Episode 23: Most Puzzling My Dear Halfling ...

One of the things I like most about D&D as a whole is its variety of play. We have exploration, we have encounters, we have combat ... and we have puzzles! Furthermore, NWN2 is a great platform for all of them. Where else can you create an entire party of adventurers by yourself or with friends and play a D&D campaign of a home brew design sporting its own unique new GUI puzzles? Personally, I like a campaign that provides puzzles, and this post is about some of the new ones that I am hoping to bring to supporting players when it is finally released. Read on ...

NEW PUZZLES

Players of The Scroll (module one) will have experienced quite a number of puzzles in my campaign already. From "ripped scrolls" to "combination chests" and from "chameleon stones" to "cryptic puzzles". It has a fair number for the player who likes the occasional change of pace and a chance to flex their "thinking caps". And let us not forget the "rune puzzles"! For those who prefer not to tackle puzzles though, there is also the option to bypass many of them, with the exception of one or two game important ones.

The puzzles of the second module will, I hope, be of similar design. The three I show in the video below are actually part of a main dungeon design, and so are designed specifically with that dungeon in mind. However, with minor alterations, I may be able to use them in other areas of the module too. Anyway, here is the video ...

THE JOURNAL REMINDER

While on the topic of new GUIs, I also decided to update one of my other GUI designs to act as a JOURNAL REMINDER. Basically, if the player receives a journal update (maybe even in the middle of a conversation), then my SHOW GUI now keeps a worded reminder that the entry needs checking and remains present until the entry is accessed via the journal. 

Furthermore, the player needs only HOVER over the SHOW GUI (when the reminder is present) to open the journal to read the latest entry. The new system also works alongside the new JOURNAL NOTES system, whereupon a slightly different worded reminder is presented in the SHOW GUI alongside a sound file informing the player that the journal NOTES section has been updated. The reminder is cleared after the player HOVERS to open the journal and enters the NOTES tab section of the journal for such entries. This weeks screen shots image show the update in action. (See below.) And for those that would like to have access to this update now, then you will be pleased to know that The Scroll (module one) supports this from v1.09E.

AREA BUILDING

The last couple of weeks has also seen me going over some of the areas, gradually filling them with objects and creating a "lived in" environment. From a scripting perspective, progress is smooth as I am able to use scripts that are now quite stable and work well for my needs. e.g. I have dedicated encounter triggers that are more flexible to use than those officially provided ... and I have been making good use of them.

As I have continued to develop the areas, I have also been able to consider various side quests and various plot twists that come to mind. How many will make it into the final, only time will tell. It involves more conversation writing, of which I already have quite a bit still left to do.

CONTINUED IMPROVEMENTS

As I continue to design the second module, I find myself being able to improve older scripts, which continue to have improvements on module one. This is why module one has also had an update to v1.09E. However, this is bound to slow down sooner or later, as many of these updates are mostly cosmetic now. So unless further improvements have a reasonably significant impact on module one, they may not be seen until the second module is released, at which point all the other minor campaign improvements will be added then.

ALTHEA WEATHER SYSTEM

For those who may be interested, I also managed to update the Althéa Weather System to v2.0, which is basically the same system I use in the latest version of The Scroll. So, if you want a fully implemented weather system for your NWN2 campaign, then maybe it's worth considering. Version 2.0 basically runs more efficiently than earlier versions.

New Journal Update Reminder System

Episode 22: May The Force Field Not Stop You!

With the toolset issues behind me, I am now able to push forward with the creation of module two of The Scroll with more ease. Especially in the department of working with sounds and VFXs. I am not an expert in this area at all, but find I am able to rework some of those VFXs that others have made or come with the toolset already. To this end, when I found myself in need of another VFX for the latest dungeon I am working on, I was pleased to find I was able to make the VFX I needed. Read on ...

FORCE FIELD VFX

So if you had not guessed from the title already, the new effect was a Force Field. I don't think I give any spoilers by mentioning it, because I have not yet decided just how "menacing" the final encounter with it shall be. Suffice to say, the effect turned out as I hoped, with the only caveat being that I had to separate the sound part of the effect from its visual effect. This was because the sound of the VFX could not be easily managed in scripting if I did not. It was going to be this week's screenshot, but as the full impact could not be easily portrayed in a soundless 2d image, I am treating readers to a small six second video link to take a look instead.

AREA BUILDING

I also managed to start building another interior area to support one of the exterior areas I am currently working on with respect to the main quest. It's one of a few interior areas I knew I was going to have to build, and as I have just updated the HAK folder for the campaign, it gave me the opportunity to check one of the yet unused tile sets: Cellars by rjshae. This week's screenshot is from that interior area in it's early design.

CONVERSATIONS

I have also started to add templates for more conversations that are needed for the mega-dungeon section I am working on. These conversations are reasonably straightforward ones, but like anything to do with the "mega" status, I simply need more to accommodate the dungeon size. And while on the subject of the mega-dungeon, I can add that I have also continued to work on its various areas too.

SCRIPTING

Thankfully, writing scripts is one of the less taxing aspects for me, which I have been able to keep reasonably well up to date as required. On the subject of scripting, I have also decided to move all scripts, including altered official campaign ones, to the root directory of the campaign folder. This is because if they are stored within their own sub-directory (like they had been), they were not checked when using the "compile all scripts" option. While this may not be an issue much of the time, there are some circumstances when missing these scripts during a compile check may have an impact in future, because I often forget what these scripts refer to. So basically, it's a precaution moving forward from v1.08E (next release) of module one. As an example, the "invisibility" scripts required recompiling after I removed a function they referred to. Thankfully, the removal made no impact to the spells at all in any past releases, but I won't be taking the same risks moving forward.

BACKSTORY & QUESTS

I have also been taking time to put together back story in my Readable Books format (*) and develop some more side quests. The latest book written has over 2 x 6 pages! It is designed to answer some of the questions the player may have been wondering about, but they can choose to read or simply skip through. Either way, the game will continue regardless of how much detail the player chooses to read ... but I hope they are encouraged enough to want to know more of the story anyway. (*) Latest version in The Scroll campaign files only.

As I have stated previously, my aim is to try to provide some side quests that will complement the main quest more naturally than in the previous module. It's more of a subtle change, but one that I hope may make gameplay feel more natural ... perhaps. They take the shape of "while you are at it" approach, as opposed to "here is something else".

The Cellar is Cold, Dark and Dank!