1) Testing multi-player can be a pain because you have to wait for the game to check the version before it lets you continue to load the game. It can sit up to 20 seconds or more just waiting for an answer before it finally drops through and lets me test the module. It does not always do this, but it does it enough to really hamper testing. Ironically, one of the other aspects of getting a new computer was to speed up testing. If anybody knows how to bypass this check, or decrease the check time, then please let me know in the comments.
2) Much of my "faction" coding needed updating because I have now seen that setting the server to "Allow One Party" treats every player (and their companions) in the same game as one faction. This may sound obvious, but until I had tested it, I was not sure how it would work. In fact, if you remove the tick from the "Allow One Party" box, it works as if each player (and accompanying companions) were in their own faction. The problem is, I need the function of the "Allow One Party" for some other functions and design (like cutscenes), but was hoping for separate factions for each player in the party. Suffice to say, I left the tick in the box, and added some extra code to the faction checks to help distinguish between different players and their companions. (*)
3) As a side-effect of the above, it was interesting to discover that (just like MotB), when a companion joins a party, it is "for the whole party" and not just the player who requested they join. And so, in other words, a companion can (in theory) be controlled by any player in the party. While this still happens in my own module, my extra code (in 2 above), however, ensures that the companion does, in fact, stay in the "control" of the player who asked them to join in the first place, unless a second player asks them to join them instead. (*)
(*) All these differences are coded to enable a player to have more direct control over specific companions of their choosing; much like playing more than one PC. However, I have been able to make use of the default workings to ensure the companions act as a member of a party as well as specific companions in the control of one player.
During some of my testing, I took a screenshot as the PC looked across the Borantan Plains. I thought it looked quite good, considering area design is definitely my weak spot.
I can also report now that I have managed to script my first cutscene. Geoff Cordery (a.k.a. Quillmaster) came up with one of the voices for me, and I have managed to get the scene in place. Thanks for the voice-acting Geoff; there will be more to come. ;) By the way, if anybody else fancies a part of voice-acting, then please let me know via a comment.
After recognising how much work is involved with voice acting and lip-synching, I have decided that I will probably only keep voice-acting to cutscenes and (perhaps) the odd conversation that may add some drama.
I also started to look at the Influence System that came with MotB, in the hopes I may be able to use that system instead of my own idea. However, after trying to trace back how the figures were sent to the GUI, I had to give up. I still don't know enough about some GUI code and the influence code that Obsidian used was buried too deep for me to keep trying to uncover.
Just before I decided to buy and build a new computer, I had started to try some work with Gmax. Even installing the program and adding the NWN plug-in was not best explained and required careful attention. Thankfully, by the time I was actually able to go through a tutorial, I think I can begin to see how making certain placeables may be achieved. However, I have put that project on hold for the time being, as I believe I need to start doing more NPC and conversations ... and other basic building first.
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