I suppose I ought to update my journal again. So yeah. Hasn't been that eventful lately. I've been sucked headlong back into NWN2. Sucker runs beautifully on quite high settings now that I have SLI. And the annoying fight that discouraged further progress went easily the next time around. It's got a lot of depth and a lot of neat things to do and kill. I just wish they'd make a few more changes. Number one: I absolutely, totally, 100% need some sort of inventory auto-sort function. It's way too easy to get loaded down under a lot of useless junk that you're carting around mostly in the hopes of being able to craft with it. And I'm thinking at this point that the crafting system looks like a lot of work for little payoff, so bleh. It's also annoying that they don't remove certain items that have one function in a quest someplace and then are never used again. Keys especially.
Also, I would really like them to do something better with the influence system. It was annoying in KOTOR II, it's more annoying here because there's no way to see or tell how much influence you actually have with someone. This is not to say that it's a bad idea, but it's been two games now and they haven't figured out a good way to handle it. In KOTORII it had the theoretical effect of being able to sway your companions to your side of the force, among other things. And it sort of did - I was much amused by my deep darkside utility droid. But the problem was that they kept exactly the same personalities and perspective on life, so to influence good guys you had to do good things and vice versa. Always. And it didn't really help align them to your particular side. It doesn't have any effect on alignment in NWN2, which is probably just as well, but it's not really clear what the point of it is this time around. There are a couple of party members with quests associated with them, but only a couple and the influence needed is hard to identify. Otherwise it seems mostly to let you chat a little more with them about their backstory and occasionally affect whether they want to help you in a given situation. And there's not even much in the way of influence-based conversation to have (or conversation, in general, outside of scripted events). So yeah. I would like an influence system that was transparent, easily manipulated, and had an actual purpose to serve. Drawing about you a close-knit (and small) group of allies that serve you with all their hearts, say. And something like KOTORII's alignment modification, except more sensible. Perhaps being able to get the influenced companions to understand and support your perspective even if they don't necessarily agree. You know, like actual friends.
Final note: I'm playing an evil character, which looked promising to begin with, but isn't panning out. The problem is, there's surprisingly little actual evil involved. Almost without exception you're working for the same people doing the same quests. You can be a bit surly and unpleasant about it and grub for money, and these things make you more evil, typically, but there's not really any fundamental difference 99% of the time. And wanting to be paid for the work you've done is not exactly the stuff of epic evil. There is a big branch - work for the Neverwinter Watch or work for the Shadow Thieves which at first seems to be a good/evil branch, but it really isn't - it's a lawful/chaotic branch. There are perfectly good dialogue options throughout the Shadow Thief quests. I suppose it might be kind of a pain to be truly evil anyhow, as in sharp contrast to, say, the Baldur's Gate games, there seems so far to be all of *one* evil companion, a chaotic evil ranger named Bishop. Most everyone else is good with one or two neutral entries who still tend to frown on callous murder and the like. Please, people. Include a full-fledged evil path through your theoretically morally nuanced RPGs. Sheesh.
Also, I would really like them to do something better with the influence system. It was annoying in KOTOR II, it's more annoying here because there's no way to see or tell how much influence you actually have with someone. This is not to say that it's a bad idea, but it's been two games now and they haven't figured out a good way to handle it. In KOTORII it had the theoretical effect of being able to sway your companions to your side of the force, among other things. And it sort of did - I was much amused by my deep darkside utility droid. But the problem was that they kept exactly the same personalities and perspective on life, so to influence good guys you had to do good things and vice versa. Always. And it didn't really help align them to your particular side. It doesn't have any effect on alignment in NWN2, which is probably just as well, but it's not really clear what the point of it is this time around. There are a couple of party members with quests associated with them, but only a couple and the influence needed is hard to identify. Otherwise it seems mostly to let you chat a little more with them about their backstory and occasionally affect whether they want to help you in a given situation. And there's not even much in the way of influence-based conversation to have (or conversation, in general, outside of scripted events). So yeah. I would like an influence system that was transparent, easily manipulated, and had an actual purpose to serve. Drawing about you a close-knit (and small) group of allies that serve you with all their hearts, say. And something like KOTORII's alignment modification, except more sensible. Perhaps being able to get the influenced companions to understand and support your perspective even if they don't necessarily agree. You know, like actual friends.
Final note: I'm playing an evil character, which looked promising to begin with, but isn't panning out. The problem is, there's surprisingly little actual evil involved. Almost without exception you're working for the same people doing the same quests. You can be a bit surly and unpleasant about it and grub for money, and these things make you more evil, typically, but there's not really any fundamental difference 99% of the time. And wanting to be paid for the work you've done is not exactly the stuff of epic evil. There is a big branch - work for the Neverwinter Watch or work for the Shadow Thieves which at first seems to be a good/evil branch, but it really isn't - it's a lawful/chaotic branch. There are perfectly good dialogue options throughout the Shadow Thief quests. I suppose it might be kind of a pain to be truly evil anyhow, as in sharp contrast to, say, the Baldur's Gate games, there seems so far to be all of *one* evil companion, a chaotic evil ranger named Bishop. Most everyone else is good with one or two neutral entries who still tend to frown on callous murder and the like. Please, people. Include a full-fledged evil path through your theoretically morally nuanced RPGs. Sheesh.
wildswan:
Note: I'm wracking my brain thinking of ways for you to sell reviews.