Pre-release notes[]
- In NWN2, camera control will be more flexible and customizable and will include a "behind the character" view mode.
Post-release[]
After released the camera received a lot of criticism for being too jerky and for not having any true equivalent to the camera in the original Neverwinter Nights. It was also criticised for not being more like the camera in Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, i.e. an isometric viewpoint. The difficulties experienced seem due to the fact that NWN2 is a more party based adventure than NWN - and more equivalent to BG1 and 2.
Post 1.10 Patch[]
With the release of the 1.010 patch (and Mask of the Betrayer) Obsidian chose to reduce the three camera modes to two - Character mode and Strategy Mode.
- Character Mode: In Character Mode, the camera viewpoint is from behind and over the shoulder of the currently controlled character. This mode is useful for getting a good look at your surroundings and exploring an area while you are focused on controlling an individual character. While in Character Mode holding the Left Mouse Button down and moving the mouse to the left or right will turn the character. You can also turn by moving the mouse to the edge of the screen. Holding down the Middle Mouse Button or pressing the Arrow keys will allow you to rotate the camera around the currently controlled character.
- Strategy Mode: Strategy Mode is a top down Play Mode that is intended to make controlling a full party easier. This mode is most useful for controlling combat situations involving a full party of characters against a large number of enemies. In Strategy Mode you can click and drag to select multiple party members. You can rotate the camera either by holding the Middle Mouse Button and moving the mouse, by moving the mouse cursor to the edge of the screen, or by pressing the Arrow Keys.
You can switch between the two modes by pushing the * button. If you make any changes in the options pane for either setting, it is advised to push the * twice to make the changes take effect.
Problems[]
Some people have complained that the new version has "Dumbed down" the camera, and is merely a reversion to the old style. The following gives the instructions on how to do this. Some of these tips necessitates the editing of .ini files which contains many of the games options. It is advised that a backup is made of these files before proceeding, in case anything goes wrong.
Settings keep reseting between sessions[]
After having modified the camera to your liking, push the * button twice in game. This should make your options stick. Thanks go out to wanderon on the official NWN2 forum for this tip.
Camera keeps snapping behind the selected character in Character Mode[]
In the default mode the camera follows the character and stays in position over the characters shoulder. However, the camera doesn't snap instantly behind the character, instead there is a small pause, this is called 'camera lag' and its default value is 1. To change this setting open your 'My Documents' (or 'Documents' if you are using Vista) NWN2 folder and locate the file called "nwn2player.ini". Open this document with notepad or another text editor and set the following four variables under the [Character Mode Options] section to the given parameters:
- Camera_Lag_Min=0.000000
- Camera_Lag_Max=0.000000
- Camera_Lag_Default=0.000000
- Camera_Lag_Current=0.000000
With these settings the camera will not automatically move behind the controlled character. The camera will now stay in place, no matter which direction the PC faces.
Getting "Close to Controlled Character" Camera to work in Strategy Mode[]
Credits go to BrionT from the official forum, for finding this workaround.
1) Open up nwn2player.ini located in your My Documents/Neverwinter Nights 2 folder with a text editor (eg. Notepad). You might want to make a copy of this file beforehand as you will be editing it.
2) Scroll down the text file until you get to [Strategy Mode Options].
3) Now in the [Strategy Mode Options] section, look for the line that reads CameraMode and change it to CameraMode=4.
4) Save the text file, close the text editor and load up your game. You should get "Close to Controlled Character" camera back.
On a sidenote, everytime any new changes are applied to Game Options, you will have to reset nwn2player.ini to CameraMode=4 again. Otherwise Strategy Mode will revert back to its default "Centered on Character" cam. Also, don't get confused with the CameraMode line that is meant for [Character Mode Options].
Extra info for Strategy Mode CameraMode settings, just in case:
- CameraMode=1 is "Centered on Character" aka old Top Down Cam
- CameraMode=3 is Free Cam
Camera Edge Scrolling Settings for Mouse[]
All of these changes are made using the in-game options.
In Character Mode:
- Check that 'Turn Camera on hitting edge of screen' is on
In Strategy Mode:
Control:
- Check that 'Turn Camera on hitting edge of screen' is on
- Check that 'Scroll Camera on hitting edge of screen' is on
Camera Focus:
- Check that 'Directly on controlled character' is on.
Note: After making the changes, you can switch back and forth between Strategy Mode and Character Mode using the * key on the numeric keypad to check that your settings have been applied
Camera Speed Settings[]
Find your nwn2player.ini file in your My Documents\Neverwinter Nights 2 folder.
Make a backup of your nwn2player.ini file and store it in a safe place (e.g. rename it 'nwn2player.ini.bak ) Open your nwn2player.ini file with notepad or a text editor and make the following changes:
Under Character Mode Options
Change
- Edge_Turn_Min=3.000000
to
- Edge_Turn_Min=1.000000
Under Strategy Mode Options:
Change
- Mousewheel_Speed_Min=11.000000
To
- Mousewheel_Speed_Min=1.000000
Change
- Edge_Turn_Min=3.000000
To
- Edge_Turn_Min=1.000000
Once you make those changes, save the file and boot up Neverwinter Nights 2. You will now most likely have to go into the Options menu and re-adjust your speeds.
Setting the default camera mode[]
There is no ingame option for selecting which camera mode to be use as default when starting the game.
Normally the game will remember the last camera mode used, but this isn't the case with Exploration Mode. The game will start in Strategy Mode every time.
To make Exploration Mode default you need to edit "Client Mode" in "nwn2player.ini".
Values are:
- 0 - Character Mode
- 1 - Strategy Mode
- 2 - Exploration Mode
Obviously the game will fail to remember the setting when exiting and reset "Client Mode" to 1.
To prevent this from happening set the file as read only. Make sure to remove this every time you want to change settings.
Other modifications[]
Shortly after the release Bluechipps made his/her own modification to make the camera more 'World of Warcraft like'. The modification is in the form of an application which alters the configuration files to achieve this effect. The thread detailing the program can be found here: http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2Other.Detail&id=25