I wrote the following comments on a Bioware Forums thread concerning my thoughts about NWN1 and NWN2, and thought that I’d repost those here on my blog.

MikeLM9215 wrote: “The two biggest problems with NWN 2 are size of modules and lack of creatures.”

I agree, although I think that the instability of the toolset is an extremely serious problem as well. Some builders (myself included) won’t risk losing scores of hours of work trying to build in a toolset that might erase it due to module corruption.

The lack of creatures is primarily related to Obsidian’s decision to use a proprietary 3D modeling format and toolset (Granny 3D) for NWN2. I’m hesitant to criticize those decisions, since it’s easy to play “armchair quarterback” and I don’t really know the considerations that they had to face that led them to that decision. But I’m inclined to regard it as an extremely shortsighted and foolish move for the sequel to a game whose defining characteristic is its custom modding community.

The thing that gave NWN1 such a long life was its toolset and its moddability. And it is the NWN custom content community that provides the foundation for and enables that mod work. They do it by creating a veritable cornucopia of components that modders can use as raw materials to build ever more ambitious mods. Anyone who could learn to use Gmax (let along 3DSMax) could create models for NWN1 — whether creatures, terrain, placeables, or items. Artists could create compelling portraits for it. Musicians could create scores, coders could create script systems, and so on.

Regrettably, Obsidian was either unwilling or unable to provide the kind of empowerment for the custom modding and content communities that was really required for a sequel to NWN1. The “Granny Plugin” that they are scrambling to develop and test now should have been available at or before release of the game, not nine months after it. A stable toolset to enable the modding community to build for the game should have been their highest priority from the beginning of development, not an afterthought that is still not yet addressed. And the lack of these things at release should have been a signal to the NWN1 community — players and builders alike — not to jump ship to NWN2 so quickly. (I’m as guilty of this last as anyone, so that criticism is directed at myself as well.)

I’m hopeful that Obsidian can address these issues in the near future, but I’m now officially skeptical. Even if they get a stable toolset and 3D plugin out this year, it will still take another year after that before these can really be exploited to start producing good mods in the kinds of numbers that we saw with NWN1. That’s a year and a half before NWN2 can even begin to be able to function as a legitimate successor to NWN1. And that’s the main reason why I think NWN1 has plenty of life in it yet.