Episode 75: Objectively Bigger!

Just over four years ago I made my first episode post reporting on the current development of The Scroll: Predestinated Days, my second module for my NWN2 campaign, called The Althéa Campaign. Today, I can report that this second module is now "objectively bigger" than the first, as over the last month I have managed to add a few more quests that now give this second module more quests than the first has. It's not that I ever set out with any particular number of quests in mind, but that's how it has ended up... and there's still a possibility for a few more to be added! Now, I don't want to say much more about the numbers specifically, but I do want to reassure readers that I believe I have hopefully not compromised on quality.

Regarding The Quality

I guess we have all heard the saying that "bigger does not always mean better", and, I agree. That said, I hope the time I have spent in the toolset and supporting my first module, The Scroll: The First Day, has gone some way to helping me be able to develop a second module of a quality that, I believe, is actually better than the first. There are now a number of points that I would like to share that I hope will make this second module a game to be remembered.

1) A Larger Environment

Having broken free of the barrier surrounding New Edgeton in the first module, the heroes are now free to explore the open world around them. This means the second module will open with a world map. However, those that have played my first module may recall that there were actually two world maps available! So, not only will the second module come with two world maps with various locations to explore as they discover them, but the first world map will also be supported by an overland map.

For those that are not familiar with the technical differences of these map types, basically, an overland map is a closer expanded region of a world map, but works in three dimensions, like an area map, albeit on a larger scale and with a fixed perspective. It acts as a good midway system to allow a player to move their party large distances while allowing further interactions as they travel. A world map, by comparison, is just a pictorial map that a player can select locations to travel to without any further input required from the player. I would add that the the term "world map" is a misnomer, as each such pictorial map actually only represents a section of the world as a whole. Just like most RPGs, they simply represent sections of the world where the current adventure takes place.

2) Story Progression

Finally freed from the confines of their home village, the heroes can now learn more about their role in it. Note that if the player has already played the first module with Option One background, then they will already have some knowledge of their role in the events that are unfolding. However, as many players will more likely have selected the Option Two background, then this will be the first time they will be introduced to the campaign events that have been occurring while they had been trapped in the village. However, whichever background the player has chosen, the story will take a large step forward in this module. Furthermore, if a player has not played the first module, they will still be given the choice to select the background option and be able to continue the story.

In the first module, the main plot line (reference the cutscene as the PC enters the village for the first time), had to take a back seat as the heroes were forced to resolve the village's barrier issue. In the second module, however, it does not take long before the heroes find themselves embroiled in those events that they had consciously known little about. Not before long, they will learn of things that had remained a bit of a mystery from the first module, and start to recognise the world just got bigger! And so has their story!

3) The Quests

With a larger environment to explore there comes more opportunity for adventures anew. However, I want to remind readers and players alike that I like to design this campaign from the perspective of a pen and paper D&D style adventure. That means, most quests will be focussed affairs that could stand alone as a full blown adventure with areas and mysteries of its own. Furthermore, those quests that would be considered main quests may intertwine with one another in such a way that, arguably, various quests may string together as if each was the main quest as it happens. The difficulty I have as a builder, is designing these quests to work together as a whole for all possible directions every player may execute their version of the story.

Similar to the first module, there will be quests that suddenly open up into adventures more complex than first expected. However, I am hoping the second module manages to do this to a greater effect and with a more satisfying result. Also, because I am using adventures converted from my pen and paper days, I am hoping the atmosphere and gameplay of these quests will be more immersive than most.

Technical Improvements

From past experiences, I have managed to improve some of the ways cutscenes are handled and even have picked up one or two tricks that I have not seen used in any other module to date. They have involved more scripting and preparation than most events the player may normally encounter, but there inclusion is, for me at least, one of the most exciting things I am looking forward to the player experiencing. It is these particular details that I am finding the hardest not to talk about, as I don't want to spoil the moment the player experiences them in game. I am hoping for a "Wow, that was cool" or maybe even, "I did not know this game could do that" kind of reactions. Admittedly, modern games may do the kind of thing I speak of, but I hope it will come as a pleasant surprise for people used to playing NWN2 modules.

Another more obvious technical change will come later in the module, where I introduce another whole layer of gameplay for the player. I like to include new experiences for players of my modules, not just in the way of a story, but in the way the game can be played. Note, this new level of gameplay plays alongside what the player is used to, but, hopefully, will add a level of interest that has the player wanting to progress in other ways. It involves new GUIs and interaction in ways that suits the environment and story at that stage. In some sense, it is an entirely new module within the module, and one that alters the pace and atmosphere of the areas involved.

A couple of last points I want to remind readers and players alike, is that all these adventures and exciting new gameplay is being designed with the player's choice of PC character backgrounds, meaning conversations will offer more variations when employed, and that the whole experience is also still being designed with coop MP in mind, so the module will also be able to be played with a friend or two, as well as the standard SP option.

Bigger Is Better!?

An Ancient Sacred Site