My wife has, at last, had the opportunity to do some first ever alpha testing on the second module, Predestinated Days. It's only some very basic testing at the moment, such as party module-to-module transfers and checking the overland map features, but it's a start. Also, I'll mention now, the next blog post will not be until February! It's nothing to do with the time of year, but simply a case that I find myself being offline in January. In the meantime, if you want to catch up with this month's progress, a couple of screenshots, and other latest campaign news, read on.
Preliminary Stage One Alpha
I don't want to get ahead of myself, nor mislead readers... so, to be clear, this is really only the very first stages of testing. It is using the latest build of the second module, but even that build has not yet been completed enough for continued Stage One testing. In other words, this was mainly about checking if the PC (and party) transferred from the first module worked, and if the Overland Map that the player first enters played as expected. As it happens, even this early preliminary testing highlighted some issues that I needed to address:
1) TRANSFERRED PCs NOT EQUIPPED: The second module can be started in one of two ways: (a) Continued play direct from the first module, or (b) Started afresh from the opening menu options. The latter method also allows the player to import various PCs from any other PCs they may have finished playing and exported from the first module. So, it's possible to create quite a mix of PCs from various end games of the first module. This meant having to ensure certain items could maintain their variables if brought in from an exported PC. (This second method of starting the game, where the player starts in a lobby, a room of the Bloated Buckle Inn, has yet to be alpha tested.)
With respect to continuing direct from the first module, the first issue I encountered and fixed was that the code being used to handle variable consistency for exported PCs (via the alternative means of starting the module) turned out to be not required when PCs moved directly from one module to another. The problem was, when this extra code was executed, the PC companions would not re-equip their weapons upon entering the overland map starting area, which meant they would be unprepared for any map encounter they may later have. Thankfully, after removing the function that handled the weapon variables, all worked as it should. The function that caused the problem remains in place for starting afresh with potential exported PCs, and I will keep an eye to see if this has any other impact with more testing.
2) ENCOUNTER AREA TRANSITIONS: Another problem discovered at this stage was that when leaving a conversation to start an encounter, the game would sometimes fail to transition to the encounter area. It turned out to be a simple timing issue where the Overland Map creature that initiates the conversation was being destroyed just slightly before the transition it handled took place. It took me a while to track down, but once discovered, I simply gave the map creature an extra 0.5 sec lifespan and the transitions worked as they should.
3) ENCOUNTER NUMBERS: I use my own encounter.2da files to determine which creatures and their numbers are encountered, subject to the terrain the PCs find themselves in. My original tables had allowed for fewer numbers than the conversations suggested (*), and so required updating to accommodate this; as well as for the more powerful parties that will start with module two. (*) If the conversation talks about a "gang" of trolls, you don't expect to meet just one in the encounter area, as it had originally stood.
4) OVERLAND MAP MOVEMENT SPEED: My wife's first test was using an over-encumbered Main PC. (I had not been expecting this.) It meant that her normal slower movement for being on an Overland Map was even slower due to the PC's encumbrance. While this was effectively a "correct" interpretation of her proportional overland movement while on the map, I personally found it a little frustrating. Therefore, I added an extra check that would help maintain a consistent map speed whether the Main PC was encountered or not, by effectively doubling the PC speed if encumbered so that it remained consistent when travelling the Overland Map. I made the assumption that party members would share the load (if companions were present), or that the Main PC just handled it more efficiently. Practicality trumped realism here. Besides, normal encumbrance movement rate is suitably restored when entering the normal areas anyway.
Moving Forward
I'll see how the next couple of months of building goes, but my aim is to finish enough to allow my wife to be able to do a more thorough test of Stage One of the second module. It's not an ideal situation, as I intend to keep some of the module options unclear to her, so that when she comes to play it properly, the experience is a better one for her. This means that some parts/paths will go unchecked, but hopefully, the important parts will be tested. Other paths and options, I hope, will be tested by any volunteering beta-testers when the time comes. I am also having to prioritise some home repairs at the moment, and so depending upon how that goes will determine what I can get sorted in the next month or two.
DON'T FORGET! NEXT BLOG: FEBRUARY!
Take a look at the screenshots this month, which show the Main PC on the Overland Map, who represents the whole party. The first shows a nearby encounter with some trolls, narrowly avoided. The second screenshot (representing an hour later) shows where the trolls catch up with the party and begins the conversation pertaining to the encounter.
Campaign Update
There have been some noticeable changes and improvements to the overall campaign code, as I have been making preparations and alterations to tie in better with the needs of the second module. Things like multiple scripts that did similar things have been replaced with a single script. For example, there were around four scripts that handled various faction changes and updates that were quite confusing when to use and how (if at all) they differed. These were some of the first scripts I wrote, and they were altered over the years to try to accommodate various updates with factions that I have made. The single replacement script is much easier to understand and use, and with testing to date, appears to handle the same as every other script did, but more efficiently.
On the back of this, I hope I have also improved when auto-pause kicks in (if used) and the Enemy Counter. There have also been a myriad of other updates and fixes, which while not always obvious or even encountered by every player, will help smooth out the gameplay moving forward. For instance, I have fixed an inventory feedback when handling some items; added a missed VFX beam for a spell that gives the player a more accurate interpretation for a missed spell; and Captured Spell Books have been fixed in one or two places, where a spell was not working or a book that could not be evaluated and sold. There are a few other such minor fixes, which will all be available when I release v2.59E.
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| Avoiding The Gang of Trolls! |
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| No Avoiding The Trolls Now! |
