Neverwinter Nights has now received its latest and final patch in the form of 1.69, adding even further opportunities for creativity from would be builders.
Possibly one of the most impressive additions is the inclusion of new tilesets, one of which allows the inclusion of much more rustic mediaeval style buildings than what was previously available, including the ability to build castles. This came as something of a mixed blessing to me, as part of chapter one is to take place within a castle, and I had already built much of it in the old city style available in 1.68. At first I thought it made sense to replace the area with the wonderful new tileset, after all, when I finally get to release the module, players will be expecting to see something new, but alas, there is a problem (for me at least) that I don't seem able to overcome. The castle in question is situated on cliffs overlooking a desert. The new tileset can place the castle on cliffs, but only with sea at the bottom. I've tried hiding the sea by messing with the fog settings, but the results are unsatisfactory, making the sea still visible while hiding distant castle walls. While it's true that the old version of the castle can't make use of cliffs and therefor relies on a combination of the edge of the area and restricted views from the battlements, it does have the advantage of having already been created along with its accompanying interior areas.
So...I have a dilemma. Do I use my existing areas with the potential of dissapointing players, or create new ones with the much improved castle look while hoping no one questions why there is water at the bottom of the cliffs? Comments would be most welcome on this subject.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
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4 comments:
Hi Geoff,
Personally, I would prefer the new tileset. Could you not say the water is an illusion of some kind? Can it be part of the "wonder" of the castle that magics have even been used to add character of some kind?
Without knowing the rest of the plot, it is difficult to give many suggestions. However, going with the newer set would be a big plus if I was playing.
It all depends if you can "sell it" in some way and not break the plot.
Lance.
That is a tough question. Depends on how much extra work it is to recreate the areas. Generally, people think New = better, and that may be true here. However, I also think that for people interested in story, the eye candy helps but is not a critical element of getting the message across. Sounds like neither tileset is perfect for getting the scene exactly as you want it.
caveat: I have not seen the tilesets you are using (or have not in many months), so I can't really comment on which one might look better in your situation.
Beothul
Thanks for the comments guys. I've decided to go for the new. Yep it means extra work, but I've found if I keep re-painting the cliff bottoms until I get a version with no loose rocks in the sea, it's a lot less obvious that it's water you're looking at.
I think you've made the right choice regarding choosing to use the new tileset. That will help the mod look more interesting. :)
I will be adding your blog-roll to my own as a link, and if you want you could add mine to yours:
www.berra-nwn.blogspot.com
I'm the creator of "Calm before the Storm" / "A New Journey Begins" and the famous "Surviving Horror series" for NWN1. :)
Good luck building! :)
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