SOU Official Campaign - The Verdict ( warning potential spoiler alert )

[SpiritWarrior]

Well, I finally got round to finishing the OC. It was everything the original NWN's OC was not, and needed to be [img]smile.gif[/img] . I'm looking to get the official Ironworks opinion, pros and cons, so I'll get the ball rolling.


The Storyline was GREAT. Unlike the NWN's OC this thing actually had me wrapped. It was thought out and told well, very original in it's plot and, via the use of a good narrator and some nice transit movies I was really impressed.

The Scripting was really good! The attention to detail was near flawless, from interactions with the henchman to NPC's making physical gestures/movements during conversations in order to portray certain emotions. From applying shadowy vfx on scenery to creating walls that intermittently fade out. There were many unique items in this mod too, and again I noticed alot of steps had been taken for precision. Impressive. Alot of the script base clearly came from the NWN's community and I actually heard they hired some 'exceptional' scripters to aid in the creation. Obviously it made a huge differance.

The Building was great too. Showcasing the new tilesets (which were really nice looking) and placeables much like the scripting, some really spiffy stuff was done here.

If I had any gripes it would be with this nagging feeling of cheapness I seemed to have..things like no new VFX for (obviously very talented) scripters to work with, overuse of the old ones (the villain at the end died in a shower of multiple power-word kill vfx). Although thse were cleverly used they seemed reluctant to spend money on this area and more interested in making profit...people notice it and I don't think they realize that.
When the makers of this game don't choose to pioneer some new material this mod becomes a very good one...but simply that. I just hope were not landed with that come HOU, they really do need to add more visual tools to bring justice to the great work they can do when they want to. Oh and call me spoiled but I was also kinda expecting a new intro movie on game-startup...just a hope I guess [img]smile.gif[/img] .

I will also say that I didn't get to level up as high as I'd hoped..I'm not sure if this module was actually short but my char was at level 12 when I completed..I dunno, maybe I missed some XP along the way.

Overall though, I will say I did love playing it and this module stands among the excellent few. A pleasure to play it and a sure desire to see it through all the way to the end .

[ 07-02-2003, 03:10 PM: Message edited by: SpiritWarrior ]

[Chewbacca]

I haven't finished it yet, but I'll provide a full opinion when I am done.

So far I have to agree with everything you have written SpiritWarrior! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[Jedimaster]

I agree so far.

[robertthebard]

Can we have two of those thumbs up please? I really enjoyed the new campaign, a lot more than the old one, and no, it was short. I too was hoping for a new opening movie, but we can't always get what we want, I guess, same with vfx. But they did make good use of what we've been given. All in all, an exceptional module. Started solo, but finished it mp, actually, we ran the whole thing over one really long night, 3 am to bed for me, and one long morning. MP was a blast. Played with one of the buddies I play along with, and we know how we work, and it was great. Try it, you'll like it. %#%#, my age is showing. Anyway, this was a great module, and I did like it, much better than the original OC.

[Attalus]

I leveled to 16 with the Final Boss's death, and, unlike BG, was pleased to note that the game saved my char. for me, and I leveled her up before doing the Dark Ranger's Treasure. I dunno what VFX means (Visual Effects?) but I have to say that I was so excited, I really didn't notice anything but the (really clever!) use of the Portable Doorway. Glad I kept the thing, more in memeory of the Modron Maze than anything else. I really enjoyed it. Intro movie? Who cares?

[Micah Foehammer]

SoU, despite being somewhat small, is a GREAT improvement over the NWN OC. Gets a big thumbs up from me. [img]smile.gif[/img]