Windows

Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer

I've spent around 2 hours making my character and I still have to upgrade it through 18 levels (manually) to start the game. That alone has left me exhausted. Still, I always say I like good RPGs and I'll try with this one, even if I don't know if I'm playing it to the end.

I've done a sun elf spirit shaman female. She is an arrogant who likes thing done by her way (chaotic neutral) and she also likes sporadic sexual adventures (I know what you are thinking and you are only partially right). She doesn't like non elven characters and is also very hard on weak people, although not in an evil way. This adventure is going to teach her an important lesson, which I still haven't decided. I also don't know what motivations she has in life and I'm trying to think on something more exotic than "she wanna be the coolest girl in da hood!". Am I going to far with the role playing or you usually think like this with (good) CRPGs, too? I just hope I don't get stuck somewhere in the game just because my AC is 1d6+10/- less than the HD+2 points per level+owner's 1/2 diplomacy of the pet of an enemy or something like that.

Let's see how far can I get! (I also have Gears of War and Kane & Lynch in the hard disk, though)

UPDATE: Ufff!, done the first 10 levels, 8 to go. She was very individualistic and hedonist at first, and was only devoted to get from the other what she wanted. Therefore, she has suffered a lot in combat and has try to gain more combat power in the first levels. Later, she has also realized that she can't do anything alone, and has started to learn more others-oriented spells, but she still thinks more on herself than the others.

At this pace I'm going to end up with a perfect character at the beginning of the game, o_O

SECOND UPDATE: Ok, I'm level 18 now. Yeah!, yeah, I know, nobody cares anymore. This topic was wrong for the beginning, XD At least I still have Gears of War to play.

I've never played RPG games like you described. Do let us know how you like the game - I'm especially interested in the quality of writing.

I usually try to give some good background to characters in RPGs, because that make it easier when it comes to decision making. But yes, most RPGs are too simple and you always reach points where you are forced to do things your character wouldn't (like having to kill a particular NPC in order to follow the game) or they are just too combat oriented. I read this one really makes some difference in decision making, so I'm trying to do it right.

Why don't you want to play the original NWN2 first before going to expansion? Presumably, it's the continuation of the story told in the original game. And at the end of it you'll be more powerful than the character you've made for yourself manually.

I tried to role-play the way you described, not particularly the character you describe, but with a preset of self-imposed characteristics.

I failed most of the times. I guess, I'm just a lousy actor. I just can't act not in accordance with my own self. So, regardless of the alignment I choose, I always end up being neutral good. Oh, well.

I though you have completed Kane & Lynch. What made you stop?

I've read it's much more combat oriented. I also have a hardcore roler friend who didn't liked i too much.

I though you have completed Kane & Lynch. What made you stop?

I've been stuck in La Habana for some days, thanks for asking, :) I believe I'm pretty near the end right now.

Heh, depends from who you ask then. According to this review here, this thing is a gift of god and he hated the original NWN2.

I really like what he says about Planescape Torment.

Fantasy RPGs often suck because the fantasy aspect isn't overly "fantastic". In fact, usually it's generic, boring, and bland. Let's say that you’ve bought a new fantasy RPG and have just installed it. What do you have there? A young guy/gal in a small place is forced to get the fuck out and explore a very predictable world and eventually save it. When you see a town, you know pretty much what to expect. It's not a place of wonder and strange customs, it's a place to get quests and buy/sell shit. You can easily replace a town with 3-4 NPCs standing in the middle of fucking nowhere offering quests and shopping. In fact, that probably would be more interesting than a generic and boring as fuck fantasy town #3471.

Now, compare it to Planescape: Torment. You wake up in a mortuary. Dead. Yes, DEAD. A gravity defying skull starts chatting with you.

WHAT! THE! FUCK!

That alone throws you off. Suddenly, you realize that you are definitely not in Kansas anymore. The rules are completely different and you have no idea what they are. Where are the familiar elves and orcs – the foundation of quality storytelling? Why aint the ancient evil stirring? Where is a kind lord of the realm to send you on a mission of great importance (usually involving killing some poor fuckers)?

You open the door. OMG! Zombies are everywhere! Ok, I know where this is going. Where is my trusty weapon... WAITAMINUTE! The zombies are not attacking. You can kill them, of course, but you can also walk around studying them and even get some unusual items from them. You finally manage to leave the mortuary. You are in a city, and what a city it is! It's a city of doors, filled with portals that can take you anywhere, assuming you have the right key. You see a bar, a familiar place in this strange land. The first thing you see is a floating, burning, yet still alive body - a lovely conversation piece of decor. Some ugly looking demons are having a drink; they greet you as an old friend. Great, that's just fucking great. Wait, it gets better though. The bartender casually informs you that he still has your eye - my WHAT? - and if you have the money, you can have it back. You buy the eye, mostly because it's so different from the usual selection of RPG goodies, wondering what the fuck you should do with it. An insane option to rip out your existing eyeball and shove in the new one, which was floating in a jar like a pickled egg a minute ago, presents itself. You do it and your old memories start pouring in. At this point you are absolutely lost. You, the player, are a stranger in a strange fucking land, and that's the fucking beauty of it.

Your quest? To find out who you are. *sigh* What, did you guys run out of demons to kill and worlds to save?

Yes, I "asked" those very guys, :)

Egad. Brilliant penmenship! Morbid, but suits me just fine!

Heh, depends from who you ask then. According to this review here, this thing is a gift of god and he hated the original NWN2.

Heh. Who doesn't? *nudge nudge*
*runs away*

To be honest Indra, if you truly think that NWN 1 is a better game than NWN 2 then you are a dumbfuck. Sad, but true.

First, NWN 1 was full of shitty writing with lots of forced melodrama, while NWN 2 had mostly good writing with couple of brilliant moments (court scene and Ammon Jerro).

Secondly, NWN 1 was full of boring locations and loads of boring hack and slash sequences. NWN 2 suffered from these problems too, but at least each location felt new and most of the horrible hack and slash stuff ended with Act I.

Thirdly, NWN 1 was full of "go into four locations and find the four stuff to do something fantasy". The problem was that not only was this mechanic used in three chapters of the game (there were four together) but each chapter indeed only had four locations (plus the base location). But perhaps you thought this was great exploration.

Conclusion, NWN 1 was very artificial and fake and lacked variety, while NWN 2 was the opposite (with some fakeness in it).

The only real problem I see with NWN 2 is that it chose to retell the tale of the choiceless life of the chosen one.

Heh. Try making a scene in NWN1 where you have 100 dragons fight of 100 behemoths. Does it work? Nope. Works fine in NWN1 (game editor). I never said NWN 1 wasn't boring. It was, stupid text...click...click...click. But the game was freakin stable (any game that can have full-sized dragons while your in close-up 3rd person perspective better be).

I was expecting NWN 2 to be better than NWN 1. It wasn't, the bugs are plain evidence of an "unfinished product" which only became stable after not one, not two, but three patches.

I really don't think NWN 1 is better than NWN 2. I'm just saying NWN 2 is worse than NWN 1. Big difference.

Eh, what did you say? NWN 2 has a great story? Snore........

Low standards these days.

Read again you worthless philosopher. I said: The only real problem I see with NWN 2 is that it chose to retell the tale of the choiceless life of the chosen one.

Huge difference! Learn to read before you speak.

And NWN 2 has huge full-sized dragons too.

Edit: And NWN 1 has 68 patches. Ask anyone who bought the version 1.0 and they'll tell you that it wasn't stable either.

And you never could do this in NWN 1 editor.

Dear god, looks like someone is in dire need of a hug these days...

Don't be to harsh on him, he is just drunk.