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Changelog
Here you will find enhancements to the NWN engine, and an explanation of how they are used.
What is a Patch?
This may be confusing for some, for in NWN terms, a patch is something sent out by Bioware for game improvements or enhancements. The last patch created by them of course is patch 1.69, the latest version of the game. But there is another use for this term, and that is using haks as patches. But to understand this, you need to understand the basics of how NWN prioritizes game resources. You also need to know that the priority order from low to high is core, override, module, then hak pak.
First, there are the core resources; those that either shipped with the game, or those later patched by Bioware. This is the stock game. Should you fire up NWN and play it straight out of the box, then you are using only core resources.
But the custom content community is strong in this one, and there have been many modifications made in the years since NWN first shipped. One of the ways that players and module builders can use this content is by using them as Overrides. Rather than quote the entire article, I direct your attention here. So say you had a module with demons in it, but demons scare you. So you copy all the core demon models, and change their appearances to bunnies. You could then put all your bunny models in the override folder, fire up your module, and continue happily in the pits of hell surrounded by bunnies. :)
However, your module builder might have something to say about that; he may want his hell to look like...well, hell. In which case, he may have specially named demons...names which you don't have. The demons will remain so. And this is an example of how Module resources have a higher priority.
Finally, there is the hakpak. These are (normally) found in the hak folder of your NWN installation. Here is where module builders who wish to have additional resources bundle those resources in one (or more) convenient file for their players to download and use. These have the highest priority.
The upshot of all this is that files placed in the override directory will replace resources of the same name in the core resources, and are themselves replaced by resources of the same name in either the module being played or a hakpak associated with the module.
But back to the beginning...what is a patch? A patch is nothing more than a hak that is used as an override, but given the highest priority. An important point of difference though is that a patch can only replace existing content, whether provided by Bioware or the module designer. The actual file used is still a hak, but is kept in the patch folder of your NWN installation. One of the primary benefits of using patches vs. overrides is that of organization. Files in overrides can number into the thousands if you let them. This makes it almost impossible to remove them if you decide at a later date that you no longer wish to use said override. With patches, you put the haks you wish to use in the patch folder, add a line to your nwnpatch.ini file. Then you simply start NWN, and see the results; if you don’t like it, remove the line from the nwnpatch.ini file, delete the hak from your patch folder, and you are done.
Now, the caveat...this cannot be used along with other overrides, so if you use NWNCQ, you will have to make a choice. To test, simply rename your override folder ("override1" will work Smile ), then test the patches. Don't like them? Remove the patch file and all is well. Big Grin That's the ease of it.
Now that you know how they work, here is the list (and links) of some of the patches I use. If you find others that you feel are useful here at Thay, add a post to the bottom and I will edit this list accordingly. ;)
Neverwinter Nights Facelift haks
This is a collection of haks done by Zwerkules, a member of the Custom Content (CC) community. Rather than clog the post, use the link for a description of his work. I use a few of them. ;)
The Barbarian NWN Heads
This is a reskin of quite a few (but not all) NWN heads, and I think they are a vast improvement. Ladies, I think you will especially like them, as they smooth out some of the jagged planes in standard NWN heads.
Red Bars and Loading
This is something I found a few years back, but the original link was lost in the loss of the old Vault. However, we have it here on the One Drive folder. What this does is replace the standard blue red bars and loading screens with red ones…most appropriate for Thay. ;) And, since I’m an old rocker, for your listening enjoyment I give you Red by Sammy Hagar. :D
Thay Drylands
Here is something that I made for myself, and am sharing with you.
It has always been slightly jarring to me that the land of Thay is green. As I understand it "Most of Thay consists of a great plateau almost 350 miles across. These arid tablelands are about 2,000 feet above sea level at the outer edges and slope up to an elevation of about 4,000 feet in the vicinity of Lake Thaylambar and the foothills of the Sunrise Mountains. Thay is a naturally warm, dry land whose lofty elevation prevents the moisture laden winds from the Sea of Fallen Stars from bringing much precipitation to the interior. " (emphasis mine)
Spending my whole life in the much drier west of the US, the verdant green used by the standard rural tileset and the Castle Exterior tileset don't match up in my mind with what my eye tells me Thay should look like...so I made a patch. Wink Now, there are a few limitations, specifically in the Castle Exterior tileset. But for me it is not as jarring as a green Thay. The beauty of a patch is that you don't have to put this in an override, than struggle to remove all the files if you don't like it.
Below is an example of my patch file. If you add, edit, or delete lines, make sure you adjust the numbering accordingly.
What is a Patch?
This may be confusing for some, for in NWN terms, a patch is something sent out by Bioware for game improvements or enhancements. The last patch created by them of course is patch 1.69, the latest version of the game. But there is another use for this term, and that is using haks as patches. But to understand this, you need to understand the basics of how NWN prioritizes game resources. You also need to know that the priority order from low to high is core, override, module, then hak pak.
First, there are the core resources; those that either shipped with the game, or those later patched by Bioware. This is the stock game. Should you fire up NWN and play it straight out of the box, then you are using only core resources.
But the custom content community is strong in this one, and there have been many modifications made in the years since NWN first shipped. One of the ways that players and module builders can use this content is by using them as Overrides. Rather than quote the entire article, I direct your attention here. So say you had a module with demons in it, but demons scare you. So you copy all the core demon models, and change their appearances to bunnies. You could then put all your bunny models in the override folder, fire up your module, and continue happily in the pits of hell surrounded by bunnies. :)
However, your module builder might have something to say about that; he may want his hell to look like...well, hell. In which case, he may have specially named demons...names which you don't have. The demons will remain so. And this is an example of how Module resources have a higher priority.
Finally, there is the hakpak. These are (normally) found in the hak folder of your NWN installation. Here is where module builders who wish to have additional resources bundle those resources in one (or more) convenient file for their players to download and use. These have the highest priority.
The upshot of all this is that files placed in the override directory will replace resources of the same name in the core resources, and are themselves replaced by resources of the same name in either the module being played or a hakpak associated with the module.
But back to the beginning...what is a patch? A patch is nothing more than a hak that is used as an override, but given the highest priority. An important point of difference though is that a patch can only replace existing content, whether provided by Bioware or the module designer. The actual file used is still a hak, but is kept in the patch folder of your NWN installation. One of the primary benefits of using patches vs. overrides is that of organization. Files in overrides can number into the thousands if you let them. This makes it almost impossible to remove them if you decide at a later date that you no longer wish to use said override. With patches, you put the haks you wish to use in the patch folder, add a line to your nwnpatch.ini file. Then you simply start NWN, and see the results; if you don’t like it, remove the line from the nwnpatch.ini file, delete the hak from your patch folder, and you are done.
Now, the caveat...this cannot be used along with other overrides, so if you use NWNCQ, you will have to make a choice. To test, simply rename your override folder ("override1" will work Smile ), then test the patches. Don't like them? Remove the patch file and all is well. Big Grin That's the ease of it.
Now that you know how they work, here is the list (and links) of some of the patches I use. If you find others that you feel are useful here at Thay, add a post to the bottom and I will edit this list accordingly. ;)
Neverwinter Nights Facelift haks
This is a collection of haks done by Zwerkules, a member of the Custom Content (CC) community. Rather than clog the post, use the link for a description of his work. I use a few of them. ;)
The Barbarian NWN Heads
This is a reskin of quite a few (but not all) NWN heads, and I think they are a vast improvement. Ladies, I think you will especially like them, as they smooth out some of the jagged planes in standard NWN heads.
Red Bars and Loading
This is something I found a few years back, but the original link was lost in the loss of the old Vault. However, we have it here on the One Drive folder. What this does is replace the standard blue red bars and loading screens with red ones…most appropriate for Thay. ;) And, since I’m an old rocker, for your listening enjoyment I give you Red by Sammy Hagar. :D
Thay Drylands
Here is something that I made for myself, and am sharing with you.
It has always been slightly jarring to me that the land of Thay is green. As I understand it "Most of Thay consists of a great plateau almost 350 miles across. These arid tablelands are about 2,000 feet above sea level at the outer edges and slope up to an elevation of about 4,000 feet in the vicinity of Lake Thaylambar and the foothills of the Sunrise Mountains. Thay is a naturally warm, dry land whose lofty elevation prevents the moisture laden winds from the Sea of Fallen Stars from bringing much precipitation to the interior. " (emphasis mine)
Spending my whole life in the much drier west of the US, the verdant green used by the standard rural tileset and the Castle Exterior tileset don't match up in my mind with what my eye tells me Thay should look like...so I made a patch. Wink Now, there are a few limitations, specifically in the Castle Exterior tileset. But for me it is not as jarring as a green Thay. The beauty of a patch is that you don't have to put this in an override, than struggle to remove all the files if you don't like it.
Below is an example of my patch file. If you add, edit, or delete lines, make sure you adjust the numbering accordingly.
Quote:[Patch]
PatchFile000=bioforest
PatchFile001=biointerior
PatchFile002=thay_drylands
PatchFile003=bioplcs
PatchFile004=aenea_reforged04
PatchFile005=Heads
PatchFile006=RedBars
PatchFile007=aenea_reforged01
"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."
Calvin, speaking to Hobbes
Calvin, speaking to Hobbes
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