Playtime

Wow, it's strange - I've not been on the toolset to build (other than some fixes to Chapter 1) for a 3-4 weeks now. Been spending more time letting real life catch up with me, but have found some time for playing NWN2.

Actually finished the OC. I'd not got through this very quickly as soon after I bought the game I started playing with the toolset, and that leaves little time to get through the OC. Plus, after I'd seen the Elanee nighttime cutscene in Crossroads Keep, I felt so dirty and disgusted, I needed a bit of a break - seriously, after somethign like Aerie in BG2, where it built up as a romance, this was crude horny-teen goth slash-fiction by comparison. *shudder* Felt like i needed to disinfect my keyboard and mouse after seeing that. But apart form that, I liked the OC, despite a few niggles in the story and how it was handled... I actually liked Shandra and felt much more could have been made of her, and her death. It was maybe too long and unwieldy - but it didnt help that I played in stops and starts so the story lost its flow. The ending was a disappointment - it needed a big cutscene so the tga stills were a big anticlimax.
I always use my character Wyrin as the first play through, and it's a testament to the game that I felt he was captured well y the mechanics and the engine - finished as a Bard11/Fighter4/DivineChampion5 - two weapon fighting, foci in rapier and short sword. If I play again, I'll go with my Wizard/EK/Duelist or Ranger/Wiz/ArcaneArcher/Assassin builds, but that won't be for a while.

Also played some mods. I've been trying to make sure I vote and give better feedback. I find this tricky Finished Subtlety of Thay. I voted it 8.75 - slightly lower than its vault rating. I think there's an issue of vote inflation still on the vault (that I've benefitted from, I can't deny), and it never ceases to amaze me the rationale behind some people's scores. I think this is the highest vote I've given a mod - I prefered it to Tragedy in Tragidor, and I've only played 90% of an early build of Night Howls in Nestlehaven. The latter I'd vote highly, but i do have some issues with it - mainly in terms of the combat difficulty, and for me, too many sidequests and things going on in a little town. But it is an amazingly built module that shows the builders story and understanding of the toolset as exceptional - no doubt in my next toolset break, I'll dive back in with a new PC and finish it properly.

But they are personal issues that occur to me more as a builder when I play. I also played The Chronicles of Azaeleus 1. and voted that 6.25. I found I played it a lot whilst thinking 'I'd have done that differently, or developed that more...'. I worry with the vote inflation that 6.25 is seen as a bad vote; I'd I'd not want to discourage a new builder as there were many positives about this - a vote of 6 is still good. But then it's got 2 votes of 9 already and it's not up to that IMO. I won't retype my comments - they're on the vault. But it's a fun little mod to give a go - and I think this builder could have some good stuff in him for the future.

As a side note, i did build a mini maze to showcase the toolset to a friend of mine. He works on rehabilitating people after brain injury to inprove their cognitive function, and uses the DOOM engine to devise environments for them to explore - he seems pretty buzzed about the toolset and what it can do now, so eager to see where this goes.

Next weekend - Chapter 2 starts in earnest!