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.
- WORLD MAP: The area is completed, but not all links are yet fully in place or tested.
- LOCATIONS: Main city locations and others are in place, but extra work with them required.
- MONSTERS: New monsters are in place, but some additional AI on others required.
- QUESTS: Many are already started, but some require a lot of work to finish.
- PUZZLES: I have all my puzzles working, but some new systems requires extra coding.
- SYSTEMS: The second module has a special new system, which is 75% completed.
- NPCS: Many have been written, but quest nodes remain where quests not yet completed.
- 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.
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| The Heroes Meet Deadeye Jack! |
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| Showing The Opened Task List |
