Neverwinter Nights Forum Update

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(Originally posted by Z-Layrex)

David Gaider, Designer

Items:

Quote: re: enhancement bonuses. Can the properties which give up to +5 in things therefore be altered to provide up to +10?

Potentiall, yes. There's nothing stopping us from adding in +6 to +10 bonuses, if we wished.

Quote: What do you think about splitting the properties off from the visual effects? This would not seem to create any layering problems.

I'm a bit ambivalent about it, myself. I suppose it could be done, but I can think of a dozen things that would be more relevant. That's just my opinion, tho... I guess I can see how some might use this ability.

Quote: Also, is it possible to have a module properties flag which disables item level restrictions?

I daresay it is. I'm not sure about the value of having ILR-disabling at three different levels, however. Having it exist on the server (and more easily disabled in a SP game) and potentially disabled on a per-item basis should be enough, no?

More:

Quote: For Armor...Drop down box with armor types for figuring AC. Not Linked to look. Can include Mithral and Admantine with whatever bonus' they would give to armor.

Example:
Mithral: spell failure of 5%, wt reduced by 75% +2 to ac

I believe adding a new 'material' property for armor & weapons is something that's slated for a potential expansion. Updating all the existing items, adding the material list and effects as well as the scripting hooks required would be a pretty big job.

Quote: Add spell effects to be linked to an item for events like crits or when item is first equiped / drawn, first used, held etc.. Or emitters or something for cool effects.

I like this one, especially as there are a fair number of items with on-critical effects. Again, however, these are new properties that require more work.

Quote: Allow spells to be linked to items for on hit and whatnot in a non cast spell way. For instance chance to go off if you are hit, chance to go off if you hit something etc...

This could be taken care of with a proper module-level event, but adding new OnHit properties certainly wouldn't hurt. Again, however... new properties = expansion.

Quote: Negative modifiers to be applied to items to reduce required level. Perhaps limit how much an item can be lowered. The above suggestion by weighting how much they reduce is also good.

I'm not sure that weighting wouldn't just be a too-complex solution to the problem, likely resulting in all sorts of problems of its own. Once the scripting hooks are available to fully examine all existing items & their properties, that would be the answer for this kind of customization.

Quote: Add another Potential Lore level to items if a DM wishes. First lore check would give a basic description of the item and allow a person to use item gaining all plus' and minus' without seeing them. Second lore check at a much higher level would show all the bonus' and minus' to the player. Would need 2 description boxes perhaps but not really necessary.

This would first require the change of allowing someone to use a non-identified item, wouldn't it? Not a small task.

Quote: I think as others do that you have a pretty damn good product here and these kinds of things will only make it that much better.

Your ideas are good, certainly, but they belong in an expansion discussion for the most part.

Quote: Another question. Do the level selection of magic power have any bearing on the items level use? I.E. Are items marked godly any different then something marked low? if so how?

My understanding is that the initial level selection of an item simply determines the properties that it is initially assigned when the wizard creates it.

And More:

Quote: What I'll suggest instead (and please bear with me if what I suggest makes no sense...computers are only a hobby...) is that the Item Creator be 'tweaked' such that the 'level' value of the powers listed are adjusted to be correct. That is, Light and Darkness as my earlier Dagger Case example should have their 'level requirement' lowered, and Damage resistence tweaked 'up'. as the arguements presented by A'Kin show. That will help for now...

Damage Resistance I can understand, yes, but I'm not sure what you mean by Light and Darkness having their level requirement lowered. Do you mean in the case of those two spells only? Or spell properties in general? I don't actually think the game differentiates between the spells... it only looks at the level of the spell in question. Maybe it should? We'd be looking at a lot of judgement calls in that case. I'd prefer to put that decision into the hands of the builder... though, once again, certain pre-requisite abilities are needed. Catch-22.

Quote: The other thing, I think one of the best solutions to date is the 'artifact' toggle, that is if the artifact toggle is on, the game would check for a blueprint/resref#: if not found the item would revert to a normal item:

Yes, I like this idea, too... as a toggle that shuts off the ILR for the item, as well. Is 'artifact' really the best name for it, though? The only problem I can forsee with having checks made on an item that is being brought into a game and then having the item revert if certain conditions aren't met is the sheer bug potential in the having the game recognize when the character is first entering the game... as opposed to loading from a saved game or loading a character save.
If the blueprint could be checked for before the character's items are transfered, that would definitely be a solution... I'm not positive that's possible, however. It can certainly be suggested to the team, tho, and we'll see. I suspect it'll be a bugger.

And Even More:

Quote: I have seen a lot of messages in this thread explaining that some things just can't be done unless it is done through the means of an expansion pack. Does this mean Bioware is definately going to make an expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights?

Any talk of an expansion pack is in terms of a potential project only. We tend to always put aside ideas for 'future development', whether it comes to realization in a possible expansion, sequel or even new content developed by the Live Team. Naturally, the work that the Live Team can do is limited, but they're going to be around for the long haul. If we were actually working on an expansion, you have to realize that out of respect to our publisher we could never comment on it, anyway, until some kind of announcement was made.

Guess:

Quote: In Misc. Small is what seems to be an eyeball. It looks like a Cat Eye. Oooo! That could be a Cat's Eye Agate gem. So I create a new "gem".....and I'm limited to the gemstone pictures! I really want to use make a gem but use that Misc. Small picture! Oh well, I'll just make a new Misc. Small, *call* it a Cat's Eye Agate and use the eyeball picture......oops! I can't stack them, even though gems can stack.

I agree on this and have found it incredibly annoying when making my own items. Lack of foresight on this point, perhaps, I don't know. I'll pass the suggestion on (and I can't believe I forgot the first time through)... hopefully it wouldn't be an ordeal to open up like-sized icons to any item type.

Quote: I wanted to incorporate my own version of The Lost Swords, but am currently stymied because if a Mage stumbles across a sword in NWN he can't use it. I don't have any trouble with that if it's a sword from the blacksmith, but WOUNDHEALER the Sword doesn't care. Whoever has it can use its power to heal. FARSLAYER merely has to be held and have a poem recited (ie: "Use" the item) and it does its job...not so in NWN. Can't equip it--can't use it.

"For thy heart,
For thy heart,
which hath wronged me"

I loved the Book of Swords. Very under-rated series, I think. As I mentioned before, the problem with wielding un-trained weapons was the stacking of the -4 hit penalty. If that can be overcome, then allowing someone to weild a weapon untrained really isn't a problem (so long as it is made really obvious to the user that he's getting a penalty).

Quote: As for scripts on items: we need them.

Won't get them. Period. You will get as far as module-level events that are geared towards items, and that's it. I can see it being made a bit easier to add item scripts into the module events in a more friendly fashion (so someone can plug them in one after the other with relative ease), but scripts will never be attached to the items, themselves.