EDIT: The 1.0.1 update (v65536) seems to have removed support for external files. It may be possible to use the language folders instead, but I'm not sure yet and don't have time to experiment right now. For now I have to recommend that if anyone wants external modules they should not update the game. Most of what the update and DLC adds can be added on externally anyway, though maybe not all (I'm not sure just yet.)
I just thought I'd impart a bit of good news here. The first thing I did when I got the game was to extract its files to see about potential moddability. What I saw was that it is laid out almost exactly the same as the PC version of NWN:EE. It has a few more overrides and some Switch-specific compiled shaders (which I don't know how to edit -- too bad, some of the effects do need toning down IMO -- maybe editing the shd files will produce something positive there) but as far as I can tell everything else is exactly mirroring the PC version. I don't think even the textures are different -- though I haven't messed with them yet. The folder layout uses the folder names from the PC NWN:EE version as well (eg hk, mod, mus, txtp instead of erf, etc.) I've thrown in a few modules and the CEP files and was able to load things requiring CEP from the main menu without any crashes or errors -- though I haven't had time to test extensively (eg it may not have actually tried to show anything using CEP custom content, particularly textures, in the quick testing I did.) I didn't have the DLC yet (no eShop access on my CFW system) but I was able to copy the nwm files from my GoG version of the game into the nwm folder and they showed up as premium modules in the Switch version without any problem (which is probably how the DLC actually sets up the filesystem layout.) It looks like they've chosen to keep things as simple as was possible in the process so didn't change things around.
It's sort of funny that via CFWs one can get more out of this game than Beamdog themselves can ever officially offer. However, it's worth noting that by keeping the structure the same they did make it possible to officially add modules via DLC (free or otherwise) later in addition to what officially comes with the game through online access. They could patch in necessary hak/etc files via a DLC install to add on virtually anything. The menus load everything the same way as in the PC version with the "other modules" loading .mod files from the romfs /data/mod folder and premiums loading .nwms from the /data/nwm folder so the game straight out of the box is already ready for adding on whatever.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to mod the font too. The defaults are awful. The normal "high resolution" (for low DPI) font is pretty ugly and doesn't scale well with the interface (you pretty much have to use a 2x multiplier -- particularly if you play on a TV) and the "low resolution" (for high DPI) font is WAY too big even without the multiplier causing many things to not fit right.
I haven't messed with it, but I believe it is actually also possible to add on external content via save management. It appears to mimic the user's "My Documents" NWN folder layout (full folder names/etc rather than the shortened ones) from the PC version. The disadvantage to this is the save itself will, of course, have to load to NAND (and with CEP/etc it's easy to add on another 10GiB or so to the game's total size) but a possible advantage is you could technically hack in a modified save on a system not running a CFW (if you do it via direct mounting you could even do it without the system ever running any unsigned code outside of RCM so it wouldn't even be physically possible for Nintendo to detect.) I would think that this wouldn't be detectable unless they explicitly looked for it (which I just don't see happening because the team is laid back enough to leave a targa graphic file called "beamdoge" in the ovr folder that I'm betting is not implemented in any part of the game) since it doesn't in any way modify the actual game's operation, though using custom content online might be a different story (or it might not.)
I just thought I'd impart a bit of good news here. The first thing I did when I got the game was to extract its files to see about potential moddability. What I saw was that it is laid out almost exactly the same as the PC version of NWN:EE. It has a few more overrides and some Switch-specific compiled shaders (which I don't know how to edit -- too bad, some of the effects do need toning down IMO -- maybe editing the shd files will produce something positive there) but as far as I can tell everything else is exactly mirroring the PC version. I don't think even the textures are different -- though I haven't messed with them yet. The folder layout uses the folder names from the PC NWN:EE version as well (eg hk, mod, mus, txtp instead of erf, etc.) I've thrown in a few modules and the CEP files and was able to load things requiring CEP from the main menu without any crashes or errors -- though I haven't had time to test extensively (eg it may not have actually tried to show anything using CEP custom content, particularly textures, in the quick testing I did.) I didn't have the DLC yet (no eShop access on my CFW system) but I was able to copy the nwm files from my GoG version of the game into the nwm folder and they showed up as premium modules in the Switch version without any problem (which is probably how the DLC actually sets up the filesystem layout.) It looks like they've chosen to keep things as simple as was possible in the process so didn't change things around.
It's sort of funny that via CFWs one can get more out of this game than Beamdog themselves can ever officially offer. However, it's worth noting that by keeping the structure the same they did make it possible to officially add modules via DLC (free or otherwise) later in addition to what officially comes with the game through online access. They could patch in necessary hak/etc files via a DLC install to add on virtually anything. The menus load everything the same way as in the PC version with the "other modules" loading .mod files from the romfs /data/mod folder and premiums loading .nwms from the /data/nwm folder so the game straight out of the box is already ready for adding on whatever.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to mod the font too. The defaults are awful. The normal "high resolution" (for low DPI) font is pretty ugly and doesn't scale well with the interface (you pretty much have to use a 2x multiplier -- particularly if you play on a TV) and the "low resolution" (for high DPI) font is WAY too big even without the multiplier causing many things to not fit right.
I haven't messed with it, but I believe it is actually also possible to add on external content via save management. It appears to mimic the user's "My Documents" NWN folder layout (full folder names/etc rather than the shortened ones) from the PC version. The disadvantage to this is the save itself will, of course, have to load to NAND (and with CEP/etc it's easy to add on another 10GiB or so to the game's total size) but a possible advantage is you could technically hack in a modified save on a system not running a CFW (if you do it via direct mounting you could even do it without the system ever running any unsigned code outside of RCM so it wouldn't even be physically possible for Nintendo to detect.) I would think that this wouldn't be detectable unless they explicitly looked for it (which I just don't see happening because the team is laid back enough to leave a targa graphic file called "beamdoge" in the ovr folder that I'm betting is not implemented in any part of the game) since it doesn't in any way modify the actual game's operation, though using custom content online might be a different story (or it might not.)
Last edited by Nazosan,
(Get those Galaxy binaries out of there ASAP though...)
