I little guide to all new NWN users; stuff you probably want.

1- The 1.69 patch.
2- Updated rules and AI.
3- Quick character creator.
4- The DRM monster and the treasure of GOG adventures.

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New classes.
Community Expansion Pack.

Once fixed the `starter kit' explore the wonderful shia_luck's Ultimate Link List for NWN1.


Lets help the newbies, what do you think anyone should have in order to have an installation that maximizes the fun?

Great idea etb.

Tho perhaps, seeing as some of your suggestions are rule changes etc which need haks to be added to modules, a guide to "how to add haks to modules" might be useful too?

Anyway, I created the Ultimate Link List for NWN1 which (while not really 'ultimate' *grin*) , contains links to the installation guide, all the major information sites, the major forum sites, Bioware community sites for character building, MP matchmaking and that communities suggestions for add ons you should try, AND *taking a breath*, links to the sites that host, review and give awards to player made modules.

Superfly2000 added a link to his guide to MP as well.

Have fun :)

Your list is wonderful, and I happily added a link. But I think we focus on different things; you made a comprehensive list of sites instead I thought about must-haves: something every player probably want to to install even before the first play.

Good stuff.

I would suggest trying to play the base game w/o any AI updates before trying that route - thats just my opinion though.

CEP is a good thing, but it can add to load times (for some folks) and there are actually some modules out there that, for some reason, don't work with it (I believe Eye of the Beholder has some problems with the latest versions of CEP). Just make sure to read all of the instructions carefully with CEP and any modules you wish to use.

My suggestion to maximize the fun is to just jump in. If you want a true dungeon delver then Eye of the Beholder is a great SP module.

Oh, I didn't mean to suggest your thread was not useful. The two threads do different things. :)

(btw, it's my list, not superfly's *cheeky grin*, but nice of you to link to it.)

And did you check out the "add ons" link? That mainly deals with (override) modifications, which sound like things you would be interested in. :) Good advice :) CEP can be confusing to install for some people, and it is very large, but if the module or PW requires it then you have no choice. You can't play if you don't have the right haks.

QUICK GUIDE to CEP:

1. Check if the module/PW needs CEP1 or 2 (old modules will be using CEP1). They are completely different haks.
2. if CEP2 , download v2.1 first and then upgrade to 2.3 (apparently 2.3 has missed some files, tho I have never checked this myself.)
3. If CEP1, download the errr 1.5x version and then find the 1.69 update by pstemarie (iirc)

(Sorry for no direct links, I am in a rush atm. All files can be found on NWVault.ign.com

Good Luck :)

Sorry, fixed.

One problem, the page for that 1.69 update for CEP 1 still exists, but the file is gone. I guess they pulled it.

In that case, http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Hakpaks.Detail&id=7171 . I know it says 1.68 but CEP1 was replaced by CEP2 well before 1.69 came out so there shouldn't be (m)any issues.

have fun )

I am not sure what you mean, when I click in the CEP link I get a page with a large DOWNLOAD THE CEP! link, following it I get a page where select the version and finally once I select Latest I am in the download page.

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I have played Baldur's Gate, Diablo II, Icewind Dale 1 and 2, and a few other D&D-based RPGs. Given that I already have a pretty good conception of how D&D works, would I be totally confused if I added the new classes/races straight off the bat? I was perusing the list of new features with the PRC, and I'm interested in trying some of them out; however, I don't want my first playthrough of NWN to be totally out-there compared to the intended playing experience. Thoughts?

Personally I do not think you should use the PRC.

Reasons:
- you cannot make your character using nwn, you need to use their client. Not a big deal, but I might seems unnatural as first play.
- the extremely long list of classes is not sorted; so it is annoying to seek the classes you want.
- since the game cannot support many class features they implemented them using dialogs. Once again it is somewhat awkward.
- it somewhat seems they wanted do much much stuff hoping quantity wins over quality. Many classes and feat are almost useless, but they make confusion.
- some features, while interesting need the support from the modules. So if the module you want to play does not support prc already they add more confusion.

It is somewhat a pity, just splitting the whole package in small parts would remove many of this shortcomings.

many prc races are either overpowered or completely out of place in a Forgotten Realms setting. As for the classes, if it is your first NWN game, what's included with the game already allows for lots of combinations.

When I start the GOG version of the game it says that it is 1.69. Is the 1.69 patch that you list a different build?

I do not believe so (as I think you would not be able join servers at all with an incorrect client build that differs from a server running 1.69), but the missing game data files in the GOG installation necessitate the use of the critical rebuild patch in order to prevent client crashes when the game attempts to load resources that do not exist.

Plus it fixes a really irritating bug with character creation that the GOG version has