Nihil Trilogy II: Chains of Misfortune
Part 2 of 3
Final Version [011]
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Nihil Trilogy:
(1)Awakening-(Released Fall 2010) Link (2)Chains of Misfortune-(Released Winter 2012) Link (3)Light at Journey's End-(Coming Fall 2013)
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Meaning:
This mod is based on the concept of 'Nihilism', which is a philosophical doctrine suggesting the annihilation of the self, or the individual consciousness.
Chains of Misfortune is the second chapter of the Nihil Trilogy, and takes place after the events of the first of the series 'Awakening.'
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Story Summary:
Your actions under Enigma's dominance have left you scarred. In response you retreated into the depths of your mind. Now that the iron is hot, you must take back your mind from Enigma and escape the nightmare for which is now your reality.
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Setting:
You can play your own role, that of another, or mix them up, all is open to an Asper. Though it takes place in it's own world, it can be incorporated into most other medieval fantasy settings, which allows about anybody's character to fit in.
As with the first part, there are many ambiguous references, both direct and indirect, to the Mythology of Greek/Roman, Norse, Britain, Judo-Christian and others, with focus on the former in this mod. A bit of edutainment for you, so see if you can uncover them.
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Mini-games:
(Though not part of the main storyline, there are multiple mini-games scattered throughout the last two-thirds of the module)
-Harold's 'A Game of Darts'
-Arachne�s 'Rug-Matching'
-Wanderlust's 'What's in my Chests'
-Waldo's 'What's Wrong with the Scene'
-Martin's 'Count the Stones'
There are three optional characters in the module. The first two are apparent, the last one may require you to play a certain mini-game to 'open-up' and each one will have a place in the last part of the Trilogy.
Note that the first area of this module checks if your level 8 and above, if you're not it will give you the necessary amount of experience to get to that level, but note that Races with ECLs of +1 or greater will start at lower levels.
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Installation: (Note This Mod Uses A Campaign)
Step 1:
Use 7zip(Link) or Winrar(Link) or other extractor to extract the '(Final_Version_007)-Nihil_2_Chains_Of_Misfortune' Folder from the 'zip' file. If anyone has any problems, let me know.
Step 2:
Open the Extracted Folder
Step 3:
(Important: Replace the Previous One From Last Game)
Cut and Paste the 'nihilhaks.hak' and place it into the folder under
My Documents/Neverwinter Nights 2/hak
Step 4:
Cut and Paste the 'Nihil_Trilogy_Part_II_Chains_Of_Misfortune.mod' module and place it into the folder under
My Documents/Neverwinter Nights 2/modules
Step 5:
Cut and Paste the 'Nihil Trilogy II--Chains of Misfortune' folder and paste it under
My Documents/Neverwinter Nights 2/Campaigns
Step 6:
Start up the Neverwinter Nights 2 game and choose the option called 'New Game,' then 'Campaigns,' and select the 'Nihil_Trilogy_Part_II_Chains_Of_Misfortune' campaign.
Step 7:
Pick any character you wish or choose the one from the previous game, and start up the game.
Step 8:
Enjoy the game!
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Please Email Any Questions or Bugs or Glitches or Spelling/Grammar Issues or Other Mis-sights to:
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NW-Vault Content Citations:
(I don't usually use haks from others due to conflicts, but I made particular note to include these in my nihilhak.hak file)
RWS Pocket Cathedrals by RWS
RWS Pocket Ship Interiors by RWS
Butcher model by jestemwlodzimierz
-Bastard Weapon now included as weapon of choice from mindscape
-Iwan has 12 concentration points now.
-Head-Hunter has new battle system
-Shop in Dead Tree Crossing can now buy items from you for more than 0gp.
-other minor changes.
(Fixes As Of 5/3/12)
-On the rare chance you managed to get Lira prior to meeting Cira in the tavern then this fix should now ease that confusion.
-Paris's Villa is now barred from the Nightglobe so less confusion should arise.
-Some minor fixes to the Companions' Hit Points
-Minor spelling/grammar changes
-Minor luck changes. Results may vary.
-Other Minor Changes
(Fixes As Of 2/26/12)
-I made all the bosses' onDamage, onDeath, and onSpawn custom so that those few who are using some of the custom AI overrides from the vault such as Tony's AI in their override folders, won't trigger an endless boss battle when that version's 'nw_' scripts override those that the game relies upon.
(Fixes As Of 2/23/12)
-Blanket 30000xp is omitted from the start of the game for being less than 30001xp(level 8), and replaced by a subtraction algorithm that subtracts your xp from the xp you need to get to 30001xp. Note if xp is higher than 30001, then the game will simply let you through.
-I hid the 'shadow of Elidiser' that resides on the beach until after you talk to Fey.
(011 Auto-Installer for Windows. Just 'Extract' and 'Use' the 'Nihil2_CoM_Auto_Installer.exe' and it will automatically install the files to your 'Campaigns', 'modules' and 'hak' folders) External Website Beyond Our Control
My sincere thanks for your input on this mod and the others, karen.
It has been about half a year since there has been any input on this mod so I assumed falsely that nothing was amiss, and for that I apologize. Thank you for being up front and clear on these issues, especially the camera one.
As for the equipment, not everything was taken, but I do see now that the wipe of the rest was harsh, so I'll include, in this mod's final update, a equipment chest, lets say in the beach-house, to accommodate the first-mod items transfer as well as the camera issue fixes you mentioned.
As for the last mod, it is still in development. Its aimed release date is late fall of this year, but depending on the beta-phases, it may take longer. I'll release some screenshots this summer once the connection from the beginning to end is complete and I can work on the true bread and butter of the mod. Thanks again. _________________________ My Website: Link
Posted by karen at 2013-04-02 15:55:55 Voted 8.50 on 04/02/13
Ooops, I meant to put this on the first mod page! Sorry! I also enjoyed this chapter, but was even more upset when all the great stuff I bought disappeared as well - and the new weapon and armor I got wasn't half as good so I had to go shopping again! Was that really necessary? The story is very interesting, but it is very difficult to navigate - so many trees and things overhead blocking the view and the zoom kept changing on me. It was hard to get around town and the forest was really hard to navigate - I spent more time looking at the map that the lovely scenery! Otherwise, my compliments on your creativity! I'm looking forward to the third chapter!
Posted by karen at 2013-04-02 15:49:44 Voted 8.50 on 04/02/13
I enjoyed this unusual mod, but I have to admit that I wasn't thrilled when everything I wore or had in my backpack disappeared, although the available weapons and armor with very low prices made up for it to a large extent. I'll start the second part tomorrow. Thanks for the fun!
Everything should be working accordingly, so see you all near the date of the the final release for the end of the trilogy in the next year. Until then. _________________________ My Website: Link
A quick fix to prevent a game breaking bug in latest update, so all of you that have downloaded within the last couple hours please re-download and replace files. Thanks. _________________________ My Website: Link
IIRC, in Part 1, the "forms" were polymorph effects. Now it just changes appearance and gives an item with bonus feats (only tested Maximus) --- (Both games use the same system now, and that system is in place in case you want to cast spells which is denied with polymorph.)
Wouldn't automatic leveling be preferable with the cat/panther? --- (Not enough levels to make that worthwhile and also provides another use for 'Echo Remnants.')
The weapon forms are limited - you can't chose e.g. a bastard sword. --- (Weapons put in on a suggestion to suggestion basis, and just included bastard sword option in the latest update. Thanks.)
Archer has bishop's package - although he admits some of the darker sides of his personality, and unless I was fooled and you have some kind of evil game plan for him in mind in part III, is he really 0/0 CE? --- (Depends and wait and see)
The cleric has no concentration ranks - if hit, any spell in combat is certain to fail. --- (Just added 12 concentration points to Iwan.)
Is it possible to use nihilhaks from part II with the part I module? --- (As of 4 months ago both mods use the same nihilhaks.hak. This is for ease of use once the full three part campaign is assembled at the release of the final part.)
You can't sell Archer's equipment, while it seems mundane. --- (The Shop, in your case I believe refers to the Weapon/Armor shop in Dead Tree Crossing which was disabled from buying items from the player(ie everything sold to them sells for 0gp) but, and since noted, I made a max limit of 200-500 gold piece maximum per items sold.)
Would it be possible to block the path to Seer completely, when the player hasn't seen the Major yet? I could pass the wagon, and got a warning message, but couldn't go back, because it kept "teleporting" me (engine?) --- (Thanks for notifying me of this critical bug, I�m not sure how it eluded me previously, but nonetheless I made a quick update to prevent it.)
When returning from the Mindscape to the pub, my PC ended up on the table when returning; going with another party member outside solved it (engine?) --- (The engine I believe on that point. Returning from the mindscape brings you to the exact place (x,y coordinates in area) you used the night globe, but since noted and just to be safe, disabled pub as a means of teleporting to mindscape so you have to go outside or into another area to do so.)
Before the Headless fight, I could see the horse run off and disappear, maybe as intended. --- (Thanks that was a glitch that I failed to notice due to the camera angles during the conversation in game, but it is fixed now so the only one that appears comes after the Head-Hunter is destroyed.)
Headless battle, I'd expect that the power sources keep him alive, too. Would make the battle far more tedious I guess. --- (I was wondering when someone would finally suggest this and I had a script change waiting for such a time which should now require the players to destroy all stumps before they can harm the Head-Hunter, which I've now just implemented.)
Also: only found 3 shadow of Eldisirs. Missed one that's on the beach apparently. --- (All of Elidiser's shadows are available in-game. [Spoiler]: Note that one is available in the arena city which can be obtained either before or after the event that goes on there)
[Concluding Remarks]:
Thanks again, GFallen. The new update (011) should now be up and running. I'm still in the process of making the final part of the trilogy which I aim, with some delays, to be released around the next Summer. Until then. _________________________ My Website: Link
Posted by GFallen at 2012-05-29 07:29:48 Voted 7.50 on 05/29/12
Also: only found 3 shadow of Eldisirs. Missed one that's on the beach apparently. _________________________ The Academy for Modding Excellence (AME) is calling out for volunteers!
Interested in character building? Visit the nwn2db forum!
Posted by GFallen at 2012-05-29 07:27:36 Voted 7.50 on 05/29/12
7.50 - Very Good, Deserves a Look
I enjoyed the originality of the story, but I felt sentences were a bit lengthy and things were rushed at times. Mini-games were good fun, in many other campaigns these tend to be just annoying.
Extremely easy combat, but as this seems more an interactive novel, I wasn't really bothered by it.
Curious for the third part!
Some notes:
**spoilers
- IIRC, in Part 1, the "forms" were polymorph effects. Now it just changes appearance and gives an item with bonus feats (only tested Maximus).
- Wouldn't automatic leveling be preferable with the cat/panther?
- The weapon forms are limited - you can't chose e.g. a bastard sword.
- Archer has bishop's package - although he admits some of the darker sides of his personality, and unless I was fooled and you have some kind of evil game plan for him in mind in part III, is he really 0/0 CE?
- The cleric has no concentration ranks - if hit, any spell in combat is certain to fail.
- Is it possible to use nihilhaks from part II with the part I module?
- You can't sell Archer's equipment, while it seems mundane.
- Would it be possible to block the path to Seer completely, when the player hasn't seen the Major yet? I could pass the wagon, and got a warning message, but couldn't go back, because it kept "teleporting" me (engine?)
- When returning from the Mindscape to the pub, my PC ended up on the table when returning; going with another party member outside solved it (engine?)
- Before the Headless fight, I could see the horse run off and disappear, maybe as intended.
- Headless battle, I'd expect that the power sources keep him alive, too. Would make the battle far more tedious I guess. _________________________ The Academy for Modding Excellence (AME) is calling out for volunteers!
Interested in character building? Visit the nwn2db forum!
Posted by eledin at 2012-05-11 19:20:52 Voted 8.00 on 05/03/12
@seraphimsage1
Thank you for taking my reports in consideration. I can't stress enough that i really appreciate the effort you are putting into this project and it wasn't my intention to demoralize you. So keep the great work! I'll surely be playing the third part.
[Pre-Release Notice]: 'Nihil Trilogy III - The Light At Journey's End' - Summer 2013 to Fall 2013
[eledin]
I've fixed the bugs you mentioned, and the changes have been uploaded into this final version (010); along with a few on the backlog from Arkalezth. Thanks again. _________________________ My Website: Link
Thank you eledin. It takes courage to be blunt and I appreciate it. I'll take up your advisement, especially in regard to the companions, for the final part of the trilogy. I�ll also see what I can do to narrow down those bugs in the current, though I admit, I'm disappointed that those did not arise during the 3-4 months of alpha and beta-testing, but they are what they are, and I'll do what I can to alleviate them. Thanks again. _________________________ My Website: Link
Posted by eledin at 2012-05-03 08:06:43 Voted 8.00 on 05/03/12
I have to say that i was a little disappointed by this second module. Its a shame because the first one was great and full of promises. Like the first one, the scenery was great and the story was good. Unfortunately i got the feeling that you were rushing the story. This means that lots of things were not explained as i think they should - and i'm already subtracting the things that are supposed to not be explained. This behavior don't allow us to make strong connections to the NPC's and the environment.
And then, there are some bugs:
========== BEGIN SPOILTERS =================================
1) Before the arena, in the bedroom, after the dream, if you happen to shape-change to the gladiator and then speak with the house owner (don't remember his name), he recognizes you. This shouldn't happen.
2) If you happen to get Lira back before her sister goes to the inn for asking you apologies, they speak as Lira is not there.
========== END SPOILTERS =================================
All in all, it's a good module. The battles are very easy, but i don't mind. What i really like is a good story.
Good work! I really appreciate your effort to build something like this. Thanks for keeping the NWN community alive.
With no further questions and or concerns, I'm officially starting the final part of the Nihil Trilogy titled, 'The Light At Journey's End.' Vying no problems, it should be released by Summer 2013. Until then. _________________________ My Website: Link
It has been a few weeks since the last update and about a couple months since the mod was officially released.
With another series of players running through the game-module in that interval, would anyone like to share their experiences?
Also, as I'm working on the final part of the trilogy, and while it is still in the ether on most facets, does anyone have any suggestions on what they would like to see, what could be expanded upon, and anything else that comes to mind? Thanks. _________________________ My Website: Link
Clay, thanks for easing my mind on the play-through. I'm glad that�s settled. As for your experience, I'm glad you enjoyed it and can't thank you enough for your help getting this mod off the ground from testing to release. Thanks again. _________________________ My Website: Link
Posted by Clay at 2012-03-02 20:46:28 Voted 9.75 on 03/02/12
Yay!! I got Lira back!! Thank you.. It played very nicely all the way through. _________________________ I Luv my DFI's.... I do play a lot of mods. I really must apologize. That I don't vote more.
Just a quick reminder. Please be careful what files you have in your 'Override' folder, files like Tony K's AI and others that affect the AI or actions of creatures may prevent you from finishing the game. This only applies to a small group of files so most overrides should work fine. If you by chance used some exterior override file and can�t finish the game, then please look under the 'Forum' link above and scroll to the second page for a solution.
This may not be the issue with some, and if so, let me know right away; as the lack of comments for the past week and half make it difficult to diagnosis any issues that arise be they bad or good or indifferent. Thanks. _________________________ My Website: Link
I�ve just released my (008) update to handle some minor issues that were uncovered after release. With that done, unless there is drastic need, I won�t be releasing another update for awhile. The mod is for all intents and purposes, done. Thanks again to sirchet and Oceanborne for their contributions. Enjoy. _________________________ My Website: Link
With the '100' download marker reached in a week, and with a minor update going up a few days, I would appreciate it if anyone would like to share their experiences, both good and bad, while playing this mod. Most of the problems should have been accommodated for during the Alpha/Beta Tests, but, as with the minor update going up in a few days, there are some issues that pass such scrutiny. So let me know. Thanks. _________________________ My Website: Link
I'm glad to hear that, sirchet. Let me know how it goes.
Also, I plan for a small update next week, or the following, for which I will repair that mis-sight so you and others need not be boosted to higher level if your characters are above level 1 but less than 30001xp; for which case the blanket 30000xp would skew your starting level a bit. If there is anything else let me know. Thanks. _________________________ My Website: Link
Once I added the necessary xp for level 9, (as you suggested) I got the option to flip to the second chapter.
I'll come back and vote once I've experienced this chapter in it's entirety. _________________________ Help is good when asked for,
Better when needed.
It looks like I hit the submit button too soon, so forgive the repetition at the end of the last post. Anyways, enjoy. _________________________ My Website: Link
No worries, sirchet. As for how to start, once you have equal or more than 30000xp, as mentioned he gives a blanket 30000xp to anyone with less XP than that which I fixed to a (30000-YourXP) system for the next update. So just talk to him again and he will usher into the story, with a option to flip to the second chapter. There shouldn't be anything more to it than that, but if you have further problems then let me know, otherwise it should be clear-cut from there, but if you have any further problems than notify me right away. Thanks, and I'm sure you're enjoy it. _________________________ My Website: Link
I've been looking forward to making the time to play this one.
I knew I could break it if I just tried hard enough. ;) Oh, and there's no space between debug and mode, also the console is not case sensitive in NWN2.
Getting the proper amount of xp was never really the problem, but getting an option to begin the adventure is.
Am I missing something? Is there a door I should pass through, or is it as I assume and the fellow I meet in the first room ushers me into the adventure? _________________________ Help is good when asked for,
Better when needed.
*SPOILERS*
As for the Elidiser's beach shadow, I originally considered having that shadow on the beach appear after Fey talks to you, but I found that my local testers weren't inclined to backtrack, so I left it static. If you believe it is a concern I can revert it back to its original function quite easily, if so, let me know.
As for the last shadow, it is available both before and after the ritual(in case of concerns, the post-ritual area is accessible through a sign-placeable on the road after the ritual). If you should get it prior then it deletes itself in the post-town and vice-versa. This is just a feature to allow you to finish off that quest near the ending of the mod. As always, I'm open to ideas.
*Spelling/Grammar Issues*
As for spelling/wall of text issues, if convenient, please email some of them to my email address above and I'll see if I can attend to them in a later update. Most were attended to in Alpha/Beta, but I found, to my dismay, that you can never catch all them, so let me know if time allows.
*White-Outs and Last Mod*
In any case, I'm delighted to hear you got through the mod in one piece. That is the best news a developer can hear, and I'll consider those white-outs for the last mod, which I hope to release at the end of this year or early the next. Thanks. _________________________ My Website: Link
Posted by Oceanborne at 2012-02-11 11:11:51 Voted 9.50 on 02/11/12
*SPOILERS*
You can actually find the first of Elidiser's Shadows before Fey gives you the quest to do so - which seems to cause the last Shadow (in the post-ritual arena city). I got through using rs ga_global_int("elid4shade","1") after doing some digging in the toolset. Aside from that and some spelling/wall of text issues, I had a great time! (Also, if you could use the visual transition in the last area [the whiteout one] more often in Nihil III, that'd be awesome.)
Congratulations on being the first to break my system, sirchet. I never considered the possibility, though obvious in hindsight, for one to actually start between 1xp(new-character) to less than 30001xp(which was a approximated base for level 8 not including the weird ECL Races). So if you started at say level 7 you would get a boost to level 9 or 10 with the blanket 30000xp it gives you at less then 30001xp.
As for a solution, with the NW-Vault in its transition between administrators, I can�t implement a subtraction script ie: (30001-YourXP) any time soon. Still, I can give provide you a way to get through that part with your character in its current state until the update can be uploaded and updated on the vault.
Using DM Prompt to Add XP points:
1.) Hit �~� once you enter into the game
2.) Type �Debug Mode = 1� (omit the apostrophes)
3.) Type �givexp [number needed to get to 30001]�
For Example: �givexp 3000�
4.)Type �Debug Mode = 0�
5.) Hit �~� to close prompt
Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for bringing that issue up. If any other issues pop up I appreciate it if you can bring them to my attention straight away. Thanks and enjoy the mod. _________________________ My Website: Link
I started the campaign with a level 8 human fighter and the only choices I had when speaking to the person in the starting area was "get experience" and "nothing".
I really don't want exp, especially if the adventure is designed for a level 8 PC. _________________________ Help is good when asked for,
Better when needed.
Same, I was unable to test the last part so I'll play this final version as soon as possible (I was going to email you and ask if you needed more testing, but I guess you don't now). Congrats on the release!
10 - A Masterpiece, Genuinely Groundbreaking 9 - Outstanding, a Must Have 8 - Excellent, Recommended to Anyone 7 - Very Good, Deserves a Look 6 - Good, Qualified Recommendation 5 - Fair, Solid yet Unremarkable 4 - Some Merit, Requires Improvements 3 - Poor Execution, Potential Unrealized 2 - Very Little Appeal 1 - Not Recommended to Anyone
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at 2012-02-10 03:13:01
