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Neverwinter Nights Content Installer Creator
Intended Audience: 
[Printer Friendly Version]
by Craig Welburn, BioWare Live Team Programmer
Note: This utility is only available with the 1.25 patch (or higher).
What is it?
The Neverwinter Nights Content Installer Creator (NWNCIC) was developed to
make distributing and installing user-created content for Neverwinter as easy as
possible for both the content maker and the person who wants to use the new
content.
The NWNCIC allows you to take all the separate content files you have created
(for example module files, Hak Paks, text files, .erf files, BMUs, Bink and
character files) into a single, compressed and self-installing executable. Once
you have built this compressed self-installing file of your custom content,
anyone that wants to install your custom content just needs to get that file and
double click on it. All of your custom content will then be installed
automatically on their system to the correct places within NWN. This is very
similar to a WinZip self-extracting file.
How do I create a self-installing file? Is it hard or painful to do?
Not at all, just follow these steps:
Step 1: Launch the Neverwinter Nights Content Installer Creator
- Locate the ‘utils’ directory where you have installed Neverwinter Nights
(The default location is "C: \NeverwinterNights \NWN \utils").
- Double click the 'nwcontbuild.exe' file. The program will start up at
that point.
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Step 2: Add your custom content to the working list of resources
- From the Resource menu at the top, select the "Add/ Insert" option. The
Add file dialog box should appear.
- Browse to the folder that contains the content that you would like to add.
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- Click on the file that you would like to add and select "Open" or simply
drag and drop the files you want into the working list of resources.
- The resource that you added should now appear in the working list of
resources.
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- Repeat steps 2a to 2d for all the resources that you want to add.
- The supported file types are module Files, Hak Paks, Text Files, erf
Files, BMUs, Bink and Character files.
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Step 3: Choose a name for your self-installing file.
- In the "Self-Installing File Name:" text box at the top, type the name
that you would like for your self-installing file (e.g. mycoolstuff).
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Step 4: Click on ‘Build Self-Installing Executable’
- Go into the ‘File’ drop down menu and select the "Build Self-Installing
Executable" option.
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- Watch the pretty progress bars as the NWNCIC works its magic. Juggle
plates on sticks if you think you have time.
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- Once the NWNCIC is finished building your self-installing file, a message
box will appear telling you where the file was successfully
created.
- That’s it! You now have a file that when double clicked will install all
your custom content in the proper places within NWN.
How do I install this file?
- Obtain a copy of the self-installing file.
- Save it anywhere on your computer.
- Double click on the file.
- Watch the pretty progress bars as the new content is magically installed
for you.
I want to save my working resource list.
- From the File menu, select the "Save Resource List As..."
- Browse to a folder that you would like to save your resource list in.
- Click "Save".
- If you have to made changes to your user content and want to create a new
updated self-installing file you can just open the Neverwinter Resource List
file (nrl) and all of your resources will be loaded into the working resource
list.
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Additional Information, Tips and Short-Cuts
Since this installer creates a Zip 2.0 compatible archive with a self-extracting header, Mac and Linux users can simply download the .exe and rename it to .zip and open it in their favorite decompressing utility.
For more information, please read the 'nwcontbuild.txt' file in your 'utils' directory where you have installed Neverwinter Nights
(The default location is "C: \NeverwinterNights \NWN \utils").
