Episode 69: The Long Journey!

As we approach the end of yet another year of module writing, I end it looking forward with eager anticipation and hope that the next module, Predestinated Days, will see a release some time later next year ... more likely towards the end of it! For now, this is going to be a relatively short blog this month, with just a few notes of what I've managed to do this year, and where I hope to be heading next year. Writing Predestinated Days has certainly been a long journey, even up to now ...

That Which Is Done!

The start of this year saw me turning to some of my old pen and paper (PnP) scenarios with a view to bring them to NWN2. In the last year I have successfully managed to incorporate one side quest, which turned out far more involved than I first thought it would be, and have the foundations of two more core dungeons laid out.

Later, I delved into developing some rotating puzzles for my mega-dungeon, which was first started around July 2019. Work on this mega-dungeon has been continuing back and forth as I come up with more ideas with which to fill it and make better use of its size. Importantly, I have also developed a number of new gaming systems for that dungeon, which I hope will all add to a very exciting experience alongside the normal fun of deep dungeon delving.

Another area I have worked on has included new creature AI, including vampires with gaseous form and their coffins; lycanthropy and its curse (and curing), and the ankheg and its spit! Each of these creatures has its own areas of interest, which I have also been developing alongside the creature itself.

Later in the year, I realised that the scale of the world had grown larger than I first realised it was going to, and so I had to start bringing in more areas, which meant I also needed to consider new quests. Using NPCs that I had from my PnP days that fitted the bill, I wrote some new side quests, which has taken a large amount of my time over the last six months that had not been expected. These, however, are now done, mostly.

By now, my coding skills had improved from a year or two back, and I started to rework some of the earlier code, including improving shop vendor response interaction, conversation background options, journal updates and even write a small card game. Some of these updates I made backward compatible and released v1.50E (onwards), which supported the improved game mechanics. Other code, like the card game, will be included as a new experience in the next module, Predestinated Days.

As this year draws to an end, I find in the last few months I have been bringing together some of those more difficult plot lines that are brought in from the first module, The First Day, and that now come together for the two background choices within this second module. Basically, the core plot line has now been solidified for both backgrounds, meaning journal entries moving forward will no longer have to consider the difference in background choices.

That Which Is To Come!

Moving forward is primarily about continued development of conversations and quests. Many of the side quests (that I have started) are now done. That's not to say that I may have another idea or two for other side quests that may present themselves to me as I move forward. Around three small side quests remain to be written, with a couple more larger ones that mainly require dungeon design and monster balancing, as well as any puzzles or literature I may decide to include.

As far as the main quest goes, I have now structured it in such a way that it has its own number of "side quests" that must be played to move the main quest on. I have around two to three of these "main quest sub-quests" left to finish, but at least one involves the mega-dungeon, which is currently an unfinished environment, and which is likely to end up with another side quest or two of its own on top of what I currently have for it.

There is still map (overland and static) work to be done. The world maps themselves are complete, although I have still yet to finish all links involved subject to player path through the module. These should not take me long once I have all the quests finalized though.

I already have in mind where some of the final battles will take place, but they still need to be considered for game balance and general appeal. Then, on a final note, I intend to design a location where some concluding plot details will be learned by the PCs that I hope will leave the player in a satisfying position in relation to the module's current end-game and what they might be able to expect in module three, called The Last Day.

Outstanding In Brief ...

• Area with a PnP scenario adaption  x4 (One side-quest. Three essential.) (*)
  
• Unique area with new dungeon  x2 (One side-quests. One essential.)
  
• Mega-dungeon (various sections) (Essential.) (**)

(*) Two end-game dungeons not started. One requires area designing too.
(**) A complex environment with its own systems involved, which requires careful attention. 

The Bottom Line

It still feels like a lot left to do for me at this moment in time. However, to your advantage, my wife is as keen to play the next instalment as I am to finish it, and so she is a constant source of encouragement to me to keep going. It's very hard for me to give any sort of timeline for release, as some days I manage more than others. I must confess, these colder and darker days are harder for me to manage, but as spring comes along, I hope I will bloom in the new year and have a flourish of writing.

One thing that is always an encouragement and welcome, are comments from readers like yourselves. So, if you have any ideas or suggestions, or just want to ask something, please leave a comment. Either way, I hope to update you all again in the new year. Until then, I leave you with a screenshot from the next module.

Preparing To Embark On A Long Journey!

Episode 68: Development Diversions

Back in January 2021, Episode 40, I had hoped that January 2023 would be around the time I would be releasing module 2. I was wrong. I had very much underestimated just how much this module would take on various directions of its own and grow into something with more depth than I first anticipated. So let's catch up ...

The Adventure Continues

Back in Episode 65, a blog from August this year, I made a list of the things that still needed to be done. Here is that list ... and some updated information below.

1. WORLD MAP: The area is completed, but not all links are yet fully in place or tested.
2. LOCATIONS: Main city locations and others are in place, but extra work with them required.
3. MONSTERS: New monsters are in place, but some additional AI on others required.
4. QUESTS: Many are already started, but some require a lot of work to finish.
   
5. PUZZLES: I have all my puzzles working, but some new systems requires extra coding.
6. SYSTEMS: The second module has a special new system, which is 75% completed.
7. NPCS: Many have been written, but quest nodes remain where quests not yet completed.
   
8. PLAY TESTING: After all points above done.

Basically, since that time, I can report that I have managed to reach the end of a rather involved side-quest. This quest was also one that I had been struggling to bring any depth to, but, in the end, has turned into something of a 'tragedy' - in a good way. i.e. The story ended up being something more meaningful, (to me at least), than it first set out to be. Originally setup up a simple task with treasure if completed, it has ended up with an interesting tale about 'love and greed' as well. Hopefully, even though it is quite a challenging side quest, I hope it has enough mystery to keep the players seeing it through to the end, when all will be revealed. It involved a fair amount of scripting too.

I also managed to finalize some conversations to another side quest, which has ended up taking on a slightly different ending to where I thought it would first go ... or at least, I am in the process of writing the final conversations as this goes to post. Again, the characters involved in this side quest appeared to take on a life of their own, and ended up delivering a twist to my original idea, in a way that makes for some interesting gameplay, I hope. The only downside to the new direction that the story takes, is that, once again, it added to development time.

Still More Quests

Even after I have finished these two side quests, I still have others to finish ... and there is even one quest (near the end of the module) that I have yet to even start. The bottom line is that I have been concentrating on trying to finish the main conversations involved, before I tackle the 'dungeon' areas, which require decorating, filling with monsters and treasures, and then ensuring the plot elements flow together logically, and work alongside any puzzle elements I wish to include.

Among these 'dungeons', I also still have the mega-dungeon to finish off. I have written a large number of the critical conversations required for this, but the nature of the dungeon requires more care and attention as to how the areas are negotiated, as it affects both logical flow and balance for the module. It has additional systems that need finishing off, as well as some more optimisation if possible. I originally started the mega-dungeon prior my area load time discoveries. Therefore, since then, I have discovered that some of these areas, which are quite large, need better optimisation, if possible. If that cannot be easily achieved, due to the way they are designed around certain plot lines, then I am hoping to add additional design to alleviate or even prevent too much area transitioning. i.e. Once transitioned to an area, the PCs will want to stay there for a reasonable amount of time while they investigate it and resolve the issues they may find.

Some of the remaining quests I am writing are based upon my old PnP scenarios, and so they are taking a little more time to 'interpret' than I first thought they would need. i.e. What is written down on paper as a single line of what is required can actually involve quite a bit of coding to reflect what that sentence meant. However, doing the conversations is quite fun, and I look forward to getting back into the two or three left to do.

Anyway, I now close with a couple of screenshots for you ... The first is a shot from a conversation I am hoping the PCs will have with "Deadeye Jack" in Predestinated Days. The second bonus screenshot, is from the first module, which is a room the players can find if they pursue a certain side quest to its conclusion. I wanted to include it to show how the Task List can look in-game.

The Heroes Meet Deadeye Jack!

Showing The Opened Task List

Episode 67: It's Still Coming Along.

I've been covering a number of module design angles over the last month or so, and, as as result, the second module continues to grow. There's no one specific thing I have to report on, but here are a number of pointers to the sections I have been working on lately, and which you can expect to see when Predestinated Days is finally released. Bottom line, I'm still picking away at it. Read on for more details.

New Companions

To complement the first module, the second module will come along with some new companions. My goal is to include around three more in total, to encourage making a party of four for a SP game. However, as before, the party size limit will remain at six, meaning a player can choose to maximise their party size by using a combination of companion options available. Basically, the player will be able to decide whether to use these new companions as they encounter them along the way, or they can continue to use any companions they may have brought along from the first module, or even simply use those created as a fresh party as the player entered the game. The recommended optimal solution would be to start with at least four in the party, and then decide whether to add to the party or replace existing members as and when these new companions are discovered and become available.

Talk, Talk, Talk!

The largest amount of my time has been working with conversations, and fleshing out NPCs, which, as you know, tend to be the core source of quests and associated rewards. Thankfully, I have just come to the end of a most difficult set of conversations surrounding a particularly involved "murder mystery" quest, which had multiple approaches, complicated variable tracking, and was just basically tricky to manage. That's a second complex area of variable handling I have managed to sort in as many months. I confess that others may have managed it more quickly than I did, but, due to health reasons, I do what I can in the time I can do it ... and suffice to say, I'm glad it's behind me now. It means I should finally be able to start going through sections more easily moving forward.

The Elemental Puzzles

After finishing the last set of complex conversations, I was able to return to doing more with my elemental puzzles. You may recall they involve turning obelisks/pedestals that display an elemental symbol. Certain combinations of these turned obelisks (or pedestals) then trigger something when turned to the correct position. Only today I managed to finish a "clue" system to aid the player in learning information that would help them obtain the correct combination for the puzzle. I am pleased with the final result. 

Basically, the PCs can find a small four line poem that holds the clues to the combination. The issue I had was that I wanted to use a specific font (Ambrosia) to display the poetic text, which appears on a plaque they can find. Normally, this is a simple image, which a GUI would display. However, I also wanted to add a random factor that determined the order in which the lines would display in the poem. As I am unaware of being able to change fonts easily in NWN2, (especially without interfering with install folders), I ended up having to split the image into various sections that could then be shuffled and displayed accordingly. It took a while to get as I liked it, but the end result means I now have lines of poetry in the Ambrosia font, which are randomly set. I believe it means I now have a potential 256 ways the poetry can be displayed. However, that achieved, I then faced the issue of being able to make this work with the turning obelisks, and trust me, this too was not as easy as I thought it would first be. However, I now have it working, and means I can start to make more use of it.

General Improvements

Alongside this, my wife has continued to play the first module, and given feedback, which has helped me to improve the overall running of the campaign as a whole. Latest improvements for the first module now mainly address "cosmetic" issues only, such as overall appearance and general response of companions, etal. All these updates are, of course, steps that improve the overall playing experience for the second module when available too. Basically, what I am learning from module one (and feedback given) is going back into the development of the second module. Thankfully, these subtle alterations and fixes are becoming less necessary with each play through, which means by the time module two is available, I am hoping the general playability for the campaign will be already quite stable.

The Heroes Investigate A Delicate Matter

Episode 66: It's Just One Door!

Have you ever wondered about what could possibly take so long when making a module? Or wondered how developers can possibly have messed up again and need another patch? For example, how could opening a door be such a difficult job to code, right? Well, wonder no more, as I share with you a day ... or more ... in a developers life when it comes to coding aspects of ... just a door ... JUST ONE DOOR!

It's Never What It Seems

The bottom line for myself, and I imagine many coders work, will be this ... What the player sees in-game does not reflect what is actually going on behind the scenes. In this case, I'm not talking about the AI of creatures or behind the scenes systems, like weather or mapping, but instead, more dedicated scenes, like a cutscene or a scripted event. Sometimes, there are moments in the game, colloquially know as "choke points", or a "critical path", where the player has to meet certain criteria for the game to move forward, and these points require a lot of checking to ensure everything is just right before the game can move forward ... Now without giving too much away, I hope to explain one such situation using a door as an example.

Multiple Paths

Linear style games, by their very nature, are less likely to suffer from any such coding issues. After all, if there is only one way to open a door (with a key) and there is only one way to acquire that key, then the logical process of acquiring the said key and then using it to unlock the door is pretty straightforward to code. To be fair, many games, including those non-linear games with multiple paths, will still use this kind of linear approach for the majority of their work. The difference, however, is that multiple path games may have a different "key" at the end of multiple linear paths, which may impact upon how they finally open a particular critical door when they reach it. To recap: A linear style will always have a single path, with a single key, that does a specific task. Whereas a multiple path may have many paths to different "keys", which do something different with the door they finally open. This is where it starts to become complicated ...

I've Got The Key!

So the player finally beats their way through the game and wins the key they need to open that door at the end of the dungeon. To the player, it was an inevitable event ... and is the exact feeling a builder wants their player to have. BUT ... and here is the exciting part for both builders and players, what if there was more than one way to bypass that door? Did they have to do what they did to get through that dungeon door, or did another player do it a different way?

In NWN2, we are blessed with great flexibility of play styles, which also already allows some various means to open some locked doors, if setup so by the builder: Bash it, lock pick it, use Knock spell on it, or even just use the key when found. However, with scripting, the means to "open a door" can become much more varied and differ as much as a builder is prepared to put into it. However, having said all this, this is still not the main issue. Let me explain a builders dilemma of a multi-path module ...

What Do I know?

The real issue with any multi-path issue, beyond the various means to bypass a locked door, is what does the player's PC know at the point they reach this door? Recall that reaching this door can vary in a multi-path game, and so the PCs may have picked up various pieces of information or met different NPCs along the way. How much of that information is critical for what lies beyond that door? If it is, then the builder needs to be able to ensure any path the player has taken will leave them with the same critical information as any other player will have received in their path taken. This begins to show the real differences of "maintenance" required between a linear and a non-linear style game. The former, every player receives game knowledge at the same time and pace, whereas in a multi-path game, this knowledge can be gleaned at different rates and times. Welcome to logical flow!

Logical Flow

Generally, if a game cannot suffer from logical flow, then it suggests it must be of a linear design. By contrast, the more multiple paths you start to add, the greater risk of logical flow creeping into the game there is. This risk is compounded by the amount of knowledge differences the player's PCs gather along the particular path they take, which can differ by both the physical path they take, and their personal time path of events along each physical path. An example of a differing physical path is when a party can travel one direction and learn of events along that path before effectively turning back and then taking another path and learning new or complementing knowledge along the second path. An example of differing a time path is when a party of PCs encounter different events at different times along the same physical path. The more points of knowledge the PC gains along either of these path types, usually updated by quest updates, requires more checks at new situations where that quest can be updated again. More importantly, it dictates how NPCs or scripted events act out by the time the player's PCs encounter them.

That Single Door!

So, hopefully, by now, I have explained enough to give you an overview of what can go wrong at any given point in a multi-path game. Let me now take you back to my door event as an example ... and do so in a way that I hope does not spoil anything.

Imagine a situation where the PCs have learned of a task they need to do. They head to it, but the builder knows certain criteria must be met by the time the player "opens that door that must be opened". The builder has to ask themselves certain questions: Have the PCs learned what they need to know yet? Have they spoken to all the correct NPCs yet? Do they need to speak with everyone, or are only some required to be spoken to? What happens if they speak to some and not others and learn only some of what they need to do? In a multi-player game, is everyone there to start as expected? Do the party of heroes have what they need to open the door? Can it be bashed, pick-locked, knocked or does it simply need a key? If so, do the PCs have the resources to bypass it? Is anything else supposed to happen when that door is opened? If it is a critical door, which must respond in some way regardless of how the player interacts with it, have I considered all possible mouse-click interpretations that will lead to the expected event? BUT ... importantly, it's all the stuff that happened before clicking the door that matters!

Let's Rewind The Clock!

Now let us rewind the clock that brought us to this stage in the first place ... because it is about what has already happened that now dictates what the end result will be when the player finally has their PC click on that one door. As a builder, we have to answer all those questions I mention above to a degree of satisfaction before I can write the code that determines what that door does at the moment of a player clicking on it ... and then, consider all possible responses subject to whatever state the party is in: This is governed by such things as basic quest states, but also by many variable states subject to what knowledge the PCs have gained through various sources, such as NPC conversations, books or scrolls read, or any other such information, including what they may have encountered on reaching this point. The point being, the moment a player has their PC click on this door (left or right click, and with any PC or player in a MP game), the builder has to be ready to provide a logical response that will not break the module's sense of flow. If it is a critical door, this can involve a lot of questions that need to be answered before it even opens.

The Critical Issues

Of course, a critical path issue (or "choke point") does not have to come about as the result of clicking on a door, but a door is a good example as it is often the "portal" by which the game concludes in one aspect, but continues to open into new directions beyond. The point is, however, if you enjoy a game with many potential paths through it, allowing you to play it the way you want to, and maybe overcome a challenge differently from another player, then a multi-path game with multiple critical path choke points is likely to appeal to you. The downside is, however, preparing and coding for such multi-path choke points is a lot more involved, and potentially subject to initial potential logical flow issues until ironed out through testing. 

So, next time you click on "just one door" or sense a critical path in a multi-path game, spare a thought to the many days it may have taken to ensure the path you took worked out as expected. After all, there may be a few other ways it could have been done, which you may have the pleasure of experiencing if you ever play such a game again.

It's Just One Door!

A VERY MUCH SIMPLIFIED EPILOGUE ...

PC Fighter: "Hey, look! It's the locked door we've been looking for!"

PC Thief: "Don't worry, I still have a key."

BOOK KNOWLEDGE READ: 

PC Wizard: "Didn't I read somewhere that there is a fake key that summons monsters, if used?"

OR ...

BOOK KNOWLEDGE NOT READ: 

PC Wizard: "At last. Unlock it then!"

Episode 65: It's Starting To Feel A Little Epic!

When I first envisioned The Scroll campaign for NWN2, I had no idea of the scope I would end up trying to cover. My initial plan was to write a first module that would introduce the players to the campaign, and at the same time, bring all players, new or old, to a place where they could continue with the main plot with similar campaign story knowledge. The second module was when all players would then start to unravel the main story in more detail ... and the third and final module would be what brought the story to an end ... but let me just backup one step and bring you the latest on the second module, still currently under development.

The Brief History

Regular readers of this blog will be aware that The Scroll was originally a "pen and paper" (PnP) 3rd edition campaign, with original roots in AD&D 2nd edition. The PnP sessions of the campaign ran from the early '80s through to 2008. I then transitioned from PnP to using NWN, and Soul Shaker (NWN1) was the first module written for the campaign that eventually leads us into the new age of "The Darkening" upon Althéa ... and where the first module on NWN2, The First Day, begins. If and when played, all players should finish The First Day around 9th - 10th level, and with an understanding that they need to head to Boran, the capital city of the Borantan Plains upon the world Althéa. However ...

Main Background Differences

Even at the beginning of the second module, Predestinated Days, whichever background the player chose at the start of The First Day has a bearing on how the second module unravels. However, I have also allowed the option (for players who may skip the first module, or no longer have PCs to import into the second) to reselect the background path from the beginning of the second module. If, however, the player has PCs they have exported from the first module, or are one of those dedicated enough to play the first module and flow straight into the second (yes, I have allowed for that too), then the background first chosen will be retained on import or continuation of play. Why is all this so important? The bottom line is because each background path adds a whole layer of plot for some conversations the PCs may have moving forward in the second module. The good news is, I believe I have finally resolved all path differences for the most important conversations now. This means that by the end of such conversations, all players, irrespective of background, should now be in the same place, as far as knowledge and expectations of them is concerned, which, in turn, makes my progress with later conversations easier to handle ... and speed up building. Although ...

A Big World: Design Depth

I already have PnP maps of the entire world of Althéa. I drew them and wrote a history for the world even before I designed the story for the players. Why? Because story elements with historical references from the world in which they take place can make them feel more real. In many other styles of modules, often these historical elements are either never referenced at all or are made up on the fly to give a kind of lip service to such. However, unless a builder has a good idea of how their world runs from the start, then modules can feel orchestrated at best, or lacking in details at worst. Some players don't mind that style of play. Personally, however, I like to play modules that (at the very least) have given some thought to the background in which their story takes place. The downside is that if done wrong, then introducing or making use of these elements can come across as "boring" or an "information dump". Done right, by introducing the elements at a reasonable pace and as the story unravels (as the player plays it), can lead to a satisfying discovery for the player and add a layer of gameplay that I believe is often poorly handled in many AAA titles today. In brief, I am talking about design depth, which, when done well, leaves the player with the impression of details that add to the overall experience of their game. The game world feels full, even with fewer areas, compared to a module with twice as many areas but no depth to its campaign world. However, all such depth of design requires more time to develop and then careful implementation in such a way that does it justice. I just hope I have the balance right.

Reining It In

I confess that I need to start reining the design in, or I will lose myself within its depth for too long, and risk losing sight of the end. Finishing the final conversations that handle the background differences have certainly been a turning point for me, but I also now need to try to deliver on gaming elements that I have managed to design already. However, there remains some partially started quests, which due to their historical background and involvement with players PCs of my PnP campaign, require some extra attention to the detail of their design. Thankfully, this is a less complex process than writing conversations to handle such, but, nevertheless, they do still have some design elements that differ according to the main background chosen at the start of the campaign. Looking back, I have to admit that taking this original design policy to support both old and new players has added a extra layer of complexity for me, but, I hope players will remain waiting patiently for the end result. Thankfully, by the time I start the third module, all main backgrounds should have converged in the story line, meaning the last module should be easier to write form this perspective.

So What's Left?

Having explained my difficulties and reasons for this second module taking longer than I first thought, I suppose I should at least give another update indicating where I am currently at ... So let me try to break it down into sections that I think remain, without, I hope giving too much away ...

1. WORLD MAP: The area is completed, but not all links are yet fully in place or tested.
2. LOCATIONS: Main city locations and others are in place, but extra work with them required.
3. MONSTERS: New monsters are in place, but some additional AI on others required.
4. QUESTS: Many are already started, but some require a lot of work to finish. (*)
   
5. PUZZLES: I have all my puzzles working, but some new systems requires extra coding.
6. SYSTEMS: The second module has a special new system, which is 75% completed.
7. NPCS: Many have been written, but quest nodes remain where quests not yet completed. (*)
   
8. PLAY TESTING: After all points above done.   

(*) These are the elements that require the most time to complete, especially when you take into account the points I make above with respect to backgrounds and retaining logical flow to the original PnP design.

I can't deny that occasionally I still "gasp" at what remains to be done. But, there is still less to do with each blog post I make, and is why I continue to write these blogs: to help encourage both you and I in that, hopefully, one day, Predestinated Days will be released.

And as you have taken the time to read my post, please enjoy this screenshot of an image the PCs will come across during their adventures in the World of Althéa ... The start of another adventure?

A Noticeboard Update!

 

Episode 64: Ye Olde Shoppe!

For the last month or so, I have been chipping away at module two, adding NPCs, journal entries, conversations and events. During this time, I also discovered something about stores I had not realised until now. On another note of introduction, I must confess that a fair amount of my development time was taken up with designing a card game for another builder. However, now done, the mini-game will also feature in my next module as well, and you can see a video of it in action below. So, ye olde shoppe is now open for you to enter and take a browse ...

The Hunt of Life Card Game

Basically, I have built a small card game that plays similar to "Pontoon" (aka "Blackjack" or "21"). If you want to read more about the rules, watch this video below and pause it when the "Rules" are displayed. I already have an idea how this card game will be used in a quest, and hopefully, players will enjoy the minor distraction from the norm for its duration. I even intend to have a deck available as an item for players who may just like to play it now and then.

This video shows a slightly earlier build, but everything working fine. The latest build has an additional setting button that allows the player to select a faster or slower deal speed.

Store Blueprints Info

During my time sorting out some new stores for module two, I discovered that if you made a "campaign copy" of a "STORE" object, which you hope to use as a template in other places, it fails to allocate any custom items based on altered item blueprints when you try to add them.

For example, I have altered the standard cure healing potions and have new versions of these potions, which if I then try to add them to this campaign Store blueprint, the added items immediately revert back to the original item template. The only way I could add my own altered items was to ensure the store object was already placed within an area and then add my modified items to that Store object.

I was surprised that I had not noticed this before, but it may be because I have only recently been altering items prior to adding them to the campaign store blueprint. However, this is not the first time I have experienced "difficulties" with store items. Frustratingly, if you add an item to a store, and then later decide to alter that item template in some way, the store item needs to be removed and then replaced with the updated version, or else the older version has been retained. Module placed Store objects appear to maintain individual references of items placed in them, even if the original template is changed in some way. EG: If you add a potion that says, "A Blue Potion" and you later alter that potion template to read just "Blue Potion" in its campaign template, then the store will not update the item, but will have kept a copy of its original wording. It's kind of doing the opposite issue of what I describe above.

This was a reason for the latest module update to The Scroll v1.63E. Some Stores objects had items placed in them, whose templates had been changed since the items had been added. So even though the items had never been referenced before (aside from the builder adding them to the Store object), when they came to be "bought" by the player, the store handed over "old" items based upon an old template reference that no longer existed! Something to keep an eye open for moving forward, and a chore to "fix" if one does ever alter an item template.

Reactive Offers

Thankfully, after all these latest discoveries, I have now been able to address all potential store issues with such items for module two, even before its release. Also, as a heads up for followers of this blog, (and while talking about stores), some store owners in Predestinated Days will now respond and offer other goods or alter prices subject to how the player interacts with them, which in turn is governed by how they have setup their PC background and role-play their PC with them. This is on top of the existing PC appraise skill deals!

The idea is to introduce a bit more character to store vendors again. I did this somewhat in The First Day, but I hope to take this to another level in the next module. It will be up to players to consider how best to speak with vendors to help improve their deals. Note: This is just a small piece of game mechanics that allows more player agency ... Hopefully, I have designed it to be reasonably natural and not overly intrusive, but noticeable.

Soul Shaker (EE Version)

In other news, and after some requests, I ended up buying NWN1: EE at discount from STEAM, so I could update my NWN1 module, Soul Shaker, to be NWN:EE compatible. The updated version of NWN1 has undergone enough changes that had made my module incompatible with it. The main four issues I had to address were:-

• 1) Videos required a WBM format. (Thanks to Pstemarie for help here.)
• 2) A script function clashed with one in NWN:EE.
• 3) Some VFX required a delay to function correctly.
• 4) Some extra code to allow SP gamers without a unique ID to play. 

I await feedback to let me know if there are any other issues that need addressing. However, if you want to give it a go, grab it here. Let me know if anything else needs fixing for NWN:EE.

A City Vendor Tries To Attract Your Business!

 

Is This The best Deal?

Episode 63: Another Blog, Another Step!

Almost sixteen months ago, this blog post marked the 100th backup I had made of the second module since the start of its development. Just over a year later, and I am now over the second module's 200th backup! And what a journey that's been. Not only has the number of areas grown, but I have also been able to concentrate on many conversations and side quests since that time. New mechanics have also been written for the next module, some of which, like enhanced PC Background and Sepia Image conversations, I have covered in some detail. However, there is still more to do ... Read on for the latest overall picture of progress ... and two extra bonus screenshots.

The Paperwork Progress

I have before me a pad of paper, which has copious notes (with dates) spanning its pages. The earliest date is 19th November 2018, and this notepad is about my third since I started making notes about The Scroll. (NB: I started reporting these Episodes from 3rd May 2019.) This latest pad covers the notes I am using for module two, and it covers all the various ideas for puzzles, side quests and plot twists that the module needs to cover. As well as this notepad, I have other notepads and paper maps that go back decades, and cover some of those scenarios from my pen and paper D&D years, which are also being brought to the second module. The latest note I have made in this current notepad has only three lines written there ... to remind me of the key NPCs that the PCs will meet and how the main quest progresses with the encounter of each of them. I believe I have covered at least 75% of the material I need for these characters to date, which relate to this module specifically. Or, to put it another way, conversations for the main quest path for the next module, Predestinated Days, are almost complete! However, smaller conversations remain incomplete or yet to be written.

The Quest Progress

In my mind, I am currently about 6-10 quests short of my desired number for this module. However, there are a couple of points I can make regarding this. Firstly, compared to my first module, the current quests for my second module are generally more involved, requiring a few more steps from the player to reach completion. As a comparison (and ignoring tutorial type quests), my first module, The First Day, had at least three quests (possibly up to six) that could be done within a few minutes of starting the quest. The second module currently only has a couple that may be considered "quick" quests. The second point I need to make is that the quests for this second module are generally more complex compared to those of the first module. In this case, this is not to say they have any more stages, but, instead, that each stage may have more than one outcome, increasing replay value. I have probably started writing around 80% of the quests required for this second module. I have "completed" around 55% of the expected total.

The Area Progress

Area progression is a hard one for me to pin down. For whenever I believe I have added my last area, I suddenly feel the need for another. This is especially the case in this second module, as Predestinated Days has at least three outdoor areas that demand further interiors, in my opinion. I am also aware that I still have at least one dungeon to complete in its entirety, of which I have not yet done any of its interior areas. There is also one other exterior area, which I believe will require some interiors to complete. I believe all these areas and related quests will be among the final stages of this module that I will end up doing, especially as they have some bearing on how module three begins. As a side note, both of these unfinished scenarios are based upon my old pen and paper notes.

The 'Other' Progress

I would like to believe that most, if not all, of the mechanics coding is complete. I have updated or added some new puzzle code, although, in some cases, these have not been added to the module itself. However, with the puzzle coding now complete, it should be just a simple matter of adding the interactive objects to any areas as required. The "complex" part is knowing where best to add such elements in a way that does not unfairly impede the player or more essentially cause a player to be unable to progress. Balancing the challenge of an interesting puzzle with a PCs capabilities (or even the player's), needs to be carefully considered. As a current guide, I watch how my wife currently manages each puzzle, and consider any adjustments from feedback that she (or others) give me. As this next module will come with some new puzzles, this may have to be something for me to look more closely at over time.

The Bottom Line

I am progressing ... slowly, but getting ever closer to finishing this latest module. Sometimes it is hard going, especially when my health plays up, when I have to stop completely. However, I still have some days when I can pace myself to be able to progress just one more little step. I am excited about what I have done so far, and look forward to releasing it ... whenever that day comes.

The Scroll

Finally, just to report that my wife decided to jump in and play the first module (v1.58E), yet again! Anything that comes to light during her latest play through is the reason for any further updates to the first module. Since her latest play I have updated to v1.59E, mainly to cater for potential "immortal" thugs if a quest is followed along a certain path. This issue can be worked around following a different path, but I wanted to release v1.59E to avoid that path issue for any new players. As long as no other such "important" (or "critical") issues arise, the next release will be v1.60E, coming after her latest play through.

Jared's Odds and Sods!

I'm Looking For Phil McCavity!

A Busy Port!

Episode 62: More Areas, More Quests!

Just when I think I have reached the total areas I am going to need for this module, another requirement pops up in a timely fashion, requiring me to have to reconsider more conversations and, more importantly, more quests for the player to undertake. For every time I introduce a new area, I then also feel obligated to make it an area worth visiting, and as any builder knows, this means the need for a quest or two. Read on to learn more about the latest developments ...

It Grows!

It all began when I started to write an important conversation that moves the heroes from one situation to another. Originally, this was going to be a basic conversation with an NPC whom the PCs may or may not know, subject to the background they have originally chosen for playing the module. The problem was, however, I could not easily introduce this female elf NPC in any of the areas I currently had available without it lacking authenticity. i.e. I wanted to have the PCs meet this new NPC in the environment they worked in, rather than the local tavern.

So, I found a rather good prefab on the Vault (details withheld to prevent spoiler), and place my NPC in a suitable location within it. I now had a neat new area with the link I required, but the area felt very much underused. In my mind, there was no other course of action other than to consider some suitable quests for the area to flesh out the experience for the player. It also offered me a way to add some personality for the NPC as the PCs carried out some particular tasks for her. It did not end there, however, as I also wanted to give some depth to the new outdoor area, by allowing some buildings to be enterable. This meant having to create some new interior areas too. It did not take long before I had four new interior areas too, but I am not convinced that's the end of it. i.e. Arguably, I think there should be at least another two interiors to make most use of the area. Thankfully, I also managed to track down a few interior areas on the Vault that I could also potentially use for the ideas I have in mind.

I am also aware that I still have one scenario in mind for another area that will also require one or two (possibly more) interior areas to complete the quest. That quest is also based on an old pen and paper scenario, and so may require a tailored design when it comes to it.

New Tasks!

I now wanted to come up with some additional material to ensure the area was interesting enough to stand alone in its own right. To this end, I decided to flesh out this NPC, making her more fully rounded, and with an agenda of her own. I located my original pen and paper notes about this elf, and expanded on what was already known about her, basing some new tasks around her character traits.

In the process of doing this, I ended up doing some interesting new scripting that gave better interaction with the game environment. Unfortunately, I cannot go into much detail, except to say that something the player does is now reflected in the game environment. It sounds petty, I know, but it looks quite neat when played out. Another task I designed has multiple paths to its conclusion, subject to skill tests and player choices. The conversations involved were quite complicated to put together, but the end result is quite satisfying.

Also, all tasks to date, have included some random elements, which could allow a different gaming experience on any potential replays.

Dynamic Creativity

My approach to the building of module two has undergone a number of changes over the last few years, and so what I may have reported a few months back may not be what I now say. Basically, my approach has changed from a rigid approach of trying to finish one area at a time to a more dynamic approach, after recognising the story forces me to refocus on various aspects as they reveal themselves in a dynamic way.

For example, as regular readers will know, there will be 'were' creatures in module two ... and that means a risk of contracting lycanthropy in the Althéa Campaign ... which means I need to provide a means for its curing. There are also other issues involved when introducing gaming elements where a PC may polymorph at any time! So, in this example, I have spent some time making sure a solid means of a player being able to cure their PC was in place, as well as ensuring such a curse did not detrimentally affect the game in other areas. I also wanted to stay true to the D&D rules with respect to any lycanthropic curse, which meant it was reasonably involved. Therefore, when it came to designing this aspect of the module, I found myself having to deal with a number or items, NPCs and areas all at the same time, which meant I was forced outside of a "one area at a time" approach. There are many such design situations like this I have in module two, which simply do not allow me the luxury of a single area at a time approach.

Anyway, bottom line, this module will be done when it is done, and as much as I had hoped it to be ready by the beginning of the next year, I may simply have to accept that the dynamic story has as much to say about when it is finished, as I thought I had. ;) 

A screenshot from the latest area of work .... 

Casual Enquiries?

Episode 61: Mysteries Abound!

I cannot believe almost another month has passed since I last posted. I must be caught in some kind of time vortex, sucking life faster than I realise ... and talking about sucking life, (please forgive my awful textual segue), I now bring you the latest news for the campaign, which includes vampires! Read on...

VAMPIRES!

First mentioned a year ago, in this post, I recently revisited a vampire quest I am working on ... a nightmare side attraction for those that hate these undead in particular. Like all the quests designed for the next module, Predestinated Days, (the second module of The Scroll for the Althéa Campaign), I have tried to make this undead adventure more involved than the player may have initially thought it was going to be. By this, I mean including more steps to the quest as a whole, rather than a simple discovery and resolve. i.e. A backstory with repercussions that have affected the world environment beyond the player's normal expectations. Whether I pull this off or not remains to be seen. At the very least, I hope it will be one of those quests that stands out according to its own story and merit.

COFFIN SEPIA

I have also updated the original basic GUI regarding the vampire coffin information to be replaced by a new sepia style conversation. (See screenshot below.) As I have reported in the past, I have added a number of sepia style conversations that may serve to act as a means of interaction with the environment in a more "pen and paper" style interaction. The vampire coffin is the latest addition. Results can range from a peaceful backing off, an instant slaying, or a dreaded encounter!

LOOK THIS WAY PLEASE

I recently had a long struggle when trying to use a function, SetFacingPoint, to make party members face a certain way during a conversation. It turned out that any member that is "bumped" into as the conversation starts can fail to turn to face a direction when this function is called. I finally resolved the issue by ensuring another facing function was called just prior the line I needed to make the members face a direction. Here are the lines in the order required for it to work ... NOTE: The home brew NowFace function is the one that calls the SetFacingPoint function, and oNearestWP is the object to face. I post it here to help others and to remind myself should I forget.

// MUST USE SETFACING TO "UNLOCK" STUCK PCS BEFORE USING A DELAYED FACE TARGET
                DelayCommand(fDelay, AssignCommand(oFM, ClearAllActions(TRUE)));               
                DelayCommand(fDelay, AssignCommand(oFM, SetFacing(GetFacing(oNearestWP)+ iALLFACTIONCORRECTION, FALSE)));               
                DelayCommand(fDelay+0.1, AssignCommand(oFM, NowFace(oFM, vTarget)));               

MOVING FORWARD

I cannot deny that sometimes there feels like a lot left still to do. Arguably, this module should, perhaps,  have been broken down into two or more, but the structure of the quests and their execution makes doing so extremely difficult. That is, the events of the story at this stage of the campaign require the diversity of quests and their interaction with one another to give the module the depth I am seeking to achieve.

I believe it is working out as I hoped, however, because while I feel almost overwhelmed with what remains to be done, I also reflect upon what I can only call the "fullness" of the experience I feel the module, I hope, will deliver. Considering there are only a handful of key quests compared to (perhaps) many modules available, the overall depth of the module still feels satisfying to me.

This is because I am including a world map with various places to travel between and explore. Some places will not be available until a player uncovers certain paths, but even this varies according to player decisions. However, from these various world map places, areas uncover to reveal further details and plot developments. Finally, these areas break down into further events and adventures, each with unique characters and various special qualities to help them feel new. I know I could sound like I am just explaining the game in general, but I hope I have included enough new game-play mechanics, improved conversations styles, and general control improvements that will make the whole experience an exciting one.

A Vampire Coffin!

Episode 60: The Deepest Darkest Places

Of the three modules I hope to complete for the Althéa Campaign, I believe the second module that I am currently working on, Predestinated Days, will end up being the biggest. At least, that is how it looks to me at the moment. Looking at my original notes, I thought it was going to be no larger than module one, possibly even smaller, but as I start bringing all the various storylines together, it's actually turning out to be quite a size. I'm not just talking about file sizes, but actual gameplay. New ideas and system improvements compared to module one are starting to flesh out this second module more than I realised they would ... and it's all having an impact. Read on ...

Background Conversations

One of the largest changes, especially from a role-play aspect is the way I now arrange some conversations. Previously, I used to rely on just the bluff, intimidate and diplomacy skill checks as a means of offering various approaches from which the player may like to choose. However, these three categories are broad in how they might be interpreted in a given situation with respect to role-play, and so can leave some players not having an option they may be fully satisfied with. 

This is where I have now introduced conversation nodes that may start a line of conversation from one of five personality groups, based on the background feat a player may choose for their PCs. I have covered this in more detail in a previous blog post, but, in brief, rather than be limited to one of three broader skills to flavour the conversation, the new checks I now make against a PCs background feat will, hopefully, begin to offer some more conversation options in line with the way players believe their PC behaves, or speaks. It offers some new node options along more personalised paths before perhaps reaching a skill check like those mentioned above. The idea being that the focus on earlier conversation nodes based upon character background responses helps to flavour the overall tone of the conversation.

The introduction of this style of personality trait system, where backgrounds flavour a conversation, does require more writing, but I am hoping the extra nodes I include will now help players be able to flavour the conversation more to their liking. No system is perfect in a CRPG, of course, but it does help flesh out the options available ... and the overall depth of the role-play.

From Paper To Computer

As I have mentioned before, this campaign was originally designed as a D&D pen and paper (PnP) campaign ... and one of those aspects which has come to light as I transfer ideas and dungeons from pen and paper to a computer environment, is that a translation to cater for various paths a player may take all adds extra conversations and area design that was not required in the paper original. All such alterations to cater for a computer environment add up quickly, but at the same time, offer new areas of gameplay that was not part of the original design. 

Basically, the translation of a PnP scenario increases in size for a computer environment, and so what once appeared a small side quest on the surface of it , can escalate into something bigger than first realised. In PnP, a DM can prepare brief notes for different NPCs and speak as them when required. In NWN you need to have all conversations ready, and all work together if the player decides to explore every detail of your design. This soon escalates into preparing more material than the paper counterpart may have originally required. On a plus side, it is exciting for me to develop these other areas of the campaign, as they allow for both new and old players to experience an area of the campaign previously never explored.

Area Designing

Now that I have sorted a couple of new puzzles over the last few weeks (rotating placeable objects and the new trap disarm GUI), I have gone back to finishing off some area designs. Areas have included a sewer in which the PCs will find themselves and more areas for the mega-dungeon I am hoping to include. 

Let me also just take this opportunity to thank rjshae for pointing me in the right direction to help fix some aspects of the sewer tileset I am using, which I have now learned suffered from broken or missing Projected Textures. With his help I was able to fix over 200 tiles, which now correctly show target UI. (Eg: The circle that appears when you click somewhere to walk.) For while the tileset still worked without this, I did feel the missing UI may hinder some gameplay, so it was good to have fixed.

Going back to the mega-dungeon, I can report that I have started work on the final areas that are involved with it, and been able to incorporate some of the new gaming elements that I have been working on in previous weeks and months, including the new puzzle objects mentions above. 

This week's screenshot is also from an area I have been working on of late ... a shot from a deep dark place ... and demonstrating some neat walk path I managed to pull off. As a heads up, yes, the PCs do take heat damage while standing in that platform.

A Deep Dark Place

Episode 59: Power, Paranoia & Fear!

How a world can change in the time between blog posts. In this case, I am talking about the real world! I'm not going to spend time debating the arguments for or against the current world's situation, but just comment that all injured parties are in my prayers and to say that I find it very sad that in today's age and society that people are still so affected by power, paranoia and fear. In a fantasy world, it's a core aspect of a story for stereo-typical characters, but in the real world ... and in our modern times? It's a crying shame to the human race that we have still not learned to play nice with our neighbours, and respect boundaries and ideologies, even if we do not agree with them. So, with a heavy heart regarding the current atrocities being carried out in the name of ... indefensible arguments, I will try to remain positive and blog about such aspects in relation to my fantasy campaign ...

Conflict

There is no doubt that part of what makes a fantasy game exciting for many is the conflict. When it comes to writing a story, much of what drives the pace of a book involves conflict of one type or another. This is something I learned very early in my campaign writing, but at the same time, I also learned that "conflict" does not always have to end in combat. This is something I have noticed some of the more thoughtful writers have tried to include in their works. i.e. An option to resolve a conflict by a peaceful or agreed solution. However, let us now look at what is usually involved to bring about conflict that ends in combat in the first place ...

1) Power

The direct cause is normally a force or power that desires to make an impact on its surroundings. Ultimately, the "power" normally manifests within or takes control of a creature or being through which it desires to make its influence felt. In the Althéa Campaign, there is only one main source of power, but misunderstanding of that power causes the races to develop a paranoia.

2) Paranoia

History of my campaign tells us that as the races grew, they ventured into regions of land occupied by others and encountered one another. Who were these others? Look at what they do! See what they can do! It's clear they are different! Do they think and say things about us, like we might do about them? What if they think less of us? What if they do not like us? What if they want to hurt us? Such differences between the races and cultures lead to the third and final problem of fear.

3) Fear

Not everyone of the various races looked upon these cultural differences as potential problems. In fact, most would learn to celebrate the differences, or in the worst case, agree to differ and, instead, cultivate those things they had in common. But then there were others that could not accept the differences, or believed, in their ever deepening paranoia, that these other races were a threat to all that they believed about the power to which they held. This happened in every race, and it was those with most paranoia and fear of losing the power that their own culture had brought them that would be the first to bring about war ... the result of power corrupted by fear.

Conflict In Action

The Althéa Campaign has quite a rich history and background, but this is also information that sits more in the background during gameplay, as such detail is not normally the focus of the player's interest when playing a game. For most of us, all we want to know is who is the "bad guy" and what needs to be done. For most, we may pay lip service trying to prevent a conflict turning into combat (especially if we are low on HPs), but, if the bad guy won't listen, we then resort to the combat that the game supports.

In this sense, combat is purely a means to an end to reach the end of a game and feel satisfaction for completing yet another adventure. However, how many games do you remember how and why the conflict came about? For many players, this may not even be a consideration, and may even be considered "boring" and assigned to the same dust-building books assigned to real life history.

My point is that "real" conflict, especially that which results in combat is the result of a much deeper fundamental point of life ... and power. Conflict can be both "helpful" and "challenging" if it can be resolved amicably, but can end in dreadful destructive results if one party involved in the conflict fails to understand that any power they possess must be used for "good" rather than "evil". And loss of control that results in combat is normally a result of fearing a loss of such power, not only in their station, but ultimately also in the loss of their own life, where they have no power at all!

In the Althéa Campaign, I aim to give every conflict that results in combat an understanding that this is the case: a fear of its own existence of some kind. From a creature that simply attacks to protect itself from a perceived threat to its safety, or sees the PCs as a source of food by which to extend its life; to power driven overlords and undead that have lost all perspective of life for others, who only desire to extend their own existence by any means possible!

Thankfully, for Althéa, such evil beings are few and far between ... and there are heroes that will pick up the gauntlet and do all they can to help preserve a fair share of life for everyone. The red line, however, is that these heroes must not lose perspective and indiscriminately destroy life themselves to justify their actions. Unless the laws that govern such power are not observed, then any man "can pass from life to death". The real difficulty is understanding what these laws are, and what ... or who it is that made them. That is the fundamental part of the story of The Scroll.

Other News

Conversations, cutscenes and journal updates ... all being updated as I make progress. I did have one very frustrating moment when I spent more time than I needed to when trying to write a cutscene. Everything in my code and experience said a certain action I wrote to take place should work fine, but it simply was not, no matter how I altered it. In the end, the problem turned out to be a corrupted creature object! Once I had deleted that and replaced it, the original scripts I wrote worked fine. Let that be a lesson to everyone: Consider the associated object!

Finally, just to say that The Scroll (Module 1) v1.50E has finally been uploaded. In fact, it had another upload today, but no version change because the three points it addressed were minimal issues. i.e. Unlikely to affect most players, and even then may not be noticed. (See the download page for more info.)

Death - The Final Conflict!

Episode 58: Rotation Matching Puzzles

Time has flown past since my last report, and so I thought another quick update was due. Recently, I have found myself making use of the extremely powerful tool MDBConfig by rjshae. Basically, I have needed certain placeable objects slightly altered for my own needs, and this has been a really excellent tool to help me with the process. Read on to hear what I have done lately ...

Rotating Puzzles

As many of my regular readers will know, I enjoy interesting puzzles in my D&D games, and so I suppose it's obvious I wanted to include them in my own module. The first module comes with around half a dozen puzzles already and you may recall reading I have some new designs coming along in module two. However, I finally decided to also include some I had in mind that work by "moving objects". Think either the mirror puzzle in MotB or like those found in Skyrim.

In this case, I wanted to add puzzles where the player may discover a specific sequence, which can then be applied to a set of rotating objects to unlock a path to somewhere else. Thankfully, NWN2 already has some code related to this, but I adapted it (made clearer) to suit my own needs. I still need to add the code to check the sequence and return a result of some kind, but that should be the "easier" part for me. In my case, it was making the placeable objects I needed to be able to provide the clues and for the player to interact with in the first place that was the hardest. Check out this weeks screenshot from the toolset showing my latest puzzle object additions. I hope to make use of these in the second module moving forward.

Growing Conversations

This stage of module building is otherwise being taken up with writing the conversations ... again. One of the largest ones is growing close to 10,000 words! This conversation is not even finished! I would like to point out that this amount of words is not about a large text dump, but due to multiple paths through the conversation subject to player PC choices and situation ability rolls, or character trait. Furthermore, in this particular conversation, the text is also affected by the player's background, which continues from module one (if played), or of that chosen at the start of module two.

Multiple Paths

On the theme of multiple paths, I wanted to report that I have also been coding a new means the PCs can travel, which led to a potential logical flow issue where the player could approach the same quest from multiple angles. Don't get too excited, it's not full blown flying, nor animated swimming, (or anything like that), but is a new approach which will allow the player to choose a different travel path. The point is, however, is that this new means of potential travel involved quite a bit of planning on my part, and only now do I think I have covered all the angles.

For me, allowing the player to be able to approach a problem from more than one "literal" path (as well as a skill path) is what will tempt players to play the module more than once to see how it played via a different approach. i.e. Think pen and paper where players may discuss which way to approach the game before declaring their actions to the DM ... I hope to pull off a similar approach in this module too. It does require triple checking things, which all adds time, but I am pleased with the results to date.

That said, I don't want to put players off, by suggesting the module appeared too "open world". Far from it! Like module one, the second module follows a very clear cut main quest, but also leads the player to explore other areas they may also find interesting ... with some areas seemingly more involved with the main plot than others may first appear to offer.

Continued Testing

Finally, just a quick update to say module one is going through another final SP testing after I decided to make some more changes to the code. It was mostly to do with the container code again and improvements to the way items are collected. As soon as my wife has finished this play through, the latest version 1.50E of module 1 will be uploaded.

Elemental My Dear Friend!

Episode 57: From Paper To Computer!

I have to confess that while I have done a reasonable amount of coding since I last reported, it's still hard for me to say exactly what I have done that will sound exciting to you, as the reader. That's the reason I have not posted anything earlier this year. However, I do have some information, so treat this post as a general update with a couple of screenshots thrown in rather than anything with much specific detail. Read on ...

And Yet Still More Areas

Even though I said there was not much to report, I can quickly add that I recently added three new areas (all interiors). One was a rehash of an official campaign area, which I believe I have altered enough to give it a fresh feel. The NPCs encountered and the objects to be found there are obviously new. The other two areas are being built afresh, as their design demands it. I knew these areas were needed, but I only started them a week ago and they still have quite a bit of work to do. These are all areas I need for the conversion of my PnP scenario I wrote about three decades ago!

The PnP Conversion

I am starting to realise that there are both pros and cons when converting an old PnP scenario into an adventure in NWN2. PROS: The plot is already written and comes with map designs, encounters and gameplay ideas all ready to implement. CONS: Making the design match the original with the toolset is difficult. Also, in my case, my old notes are verbose (I wrote more back in PnP days), and they require "tightening" for the new medium. Puzzles from the PnP have to be coded into NWN2 script and XML, and "paper handouts" need to be converted to "readable" books and scrolls in the module.

This PnP scenario currently being translated into a NWN2 module is called Bloodstone College and is one of three I am converting from my original PnP material. This one is by far the largest of the three, and requires the most work. For instance, I have managed to incorporate most of the material of the other two scenarios into the second module already (with some final scripts to finish off), but this one is complex enough that it could stand alone as a separate module. For those who have played my first module, I would say it is as complex as The Halls of the Goblin Kings. That is, the quest should last a few gaming sessions alone, but should be rewarding for the player who enjoys a mystery involving undead. Now I've said too much already!

Code Improvements

I know this is an ongoing exercise for me as I write the second module, but I still think it's worth reporting to potential players. For instance, improvements to old code this time around has included, automatons and containers. Automaton code: This now works more efficiently alongside the core monster AI code, after I managed to remove the need to recreate the automatons. Basically, as I have understood NWN script more, so the old code is fixed to work more efficiently. Container code: This is an interesting development (at least as I see it), because I was finally able to remove the area of official code that spammed the window upon acquiring a new item. Due to the way I allocated items to special containers, a broken NWN function duplicated "acquired new item" when it was not meant to. In the past, I just put up with this and minimised it wherever possible. However, recently, I finally worked out how I could bypass the official function in one area of the code and bypass the broken function in another area, thereby removing all references to acquiring an item. It involved an XML edit, and writing a new callback, but the end result is that I now control when the player is told they have received a new item. UPDATE: Changed again to use existing xml and new function.

Module 1 v1.50E Coming Soon!

As a final comment for this post, I can report that the latest v1.50E version of module one is in last stages of SP testing. MP testing is already completed, and load times improved. The final testing stages are also making sure all the latest gameplay updates reported in the last few posts are working without any glitches. I am particularly pleased with the combined results of the latest journal/task update alongside the container update (mentioned above), which now means chat window text spamming has been totally eliminated. This latest version also benefits from all the other updates reported in previous posts, including the "fast map travel" and the "enemy counter", as well as the new task GUI and new container code. Add that to a couple of improved area designs (made larger in places) and a general overall improvement to area designs for load times efficiency and v1.50E should be something special and definitely prepares the way for module two!

Now the two screenshots ... The first is one my wife wanted me to include (which she found amusing) showing a combat she had in the first module where one of her party was enlarged and was fighting next to her other much smaller halfling. The second is a screenshot from module two showing a new banner I managed to include.

The Little & Large Show!

The Sanctuary of Narmor (Night Sun)!