Since my “comeback” to NWN as a player a few weeks ago, I’ve realized that I have lots of embarrassing questions about the game that you’d think a longtime player like me should already know the answers to, but I don’t - either because I forgot or because I never thought or dared to asked before. So I’ve been meaning to create this thread for a while. It’s open to anyone who has a question.
The thing is, I’ve already forgotten most of the questions again (so maybe I do have a bad memory ), but I’m sure they’ll come back to my eventually. To start things of, here are two I still remember, one simple enough, one probably a bit trickier, seeing that presumably most users here play the game in English:
I play humans almost exclusively, partially for the looks, and partially for the freedom and lack of drawbacks. But I’ve noticed that e.g. playing a half-elf apparently only gives you additional advantages over a human and no drawbacks at all. Is that true?
There are a lot of background voices in the game, singing drunkards in the tavern, shouting merchants or pleading children in the streets. Out of curiosity, does anyone know if the translations to other languages also replaced these sound files with voiceovers in the target language? Or do you always have English language chatter in the background, even when the rest of the game is French, German or Polish (I think those are the three languages with own voiceover translations)?
In the German version the merchants cries, the priests and beggars are all translated, but not all of the children and tavern patrons have been translated. There’s some English left there.
imho half-elves are really the red-headed stepchildren of nwn’s racial offerings. their almost-nonexistent bonuses really don’t go that far when compared to those of the other non-human races, and they get short schrift on weapons because they don’t get their elven parent’s weapon proficiencies either. they also don’t gain the human’s quick to master, which can actually make quite a bit of difference in the evolution of some character builds. even low-light vision, one of the racial advantages of half-elves over humans, doesn’t really add that much, due to its implementation in nwn. aside from a few niche builds where i didn’t wamt to lose xp, i’ve almost always avoided half-elves. but… your mileage may vary.
Depending on the Module/PW you play one in or on, in NWN the advantage of playing a half elf is seldom more than the option to choose from either human or elven heads and portraits.
Perhaps not even that. @xorbaxian already covered why half-elves blow in terms of gameplay and here’s a piece of code that can turn anyone into someone else in terms of appearance:
// Elf body
SetCreatureAppearanceType(oPC, APPEARANCE_TYPE_ELF);
// Elf head no. 5
SetCreatureBodyPart(CREATURE_PART_HEAD, 5, oPC);
// Elf, uh, gray slaad portrait
SetPortraitId(oPC, 296);
// (you can choose any portrait from portraits.2da and it works)
Unless there are reasons to not do this, with above code you can play as your favorite (read: human) race but look like any other race.
Oh, right, I forgot that humans actually do get something extra, too. Thanks for clearing that up!
New question:
Am I right in assuming that as long as I haven’t put any points in the Open Locks skill, the thieves’ tools are useless to me and I can just sell them? Or will rogue companions make use of them, if I add them to their inventory?
Thieves’ Tools are useless to PCs with no skill (see wiki).
They’re also useless to companions in the OC and most community modules. There are exceptions - for example, in my Enigma Island Part 3, the rogue companions can use tools, and usually need them to crack a few of the tougher locks.
If you move items around inside a container while the PC’s inventory is opened on any tab but the very first one, the inventory always jumps to that first tab. Is this a bug? If so, has there ever been an attempt to fix it, or is it not possible?
If it’s not a bug though, what is it? Is there a practical reason that I’m overlooking why it should work like that? Am I the only one who’s somewhat bothered by it?
It’s always bugged me a little, but never enough to ruin my enjoyment. I’ve found ways to use it as an asset, made it a basis by which I manage my inventory…
it’s not so much a bug as it is… well… ‘unconscientious programming/design policy.’ ;p
the change of tab is caused by the engine function that updates and validates the player inventory, which was in turn called due to the function to flag the inventory as needing an update, because you moved an item in the container. they could’ve written the code to check for the location of the item in the container, but they didn’t write it that way – maybe because it would’ve been more time-consuming ? [or maybe i’m just being cynical. ;p ]
…and, yes, there are definitely people who are annoyed by it. [you can do what i do – play nwn w/a cocktail by the machine. ]
Probably by putting the most useful stuff with least inventory movement variation in the first tab (wild guess based on what I do). But really that is a bug the devs didn’t bother to fix.
What bothers me is the fact that they removed the spell tab from in-game character screen (you know, the one you can see on creation wizard) .
Right. I did the same by giving Robin the ability to use lockpicks in Sanctum v3.4. It’s not something that’s in the base game, but it can be modded in.
@xorbaxian and @NWShacker I actually put use my last few tabs as “Static” tabs. Non-Droppable and quest items on the last tab, boxes on the next couple of tabs (if I’m allowed that many). Then I make an orderly stack of “stackable” items on page one. When a stack fills up, I drag the full stack into a box, leaving the remainder in it’s space on page 1. NWN always uses the first available space, so anytime I’m doing “Inventory Management” in a box, all I have to do is move something around to get back to page 1, where the next item awaits being moved.
If it’s a crafting world, I try to keep all the first pages clear, so that I can fill them with resources, and do the same with my boxes.
I guess this is when the inventory sort mod gets advertised But regarding the tab issue, I also remap the inventory tab switch keys to be closer to WSAD. Saves a lot of clicks.
), but I’m sure they’ll come back to my eventually. To start things of, here are two I still remember, one simple enough, one probably a bit trickier, seeing that presumably most users here play the game in English:
.
But regarding the tab issue, I also remap the inventory tab switch keys to be closer to WSAD. Saves a lot of clicks.