Episode 97: Stage Two First Alpha Feedback (α1)

I am delighted to report that I now bring you the first alpha testing feedback for the second stage of the second module. Yes, bugs were found (and fixed), but the overall experience went smoothly, mostly. Read on to discover the details and further news on the campaign development as a whole.

Stage Two Alpha

To date, the second stage has only had its very first alpha testing by one tester, which means a number of plot paths remain untested. As far as I am concerned, the first alpha testing is about discovering any critical problems such as path-finding movement issues and plot item bugs more than anything else. Logical flow of quest updates are certainly still checked, but are something that can only be considered as fully tested after several play sessions where the path is changed.

Tester Comments

PARTY MAKEUP: For this first stage two alpha test, the tester played a good-aligned party of six PCs and one henchman. They started at around tenth level, and were using stats and equipment from PCs that  had previously played through the first module.

Many of the tester's feedback from the first stage of the second module still apply, but here are a few new comments that were made:

"I was surprised and impressed at how involved the second stage was. It added depth to the overall story, and connected well with events I had in the first stage."  

One of the reasons I divided this second module into three stages is because of the way I try to pace the main story for the player. My aim is to allow the player to have as much freedom as possible to play the game their own way, but not at the cost of the story pace if I can help it. Therefore, while this second stage can potentially be unlocked within a few hours of play of the first stage, the player is now left with a choice as to which stage they may wish to progress. This setup is also helpful for the testing, as it meant the tester could play the quickest path they knew to jump straight into testing stage two.

Irrespective of the time the player takes their party to stage two, however, the story continues at its own pace from stage two. It is important to note that the main story is not only governed by the actions taken by the player in stage one, but that stage two also has actions that must be met before stage three can begin. However, the order of these plot events can vary between stage one and two and completed in any order the player desires. The end result is that the player recognises how their choices affect the story as they play it, as much when they play through the second stage as the first.

"The style of play has progressed and complemented (but also differs from) the first stage and the first module in the campaign, with exciting new puzzles and monsters, and fresh characters that deepened the plot."

One of my main aims with module two as a whole, was to not let what I know of NWN2 stop me from designing a campaign from what I had in mind to deliver. I thought of my Pen and Paper D&D days and the scenarios I had written back then (1980's) and went about to redesign them to work in the NWN2 environment. This was no easy task, but I thought if I could come anywhere close to achieving it, the fresh gameplay experience may be welcomed by most players.

I wanted to develop a greater involvement of "scenario mysteries", which requires several events to take place to make progress. It involved "puzzles", but I mean in a broader sense of a "quest-based" puzzle (or events) rather than a single "object-based" puzzle. I first tested this approach in the first stage of the second module, but as I have continued working on the module, I have tried to include these across as many scenarios as possible.

To be clear, sometimes I would prefer to replace "a puzzle" with "a challenge" as a better way of describing what it is that I have designed into a scenario. It's more of an "event" based approach to a scenario rather than calling it a scenario with "puzzles". Either way, playing a scenario may involve one or two more events than a player has experienced previously, which I hope is what adds to the overall fun.

"The side-quests linked in well and had plenty of depth to them."

Regular readers will know how much I am trying to give even side-quests a "greater" story line than what players may be used to. This ties in to some of those points I raise above. However, I also try to ensure any NPC characters involved are more than the usual stereo-typical 2d characters we tend to come across, which I believe also helps to bring an additional sense of depth to quests related to them.

"There were many aspects of stage two that provided a new variety of tasks that offered me significant choice of what action to take. I did not feel pressured into taking any specific path, but could take my time of what I would do next."

Offering "choices" to the player is what I believe any good D&D game does. This is even more important to my campaign design, bearing in mind its title, "Predestinated Days". It is part of the game design to help illuminate the dichotomy of life. How far are we actually "free" to act? Anyway, I won't speak further on this point, but playing the module may speak some more if you ask the "right" questions.

"Overall exciting, challenging and made logical sense."

Excitement and fun is my main aim for all players! If the scenarios and main story are also fully understood and make logical sense, then I have done what I set out to do. Importantly, I believe well written journal entries (for quest or notes), as well as clearly defined tasks go a long way to ensure the player is kept fully informed of their objectives. In recent months, I have developed a new TOKEN based system alongside journal entries, which also helps to accommodate the more dynamic story design of my campaign. The NWN2 toolset is truly great at what it gives us builders the power to do!

Any constructive feedback you guys can give me in any matter of design is always welcomed. What kind of game do you like to play? More or less combat? More or less "puzzles"? (Bear in mind what I mention above regarding this usage of the word.) 

I have often been surprised at what other players call "exciting" in an otherwise same format of game. For example, I have played some RPG games that, from my perspective, eventually become tedious. They begin to suffer from lack of interaction, repetitive or unbalanced combat, unclear objectives, wandering aimlessly around, with bland NPC characterisation and even little plot to keep me motivated, to name just a few problems. Obviously, time available to us often dictates our choice of game: grab a game to have a quick blast and then move on. I am, however, hoping that there are still enough game players around who have the time to spend a few hours in a story that is challenging and thought-provoking... or perhaps this style of game finally had its day?

Other Information 

WALK MESH: As it turned out, there was one particular area that required a redesign due to some passages that looked good in my own viewing, but ended up being either too narrow or too awkward to manage around combat. This was one of the first alterations I made, and thankfully, the custom tile-set I am using had enough alternative options to allow a similar design (apart from one section), which helped the overall movement for the player.

However, this change also forced upon me another gameplay fix, which involved a puzzle that was based upon the area design! Of all the areas that I least wanted to have to change, this was the one. Thankfully, all the appropriate redesigns have now been put in place, and are ready for the next alpha test.

GAMEPLAY DURATION: I asked the tester to play the first stage of the module in the quickest way they knew to be able to reach and test the second stage. As some parts of the second stage required different aspects of stage one to be completed, this meant the testing of stage two also had various timings. However, after considering time spent in the first stage of the second module, the tester took around 30 hours to complete what is currently available for the second stage. There are effectively around four areas that I am currently finishing off for the second stage, which, in my estimation should add a few more hours. So, my guess is that this second stage should come in at around approximately 35 hours for anyone playing it for the first time and not skipping any conversations.

The overall time to play both stages one and two (bearing in mind that much of the first stage was "skipped" through where possible), was 45 hours for the tester. However, when we consider the time it took in the tester's first play through time of stage one, which was 35 hours, then we are currently looking at a total playing time of 70 hours for stages one and two combined.

With respect to the time played, the tester does like to craft, which takes some time, and they did complete every quest possible. Therefore, at this point in its testing, I would say that the second module currently has between 50-70 hours gameplay, but that is excluding its third and final stage, which I hope to complete work on in the coming weeks or months. It is hard to estimate the gameplay time of the third stage, but I think it is possible that the final overall gameplay duration could possibly hit 80-100 hours, subject to how much you like to do in a game.

After recognising the time scale, I did consider breaking the second module into two to three separate modules instead. However, due to the way the story can unfold, I did not want to railroad the player into one direction only, and secondly, the story would not reach a satisfying "stop point" if I did. Therefore, I will stick to the original goal and aim to finish the third and final stage as soon as possible. As a result, finishing the second module as I have it planned will leave the player in a relatively "good" place, with the clear knowledge of what they need to do next.

FINAL COMMENT:  All in all, this second stage ran more smoothly than the first stage on first alpha testing. There were still a number of module to module startup scripts to sanitise, but gameplay and stability were relatively good from the start. All scenarios played well, and the tester recognised the goal of new tasks presented to them. There was one exception, when there was a slight confusion over one goal, but I have adjusted the journal comment, which I hope will help guide the player more accurately.

I still have some concerns with area load times for a co-op game, but have done a lot of adjustments to improve area stability by removing associates between area loads. Co-op testing is still pending. However, I also recognise that many of the larger areas are designed to not be jumped to and back that often anyway. There are a couple of exceptions, but hopefully, players will be patient for any longer load times due to a co-op game requirement.

Typos are being corrected the moment they are discovered, and further searches made when one is found, just in case. Some lip-synch may still need updating, as well as some animations, which again, are being updated as they are noticed.

Campaign Update 

Rather than delay the latest v1.32 until Monday (which was my original intention), I decided to upload this latest version alongside this blog release today so that I can have a fresh start on the remaining portions of stage two next Monday instead. There are enough updates in the latest v1.32 for me to recommend its usage, even to have a more enjoyable gaming experience. The most important fix was to ensure monsters do not spawn at a PC location, which was broken for a few encounters. E.g. Bats in the sanctuary.

The latest module update was just to move a WP to allow better movement of some NPCs, and is NOT required unless starting afresh. Just update the v1.32 campaign folder to allow a saved game to continue.

Other than that, here are a couple of screenshots from the first alpha test of the second stage:-  

Heroes Explore The Docks!

Episode 96: A Story To Tell!

On 3rd May, it will be six years (May 2019) since I started concentrating fully on building the second module. As I report in that opening post, a lot of the content had already been done, but little did I realise then just how much more content was still to come. Thankfully, today, I can announce that the second stage (of three) of the second module has now moved to its first alpha testing. I still have a couple of sections of this second stage to finish off, but the vast majority is now being tested for the first time. Alongside this news, I wanted to take a look at what we all try to do in our modules: to tell a story!

Stage Two Alpha!

To put this into perspective, my wife, who is currently doing this latest stage two alpha testing, started the stage one alpha testing back in December 2023, which was around four and a half years since the beginning of these episodic posts. So, this second stage has only taken around one and a half years to reach. As for the third and final stage of module two, this has had a lot of work already done too, and so I am hoping that that will not take much longer to complete... and is something I hope to start after finishing the final couple of areas required to bring stage two to be fully completed. Realistically, I suppose I am talking around six months to a year to complete this second module. My goal is to aim for the end of the year, but I am not denying the possibility of it taking to the end of next year. Personally, I want this module done and dusted by the end of the year, but these things often take on a life of their own, and demand time and resources that changes any deadline I try to stick to.

Predestinated Days

In the last month I completed (for stage two) all the outstanding conversations that required finishing, including one that I had not originally been expecting, which was required to fill a potential logical flow issue. I also finished placing all essential plot items, random finds and the encounters. These were the final steps that required completing before I was able to pass it over to be tested. As it currently stands, I am reasonably confident the exploration to encounters is about right. However, until the alpha testing stage is completed, I won't know for sure, or even if something like an extra puzzle is required. Once the pace of the module has been tested, that will determine any changes to what is currently in place.

Now that alpha testing of the second stage is underway, I am keen to finish the final few sections that need to be added to complete the segue between the second and final third stage. Arguably, these are a kind of stage 2.5, which allow for a scenario or two that sit between stages two and three. They should be fun to include, but I need to work on them some more before passing this section to alpha testing.

As an aside, I need to point out that unlocking the second stage requires testers to replay from the beginning of the first stage of module two, because of the way modules work, and some variables that require setting as played. I have asked my wife to take the quickest way she knows to be able to reach the required testing areas, and I hope to bring some feedback for you in the next blog.

Let The Story Begin

My article this month is to discuss the art of story telling. After all, for RPGs (pen and paper or computer), the main driving factor for playing such a style of game is often about the story. Personally, I believe this is what distinguishes an action RPG (ARPG) from a story driven one. Don't misunderstand me, I have played some ARPGs that do have a story of a kind, but even by definition, it is fair to say that the ARPG concentrates more on the "action" than the "story" element of the game.

In my own personal experience, when playing Pen and Paper (PnP)  Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), it was the story that kept us coming back for more. Yes, there was combat "action", intriguing puzzles, map exploration and NPC conversations... even player banter, but all of these elements were held together within the framework of the story being played out. The reason I wrote this article is because I wanted to encourage builders of a similar interest to focus on their story writing, and to keep it in mind as they build their game. Not to the exclusion of the other elements I mention above, but because I believe a well written story is what provides the most memorable gameplay, and certainly has been the case in my experience... and we all want to provide a good gaming experience.

I have touched on this before, but when I recall my PnP days of playing D&D, every player in the group had a good grasp of events from the previous weeks. Occasionally, players may have had to refer to some hand-outs or notes they had kept for some background details, but the main theme (or story) and what they were trying to achieve was always remembered... even if their current objective in such should change due to their gameplay choices. The lure of the game was to find out more about the world in which they explored and how they could affect the story that was unfolding before them.

We can all recognise that freestyle play is more limited on a computer, but a well written story can still allow a player (or group of players) to consider their choice of play in a way that unfolds the same story, but in a way they like to play. In other words, someone who enjoys combat should still be catered for with combat situations, but a good story hopes to instil some kind of purpose or reason for the combat beyond "they simply turned up and got in the way". Yes, random encounters do, and should happen, but if they appear every few feet without any good reason for such, or appear to be a duplication of the last encounter you just had, then the whole combat starts to lose its appeal... and an unnecessary distraction from the main story or current scenario. It's no easy task getting the balance right, and I suffer from this as much as the next builder. I just recognise the error in this and aim to try to do better.

Many Quests, But Only One Story! 

I touched on this last month, but I would like to expand on the various scenarios a player plays in a game in the light of an over-arcing campaign story. Again, I like to compare to PnP D&D, because that is the style of RPG I am trying to encourage here. Too often, in a cRPG, I have seen quests that appear in one area, encouraging the player/PC to do one thing, and then simply return with item "X" for the quest to be completed. Furthermore, these "quests", (let me refer to them as "sub-quests"), often have little to no bearing on the story at all. They are not much more than distractions or space-fillers, which, I believe, can damage the pace of the current scenario or main campaign story.

Note, I am not averse to "task-like" distractions now and then... sometimes we just want a change of pace... except the type of distractions I am talking about here are often totally out of character for the setting or go against the flow of the story as a whole. Instead, I would encourage to add a sub-quest that fits within the current scenario or story itself, which the player may or may not prioritise (conscious that it may just be a side-quest). If accepted, make it more than just the collection of an unrelated item for an obscure character, which will never be seen again, or lack interaction with thereafter. 

Even a side-quest should require more than a simple one step reward, and involve a "mini-adventure" that helps emphasise the "quest" in "sub-quest". As a guide to the kind of thing I mean, ask yourself if the quest you are considering for your cRPG would work in a PnP adventure? For myself, the simple one-step "quest" of which I mention above would not have held the attention of my players and so I never included such. If a character I designed had no depth or purpose to move the current scenario (or main story) forward in some way, then the NPC would not have been created or used in the first place.

Something I like to do nowadays, is to check the Journal Entries in my campaign as I write the story, making sure that any entries I add require a degree of gameplay before signing them off as a valid completed "quest". Furthermore, I like to have as many of these quests share a relationship with one another in some way, if possible, unless they can act as a stand-alone sub-quest with its own plot and substance. The point being, I hope that a player can recall a "story" with each entry they have completed... and I mean more than a simple one time task.

In conclusion, a good story is often comprised of other stories within the main. Think of "Lord of The Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien. The "main story" is often stated as the destruction of the one ring... but we remember so much more than that from it. Among other aspects, we remember the characters, the places, the combats and the puzzles, all in a full context of the over-arcing story, which different people may well interpret in different ways. Even some of the more "minor" characters we can recall, because they were part of that story and often had an impact or part to play in some way. So, when we have a story to tell, we must try to tell it in a way that people will remember. Don't add any unnecessary distractions or "quests" with little to no substance and add nothing to the story. Yes, allow some basic tasks, but try to consider them in a way that plays alongside the scenario the players currently find themselves embroiled with anyway.

Final Thoughts

Computers have been a fantastic tool to bring our creations and stories to "life". However, because they enable us to be able to "easily" add material to fill the blank spaces in our worlds, they also, unfortunately, mean we can make such additions without paying care and attention to the kind of impact they may have on our story. To have a huge "quantity" of quests appears to have dominated the medium rather than to concentrate on the "quality" of the quests that the well-written story should legitimately have. Any story, good or bad, can be stretched too thinly making it lack pace or any direction it may have had.

Over the years, the size of the RPG worlds have grown considerably, with every hour of gameplay of them demanding new quests for the ever-thirsty adventurous players. But, I am starting to question (or perhaps realise) that what players really lack (or want) is (maybe) just one good story to play through rather than more of the same type of sub-quests we may be currently playing. Note, this does not mean we have to compromise on the scale of the adventure, but I would suggest we would do better by remaining focused on the story it is trying to tell, filling the gaps with only materials that do not go too far off the beaten track... unless, of course, that is your story, and that it leads to somewhere of interest.

Latest Campaign 

The latest upload (done today) is v1.31. I also took this opportunity to re-upload the "Others" zipped folder, which contains all the other files and folders needed to play the campaign. Note, however, that the latest version now also includes another hak in preparation for the second module when it becomes available. It does mean that this download has almost doubled in size, but as it is rarely updated, then people will only have to download it the once and have all they need for both module one and for the later modules when they become available. The only reason I will ever need to update the "Others" file again is if the third module requires any new files, or if I find a fault in the latest upload.

The update was mostly cosmetic fixes only, but if you want the very latest, then do grab them to use. I think that this may now be very close to the final update I will need to upload for a while. If, however, I do have anything to update, it will appear in a future update.

Finally, just a couple of screenshots of something I worked on last month...

A Sign of Activity!

 

A Lit Passage!