Possible to make NWN2 turn-based, like ToEE/BG3?

Not sure if this is a popular question, but I like PnP D&D games, and would play NWN2 more like a PnP game, if possible.
I know of LB’s mod that autopauses every 6 seconds, but a more “true” implementation with standard, move, swift/immediate actions would be cool - but is it all possible given the engine and the tools we have available?

Theoretically it might be possible with several workarounds and a massive effort, but practically I don’t see it happening.

Back when I still had Windows I tried to do it myself, but quickly I realized that there were many things that could go wrong when something that appeared to work conceptually on a localized test environment was then put out in an actual mod/campaign.

It’s just too much work, whoever manages to do something like that probably has either balls or uterus of titanium.

Anyways, on a conceptual level it would be something like this:

  • when a hostile entity is engaged all creatures should be freezed with cutscene paralyze effect
  • then a custom made UI pops up, showing the turn order and the various possible commands (good luck with that)
  • for enemies you just remove the cutscene paralyze effect for 6,x seconds, run their AI script, and then freeze them back.
  • when battle is over, everything is unfreezed and the custom UI is removed.

Sounds simple on paper, but it would be an actual nightmare to implement.
And probably this would only work properly in a single player game. Multiplayer games would incur in several bugs/stuck scenarios.

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@fkirenicus

I second what @Clangeddin says.

I am also from a PnP background and did design a system for NWN 1, but never finished all the spell alterations required. ( I have kept the code in a module, but never released it.) It worked differently, as NWN1 never allowed companion possession, and so I implemented the idea that the player PC would act as a “player mannequin” ordering combat for their PCs.

When NWN2 came out, I abandoned that concept as companion possession (with round auto-pause) made a different approach more amenable.

Note, TB combat in my campaign is somewhat more advanced than the (by comparison) round by round you mentioned above. I have incorporated a GUI that shows current actions for a round and other such info, as well as make AI toggle much simpler for every PC every round. I actually prefer this system to the one I made for NWN1, even though actions unfold at the same time compared to my NWN1 system that broke turns by NPC and creatures. (Ie what you may call “real” TB combat.)

Maybe, after finishing my campaign, I might consider looking at this again, but, to be honest, when I see how my NWN2 system now plays out, I am no longer convinced the older system can offer anything much better. :thinking:

As an example, the NWN2 system can be managed even with 0.1 and 0.5 second increments if essentially required.

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