Use Haks.

[Cruzel]

Years ago when there was tons of people fishing around for a new server, Making a hakless environment made sense. Now It doesn't

There are no flocks of eager players looking to settle on a server of their favorite new game. The NWN community is closed and dying. The few hundreds of people who still play are dedicated to their own servers, and any serious transition from one to another is done through word of mouth among friends.

EFU was a good server and attracted lots of people by letting them just jump right into the game. EFU:A Continues that tradition, but somewhat pointlessly. There are so many workarounds and things left out of the module because of the refusal to use haks of any kind.  

No, I'm not talking about bloated and ridiculous hakpaks like CEP which have ludicrous amounts of content no one will ever use or need. A few smaller haks for tilesets, models/skins, spells, visual effects and even items could make a world's difference in how the game is played. The EFU:A DMs these days are making all kinds of radical changes to how nwn is played on this module.

Why miss out? Make some haks, 9/10 worldhoppers on NWN these days are greifers, and the majority of the new players are brought from word of mouth, not gamespy.  NWN is an old game, a dying and boring game with a horrible engine. EFU and EFU:A and similar roleplay environments are pretty much the only reason anyone still plays it. NWN's appeal is the community built settings and worlds, almost any of which outshine the peice of trash bioware threw together as an official campaign. The community in every way outdid bioware with their custom content, pushing this game to the very limits of their imagination.  

Neverwinter Nights is a game designed for custom content. It's such a shame to see most of that potential not even being tapped by what is probably one of the most prominent NWN communities  currently active.  Custom content is easy to create, and isn't something that the DMs would have to do alone. Hell, all of you guys can look on the nwvault and find a tutorial to get you going in no time. Even the most computer illiterate person could pitch something together to help.

Together you guys could make something truly spectacular, something that not only the Dev team can be proud of creating, but the players can be proud of pitching in as well.

[Jayde Moon]

Just the visual stuff would be good.  Being able to represent mauls and chakrams, incorporating a host of new monster skins, additional heads to choose from for your PC...

[TheWastesAreFrozen]

I fully support this and have for a while now due to the reasons Cruzel brought up. They will not deter new players since any remaining nwn players are here for the RP (or action of other style servers) anyway.

Also, I don't think the file sizes are an issue these days since hardly anyone is using a dial-up connection or similar. I know a few are stuck with some slow connections (AKMatt ;P ) but I don't think they would quit EFU over having to download a couple of hundred MB, although maybe they'll say otherwise here.

[Quickpinkie]

I agree. Haks two thumbs up.

[derfo]

What's created with only vanilla NWN in EFU is easily recognizable as awesome. Implementing HAKs for some over-glorified slight aesthetic benefits to take away from that along with significantly decrease accessability is not worth the effort, amplified by the fact that player population is hurting as of late.

[AKMatt]

I really don't think Haks are necessary, the Archipelago looks pretty awesome the way it is.  Mort's overrides are sweet, but another nice thing about them is that people don't need them.

I think the idea that people aren't still jumping in is also false.  We've had four or five new players show up just in the last week.  Sure, it's not common, but it does happen.

Also, as pointed out by VP, some of us are still on horrendous connections.  It took me three and a half hours to download the music override.  I really wouldn't want to have to do this regularly to play here, though admittedly I would if it was necessary.

[Wern8]

I think Haks are fine and could add some useful stuff to the server, I am only concerned that we may lose players, but it seems that even the servers that uses Haks have much more players than we do, so it might not be so.

[Thomas_Not_very_wise]

I agree with Cruzel. A lot can be done with haks here on EFU.

[Meldread]

Nude hak and jiggly boobs hak.  Watch population on EfU: A rise.  :p

But seriously...

I'm on dial-up, but if the DM's wanted to add haks I am not opposed to it.  It might take me a few days to download a really large hak, but I do all such downloads while I sleep or while I am AFK.  When I played in a DMed Campaign Game on NWN I downloaded nearly 2 gigs in haks and music years ago.  I'd do it again, it just takes a little while.

I have all the overrides plus the music (big shout out to Mort for all the awesome he provides us).

Finally, I think loss of population is debatable.  We could also gain population with people who are curious about getting a new experience provided by a hak environment, that you just couldn't normally get in a non-hak environment.  Anything that helps EfU:  A stand out from its competition I think has the potential to invite those who are curious.

[putrid_plum]

I always thought one of the cool things about efu was that is had no haks but was far better than most server, perhaps I was mistaken?  I say no to haks, mostly because I was on dial up for years and it sucks to be left behind...

[9lives]

Gross.

[Letsplayforfun]

I dunno..

I barely know the difference between a hak and an override, except that one seems compulsory and the other seems not. And i'm usually opposed to compulsory downloads.

I've been server-hoping to grope ideas all around, but i've never bothered to download haks just to be able to log on to a server. There's so many to choose from, why bother?

IMO it's the community involvement that gets people to stay (or leave), especially on a low lvl server and harsh server, not so much the 'factual content'.

What would you add with hacks that is so formidable?

Just my two cents.

[Drakill Tannan]

Well i disagree with Cruzel on that thing that the NWN is closed and dyieng, i don't log to Nwn.bioware anymore much, but every rare time i do, there is a post of a new player who recuently bought the game, and as said, there are people who are joining EFU:A as a new server still. Also i think NWN is a good game.

I'm not sure of what could be added with the Haks that could make it worth it, really.

[DeltaBravoRomeo]

I was in BestBuy Yesterday, and NWN Diamond was still being sold and bought on the shelves..talk to any gamer, and NWN is a top fav-especially if they play online.  Haks...*shrugs* Mort seems to have made them not needed.  IF it could be done in a noncompulsory way, sure, I mean I would love to see one handed spears and mauls, but seems the amazeing scriptors here have bent the engine and made it work in a great new way.  Haks would just be extra goodness on an already tasty mod.

[FleetingHeart]

HAKs are in no way, nor ever will be, noncompulsory. If a HAK is installed on a server, it is absolutely required by everyone who wishes to log in.

As for the desire for HAKs... Well I don't really see a great need. It would add a few options, sure, but the shear amount of imagination that has gone into using the base tilesets and such is amazing to me.

In my opinion, the greatest works of art are those who make something wonderful in a highly restricted environment. Restriction breeds creativity.