to see hotu chapter 3 in the toolset (because I haven't beaten the expansion on this computer) so I went to add CODEWORD XP2=barkeater to nwn.ini to gain access to chapter 3, only to find that my nwn.ini doesn't have a [Game Options] heading. Even after adding the heading and the CODEWORD for all three expansions I'm unable to see any of them in the toolset, nor load them in the game itself.
DeleteI did reload a chapter 2 save and progress back to chapter 3. My character is no longer intangible (possibly better word than invisible, I can open doors and such but cannot seem to take damage or right click myself) but I still cannot remove a party member once they've joined my party.
Any suggestions are appreciated, otherwise I will keep playing around.
Are you running Diamond/Platinum, patched to 1.69, and installed to a non-Program Files folder?
DeleteIt might be worth backing up your save-games, uninstalling, deleting any leftovers, reinstalling and repatching to 1.69 (even if you have GoG Diamond).
Regardless of ini setting, you should be able to locate Chapter 3 nwm in Windows Explorer, right-click-open it, and tell it to open using NWN toolset.
I backed up the saves and uninstalled nwn diamond (GoG). I then reinstalled and repatched it to 1.69 and moved the saves back over. Chapter 3 is saved in nwm as 'XP2_Chapter3' not 'HOTU_warlock_3'.
DeleteUnfortunately when I reloaded my save I was still incorporeal and unable to remove companions. When I reloaded my save at the Valsharess and reentered chapter 3 I was corporeal but unable to remove companions once they joined my party. Finally, when I reloaded a save at the start of Chapter 2 I was able to add and remove companions at will.
Am i simply misremembering and you can't change your companions in chapter 3? Because this was a completely fresh start and I'm not sure what the issue could be from here.
Unfortunately, I haven't played HotU since I wrote my walkthrough (a few years ago), and so I can't remember.
DeleteI know there is a bug by which, if you don't remove Deekin from the party at least once in Chapter 1 or 2, he will not be recruitable in Chapter 3. I also seem to recall that you have to go through a few different dialogues at the beginning of Chapter 3, before you can recruit the summoned companions?
I can't remember. I also have no idea why your ini would not be showing all available options, but the invisibility thing is usually a graphics chipset/driver incompatability issue, as I said.
It is also possible that Project Q 2.2 is causing issues (I only tested HotU with v2.0), but I assume your new install is currently without it.
DeleteI have no idea what fixed it but after about a week away I reinstalled everything and the game is working perfectly now. If I was a betting man I would say it had something to do with Q because I don't think I installed it properly the first time. Thank you for all your help.
DeleteSo I'm playing the Aielund Saga, and all is going well--except one thing. Once I reach Act III, CCOH doesn't work! It's as if it just gets overwritten by something else beyond Act II. I even went through the process of redownloading everything to try to fix the issue! Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteThere is some talk about Aielund+CCOH here: https://lilura1.blogspot.com/p/how-to-download-install-aielund-saga.html
Delete(Search comments section for "CCOH".)
Yeah I read up on that along with countless other pages, I was pretty desperate XD I saw you mentioned that Savent was potentially looking into it, but "no promises." I'll be able to cope without it no prob, I just would've enjoyed it perhaps a tiny bit more. Thanks for such a quick response! I've seen a whole lot of your blog over the years, I really like your content!
DeleteYou're welcome. Over the next several years, I hope to continue expanding my commentary for the Infinity, Aurora and Electron engines, as well as for other RPGs of the Renaissance era. My intent is to build a blog that veterans of such RPGs will enjoy reading, consulting and contributing to. Two months ago, I retired from all public forums in order to focus my free time and energy on the blog's expansion and improvement.
DeleteCheers!
Hi again Lilura! That's good to hear that you're expanding!
ReplyDeleteI have a quick clarification question if you don't mind: I'm interested in using the Alternate Combat Animations Pack, but am unsure of how to make use of NWN Explorer Reborn... IF there were instructions anywhere, I missed them. Any pointers?
It's also worth mentioning that I use CCOH, and saw that you mentioned that in order to use that in conjunction with the animations pack, you need to move the "x0_skill..." in as well. But I already have an identical file in there, so should I replace it? Or is it literally the same thing? Thanks
I just extracted the contents of the haks and put them into my override. Then, yes, you need to overwrite x0_skill_ctrap.dlg with the one linked to (so that ACP and CCOH are compatible). I don't remember much else; it was long ago. And now I don't bother with that kind of modding, as there are conflicts, or they just don't work, in my fave modules. Sorry I couldn't give you more info.
DeleteTroubleshooting section updated/extended.
ReplyDelete