Episode 44: Two For One!

Things have been settling down for me at our new house, and I have been able to make some good progress. Not only have I been moving to yet another couple of areas to work on, but new material (in the form of a Readable Book) supporting one of the new creatures that can be encountered has been in the making. Read on for a full update ...

STICKY OOZES

You just think you have delivered the decisive blow, only to discover you simply have split the ooze monster into two! Now you have twice the problem! Yes, I hinted at them in module one, and even had the code in place, but module two, Predestinated Days will have them full blown and ready for combat! Not only are these critters dangerous in their ability to divide, but their acidic quality will soon have unarmed combatants wincing in pain, and even some running away to help protect their equipment from any acidic backlash. Be sure to pick up the book, entitled "If It Splits, So Should You!" from the nearest store when you come across one. Seriously, you will want to know more about this particularly enemy and how best to defend yourself from them.

IMPROVED TB UPDATE

And if you are the type of player who likes to use TB Combat, then rest assured that an update to the Target GUI has been implemented to allow a player to click an unpause button from the GUI interface using the mouse instead of having to click the space bar. Surprisingly, this can be quite useful if you are sitting back from the desk and prefer the use of the mouse in such situations.

MAP ENCOUNTERS

Yes, Predestinated Days will be coming with an overland map ... the type you can explore and meet encounters. However, for those that later learn the quick paths for travelling, then the older style "click on a map" to travel to a location will also be employed. That is, two systems in one, switchable to the style you prefer. Of course, taking down encounters along the way will also reward you with experience, loot, and the thing my wife has been requesting, some specific crafting materials that you may need.

IMPROVED SCRIPTS

Both module one, The First Day and module two, Predestinated Days, gain these benefits from v1.41E onwards. Basically, as I have been working through the new areas for module two, it has given me the opportunity to go over and fine tune some of the less used scripts, including those for certain trap switches and detection, potential party mayhem (murders), house looting scripts and a general overhaul to areas of player feedback where I felt it may be of help.

Basically, everything over the last week or so has been general progression as I focus on a couple of new areas that move the players from one area of the module, via map travel, to another area of the module where the plot thickens! There is still much more to it than this, but being able to get the framework in place, where I can move between areas is a big step towards getting things done in general. This and preparing conversations holders are a pain to get ready, but once in place, simply editing and retesting from a saved game becomes very simple and a pleasure to do. I am getting closer to the easier parts with each week that passes!

And as this blog post appears to be about "two for one" in certain aspects, I will also do two screenshots instead of the usual one this week...

A View From Above ...

... And A View From Below!