The Graphics in Neverwinter Nights are perfectly suited to there task, and some of the locales you visit on you quest are truly stunning. From desolated cities, to murky woods, every texture, model and bookcase oozes authenticity, nothing appears out of place or bolted-on. The models however are rather basic especially the player character models and the NPC’s. Although there is nothing terribly wrong with them, they look rather simple and basic when compared by the complexities of the environments they are set in. The metallic shines on the weapons and armour of the characters is admirably handled, and the games magical and particle effects range from the decidedly ordinary, to the spectacular. (There’s nothing like watching huge rocks of lava fall onto people heads, while you’re beefed up, half-orc, barbarian rushes in to dispense sudden and violent death with his magic battleaxe. Nice.)
The lighting and shadows of the game are also well handled lending an appropriate atmosphere to a dark crypt or sunny street. The animation on the characters is rather basic, not particularly stunning but there is absolutely nothing wrong with them technically.
Bugs
Hmm apparently the Bard class can become ‘illegal’ on certain multi-player servers, though a patch has now been released to rectify this.
Mods / Patches / Upgrades
As previously stated, the multiplayer game revolves around the player creating their own quests, as such expect to find many a new quest to pop up. Although there are official patches released, the game comes with a handy auto-updater, which downloads and installs all the latest stuff into the game. Also the 'Aurora toolset' comes bundled with the game. An extremely effective and user-friendly pack, it only takes a few hours to work out the basics, and even more complex tasks can be completed with a little perseverance.
Patches and links to other fan sites can be found on the homepage.
