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.
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