I’m close to getting around to doing what i have always avoided, making a hakpak to go with the module/campaign I’m working on.
Included in the module/campaign so far, is updated textures for armors, weapons, NPC’s, near hairs and new face models. I am just realizing now, that these all make up nearly 6GB!
If I reconfigure the module to not use them, it may be a little more effort, but it also means the end product will only be about 1.5GB. Big difference, 7.5GB, vs 1.5GB. Flashier vs standard.
What are people’s thoughts/opinions on these additions to their modules/campaigns, when downloaded. Do you care either way? -thank you.
I certainly cared back when the average bandwidth was measured in kbps/few mbps! Today it’s largely negligible. As for myself, if it looks like fun, I’ll DL it. Custom content is one reason we are still here playing and modding with the game. If DLing custom content is an instant turn off, something is very wrong! (With the caveat that the CC is good quality)
I wouldn’t sweat over it. I’m using a fair chunk of CC. Keep it clean, but don’t lose sleep over it
Point of reference; One of my campaigns was released in 2015 and had approx 1.5gb to download (before unpacking the archives). People played it, didn’t hear any complaints.
I’ve had modules with about 10 GB as override (and packed it became like 2 GB). It’s not optimal, but I’ve never hear anyone complain about it. If I were you I would create the hakpaks and just zip them into different files. For me, custom content is very important as it makes the game look so much better, so I say include it. Like Kevlar states, today to download 2 GB or something like that is no big deal.
I don’t like how these allegedly small NWN games are still always sneakily taking over so much harddisk space via mods, but I still wouldn’t want to miss these haks. If I was actually planning to play your module and the download would be over 1GB already anyway, 6GB wouldn’t make that much of a difference to me anymore and I’d rather download that than play a downgraded version. As long as all the content is easy to install and remove again, without interfering with anything else.
So long as the included mods override vanilla models and textures, like updated textures, don’t throw them into the mix. Offer them as a separate download, if they are your own, or include a link to those mods used within your project description. This way users can decide if they want to play with updated visuals. Personally I often don’t like (artificially) sharpended textures because they look noisy, and aren’t worth the increased disk space.
If you’re using mods which add to models, you can also link to the mods separately. In most cases those mods are already on the users hard disk drive. No need for another instance of the same content included in a hak.
I would actually somewhat disagree with this advice, but it depends - if your bespoke aspects are high resolution, then stuff that is the original quality are going to stick out like a sore thumb. In that case, I’d enforce having it, as a matter of keeping the level of quality consistent.
I believe there is a danger of haks failing if too big.
In my own experience, I found issues:
I believe we concluded that the largest hak file size that could be handled safely was around 1.5 GB.
I ended up splitting my original hak into 2. I was able to keep the first hak for module 1, and I will release the second additional hak with the second module, which requires the additional content. E.g. The last hak in this list is only available when the second module is released.
From what little i know about haks (and I assume you already know this), but some hak files (.UTI, .UTC etc) should be placed higher in the haks properties, than others… though I don’t know which ones are which. Hak sizes though, I had no idea about, so thank you.
You are talking to the person who managed to figure out and implement a “hak patch” from the days of NWN1.
That said, I’m not sure I grasp what you just said here …
I mean, I know there is a hak priority, which is how and why I managed to figure out that patching system for NWN, which did not come with a campaign setup. Other than that, I am not aware of being able to set priorities within a hak.
That is, a hak is just one large compressed file, full of content your module or campaign requires. I am not aware of being able to rearrange components within this hak. Is that what you mean? If that is the case, then I am not aware or know this. So, what is meant by this?
How do you do this?
For exmaple, here is the only way I understand of prioritising haks… a screenshot from my current module 2 arrangement within the campaign … My first module does not have althea_scroll_02, which contains additional content for that module. That hak does not contain any 2das etc, that could conflict with any other hak, as they are either in the campaign folder, or UI folder, or althea_campaign hak.
Here, you note the legacy “althea_patch” hak, which I keep for a “just in case I ever did need it” sort of thing. It is the priority hak, followed (in order) by lower priority haks. I doubt I will ever need that hak moving forward, and will probably eventually remove it altogether.
Haha well in that case, I would put way more stock in what you know, than what I do
I’m only basing what I said, from my limited understanding of haks, during my time working for BGTSCC. The server has about 15 hakpaks, all with certain contents and I believe that certain of those hakpaks had to be higher in the priority list (in the case of your screenshot for example, position #0 is higher than #1), in order to work correctly.
That’s really all I know and if it doesn’t make sense to you, then I’m likely remembering it incorrectly? Sorry if that’s the case. As I said, haks have never been my area of expertise.
So, what is meant by this?
