With a new module comes new challenges... It's a time to "up the ante", and to introduce new monsters and puzzles for the party of heroes to face and overcome. However, creating such new challenges for the player's band of heroes also translates into creating new obstacles for the builder to overcome. Let me explain ...
New Monsters!
It is said that there is actually "nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9 KJV), which is something I happen to agree with. However, for each of us, there are certainly new things to experience, even if it has been around before in one format or another. I mean I believe it is safe to say that most of us know what a vampire is, and what to expect it to be like, but... It's true to say that not all vampires (and any creature for that matter) fall from the same mould. Yet, it is these small variations in the monster template that can make the encounter a bit more "exciting", or perhaps I should say "dangerous", upon encountering one such creature in a new campaign world.
This is because not every builder will include certain aspects of a creature's design in their specific version of the creature in question. Sometimes this is due to the limitations of the NWN game engine that we use, or more likely most of the time, due to lack of time to script in all those lovely AI updates we could employ for the various creatures. That said, when we have been able to add a slight nuance to a creature that may not have been experienced before, it can add another level of depth to the module being played in question. Therefore, with this in mind, I hope, on the odd occasion, to add just a little bit more to any new creatures encountered in module two. Let me be clear on this matter, it will only be the odd one or two, as some creature variants can be quite complex. One such creature to have undergone such treatment is in this week's screenshot (see below).
My normal approach when dealing with this sort of thing, is to gather as much information about the creature I have in mind to use as possible, and then create a version that supports as many of its known features as possible. This is where the "ante" builds up for me, as even adding just one unique property for a creature takes time. If a creature has two or three properties that differ from the original template provided, then it takes me longer to include them in the final build. The end result, however, is a more rounded adversary, which, I hope, will also "up the ante" for their encounter. Whether players will thank me for that, I'm not so sure. I guess time will tell.
New Puzzles!
I've reported on these before, but I would like to touch on them again. For The Althéa Campaign, puzzles range from simple mini-games to more complex situational puzzles. Those that have played my first module will be quite familiar with the mini-puzzles I refer to, and so hopefully, will feel quite a home with the new variants that come with Predestinated Days, my second module. These sorts of puzzles can occur multiple times through the adventure, and can normally be solved in various ways. That said, I am making a concerted effort with this second module to expand on the more elaborate situational puzzles.
Again, players of my first module will be familiar with the sort of thing I mean. However, when it comes to these "situational" puzzles, I have decided to try to "up the ante" in these too. By "situational" puzzle, I mean those that PCs can encounter in an area rather than on any one specific object. I consider them multi-object puzzles, which a player may need to take notes on, or, more importantly, consider a bigger picture when working with them. One such example from module one, was repairing the sewer units. Here, the player had to understand a process and consider the long term goal or what it was they were trying to achieve. It is this kind of "puzzle" or "task" I hope to take to a new level of interest or, from my perspective, presentation. It's currently an idea in progress, but I already have a couple of these task-like puzzles in place, and I think they play quite well ... I just hope players think the same.
More Challenging!
Basically, as to be expected for an experienced party, I guess, the next module is aiming to be more of a challenge for both the heroes and by default, the player too. That said, I aim to try to include the normal alternative ways of playing in place, to allow players a different approach if they struggle to progress, even if it means altering the game difficulty setting, or a frugal use of Life Essences at the right time.
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| Perhaps A Little Too Challenging, Alone? |
