Mar 10, 2018
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition gets March 27 release date
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition

The modern remaster of Bioware's third-person RPG Neverwinter Nights will release on Steam on March 27, Beamdog has announced. The developer—which is made up of former Bioware employees and handled the Enhanced Editions of Baldur's Gate 2, Icewind Dale and Planescape Torment—revealed the release date in a livestream yesterday, where it also talked about how it will update the game going forward.

Players that have pre-purchased the game have been able to play early versions, and those same players will get first access to patches after launch. Individual patches will then be rolled into larger updates that everyone will receive. The team is "investigating" ways to add new content to the original game's campaign but it hasn't yet found a way to do it. 

Having played, but not exhausted, the game when it first came out, I may just dip into this one. Beamdog's previous updates of old games have been generally well-received, and if you played the original then any saved games or mods you have on your PC will automatically be transferred over to this version.

The Enhanced Edition will support resolutions up to 4K, offer more graphics options, and include many fan-requested tweaks to the original game. It comes with the base game, its two expansion packs and three "premium modules", which are basically story add-ons. Any future new content will come in the form of those modules, Beamdog said, and the game will be compatible with existing user-made modules.

You can watch a replay of the full stream here.

Mar 10, 2018
Steam Launch Date Revealed!
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition - Merro
During Friday’s livestream, Beamdog CEO Trent Oster and Studio Director Phillip Daigle announced the March 27 release date of Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition on Steam.

Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Launch Features:
  • Improved Display: Your portrait, combat bar, inventory, and other UI elements adjust in size based on your chosen resolution including 1080p and 4k.
  • Advanced Graphics Options: Pixel shaders and post-processing effects make for crisper, cleaner visuals. Enable contrast, vibrance, and depth of field
  • Backwards Compatibility: Works with save games, modules, and mods from the original Neverwinter Nights. A galaxy of community created content awaits.
  • Steam Feature Support: Find mods and modules or upload your own in Steam Workshop. Easily join online games using Friends List.
  • Restored Multiplayer: A completely rebuilt multiplayer system makes it easy to find online persistent worlds and game with friends.

Find out more in the livestream recap! --> http://blog.beamdog.com/2018/03/march-9-livestream-recap.html
Mar 10, 2018
Steam Launch Date Revealed!
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition - Merro
During Friday’s livestream, Beamdog CEO Trent Oster and Studio Director Phillip Daigle announced the March 27 release date of Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition on Steam.

Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Launch Features:
  • Improved Display: Your portrait, combat bar, inventory, and other UI elements adjust in size based on your chosen resolution including 1080p and 4k.
  • Advanced Graphics Options: Pixel shaders and post-processing effects make for crisper, cleaner visuals. Enable contrast, vibrance, and depth of field
  • Backwards Compatibility: Works with save games, modules, and mods from the original Neverwinter Nights. A galaxy of community created content awaits.
  • Steam Feature Support: Find mods and modules or upload your own in Steam Workshop. Easily join online games using Friends List.
  • Restored Multiplayer: A completely rebuilt multiplayer system makes it easy to find online persistent worlds and game with friends.

Find out more in the livestream recap! --> http://blog.beamdog.com/2018/03/march-9-livestream-recap.html
Mar 7, 2018
NWN:EE Development Build 8163
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition - Merro
The latest update to the Development build is here. Lots of exciting stuff here including re-enabling multiplayer for some premium modules. Enjoy!

New Known Issues Since Last Build
The default values for the camera changes in 8163 were too narrow and will be fixed in 8164. If you need this fixed for 8163, simply edit your nwnplayer.ini to contain these values:
[Control Options] CameraMaxPitch=89.000000 CameraMinDist=1.000000

Fixes
  • The multiplayer server list will now properly highlight passworded servers in red.
  • The software mouse cursor will no longer hide behind certain UI elements, such as Quit Game.
  • The Toolset can now properly select WBM movies instead of BIK.
  • Premium Modules now work in multiplayer again. (Note that some modules are not meant to be played in multiplayer and their scripting/design might prevent proper functioning.)
  • Some crashes in the UPnP mechanism were fixed.
  • Water static lighting problems have been fixed.
  • The combining of parts with similar attributes has been re-enabled with support for the new data streams (tangents, additional texture coord streams, vertex color). This should boost performance back to where it was prior to the addition of the new streams.

Features
  • The camera limits can now be adjusted in nwnplayer.ini (see below).
  • Joining a multiplayer game through the Friends system, while already playing on a server, has been improved.

Configuration
CameraMinPitch, CameraMaxPitch, CameraMinDist, CameraMaxDist in nwnplayer.ini can be used to adjust the camera limits. (They are written on first start to give you the default values).
Mar 7, 2018
NWN:EE Development Build 8163
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition - Merro
The latest update to the Development build is here. Lots of exciting stuff here including re-enabling multiplayer for some premium modules. Enjoy!

New Known Issues Since Last Build
The default values for the camera changes in 8163 were too narrow and will be fixed in 8164. If you need this fixed for 8163, simply edit your nwnplayer.ini to contain these values:
[Control Options] CameraMaxPitch=89.000000 CameraMinDist=1.000000

Fixes
  • The multiplayer server list will now properly highlight passworded servers in red.
  • The software mouse cursor will no longer hide behind certain UI elements, such as Quit Game.
  • The Toolset can now properly select WBM movies instead of BIK.
  • Premium Modules now work in multiplayer again. (Note that some modules are not meant to be played in multiplayer and their scripting/design might prevent proper functioning.)
  • Some crashes in the UPnP mechanism were fixed.
  • Water static lighting problems have been fixed.
  • The combining of parts with similar attributes has been re-enabled with support for the new data streams (tangents, additional texture coord streams, vertex color). This should boost performance back to where it was prior to the addition of the new streams.

Features
  • The camera limits can now be adjusted in nwnplayer.ini (see below).
  • Joining a multiplayer game through the Friends system, while already playing on a server, has been improved.

Configuration
CameraMinPitch, CameraMaxPitch, CameraMinDist, CameraMaxDist in nwnplayer.ini can be used to adjust the camera limits. (They are written on first start to give you the default values).
Mar 5, 2018
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Patch 8162
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition - Merro
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Patch 8162 is here and it brings all kinds of multiplayer goodness! Thanks to all our Steam players for trying out builds 8160 and 8161 in the new Development branch.



Fixes
  • A memory leak was fixed in the Toolset that would exhibit every time after a script was compiled.
  • We now compile the Linux binaries with 64-bit-only filesystem API support (so that nwserver runs properly inside docker-on-mac/windows).
  • Fixed a crash in the Toolset when trying to static-light a mesh with zero vertices (as seen by some custom tilesets, and the humongous bell).
  • A fix to Steam thumbnails to update properly on changes, not just on initial upload.
  • We fixed the Toolset crashing on Intel GPUs.
  • A huge shadows-related memleak was fixed in the toolset that would happen when loading areas.
  • “Input player name” is no longer covered by the Direct Connect UI.
  • LAN “Connect” button now works as expected.
  • Toolset now remembers window position between starts.
  • Servers displayed in the History/Favourites panel now grey out properly when they are unknown to the masterserver.

Features
  • Relays! We added experimental support to carry your connection over authenticated relays, hosted on our end. This is fully automatic and transparent for both players (a relay connection will be chosen if all other attempts fail) and server hosts (servers and scripting will still “see” the actual client IP), and is meant to take care of all remaining connection issues that cannot be handled with UDP hole punching.
  • We added support for the material file format (.mtr) as described in last weeks’ patch notes; reproduced below for your convenience.
  • Per-vertex static lighting now works properly when normal mapping is enabled: we use a stream that indicates the direction of the brightest light from the location of the vertex, and approximate normal mapping using that information.
  • Clicking on “Join Game” in the Steam friends list while already connected to another server will now be handled more gracefully.
  • History/Favourites now displays server data from the masterserver list to avoid connection issues.
  • LAN enumeration has been slightly improved to find multiple servers on the same host.
  • Server listing speed has been improved.
  • Toolset performance when loading/accessing placeable-related functions has been improved.
  • Toolset performance when working with the object tree in area view has been improved.
  • Rendering performance has been improved. (This is not the Skybox issue; we’re still looking into this).
  • Windows game and server will now use UPnP to automatically attempt a port map.

    NWScript
    New script commands:

    // Get if oPlayer is currently connected over a relay (instead of directly). // Returns FALSE for any other object, including OBJECT_INVALID. int GetIsPlayerConnectionRelayed(object oPlayer);

    What follows is a sample material file that includes examples for all currently supported fields:

    customshaderVS vsSkinned // Specifies a custom vertex shader: vsSkinned.shd customshaderFS fsFancyNew // Specifies a custom fragment shader: fsFancyNew.shd texture0 myDecal // Specifies a texture that will be bound to texUnit0 in the fragment shader. Will override bitmap/tetxure0 in the model texture1 myMask // Binds to texUnit1 in the fragment shader. We support up to fifteen of these textures: texture0 - texture14. parameter float vDiffuse 0.8 1.0 0.65 1.0 // Creates a 4-float parameter that will be bound to a shader uniform of the same name (if it exists) parameter float fModulator 0.5 // Creates a float parameter that will be bound to a shader uniform of the same name (if it exists) parameter int iCount 2 // Creates an int parameter that will be bound to a shader uniform of the same name (if it exists)

    To use a material like this one on a mesh, simple add the following line in the .mdl file: materialname myNewMaterial
Mar 5, 2018
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Patch 8162
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition - Merro
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Patch 8162 is here and it brings all kinds of multiplayer goodness! Thanks to all our Steam players for trying out builds 8160 and 8161 in the new Development branch.



Fixes
  • A memory leak was fixed in the Toolset that would exhibit every time after a script was compiled.
  • We now compile the Linux binaries with 64-bit-only filesystem API support (so that nwserver runs properly inside docker-on-mac/windows).
  • Fixed a crash in the Toolset when trying to static-light a mesh with zero vertices (as seen by some custom tilesets, and the humongous bell).
  • A fix to Steam thumbnails to update properly on changes, not just on initial upload.
  • We fixed the Toolset crashing on Intel GPUs.
  • A huge shadows-related memleak was fixed in the toolset that would happen when loading areas.
  • “Input player name” is no longer covered by the Direct Connect UI.
  • LAN “Connect” button now works as expected.
  • Toolset now remembers window position between starts.
  • Servers displayed in the History/Favourites panel now grey out properly when they are unknown to the masterserver.

Features
  • Relays! We added experimental support to carry your connection over authenticated relays, hosted on our end. This is fully automatic and transparent for both players (a relay connection will be chosen if all other attempts fail) and server hosts (servers and scripting will still “see” the actual client IP), and is meant to take care of all remaining connection issues that cannot be handled with UDP hole punching.
  • We added support for the material file format (.mtr) as described in last weeks’ patch notes; reproduced below for your convenience.
  • Per-vertex static lighting now works properly when normal mapping is enabled: we use a stream that indicates the direction of the brightest light from the location of the vertex, and approximate normal mapping using that information.
  • Clicking on “Join Game” in the Steam friends list while already connected to another server will now be handled more gracefully.
  • History/Favourites now displays server data from the masterserver list to avoid connection issues.
  • LAN enumeration has been slightly improved to find multiple servers on the same host.
  • Server listing speed has been improved.
  • Toolset performance when loading/accessing placeable-related functions has been improved.
  • Toolset performance when working with the object tree in area view has been improved.
  • Rendering performance has been improved. (This is not the Skybox issue; we’re still looking into this).
  • Windows game and server will now use UPnP to automatically attempt a port map.

    NWScript
    New script commands:

    // Get if oPlayer is currently connected over a relay (instead of directly). // Returns FALSE for any other object, including OBJECT_INVALID. int GetIsPlayerConnectionRelayed(object oPlayer);

    What follows is a sample material file that includes examples for all currently supported fields:

    customshaderVS vsSkinned // Specifies a custom vertex shader: vsSkinned.shd customshaderFS fsFancyNew // Specifies a custom fragment shader: fsFancyNew.shd texture0 myDecal // Specifies a texture that will be bound to texUnit0 in the fragment shader. Will override bitmap/tetxure0 in the model texture1 myMask // Binds to texUnit1 in the fragment shader. We support up to fifteen of these textures: texture0 - texture14. parameter float vDiffuse 0.8 1.0 0.65 1.0 // Creates a 4-float parameter that will be bound to a shader uniform of the same name (if it exists) parameter float fModulator 0.5 // Creates a float parameter that will be bound to a shader uniform of the same name (if it exists) parameter int iCount 2 // Creates an int parameter that will be bound to a shader uniform of the same name (if it exists)

    To use a material like this one on a mesh, simple add the following line in the .mdl file: materialname myNewMaterial
Feb 28, 2018
Development Branch Build 8161
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition - Merro
Build 8161 is now available in the Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Development branch. These features and fixes will make their way into the main branch after testing.



The Development branch is available on the Beta tab after opening the game properties menu.

Fixes
  • A huge shadows-related memleak was fixed in the toolset that would happen when loading areas.
  • “Input player name” is no longer covered by the Direct Connect UI.
  • LAN “Connect” button now works as expected.
  • Toolset now remembers window position between starts.
  • Servers displayed in the History/Favourites panel now grey out properly when they are unknown to the masterserver.

Features
  • LAN enumeration has been slightly improved to find multiple servers on the same host.
  • Server listing speed has been improved.
  • Toolset performance when loading/accessing placeable-related functions has been improved.
  • Toolset performance when working with the object tree in area view has been improved.
  • Rendering performance has been improved. (This is not the Skybox issue; we’re still looking into this).
  • Windows game and server will now use UPnP to automatically attempt a port map.
Feb 28, 2018
Development Branch Build 8161
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition - Merro
Build 8161 is now available in the Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Development branch. These features and fixes will make their way into the main branch after testing.



The Development branch is available on the Beta tab after opening the game properties menu.

Fixes
  • A huge shadows-related memleak was fixed in the toolset that would happen when loading areas.
  • “Input player name” is no longer covered by the Direct Connect UI.
  • LAN “Connect” button now works as expected.
  • Toolset now remembers window position between starts.
  • Servers displayed in the History/Favourites panel now grey out properly when they are unknown to the masterserver.

Features
  • LAN enumeration has been slightly improved to find multiple servers on the same host.
  • Server listing speed has been improved.
  • Toolset performance when loading/accessing placeable-related functions has been improved.
  • Toolset performance when working with the object tree in area view has been improved.
  • Rendering performance has been improved. (This is not the Skybox issue; we’re still looking into this).
  • Windows game and server will now use UPnP to automatically attempt a port map.
Feb 23, 2018
Introducing the Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Development branch
Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition - Merro
We heard you like betas for your betas. The Development beta branch for Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition has just been opened.



This development branch will remain open beyond the launch of NWN:EE for brave souls to supply feedback on early versions of features and fixes. Access it through the Beta tab after opening the game properties menu.

A full list of Development beta branch patch notes will be published as we release new builds.

Development Beta v8160 Patch Notes

Fixes
  • A memory leak was fixed in the Toolset that would exhibit every time after a script was compiled.
  • We now compile the Linux binaries with 64-bit-only filesystem API support (so that nwserver runs properly inside docker-on-mac/windows).

Regression Fixes
  • Fixed a crash in the Toolset when trying to static-light a mesh with zero vertices (as seen by some custom tilesets, and the humongous bell).
  • A fix to Steam thumbnails to update properly on changes, not just on initial upload.
  • We fixed the Toolset crashing on Intel GPUs.

Features
  • Relays! We added experimental support to carry your connection over authenticated relays, hosted on our end. This is fully automatic and transparent for both players (a relay connection will be chosen if all other attempts fail) and server hosts (servers and scripting will still “see” the actual client IP), and is meant to take care of all remaining connection issues that cannot be handled with UDP hole punching.
  • We added support for the material file format (.mtr) as described in last weeks’ patch notes. Find those here: http://blog.beamdog.com/2018/02/nwnee-8159-patch-notes-and-steam-beta.html
  • Per-vertex static lighting now works properly when normal mapping is enabled: we use a stream that indicates the direction of the brightest light from the location of the vertex, and approximate normal mapping using that information.
  • Clicking on “Join Game” in the Steam friends list while already connected to another server will now be handled more gracefully.
  • History/Favourites now displays server data from the masterserver list to avoid connection issues.

New script command

// Get if oPlayer is currently connected over a relay (instead of directly). // Returns FALSE for any other object, including OBJECT_INVALID. int GetIsPlayerConnectionRelayed(object oPlayer);
...