Neverwinter Copypasta

Installing the game

First, you actually want to get NWN, so go torrent NWN Diamond edition from Piratebay or something, this is generally the one you want, you don't want to piss about wuth DLing NWN stanalone then the expansions.

Win7 user will have trouble with installastion, so you need to follow this guide in order to ensure you don't mess up:

http://social.bioware.com/forum/Neverwinter-Nights-1/NwN-1-Technical-Support-Self-help-for-all-versions-and-expansions/Installing-NWN1-for-Win7vista-including-patch-links-for-all-OS--3341490-1.html

http://nwn.wikia.com/wiki/Windows

You may also suffer from issues involving non playing cutscenes in the start of campaign chapers when playing or chrome/silver skin at character creation.

The chrome skin issue is usually fixed by simply installing the critical rebuild 1.69 patch found here:

http://www.gog.com/forum/neverwinter_nights_series/why_is_my_characters_skin_silver

The non playing cutscene issue is caused by a number of different problems, but the first thing you must do is install Bink, found here:

http://www.radgametools.com/bnkdown.htm (First DL link)

Here are some sites which can usually help you fix this issue.

http://www.gog.com/forum/neverwinter_nights_series/videos_and_cutscenes

Using this is how I fixed my Non playing cutscens issue in NWN, however, so it's probably this one.

http://mirror.aleturo.com/Games/NWN/

Additionally, disable the shiny water option sound ingame, it's a shit, causes savegame bloat and crashes.

Now that you've pretty much installed NWN Diamond edition patched it and made sure you've got no issues, It's time to install the Premium modules, which you can find here:

http://social.bioware.com/forum/Neverwinter-Nights-1/NwN-1-General-Discussion-Forum-No-Spoilers-Allowed/UNOFFICIAL-links-to-redownload-previously-purchased-Premium-modules-4746466-1.html

Download and intstall all of these.

So now, you've pretty much got all of the Vanilla content. Save for Darkness over Daggerford, which was cancelled.

You might also want a fan made module on what happens between Shadows of Unrentide and Hordes of the Underdark, plenty of those on the neverwinter vault.

Community patches/gameplay improvements

Here I will list mods that are to NWN what the Unofficial Oblivion patch is to Oblivion, you'll want to download these for sure.

http://www.neverwinternights.info/index.htm

Community Patch

http://www.neverwinternights.info/p170.htm

A community patch for all those nasty bugs 1.69 didn't fix.

Also will merge data in you .2da folders togther rather tha overrite if you place them in a folder and run a batch file, so it works with just about anything, includign any installations of the PRC or other modifications you may have installed.

Lastly, there's the PRC, which is a mod that injects a buttload of D&D 3.5 classes and a shitload of other stuff for choice at character creation, amongst other things, such as sub-races that if you name at the begining of character creation, will be seen as their own race.

Before installing the PRC (And most mods anyway) you want this:

http://www.neverwinternights.info/nwncx.htm

:::::::::::::::::::::Installing the game::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

First, you actually want to get NWN, so go torrent NWN Diamond edition from Piratebay or something, this is generally the one you want, you don't want to piss about wuth DLing NWN stanalone then the expansions.

Win7 user will have trouble with installastion, so you need to follow this guide in order to ensure you don't mess up:

http://social.bioware.com/forum/Neverwinter-Nights-1/NwN-1-Technical-Support-Self-help-for-all-versions-and-expansions/Installing-NWN1-for-Win7vista-including-patch-links-for-all-OS--3341490-1.html

http://nwn.wikia.com/wiki/Windows

You may also suffer from issues involving non playing cutscenes in the start of campaign chapers when playing or chrome/silver skin at character creation.

The chrome skin issue is usually fixed by simply installing the critical rebuild 1.69 patch found here:

http://www.gog.com/forum/neverwinter_nights_series/why_is_my_characters_skin_silver

The non playing cutscene issue is caused by a number of different problems, but the first thing you must do is install Bink, found here:

http://www.radgametools.com/bnkdown.htm (First DL link)

Here are some sites which can usually help you fix this issue.

http://www.gog.com/forum/neverwinter_nights_series/videos_and_cutscenes

Using this is how I fixed my Non playing cutscens issue in NWN, however, so it's probably this one.

http://mirror.aleturo.com/Games/NWN/

Additionally, disable the shiny water option sound ingame, it's a shit, causes savegame bloat and crashes.

Now that you've pretty much installed NWN Diamond edition patched it and made your you've got no issues, It's time to install the Premium modules, which you can find here:

http://social.bioware.com/forum/Neverwinter-Nights-1/NwN-1-General-Discussion-Forum-No-Spoilers-Allowed/UNOFFICIAL-links-to-redownload-previously-purchased-Premium-modules-4746466-1.html

Download and intstall all of these.

So now, you've pretty much got all of the Vanilla content.

::::::::::::::::::::Understanding the game's file structure::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Not gonna lie, before we go on, if you're used to modding Bethesda games then this is pretty much a breeze to pick up, it's practically dag and drop really.

Before you go about modding, make sure your NWN directory has a 'portraits', folder in it, if not, make it, and inside make two folders named Male and Female for later, and make sure you have a 'Hak' folder and a 'override' folder

Readme's found in other peoples mods will pretty much teach you outright where to put mods and such, but for a quick rundown on what's what, read below

The portrait folder is where character portraits go, and the male and female folders are subfolders for this which will separate male and female portraits ingame PROVIDED the portrait pictures

have an extra character which indicates that the portrait is singled out by sex (Unfortunately I do not know what character this is, and modders are lazy, so they often don't bother with this and leave it, simply placing it in the portraits folder, meaning iingame the portrait can be used by both sexes)

The Hak Folder is home to .hak and .hif files (I think) .Hak files are pretty much compressed archives for modules (THE GAME) that have bundles of content in them to be used by custom modules.

You can extract these files via certrain modding tools and if you want to customize what is default in your NWN game, then it's suggested you get these tools, because some mods have their content packaged in .hak and don't have them uncompressed.

And now, the most important of all The ovverride folder which is the folder which will host the joys of your replacer mods.

Anything that is of the same file type and filename of anything found in the default NWN game's directories is overwritten by whatever if in this folder that has said filetype and filename.

For the most part, the replacers are model and texture replacers, as larger mods such as unnoficial patches or gameplay changes are somewhat scarce on the NWN modding scene.

Creatures models are usually filnamed with a preceeding 'C_' then the name, but in some user content, this isn't the case.

An example of a creature model would be C_Air.mdl for the air elemental found in all NWN campaigns.

Textures are also named this way in most cases for vanilla assets too., but some Creature replacers use .DDS files instead of .TGA for their models in some cases, and sometimes do not have the 'C_ preceeding them'.

You can also create your own replacers by renaming models of your choice to a name in question.

Please note that you don't always need a model and it's coressponding texture to do a replacer, as the texture will be utilized by the ingame models instead.

The Module folder holds your game modules, in other words the custom campaigns which you can play, and these modules will rely on .Haks, TLK and other content found in your NWN directory.

There are other folders to talk about but you won't be fiddling with them as much, so I'm leavng it at this.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Tools and resources::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Normally the average player would avoid these because they're for modders and the like, but there are a few that I reccomend you have at your disposal, because they will be imperitive if you want to customize and use overrides

NWNExplorer:

This bad boy lets you view models (Most of them anyway) extract content from .hak packs and the game directories and open up NWN files and the like.

A must have for anyone who wants to preview the goods before usinng them (Planet neverwinter likes to be crude when it comes to screenshots, they're small as crap)

MDL retexturizer

Lets you retexture MDL files, all you've got to do is open one up, insert the filename of the new texture you want the model to use, then BAM! instant newly textured model, ain't that sweet?

NWN Override Manager http://andyvioustv.might be a bot, summon Mark to correct/

Lets you choose what ovverride directories the game will pick when you play, so it's great if you want to mix n match stuff up.

Leto 1.69: http://nwvault.please use archive.ism/View.php?view=other.Detail&id=1288

A character creation tool with options far beyond that of the default ingame character creation, also lets you turn certain files and creature data into playable characters too as well as edit saved character templates.

Only downside is you've got to make a bloody .jpg for custom portraits to place in the Leto folder to use them with the tool. (If you use PRC which I'll mention later, pleae get the PRC compatible version)

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Community patches/gameplay improvements:::::::::::::::::::::::

Here I will list mods that are to NWN what the Unofficial Oblivion patch is to Oblivion, you'll want to download these for sure.

Community Patch 1.70

http://www.neverwinternights.info/p170.htm

A community patch for all those nasty bugs 1.69 didn't fix.

Also will merge data in you .2da folders togther rather tha overrite if you place them in a folder and run a batch file.

Familar and companion fixes

http://www.nexusmods.com/neverwinter/mods/97/?

Solves a bunch of crap for companions and such, must have.

Customize Character Override Hak http://www.nexusmods.com/neverwinter/mods/799/?tab=1&navtag=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nexusmods.com%2Fneverwinter%2Fajax%2Fmoddescription%2F%3Fid%3D799%26preview%3D&pUp=1

Despite the name, it isn't a .Hak file, this bad boy lets you change you head ingame, character skin colour, and pimp out your clothes.

Get this, because I know for  a fact that dying objects doesn;t show up until the 2nd NWN campaign, and eve nthat takes eons to do manually.

This mod is overall compatible with pretty much everything I've thrown at it, so no need to worry.

OHS Henchman System

http://nwvault.please use archive.ism/View.php?view=scripts.detail&id=2568

Want to recruit that character you last played as a companion?

Now you can.

Best of all this mod is 100% balanced, you have to pay to recruit depending on a number of variables such as level and the shit the character is hauling, and the A.I is prett decent.

Well, ALMOST decent.

There's a bit of an issue with the character snuffing it and not coming back when you've revived them, so save often if you use the companions you make with this mod.

Aside from that, it's danm swell.

Henchman Inventory & Battle AI mod v1.08

http://nwvault.please use archive.ism/View.php?view=Hakpaks.Detail&id=4510

Makes henchmen better, not much else to say.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::BigWigs:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

This is the section for those Huge ass mods that stand out on their own because they're so danm huge you're supposed to have them outright because almost everyone uses them for their games.

Latest CEP: http://nwvault.please use archive.ism/?dir=cep/downloads

Fatass compilation of all kinds of shit

Not all Modules and campaigns are updated to the latest CEP, so you'll need the old one too, so get that in a compressed file format (.RAr .zip 7zip)

If prompted to overrite anything, when adding old CEP content to you Hak folder DON'T, because it is the older version of CEP for a reason, and you don't want to overrite those.

A Hunt through the Dark is a old campaign that uses an older CEP.

Project Q

Pretty much another compilation pack like the CEP, once again, you'll need it.

---

NWNCX extends what NWN can actually do, and is needed to select the PRC base classes at character creation.

Lastly you want something called Leto 1.69 PRC edition I think, for editing PRC characters and stuff.

Honestly, this is taken from an old guide I wrote on the subject as much has changed on the modding scene since then, as we now have a working mod manager that works in the same fashion as the Mod organiser for bethesda games, which is a godsend compared to drag'n drop Override files to NWN1.

There'd be more links to mods here, but they were all to the old neverwinter vault, whcih shut down and changed to a new site, so they no longer work, and their search engine is piss, so it's hard to fidn the old stuff.

Anyhow, the basic stuff you want is the game fully patched with cutscenes working then the community patch, the PRC being optional if you want it, as you have things like the CEP needed for Custom created modules to play, or persistant servers and whatever.

One more thing, most moduels want these massive fuckass collections of assets, one called the CEP, and the other Project q.

Get both, and also get the CEP 2.1 (An older version) as some modules use it, such as a Hunt through the dark, a popular series of Drow modules.

Oh right, and put the game's .exe's in compatiblity. for windows XP and run as Admin, that's one of the most important things.

There's also a Mod manager for installing mods now, which you can find on the nexus, it's a bit buggy now, but the author is open to bug report submissions.

It's a lot better than the manual method, anyhow.

ALSO

FUCK BEAMDOG, I BET THEY DIDN'T PUT HALF OF THE SHTI HERE INTO THE GAME

HACKS.