Home For Developers For Developers FAQ

For Developers FAQ

FAQ for Developers working on software for the BioWare Aurora Engine and Toolset

Please select a question:

1.01	What is the For Developers component of BioWare's Neverwinter Nights community?
1.02	What kinds of things should I expect to find here?
1.03	What are the ground rules I should be aware of before I post?
1.04	[Insert generic legal question]
1.05	What are file formats and how can I use them?
1.06	Wait, can't the toolset already do all this?
1.07	That sounds cool! How do I get started?
1.08	Okay, I've got everything I need. What next?
1.09	I'm having a problem writing my program and can't find BioWare's toll-free number for 24-hour customer support. Where is it?
1.10	Will BioWare to keep the information and tools up to date?
1.11	What if I find bugs in BioWare's internal tools made available here?
1.12	Can I report bugs in 3rd party tools created by the community to BioWare?
1.13	What happens if software I wrote or obtained through information on this site causes problems with my game or computer?

1.01: What is the For Developers component of BioWare's Neverwinter Nights community? (Back to Top)

BioWare wants our customers to get the maximum possible enjoyment from our products and recognizes that helping people write software to enhance their playing experience will benefit everyone. The purpose of this section is similar to the For Players, For DMs and For Builders sections: to serve as a place for people interested in writing their own software for the BioWare Aurora Engine to meet and exchange information.

1.02: What kinds of things should I expect to find here? (Back to Top)

This section of the community will include things such as file format documentation, some of the internal tools developed at BioWare and a forum on which to discuss them and any other community-based, BioWare Aurora Engine-related projects.

1.03: What are the ground rules I should be aware of before I post? (Back to Top)

As just about any modification to the game at this level can be used for both good and evil, avoid discussing anything in a context that is intended to interfere with _another_ player's fun, encourages or enables piracy or otherwise contradicts the Neverwinter Nights EULA, which can be found on Install Disk 1 in eula.txt, or this community's Terms of Use.

For example, discussing how Brandon's camera hack works is okay, discussing how the NWNX2 system can be used to support your persistent world is also okay, but discussing how that system can be used to give one player an advantage over another is not.

As always, these guidelines are subject to BioWare's interpretation but use your common sense and it should be okay.

1.04: [Insert generic legal question] (Back to Top)

Please refer to the NWN EULA, which can be found on Install Disk 1 in eula.txt.

1.05: What are file formats and how can I use them? (Back to Top)

A file format describes how data used by a program is organized. Neverwinter Nights character data, for example, is stored in file that contains information about its name, race, statistics, etc. These details are stored in the file in a very particular way, a way that the game understands so it can use the file. With this file format, you can then write your own character editor, a separate program that can be run without the game, which will allow you to change this information.

1.06: Wait, can't the toolset already do all this? (Back to Top)

The BioWare Aurora Toolset included with Neverwinter Nights is very powerful and with it you can do a lot of things. However, it was not designed to provide the user with unrestricted access to all of the game's data. Using the character record as an example, the toolset does not allow you to directly modify any character data. You can create a module that awards XP or provides items for the player's inventory, but you cannot change the character's name or race information.

1.07: That sounds cool! How do I get started? (Back to Top)

First and foremost you will need some kind of programming language that is capable of reading and writing binary data. You'll also probably want a hex editor. Then, all you'll need is access to the information and tools from this website.

1.08: Okay, I've got everything I need. What next? (Back to Top)

At this point, you're on your own. You need to find something you wish to do with Neverwinter Nights that you currently can't with existing software. Check out this site for details on how the data you wish to manipulate is stored and start coding. An example is the character editor mentioned above. Other examples may include everything from a better Hak Pack Editor to an improved Conversation Editor to a more sophisticated Plot Wizard. The sky really is the limit here.

1.09: I'm having a problem writing my program and can't find BioWare's toll-free number for 24-hour customer support. Where is it? (Back to Top)

That's funny. Unfortunately, BioWare cannot directly support your efforts to write software using this information and these tools. However, feel free to post any questions or problems to the forum. The community is filled with smart, friendly people and you may receive help from one of them.

1.10: Will BioWare to keep the information and tools up to date? (Back to Top)

Circumstances may, from time to time, require us to change file formats or programs with little or no warning to the community. This would likely break any custom software you may use or have created. While we will do our best to ensure that the information on this site remains current and is updated in a timely fashion, schedule and resource issues may cause delays.

1.11: What if I find bugs in BioWare's internal tools made available here? (Back to Top)

Feel free to report bugs in any of BioWare's Neverwinter Nights software by emailing them to nwbugs@bioware.com. Due to the unsupported nature of the internal tools you have access to here, don't expect us to drop everything to fix it, however. These tools are provided "as-is" without any guarantee that they will perform in a manner that is satisfactory for your purposes.

1.12: Can I report bugs in 3rd party tools created by the community to BioWare? (Back to Top)

Here's another funny one. No you can't report bugs in other people's software to us. Please contact the author of the software directly.

1.13: What happens if software I wrote or obtained through information on this site causes problems with my game or computer? (Back to Top)

Anything you do with what you find here could seriously damage your installation of the game, including any characters, saved games, modules or hak packs you may have created or acquired. In addition, the actions you take may make updating the game impossible and require a full re-install of the game to correct.

Take precautions. Do your research. Check to see if someone else has attempted what you're trying to do to see if there are any hidden pitfalls. If you've found something someone else has written that is similar to what you're attempting, consider using it instead of writing your own program. Finally, back up any files you intend to edit before you edit them.

The use of any of the information and tools provided here is strictly at your own risk.