Because Every Rose Has Its Video, Rosa's Vid Topic Options

[Acadian]

Never played the FO stuff, but from what I’ve seen, they did a pretty neat job of deteriorating DC just a little more than it already is. That makes it easy to spot things for those of us unfortunate enough to have been stationed there.

Sunrise sniper is a beautiful shot. Hecate simply radiates an aura of ‘class act’. Wow!

I like that big gurl gun going off next to Hecate as she trains the town. Looks almost like ‘bound weapon blue’ magic there.

Welcome to Aranyani! An elf with a bow, backed up by a bear is a very promising concept!

[SubRosa]

mALX: That last pic was indeed Neverwinter Nights 1. Even after all these years, it is still a fun RPG. It is only $10 at Gog.com.


Acadian: Was DC really that bad? Too many politicos you had to rub shoulders with?

Aranyani worked out really well in NWN1. The Ranger/Wizard/Arcane Archer build I did with her really took off once she got to the Arcane Archer part. Best of all as a Ranger she could summon an Animal Companion, and as a Wizard she could summon a Familiar. So she always had a small horde with her.

But I got the idea to try something in Neverwinter Nights 2, a game I have never been able to play all the way through. Maybe this time I can.


Persephone has made it to Faerun

She still has a big sword

She can summon Darryl (on the left)

And his other brother Darryl (on the right)

It's probably best if he didn't have any children anyway...

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Mar 31 2015, 02:27 PM

[Acadian]

Glad to hear that Aranyani worked out well in NWN. Critter companion + familiar both! Nice. You know, it occurs to me that good ol’ Diablo II probably gave me the first solid model for a no-melee mystic archer – complete with valkyrie, decoy and plenty of magic tricks to enhance a girl’s bow.

I loved seeing some shots from NWN2 as I have only played BG1, BG2 and Icewind Dale from the D&D stuff. It sure looks like NWN2 took a huge leap in terms of graphics and such! No more tiny figures on tiny green circles. Persephone (and big sword and Darryl) made the transition nicely! The last shot looks a bit Morrowindesque – just missing mushroom houses. Thanks for sharing!

[mALX]

mALX: That last pic was indeed Neverwinter Nights 1. Even after all these years, it is still a fun RPG. It is only $10 at Gog.com.


Acadian: Was DC really that bad? Too many politicos you had to rub shoulders with?

Aranyani worked out really well in NWN1. The Ranger/Wizard/Arcane Archer build I did with her really took off once she got to the Arcane Archer part. Best of all as a Ranger she could summon an Animal Companion, and as a Wizard she could summon a Familiar. So she always had a small horde with her.

But I got the idea to try something in Neverwinter Nights 2, a game I have never been able to play all the way through. Maybe this time I can.


Persephone has made it to Faerun

She still has a big sword

She can summon Darryl (on the left)

And his other brother Darryl (on the right)

It's probably best if he didn't have any children anyway...

The characters look a lot bigger and more lifelike than I thought they would, really intriguing! I think I've seen mods on Nexus, so assuming they included an editor. Really nice - and liked the Darryls, lol. Actually remember that show if I should admit that, lol.

[SubRosa]

Acadian: NWN2 is a big leap in graphics from the BG and ID games. But actually not that far in other terms. Including the colored circles around your character's feet! I got a very similar feel playing them all. Though in the end, I would say that in spite of the older graphics, Neverwinter Nights 1 was a much better game than NWN2.


mALX: NWN2 does look good, even for a game its age. Granted, I take my screenshots zoomed in, and with the UI hidden. It does have a game editor, mainly for making your own modules. A lot of the modding can be done with Notepad however, or better yet, Excel.

Ah ha! You caught the brother Darryl reference. I loved that show. Granted, that is about all I remember from it now.


I have returned to Skyrim with a new character

Molly Hatchet has been plucked from the Capital Wasteland by some immortal hand and eye

Rolling into Helgen

Molly wishes she had an axe...

But maybe not that axe!

Alduin clears the way for Molly's escape

It's killin' time

Look out below!

Molly is loosed upon a new world

[mALX]

I remember it had Bob Newhart in it, and a very funny young blonde girl that was spoiled/rich - and remember the Darrryls, lol. That is about it for what I remember, other than it was in some Vermont type Bed and Breakfast.

I've been waiting for Molly to debut in Skyrim, I remembered the Mohawk hairdo from your earlier screens when you were warming her up on the bullpen.

My favorite shots: Tied for first place is the wicked looking Molly in "Wishes she had an axe;" and the "Alduin clears the way."

Both of these shots are breathtaking for different reasons. All are awesome shots, so glad to see you posting again, I've been waiting/missing your posts!

[Acadian]

Wonderful to see Molly the Axemaiden in Skyrim! The closer up of the two shots of Molly in the wagon is simply stunning – a fantastic shot and what a magnificent job you did with Molly! Gosh, with legs like that, I can certainly see why they gave her the pantless version of the roughspun tunic to wear. If anyone could deliver a proper comeuppance to that harpy Imperial Captain, it would certainly be Molly. I can only imagine the swath she’ll chop through the northern province. Great to see you playing Skyrim again.

[SubRosa]

mALX: I just love the way Molly's look turned out. She has a really intense stare.


Acadian: I didn't give her that outfit, the game did! I guess we know where the devs minds were... Molly is a little more leggy than usual, because I used Enhanced Character Edit to make her a little taller than normal.




This was an unexpected encounter

Molly goes fishing

Let's make a deal

Molly the Hatcheteer


I also rolled a new toon for Neverwinter Nights 1

Persephone gets an assist from Darryl

Fulfilling an ex-convict's wish

[mALX]

She sure does have an intense stare, it is Awesome! I didn't notice that in the preliminary shots you did choosing armor a month or so back. The "staring down the fish" is my favorite, it looks like she scared the fish out of the water with that look, lol.

Molly is beautiful, I love that look, I got Misa to do that in the one picture I hung on Buffy's thread today; but she doesn't do it all the time like Molly is in the screens since she came to Skyrim. (and by the way, Misa's Skyrim looks are all thanks to your advice; I can never thank you enough for that!)

I love that you brought her from the Wasteland in your roleplay of her that is a very cool idea! It is really exciting to think of all the possibilities for her; I imagined her looking down at the Geiger counter on her wrist and wondering why it wasn't ticking; then kind of laying face down in the water and rolling or drinking kind of madly like the two boys did in "Holes" when they got to the top of that mountain.

Oh Persephone is invisible/see through in that one shot! I can see on closer inspection the difference in graphics with NeverWinter Nights - the lack of clutter and how quickly the items fade from view, etc. I didn't notice these things in the first shots you posted of it.

Love these screens!




This post has been edited by mALX: Apr 20 2015, 03:53 AM

[haute ecole rider]

Acadian: I didn't give her that outfit, the game did! I guess we know where the devs minds were... Molly is a little more leggy than usual, because I used Enhanced Character Edit to make her a little taller than normal.

No wonder the game gave her that outfit - there were no pants to fit those legs of hers!

[Acadian]

The wandering bard and lying cat! It is funny when two random encounters appear at the same time – or perhaps one simply remains till the next one shows up. I’ve encountered a skooma seller chatting with a thief on the side of the road, apparently waiting for Buffy to ride along for example.

I think Molly’s gonna win that staring contest with the slaughterfish.

Let’s make a deal – it is clear that Molly’s intimidate skill likely exceeds her speechcraft skill.

If you axe me, that bandit got what was comin’ to him.


Wow, Purse Phone gets around – she’s doing NWN-land now. I’m so glad she was able to bring Darryl with her; they are a team after all.

[SubRosa]

mALX: Actually the slaughterfish was already dead. She killed it, and it floated to the surface. Otherwise I probably never would have gotten such a good pic with it.

The Wasteland is definitely a big part in Molly's roleplay. It makes the game feel a lot different when I look at it through her eyes. So far she has been able to put down all the fantastic stuff she has seen to mutations, or some form of hidden technology. She thinks everyone is a bunch of tribals, who don't even recognize tech when they see it. Because of that she has so far never cast or learned a spell. I am not sure how long that will continue. But so far she is a no-magic character. She does use potions. Because to her those are just chems, the same as stimpacks.

These pics of NWN Persephone are from the first Neverwinter Nights game, not the second one. So the graphics are a lot simpler. The look of the game is deceptive. Because when you zoom in close to things, they often look really good, like the grain of wood on a wall, or the small detail in the waving strands of grass. But most of the time the game is played zoomed out so you can see what is around you, and you miss it. Instead you see the big, blocky shapes. Still, the gameplay is really good.


haute ecole rider: The Imps had to cut the legs off her prison pants because they did not fit! I love that.


Acadian: Once and a while I have gotten two random encounters in the same spot. But never with either of those two!

As usual, I had to do a little modding magic to get Darryl into the game. I did dual class Persephone as a Fighter / Cleric to get some magic. But she has still needs another level before she can get the Animate Dead spell. Instead I found an Animate Dead feat that one of the prestige classes gets, and I used the character editor to give it to Persephone. She has teamed up with Sharwyn, an npc bard who can handle those pesky tasks like picking locks, so she has not called on Darryl much lately. But I am starting to think of discarding Sharwyn and just using the editor to up Persephone's open lock skills.


Persephone casts an Endure Elements spell on her companion Sharwyn

Taking on a Bloodsailor mage and his Eyeball Familiar

Persephone plays Halo

Another angle, that is a Flesh Golem she is attacking, and a Dire Wolf that Sharwyn summoned to help

Turning ogres into mist

Taking on a troll

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Apr 24 2015, 09:31 PM

[Acadian]

Neat! I was very thankful for a character editor when playing BG II. It is ever so helpful to modify classes of NPCs that have good personalities into skills/attributes that you need them to have. And combining stuff into your own character is very helpful as well.

Like Persephone, Buffy was a hybrid in BG II. Ranger (archer) with find/disarm traps, unlocking (from the thief class) and a summon critter spell from the druid side of things. In return, she ignored melee and armor.

Thanks, as ever, for sharing some screens from your game. I’m so glad you’re, once again, enjoying NWN I. There are some creepy looking foes there! Sharwyn looks like a good helper, but no one can compare to Darryl and I’m sure Persephone misses him. Although I love the dire wolf helper, It seems most of D&D is sort of designed around a 6-member team – is that the case with NWN?

[Grits]

Gosh, this game looks really fun to me. The flesh golem and dire wolf picture looks particularly neat. Is your view mostly down at character level like that, or do you zoom out sometimes for kind of an overhead view? I’m sorry I don’t know how to describe it. I never got to play these games.

[SubRosa]

Acadian: Thanks. My full reply is over in the Neverwinter Nights topic.


Grits: Most of the time I play the game zoomed out pretty far so I can get a good look around. Here is a good example from NWN1, and here is one from NWN2. Still, I like to zoom in during the fights so I can see things go spleckt! The bottom of the screen is a quick-bar where you can assign spells and actions to. The upper right has pictures of you and your companions. The red bar beside each is for health. The icons off to the left of Persephone's pic shows the effects she has active thanks to buffing spells. NWN1 doesn't show your companion's buffs, but NWN2 does. The buttons under Persephone's pic are shortcuts to things like the journal, inventory, and so on. But I always use the keyboard shortcuts for that.

There are actually three different camera options. All of them are third-person only. The one I use most centers the camera on your character, and lets you zoom in and out, and spin around any way you want. There is a very similar mode that does not always stay centered on you, but rather allows you to move the camera to either side for a bit as well. Finally there is a view that zooms down to behind your shoulder, and does not allow you to look to either side without turning your character. I think that is meant to be more like an FPS style, but I never use it.

They are very fun games. They are very dated now, but still a good time. I highly recommend them. I think you can get NWN1 for about $10 on Gog.com.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Apr 24 2015, 10:41 PM

[mALX]

I remember Molly did Oasis, so had that memory of grass/trees; maybe thought Harold's seeds created another Oasis; but the snow/cold/etc.

I think that is what makes the roleplay so awesome, is the initial reactions on seeing all these new things. Like Argonian and Khajiit - because in the Wasteland the mutations were a danger and had to be eliminated before they could eliminate you; so to see mutations interacting with people in a friendly manor would kind of be shocking, lol. Really Awesome idea you had here!


These screens really remind me a lot of Morrowind, especially that green Golem, lol. Awesome shots!

[SubRosa]

mALX: You are not the first person to note the similarity with Morrowind. Both games go back to around that time.


Even with the dated graphics, I thought this was a neat-looking suit of armor

Persephone summons Darryl

NWN1 has plenty of these bottomless chasms

Slugging it out against Umber Hulks


A vid of gameplay, showing Persephone cleaning out the second half of a wereworlf lair. She is on a mission to rescue the werewolf, and remove his curse with the help of a special silver necklace given to her by a local priest. (I am not sure why it looks so blurry. I saved it at 1080p, and even saved it again with YouTube's specific settings.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Apr 26 2015, 07:30 PM

[mALX]

mALX: You are not the first person to note the similarity with Morrowind. Both games go back to around that time.


Even with the dated graphics, I thought this was a neat-looking suit of armor

Persephone summons Darryl

NWN1 has plenty of these bottomless chasms

Slugging it out against Umber Hulks


A vid of gameplay, showing Persephone cleaning out the second half of a wereworlf lair. She is on a mission to rescue the werewolf, and remove his curse with the help of a special silver necklace given to her by a local priest. (I am not sure why it looks so blurry. I saved it at 1080p, and even saved it again with YouTube's specific settings.

Wow, the detail in that robe is amazing! And yes, that armor is gorgeous.

Holy Cow, that bottomless chasm is freaky! You are so right about the level of detail though, this is amazing!


Holy Crap! Is there no way to sneak on those giant things? Urk, holy cow!


Ooh, a vid! Two things struck me about the vid: The first was the voice files for the spell casting are the same voice files I used for Maxical's casting in the ELZ Voice mod that lets you add all your own voice files - I found them on Planet Elder Scrolls or a similar site.

The second is how small everything is when you are in the exterior world; how do you keep up with the fight and how your character is doing?

I had a lol moment when she said "I hope you like pain," loved that line and her voice!

Okay, now on the werewolf she is zoomed in to fight, much better. Gaaaah, what was the dialogue saying after they stopped battling? I couldnt' see...wait, replayed it in full screen and with a magnifying glass.

Oh how cool that quest was! I wish the dialogue was larger like in Oblivion, but that was a really cool quest! I liked that a lot!


Do you use FRAPS for your vid capture?


Awesome update, I am really liking seeing this game - always wondered about it.

[Acadian]

You’re right! That armor looks fabulous – like glass/elven.

Yay for Darryl!

Bottomless chasms is a spooky looking shot!

Umber Hulks! I remember them from D&D days.

What fun to see Persephone in action in that vid! I chuckled at the little rat squeaky background noises and how you can toggle loot to come up in turquoise – both features that I liked from BG II.

[SubRosa]

mALX: Thankfully the game won't let you fall off the bridges and down into those bottomless pits. So they just look really cool.

How hilarious about the voice! It is called Female Seductress. It is the only voice out of the entire two dozen or so in the game that does not sound ridiculously over-acted. So it is the only one I use in NWN1.

I do use FRAPS. I tried out Bandicam as well, trying to figure out what was going on. Finally I figured it out. I was recording at 30 frames a second. When I tried an experiment at 60 fps it looked much better.


Acadian: I remember those squeaky rats from Baldur's Gate. Not to mention a squeaky space hamster! I remember the old trick of holding down a key to highlight interactive objects from way back in the first Diablo game.


Persephone battles goblins

Holding the bridge

Persephone smites the undead

That is one big book

Persephone meets a demon...

...then a lich


I also spent some time with Molly Hatchet
Molly found a hotplate for her camp

Molly discovers Edoras

Bargaining with a pointy-eared mutant

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Apr 29 2015, 06:39 PM