Additional modules for neverwinter nights 2

The Neverwinter Nights series has become one of the most popular in the genre, not because it has a brilliant plot - the first part did not have anything like that, not for the merits of the role-playing system and not for the graphics. The secret of its success is well known: the most powerful script editor in existence.

Editors of other popular role-playing games are able to add a new task, location, subject, conversation branches to your favorite game, some allow you to slightly modify the rules; but only NWN and NWN 2 make it possible to make a full-fledged new game.

You are not at all obliged to connect your developments to the base scenario. You can have your own world built from scratch - or one of the famous ones, for example, the Forgotten Realms, Krynn, Ravenloft, Azeroth, finally ...

You can make your scripts quite quickly: work on a large project containing 50 or more hours of game time sometimes fits in a couple of months, and only one person works!

Therefore, it is not surprising that many hundreds of modules - new scenarios for the first NWN - have been written. However, among them there is practically nothing in Russian. Apparently, there are two reasons: the lack of official localization of the game (and without it it was very inconvenient to write scripts: conversational scripts could not work correctly with the Russian letter “ya”) and the lack of editor manuals in Russian.

NWN 2 received official localization from Akella. And, although this localization still needs to be corrected and corrected (work is underway on this), technical there are no more problems in making your own scripts.

Isn't it time to get down to business?

The NWN 2 editor boasts flexibility, speed of operation and many other advantages. Only one advantage in this list is not and is not expected: the intuitiveness of the interface.

The first sensation that happens when you press the "Tools" button in the game's boot menu: "Where did I get to and how to deal with all this?" The editor immediately proudly demonstrates dozens of buttons, panels, settings, and so on, and it seems that you can spend half your life studying them. In fact, it's worth step by step to create the first couple of scenes of your module - the simplest, combat one - as most of the buttons and panels will become familiar to you. And the rest can be sorted out calmly and slowly. Most of the design decisions in this editor are very convenient, although not obvious at first glance.

Most likely, only one problem will remain: there is barely enough monitor area for all the windows and panels of the editor. Alas, there is not much you can do about it, but you can get used to it.

It is interesting: I was once intrigued by the question: if it was in this editor that the base campaign of the game was made, how did the “cartographers” manage to place everything they needed on their monitor? A little journalistic investigation showed the terrible truth: they all had two monitors per computer. As it turned out, the toolkit is simply perfectly optimized for two screens; if it suddenly happened that you have two of them, it will not only be convenient to work, but very convenient. If you, like me, get by with one, you will have to endure a few minor inconveniences.

Despite all these shortcomings, NWN 2 remains the most convenient and easy way to create your own role-playing game. Nothing similar to it in terms of capabilities, convenience and scope has been created to date and is not expected in the near future. In my opinion, this is a good reason to study it for anyone who would like to create a game with their own hands.

• in the first chapter- it is in front of you - we will learn how to work with terrain and textures, arrange objects on the map, control their appearance and characteristics. This is enough for us to create a simple combat module - say, hunting for wolves or going to an orc dungeon;
• in the second chapter we will discuss the organization of conversations and scripts, and also solve one vital question: how to make it so that the player has to think during the game not only about what spell to shy the enemy? Making a script smart is not easy: it is a weakness not only of NWN 2, but of most modern role playing. Perhaps due to the volume of the topic about scripts, we will split this part into several articles;
• in the third chapter we'll be adding custom made or externally sourced components to the game: models, textures, sounds, speech, and so on. This is the only part of working on modules where you need to be able to do something other than come up with a scenario and balance it; fortunately, for making your own modules, additional graphics beyond those offered in the game are completely optional.

First step

What is what on the screen

So, we have opened the editor window (by the way, immediately stretch it to full screen: there is too much space exactly will not be!).

Centered there is a large white panel: this is the viewport. Our map will be shown there, with objects and creatures standing on it. In the same window, we will be able to edit the landscape, arrange objects and select them to work with their properties. So far, this is empty: we haven't created or selected a single area yet.

Left side divided into two sections. The top one is a list of areas in the current module, and the tabs below it allow you to switch to other lists (of conversations, scripts, and so on). The bottom one contains lists of items, creatures, etc. that are already included in our module. We can say that on the left side of the screen there is information about what we have in the module has already.

Right part are settings and adding new entities. Its upper half contains a set of settings for the currently selected object (this may be the area itself). The bottom one is a set of editable object templates, we'll talk about it later. You can switch this lower part to the mode of the landscape or room cells editor: for this, the Blueprints (object templates), Tiles (cells), Terrain (landscape) tabs are hidden at the very bottom.

On a note: at most monitor resolutions, the scrollbar does not fit a little in the right pane. I’ll fight to eliminate this, since it’s not difficult - just narrow the central part a little!

Above all this disgrace - several menu strips, you can not study them carefully for now. We'll deal with them later.

Create an area

The first thing to do is to create a module and save it (the habit of saving here more often must be mastered by all means). This is done quite traditionally: through the main menu items Flie - New and File - Save.

Now we need to create a starting area. Let's click right click mouse over the regions window (upper left panel) and select Add. We are prompted to choose the name of the area ( do not recommend use names like Area1 - you'll never figure it out later, it's better to give meaningful names right away) and its type: room (Interior) or open area (Exterior). Let's start with an open area.

The next window is size settings... Let's start with Small. In general, I advise you to just take a closer look at what the actual size of the map corresponds to which settings, this is the easiest thing to learn on an intuitive level.

In the list of areas, the one we added appeared: select it, and the coordinate grid and texture will appear on the central panel.

General view of the editor.

And in the upper right panel, the properties of the area appeared. I will not describe them in detail; there you can, for example, set the mode of day and night (they can change naturally or be “clamped”: for example, if you remember, night always reigns in the cemetery near Fort Locke); determine the image that is shown when the area is loaded; prohibit or allow rest; for rooms - determine if it is a dungeon; and many other pleasant little things that we do not need for the time being.

The main thing to consider here at the first stage of work is the lighting settings: after all, they determine how everything that you put on the map will look like. Fortunately, everything is quite transparent here.

Another useful series of settings are Sky Rings: they determine how the game will look on this map. horizon. There are several options: mountains, hills, forest... Why surround the map with real objects when you can just hang a backdrop?

Map flights

Before moving on to editing, let's say a few words about the camera. Control it with a button ctrl. With Ctrl pressed, we can, holding down the left mouse button, "grab" the ground on the screen at the point pointed to by the mouse, and drag the map to Right place. Well, the right mouse button with the same Ctrl allows you to rotate the map.

The mouse wheel, without any buttons or keys, zooms in and out of the view. Another way to zoom in and out is Ctrl+Shift+left mouse button. Moving the mouse up and down, we achieve the desired "flight height".

As you move the camera, you'll probably notice the white border around the center of the map. What is inside the white frame is the “playing” part of the territory, you can walk on it and somehow act within it. What is outside is a decoration, this “frame” is needed only so that the map does not break off, going nowhere.

On a note: it is desirable to border the edges of the map with natural obstacles or put a territory transition sign in front of the edge: it is necessary to clearly show the player where the meaningful part of the map ends, but not in such a way that the player has the feeling of a “concrete wall” (unless, of course, it happens not indoors - there boundaries are extremely natural).

Landscape

Heights

Now let's take a look at the relief. To do this, open the Terrain tab in the lower right corner of the screen.

Instead of lists of objects, we have a menu. True, if you do not belong to the happy owners of a dual-monitor system, then most likely you see only its top. You can pull the menu up by squeezing the properties window. Not very convenient, but you will not often need to alternate between working with objects and working with terrain.

The first button is just responsible for the relief. Having selected it, we can, by pressing the mouse button, gradually raise the surface of the earth.

It is important: terrain work cannot be undone with the Undo command in the menu! Therefore, save after each significant result. Option: With the Duplicate command (in the menu that appears when you right-click on an area), make a copy of the edited area.

This operation has three numerical parameters, they are presented in the window: size peaks lifting area ( size) and size foot(outer), as well as lifting speed (pressure).

With the last parameter, everything is obvious: the larger it is, the faster the terrain will rise. Outer determines how large the area will be processed. And the ratio between outer and size is, as it were, the “sharpness” of the vigura. If, say, size and outer are approximately the same, we will get a gentle hill, perhaps even a plateau; and if size is significantly smaller, there will be a pointed peak. An example is in the picture.

The relief can not only be raised; below, under the numerical parameters, there are buttons Raise(climb), Lower(lowering) flattens(align to a given height, which can be taken from an existing map using eyedropper). You can level all the ground under the selected building - for this, the button flatten under. You generally don't want a building on a slope.

On a note: most of the hills in NWN 2 are made according to the “stepped” technology: first you make a low gentle hill, then on top of it - another one, higher and narrower, and so on. Or a little differently - the hill is assembled from several almost flat elements, like Lego constructor. Stepped reliefs look very natural.

noise generates bumps, pits on the surface - in general, small bumps to make it look more natural. Smooth, on the contrary, smoothes. Where the surface, according to the author's intention, is not smoothed by anything, the use of Noise is highly recommended.

Finally, Walk and non-walk are not directly related to the terrain: they determine where the character can walk and where not. Selecting any of these options will color the map with a blue and black grid; blue - passable. By default, too steep slopes are marked as impassable, and I would not recommend fixing this.

Textures

By default, our entire region is covered with greenery, absolutely all. At the same time, the game has a lot of textures: yellowed grass, clay, sand, rock, gravel, various types of pavement...

As you might guess, the button is responsible for them. Texturing. In the drop-down menu - the same parameters as the relief: size, outer, pressure.

Outer means the same as always. But the other two settings are related to the fact that textures can not only be superimposed, but mix with those already applied. Let's say they put a pavement on top of the grass - a little greenery breaks through the tiles.

Pressure in this case controls how strong this bleed-through effect is. If you want to get rid of it - set the slider to the maximum. And Size adjusts the decrease in the intensity of the texture along the edges of the area; if you make it much larger than outer - the texture will not decrease.

With paving slabs, neither fading nor blending of textures is usually necessary. With a rock - more often not needed than needed. But, let's say, clay may well at first gradually appear through the grass, then come to light in all its disgrace.

Button Fill allows you to fill the entire area with a texture at once. This is in case you don't need greens at all. Button Swapper allows you to replace one texture with another throughout the map. You can see the list of involved textures in the window Selected Terrain at the bottom (you will probably have to scroll).

It is important: too many textures, especially overlapping ones, slow down the player's computer. It is recommended to manage within one card 3-4, no more.

Vegetation

Grass and mesh patency.

The map is very animated by the herbs; there is a button to place them Grass.

Working with it is extremely simple: you select the type of grass from a long list, the width of the brush - and when you click on the mouse button, the grass is scattered in random curtains, which looks quite natural. Don't be put off by the sight of this grass from the height you normally edit terrain at; She looks great up close.

Runners Blade Size and Blade Size Variation"manage" the growth of grass: the first determines the total height, the second - the spread.

On a note: strange as it may seem, most often the spread is 0 ( same height everywhere) - correct solution. Otherwise, it is worth doing mainly in the swamp and in very hilly terrain.

As in the case of textures, it is worth constantly keeping in mind: too many herbs, in the first place - different, will force the player's computer to "slow down". For an average map, 1-3 types of grass is enough, you should not make a botanical garden out of a meadow or a village.

For cross-country ability and in general game features grass has no effect. This is purely a decorative item.

Water

Textures and water.

And finally, the fourth menu button: water.

It either floods the territory with water, or, conversely, removes water. Water is poured at a certain height; and here it is more appropriate than ever to determine it directly on the map using the Eyedropper.

The next part of the settings is the shine of the water, the ripples on it, and so on; they are easiest to "comprehend" a simple experiment, you will see the result immediately. And in the submenu levels (Layer) we will need the direction and speed of the waves (Scroll Direction X, Scroll Direction Y, Scroll Speed).

Premises

All dungeons, rooms inside houses, and so on are arranged a little differently than open areas. For them, you need to create an area of ​​the "Room" type ( Interior).

We sort of assemble the interior of the room from cells. There is no outer part, like an open landscape: all created cells can be used by characters.

To edit the room, go to the tab Tiles(lower right corner of the screen). Immediately, we are offered to choose a set of cells: an ordinary house, a castle, a cave, a mine, a burial ground... It makes no sense to combine the sets, and the editor does the right thing by resisting such an idea.

We are offered a wide range of cells - empty, with walls, doors, stairs. On the diagrams of these cells, blue dots are a wall, red dots are a door. Most often, the cage still needs to be rotated correctly; to do this, select the desired scheme, move (for simplicity) the mouse to the editing window and rotate the cell arrow keys.

In the case of symmetrical cells (e.g. empty, without walls or corners), the arrows can provide, for example, a pattern on the floor. How to determine this in advance, I confess, I do not know - in my opinion, only by trial and error.

It is important: as in the case of open areas, editing cells is not subject to the Undo function. Stay on time...

Objects

Template concept

Before you begin to arrange doors, chests, trees and living creatures, you need to learn an important concept for work template(blue print).

In the NWN 2 editor, work with objects is organized as follows. First you create a template and edit its properties. Then arrange on the map instances this template; later you can, by editing the template, change all instances of it on the map at once. For example, if you have a "normal goblin" creature template, you are free to increase the dexterity of all normal goblins by 2 with one movement of your hand, or, say, tint them all red.

To work with templates, you need to switch to the tab in the lower right corner of the screen Blueprints; here you will definitely need a panel Properties, which we collapsed to work with the landscape, it should immediately be expanded to about half the height of the column or a little more.

So, when placing an object on the map, you must first choose its template. This may be one of the predefined templates (you have many different tabs in the lower right window), or it may be a newly created one.

Most often, you will not need to create templates from scratch, but copy them (by right-clicking on a template from the standard set or created by you, select Copy Blueprint). This will avoid setting up a lot of parameters from scratch.

You can (and often need to) edit the properties of a single object. To do this, select it with the left mouse button, after switching the screen from the mode Paint Objects into mode Select Objects(menu above the central panel); there is another way - select it in the list of objects on the map (lower left panel, it is organized in the same way as the template panel).

And you can change the properties of all such objects at once by adjusting the template;

When is one better and when is the other better?

In my experience, monsters, magic items, and other objects with a lot of playability are almost always best edited at the template level. Inactive objects (trees, etc.), as well as non-locking doors - at the instance level. The only exception is objects that are supposed to be not quite ordinary, but the same in their group, like a set of street lamps. With lockable doors and chests, it's best to start with a template to set the base level of hacking difficulty, and then edit the trap type (if any) and contents individually.

How do you know what you're in this moment edit - template or instance? It's very simple: if the object in question is highlighted with a green “box”, then you are working with an instance, if not, with a template. If there are "edit-protected" fields - this is definitely a template, and not set by you, the base one.

Template settings

The vast majority of the template has several general settings. Among them are scale (Scale, set separately on three axes), appearance (Appearance), coloring (Tint), name and description (Localized Name, Localized Description), behavior (Behavior).

Object coordinates and rotation in properties not are included. You set the coordinates by simply setting the object to the desired point (or by dragging it with the Select Object mode turned on). To rotate, select the object and either use the commands Rotate above the central panel, or, holding Ctrl, rotate the object with the arrows.

Scale does not need special comments; I will only note that you should know very well what you are doing when you set a different scale on different axes. In general, it should not be changed too often, except for trees.

Appearance also rarely changed: this setting selects 3D model subject. If you have any reason to make an orc look like a gnoll in appearance, then this is just right here. But when we start adding new models - in the third chapter of this story - we will actively need Appearance.

Monsters, however, have a number of useful appearance settings, in addition to the main model - especially for humanoids: the appearance of the face, hairstyle, beard, even wings and tail (it would seem, why would they, for example, a halfling? What if you come up with a race of flying halflings - here everything is ready for them!).

Coming up with the next NPC, you should take care of his appearance. Alas, the choice will have to be made by simply switching the numbers of options - there is no more convenient way.

Trees right after appearance have one more parameter - Random seed. The fact is that trees are generated randomly, and if for some reason you don’t like a particular instance, you can correct a random number for it and somehow change it.

Coloring-a very valuable thing: as you know, many games multiply the number of monsters by adding varieties (snake green, blue-green, red...). Unfortunately, since the base color is usually determined by the texture, often Tint will affect nothing more than the hue of the object. But the color of plain surfaces like human skin changes quite arbitrarily.

In models, as a rule, the limits are “hard-wired” in which color can be changed: for example, it is predetermined that the skin of a gnome can be gray or yellow, but not bright scarlet. Since changes are not always pronounced in general, many people do not notice this effect; check the properties table to see if the change has been made. If the coloring you have chosen is recognized as illegal by the editor, then it will remain as it was in the coloring table.

Title and Description change is necessary always, if you already work with the Russian module (and if you decide to create in English, then also often). Almost nothing has been translated in the toolkit, so everything here makes sense to edit.

Finally, behavior is a whole series of parameters that determine how an object interacts with the outside world. Here are, for example, links to conversations and scripts (we will deal with them in the next chapter), at doors, chests and cabinets - lock parameters, the door also contains a link to the place it leads to.

Pay attention to the parameter Faction-fraction. By default, there are only four of them: Hostile (enemies), Commoner (civilians who are not affected by any combat interactions), Merchant (merchant), Defender (defender - intervenes in case of a fight). This parameter is available not only for monsters, but also, for example, for chests and doors. What for? But why: if the chest is not included in the Hostile faction, you will not be allowed to attack it and cut it with an ax!

Very important parameter Plot- "plot". By setting it to True, you will prevent unauthorized destruction of the object. For an object, this means “do not throw away and do not sell”, for a door - “do not open without a key”, and so on.

Sometimes this option is necessary, but few things are as annoying as its excessive use. In the case of quest items, it is extremely important not to forget to rid the player of them at the end of the quest, otherwise the player's bins will be chock-full of junk.

It is important: " plot" can also be set for items that are needed in side quests; but it will be very correct in relation to the player to destroy the item with a script when the quest is hopelessly out of date. In the base campaign, this is done between chapters: well, why does the hero in the second or third chapters need some contraption that he forgot to give in Highcliff or Fort Locke?

creatures

To learn how to put ordinary aggressive monsters on the map, we just need to figure out the settings of the role parameters. Once again, I highly recommend doing this with a template, not a creature instance.

Oddly enough, the configuration of these parameters is not too automated. Changing stats or levels won't give you an immediate change in hit points and saving throws. In general, it must be admitted that the editor of the role parameters of creatures is the weakest part toolkit, and it needs serious improvement.

Here's what you need to edit (preferably in that order):

• characteristics (strength, agility, etc.);
• classes;
• saving throws, hit points, defense;
• skills;
• degree of danger (Challenge Rating);
• equipment.

If it is not supposed to fight with him, then everything is easier, you can overlook almost all of this fluently.

You may ask why there are no skills and spells on the list. The answer is simple: because for some reason the authors of the toolkit did not provide us with such an opportunity. All this is generated automatically - "out of concern for the client", so that you and I do not have to strain ourselves too much. In my opinion, it would be better if they automated the calculation of hit points and saving throws; but it is hoped that public opinion will force the Obsidians to correct this nonsense.

But the skills must be processed manually, and - damn it! - if you add, say, a level 10 druid to a creature, you will not get basic druid abilities at all, you will have to add them yourself.

Don't forget to adjust the creature's danger level. This is the team level for which the creature poses a moderate threat. From it (and the level of the team) it is calculated how much experience is required for defeating him.

It should not be assumed that this parameter is approximately equal to the level of the creature: after all, the player’s team usually has not one hero, but, say, four characters of the sixth level can easily cope with one of the sixth level. How to calculate the degree of danger - the conversation is long and difficult; I can recommend simply looking among the standard templates for a creature that is approximately equal in strength and write off the parameters from it. Particularly fine tuning is not necessary here, but the approximate order of magnitude must be observed, otherwise the module will be greatly unbalanced.

On a note: from this parameter do not depend fighting qualities - on the contrary, he should be their consequence.

This is quite enough to place a few goblins, wolves and so on on the lawn we have made (see the chapter "Landscape"), put trees and, for example, houses; and combine one of the doors of the house with the door of the room we edited.

Here is the simplest module. To be able to try it out, there are two more steps left to complete...

Setting the starting point. The module must have an "entry point" - the place where your hero will appear. This place should be safe!

"Bakery products".The program must be compiled before running, so with the NWN 2 module, approximately the same action is required: it is called “baking” ( Bake). You will find this action in the menu.

Usually, after editing a module, it is enough to “bake” only those areas where changes have been made. No one bothers to “bake” everything at once (Bake All), but this can take a very long time. For example, "baking" the base campaign of NWN 2 takes about a day!

We discussed the basic functions of the editor and found out how they work with it in general. In the next article, we will talk about what makes your module unique: conversations and scripts. See you!

How to install?

1. First install the Russian language in the game. You can do this through the Workshop.
2. Download the module you like from the links below.
3. Open the My Documents/Neverwinter Nights folder and place certain files in the desired folders:

• The modules themselves (.mod) to a folder modules;
• Hack files (.hack) to a folder hak;
• Soundtracks (.bmu) to a folder music;
• Video files (.bik) to a folder movies.

4. Launch the game, select "New Game" and click the "More Modules" button. Then run the module you need.

Curse of Levor

Saga Action Curse of Levor does not intersect with the plot of official companies. The authors tried to get rid of all the attributes of Neverwinter Nights, starting from books, of which there are more than 60 in the module, and ending with a description of weapons and items. The first part begins in 1388 DR in the southern part of the Vast. The city of Procampur is the starting point of the game. In the first part you will also meet the following places: Tsurlagol, Sevenecho, Arbonna, Maerstar, Brynwood Forest, Adhe Wood, High Haspur, Sarbrinar (Sarbreenar). The first part of "The Curse of Levor" also covers the young city of Andra-Dun (from the Elf. "Andra" - a long wall, "Dun" - to raise), built on the rocky island of Lone Rock (Lone Rock) in the period from 1368 to 1385 DR. It is not included by Ed Greenwood (the developer of the entire Forgotten Realms world) in the description of the Vast because Andra-Dun is the only city entirely and completely fictional by the authors of the campaign.

You do not have to save the whole world, but it is in your power to prevent a great EVIL from happening. So, you are your uncle's nephew, with whom you live due to the loss of your parents ...
_______
UPD:
Not so long ago, a modmaker named Victorxxx released a remaster of this wonderful module. Through his efforts, the transitions between parts of the modules were corrected, and the introductory video began to play. for which he is very grateful!

So, the story of your hero or heroine begins in a small village called "Chistye Prudy", in a house owned by your parents (or friends for non-human heroes). After an unfortunate fall from the roof, you wake up in your own room and try to remember what happened the day before ... What will happen next is up to you. Alas, your hero will not have to save the worlds and fight the gods. But how his fate and the fate of his loved ones will turn out depends only on you ...

Actions in a module group Order of Time take place in different territories, with different participants and do not intersect at all in plot, but they contain a common concept on which the entire project is built. The main task was to realize what each of us had long wanted, but did not work out for various reasons. Initially, about six short parts were planned, according to the number of team members. But real life put everything in its place. As a result, two modules remained, and it was decided to expand them a little in order to somehow compensate for the losses.

Attention! The module is not easy, as it contains strong enemies and requires skillful distribution of skill points. Recommended for experienced players.

External characteristics

When creating a module, you probably encountered a problem more than once when there are not enough unique characters. Either you need to get a bear the size of a house, or you need to tame the dragon's burrows, or you need to make an army of mutant rats that the hero must fight according to the plot...

Since such animals are not on the list, then there is nothing left but to create them yourself. AT game editor modules for generating new characters are not built in, there is also no way to make them manually from scratch, so you have to make mutants from creatures already built into the game.

Place one of the basic NWN 2 characters on the level and highlight it in the perspective window. Then right-click on it and select Properties (New Window) from the context menu. Before you is a window in which almost all parameters of the selected creature are edited - from height / length / width to gender and class. Consider the purpose of the main attributes and start with a large category of Appearance.

The Scale parameter is responsible for the dimensions of the NPC along three axes - X (width), Y (length) and Z (height). By changing the values, it is easy to reduce or increase, say, dragons, turning them into such bats. Or, on the contrary, to make an elephant out of a fly - out of small rodents of huge saber-toothed creatures. In addition to resizing, you can additionally “revive” the animals by making the so-called fluid textures. Expand the UV Scroll in the character properties window, set the Scroll attribute to True, and enter arbitrary numeric values ​​in the U and V fields. You will see that the texture covering the model has begun to move slightly: from a distance, it seems that the fur on the animal stands on end.

To change the appearance (model) of the character, but at the same time retain the rest of the characteristics, select any element from the Appearance list and double-click on it with the left mouse button. To change the color of hair, eyes and the main color of the skin, find the fields with the base word Tint, go to any of them and click on the list button. A special form will open where you need to select a specific color scheme.

The Sound Set attribute specifies the sounds that the character will make. The last important stat from the Appearance group is Appearance (visual effect). This is a list of visual effects that can be played near the character. Here you can choose, for example, a storm effect (particles fly from the hero and a glow comes out).

Meet the mutant monsters! On stage are giant rats and tame dwarf dragons.

Inner essence

We figured out how to change the appearance of the characters, but there are also characteristics that are hidden from the eyes of the gamer, but have a significant impact on the game balance. Move the scrollbar slider down in the NPC properties field to the Attributes rollout. By modifying the parameters of this category, you can change the character's strength (Strength parameter), his charisma (Charisma), intelligence (Intelligence) and a number of other properties.

Immediately following the Attributes parameters is the Behavior category. This is a group of characteristics that determines the behavior of a creature. We will not consider all the parameters of this category (what this or that attribute is responsible for is almost always clear from the name), we will only talk about the Faction ID characteristic - it is the most important in the Behavior block. This parameter determines the attitude of the character to all the inhabitants of the NWN 2 world. We will talk about editing the factions themselves a little later.

Let's skip the General, Misc, Miscellaneous, Saving Throws, Scripts groups (you won't need them at the initial stage of mod development) and go straight to editing the last two blocks - Shadows and Statistics. The first one contains two attributes: Cast Shadow? and Receive Shadow?, which determine whether a shadow will be cast from the object and from various light sources, respectively. The Statistics contains information about various immutable characteristics, such as the gender of the character, the number of points at the beginning of the game, and a number of others.

Inventory

The character (or even several characters) is created, it's time to take care of his inventory. Go to the Inventory tab on the character properties panel and click on the Edit button. A new Inventory window will open, in which you can remove or add various gizmos to the shoulder bag (even monsters have no clothes) of the character. Replenishment of inventory takes place in three consecutive stages. To begin, select an item from the Items list (it takes up the entire bottom left of the Inventory form) and click the Add Item button to add an item to the bag. After that, you need to figure out which category the element belongs to, and drag it with the left mouse button pressed into one of the slots on the right side of the Inventory window. Let's look at a specific example of how this is done.

Suppose we have placed game card female character Kana. By default, this warlike girl is dressed in light armor. Let's add some effective weapon to her inventory, let's say an axe. To do this, select the heroine, go to the Inventory tab in the properties panel and click the Edit button. In the window that appears, in the Items table, select the Weapons\Axes\One-Handed\Woodcutter's Ax item and click on the Add Item button to add the weapon to your inventory.

Let's think about where to put the ax. In the head slot is illogical, in place of the shoes it will also look ridiculous ... yeah, the right place for the ax is in the hands (Right Hand / Left Hand). Drag the weapon to the Right Hand slot in the right field of the Inventory window. Note: If necessary, you can add items to the Equipment slots directly from the Items list. To remove an item from your personal items, drag it back to temporary storage, highlight it, and click the Remove Item button.

After the death of the character, they get enough sleep from him various items: armor, weapons, bottles. If you want the inventory of the hero or monster you created to also fall out of it after the death, check the box in the Droppable column of the selected element. After that, click Ok in the Inventory window - the form will close and the character will be updated (all changes can be visually tracked in the 3D view window).

Finally, we modify all the standard skills of the new creation. In the properties window, switch to the Skills tab and set the creature's skills. Just imagine what results can be achieved by raising the dragon's skills to the maximum (concentration, searching, setting and disarming traps).

We replenish the inventory of the warlike girl Cana. A miniature hatchet for self-defense will come in handy.

Creators of unseen creatures

We analyzed in detail the process of modifying various creatures - we learned how to change the appearance of characters and modify attributes that affect behavior. It's time to practice creating new heroes.

Go to the Blueprints tab in the lower right corner of the editor. Click the Creatures button in the Blueprints panel. Right-click on the list and select Create Blueprint/Module from the context menu. You will see that a new element called Creature 1 has been added to the character field, it can be immediately placed on the map, because this is the preparation of a new hero. The parameters of the new character are edited in the same way as described above.

Factions

Consider fine tuning various characters. Earlier we said that any character can be assigned to one of the factions, and as a result, he will become peaceful or, on the contrary, hostile towards other factions. Let's see how to configure the parameters responsible for this.

To open the faction editor, select the View/Factions menu item. You will see that the 3D View window is gone and replaced by the Faction table and a few additional options. Consider editing a fraction on a specific example. Select an arbitrary line of the table, for example, Hostile. By changing the value in the cell at the intersection of the Player column and the Hostile row, we can determine the type of relationship the characters have with the player. If the attribute value is 0, everyone will be hostile towards the main character, but if the number 50 is written in this cell, then the group members will try to remain neutral towards the player. If you write 100, then the relationship will be friendly.

By adjusting the value at the junction of the Hostile row and the Hostile column, you can establish relationships within the clan. Did you get the gist? Editing relations between other factions is carried out in a similar way.

To create a new faction, click on the Add Faction button at the top of the Faction window; to change the name and status of the grouping, go to the bottom area of ​​the fractions window, select the Faction element from the Faction list and set the name of the new clan in the Name field. To remove a grouping that you think is unnecessary from the list, select it and click the Remove Faction button at the top of the working window.

New factions are created in the Factions Editor.

New Items

We populated our level with unique creatures: giant rats, mutant dragons, killer bears. Let's move on to the second part of the global redistribution of the NWN2 world - the development of new weapons, armor and other useful gizmos.

Make sure the Blueprints tab is enabled in the lower right corner of the editor. On the Blueprints panel, click on the Items button, right-click on the list of objects, and select Create Blueprint/Module from the context menu. The editor will create a new element and immediately offer to place it on the map. Quit by pressing Esc.

Let's consider the basic principles of object editing. Select the newly created blank and go to the Properties panel (Properties), the name of which corresponds to the name of the modified object, that is, in our case, Item1. As with characters, all properties of gizmos are scattered into special categories (Appearance, Armor, Behavior), the names are almost identical to the names of groups of living beings. Let's briefly consider the content of each such category.

Appearance - this group sets the inventory appearance parameters, such as, for example, the item icon (Icon), special effect (Appearance (special effect)), model coloring (Tint).

Behavior - this category contains a number of characteristics that determine the scheme of the object's operation in gaming world. Here you can set the cost of things (Additional Cost), the base type of the item (Base Item), the ability to steal an object (Stolen), set the special properties of the item (Item Properties).

Blueprint - the parameters of this block serve as a guideline for the editor. The Comment attribute is required to enter author's comments about the item being created, the Template Resref parameter is a unique item identifier (you can come up with a name yourself).

General - in this group, parameters are set that allow you to classify and describe the subject.

Scripts - slots for scripts. The block is empty by default.

Statistics - Damage Reductions and Material characteristics determine the properties of the material from which the item is made.

Creating a new weapon is much easier than creating a new monster. It can take two or three minutes.

Module properties

Unique creatures have been created and distributed to special factions, new murder weapons and other useful objects have been developed. It’s not a shame to place such a module on the Internet, but let’s still give it a presentation.

Select the View/Module Properties menu item and on the Module Properties panel go to the Properties tab. You will see that all module properties are divided into four different categories. The first of them - Misc - contains the basic characteristics of the module. Most of all in this category we are interested in the Description and Name parameters, which allow you to set a description of the modification and its name. The second group - Scripts - contains slots for scripts. The attributes of the third category - Starting Area - describe the starting area. Here you can change the name of the map (Entry Area), the coordinates of the player's starting position (Entry Position) and even specify the movie that will be played when the module starts (Start Movie).

Please note that in order to play the intro video at the beginning of the game, you need to place your movie (*.bik format) in the /Movies directory and enter the file name (without extension) in the Start Movie field. The last group of parameters (Time) is responsible for the time conditions in the module: day, hour, month, year.

Together with Neverwinter Nights 2 there is a wonderful map editor (its full name is Obsidian Neverwinter Nights 2 Toolset). In it, you can not only create full-fledged levels and modules, but also modify all game components: from global ones (location sizes, number of monsters) to the smallest ones (door opening direction, locks on chests). In a couple of months on the NWN 2 engine, you can make a completely new game. At the same time, note that you will practically not need programming skills - only the ability to write basic sets of scripts.

Today we will analyze the editor interface, and also tell you how to create a simple level and import it into the game.

On the outskirts

Start the editor. You will see several toolbars, an object properties field, a 3D view window, and a number of smaller components. The top area of ​​the program is occupied by the main menu. Below it are two toolbars containing components for setting up the display of objects in the 3D view window, as well as buttons that activate various modes of working with scene objects. The central part of the main working field is occupied by the 3D view window, in which levels are created and edited.

Zooming in the perspective window is done using the mouse wheel. To change the angle of the camera, just move the mouse to a new location while holding down the middle button. On the left side of the program there are two panels, which are the so-called lists - Areas and Area Contents. AT Areas game locations, dialogs and scripts that make up your module are displayed. Area Contents contains a large list of components used on the map: environment elements, characters, weapons, triggers, cameras.

The right part of the window consists of two panels: from the property inspector ( Properties) and a special window that contains the contents of the menu in the lower right corner of the editor (if you select another menu, the contents of the window will also change). By activating the tab Blueprints, you will see that a large library of components has appeared in the window (environment objects, NPCs, waypoints, weapons). If you activate the menu Tiles, then interior design elements will appear in the window. Finally, going to the bookmark Terrain, you'll find a number of special tools for shaping and texturing the map's terrain.

Modulation

Before telling you about the basic principles of working in the editor, let's take a general look at what the new module is. The official toolkit does not allow you to record maps, scripts, dialogs, etc. important information. All this is collected together and saved into a single file, which is called a module. In fact, this is a complete mod, it does not use the content wired into the engine, even fonts.

That is, on the English version of the game, you can install, for example, a Russian or French modification and play calmly, because the game takes fonts not from the engine, but directly from the module. It also follows that the module will consist only of those components that you put in it. If you create a flat steppe with a single hero, then only they will be in the addon. Make a full-fledged big world - all its filling will be in the final file. Today we will analyze the algorithm for manufacturing a module containing one external game location and test it in the game.

landscape works

Let's start the work on creating a level by creating a base location. To do this, first select the menu item File/New/Area or right-click on a blank area of ​​the panel area(it lists all the levels included in the module), in the context menu, select the item Add. You will see a window in which you need to specify the basic attributes: name ( area tag), type (exterior or interior - Interior, Exterior), dimensions. Set the parameters of all attributes, Area Type set value Exterior (Terrain), since we will be making an open play space (we will talk about creating interiors in the next article). After clicking the button Finish you will see that the map preset has been added to the list of zones ( Areas) and displayed in the 3D View window.

Before us is a flat surface like a pancake - the so-called frame. Let's modify the landscape: add a couple of mountains, dig a dozen ravines and pits for lakes, lay river beds, and also add small hills to the level. To do this, we will have to resort to the help of modifiers on the toolbar. Terrain. To activate it, you need to go to the tab Terrain at the bottom right of the editor.

Let's start the process of terraforming. On panel Terrain in field Environment Tools click the red button Terrain. After that in the field Brush adjust the brush parameters - capture radius, as well as the speed of creating high / low land. Now you can start changing the terrain. Move the scrollbar slider on the panel to the very bottom Terrain. You will see that there are eight different terraformers in this field. Consider the action of each of them. To form a hill on the map, select a tool Raise, go to the 3D view window, left-click on a certain piece of terrain and, without releasing the button, change the height on the selected location fragment.

The rest of the modifiers work in the same way. Tool Lower designed to create lowlands - gorges and ravines, riverbeds and lake pits, simple pits and potholes. Terraformer noise serves for the so-called noise of the selected sections of the level, it randomly places alternating small hills and depressions on the level. To smooth or blur sharply pronounced hills or lowlands, a special modifier is built into the editor Smooth.

The next two tools Walk and non-walk, allow you to designate the so-called passable areas for the main character on the map. When using these modifiers, the button on the toolbar is activated. Surface mesh, which displays the game area as separate polygons. After using the tools Walk and non-walk it is better to disable this option: it is very inconvenient to create terrain in this mode. Make sure that when working with terraformers on the toolbar, the button is activated Paint Terrain, otherwise none of the tools in the field Terrain will not function.

Back to modifiers. If you need to convert bumps to flat terrain, use the tool flattens. If you need to paint the selected part of the location in a certain color, use the modifier color, after selecting the color opposite the label of the same name.

cosmetic makeover

The landscape is ready, but it is completely monotonous. It's time to texture the surface. On panel Terrain on the right side of the window in the field Environment Tools click the left mouse button on the button Texturing and adjust the brush settings. Find the scroll Terrain Texturing and select the most suitable texture from the presented list of images. After that, left-click on an arbitrary place on the map in the 3D view window - the selected area will be textured. To completely cover the map with one texture, click on the button Fill in the terrain texturing field.

After you finish painting, you can add various objects to the map. Go to bookmark Blueprints in the lower right corner of the editor. You will see that the terraformer panel will change its name to Blueprints; this tool contains many elements in the list (only the elements of the selected group are displayed in the window).

Let's learn how to add objects to the map. Click the button Creatures on the panel Blueprints and select the required object from the list Creatures\Animals\Dire\Dire Badger. To place the selected element in the game location, left-click anywhere on the level. Cancellation of the tool is carried out with the key Esc.

To move any object along the axes X and Y you just need to click on it with the left mouse button (the object will be highlighted with a green frame) and, without releasing it, move the manipulator. in order to change Z- the coordinate of the model, you need to select it, hold down (and do not release) the key on the keyboard Shift and scroll the mouse wheel. An object is rotated by moving the mouse with the right button pressed and the Shift button on the keyboard. To remove any element from the scene, click on it with the left mouse button, and then press the key Delete.

To copy an already created object (if you want to copy several objects, hold down on the keyboard Shift), put it on the clipboard using the hotkey combination ctrl+c, and then upload the clone to the map ( Ctrl + V). Please note that all the above actions can be performed only when the button on the toolbar is activated. Select Objects.

We told you about all the intricacies of shaping the landscape and working with objects. In order to import the module into the game, it remains only to place the player's starting position on the map. In fact, it is already on the map (automatically added to any map in the very center) - this is a round symbol with a directional arrow inside.

To move the starting point, click the button Set Start Location on the toolbar, then click on the point on the map where you want to move the respawn. After that, you can activate the button on the toolbar Select Objects and change the Z-coordinate. Save the module via the menu File\Save As and test it in game.

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In the next Obsidian Neverwinter Nights 2 Toolset article, which is likely to be published in the February issue of Igromania , we will tell you how to write dialogues for characters, work with scripts, create unique weapon and characters, as well as consider some of the subtleties of mapping.