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#1 Bluenose

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Posted 20 March 2007 - 03:43 AM

Vordan's Hero Creator.


Type of Module: Utility
Playing Time: 30 minutes or less
Replayability: Yes, you'll probably want to create characters above first level more than once.

Vordan's Hero Creator is a mod that enables you to level up and equip characters to any level up to 20th. There is a trainer, merchants, a crafting area with a workbench and an NPC to cast spells for you, and an option to modify your alignment. There's also an arena area where you can test out your new character against random level-appropriate enemies.

While other modules exist that do the same sort of thing, this includes quite a few options that most of the others don't. This includes options to select the history feats from NWN2, and the crafting area includes more options. While there's no particular effort to make the areas look interesting, they aren't as simple as they might be and as some are.

There are weak points in the module. An option to ask for an amount of gold appropriate to your character's intended level would be very useful. Otherwise it's easy to set up a 2nd level character with 100,000GP worth of equipment. It also doesn't seem entirely necessary for the arena to be a separate area, but that's the way the module is set up. Finally, it doesn't seem to be possible to Identify items at merchants, which might be a problem in some circumstances.

Overall, if you want to create a character for another module who needs to be higher than first level, or just want to play around with different character options, then at the moment this is the best module for doing that.

Edited by Kellen, 21 March 2007 - 07:54 PM.

Back from the brink.

Like RPGs? Like Star Wars? Think combining the two would be fun? Read Darths and Droids, and discover the line "Jar Jar, you're a genius".

These, in the day when heaven was falling,
The hour when earth's foundations fled,
Followed their mercenary calling
And took their wages and are dead.


#2 MorningGlory

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Posted 21 March 2007 - 04:43 PM

This thread deserves a sticky. And, where can I find this little goodie? :) (Good review, Bluenose.)

MG

#3 Kellen

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Posted 21 March 2007 - 07:54 PM

Done.

And added link to the title in the first post. (Feels odd being able to do that)
"She could resist temptation. Really she could. Sometimes. At least when it wasn't tempting." - Calli Slythistle
"She was a fire, and I had no doubt that she had already done her share of burning." - Lord Firael Algathrin
"Most assume that all the followers of Lathander are great morning people. They're very wrong." - Tanek of Cloakwood

we are all adults playing a fantasy together, - cmorgan

#4 Bluenose

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Posted 30 March 2007 - 12:58 AM

Tragedy in Tragidor

Type of module: Adventure for a single player with henchmen.
Setting: Forgotten Realms, near to Silverymoon
Environment: One small village, forests, some underground areas.
Level: 5-7. 5th might be a little low, and 7th would probably find it easy.
Time to play: It took me about 8 hours.
Replayability: Not great.

This module starts off simply enough as you arrive with a caravan in the village of Tragidor, where they have a problem with orcs. Almost immediately you?ll be offered money to find the leader of these orcs and remove his head. It?s a little more complicated than that. :whistling:

There are several good points about this module. For me it worked nearly flawlessly, and the scripting certainly seems to be extremely sound. There?s a nice pace to it, with a mix of quiet areas and some quite difficult fights. Some of the areas are quite beautiful, especially some of the forest regions. I also liked the epilogue which tells you the future fate of your comrades and some of the other NPCs.

There?s a range of available companions who combine usefulness with interesting conversation. They cover all the main types of character, so you will have a warrior-type, a rogue, a healer and an arcane caster if all of them are along. They don?t all have as much to say as is perhaps desirable, but they also comment sometimes when you don?t expect it.

There are certainly some flaws with it. It?s fundamentally a hack-and-slash module, though there are opportunities for diplomacy. Despite the claim that it's heavy roleplaying, it really isn't. A few of the areas are quite dull, though that?s more a function of the toolset. Although the story line supports it, I do feel slightly annoyed that yet another drow has made it to the surface and is joining an adventuring party. There are some errors in the dialogues both of spelling and grammar, but none too serious. There are also a couple of places where there are problems, in one you can inform someone that a person you were looking for is dead before you find the body.

Overall, this is the best quest mod out for NWN2 that I've played so far. I'd recommend anyone who has NWN2 should have a go at it at least once.

Back from the brink.

Like RPGs? Like Star Wars? Think combining the two would be fun? Read Darths and Droids, and discover the line "Jar Jar, you're a genius".

These, in the day when heaven was falling,
The hour when earth's foundations fled,
Followed their mercenary calling
And took their wages and are dead.


#5 Bluenose

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Posted 19 May 2007 - 04:33 AM

Dark Waters

By Adam Miller

Setting: Home-brew world
Environment: Remote village, but all the action is in an ancient keep.
Level: 1st
Time: c. 8 hours, if everything works as it should.
Type: Puzzle-heavy dungeon crawl, limited combat.
Replayability: annoying if some scripts fail to execute properly

Dark Waters is the first module in a series by Adam Miller, who wrote one of the most popular module series for NWN1. This one starts of with a small group of people who live in an isolated fishing village, and their attempt to explore a local mystery. When you get trapped inside an abandoned structure, the rest of the adventure is spent discovering why you?re trapped and how you can get out.

This is an unusual module compared to most existing ones for NWN2. There?s only a limited amount of combat, most if which is quite easy even when a character is separated from the rest of the party. Combat doesn?t give you XP, those are only awarded for continuing the story-line. You?re likely to spend more time solving puzzles than fighting. Asking another party member to solve them can circumvent a lot of these. There?s not a great deal of treasure and most of it comes in the form of equipment, which you will have no opportunity to sell during the module.

It?s an interesting starting point for a story, but it is only a starting point. There are hints about other things that are happening, but until later modules are released it?s hard to judge the story. There are also some interesting puzzles, and if you like solving them then you?ll enjoy parts of this module. The interaction with other party members is interesting and gives you enough choices to fit most characters, and the voice acting on this is good. It doesn?t flow quite as conversation, as there?s a delay between the end of one person speaking and another starting. It isn?t a module for those who enjoy challenging combat, as nearly all fights can be won easily.

The world is an unusual one compared to most modules. At some point in the past there was a great catastrophe, and a lot of knowledge was lost. At various points in the module you will encounter muskets and pistols, various sorts of machinery, and psionics. If this isn?t to your taste then it?s quite hard to ignore these aspects of the module. I?d also say that virtually all the module is spent wandering through an abandoned castle, and after a while the corridors and rooms feel very alike and rather dull. Since you can?t be sure which rooms have something interesting in them you have to explore virtually the whole of a level before you can carry on, which also seems unnecessary.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the game is the scripting. You can?t always be sure that an event that?s supposed to fire will, and since they happen in a lot of places you will probably miss some. They aren?t all critical to the adventure but some are. It?s enormously frustrating when someone runs up to you, announces, ?Follow me,? and then stands still. I recommend up-to-date save games at all times.

I?d recommend this module to people who like solving puzzles, who aren?t interested in combat, and who like to feel that there?s a big story developing around them. People who want challenging battles and like to see their character advancing in experience, or who dislike puzzles, will probably not enjoy it.

Edited by Bluenose, 19 May 2007 - 04:36 AM.

Back from the brink.

Like RPGs? Like Star Wars? Think combining the two would be fun? Read Darths and Droids, and discover the line "Jar Jar, you're a genius".

These, in the day when heaven was falling,
The hour when earth's foundations fled,
Followed their mercenary calling
And took their wages and are dead.