-Curmudgeon, 12-Dec-2010[/edit]
What you need to know:
ALFA's haks have many special resources included which expand a builder's options in the toolset. However, unless your toolset and install are configured properly, you may have trouble finding them, or your work may not turn out compatible with ALFA modules once it's finished. There are quite a few things to get straight in order to test/toolset a full-fledged Live module; but the good news is that most sorts of building can be done under much simpler conditions.
Please remove any older Builder Override resources you may have downloaded in the past. These may conflict with current ones and cause many problems with future building.
For most of our hak updates, we're integrating various packs of placeables, item models, tilesets, or scripted systems developed by outside members of the NWN2 community. In order to ensure compatibility with ALFA's modules, make sure you only download materials from the ALFA website. Even though we use many of the same resources as a number of other persistent worlds, they may not work if they are from a non-ALFA source, due to some complications of how resources are read by Neverwinter Nights 2.
If you just want to start learning to build areas, items or creatures: (clothes for your PC, shields to go into some of the shops, armor forged by your PC via use of the Craft Armor skill)
- Download the ALFA Builders Module: http://download.alandfaraway.org/builde ... mod_01.rar As long as your haks are up to date (worldgate or direct download), this should allow you access to all the clothing, accessory, weapon, and armor models in the haks. I will post a how-to on toolsetting armor and weapons a bit later. Note; the module will unpack as a directory; use the Open Directory option in the toolset to open it, this is the preferred method of working for ALFA's builders.
- Download the ALFA Builders Module as above.
- Download the Builder Overrides: http://download.alandfaraway.org/builde ... rrides.rar. (IMPORTANT: See note below about overrides!)
- Download the Builder Icons: http://download.alandfaraway.org/builde ... _Icons.rar
Next, unpack the Builder Overrides into your /My Documents/Neverwinter Nights 2/override folder. Overrides can cause problems with other Persistent worlds, modules and campaigns, so use with caution! Outdated overrides can cause problems as well. The overrides ONLY need to be in place WHILE you are placing custom tileset tiles. I strongly recommend removing them from your /override folder at all other times. Also, remember to always clear your override folder before patching NWN2.
You should now be able to make areas including custom tilesets. Please note that ACR functions, persistency, scripts, static quests, and spawns will not function inside this building test module. These advanced functions require more complex setup, and will be covered in a separate posting.
Special thanks to Curmudgeon, for helping to assemble the Buildmod.