NWN Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition - Beamdog's final enhancement - now with new premium modules

[PorkBarrellGuy]

They are making a pretty smooth transition from 'developers' to full-time youtubers, well played.

It makes me happy that you put 'developers' in quotes like that, I just want to say thank you

 

[Infinitron]

http://blog.beamdog.com/2018/07/july-6-livestream-recap.html

July 6 Livestream Recap


“I remember shipping Baldur’s Gate almost 20 years ago” ~ Trent

During today’s livestream Beamdog CEO Trent Oster and Studio Director Phillip Daigle shared the latest studio news and updates on Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition and Infinity Engine Enhanced Edition games. Phil and Trent also chatted with Eric Jordan, CEO of Codename Entertainment, about Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms and their newest champion, Deekin!

Missed the stream ? It's on YouTube and Twitch! Here's a quick summary of the highlights:

• Beamdog is going to Pax West (Seattle, WA - August 31 - September 3, 2018) to do a special announcement panel. According to Trent, it’ll involve something “strategic”. Interested to know more? Sign up for our newsletter!
• We’re still hiring! We’ve been hiring for some time, and have a lot new faces in the office. Check out our career page, and apply!
• Beamdog will celebrate a 9th birthday on July 9. Stay tuned for a special Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear Collector’s Edition sale!
• Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition on GOG is happening, just slowly!
• Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition got the big 2.5 patch last week. Check out the patch notes here. 2.5 patches for Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition and Siege of Dragonspear are next!
• We’re aware players of BGII:EE and other EEs have been running into a download resource issue on Google Play. It seems this issue is occurring in non-Beamdog titles as well. We’re currently investigating the cause of the problem.
• Before the 2.5 cycle ends, Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition will get one final update. It’ll fix the multiplayer problems experienced in the current IWD:EE build, and will also bring an exciting new test feature.

In the chat with Eric Jordan Trent shared the story about creating Deekin for Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide.

• Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Development Build 8179 is now available on Steam and from the Beamdog Client. This build is a release candidate for 1.76, and introduces a fix for the majority of Intel-GPU related crashes. We've also prepared a binary for players on the current stable patch as a separate download. If you are seeing crashes on Intel hardware, follow these instructions and install the fix available here.
• According to Trent, we’ve been able to catch about 80%+ of Intel-GPU related problems, and we will not rest until all of them are resolved.
• We haven’t officially announced Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition for iOS devices. We have to make NWN:EE 64-bit compliant first. After that hurdle, NWN:EE on iOS becomes a possibility.
• We have heard requests from the community to update the Original Campaign of Neverwinter Nights. Both Phil and Trent would like to do a Director’s Cut version of the Original Campaign. We have some plans, but not ready to share them just yet, as we need to improve the engine first.
• We’ve made a lot of changes to the code for Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition, and will continue to improve it. Additional content will come, but it’ll take time.

Deekin has recently come to Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms.

• Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms is an official free-to-play Dungeons & Dragons-based clicker game by Codename Entertainment. It now has a new Champion - Deekin, the kobold NPC you all know from Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide and Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark.
• Want to know more about Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms? Check out the Steam, iOS and Android pages.
• We’ll be bringing more guests to talk to during our livestreams. Stay tuned!

Excited for what’s next? Come and join the next livestream next Friday!

 

[RPK]

so, they're doing a "director's cut" of a game they didn't make :D?

 

[Immortal]

so, they're doing a "director's cut" of a game they didn't make :D?

Trent was the head of the team that made NWN1.. At bit reaching don't you think?
As an aside - Beamdog is made up of a bunch of ex-Bioware developers.. most of who worked on NWN1 as well.

There is so much low hanging fruit here.. and you went for the retardo option.

 

[Lacrymas]

Their constant prodding and incompetent meddling still feels like sacrilege.

 

[Bocian]

But big changes, such as rebuilding the horse system in Neverwinter Nights: Wyvern Crown of Cormyr, for example, are not likely to happen.

I wonder why...

Both Phil and Trent would like to do a Director’s Cut version of the Original Campaign.

Trannies in NWN confirmed!

 

[Immortal]

Their constant prodding and incompetent meddling still feels like sacrilege.

They just have zero shame.
There is no depths they won't sink to.. No corpse they won't drag out of the grave and slap make up on and dance around the stage.
Let's just keep reselling old shit with the expiration date scratched out. I think selling that free premium module was the last straw. Are you guys actually gonna fucking make anything ?

 

[RPK]

so, they're doing a "director's cut" of a game they didn't make :D?

Trent was the head of the team that made NWN1.. At bit reaching don't you think?
As an aside - Beamdog is made up of a bunch of ex-Bioware developers.. most of who worked on NWN1 as well.

There is so much low hanging fruit here.. and you went for the retardo option.

really? i actually didn't realize that. thanks for the info. I was under the impression it was an entirely different team altogether that "bought the rights" kind of thing.

 

[Infinitron]

http://blog.beamdog.com/2018/07/neverwinter-nights-enhanced-edition.html

Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Update 1.76


The next stable patch for Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition is live! If you have been following the Development branch announcements, you know what’s coming!

This patch focuses on stabilisation and addresses issues found since the previous update shipped. In particular, the patch includes fixes for the majority of Intel-GPU related crashes.

The full list of changes since v1.75 (Build 8176) is:

Client Change

Features

• We added a new experimental full screen shader effect: Sharpen. It’s disabled by default, so you have to go into Options, Advanced Effects to try it out.
• MacOS now defaults to “Desktop” style fullscreen mode (Borderless Fullscreen). This allows you to switch spaces. To make use of it on existing setups, set FullScreenDesktopMode=1 in nwn.ini.
• The name generator tables for all races (including custom) are now configurable in racialtypes.2da.
• We turned Depth Of Field off by default (only for new installs). This will be re-enabled once it works better in conversations.
• The SSAO FBO has been updated to use 25% fewer GPU cycles.

Fixes

• We addressed one of the major crashes people were seeing on Intel GPUs. Matters should now be much improved for some players, however we are continuing to work on Intel-related issues.
• The high contrast shader has been tweaked so that the fog colour is not impacted anymore.
• Issues with playing Premium Modules in multiplayer have been addressed.
• We fixed a resource management issue when entering areas; resulting in crashes on area load screens.
• Loading save games now works with encrypted premium module saves.
• We fixed where object visual transforms would not apply immediately when spawning or loading objects into an area.
• Text bubbles now move alongside any applied visual transforms.
• Some people were seeing “Could not translate address” when attempting to connect to servers, especially when attempting to connect via icon shortcuts. This has been fixed.
• Area Transitions clickable state is now sent to clients indiscriminately, which previously resulted in them turning into the wrong colour, hiding them from DMs, and making transitioning harder.
• We’re making it so that door boxes now again don’t have a highlight when mousing over them. (This was a very sneaky regression introduced by making the script call SetTransitionTarget work).
• We fixed a crash when area of effect VFXes would attempt to animate in an area that was just unloaded on the client.
• We fixed a game crash that happened in updating a creature without a valid animation base.
• The chat window sizes now load properly for all users.
• We allow server admins to disable relay functionality if they so desire. (nwnplayer.ini: “Network Relays Enabled”)
• We fixed a game crash while updating the appearance of a creature without a valid body appearance.
• The game client doesn’t hang or crash anymore when receiving a very large data packet; such as character files, area data, or DM palettes.
• We fixed the game hanging or lagging when no audio device is available.
• We fixed a crash when a dedicated server would save a game, where a logged-out player was in Defensive Stance mode.
• We fixed a crash when exiting from a module with HAKs loaded.
• The UI scale for Dialogues with scroll bars has been fixed.
• We excluded localhost (127.0.0.1) from ever being relayed in order to fix a confusing error message for users.

Content Creation Changes

Fixes

• Script Compiler: We now allow escaping backslashes (“\\”).

 

[aweigh]

Backslash freedom!!! ze great escape

meh, i got nothing. +1 posts though.

EDIT: edited for clariy

was gonna delete but decided not to.

 

[Generic-Giant-Spider]

"Hi I work for Beamdog."

"Beamdog? What's that?"

"Beamdog is a company that makes video games."

"Cool, what video games have you guys made?"

 

[aweigh]

 

[Cael]

• We’re working on a new storyline for Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition.

wonder if this time they'll remember to put in a rep hit for turning the inevitable token tranny NPC into chunky salsa

PC: Hey, mage tranny? Run into melee combat with Klauth, will ya?
Tranny: Look, for the LAST TIME! I am the Intellect Devourer you ordered this dumb meatsack to charge in Act 1. Unlike that blasted tranny mage, I DO NOT HAVE INT 8!!

 

[Infinitron]

http://blog.beamdog.com/2018/07/july-13-livestream-recap.html

July 13 Livestream Recap

“New shaders, tons of bug fixes, fixes for Intel crashes – go try the new stable build of NWN:EE!” ~ Phil

Today Beamdog CEO Trent Oster and Studio Director Phillip Daigle shared the latest Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition and Infinity Engine Enhanced Edition news. Soren, a community developer who's been working on NWN:EE shaders, joined the stream to talk about building shaders and Ravenloft - Prisoners of the Mist, a NWN:EE persistent world.

Missed the stream ? It's on YouTube and Twitch! Here's a quick summary of the highlights:

• Meet Beamdog at Pax West (Seattle, WA - August 31 - September 3, 2018)! We’re going to have a fairly big room for a special announcement panel. Come by and ask your questions!
• If you’re local to Edmonton, we’ll see you at Edmonton Expo in September!
• The next few months are going to be pretty exciting! Sign up for our newsletter to get exclusives on our future projects, patch news, sales, giveaways, and more!
• Make sure you’re following our Steam Developer page!
• Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition is currently on sale on Google Play and the App Store. Spend your vacation in Sigil, the city of doors!
• We’re hiring! If you’re a Web Developer, Programer, or Technical Artist looking for a new adventure, get in touch!

What are those secrets and things Trent can’t talk about yet?

• Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Patch 1.76 was released this week. It focuses on stabilisation, fixes the majority of Intel-GPU related crashes, and addresses issues found since the previous update shipped. Check out the full patch notes here.
• We’re investigating the remaining Intel issues and are in touch with Intel programmers.
• We’re exploring plans for a Collector’s Edition of Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition further down the road. We want to make it truly fantastic! Share your ideas in the NWN:EE forum.
• We’d like to add Neverwinter Nights: Darkness over Daggerford portraits and soundsets to the base game, but have to get permission from Ossian Studios first.
• We’re looking into new soundsets for Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition. More news soon!
• We have a lot of work to do on dynamic UI for Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition. To bring NWN:EE to Android, we have to support all kinds of dimensions. Eventually, you’ll be able to scale UI into different resolutions.
• Phil says a custom module contest for NWN:EE is coming soon. If you’re building a team to create a module, let’s have a chat!

“You can’t have other games like Neverwinter Nights” ~ Soren on persistent worlds

• We’re working on the 2.5 patch for Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition and Siege of Dragonspear. Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition will also get one additional update at the end of the 2.5 patch cycle.
• The 2.5 update for BG:EE, SoD, BGII:EE and IWD:EE will come to the Mac App store after all the patches are completed.
• The Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition 3.1.4 build, which includes the Czech localization (currently available from Steam), will roll out to all platforms after our work on the 2.5 patches is done.
• Soren has worked on shaders for us - SSAO, Sharpen, and DoF, and according to him shaders are something that players can notice in the game quickly. Go check the new shaders in NWN:EE!
• According to Soren, NWN:EE provides lots of opportunities for modders and custom content creators. Now with the new shaders it’s possible to create amazing things.
• Soren runs Ravenloft - Prisoners of the Mist, a Neverwinter Nights roleplay persistent world set in Ravenloft, a gothic horror Dungeons & Dragons setting. It features more than a thousand unique areas, with a huge selection of sites to visit, people to meet, creatures to fight, treasure and dark secrets to uncover. If this caught your interest, download all the needed files from Steam Workshop and join the server!
• We’ll be bringing more guests to talk to during our livestreams. Stay tuned!

Excited for what’s next? Come and join the next livestream next Friday!

 

[Deleted member 7219]

Infinitron, don’t. Please.

 

[Infinitron]

There are 3 features we want to get community feedback on: full party control in NWN:EE, improving weather effects, and new emote animations. If you have suggestions about these features, share them on our forums.

What Phil means by the full party control is that we want to control henchmen better. We don’t want a free camera, it will be more like KotOR than like Neverwinter Nights II. Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition is a single person game, it’s about you being the character on the character sheet. We want to make henchmen more responsible, which will let you continue being the character you play.

Lilura

http://blog.beamdog.com/2018/07/july-20-livestream-recap.html

July 20 Livestream Recap

“Making haks and tlk's easier to download will probably be the biggest change in NWN since Hordes of the Underdark” ~ Trent

During today’s livestream Beamdog CEO Trent Oster and Studio Director Phillip Daigle shared the latest studio news and updates on Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition and Infinity Engine games. Bernhard Stöckner (niv), Technical Director on the NWN:EE core team at Beamdog, joined the stream to review the latest changes on the Roadmap Trello board for Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition.

Missed the stream ? It's on YouTube and Twitch! Here's a quick summary of the highlights:

• On September, 1 Beamdog will do a special announcement panel at PAX West. Tune on Twitch in for news about a game we haven’t announced yet! More news soon!
• Sign up for the Beamdog newsletter! No spam, we promise, - only the most important news and updates! One of our next newsletters will feature details about the Android version of Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition!
• Come meet us at Edmonton Expo in September!
• Start adventuring in the Forgotten Realms with the Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Digital Deluxe bundle and Baldur’s Gate: The Complete Saga! Both collections are on a fantastic sale at Fanatical for the next few days!
• If you’re a programmer, a technical artist, or a web developer, come work at Beamdog! Check out our current openings.

“NWN:EE plays smoothly on Android, and we want to make the buttons bigger” ~ Phil

• The smoke test (a broad spectrum of quick tests by our QA team) for the 2.5 patch for Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition is finished, the 2.5 patch for Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear will go through the same testing next week. Both patches will be released at the same time.
• After Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition and Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear are patched, we’ll do one final update for Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition, bringing more bug and localization fixes, and adding a new test feature.
• The next development build for Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition will be huge! Among other features, it will bring "NWSync” - an auto hak and tlk's downloader, and 64-bit compatibility.
• The “NWSync” feature will let you go to the server list in Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition, choose a server, and it will download automatically required files needed to connect to the server.
• We have rewritten a lot of code for the 64-bit compatibility, so we expect there will be bugs. We’ll start with a development branch to introduce this compatibility, and will work on improving it based on community feedback.

“Weather is one of the most important things in the game. Take advantage of new graphics and new shaders - what do you want to do with weather? Snow? Hurricanes?” ~ niv

• There were a few important changes on the Roadmap Trello board for Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition this week, go check them out!
• RFC builtin database replacement, more scalable NWN:EE UI, GOG Galaxy support are now in development.
• Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition on GOG is getting closer. We have to work out how CD Keys will be handled.
• There are 3 features we want to get community feedback on: full party control in NWN:EE, improving weather effects, and new emote animations. If you have suggestions about these features, share them on our forums.
• What Phil means by the full party control is that we want to control henchmen better. We don’t want a free camera, it will be more like KotOR than like Neverwinter Nights II. Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition is a single person game, it’s about you being the character on the character sheet. We want to make henchmen more responsible, which will let you continue being the character you play.
• We’ll be bringing more people from the community to talk to during our livestreams. Stay tuned!

Excited for what’s next? Come and join the next livestream next Friday!

 

[Lacrymas]

Improving weather effects and new emote animations are definitely in the same league as full party control.

 

[aweigh]

come on they're slowly implementing reshade into the game, if that isn't better than party control i don't know wtf is

 

[Lilura]

Lilura

My thoughts.

 

[Infinitron]

Lilura

My thoughts.

Probably more about it being easier to implement than console or tablet-friendliness, no? KOTOR-style party control maintains the NWN engine's constraint of controlling a single character - it's just that the character can be switched. I wouldn't be surprised if it's something you can already achieve with some clever scripting.

 

[Morkar Left]

Lilura

My thoughts.

Probably more about it being easier to implement than console or tablet-friendliness, no? KOTOR-style party control maintains the NWN engine's constraint of controlling a single character - it's just that the character can be switched. I wouldn't be surprised if it's something you can already achieve with some clever scripting.

You thought they would do anything more with the engine than scripting and updating the most minimalistic things?

 

[Lilura]

Even shitty KotOR-style FPC will require more than just scripting.

Minion mod, Bone Kenning and now Aielund employ Player Tool 1 (scripting that gives more control).

Nothing to write home about, though.

 

[Lilura]

(You don't need EE to use BMM; it existed before EE.)

Also, for his Aielund Let's Play, Balkoth switched back to Diamond due to an annoying sound glitch in NWN:EE.

 

[Bocian]

I wouldn't be surprised if it's something you can already achieve with some clever scripting.

Correct, I've seen people controlling their familiars and animals on PW's long before EE.

 

[Immortal]

I wouldn't be surprised if it's something you can already achieve with some clever scripting.

Correct, I've seen people controlling their familiars and animals on PW's long before EE.

That's a hard-coded feature of the base game. It only applies to familiars and there's no hooks to extrapolate that to other objects.
Normally I would agree you can script most things in the game but not this.

It will need a source level change either through NWNX / Client Extender (Unlikely) or Beamdog.