Aurora toolset

The Aurora toolset is included in the computer role-playing game Neverwinter Nights, allowing players to create their own adventures and share them with others by using a module (a game made in the toolkit), potentially more advanced than the campaign included with the game. It is a combination of a visual tile-based terrain editor, a script editor, a conversation editor, and an object editor. Players using the toolset have spawned many modules that are available to download.

Aside from using the supplied content built into the default game, aspiring game developers can add their own custom content in supported files called "Haks" (or "hakpacks") using third party tools. Creature and object models can be created using modeling software such as 3D Studio Max, and media composers can create their own music files and intro movies with appropriate software, all stored in the Hak file.

The customizable nature of the game has inspired entire communities of independent scripters and content creators to develop additional tools, haks, and expansions that build off of the Aurora toolset. There are also many third-party software programs written by independent developers for Neverwinter Nights. One program of note is the NWNX2/APS package, which allows persistent storage of game server information. By interfacing with MySQL technology, builders can script persistence of object inventories, states, and variables. This package is of particular usefulness to persistent worlds, which require massive amounts of data manipulation above the capabilities of the scripting language.

Overall, the success and longevity of the Aurora toolset (and by extension, Neverwinter Nights) lies in the hands of a dedicated and talented community of hobbyists, custom content creators, and independent developers. While BioWare continues to support the toolset and the community as this writing (October 2004), the complexity of creating and writing a good module still creates significant barriers to the average gamer, so much so that Gamespy rated Neverwinter Nights as one of the top 25 over-rated games of all time (http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/september03/25overrated/index2.shtml), making the following claim:

That's not to say that the game didn't spawn an active community of people who eventually figured it out. After all, this is our list of overrated games -- not complete failures. But the promise of a universal online role-playing game with a human DM remains unfulfilled.

Despite the technical learning curve, the Aurora toolset still is a powerful and versatile tool, which makes Neverwinter Nights a unique and long-lived role-playing game. As Greg Kasavin from Gamespot writes in his June 24, 2002 review (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/neverwinternights/review.html): "Some games are memorable, but years from now, people won't just remember Neverwinter Nights--they'll also still be playing."

Script syntax

NWScript is the scripting language of the Aurora toolset. The language itself is similar to C and Java, which can make NWScript daunting for the novice scripter. However, it allows for the creation of complex behaviors and sweeping changes to the rules inherent to each module. One set of scripts developed shortly after the release of Neverwinter Nights is the HCR ("Hardcore Rules"), designed to bring the flavor and difficulty of the game closer to the original "Pen and Paper" form of Dungeons & Dragons.

Application outside of fantasy gaming

One group (http://www.educationarcade.org/) has even used the Aurora toolset combined with custom content to convert the game into a teaching tool, simulating the environment and setting of Colonial America during the American Revolution. A city in Virginia circa 1773 was recreated, providing a stage for teaching grade school students about the life, culture, and history of Colonial America.

External links

• NWNBuilders--Resources for intermediate users (http://www.nwnbuilders.com/)
• Bioware builders community (http://nwn.bioware.com/builders/)
• Educational Arcade--Aurora toolset used as learning tool (http://www.educationarcade.org/)
• The Builders Project (http://tbp.smith.dropbear.id.au/tiki/tiki-index.php)