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Love the Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition from Beamdog and want to make it look just that little bit more modern? Beamdog has your answer now.

After years of work, Beamdog has now released a free HD Models & Textures Pack for Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition that gives a visual boost to player character models and their equipment (including armour, weapons and shields). The newer models now support "normal and spec information", plus they can be further modded by the community just the the base game.

Currently, it's only available as a direct external download from the Beamdog website. Hopefully at some point they will put it up on Steam as some sort of free DLC to make it easier for players. Or perhaps another more open modding platform like mod.io. At least this way as a plain download for now, buyers from all PC stores can access it easily.

Beamdog note that lower-end machines may struggle with this extra pack. Following up in a forum post a few pages in on Steam, they mentioned "It's not an optional DLC via Steam because this is still WIP, and using the updated models can lead to performance issues on those PCs that are low-end but can run basic NWN:EE just fine" so it's entirely possible they may eventually make it easier to add in.

Wonderful to see such long-term commitment to an RPG gem.

You can pick up Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition from GOG and Steam.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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34 comments
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Mezron Nov 25, 2021
View PC info
  • Supporter
Anyone have the beamdog client installed properly? Thought I would give this some support and it's a no good install for POP OS 21.04.

Harfbuzz version too old error.
slaapliedje Nov 25, 2021
Anyone have the beamdog client installed properly? Thought I would give this some support and it's a no good install for POP OS 21.04.

Harfbuzz version too old error.
Yeah, this is one of the issues with how people package things. It makes more sense to have a build server set up. Create a repo for the current distributions at time for release, then add a new repo as they come out, and have some post install stuff for upgrades.

This way a new package automatically gets built with the correct dependencies. Problem is getting the build server to handle the main distributions.
Mezron Nov 25, 2021
View PC info
  • Supporter
Yeah, this is one of the issues with how people package things. It makes more sense to have a build server set up. Create a repo for the current distributions at time for release, then add a new repo as they come out, and have some post install stuff for upgrades.

This way a new package automatically gets built with the correct dependencies. Problem is getting the build server to handle the main distributions.

I just put in for a refund. This is too much work for me. I was hoping to have something easy RPGs-ish to setup for family while they are visiting since most of my library is arena shooters and arcade fighters.
soulsource Nov 26, 2021
Anyone have the beamdog client installed properly? Thought I would give this some support and it's a no good install for POP OS 21.04.

Harfbuzz version too old error.
Yeah, this is one of the issues with how people package things. It makes more sense to have a build server set up. Create a repo for the current distributions at time for release, then add a new repo as they come out, and have some post install stuff for upgrades.

This way a new package automatically gets built with the correct dependencies. Problem is getting the build server to handle the main distributions.

Building games can take hours. If you want to do a separate build for all major distributions, that's a massive waiting time...

I'd rather package once on Debian Stable and then just test if the built package installs on other distros.
In addition, I'd do what Unity does, and link a lot of libraries statically. Not all, of course, only those where it makes sense from an upgrade- and security-standpoint. For applications packaged by the distributor static linkage is not a good idea, but for standalone programs packaged by someone outside the distribution I think the advantages (being independent of system library versions, no need to integrate with the package manager,...) outweigh the disadvantages (higher RAM usage, higher HDD usage, responsibility for security updates,...).


Last edited by soulsource on 26 November 2021 at 8:20 am UTC
drmoth Nov 26, 2021
Boy did they release this right on time, I was planning to start my first ever playthrough this evening!
I had a wizard I played all the way from 1st to 14th.. Then got sort of stuck... and then of course lost my save game so I have to start over on the main campaign... At least now I think they have cloud saves!

Based on my very old experience with what passes for NWN's single player, is it still even worth it? I thought everyone did NWN for the mods or expansion packs. Hordes of the Underdark was pretty decent, if I recall.
I must be weird, I liked the original campaign qnd thought it was decent. Hordes of the Underdark I belive was the sequel to it, qnd you had to start at a higher level.

What is a crying shame is that Legends of the Swordcoast (i think that was the name of that game) was so far from being a proper replacement for NWN.

The main campaign definitely isn't as good, both the original DLC were much , much better.
Still, I'm thinking of doing a main playthrough as I never finished it.
drmoth Nov 26, 2021
Based on my very old experience with what passes for NWN's single player, is it still even worth it? I thought everyone did NWN for the mods or expansion packs. Hordes of the Underdark was pretty decent, if I recall.
I do hope it stands the test of time. I've been waiting for quite a while to try it out.

Also, I need something to take my mind of disease, pandemics, quarantine and lockdowns. I'm sure this will be just the thing for that!

Sorry to disappoint you, but the main campaign of NWN is about a pandemic - a disease outbreak :D


Last edited by drmoth on 26 November 2021 at 9:37 am UTC
whizse Nov 26, 2021
View PC info
  • Supporter
Sorry to disappoint you, but the main campaign of NWN is about a pandemic - a disease outbreak :D
I'll admit I actually knew that going in, I was setting myself up for the joke

I did find it funny that the cure for the disease in the game involves a bat. Well, a Cockatrice, so part bat.
soulsource Nov 26, 2021
Stupid question:
The HD textures seem to be breaking shadow casting for me. Anyone else has this issue?
slaapliedje Nov 27, 2021
Anyone have the beamdog client installed properly? Thought I would give this some support and it's a no good install for POP OS 21.04.

Harfbuzz version too old error.
Yeah, this is one of the issues with how people package things. It makes more sense to have a build server set up. Create a repo for the current distributions at time for release, then add a new repo as they come out, and have some post install stuff for upgrades.

This way a new package automatically gets built with the correct dependencies. Problem is getting the build server to handle the main distributions.

Building games can take hours. If you want to do a separate build for all major distributions, that's a massive waiting time...

I'd rather package once on Debian Stable and then just test if the built package installs on other distros.
In addition, I'd do what Unity does, and link a lot of libraries statically. Not all, of course, only those where it makes sense from an upgrade- and security-standpoint. For applications packaged by the distributor static linkage is not a good idea, but for standalone programs packaged by someone outside the distribution I think the advantages (being independent of system library versions, no need to integrate with the package manager,...) outweigh the disadvantages (higher RAM usage, higher HDD usage, responsibility for security updates,...).
This is about the distribution clients, not the game itself.
slaapliedje Nov 27, 2021
Sorry to disappoint you, but the main campaign of NWN is about a pandemic - a disease outbreak :D
I'll admit I actually knew that going in, I was setting myself up for the joke

I did find it funny that the cure for the disease in the game involves a bat. Well, a Cockatrice, so part bat.
Sounds like maybe we need to find the four monsters to get rid of Covid.
soulsource Nov 27, 2021
Anyone have the beamdog client installed properly? Thought I would give this some support and it's a no good install for POP OS 21.04.

Harfbuzz version too old error.
Yeah, this is one of the issues with how people package things. It makes more sense to have a build server set up. Create a repo for the current distributions at time for release, then add a new repo as they come out, and have some post install stuff for upgrades.

This way a new package automatically gets built with the correct dependencies. Problem is getting the build server to handle the main distributions.

Building games can take hours. If you want to do a separate build for all major distributions, that's a massive waiting time...

I'd rather package once on Debian Stable and then just test if the built package installs on other distros.
In addition, I'd do what Unity does, and link a lot of libraries statically. Not all, of course, only those where it makes sense from an upgrade- and security-standpoint. For applications packaged by the distributor static linkage is not a good idea, but for standalone programs packaged by someone outside the distribution I think the advantages (being independent of system library versions, no need to integrate with the package manager,...) outweigh the disadvantages (higher RAM usage, higher HDD usage, responsibility for security updates,...).
This is about the distribution clients, not the game itself.

Sorry for misunderstanding. I thought you were talking about building/packaging of games.
What do you mean by "distribution client" though? Distributors build their packages themselves though, so how could their packaging influence games (apart from shipping older libraries than those the game links against - what is again a problem of the game packaging targeting too new library versions)?
slaapliedje Nov 28, 2021
Anyone have the beamdog client installed properly? Thought I would give this some support and it's a no good install for POP OS 21.04.

Harfbuzz version too old error.
Yeah, this is one of the issues with how people package things. It makes more sense to have a build server set up. Create a repo for the current distributions at time for release, then add a new repo as they come out, and have some post install stuff for upgrades.

This way a new package automatically gets built with the correct dependencies. Problem is getting the build server to handle the main distributions.

Building games can take hours. If you want to do a separate build for all major distributions, that's a massive waiting time...

I'd rather package once on Debian Stable and then just test if the built package installs on other distros.
In addition, I'd do what Unity does, and link a lot of libraries statically. Not all, of course, only those where it makes sense from an upgrade- and security-standpoint. For applications packaged by the distributor static linkage is not a good idea, but for standalone programs packaged by someone outside the distribution I think the advantages (being independent of system library versions, no need to integrate with the package manager,...) outweigh the disadvantages (higher RAM usage, higher HDD usage, responsibility for security updates,...).
This is about the distribution clients, not the game itself.

Sorry for misunderstanding. I thought you were talking about building/packaging of games.
What do you mean by "distribution client" though? Distributors build their packages themselves though, so how could their packaging influence games (apart from shipping older libraries than those the game links against - what is again a problem of the game packaging targeting too new library versions)?
Beamdog has their own client (in this case they distribute it as an Appimage. It was crashing on me when I tested it). That is what I mean by them building their own client. As you can buy their games directly from them. I think Feral might have one too?
slaapliedje Nov 28, 2021
Yeah, this is one of the issues with how people package things. It makes more sense to have a build server set up. Create a repo for the current distributions at time for release, then add a new repo as they come out, and have some post install stuff for upgrades.

This way a new package automatically gets built with the correct dependencies. Problem is getting the build server to handle the main distributions.

I just put in for a refund. This is too much work for me. I was hoping to have something easy RPGs-ish to setup for family while they are visiting since most of my library is arena shooters and arcade fighters.
Yeah, I would have just bought it through Steam or GOG. Beamdog's client is just crashing for me.
mrdeathjr Dec 1, 2021
In my case runs very well with xubuntu 22.04 lts x64 (kernel 5.15) and visually new models are very good (vram usage up around to 2x)

old models

!link

new models

!link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wy59EosKgU




Last edited by mrdeathjr on 1 December 2021 at 7:24 pm UTC
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