How's NWN1?

[Fr]anc[is]

I didn't want to hijack the NWN3 news topic, so I'll post here. I've played about halfway though NWN2, and didn't really like it. The story was ok, I don't think it was that. Neeshka and Khelgar were enough to counterbalance the rest of the boring stereotypes. The combat was kind of sucky, but I can't put my finger on why, especially comparing it to DA:O, and I can't think of any big differences. So I hear NWN1 is better, how come?

 

[MisterShine]

anc[is]I didn't want to hijack the NWN3 news topic, so I'll post here. I've played about halfway though NWN2, and didn't really like it. The story was ok, I don't think it was that. Neeshka and Khelgar were enough to counterbalance the rest of the boring stereotypes. The combat was kind of sucky, but I can't put my finger on why, especially comparing it to DA:O, and I can't think of any big differences. So I hear NWN1 is better, how come?

NWN is very, very much like NWN2. What I mean by that, is that their main campaigns are considered pretty crappy by RPG-fans at large, however the ease with which you can mod the campaign and create your own adventure modules/persistent worlds saves them. Seriously, there are some excellent modules for both games out. Check out the hall of fame for the IGN vault.

Also, both are famed for having one 'meh, but still better than the OC' expansion (Shadows of Undrentide and Storms of Zehir, respectively), and one excellent expansion (Hordes of the Underdark and Mask of the Betrayer, also respectively). To the people I've recommended the game to, if you're just looking for an interesting campaign, just skip straight to those. And heck, halfway through the OC for NWN2 is pretty much everything you need to know for Masks anyway.

edit: On a personal note, I've still never completed the main campaign for the original or the sequal. I've tried about half a dozen time between them, but they can never keep my interest or just plain annoy me. I have, however, beaten the aforementioned excellent expansions at least twice for each of them. Though when the Neeshka romance mod [http://forums.gibberlings3.net/index.php?showtopic=17377]is finished I'm sure that'll be enough to carry me through the campaign.

 

[SimuLord]

NWN1 is Exhibit A for why I am an anti-fanboy when it comes to Bioware. I found the singleplayer dreadful and games do not get much traction with me when someone says "you've gotta play the multiplayer!"

One of the worst games I've ever played. (your mileage may vary, of course. Yes, Bioware fans, I know you love your games. I don't.)

 

[MisterShine]

NWN1 is Exhibit A for why I am an anti-fanboy when it comes to Bioware. I found the singleplayer dreadful and games do not get much traction with me when someone says "you've gotta play the multiplayer!"

One of the worst games I've ever played. (your mileage may vary, of course. Yes, Bioware fans, I know you love your games. I don't.)

I am probably one of the biggest Bioware fanboys in existence. If I got an email from them saying they were doing a college class studying simulator and would sell it to me for the low low price of 99.99$, I'd slap down a Benjamin without hesitation.

That said, saying Neverwinter was crap doesn't offend me, that's just truth. They built a good engine for aspiring or amateur rpg makers, but the game itself is just poor in almost every fashion. Also, Bioware kinda sucks at DLC.

 

[Fr]anc[is]

Well I think it's only $20 at best buy, I guess that good enough for an informed shot in the dark, thanks for the response

 

[octafish]

I didn't think much of the original campaign, but would recommend you try playing it because at least I finished that unlike the campaign for NWN2. I played some pretty good user created campaigns and I loved the expansions, but then I loved the NPC Deekin and some people found him to be the most anoying character of all time. I tried to play NWN over a LAN with some mates once and it was OK, but you don't really have the flexibility of pen and Paper so we gave up on that idea.

 

[Blue Musician]

One of the worst games I've ever played. (your mileage may vary, of course. Yes, Bioware fans, I know you love your games. I don't.)

Finally someone that also hates BioWare! I thought I was one of the only ones in The Escapist.

OT: Basically what SimuLord said.

 

[Shilkanni]

I loved NWN1. I think it helps if you like D&D. The game only comes into it's own with both expansions, when the Spell and Feat choices have added up and it feels like you have a lot of options.

The combat is not thrilling, the dialogue is text-based.

Original Campaign: 6/10
1st Expansion - Shadows of Undrentide: 5/10
2nd Expansion - Hordes of the Underdark 8/10
Community-made stuff 9/10 - some of the best gaming experiences I've had.
http://nwvault.ign.com/fms/TopRated.php?content=modules&lang=en&sort=&dir=ASC&w=&p=1
Some of my favourites were:
Almraiven
Twilight & Midnight (nothing to do with the Movies)
Bone Kenning
The Wanderer
Runes of Blood
The Aielund Saga
Torslunda

 

[Shilkanni]

2x Post

 

[Continuity]

anc[is]I didn't want to hijack the NWN3 news topic, so I'll post here. I've played about halfway though NWN2, and didn't really like it. The story was ok, I don't think it was that. Neeshka and Khelgar were enough to counterbalance the rest of the boring stereotypes. The combat was kind of sucky, but I can't put my finger on why, especially comparing it to DA:O, and I can't think of any big differences. So I hear NWN1 is better, how come?

Uh no, NWN2 was better than 1, if you didn't like 2 you will hate 1. Its slower and blander with worse level design.

Edit: Although the expansions are quite good.

 

[Zanaxal]

I actually liked the single player for the game, i hated nwn 2 tho cause it does what all rpg's do now that follow nwn, make many small areas where you have to go to in the world map, but no big open areas at all, also the quests are always randomly dotted around also. I prefer the quest hub formula where you have one area's story to relate to at one time. Games like nwn 2 and dragonage is just too much random bullshit in every little stop on the big map of the game to even want to bother about what said npc's quest is about as its just pointless blabber that is barely in context to the game. They also have waaay too much voiceacting and talking, cutscenes of it if they only would incorporate letting you fight and move around while they had their verbal rampages then it would be more a game and therefor like-able.

So if you like quest hubs, staying at 1 town, then moving on to the next town after doing the quests in the area, nwn 1 is your kind of game. It is a grind the first couple of levels, and the first chapter is defenatley the worst but it's better later.
In the single player there are some really brilliant areas and puzzles aswell.

The expansions are better for the whole story and faster paced lvling if you don't want to grind that first part of the original campaign.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Uh no, NWN2 was better than 1, if you didn't like 2 you will hate 1. Its slower and blander with worse level design.

And a story right out of the Forgotten Realms Fanfic reject bin.

 

[Continuity]

NWN1 is Exhibit A for why I am an anti-fanboy when it comes to Bioware. I found the singleplayer dreadful and games do not get much traction with me when someone says "you've gotta play the multiplayer!"

One of the worst games I've ever played. (your mileage may vary, of course. Yes, Bioware fans, I know you love your games. I don't.)

Its true, many bioware games are bland and lacking, NWN1 is one of the lesser examples, Jade Empire is another, even the vaunted Mass Effect has its short comings. But still, bioware gave us Kotor so I can forgive them much.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

NWN1 doesn't have Mask of the Betrayer, therefore NWN2 is the better game.

 

[The Madman]

If you only intend to play the singleplayer and don't want to get involved with the mod community, then bluntly put, NWN1 is not for you. The Original Campaign for NWN was bland, boring, and predictable with mediocre gameplay and unimaginative design. Doesn't help that in NWN1 you only control one character and your companions are AI controlled (And pretty much useless!) so fights quickly tend to grow boring. There are some mods which have story that capitalize on the solo experience and do it extremely well, but Bioware themselves never really did it that well and overall the singleplayer just ends up feeling lonely and tedious. The reason for this is centered around the multiplayer, but I was never big into mp and the singleplayer ended up suffering.

That said the expansions are better and there are some amazing fan made campaigns out there for the game. Hordes of the Underdark was the best part of the first game as far as singleplayer is concerned, but it's still not very good when thrown up against even Bioware's other works. Still, not bad either, you could do worse.

Some fantastic mod campaigns though, easily my favorite part of the game and the reason I own 2 copies of NWN and its expansions. I've spent easily hundreds of hours playing NWN, less than a tenth of which was ever spent playing the content Bioware made. But then there are also some amazing campaigns for NWN2 and you didn't touch them, so I don't think you're much into that aspect.

As far as I'm concerned though the high point for the entire NWN series though was the first expansion pack for NWN2 called Mask of the Betrayer. Unlike everything else in the series, it's got a genuinely good plot, interesting characters, and a new take on the now-familiar Forgotten Realms setting.

And did I mention mods? There are some bloody brilliant ones out there for both NWN 1 and 2. Best part of the whole series, Mask of the Betrayer aside.

 

[RewardMe]

If you only intend to play the singleplayer and don't want to get involved with the mod community, then bluntly put, NWN1 is not for you. The Original Campaign for NWN was bland, boring, and predictable with mediocre gameplay and unimaginative design. Doesn't help that in NWN1 you only control one character and your companions are AI controlled (And pretty much useless!) so fights quickly tend to grow boring. There are some mods which have story that capitalize on the solo experience and do it extremely well, but Bioware themselves never really did it that well and overall the singleplayer just ends up feeling lonely and tedious. The reason for this is centered around the multiplayer, but I was never big into mp and the singleplayer ended up suffering.

That said the expansions are better and there are some amazing fan made campaigns out there for the game. Hordes of the Underdark was the best part of the first game as far as singleplayer is concerned, but it's still not very good when thrown up against even Bioware's other works. Still, not bad either, you could do worse.

Some fantastic mod campaigns though, easily my favorite part of the game and the reason I own 2 copies of NWN and its expansions. I've spent easily hundreds of hours playing NWN, less than a tenth of which was ever spent playing the content Bioware made. But then there are also some amazing campaigns for NWN2 and you didn't touch them, so I don't think you're much into that aspect.

As far as I'm concerned though the high point for the entire NWN series though was the first expansion pack for NWN2 called Mask of the Betrayer. Unlike everything else in the series, it's got a genuinely good plot, interesting characters, and a new take on the now-familiar Forgotten Realms setting.

And did I mention mods? There are some bloody brilliant ones out there for both NWN 1 and 2. Best part of the whole series, Mask of the Betrayer aside.

Exactly what he said. The OC game ranges from shit to average. But why nwn is my favourite game ever is because of the mods made and that's why i'm still playing it even now(just started blood royal). No game in the future will ever rival the amount of mods that was made for nwn. Bloody good ones aswell.

Some mod creators i believe are now working for bioware. Gotta start somewhere people.

 

[Shilkanni]

I've spent easily hundreds of hours playing NWN, less than a tenth of which was ever spent playing the content Bioware made.

Seconded

But then there are also some amazing campaigns for NWN2 and you didn't touch them, so I don't think you're much into that aspect.

Good point, I guess I suggested mods but obviously he didn't get around to trying NWN2 mods.

If you can't stand the style of play at all it's probably just not your cup of tea.

I do think when someone says NWN OMG OMG..! They are usually talking about one of the following:
NWN1 or 2 LAN with friends
NWN1 or 2 Community Modules
NWN1 or 2 Online Persistant Worlds
NWN1 Expansion Hordes of the Underdark
NWN2 Expansion Mark of the Betrayer

In generally people who loved are rarely ever talking about Single-Player Original Campaign as the high point... because sadly it's not a high point (unlike Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect, Dragon Age).

 

[Cazza]

I found NWN1 is better then 2 because it didn't feel sluggish and I could get into the story quickly and enjoy some DnD. Also having friends on LAN makes it 1000times better I had very interesting and fun times with friends on LAN.

 

[Miumaru]

Ouuuuch! I love NWN. The campaigns were fine to me. Though my favorite thing to do was make my own stuff in the toolset. Best thing about NWN was just making your own stuff, and sharing it online. Rping was lots of fun.