The World of Avlis

I was skimming through what Bioware is tentatively offering for the 1.69 patch, and spotted this little tidbit.

Brian Chung wrote:- Yes, certain hay eating quadrupeds are planned to be in and you'll be able to ride them.

http://nwn.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic ... 5&forum=42

Here's the question. For those of you who played the premium mods, what did you think of the rideable horses? Was it clunky, was it fun, what was it like? Could you have full battle with horses, did they need armor? How did you feed them, how did you clean up after them?

Yes? No? What do you think?

Note that I am asking this under the NWN General Discussion! Yes it would be cool to ride horses in Avlis, but no I am not pressing the team to add them.
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Though yes, I would beg the team to add them IF they are truly added in the next patch.

Oh please oh please oh please...

I didn't even realize there was going to be a 1.69...

That would be pretty amazing!

You know I used to gripe and grumble about Bioware but over time and perhaps especially given what Obsidian has done with sequal, I've grown to appreciate Bio more. You can tell that NWN has been a labor of love for them.

Tigg wrote:

You can tell that NWN has been a labor of love for them.

NWN's been out 5 or 6 years now? For a company to still be putting out patches after that length of time is pretty upstanding IMO. Lets just hope they don't break anything in .69 and not release a .70 to fix that. Wouldnt' be the first game i've seen that happen with. Can we say Lucas Arts anyone??

On topic.. Though I haven't purchased the premium module. Riding horses does seem like a great addition. Question is.. how do we keep the horse poo out of the cities. I know for sure someone will ride up on a horse right into the champions keep in Elysia. Think off all the great little add-ons with this.. We'll need stables.. and hitching posts. Tons of kobolds to do poo cleanup.

One problem that does come to mind is how the horses will be handled when moving between servers. Are the horses treated as companions? familiars? hireables like the packbears?

I for one, would never touch them IG if they turn out to be like the packbears where you can't transistion with them.

Seen them in the premium mods and they're pretty awesome looking, and yes, you can have barding for them, and they act like hirelings. You could joust with them, and the animations were wonderful.


Can anyone say "paladin mount"? *wide grin*

*sneaks off*

With all the creaturs people already bring with them, I expect horse droppings to be a minimal problem at worst. Step into horse droppings, well, it's annoying but it doesn't smell a lot, and it's mostly grass anyway. Step in a fiendish gripphon dropping, however...

I might have to find a copy of NWN...

Alright, but lets talk specifics. They're treated like henchmen, but how well are the conversations done? Can you order a horse to attack while you're dismounted? Does it fight like a companion/henchmen? Are they like the packbears/oxen and die if someone sneezes at them? Did your character have to be a certain lvl before they could ride?

Marleh wrote:Alright, but lets talk specifics. They're treated like henchmen, but how well are the conversations done? Can you order a horse to attack while you're dismounted? Does it fight like a companion/henchmen? Are they like the packbears/oxen and die if someone sneezes at them? Did your character have to be a certain lvl before they could ride?

You have to have the 'mounted' feat to ride.

There are good options available in the conversation tree--
You can mount your horse, dismount, dismiss your horse, put things in its saddlebags (depending on barding), tell your horse to attack.

You can order a horse to attack while you're dismounted. It fights like henchman, and it does not "die if someone sneezes at it." You can joust with the horse, and the lance, shield are actually is visible. But the jousting was a special script in the mod, I believe.

You can't use a shield while mounted, normally.

That's what I remember atm... there might be more. Been a while.

-A.

Hrmmm How would a lvl 40 take that feat? Could it be added to a ring? Or maybe added to a PC Hide like some of the new quest rewards?

Though having people ride horses into inns or houses sounds bad news, and I can just see the Mikona Guards rescripted to yell "Walk your horse in the city limits!"

Could you choose from several types of horses? 50 gold for a plow horse, 300 gold for a trotter, 2000 for a fully trained warhorse?

They act like henchmen, but could you keep your horse "with" you, sort of like summoning a companion? "Flicka, I choose you!" Or do you have to rerent your horse from a groom or a stable every time?

It will in all likelihood be similar to packbears, in the non-transitioning thing, because the only thing that is transfered between servers is your bic. Summoned creatures, hirelings, familiars, even buffs don't carry over when you server transition.

As such, it'll probably be most used on Wilds, maybe Ferrell and Elysia. I can see riding horses being outright banned in Le'Or and her Canopies, but I don't know too much about elves. Visimontium and Deglos are also possible, but it'd be harder with all those rocky mountains and so forth. I can very easily see what Marleh said to be true: Mikona having laws against riding horses into town. Given the close quarters of the whole place, I can't see it being too practical anyway.

Kuras....man, imagine how the Fief Wars would have been if they could have had actual cavalry....

The sad part is that it will probably take a long, long, LONG time for all the servers to be updated to accommodate mounts.

I can't wait to be galloping along on a horse and having a monk zoom by me with a quickslotted "*nods*" in passing.

Tigg wrote:I can't wait to be galloping along on a horse and having a monk zoom by me with a quickslotted "*nods*" in passing.

LOL!

Riding dogs for Halflings?

girlysprite wrote:MY LITTLE PONY!

+2

silverfields2 wrote:

Tigg wrote:I can't wait to be galloping along on a horse and having a monk zoom by me with a quickslotted "*nods*" in passing.

LOL!

The oddest I've seen is a *bows* while a character in plate is running past me.

llhht wrote:

silverfields2 wrote:

Tigg wrote:I can't wait to be galloping along on a horse and having a monk zoom by me with a quickslotted "*nods*" in passing.

LOL!

The oddest I've seen is a *bows* while a character in plate is running past me.

*unquickslots that and hides*

Nighthawk4 wrote:Riding dogs for Halflings?

Brian Chung was way ahead of you!

Some Forum Guy wrote:Why do we keep asking The Devs for things that the community can do itself? Is it really the best we can ask for? Let's have The Devs do marvelous work on the game engine this one last time, please.

I request that the community stop asking The Devs to do what the community can do for itself and that The Devs improve the game engine with greater D&D compliance and more mod power, especially in the rules and game play area, scripting and all that, just for this one last time.

Brian Chung wrote:What, so you don't want wiener dogs for halflings for the community?

*Found here - http://nwn.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic ... m=42&sp=30

In Wyvren Crown, the premium mod that introduced the mounted option, you had an added Ride skill, as well as Mounted Combat and the various other related Feats.

They also had PrCs that dealt with mounted combat, the Purple Dragon Knights.

My favorite thing was being a Ranger, I could steal anyone's horse with Animal Empathy. Great fun.

llhht wrote:The oddest I've seen is a *bows* while a character in plate is running past me.

Wait...that wasn't you??

I wonder how will saves vs. fear work on mounts. Will they run away with you on them if they spy a mummy or something? or are they steadied by your presence and it goes on your will save?

Korennya wrote:I wonder how will saves vs. fear work on mounts. Will they run away with you on them if they spy a mummy or something? or are they steadied by your presence and it goes on your will save?

I'm fairly sure this depends on the mount, i.e. warhorses vs. regular horsies.

Urizen wrote:I might have to find a copy of NWN...

+1

wow...this brings up some old memories...it seems like they've been talking about horses for years! but it would be kuhl to finally get to ride one!:P

Oh I do hope there are ride-able Rothes....what would be soo cool!