Question regarding DM work

[K'yon Oblodra]

Do not possess NPCs. Try not to possess NPCs for long periods of time. NPC possession is sometimes necessary to adjust NPC positions, stats, or equipment, but you should avoid interacting or roleplaying with players while possessing an NPC. This creates lag all on its own, but the real danger is in the fact that should a player decide to attack your NPC while you are inside of it, it will severely lag the server.

Does this mean one shouldn't take over inn keepers and other NPCs that are constantly present on the server as DM? I ask cause I think that is one of the most immersion adding things that can be done.

[aaron22]

i can also see how this can be f'ed all up if held in that position too long. sort stints as a popular NPC is best. do what needs to get done and get out. the longer you are IC the more personality you impart in the NPC. while that may seem nice. after ten years, all this personality would have to be logged and recorded then read by every DM that wants to be bentley. then you would need to play that personality and not deviate. unless schizophrenia is bentleys diagnosis.

[Deathgrowl]

Possessing an NPC is mechanically putting your point of view in that NPC. This is what causes stress on the server.

You don't need to possess NPCs to have them talk or even move, so that's not what this rule is about.

[Glowfire]

DMs make an NPC 'talk' the same way you'd make a summon/animal companion talk. That extra language bar window and select them (with a circle).

Which is why they also do auto-animations and auto-speech... Which should be turned off as a default as it's super annoying.

[K'yon Oblodra]

i can also see how this can be f'ed all up if held in that position too long. sort stints as a popular NPC is best. do what needs to get done and get out. the longer you are IC the more personality you impart in the NPC. while that may seem nice. after ten years, all this personality would have to be logged and recorded then read by every DM that wants to be bentley. then you would need to play that personality and not deviate. unless schizophrenia is bentleys diagnosis.

Well one could be careful not to display too much personality besides what's known from the sources but use them to point adventurers to a certain direction as especially an Inn keeper would catch a lot of gossip.
Also he might just have the usual trouble an Inn keeper could come along depending on where the Inn is situated.

Good to hear the DMs could just speak through them without causing too much strain on the server.

[Wandering_Woodsman]

To throw my two coppers in here, I'll say this:

A while back, I sent a message to the DMs via PM about an idea I had for my character.
In it, I used Bentley's point of view to open the message.
This was a definite no no.

In essence, they're also saying "Don't speak for <X> You are not <X>. Don't imitate <X>. Let <X> be <X> and you be you."

[Aspect of Sorrow]

Isn't strain, just unreliable possession events that can cause sighup.

[Maecius]

As noted, this is a rule about technique. If you want to see the server have a heart attack, attack an NPC while a DM is actively possessing them.

DMs usually learn not to possess NPCs the first time this happens to them.

Unfortunately, you only have 100% control over the NPC while possessing it. Which is why occasionally you'll see an unpossessed DM NPC go hostile for no reason, or keep attacking when the DM is obviously trying to break off the fight and turn them nonhostile, etc. The DM probably, through no fault of their own, just lost control over the spawn.

The DM Client is one of the tools that make NWN so unique and so interesting. But I think anyone who's ever DMed will tell you that we all have a very love-hate relationship with it. It's definitely not as convenient or as intuitive or as responsive as we'd like!

[Deathgrowl]

The DM Client is one of the tools that make NWN so unique and so interesting. But I think anyone who's ever DMed will tell you that we all have a very love-hate relationship with it. It's definitely not as convenient or as intuitive or as responsive as we'd like!

... Manually setting several individual NPCs hostile...

I am traumatised.

[K'yon Oblodra]

Funny Maecius, you mention npcs turning hostile while the DM doesn't want that to happen... We had a dragon in the last event that kept chasing my character cause I had used AoE disables on a group of enemies, that aggroed him despite being neutral to the rest of the group.
I think Flasmix actually had to recreate the dragon to stop the hostilities

[DM Boo]

Let's not forget that time when I accidentally jumped every single PC on the server at the time onto the Kheldrivver map with the accidental click of a button.

[Zanniej]

Let's not forget that time when I accidentally jumped every single PC on the server at the time onto the Kheldrivver map with the accidental click of a button.

Oh! I believe I was there. That was fun! Having to put everybody back to where they were, while they just disappeared from where they were all of the sudden! Awesome!

[Vartigy]

speaking of accidental buttons... please... rebind the Pause from spacebar.
That's as old as NWN1.

[Deathgrowl]

Let's not forget that time when I accidentally jumped every single PC on the server at the time onto the Kheldrivver map with the accidental click of a button.

That was hilarious!