tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87761638197605081322024-03-14T08:17:41.419+00:00The World of AlthéaWritings from the Bard of Althéa about the building of the world that bears the same name.
<p><b><u><a href="https://theworldofalthea.wixsite.com/home">CLICK FOR WEBSITE HERE (NOT COMPATIBLE WITH MOBILE DEVICES)</a></u></b></p>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.comBlogger466125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-89442875215530009202024-03-12T15:13:00.011+00:002024-03-13T13:24:40.765+00:00Episode 82: March Big Update!<p>If you have been following of late, you will have seen that <i>The Scroll</i> campaign has currently been withdrawn from downloading. Basically, I had to make some big decisions about where the campaign was heading with module two on the horizon, and how I was going to manage multiple modules moving forward. I concluded that I needed to make some big changes to some of the core files for the campaign and so rather than prolong the agony, I took the steps required. Hopefully, I will have the latest version of the campaign ready to download by the end of the month. It's still only the first module at this stage, but even that will come with a grand facelift with the changes made. Read on to hear about the big changes I have made ...</p><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">The Enhanced Is Dead! Long Live The New!</span></u></b></p><p>To mark these big changes, I made the decision to end the "Enhanced" version series of the campaign, and replace it with a new straightforward version system. (The enhancements will remain, of course, it's just the version tag that will be going.) Importantly, the new version system is now no longer limited to 100 iterations before having to move up its first digit. Now, it allows thousands of increments, allowing me to keep the primary digit to relate to the current module release. Therefore, I will start at v1.1, where the first digit before the period represents the modules currently available and supported, and the digit after the period is the campaign version release. When module two is released, for example, it may go to v2.162, if we are on the 162nd version of campaign updates by then.</p><p>This has also allowed me to start afresh with "backward compatibility" support, which the current version series had been covering games as far back as v1.50E (March 2022). A lot has changed in the last two years, alongside many fixes, and I believe the enhancements made are now in a far better place than when first released, and so I feel happy about starting the release version anew. This new series will only be <b><i>guaranteed</i></b> backward compatible with v1.41E and up to v2.60E, the last release number of the Enhanced edition. (Older versions will have varying results.) That said, this latest v1.1 does come with some <b>module</b> improvements too. They are minor and have less of an impact, but the cleanest experience would be starting afresh from v1.1.</p><p>Now, let me cover some of the major changes coming in v1.1, and how module two made an impact.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNf2atgve5lSewqFerAA-RJ1QXu0wasR1rwnqMhe5-mwaqKwzycRgUnwz3hAMefk6MYRzGM706HAK4iU-5ItndSCdh01KSEu_DTc0OL_hnHfy3X3PT5rvm1q_cHxwCdqdabVitlNx-z-NxK3TyJuRJenwz1IbAybs62i0y9ZQvAa2RNvpvCABbrFXgewb/s1600/Episode82A.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijNf2atgve5lSewqFerAA-RJ1QXu0wasR1rwnqMhe5-mwaqKwzycRgUnwz3hAMefk6MYRzGM706HAK4iU-5ItndSCdh01KSEu_DTc0OL_hnHfy3X3PT5rvm1q_cHxwCdqdabVitlNx-z-NxK3TyJuRJenwz1IbAybs62i0y9ZQvAa2RNvpvCABbrFXgewb/w640-h320/Episode82A.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Even The Start Screens Have Been Updated!</span></i></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">DM Client Support Removed</span></u></b></p><p>When I first designed the campaign, I thought there would be a need for me (and others who played the campaign in a coop multiplayer style) to have to "do stuff" as the players made progress. The idea being that I could still play in the same fashion as we, as pen and paper players, had done in the past. However, the beauty of being able to script events meant that my role actually became less as a DM, whose only role was more about in-game fixing if need be. The monster AI was working well for our needs, and all I ended up doing was following the heroes around as an invisible side-kick. Put simply, the module design had no need for a DM. </p><p>In fact, the campaign design has changed so much over the years since its first incarnation, that certain events, such as area transitions, are actually hampered by the presence of a DM. Trying to accommodate the presence of a DM, especially with the up and coming module two, that comes with more advanced events, became such a burden that I could not see any reason to continue to support the DM Client system. Instead, I decided to concentrate on making <b>coop multiplayer a much more stable and protected way of playing</b>. Once I pulled out the DM client code, I was able to improve the efficiency and stability of player clients joining the host's game. Furthermore, I added a number of "safety checks" to help players setup their game without running into connection issues due to joining timing errors.</p><p>Moving forward, I realised that I, (who once played as the DM), can now, instead, share their gaming experience by playing alongside them as a PC of the party too. I also recognised that it was easy enough to add a DM tool if I ever wanted to reacquire some of those gaming elements that the client once provided.</p><p>A final great benefit to this change was that it helped alleviate the multiplayer area transition times, which I appreciate, especially as module two comes with one or two slightly more involved areas than the first module. However, on the subject of loading times, it was the next update/fix that really helped here.</p><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Database Handling Improved</span></u></b></p><p>I have had an "unknown" issue with the module sometimes crashing upon entering the second area after a module fresh start. This never happened on my computer, but always did on my wife's. I knew it had been related to the database somehow, but only recently did I figure out the problem. It seems that the game does not like to "destroy" a database and set one up shortly after, especially if using the same name. It turned out that somehow, this action upset the game, which then went on to cause the game to randomly crash on some computers. The solution was to, rather than destroy an existing database, to simply "reset" all the variables it contained by overwriting any existing. The end result amounts to the same as destroying and creating a new one, but the process does not cause the game to crash shortly afterwards. I was greatly relieved to have this issue (ever since first release) finally resolved.</p><p>On the back of solving this issue, I looked closer at the way the database was handling data, and concluded that some of its operations were not required for multiplayer gaming, and so switched their operations off for such. It turned out this helped improve area transitions by a significant amount; around 3-8% for multiplayer gaming. The bottom line, when module two is finally out, it will be working from a fixed database system.</p><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Fast Travel System Overhaul</span></u></b></p><p>I'm not sure how many people are aware of this system I implemented, but it's one that can be put to good use when it comes to moving around the World of Althéa. Whether your PC is encumbered or not, if you have a valid waypoint available (and you can set your own too), you can use the system to move rapidly to the waypoint you choose. No more slowly dragging your party back to a location to do something, as it's as simple as left-clicking on the map and selecting the way point to move to. It's the closest thing I can achieve to the likes of clicking on a map and have the party to move rapidly to that location.<br /></p><p>There were some teething issues with the initial system, as sometimes the PC could be left in an unusually fast speed even after the fast travel had finished. However, I am hoping they have all been sorted now. If any others are discovered, they should be reasonably straightforward to fix now too.</p><p>However, one of the things I have wanted to address with it for some time now, was to incorporate the Fast Travel GUI into the area map GUI itself. The system prior this latest would open a second GUI that opened somewhere else on the screen, from which the player made their selection. However, this latest version now keeps the Map Pin selection incorporated into the Area Map GUI itself, making the whole system feel more natural and intuitive. Take a look at the image below. A player need only left click on the area map to bring out (or close) the list of waypoints, and then select a waypoint to move rapidly to it. The player can leave the pop-in panel open if they wish to (in case they change the current waypoint in mind), of left click on the area map again to close this pop-in to watch their PC icons move rapidly across the map to the waypoint in question. To cancel any rapid movement, the player simply closes the area map, either by clicking on the area map exit cross, or pressing escape. The rapid movement has been designed to auto-stop if required, such as a conversation starting, or combat encountered. Basically, play is unaffected apart from the speed at which the party moves to the selected location.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsS4NXgHgeyFG6cyIZq3yhmITo3FRrps4yq5bcMmPePgpbXd6qC_LBxfbVbfaTZPaGYow9uyETcamwiNrsO-L-wD26BchuSim3coqcJEbXvaURP5clB8hyxbDsy8zwPNtfL-HTe3Q4XcRbeDLhjUTLVz1Wme_hWTWcGTkPh-HBeHbhesUaQIbhqF1CtAWg/s600/Episode82B.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="557" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsS4NXgHgeyFG6cyIZq3yhmITo3FRrps4yq5bcMmPePgpbXd6qC_LBxfbVbfaTZPaGYow9uyETcamwiNrsO-L-wD26BchuSim3coqcJEbXvaURP5clB8hyxbDsy8zwPNtfL-HTe3Q4XcRbeDLhjUTLVz1Wme_hWTWcGTkPh-HBeHbhesUaQIbhqF1CtAWg/w594-h640/Episode82B.jpg" width="594" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Area Map With Fast Travel Pop-In Open</span></i></b></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Persistent Skill Bonus Fix</span></u></b><br /></p><p>For some time now, as long as the <b>Adventure Skills</b> system has been in place, a bug has been lurking in plain sight, basically going unnoticed. Thankfully, its impact has been relatively "minor", albeit frustratingly unfair when required by the PC. The problem is associated with <b>Skill Bonuses</b> gained by items that sit in a PCs inventory, which fail to reinitiate their bonuses on a game reload if they had been stowed away in a container the PC carried, such as a Bounty Bag. As PCs had the potential to gain <b>campaign feats</b> that awarded such Skill Bonuses, which were then stowed in their <i>Adventuring Skills Book</i>, then it meant any such benefits would have disappeared on a reload, and likely gone unnoticed.</p><p>Addressing this particular bug has been one of the issues that has contributed to the longer delay of the campaign's next release.I wanted to make sure this bug was also made backward compatible, alongside the other final list of bug fixes for the Enhanced version releases. The upside to this latest fix, is that some good has come from it, in that I have improved the operation of <i>party feats</i> that can be acquired in the campaign, as well as fix the Skill Bonus container issue.</p><p>First and foremost, new campaign feats now alter skills in a permanent manner. They no longer rely on Adventure Skill pages. I could have still done it this way, but now wanted to reserve the Adventure Skills book to <b><i>bonuses from items carried by the PC only</i></b>. So, campaign feats with skill bonuses are handled via script rather than items, and are permanent alterations either way. The new fun changes come with the skill bonuses that are benefitted from items that sit in a PCs inventory. For now, the Adventure Skills Book keeps an overview of all the benefits gained from such items, and is the item that ensures these benefits are not lost between reloads. <i><b>Importantly, these skill bonus items can now be stowed away in containers and their benefits will no longer be lost between reloads!</b></i><br /></p><p>Now, whenever a PC acquires a skill bonus item that sits in their inventory to gain the benefit (as opposed to an item that can be equipped for such), the Adventure Skill Book tracks the benefit by adding it to its own list of beneficial skill properties, as well as keeping a page copy of the <i>real</i> benefitting item within its contents. So, if a player wanted to see what benefits they were gaining from items in their inventory, they need only check the Adventure Skills Book properties for a full list. If they wanted a breakdown of which items were providing these benefits, then they need only open the Adventure Skills Book and examine each page therein to learn where the benefit is coming from. This new approach actually gives the Adventure Skills Book a more active role for feedback in the game than previously. Take a look at the image below for a quick overview of the kind of thing I am talking about here.</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>1 - 3: These are the three <i>real </i>items collected by the PC that are giving them skill bonuses.</li><li>4: The Adventure Skills Book (ASB), the current description is up and showing all benefits.</li><li>5: The ASB contents. Each page can be clicked to see its own description instead of the ASB.<br /></li></ul><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlfsEmNSNjIwT-kKAoifEAt-jkkK9eXN0lvDjkDvPJQ3oXsL3vwtBy5mpmkxIPdH1Lu54BmN4Z8aL8GFEjTwPCvogtLgSVtnWsmtFMyTpOjZLLBrJEENAC-TTJQP4bVqv1PrC7LGLODzV1HbyNoXLPQa0Ko4X9NcbFgNroGwVBqy_gD3Ky4i0uQllMz6U/s1315/Episode82C.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="993" data-original-width="1315" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghlfsEmNSNjIwT-kKAoifEAt-jkkK9eXN0lvDjkDvPJQ3oXsL3vwtBy5mpmkxIPdH1Lu54BmN4Z8aL8GFEjTwPCvogtLgSVtnWsmtFMyTpOjZLLBrJEENAC-TTJQP4bVqv1PrC7LGLODzV1HbyNoXLPQa0Ko4X9NcbFgNroGwVBqy_gD3Ky4i0uQllMz6U/w640-h484/Episode82C.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">The New Adventure Skills Book Information</span></i></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">There's A Lot More!</span></u></b><br /></p><p>The above differences are just some of the bigger ones that impact the campaign and module two moving forward. However, there are also a lot of other fixes and updates coming to address some niggly problems and gameplay from previous versions. From logical flow issues, combat activation (including auto-pause), creature issues, launder bench usage to name just a few. <a href="https://neverwintervault.org/comment/51912#comment-51912" target="_blank"><b>Take a look at the full list here</b></a>.<br /></p><p><b><u><span style="font-size: medium;">TLK & UI Updated!</span></u></b> <br /></p><p>With all these updates, and being a NEW version, starting from v1.1, there will also come new TLK and UI folders that will need to replace any existing Althéa versions that you have. If starting afresh, you will also need to grab the latest module folder, which now also starts to be noted by <b>release date</b> rather than version number release. This is done to help prevent players downloading a newer module than campaign in error, which can lead to a broken game. There is also additional file checks in the new code to help prevent this, and a "silent" version number will be kept with any module upload to help maintain this. As far as the player is concerned though, the release date for the module folder should be the governing guideline for them now as to whether there is anything significant about its changes that affects them. <br /></p><p>I recognise that this month's blog is a lot to take in, but I wanted to let you all know that I have been busy preparing the campaign for the second module, and this is the result. My wife is currently play-testing all these changes, and still helping to find any remaining bugs that can be fixed prior release, and as soon as she is done, I'll upload for all to benefit from.</p></div>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-67648377140798820822024-02-10T16:46:00.005+00:002024-02-12T12:07:45.879+00:00Episode 81: New Year Progress!<p>I took a hiatus in January, which means this is the first blog for the campaign this year. Prior to my break, I released v2.60E of the campaign, which has been relatively stable. That said, I have picked up on a couple of minor issues, which will be covered in the next release. Also, I have picked up building module two where I had left off at the beginning of January, and making progress once again. Read on for more details and the screenshot of the month.</p><p><b><u>More Area Work</u></b></p><p>At the beginning of this year, I am focussing on finishing off the final couple of areas that Stage One of module two requires to be ready for alpha testing. To this end, I have completed another section of an area that serves as multiple locations. That is, the area being worked on, actually serves three locations, with this section being the last (I believe) that I needed to add. I have some scripting left to do for events related to this area section, but I had managed to do the hardest parts just before I took the break.</p><p>The time-draining section for me is the tidying up of an area to make sure it looks good in-game. This potentially involves adding blocks and events that allow the area to "unfold" as the player explores it without having sections of the area showing due to existing VFX (visual effects). Unfortunately, some visual effects can show up in sections of an area that the player has not yet reached, which can spoil the immersion. Some are more easily hidden than others, but one or two have required extra work to help maintain the quality I am after.</p><p><b><u>Another Henchman</u></b></p><p>The latest module work also gave me the opportunity to introduce the possibility of another henchman. (NB: I am not talking about a companion that a player control, but an additional party member along the lines of Scraps or Sebastion in module one. Although, there will also be the possibility for a couple more companions in the second module as well.) However, this also means I have to examine the logistics of the total number of henchmen that a party may have in it. If a party is already quite large, or is a MP game, I need a fair way of handling how this new henchman is going to respond to such. However, as there are also plot implications involved with some henchmen, I am going to have to see how handling this goes in testing. Note, players can already bring the existing two henchmen from the first module along with them to the second.</p><p><b><u>Moving Forward</u></b></p><p>I am hoping that progress will continue as normal this year, although I am conscious that my health is not what it was, and I have to consider more appointments to deal with that alongside module building time. Module one has very few issues now, and any I find are usually as I am testing aspects of module two that I recognise also have an impact on the first module. Therefore, I am spending less time addressing fixes there, which is allowing me the time to focus on the second module. My wife is still testing various aspects of the campaign as a whole (both modules), but has not found anything major in the last few areas of testing. I also have another tester who is quite thorough, and has not yet had any other issues to report other than confirmation of old issues being fixed, which is encouraging.</p><p>As I allude to, I have already returned to the toolset and started to familiarise with where I was last at, and hope to be in a better position to be underway as normal next week. In the meantime, I will leave you will a screenshot from the latest area I am working on.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIknTWZo-BkJh1wwzesEC2mm9IVtI4Q1kEBbyLf4tTjtSlh3ifN7rrXmWt6MVB4uQ-TB5AiWxqm3FYIkL9pF9dW0tDl7onAaCJp7IqWbn6C-zZyjG3oype_cXqPOarg0OqFwJkynqsB8n9u8cIZiGgayIaPa74ASiB80NJaaZQPvMXPdSxhp2LD1PUv_9n/s3440/Episode81.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="3440" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIknTWZo-BkJh1wwzesEC2mm9IVtI4Q1kEBbyLf4tTjtSlh3ifN7rrXmWt6MVB4uQ-TB5AiWxqm3FYIkL9pF9dW0tDl7onAaCJp7IqWbn6C-zZyjG3oype_cXqPOarg0OqFwJkynqsB8n9u8cIZiGgayIaPa74ASiB80NJaaZQPvMXPdSxhp2LD1PUv_9n/w640-h268/Episode81.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-15449762550707924552023-12-07T17:14:00.000+00:002023-12-07T17:14:00.359+00:00Episode 80: Preliminary Stage One Alpha Testing!<p>My wife has, at last, had the opportunity to do some first ever alpha testing on the second module, <i>Predestinated Days</i>. 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 <b>February</b>! 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.</p><p><b><u>Preliminary Stage One Alpha </u></b></p><p>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:</p><p><b>1) TRANSFERRED PCs NOT EQUIPPED:</b> 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.)<br /></p><p>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 <b>not</b> 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.<br /></p><p><b>2) ENCOUNTER AREA TRANSITIONS:</b> 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.</p><p><b>3) ENCOUNTER NUMBERS:</b> 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.<br /></p><p><b>4) OVERLAND MAP MOVEMENT SPEED:</b> 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.</p><p><b><u>Moving Forward</u></b> <br /></p><p>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.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>DON'T FORGET! NEXT BLOG: FEBRUARY!</b><br /></p><p>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.</p><p><b><u>Campaign Update</u></b></p><p>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.<br /></p><p>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.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS56H_0QdQL0BN8z0gGEdNabSmMfR01VLryS91mqEKGTdyy7PxgVvIbNb3d9aYh5KWvtdioKhVf09yqgosMqmuiKoz2GxDq0Ie_0MGypmnHEJ8a7eOLNnAte1bIV1-s-9_xJiG4v7xAjnghlez53Lv1djR6GMJm-C5DGiWW2Jx74rGjw7CREnPLZWobcgO/s3440/Episode%2080a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="3440" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS56H_0QdQL0BN8z0gGEdNabSmMfR01VLryS91mqEKGTdyy7PxgVvIbNb3d9aYh5KWvtdioKhVf09yqgosMqmuiKoz2GxDq0Ie_0MGypmnHEJ8a7eOLNnAte1bIV1-s-9_xJiG4v7xAjnghlez53Lv1djR6GMJm-C5DGiWW2Jx74rGjw7CREnPLZWobcgO/w640-h268/Episode%2080a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Avoiding The Gang of Trolls!</i></b></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifU_dLUWcPoB50aqZVSr1n37BXwHTbGqOiJcH2uOM5oMeEOtoMnwDZ49FWR2Ic08KhqAcuFTGlb1O8ZIMe1Tr-HrBdm5ufrwsh4MwOVVZEThoMEinyDJRw0YVqM2m4EeMuyS4gNVsfW8dBFLYsE1TGpMEK7Fe5IbVo9uKiWcCVtSDWcV1gpNJJin5lfckg/s3440/Episode%2080b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="3440" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifU_dLUWcPoB50aqZVSr1n37BXwHTbGqOiJcH2uOM5oMeEOtoMnwDZ49FWR2Ic08KhqAcuFTGlb1O8ZIMe1Tr-HrBdm5ufrwsh4MwOVVZEThoMEinyDJRw0YVqM2m4EeMuyS4gNVsfW8dBFLYsE1TGpMEK7Fe5IbVo9uKiWcCVtSDWcV1gpNJJin5lfckg/w640-h268/Episode%2080b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>No Avoiding The Trolls Now!</i></b></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-22415415773288228162023-11-11T13:55:00.013+00:002023-11-11T13:57:54.801+00:00Episode 79: Area By Area (Stage One)<p>As there was no blog last month, I felt I needed to bring readers up to date with the current progress of the second module. I had hoped this blog entry was to bring news that the first stage (chapter) of the second module was signed off by now and being alpha tested... but I'm not quite there yet. Read on to learn of latest developments.</p><p><b><u>A Significant Jump</u></b></p><p>I can report that in the last two months, I have managed to sign-off on a number of areas of development that required some intensive design work. By this, I mean area building, item building, and some conversations. However, in that time, I was unable to finish every important conversation, and until I do finish them, then this first stage of the module cannot be tested to "completion". I remind readers that this Stage One (of three in total) accounts for around 50% of the second module (in my estimation), and so will be a significant step once it moves on to the testing stage.</p><p><b><u>Area By Area</u></b></p><p>I won't divulge how many areas are to be found in this first stage (to avoid spoilers), but as a means to help me cover all final content for alpha testing, I have switched back to signing off one area at a time. That is, I am now working through all areas for the first stage and working on the finishing touches for each. This may be as simple as removing test items left in the area, to writing final conversation sections, or adding hostile encounters based upon story requirements. The main point to recognise here, however, is that all design for the first stage areas are now completed. For instance, it was only in the last few days I finished designing the final room to a dungeon that was the last area for this first stage to finish. It involved a puzzle element and some careful attention to effects and sounds, but the end result was as I had hoped.</p><p>So far, I have covered around 14% of the areas I need to finalize for this first stage. However, many of the remaining areas need nothing more than test item removal, which takes only a minute or two to do. It takes me longer to double check for any potentially unfinished conversations for an area, or an encounter placement, for example. A final check for each area is whether I feel it lacks enough "interaction potential". Possibly surprising to some, this final stage is what takes more time for me than many other aspect of building. This is the stage when I decide if there is anything else a player may have their PCs discover in the area, be it something as basic as a crafting item, unusual treasure, or just some other point of interest. Depending upon what I finally decide to do, determines whether it is a five minute job, or something that may take me days to implement.</p><p><b><u>A Design Delay Example: Missile Only!</u></b> <br /></p><p>As an example of how something can cause a delay in development: I have a situation where I wanted an object to only be targeted by <i>missile</i> weapons. So, if targetted by a <i>melee </i>weapon, then the PC was to stop their attack and report they required a missile weapon. The problem is that NWN2 does not handle any Z (height) axis very well, and so it was allowing an attack on said object even though it was effectively "out of reach". It took some thinking, but I eventually figured out a way to allow this to work, even when the default action for the object was set as an "attack". This was further complicated by the fact that I have an "attack object" button that a player can use to have any companions/cohorts attack any currently targeted object. Therefore, I had to also update that area of code to work with the newly implemented <i>missile only</i> code. Thankfully, that is all done now, and another area of code sorted for the campaign. Testing to date shows it works as intended.<br /></p><p><b><u>That Which Is Done</u></b></p><p>I have finally finished all the journal entries for the first stage. This was a reasonably large task, as some of these entries can differ subject to what the player does from the very start of the module, and if they have played the first module. Finishing these also required me to have many items built and conversations written so that I could ensure the entries made sense from what the PCs had already done. Due to the amount of flexibility of play I allow, this coordination between journal entries and conversations (especially), was a big challenge, and one that I had to restrict building to days when I could cope best (with my health) in managing them.</p><p><b><u>That Which Still Remains</u></b></p><p>I have two plot lines that still require some conversations, which are currently holding back alpha-testing. It took quite a bit of pre-planning and design (now completed) to reach the point where I can now safely write them without (I hope) causing any potential logical flow in their writing. Sometimes, I can write a conversation ahead of time, because I am reasonably sure at what stage of the game the PCs will be at. At other times, like with these two conversations, I needed to wait until all the gameplay aspect was in place to help me determine what options the conversation should offer.</p><p>There also remains some plot items that require considered placement surrounding these two conversations, as well as some of those final area checks (that I mention above) where these conversations take place. Once I have these two sections of gameplay sorted, then alpha testing will begin.<br /></p><p><b><u>Continued Improvements</u></b></p><p>Alongside the latest building, I have been continuing to support and improve on the overall campaign code. Some of the key updates and improvements have been some tweaks to the follow routines when switching between PCs and/or AI and Puppet Mode; help avoiding PCs becoming stuck in the environment, as well as general improvements and a few minor fixes. There are currently over 40 amendments and fixes listed for the next v2.56E release, and so it will be a worthwhile download, even if not critical. Some of these updates have been due to preparation of spells and other play for the second module. This latest update will be released after my wife has finished play-testing it for a few hours.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmaiwiJ9FzIlHvwJyCj8Mh6lZ7UfH-LHbhwzOPJTarZb-0zQNpDoLhzfIgMPAovbp-MQXcT2i4JozpeL-HtuCQZyt_nbIsZ1qSjCinK2JmsWpKSov9CE8pDHyOSg6yykGlj9XhTfou8dGpAEcQjRQIbZNmg-39Y4kjdt8GNZcRwRzIoni87ijMSqPnoP_g/s3440/Episode79a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6On00vV_18in7xiUdsM_KwvfGfoyN1f__08rSnjS2BGnGC4LKRTq0msjC0hPvkx3ovaECexp8uyXJFJW-zIxuO6NXvs3n5WSXcVcF_IsAl8j0-J7xRHAfnwWpT2AWDXoXcQvThvJIaoEvebd9YLFHIXtbTNR60ZNTpBTIl8RznINMz-7tz4PHpYQ3lmGi/s3440/Episode79b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="3440" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6On00vV_18in7xiUdsM_KwvfGfoyN1f__08rSnjS2BGnGC4LKRTq0msjC0hPvkx3ovaECexp8uyXJFJW-zIxuO6NXvs3n5WSXcVcF_IsAl8j0-J7xRHAfnwWpT2AWDXoXcQvThvJIaoEvebd9YLFHIXtbTNR60ZNTpBTIl8RznINMz-7tz4PHpYQ3lmGi/w640-h268/Episode79b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmaiwiJ9FzIlHvwJyCj8Mh6lZ7UfH-LHbhwzOPJTarZb-0zQNpDoLhzfIgMPAovbp-MQXcT2i4JozpeL-HtuCQZyt_nbIsZ1qSjCinK2JmsWpKSov9CE8pDHyOSg6yykGlj9XhTfou8dGpAEcQjRQIbZNmg-39Y4kjdt8GNZcRwRzIoni87ijMSqPnoP_g/s3440/Episode79a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="3440" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmaiwiJ9FzIlHvwJyCj8Mh6lZ7UfH-LHbhwzOPJTarZb-0zQNpDoLhzfIgMPAovbp-MQXcT2i4JozpeL-HtuCQZyt_nbIsZ1qSjCinK2JmsWpKSov9CE8pDHyOSg6yykGlj9XhTfou8dGpAEcQjRQIbZNmg-39Y4kjdt8GNZcRwRzIoni87ijMSqPnoP_g/w640-h268/Episode79a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6v6OfulMfHP3jLsydWTGQ03fEfLijzLOEy6L0gTVjKFIGf8X1oKz8Wy85MywplQRbMWQHn9j3x4QItnM2otUnTQx6sk-AsZJMsN5NWImyP1YsUPaq0C_KG5LxB5Or6k0q1Cf2Hf_qRIBwM1YhErxDPTyMxMjRy4wUVQNFzn6e0LxA_rIYrLKLA42Y9UD/s3440/Episode79c.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="3440" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6v6OfulMfHP3jLsydWTGQ03fEfLijzLOEy6L0gTVjKFIGf8X1oKz8Wy85MywplQRbMWQHn9j3x4QItnM2otUnTQx6sk-AsZJMsN5NWImyP1YsUPaq0C_KG5LxB5Or6k0q1Cf2Hf_qRIBwM1YhErxDPTyMxMjRy4wUVQNFzn6e0LxA_rIYrLKLA42Y9UD/w640-h268/Episode79c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-62226822013039505842023-09-11T11:32:00.007+01:002023-09-11T11:38:25.137+01:00Episode 78: Not Long Now, Maybe!<p>Now I don't want the title of this blog to oversell the point I want to say, but... I believe I am now quite close to passing Stage One of this second module to my wife for alpha testing. To put this into perspective, in one calculation, Stage One accounts for around 50% size of the overall module... a large chunk of its entirety. Importantly, once passed across for alpha testing, that section is considered "locked" to further development, leaving me to concentrate on the second and third stages again. These two later stages still require some work, but are themselves already both reasonably well developed. All in all, I would like to think the completion of this second module is in sight.</p><p><b><u>How Close To Overall Completion?</u></b></p><p>I don't want to make promises I cannot keep, but what I can say is both of the remaining stages already have their core quests and outlines in place. Both stages two and three do, however, require a couple of areas added from scratch to complete their adventures. Stage three also requires some further development on a new game system I have developed for that section. The core design is already in place, but it requires some more balancing and tweaking. For those that like stats, I have recently saved my 310 th backup of the module, which currently weighs in at 1GB uncompressed, which compares to 365 MB for my first module. (Module three, <i>The Last Day</i>, currently weighs in at 398 MB.)<br /></p><p><b><u>Last Month Update</u></b></p><p>I can say that even the first stage, in its latest build, has required me to add a new area and another NPC to fully realise another potential plot path. Sometimes these sort of things happen, especially when I have an inkling that some players may want to try something different from what I first considered. When I have these thoughts occur, I like to include and implement a means where a player might be able to fulfil any ideas they had in mind, alongside those already available. It's potentially a niche requirement, but if I can include it without adding too much to the build time, I do.</p><p><b><u>Campaign Update</u></b></p><p>Starting from this blog entry, I will now cover any first module updates in this section entitled "Campaign Update". Moving forward, and especially after the second module is added, any fixes to the <b>campaign</b> affects every module that the campaign supports. In the meantime, I just want to add that there will be another update in the form of v2.56E in the coming days or weeks to add additional support or fix some minor points in the first module, The First Day, too.</p><p>So, please bear with me as I try to move this project forward. I hope the wait will be worth it. In the meantime, here is another screenshot taken from the first Stage of module two. NOTE: Screenshots from this date onwards will be from the new 3440 x 1440 (approx) format.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Fb1xuZsIy_3a8W_yqTQ6RC4UjgsgVSgNyQMW8Egvh0vNKciMga58_KWpKM2aHrbY1CgW-1Hoi04jRYfwG5DU_k0HSVrz6Te79zTv5v3mGRIqScWC9gkP-ZKntel7LxRNdmlj4Jn4fxCxmCYmFA_V6INU8_EF4AT0M1DZ1EyWlFZcGHk3qECirQvCCNTk/s3419/Episode78.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1405" data-original-width="3419" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Fb1xuZsIy_3a8W_yqTQ6RC4UjgsgVSgNyQMW8Egvh0vNKciMga58_KWpKM2aHrbY1CgW-1Hoi04jRYfwG5DU_k0HSVrz6Te79zTv5v3mGRIqScWC9gkP-ZKntel7LxRNdmlj4Jn4fxCxmCYmFA_V6INU8_EF4AT0M1DZ1EyWlFZcGHk3qECirQvCCNTk/w640-h264/Episode78.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Access Locked, Until Conditions Met!</span></i></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-60969347789525891782023-08-05T18:44:00.013+01:002023-11-11T12:50:50.919+00:00Episode 77: Boom or Bust!<p>Dungeon delving is all about taking risks in a dangerous environment to come back with great rewards! It kind of reminds me of trying to build a module using the NWN2 toolset. Personally, I find it even more fun when the dungeon I am delving into is connected to the main plot, where I am learning something new about the story I am involved with. Then again, the occasional random dungeon with just a load of loot doesn't go unwelcome either, I guess. So, let us welcome the world of dungeon delving, where a PC can either boom or bust!</p><p><b><u>The Main Plot Dungeon</u></b></p><p>After giving you an outline of what I hope to achieve in the coming months in the last blog, this month I am able to inform you that I have made some good inroads into the main dungeon for the first stage of the module. That's not to say that it's the only dungeon for this stage... definitely not. When I say "main", I mean that it is a dungeon related to the "main" quest, rather than suggesting it is the largest you may encounter. That said, like most dungeons I design, I do like them to come with a reasonable amount of depth, both figuratively and literally. Therefore, even this dungeon will require the player to be ready for anything.</p><p>As I believe I mentioned in a previous post, somewhere, this particular dungeon scenario is an adaptation of one of my original PnP (pen and paper) D&D designs. Now, while players of my campaign will have already played out this scenario in the PnP days, it was some time ago - we are talking early 1980's! Therefore, even those with the best memory for my campaign will likely welcome a refresher run through this scenario and dungeon, as it will help remind them of how this whole campaign began. Interestingly, for them, it will be the first time they can replay the scenario from a visual computer perspective too, but, and here's the twist, for them (and new players alike) from the viewpoint of a <i>return</i> to that dungeon!</p><p>To this end, there will be some things familiar to them, but some new things too. (For newcomers to my campaign, playing the second background choice, they will be seeing it all afresh, of course. However, they too will quickly come to learn that they walk behind the steps of "giants". No, not literal giants, I'm talking about... oh, you'll see , if you have not already guessed it.) However, I have taken this opportunity, not only to bring my original PnP work to the computer, but also to "improve" on it. This is some of my earliest work, and I can confess that some of the writing is a little naive, and the gaming a bit twee in places. I am taking this opportunity to bring some gravitas back to the scenario, and have it play like I remembered it did (in my rose-tinted spec memories), rather than how it would do if I tried playing exactly as it is currently written in its old paper note format.</p><p><b><u>Dungeon Differences</u></b></p><p>The scenario I am currently working on is just one among many of my original PnP material that I am bringing into the second module, alongside newer material. In every one, I am bringing the same editorial updates as I am to the current one I am working on, so that the story plays with a more considered approach and with stronger characters.</p><p><b>DESIGN:</b> Most of the actual designs and layouts of the areas and dungeons themselves are very close to their original, except where a pencilled in note cannot be easily executed in a computer environment without some extra scripting. In such situations, I have been able to make some interesting additions to the module and exploited some NWN toolset design features, which, in turn, have ended up being more exciting gaming aspects than the original PnP design! Old players probably would not recall this subtle change, and new players will just think it exciting, I hope. Looking back, I can see that some area designs were "weak", and these have either undergone a redesign or have been removed completely, with any pertinent content moved to another location where it works better.<br /></p><p><b>PARTY WIPE-OUT:</b> I must have been a "hard-ass" DM at the time, as in the notes I am currently working my way through, I have at least two or three situations where I expect the players to respond in a few seconds what it is they intend to do to survive a tense situation. If they got it wrong, then it was time to roll a new party and try again. I must admit, I don't recall us ever having to do that, but, back then, with a DM at the helm, you could easily ad-lib hints and give clues to players that would help them in these sorts of situations when the time came. That said, I just don't like the idea of a game effectively "busting" when certain conditions are not met. Sure, in extreme situations, I can see the drama of such moments, but in a computer version of the same where a quick reload fixes the problem, party wipe-out situations no longer have a place. So, this in mind, these situations have also been revised to be challenging if doing something "stupid", but not a game-breaker.</p><p><b>STORY DELIVERY:</b> I add this here now, more to highlight how this will NOT change, apart from rewriting some of the conversations to account for the "revisit" and to add better dialogue as a whole. Books and scrolls, as it happens, were not too bad, compared to some of the other story aspects, and so most of these have been reused in their original format, albeit again with an occasional tweak that made the story feel more immersive and have a greater sense of place. Basically, a tightening of writing where required, without, I hope, removing material that old players will remember, and new players will ponder for the first time. Suffice to say, the current scenario I am converting is very much at the heart of the main story, and is the one that gives the player the reason for their role in this campaign. For this reason alone, I am trying to make sure it starts and sets the scene well.</p><p><u><b>So Far, So Good!</b></u></p><p>I am really excited about the way the latest module has been coming along. It's certainly much bigger than I thought it was going to be... in a way that offers some great scope for adventure rather than be considered anything monotonous. The new scenarios and writing sits alongside the original material well, and with the newer systems coming with this second module with respect to background conversation choices, I think there is quite a diverse level of play to be had... and some interesting dungeons in which to delve!</p><p>Hopefully, it won't be much longer and I will be passing this first stage off for alpha-testing. Again, I will be sure to let you know when this happens.</p><p>On another note, module one appears quite stable at the moment. I have a couple of minor cosmetic changes that will come with v2.55E, but I am waiting for any last minute feedback from play testers before uploading the next version. As cosmetic changes only, they do not affect the actual gameplay, and so will only be done when I am happy that we are at a definitive update stage.</p><p>Finally, here is the reason why "bust" had to appear in this month's blog title:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOAg4TjhCRF6RQicaASz5ZjyC3lo8hUobbAeb_DmVUBA9VRWirytXJvRT2iHl7xWgPEd_SpGQjYE821UxpK8rk6EBLuocGGRdfFbaXYXeO78A3oaUwGauzX5zx2t4_hPWboECIHjmuWTaKVVQpahu0T6bSuj5JZ4_fnodL0BkY_meoRbZ4JAjt-wE4iZ_E/s1920/Episode77.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOAg4TjhCRF6RQicaASz5ZjyC3lo8hUobbAeb_DmVUBA9VRWirytXJvRT2iHl7xWgPEd_SpGQjYE821UxpK8rk6EBLuocGGRdfFbaXYXeO78A3oaUwGauzX5zx2t4_hPWboECIHjmuWTaKVVQpahu0T6bSuj5JZ4_fnodL0BkY_meoRbZ4JAjt-wE4iZ_E/w640-h360/Episode77.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">I Was Hoping For More "Boom"!</span></i></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-16561467207141357612023-07-13T18:29:00.003+01:002023-07-13T18:29:24.268+01:00Episode 76: Stage One!<p></p><p>Readers of this blog may recall a couple of episodes back, that I had determined that this second module of The Scroll campaign, called <i>Predestinated Days</i>, is effectively comprised of three stages. Taking this into account, I determined that I would concentrate on finishing each stage in order, before moving onto the next. This would allow me to beta-test each stage as I continued work on the next. The last couple of months has been about working on "Stage One". Read on...</p><p><b><u>A Bumpy Start To The Journey</u></b></p><p>Reaching this point of building module two has only been achieved after a bit of a bumpy ride, due to me continuing to support and update the first module, making it backward compatible with new additions along the way via campaign file restructuring. Thankfully, I believe that long and arduous task is now nearing completion, if not already completed. Apart from some recent last minute pitfalls, (which frustratingly added some potentially game-breaking updates), the first module, <i>The First Day</i>, should now be in its most stable version of release. Therefore, once the latest play-testers have finished their current games, and I fix any last minute issues they might find, I believe the core files for the campaign will have been fully tested in their latest format. As far as I am aware, most, if not all future scripting is now just a matter of writing new scripts, or adding to an existing template; neither of which should interfere with the first module any further. <b> </b></p><p><b>Bottom line:</b> Module one should be near enough on its final version, and all updates to campaign code are now written within their own boundaries for the later modules. Hopefully, readers will recognise this as a big step forward for both the stability of module one, and how it will help expedite the writing of module two. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have supported me and been patient to bear with me with the many updates through the growing pains of the campaign. Hopefully, the end results were, and will be, worth it.</p><p><b><u>Stage One Progress</u></b></p><p><b>The New Quests</b> <br /></p><p>As I look within the toolset and at the numerous quests available for Stage One of the second module, I can see, at a glance, that five entries still require their journal end-points to be completed. However, I am also aware of a sixth journal entry, which has some missing entries that requires completing. I also note that this first stage has the most journal entries of all the three stages of this second module; although I appreciate that this does not necessarily reflect overall play duration, due to some quests possibly being quicker to complete than others. (Please note that I will cover the completion progress of later stage quests in another dedicated post for that stage.)<br /></p><p>In the last month, I managed to reach (and add) another "end-point" to one of the larger side scenarios that can be played. All that remains to be done for this scenario, are a couple of conversations and the placement of some plot items. The point I am trying to make, however, is that the main framework for this latest quest is now complete. For the record, it's worth pointing out that this is one of those quests that does not <i>have</i> to be played within the modules first stage, but, for the purposes of setting myself a completion goal, I have included it in "Stage One" as one of those to work on first.</p><p>Of the other entries that remain, one is the path of the main quest, which is a conversion of an old pen and paper scenario that I designed way back in the 1980's. I am hoping that it should not take too long to convert, although I have been adding some other gameplay details to it along the way, so that it reflects the flavour that players would have normally picked up when playing with a DM who would have given more feedback information at the time of play. I am also hoping to add one or two other gameplay aspects to this quest, which work better in a computer environment compared to how it was originally designed to be played in pen and paper. Finishing this quest alone would take care of at least two journal entries that currently remain. This will be the next area for me to concentrate on after I finish the final details of the one I am currently finishing off.<br /></p><p>Lastly, there are around four other journal entries that are closely linked to one another, which the heroes will have the opportunity to deal with during this stage of the game. The core outline for these remaining quests is already set in place, but there are one or two conversations that require extra attention due to the <b>logical flow</b> that is involved during the process of completing these related quests. For while I could simplify (and speed up) the whole process, it would be at the cost of some unique gameplay. For me, such a design is the difference between a standard RPG quest experience and one that a player feels is tailored to their own unique gaming experience. If I can achieve this, then it will, hopefully, give a player a unique feel for their game, and the possibility of a different outcome and experience if ever played again.</p><p><b>The New Puzzles</b></p><p>Alongside some of the puzzles that came with the first module, I have introduced some new ones. Some are repeatable (in a similar fashion to the tumbler chest puzzles), but others have been designed to complement the current scenario. This first stage of the second module comes with at least one of these newer puzzles, which is designed in a way that I hope will keep the player intrigued and wanting to push forward in their current quest. In this sense, I have designed the "puzzle" to be part of the adventure. Hopefully, you will understand what I mean by this if and when you have the opportunity to play it.</p><p>Regular readers of this blog will know that I enjoy games that include puzzles or mini-games, which are employed in such a way that can add an enjoyable addition to the gameplay. In this second (and third module), I am trying to add some new gameplay that I hope will give players something extra to test both their wits and tactics, while having fun at the same time. I think of the times when, as a DM, I would present a puzzle to my group of players and have them try to figure out what part it has to play at that time, or how it may be of importance moving forward. In my mind, it adds another dimension to the gameplay, which I hope adds an interest and further expectations a player may have.<br /></p><p><b>The New Gameplay</b></p><p>When we look at the AAA games available to play today, at first it may seem like anything we might try to make with NWN2 will appear to fall far short from that which is currently on offer in such new games. However, I have come to recognise that the <b>enjoyment</b> of a game is not just about such things as the introduction of a fancy new graphics engine, but just as much to do with being something <b>"new"</b> in general. The real enjoyment is to be had when a player can relate to a story being told, and has a good understanding of their ability (through their avatar) to be able to participate within it. If, along the way, they learn or experience something new or interesting from what they have experienced before, then that <b>new moment of discovery or achievement</b> is what has the player keep coming back for more.</p><p>The <b>fun</b>, as I have come to understand it from my own experience, is in the discovery of something <b>new</b> about the story or game I am playing, which I can then respond to or work with. Conversely, if the story or gaming element is something already (or becomes) too familiar to me, then that is when a game can fall flat, and possibly abandoned. Therefore, even though NWN2 may be considered an "old" platform, I concluded that the story I am writing for the game is still worth telling using it. For while I believe "there is nothing new under the sun", I would, however, like to believe that this story (of my own telling), can still offer some players "pause for thought", and hopefully remain as a memory of a pleasurable experience long after they reach its finale.</p><p>I would like to add that my knowledge of using the NWN2 toolset has improved over the years. Unfortunately, this is <b>not</b> in the ability to design new areas with grand and magnificent vistas, but is <b><i>instead</i></b>, in an ability (I hope), to give some unexpected designs in gameplay that may surprise the player and give them a moment of experiencing something "new" within the NWN2 gaming platform. I can think of at least two places where the end results of what I was trying to achieve exceeded my own expectations when play tested in-game. Maybe I am easily pleased? The point I am trying to make, however, is that the next module (at least), will come with some new gameplay experiences in the form of some interesting and unexpected differences from the standard NWN2 game that players have come to expect. This is the excitement of playing a modders game, as you never know if the builder has added something new to what is expected from the standard game. In this sense, we can have both the experience of playing a game that we know and love with the added excitement of not knowing what the builder may have in store for us.</p><p>Today I can report that Stage One of the second module is one step closer to a point of "completion", at which point I can then pass it on for testing. For now, here is a screenshot from Stage One of module:<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyIkcZVLfXtvf8RoWjdpq7MP0ozNpjNh8GnDmbfiNgRWm1NnJQVh98Zgvdf8pf0nsgghbVwM_dedAsASRlNTqh-vv2Iy_RaCMaDVgYZLlH-Q6g7NNlsbcanokNLMf6w4hVvGtM0kx1WOSu3pJ78P0WKfUZAMU2-2jDpl7_5Szc1YhDLmiirZ2iVorv92i/s1920/Episode76.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyIkcZVLfXtvf8RoWjdpq7MP0ozNpjNh8GnDmbfiNgRWm1NnJQVh98Zgvdf8pf0nsgghbVwM_dedAsASRlNTqh-vv2Iy_RaCMaDVgYZLlH-Q6g7NNlsbcanokNLMf6w4hVvGtM0kx1WOSu3pJ78P0WKfUZAMU2-2jDpl7_5Szc1YhDLmiirZ2iVorv92i/w640-h360/Episode76.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Another Time & Another Place!</span></i></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-69494596621179761622023-06-09T14:36:00.014+01:002023-06-09T15:24:18.329+01:00Episode 75: Objectively Bigger!<p>Just over four years ago I made my <b><a href="https://worldofalthea.blogspot.com/2019/05/here-we-go-again-module-two.html" target="_blank">first episode post</a></b> reporting on the current development of <i>The Scroll: Predestinated Days</i>, 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.<br /></p><p><b><u>Regarding The Quality</u></b></p><p>I guess we have all heard the saying that "<i>bigger does not always mean better</i>", and, I agree. That said, I hope the time I have spent in the toolset and supporting my first module, <i>The Scroll: The First Day,</i> 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.</p><p><b>1) A Larger Environment<br /></b></p><p>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 <b>two </b>world maps available! So, not only will the second module come with two <i>world maps</i> with various locations to explore as they discover them, but the first world map will also be supported by an <i>overland</i> map.</p><p>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 <i>area map</i>, 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 <i>world map</i>, 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.</p><p><b>2) Story Progression</b></p><p>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 <i>Option One background</i>, 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 <i>Option Two background</i>, 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.</p><p>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 <i>consciously </i>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!</p><p><b>3) The Quests</b></p><p>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.</p><p>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.<br /></p><p><b><u>Technical Improvements</u></b></p><p>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.</p><p>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 <b>alongside</b> 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.</p><p>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 <a href="https://worldofalthea.blogspot.com/2021/07/episode-48-tell-me-about-yourself-pc.html" target="_blank"><b>PC character backgrounds</b></a>, 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.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8WsD58iOP66KV72HI5sIKvEW1fYkFrbzThlhcyGYNLaaUv2Z5QJyIqwqoOyZAYznswSrnwAD_PnaR9s7VqdNFRZYRn6esIeGm566N-dEJFoxCzriteCvsC23TT6aaG7BUEYVIcLKbAJYZK_suorPs31v8Zr9FHHtuoO1wyBEmqCO88uxM7WCJEtYLw/s1920/Episode75a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG8WsD58iOP66KV72HI5sIKvEW1fYkFrbzThlhcyGYNLaaUv2Z5QJyIqwqoOyZAYznswSrnwAD_PnaR9s7VqdNFRZYRn6esIeGm566N-dEJFoxCzriteCvsC23TT6aaG7BUEYVIcLKbAJYZK_suorPs31v8Zr9FHHtuoO1wyBEmqCO88uxM7WCJEtYLw/w640-h360/Episode75a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Bigger Is Better!?</span></i></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6jCkqwTr3DA63TnBdgCfzO-ha-9dc8Hes0otRn5hV1N15kwv8yv3NnzsPr9q-V2Ov35baIKISLNzuaL0bp6KGItAvTtAZytvACY9VJMgWa4IeQ1sTB3wDeB1A0RDpe8KuBLRxuozll9W3Th2F8oyjYB2FcXHUIw2k1MelLpPTQJ_0ZNEAb647xeRrg/s1920/Episode75.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6jCkqwTr3DA63TnBdgCfzO-ha-9dc8Hes0otRn5hV1N15kwv8yv3NnzsPr9q-V2Ov35baIKISLNzuaL0bp6KGItAvTtAZytvACY9VJMgWa4IeQ1sTB3wDeB1A0RDpe8KuBLRxuozll9W3Th2F8oyjYB2FcXHUIw2k1MelLpPTQJ_0ZNEAb647xeRrg/w640-h360/Episode75.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">An Ancient Sacred Site</span></i></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-90411350027977308522023-05-08T14:48:00.001+01:002023-05-08T14:49:30.850+01:00Episode 74: The Three Stages!<p>Apart from running into a handful of strange scripting situations over the last month, I did also manage to make some progress with the second module. As I pondered what remained to be done, I realised this time around that the module will play out over three stages. Let's now take a look at how things currently stand.</p><p><b><u>Scripting Weirdness</u></b></p><p>To begin with, I just wanted to note (for the record) that I have had one or two strange issues of late, which, on the surface of it, appear to be related to scripting. First, my escape key appears to randomly stop working in game now and then. Secondly, I have had scripts that should work fail. E.g. I have a script that randomly fails on an object that works fine on other instances of the <b>same</b> object. Thirdly, I have had a couple of scripts that failed to work, only to suddenly start working! So, either I am going through a particularly bad month for concentration and bodged something somewhere (which is quite possible), or my computer is playing up (I have had a couple of other minor issues outside the toolset), or lastly, NWN2 is giving me a bit of a runaround of late. I'll keep an eye open for these moving forward, and update readers if I can ever explain any of these.</p><p><b><u>The Three Stages</u></b> <br /></p><p>The above issues aside, I have still been making gradual progress with the second module. It was while I was reviewing what remained to be done that I realised that this second module could, arguably, be split into three stages, or chapters. For my own design purposes, I won't be using chapter denotations. Notably, however, now that the three stages have become clear to me, it does mean I can concentrate on finishing the first stage, to allow my wife to alpha test that part while I continue to work the on later stages.</p><p><b>The Beginning (Stage 1):<span style="color: #2b00fe;"> </span></b> </p><p>As to be expected, the first stage of this second module takes place immediately after the player finishes <i>The First Day</i>, the first module in my NWN2 campaign, <i>The Scroll</i>. Subject to how the player starts their game, however, determines how this second module opens. Ultimately, however, the PC begins their journey into the lands beyond their home village, New Edgeton, from which they finally managed to escape in the first module. </p><p>This first stage still requires finishing the overland map and some new areas recently added to it. It was as a result of comparing this first stage to the latter two, that I realised it lacked one or two events required to balance it compared to the module's later stages. The decision to expand this first stage has turned out to be a bonus, however, as it meant I could expand the story slightly and add some gaming elements, while redressing the weight of the overall adventure at the same time. As I mention above, it meant I had to add a few more areas, which added time. However, to prevent too much time spent on further development, I made the decision to grab some pre-fab areas (or some of those areas designed by other builders), to rework for my module needs. I still needed to design one interior area, but this area is nearly finished now. I currently continue to concentrate on getting this stage complete.<br /></p><p><b>The Journey (Stage 2):</b> </p><p>While even the beginning stage requires the PC to explore their immediate surroundings, and travel across many miles, the world (and current adventure) does not, and will not, end there. In the gameplay of stage one, the PC will learn more about the world and their role in it. This eventually leads the player to recognise they need to head farther afield to where stage two takes place.</p><p>I don't want to give any spoilers, but suffice to say, the PC now enters a new region with new adventures and experiences as they continue with their overall goal they learned in stage one. This second stage is already well fleshed out with areas and quests, and apart from finishing a couple of larger quests, is mostly done.</p><p><b>The Ending (Stage 3):</b> </p><p>Eventually, there comes a point that is reached that clearly denotes the beginning of the second module's third and final end stage. Note, however, that just because the PC begins this third and final stage, it does not mean that the PC will not have further dealings with any previous stages of the module.</p><p>Of all the stages, this third stage is still the one that requires the most work, as it is also the section that introduces a unique game-play system. The core of this system is already setup, but its execution still requires some careful attention. Suffice to say, I am hoping it will add a whole new level of interest and challenge for the player by the time their PC reaches this third stage of the module.</p><p><b><u>Stages Moving Forward</u></b></p><p>The point I am trying to make is that each stage of this second module can be defined clearly from the point of view of work outstanding and, more importantly, when it can be given access to testing. What this now means is that I finally have a plan of action to help bring this module to completion. My aim is to try to concentrate on each stage starting from the first and ending with the last, in order, so I can have each stage <b>alpha-tested</b> as I work on the next. As soon as I have each stage finished to testing point, I'll hand it over to my wife to test and let readers of this blog know.</p><p>And to mark this stage of development, and with three being the theme, here are three screenshots from the stage I am currently working on:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgImZ1qe2Sy-iGcXpRpPpc40QaioUig1J2MXAIUO9UBqF3kx4wsU8YsEdfpXvijgixyLEVAFIPFMfOUeSN5FSN-Wuy8IQ_qGTS1fgrW9Tr7klmm3MncVqnda9r4gsy87RE7Aq5h493xXd2XxaZdGsqDLAVBkcBqQoZ7OiV43hyqXckjn9PqcpbrymCjFQ/s1920/Episode74a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgImZ1qe2Sy-iGcXpRpPpc40QaioUig1J2MXAIUO9UBqF3kx4wsU8YsEdfpXvijgixyLEVAFIPFMfOUeSN5FSN-Wuy8IQ_qGTS1fgrW9Tr7klmm3MncVqnda9r4gsy87RE7Aq5h493xXd2XxaZdGsqDLAVBkcBqQoZ7OiV43hyqXckjn9PqcpbrymCjFQ/w640-h360/Episode74a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Is there A Swamp Monster Here?</span></i></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qFGBr0Rwkt5yjAmNb1Mv8BbYYGBBBzJpKWa0e6l51Msd46ltvyEdmlGnvLmsWGfFG56Eex7YLXCQrDhyPKYNb3qOleCnlxS-YE1TlH_mS8lZftTfrsxY9IRy_1IXcJMoNaj2l3CupVpuGITOd47gzpvn9t9y3fLCZFe3HAJIRSJc94Y0xcw8vObP6g/s1920/Episode74b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qFGBr0Rwkt5yjAmNb1Mv8BbYYGBBBzJpKWa0e6l51Msd46ltvyEdmlGnvLmsWGfFG56Eex7YLXCQrDhyPKYNb3qOleCnlxS-YE1TlH_mS8lZftTfrsxY9IRy_1IXcJMoNaj2l3CupVpuGITOd47gzpvn9t9y3fLCZFe3HAJIRSJc94Y0xcw8vObP6g/w640-h360/Episode74b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Yes! There Is!</span></i></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGG-QhD6g_s-H2PdGQjuxQkr2EZOt2Bdq_lPs7zpchFp57jIJR8hSG5bEdMXRhIhYkt-8N8ZsR4qsU0HuUbvNeZmj_RIHHy8Q2sUeXxcNnZamBh3IswxonUv0XtFjRRoGsApjrd7upFeY5eonya68uYoO5GcJDUD0nfzVd5H6Pa5HA_lCOaTu58bCCg/s1920/Episode74c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdGG-QhD6g_s-H2PdGQjuxQkr2EZOt2Bdq_lPs7zpchFp57jIJR8hSG5bEdMXRhIhYkt-8N8ZsR4qsU0HuUbvNeZmj_RIHHy8Q2sUeXxcNnZamBh3IswxonUv0XtFjRRoGsApjrd7upFeY5eonya68uYoO5GcJDUD0nfzVd5H6Pa5HA_lCOaTu58bCCg/w640-h360/Episode74c.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">A Puzzle Perhaps?</span></i></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-82592659300464874392023-04-11T14:19:00.013+01:002023-04-25T09:34:19.020+01:00Episode 73: Upping The Ante!<p>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 ...</p><p><b><u>New Monsters!</u></b> <br /></p><p>It is said that there is actually "nothing new under the sun" (<span class="ILfuVd" lang="en"><b>Ecclesiastes 1:9</b> KJV)</span>, 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.</p><p>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).</p><p>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.</p><p><b><u>New Puzzles!</u></b></p><p>I've reported on these before, but I would like to touch on them again. For <i>The Althéa Campaign</i>, 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 <i>Predestinated Days</i>, 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.</p><p>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, <i>presentation</i>. 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.</p><p><b><u>More Challenging!</u></b></p><p>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.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSz3LRzIiyBJ4I2e0jta5u9FAIjMEwgT-CsyG4py8mQM0CV_S4upY9iJXDAfHVPkunXJ-FyoQHJ7xAuWrQbHSXFJt-f024w0c-llkdDCs4wogXt4XDxfcrvUuZtJ7cQaCC4aO3FtURrlp0qCwcp5HqjTpyACGIkEcdowaWSZEnjoyx8A4r3qzJy744Q/s1920/Episode_73.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiSz3LRzIiyBJ4I2e0jta5u9FAIjMEwgT-CsyG4py8mQM0CV_S4upY9iJXDAfHVPkunXJ-FyoQHJ7xAuWrQbHSXFJt-f024w0c-llkdDCs4wogXt4XDxfcrvUuZtJ7cQaCC4aO3FtURrlp0qCwcp5HqjTpyACGIkEcdowaWSZEnjoyx8A4r3qzJy744Q/w640-h360/Episode_73.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps A Little Too Challenging, Alone?</span></i></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-5110785410864243652023-03-10T15:24:00.004+00:002023-03-11T12:17:34.040+00:00Episode 72: Forging Your Own Path!<p>There may be one overarching story in a module or campaign, but the journey, or path, you take along the way is what makes the adventure unique to you. Designing a campaign that can be approached in a number of different ways was one of my main objectives, and the second module of the series, <i>Predestinated Days</i>, continues with the same approach. So, whether you decide to play it with a bunch of fighters, a small band of thieves, or even a holy or unholy brotherhood of clerics, that is just the beginning of your choice of adventure. Let's take a closer look at some of the latest progress for the next step along the path of the Althéa Campaign.</p><p><b><u>The Alignment Path<br /></u></b></p><p>A PC's alignment plays a big part while exploring the World of Althéa, and so playing a holy warrior, like a paladin, may not necessarily be an easy path to tread. The same can be said of good or evil aligned clerics, of course, but also includes other classes that rely on following a specific alignment, like that of a druid or a bard. The point is, when selecting a class that relies on an alignment to stay true to the class specifics, the player should realise that they will have already bound themselves to consider their actions they take in the campaign moving forward. Shift too far from the class alignment reliance, and they may quickly find themselves a fallen paladin, or too far removed from their class requirement to continue in the chosen class. Through their actions, a PC could find they are drifting too far from their class alignment requirement and so need to take steps to redress it before they lose their class status.</p><p>The Althéa Campaign does its best to accommodate such PC actions, and while not perfect, I believe it still provides a workable framework for any class to be able to progress, if the player observes this while playing. For instance, it should soon become obvious that killing creatures can shift alignments (in either direction), and actions such as stealing, and chaotic behaviour, such as destroying property belonging to someone else, will also cause alignment shifts, as just a few examples.<br /></p><p>But what happens if a PC has a bad day, and events appear to have conspired against them and they find themselves feeling a little off course to their intended behaviour? What happens if a druid is forced to kill an evil creature in self-defence, which ends up being recognised as a good act that has now shifted their alignment to such an extent that they are now considered a hero for the people? "He's such a good chap", the villagers start to cry! Not what the neutral-bent druid needs at all! Well, in the Althéa Campaign, there are a number of ways a PC can repair any life altering alignment swings, deliberate or otherwise, by reconsidering their PC's actions and actively doing things that may redress this balance (if possible) ... or by making an offering at an altar.</p><p>To do this, a PC must locate one of three types of altars that can be found dedicated to the various gods throughout the world, dedicated to either: <i>good</i>, <i>evil </i>or <i>neutral</i>. They perform in a similar fashion, but to avoid spoilers, I will only speak about the impact on the alignment, the subject of this topic. Making a valid offering on a good or evil altar will help shift a PCs alignment according to the altar's persuasion. A neutral altar, because of its very nature, does not apply any alignment shifting. The PC should experiment with the offerings they make, but if they do it correctly, then the PC's alignment (and all party members currently associated with them) will be shifted in the direction that the altar represents. I hope I need not say how care should be taken if there are those in the party who would not appreciate such alterations to their own alignments. It should also be pointed out that destroying one of these altars affects alignment as well ... in an obvious way, I hope.<br /></p><p><b>Alignment play in action:</b> If you would like to see a player called Travus playing a paladin (with a related good aligned party) in the campaign, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHLuB2j80VfIJ3u197scGYNbGHGDN3crd" target="_blank">take a look at his videos of playing <i>The First Day</i></a> (the first module of the campaign) ... and be sure to leave a "like" for him.</p><p><b><u>The Quests Path</u></b></p><p>In the Althéa Campaign, just as important as alignment choices, are the quests you choose to play, and in which order ... as each choice can affect the story for you, elsewhere. For this reason, I do not think some of the terms used to describe cRPGs in general suit my campaign design. For while it has some elements of those types of labels such as "story" or "sandbox", I don't think either of those two labels describe its design sufficiently. If I was to be so bold, I would like to add my own design label to suggest a gaming style called <b>"Story Maker"</b>, where the player is creating the story around their PC, dependant upon what they choose to do. That is, it is designed like a <i>D&D PnP campaign</i>, with options that a player can, in many cases, choose to follow up upon or ignore completely, which can then impact the overall game experience. Or, to put it another way, the design is a "story" made up of different "sandbox" type elements. That is to say, the campaign is following a main <b>story</b>, but also allows the player to explore the world freely (similar to a <b>sandbox </b>design) in the hope to find other adventure. I guess the distinction is subtle, but I hope anyone who plays my campaign will be able to appreciate this difference I am trying to express.</p><p>So how does this play out in the game? Well, as an example, the campaign is designed with some <i>scenarios </i>(to borrow a D&D term), which some players may completely miss if they choose to ignore certain leads in the game. By the term "scenario", I am using it in the sense of a <i>full adventure</i> in its own right, and not just a <i>basic side-quest</i>. Building a <i>campaign</i>, is effectively a world full of <i>different</i> adventures, waiting for a player to discover and then to decide whether to pursue them or not ... and if they do so, in which order? The point being, one player may approach the story from one angle (or adventure), while another player does so another way. <i>The <b>full story is made</b> according to their PC actions.</i><br /></p><p>As an example from my first module, the hero can explore the village of New Edgeton, discover a sewer entrance and immediately choose to explore it. Alternatively, they could just ignore it. Later, they find a notice that leads them to consider asking about work in the sewers. The hero could pursue this, or ignore it. Later, the hero may hear of people going missing in the sewers, or that there is a reward for carrying out a task in the sewers. The hero could pursue any or none of these leads. After all, the <b>main story (for the first module)</b> is about removing the barrier from the village! Whether the player decides to follow up on any of these other worldly events is left entirely up to the player. These are "story elements" unique to this player's PC's experience. NB: The <i>campaign </i>has its own main story arc.<br /></p><p><b><u>Finding Your Path</u></b></p><p>Why does this matter? Because, as my design ethos dictates, what you do in my first module affects what happens in the second, which is what I really want to talk about now. While it is possible to start afresh from my second module <i>Predestinated Days</i>, I am hoping there will be players who have managed to play my first module, and have access to a PC they played in that module, or even still have a saved game that can be continued from.</p><p>The point is, the second module, being a part of the campaign as a whole (of course), is set to continue on the same design style of giving the player the choice to pursue as many of the other world events they may discover as they would like to. Just like the first module, (and all modules with a main story), some quests <i>must</i> be completed to reach the end game. However, there will also be areas designed for the player to explore just because they are there. Importantly, these will come with their own adventures, and not just be infill areas on the way to complete the main quest. Outside the main quest line, I leave it to the player to decide what gaming elements they wish to pursue, but try to encourage the player to explore and build their own story from the world I have created for them to explore and adventure within.</p><p>So, as a final point for now, here is a screen shot from an area I have been working on of late, which only the most ardent or curious adventurer might find. It is full of mystery, quite dangerous, and possibly one such adventure that they wish they had never stumbled upon ... but, hey, isn't that what adventures do all the time?</p><p> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJzaIlgxZoLICesBmHuxASxcL46HZQluJ8G_qQf30kCGspHc4L6W-YaGzrp4WKRIK-E_WdU4H-oPo3dTzVZXE-0rScQOcooOKBXMsH-GDw7IWW-ld4P2RbV7_EeBC2BLgZCtcZiEJtjcvXadVzcV-JFtJiTfxpe9QjUfbmg95ZoUAAzF4Hx4PLQeFkng/s1920/Episode_72.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJzaIlgxZoLICesBmHuxASxcL46HZQluJ8G_qQf30kCGspHc4L6W-YaGzrp4WKRIK-E_WdU4H-oPo3dTzVZXE-0rScQOcooOKBXMsH-GDw7IWW-ld4P2RbV7_EeBC2BLgZCtcZiEJtjcvXadVzcV-JFtJiTfxpe9QjUfbmg95ZoUAAzF4Hx4PLQeFkng/w640-h360/Episode_72.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Through The Trees, You See A House In The Distance!</i></span></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-25281500091010982632023-02-04T17:44:00.004+00:002023-03-09T12:02:32.483+00:00Episode 71: The Warts and All!<p>It was <b><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/nov/08/cromwell-portraitist-samuel-cooper-exhibition" target="_blank">Oliver Cromwell</a></b>, the devout puritan, who first coined the phrase that we still use today, when he said that his portrait must be painted showing his "warts and all". I carefully use the term now to say that my own module, <i>The Scroll</i>, can now be seen being played in its latest form to date. This public viewing of the module is being played by Travus, who, in my opinion, is an expert player. He is doing a great job of putting the module through its paces and revealing both the module's strengths, and, of course, the occasional "warts" that may still need addressing. Let's take a look at the latest ...</p><p><u><b>WARNING: Potential Spoilers!</b></u></p><p>Now, if you hope to play my module at any time, then you may wish to avoid taking a look at these videos beyond the first two, as the path you take may be very different to that which Travus has taken. In fact, arguably, even the first video has Travus taking a potential different path to that I have known other player's to take. However, Travus prepares his videos so well, that they are a delight to watch. His voice acting brings both the PCs and NPCs to life, and he gives great consideration to all the actions he takes. Put succinctly, he is the exact type of player I appreciate, and one I hope is enjoying playing my module as much as my wife and I are enjoying watching his play through of it.</p><p>Warning aside, if you want to see how Travus is doing, and don't mind seeing potential plot lines that would differ from your own choices, then do take a look at his videos and be sure to <b>"like"</b> his work. Maybe it will encourage you to take a closer look at the module yourself? After all, I have confessed in the past that <i>The Scroll</i> is not for the casual player, and requires a player's time investment to fully appreciate. Travus demonstrates exactly how to approach the module, and hopefully, seeing some of the gameplay in action by someone who knows what is required will be helpful and encouraging to watch.</p><p>So, if you are interested, <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHLuB2j80VfIJ3u197scGYNbGHGDN3crd" target="_blank">here is the link</a></b> to the list of videos at the excellent AhTravesty YouTube site, which have been released and are available to date. I believe Travus is aiming to release a new episode every other day; so be sure to come back and keep up to date if watching.<br /></p><p><u><b>Warts Being Removed!</b></u><br /></p><p>If you take a look at the videos, just bear in mind that any "warts" (that is "bugs"), that you may witness in any of them will have been removed already, or will be removed as soon as I can do so. A few minor typos and grammatical errors will likely still remain, but with the help of another tester, Dustin, I am aiming to address as many of these as I can over the weeks or months ahead too. The most important gaming bugs, however, reported by any testers, will be addressed as soon as I can, and an update released for all players and testers alike. So far, all the latest updates have only needed to address a few minor glitches, and have actually better served to add new content rather than address any severe bug. For example, the latest update (v1.94E) adds improvements to the familiar GUI. (See screenshot below.)</p><p><u><b>Module Two News!</b></u></p><p>Again, I want to assure everyone that the second module for the campaign is still in development. Importantly, please remember that any bug fixes for the first module, and any new content that gets added to it is also an update and progress for the second module. Therefore, if you are a player who ends up playing and enjoying my first module, and have something you would like to see in module two, then do let me know. As an example, the improved inventory and familiar GUIs were as a result of watching Travus's style of play in his videos.<br /></p><p><b>TWO NEW AREAS:</b> I am currently working on a plot that involves <b><a href="https://worldofalthea.blogspot.com/2020/04/episode-29-blood-sucking-creatures-of.html" target="_blank">vampires</a></b>, which regular readers of this blog will already know to expect in the next module. It was while working on this quest that I realised I was going to need a couple more areas, again! These have now been created, and I am writing new conversation lines based upon the plot that involves these two new areas.</p><p>Again, I am very excited to report that I believe I have come up with an interesting plot line that will have the player wondering what may be transpiring, before solving the mystery involved. Of late, I have been quite determined to add an extra step of wonder (that I hope won't confuse the player at the time), which may help to make the quest a memorable one. Sorry that I cannot go into more detail.</p><p>Moving forward, I hope to have this quest finished by the next blog release, and, hopefully, I will be able to update you on what I move onto by then. Apart from addressing any "warts" of module one that any of the testers or players bring me, it will most likely involve writing more conversations. </p><p>Until next time, maybe watch a video or two, or leave some comments. Feedback is what helps move a project forward.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlgCrEy6q6kl0VI-BhldYhh4-eGjpap52IY-ZGLD_i2-VO0PWzJCaO7PJ0jDUJxIAfeYV4GDGip-7oZqEhFgFbQa_LqjqNeM1kjSOvgXLUXwKpuGnZ6ipBiNIelTyzXDj5NVkwy6LnyIop200snUQCLw9uqPdNKcIrFoMu4n2K70LKeGHtiqcE4zU7cg/s1920/Episode_71.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlgCrEy6q6kl0VI-BhldYhh4-eGjpap52IY-ZGLD_i2-VO0PWzJCaO7PJ0jDUJxIAfeYV4GDGip-7oZqEhFgFbQa_LqjqNeM1kjSOvgXLUXwKpuGnZ6ipBiNIelTyzXDj5NVkwy6LnyIop200snUQCLw9uqPdNKcIrFoMu4n2K70LKeGHtiqcE4zU7cg/w640-h360/Episode_71.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Aeriol Choosing A Familiar!</b></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-53815565774425315002023-01-13T15:14:00.003+00:002023-03-09T12:03:50.322+00:00Episode 70: Let's Go Exploring!<p>At the end of last year, I was able to wrap up one of the side quests for my second module, <i>Predestinated Days</i>, just in time for me to pick up another to continue working on at the start of this new year. This quest I am considering now, however, is set a little out of the way. Not only that, but it involves its own backstory, with NPCs doing their own thing, and which the heroes may somehow discover. If you are interested in reading about the latest development, especially in the steps involved for a builder, or hoping to pick up a hint of what to expect in the next module, let's go exploring.</p><p><u><b>Step One: Acquiring The Quest!</b></u></p><p>Every good gamer knows that before they can reap the rewards of their various adventures, they need to find a quest that may offer such in the first place! For the adventure creator, this can be a challenge, because, unless we care little about quest delivery, we often prefer to gently guide a player into a place where it feels natural for them to take on the adventure rather than railroad them into it.</p><p>However, unless it is a story driven module only, we are also aware that the gamer plays our modules so they can do quests in the first place. Therefore, of all the stages of quest development, this step is probably where the builder can cut themselves a little slack when it comes to creating the quest. For myself, I use a number of quest delivery systems, from conversations, reading notices, or finding items, to name just a few. Personally, I try to avoid "repetitive" tasks (or quests) where possible. Therefore, any task I design will normally only be "achievable" the once, but may or may not be time restricted. </p><p>The main aim for me when introducing a player to a quest is to give them the feeling of <i>ownership</i> rather than a <i>requirement</i>. In a story driven module (or campaign), however, it is impossible to avoid certain quests that require finishing ... <i><b>but</b></i>, if we can add more story elements that allow various completion paths, or that may become part of the main story in some way, then we can offer a unique experience for each player who plays the module. This latest quest I am working on is one such story element I am hoping will potentially add some unique experiences for the player.</p><p><u><b>Step Two: Reaching Our Goal!</b></u></p><p>Normally, most quests, once acquired, require some preparation on the part of the heroes before they head out to do the actual quest. If the quest is a simple one, like having to speak with somebody or fetch an item, the amount of preparation may be minimal. However, this is also an area where the builder can throw in a curveball to catch out unprepared players. This should not be overused, of course, but it is a good way to have the heroes suddenly find themselves involved in a larger quest than first expected.</p><p>In the quest I am currently working on, some of the opening steps are about 'info gathering' before coming to the conclusion that the heroes need to travel to a location farther afield. This had me looking at the map systems again, and, for this quest in particular, looking at the overland map that will come with <i>Predestinated Days</i>. Having done their 'homework', the heroes will learn they must travel to a certain location, and this is where the new overland map comes into play.</p><p>This week's screenshot shows the new look for the overland map. On it you can see the new "Travel Information" at the top of the screen. This information takes into account all pertinent figures regarding the <b>whole party</b> and their travel situation, including: 'Current Terrain', 'Speed' and 'Distance Travelled', as well as who in the current party of travellers is best (according to the PCs skills) at 'Detecting' objects and creatures, and/or 'Protecting' the heroes from possible dangers. There is also a line of information saying whether the heroes are using <i>basic rations</i> or have a cleric that is using <i>Create Food and Water</i> to enable them to travel. All these figures update <b>live</b>, and the overland map supports all the other objects a player would expect to see in such a setup, including finding hidden objects or locations, as well as having encounters!</p><p><u><b>Step Three: Completing The Objective!</b></u></p><p>So having reached our 'goal', we now have to determine what we need to do to complete the objective. However, this stage can also include extra info gathering and preparation, as in steps one and two above. That is, we may have additional steps that need to be considered before we can achieve our final mission objective. It's akin to discovering a new area that has its own requirements to be met before being able to reach the final objective within the area. This, of course, can continue for as many times as you have the time to develop this particular story line.<br /></p><p>I know I am describing what most players and builders will already instinctively know, but sometimes it is worth considering some of these steps more carefully before moving forward to the next ... <i>too soon</i>. In a story driven adventure, we aim to <b>avoid</b> the formulaic 'pick up quest', 'reach quest', 'do quest' which use as few details as possible, as that will only make the 'adventure' feel weak or quickly forgettable. In <i>The Althéa Campaign</i>, my aim is to reproduce the feel of adventuring and world exploring rather than be forced to follow a single story. <i>That is to say, the campaign, while having a main story to follow, it is not the sole reason for a player playing a PC in the world.</i> The world is bigger than the main story, even if the main story is the greater part of the module.</p><p>So, back to the quest I am working on, and how it fits in with the rest of the campaign. First, it has connections with the first module, <i>The First Day</i>, and so has a sense of continuity for players who played the first module. Secondly, it takes part in a section of the world that may otherwise be overlooked if the heroes choose only to follow the main quest. Note, it is this latter point that makes this project I am working on a <i><b>campaign</b></i> rather than a module. There is a subtle difference between what a cRPG (computer role-play game) calls a <i><b>side-quest</b></i> and what in PnP (pen and paper) one would call a <i><b>scenario</b></i>. My aim, especially in this second module of the campaign, is to try to provide one or two larger scenario type 'side-quests'; this being one. Such scenarios take more time to build, however, and so even incorporating just a few can be a challenge.</p><p><u><b>Step Four: Mission Accomplished!</b></u></p><p>Only after the heroes have overcome all the obstacles on their trek to reach and achieve the final goal, can they at last say that they have accomplished their mission. However, hopefully, the journey to this accomplishment will be one to remember rather than anything quickly forgotten. The quest may have opened as a mystery before some information was learned, a path trodden, and some creatures defeated along the way. But, the <i>flavour</i> or <i>story</i> behind this quest will, hopefully, have one or two elements that make it stand out from the crowd, which in turn, may also help to give value to any reward the PCs finally receive. In particular, the heroes actions may well have served to change another aspect of the world in which they travel, while always still on the course to save it from a yet far worse pending threat.</p><p>The point is to give a sense of achievement whenever possible, without overplaying or underplaying each stage. If the task has been more basic, but a part of the background story nonetheless, then it should be recognised as good role-play by the player and rewarded for such appropriately. In other words, when a PC agrees to collect ten items for a local mage, the reward should not be the greatest sword ever made, (unless you have a good plot reason for doing so), but be rewarded appropriately. After all, the PCs have still made some sort of progress. The point is to try to balance the number of 'basic' tasks with more meaningful <i>scenario</i> type quests, in such a way that they complement each other in a style that awards satisfaction in proportion to the quest's difficulty. Each should reward the player in a way that befits the effort involved.</p><p><u><b>Step Five: Thanks For The Memory!</b></u> <br /></p><p>In the case of the scenario I am currently writing, it opens with a missing person, involves some investigation, some risk taking, some travel, and eventually the discovery of new areas, for which the attentive player will have prepared their PCs for any potential combat ahead. </p><p>That's the outline for this scenario, and the final confrontation is already prepared. The front end is completed, and the final rewards are in place, should the heroes succeed in their task. All the areas are designed, and all that remains is to add the final details that I hope will make this diversion a memorable one. Now, whether that is a good or bad memory may not be just up to me, but how the heroes adventures fare in this place. Good adventuring, heroes!<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYUs9XEVviuydAwbXSJBSjFE1QlA5dyMXOFcVLnfk1earZ1pm9CplZ3rTjCe42HWlxX9ry8gZgD5FIonXIi9Hs7gsueMZRBLNTsAUFudU9NyF1CB9r_0Edo_kv5zWggBZbgtt9vGY5arRqwCnbYwSqJwsTYxHJzECEGd4QXWEWBeTrYBdvv_BWPC5rw/s1920/Episode_70.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYUs9XEVviuydAwbXSJBSjFE1QlA5dyMXOFcVLnfk1earZ1pm9CplZ3rTjCe42HWlxX9ry8gZgD5FIonXIi9Hs7gsueMZRBLNTsAUFudU9NyF1CB9r_0Edo_kv5zWggBZbgtt9vGY5arRqwCnbYwSqJwsTYxHJzECEGd4QXWEWBeTrYBdvv_BWPC5rw/w640-h360/Episode_70.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Roaming The World At Last!</b></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-71237541551881693992022-12-10T18:23:00.006+00:002022-12-10T18:26:21.943+00:00Episode 69: The Long Journey!<p>As we approach the end of yet another year of module writing, I end it looking forward with eager anticipation and hope that the next module, <i>Predestinated Days</i>, will see a release some time later next year ... more likely towards the end of it! For now, this is going to be a relatively short blog this month, with just a few notes of what I've managed to do this year, and where I hope to be heading next year. Writing <i>Predestinated Days</i> has certainly been a long journey, even up to now ...</p><p><u><b>That Which Is Done!</b></u></p><p>The start of this year saw me turning to some of my old pen and paper (PnP) scenarios with a view to bring them to NWN2. In the last year I have successfully managed to incorporate one side quest, which turned out far more involved than I first thought it would be, and have the foundations of two more core dungeons laid out.</p><p>Later, I delved into developing some rotating puzzles for my mega-dungeon, which was first started around July 2019. Work on this mega-dungeon has been continuing back and forth as I come up with more ideas with which to fill it and make better use of its size. Importantly, I have also developed a number of new gaming systems for that dungeon, which I hope will all add to a very exciting experience alongside the normal fun of deep dungeon delving.</p><p>Another area I have worked on has included new creature AI, including vampires with gaseous form and their coffins; lycanthropy and its curse (and curing), and the ankheg and its spit! Each of these creatures has its own areas of interest, which I have also been developing alongside the creature itself.</p><p>Later in the year, I realised that the scale of the world had grown larger than I first realised it was going to, and so I had to start bringing in more areas, which meant I also needed to consider new quests. Using NPCs that I had from my PnP days that fitted the bill, I wrote some new side quests, which has taken a large amount of my time over the last six months that had not been expected. These, however, are now done, mostly.</p><p>By now, my coding skills had improved from a year or two back, and I started to rework some of the earlier code, including improving shop vendor response interaction, conversation background options, journal updates and even write a small card game. Some of these updates I made backward compatible and released v1.50E (onwards), which supported the improved game mechanics. Other code, like the card game, will be included as a new experience in the next module, <i>Predestinated Days</i>.</p><p>As this year draws to an end, I find in the last few months I have been bringing together some of those more difficult plot lines that are brought in from the first module, <i>The First Day</i>, and that now come together for the two background choices within this second module. Basically, the core plot line has now been solidified for both backgrounds, meaning journal entries moving forward will no longer have to consider the difference in background choices.</p><p><u><b>That Which Is To Come!</b></u></p><p>Moving forward is primarily about continued development of conversations and quests. Many of the side quests (that I have started) are now done. That's not to say that I may have another idea or two for other side quests that may present themselves to me as I move forward. Around three small side quests remain to be written, with a couple more larger ones that mainly require dungeon design and monster balancing, as well as any puzzles or literature I may decide to include.<br /></p><p>As far as the main quest goes, I have now structured it in such a way that it has its own number of "side quests" that must be played to move the main quest on. I have around two to three of these "main quest sub-quests" left to finish, but at least one involves the mega-dungeon, which is currently an unfinished environment, and which is likely to end up with another side quest or two of its own on top of what I currently have for it.</p><p>There is still map (overland and static) work to be done. The world maps themselves are complete, although I have still yet to finish all links involved subject to player path through the module. These should not take me long once I have all the quests finalized though.</p><p>I already have in mind where some of the final battles will take place, but they still need to be considered for game balance and general appeal. Then, on a final note, I intend to design a location where some concluding plot details will be learned by the PCs that I hope will leave the player in a satisfying position in relation to the module's current end-game and what they might be able to expect in module three, called <i>The Last Day</i>.</p><p><b>Outstanding In Brief ...</b></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Area with a PnP scenario adaption x4 (One side-quest. Three essential.) (*)<br /></li><li>Unique area with new dungeon x2 (One side-quests. One essential.)<br /></li><li>Mega-dungeon (various sections) (Essential.) (**)</li></ul><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;">(*) Two end-game dungeons not started. One requires area designing too. <br />(**) A complex environment with its own systems involved, which requires careful attention. </div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><b>The Bottom Line</b></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It still feels like a lot left to do for me at this moment in time. However, to your advantage, my wife is as keen to play the next instalment as I am to finish it, and so she is a constant source of encouragement to me to keep going. It's very hard for me to give any sort of timeline for release, as some days I manage more than others. I must confess, these colder and darker days are harder for me to manage, but as spring comes along, I hope I will bloom in the new year and have a flourish of writing.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">One thing that is always an encouragement and welcome, are comments from readers like yourselves. So, if you have any ideas or suggestions, or just want to ask something, please leave a comment. Either way, I hope to update you all again in the new year. Until then, I leave you with a screenshot from the next module.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyGdxhJzJc3sHrCS7XIm3gMXjxX8uspf3AU0gieXfXqFmYWuc_9_cbxUwcY8JiAS_Dx4pE25Vm60-0CIDzIzTPVuTM_N4CA2KIYcAdM4jg4GotE3hVG_mdGWpPcrsJegpGptjYY6bTM0fjE0IbZHrV1212tqLLs0rX7QvVIWl9WdG2b138gLI1gz7ng/s1920/Episode_69.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyGdxhJzJc3sHrCS7XIm3gMXjxX8uspf3AU0gieXfXqFmYWuc_9_cbxUwcY8JiAS_Dx4pE25Vm60-0CIDzIzTPVuTM_N4CA2KIYcAdM4jg4GotE3hVG_mdGWpPcrsJegpGptjYY6bTM0fjE0IbZHrV1212tqLLs0rX7QvVIWl9WdG2b138gLI1gz7ng/w640-h360/Episode_69.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Preparing To Embark On A Long Journey!</b></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-8491447342719486942022-11-10T18:41:00.000+00:002022-11-10T18:41:04.369+00:00Episode 68: Development Diversions<p>Back in January 2021, <a href="https://worldofalthea.blogspot.com/2021/01/episode-40-big-picture.html" target="_blank">Episode 40</a>, 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 ...</p><p><u><b>The Adventure Continues</b></u></p><p>Back in <a href="https://worldofalthea.blogspot.com/2022/08/episode-65-its-starting-to-feel-little.html" target="_blank">Episode 65</a>, 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.<br /></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>WORLD MAP: The area is completed, but not all links are yet fully in place or tested.</li><li>LOCATIONS: Main city locations and others are in place, but extra work with them required.</li><li>MONSTERS: New monsters are in place, but some additional AI on others required.</li><li>QUESTS: Many are already started, but some require a lot of work to finish.<br /></li><li>PUZZLES: I have all my puzzles working, but some new systems requires extra coding.</li><li>SYSTEMS: The second module has a special new system, which is 75% completed.</li><li>NPCS: Many have been written, but quest nodes remain where quests not yet completed.<br /></li><li>PLAY TESTING: After all points above done.</li></ol><p>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.<br /></p><p>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.</p><p><u><b>Still More Quests</b></u></p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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 <i>Predestinated Days</i>. 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.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih69qWqxdoOYXG2iE_0bvaDtGEgiGcN86oVJ_fliryR3x_RGdJ_xspUXk_itWqpAQ--1sAzhoBuD8-lG9ai5HO-qSZz3gJGVjjvb8-B2EIXKWredBLQH2cTeun_cuSze6QyscwDoldP9x2f7MUqVHUvjZMaoZekrEuee_6FXXQd1wlqnJ7ktnu7zS6PQ/s1920/Episode_68A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih69qWqxdoOYXG2iE_0bvaDtGEgiGcN86oVJ_fliryR3x_RGdJ_xspUXk_itWqpAQ--1sAzhoBuD8-lG9ai5HO-qSZz3gJGVjjvb8-B2EIXKWredBLQH2cTeun_cuSze6QyscwDoldP9x2f7MUqVHUvjZMaoZekrEuee_6FXXQd1wlqnJ7ktnu7zS6PQ/w640-h360/Episode_68A.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">The Heroes Meet Deadeye Jack!</span></i></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCzelh5BT-cAzXyyaHiDsjzHH8ibuBTICjNKhkmbbV9n0L4GTBRfTT2QeeL9-JFxzM9iz5cmN6jQ_eTlX-QQbIPrD9-OnVc_BG5lYZTR-j7YveimBSnpVWCLCadrWUwi7Fljgt-cQP5FtnyGgF-xyteU14WaqiCjAuHXYun0YROFIP4rlwVtCzF-PYQ/s1920/Episode_68B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCzelh5BT-cAzXyyaHiDsjzHH8ibuBTICjNKhkmbbV9n0L4GTBRfTT2QeeL9-JFxzM9iz5cmN6jQ_eTlX-QQbIPrD9-OnVc_BG5lYZTR-j7YveimBSnpVWCLCadrWUwi7Fljgt-cQP5FtnyGgF-xyteU14WaqiCjAuHXYun0YROFIP4rlwVtCzF-PYQ/w640-h360/Episode_68B.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Showing The Opened Task List</b></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p></p>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-77201877253945602042022-10-10T21:29:00.010+01:002022-10-13T10:32:48.244+01:00Episode 67: It's Still Coming Along.<p>I've been covering a number of module design angles over the last month or so, and, as as result, the second module continues to grow. There's no one specific thing I have to report on, but here are a number of pointers to the sections I have been working on lately, and which you can expect to see when <i>Predestinated Days</i> is finally released. Bottom line, I'm still picking away at it. Read on for more details.</p><p><u><b>New Companions</b></u></p><p>To complement the first module, the second module will come along with some new companions. My goal is to include around three more in total, to encourage making a party of four for a SP game. However, as before, the party size limit will remain at six, meaning a player can choose to maximise their party size by using a combination of companion options available. Basically, the player will be able to decide whether to use these new companions as they encounter them along the way, or they can continue to use any companions they may have brought along from the first module, or even simply use those created as a fresh party as the player entered the game. The recommended optimal solution would be to start with at least four in the party, and then decide whether to add to the party or replace existing members as and when these new companions are discovered and become available.</p><p><u><b>Talk, Talk, Talk!</b></u></p><p>The largest amount of my time has been working with conversations, and fleshing out NPCs, which, as you know, tend to be the core source of quests and associated rewards. Thankfully, I have just come to the end of a most difficult set of conversations surrounding a particularly involved "murder mystery" quest, which had multiple approaches, complicated variable tracking, and was just basically tricky to manage. That's a second complex area of variable handling I have managed to sort in as many months. I confess that others may have managed it more quickly than I did, but, due to health reasons, I do what I can in the time I can do it ... and suffice to say, I'm glad it's behind me now. It means I should finally be able to start going through sections more easily moving forward.</p><p><u><b>The Elemental Puzzles</b></u></p><p>After finishing the last set of complex conversations, I was able to return to doing more with my elemental puzzles. You may recall they involve turning obelisks/pedestals that display an elemental symbol. Certain combinations of these turned obelisks (or pedestals) then trigger something when turned to the correct position. Only today I managed to finish a "clue" system to aid the player in learning information that would help them obtain the correct combination for the puzzle. I am pleased with the final result. </p><p>Basically, the PCs can find a small four line poem that holds the clues to the combination. The issue I had was that I wanted to use a specific font (Ambrosia) to display the poetic text, which appears on a plaque they can find. Normally, this is a simple image, which a GUI would display. However, I also wanted to add a random factor that determined the order in which the lines would display in the poem. As I am unaware of being able to change fonts easily in NWN2, (especially without interfering with install folders), I ended up having to split the image into various sections that could then be shuffled and displayed accordingly. It took a while to get as I liked it, but the end result means I now have lines of poetry in the Ambrosia font, which are randomly set. I believe it means I now have a potential 256 ways the poetry can be displayed. However, that achieved, I then faced the issue of being able to make this work with the turning obelisks, and trust me, this too was not as easy as I thought it would first be. However, I now have it working, and means I can start to make more use of it.</p><p><u><b>General Improvements</b></u></p><p>Alongside this, my wife has continued to play the first module, and given feedback, which has helped me to improve the overall running of the campaign as a whole. Latest improvements for the first module now mainly address "cosmetic" issues only, such as overall appearance and general response of companions, etal. All these updates are, of course, steps that improve the overall playing experience for the second module when available too. Basically, what I am learning from module one (and feedback given) is going back into the development of the second module. Thankfully, these subtle alterations and fixes are becoming less necessary with each play through, which means by the time module two is available, I am hoping the general playability for the campaign will be already quite stable.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FvJtGI3knFS5Kvti89CUzpbiI3DGWasExVxfSp88uCw6mfXV5n20R_gUDKaz6-abnaj-qiZ8wpxsm3xZyqVLOVxFqZP_qMke90sbr4RmmSREuLEjc3chK_qcCv7YZGdTET6s8d7W3oLYrljucFA5x01HX969GTyWiHZjTnvgw--c-EjUWD7vSVp1xg/s1920/Episode_67.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FvJtGI3knFS5Kvti89CUzpbiI3DGWasExVxfSp88uCw6mfXV5n20R_gUDKaz6-abnaj-qiZ8wpxsm3xZyqVLOVxFqZP_qMke90sbr4RmmSREuLEjc3chK_qcCv7YZGdTET6s8d7W3oLYrljucFA5x01HX969GTyWiHZjTnvgw--c-EjUWD7vSVp1xg/w640-h360/Episode_67.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>The Heroes Investigate A Delicate Matter</b></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-88343057158549410362022-09-07T12:35:00.014+01:002022-09-07T12:54:19.070+01:00Episode 66: It's Just One Door!<p>Have you ever wondered about what could possibly take so long when making a module? Or wondered how developers can possibly have messed up again and need another patch? For example, how could opening a door be such a difficult job to code, right? Well, wonder no more, as I share with you a day ... or more ... in a developers life when it comes to coding aspects of ... just a door ... JUST ONE DOOR!</p><p><u><b>It's Never What It Seems</b></u></p><p>The bottom line for myself, and I imagine many coders work, will be this ... What the player sees in-game does not reflect what is actually going on behind the scenes. In this case, I'm <u><b>not</b></u><b> </b>talking about the AI of creatures or behind the scenes systems, like weather or mapping, but instead, more dedicated scenes, like a <i>cutscene</i> or a <i>scripted event</i>. Sometimes, there are moments in the game, colloquially know as "choke points", or a "critical path", where the player has to meet certain criteria for the game to move forward, and these points require a lot of checking to ensure everything is just right before the game can move forward ... Now without giving too much away, I hope to explain one such situation using a door as an example.<br /></p><p><u><b>Multiple Paths</b></u></p><p>Linear style games, by their very nature, are less likely to suffer from any such coding issues. After all, if there is only one way to open a door (with a key) and there is only one way to acquire that key, then the logical process of acquiring the said key and then using it to unlock the door is pretty straightforward to code. To be fair, many games, including those non-linear games with multiple paths, will still use this kind of linear approach for the majority of their work. The difference, however, is that multiple path games may have a different "key" at the end of multiple linear paths, which may impact upon how they finally open a particular critical door when they reach it. To recap: A linear style will always have a single path, with a single key, that does a specific task. Whereas a multiple path may have many paths to different "keys", which do something different with the door they finally open. This is where it starts to become complicated ...<br /></p><p><u><b>I've Got The Key!</b></u></p><p>So the player finally beats their way through the game and wins the key they need to open that door at the end of the dungeon. To the player, it was an inevitable event ... and is the exact feeling a builder wants their player to have. BUT ... and here is the exciting part for both builders and players, what if there was more than one way to bypass that door? Did they have to do what they did to get through that dungeon door, or did another player do it a different way?</p><p>In NWN2, we are blessed with great flexibility of play styles, which also already allows some various means to open some locked doors, if setup so by the builder: Bash it, lock pick it, use Knock spell on it, or even just use the key when found. However, with scripting, the means to "open a door" can become much more varied and differ as much as a builder is prepared to put into it. However, having said all this, this is still not the main issue. Let me explain a builders dilemma of a multi-path module ...</p><p><u><b>What Do I know?</b></u></p><p>The real issue with any multi-path issue, beyond the various means to bypass a locked door, is what does the player's PC <i><b>know</b></i> at the point they reach this door? Recall that reaching this door can vary in a multi-path game, and so the PCs may have picked up various pieces of information or met different NPCs along the way. How much of that information is critical for what lies beyond that door? If it is, then the builder needs to be able to ensure any path the player has taken will leave them with the same critical information as any other player will have received in their path taken. This begins to show the real differences of "maintenance" required between a linear and a non-linear style game. The former, every player receives game knowledge at the same time and pace, whereas in a multi-path game, this knowledge can be gleaned at different rates and times. Welcome to <i>logical flow</i>!</p><p><u><b>Logical Flow</b></u></p><p>Generally, if a game <b>cannot</b> suffer from logical flow, then it suggests it must be of a linear design. By contrast, the more multiple paths you start to add, the greater risk of logical flow creeping into the game there is. This risk is compounded by the amount of knowledge differences the player's PCs gather along the particular path they take, which can differ by both the <b>physical path</b> they take, and their personal <b>time path</b> of events along each physical path. An example of a differing <b>physical path</b> is when a party can travel one direction and learn of events along that path before effectively turning back and then taking another path and learning new or complementing knowledge along the second path. An example of differing a <b>time path </b>is when a party of PCs encounter different events at <i>different times</i> along the <u>same</u> physical path. The more points of knowledge the PC gains along either of these path types, usually updated by quest updates, requires more checks at new situations where that quest can be updated again. More importantly, it dictates how NPCs or scripted events act out by the time the player's PCs encounter them.</p><p><u><b>That Single Door!</b></u></p><p>So, hopefully, by now, I have explained enough to give you an overview of what can go wrong at any given point in a multi-path game. Let me now take you back to my door event as an example ... and do so in a way that I hope does not spoil anything.</p><p>Imagine a situation where the PCs have learned of a task they need to do. They head to it, but the builder knows certain criteria must be met by the time the player "opens that door that must be opened". The builder has to ask themselves certain questions: Have the PCs learned what they need to know yet? Have they spoken to all the correct NPCs yet? Do they need to speak with everyone, or are only some required to be spoken to? What happens if they speak to some and not others and learn only some of what they need to do? In a multi-player game, is everyone there to start as expected? Do the party of heroes have what they need to open the door? Can it be bashed, pick-locked, knocked or does it simply need a key? If so, do the PCs have the resources to bypass it? Is anything else supposed to happen when that door is opened? If it is a <b>critical</b> door, which <b>must</b> respond in some way regardless of how the player interacts with it, have I considered all possible mouse-click interpretations that will lead to the expected event? BUT ... importantly, <i><u>it's all the stuff that happened before clicking the door that matters!</u></i><br /></p><p><u><b>Let's Rewind The Clock!<br /></b></u></p><p>Now let us rewind the clock that brought us to this stage in the first place ... because it is about what has already happened that now dictates what the end result will be when the player finally has their PC click on <b>that one door</b>. As a builder, we have to answer all those questions I mention above to a degree of satisfaction before I can write the code that determines what that door does at the moment of a player clicking on it ... and then, consider all possible responses subject to whatever <u><b>state</b></u> the party is in: This is governed by such things as basic quest states, but also by many variable states subject to what knowledge the PCs have gained through various sources, such as NPC conversations, books or scrolls read, or any other such information, including what they may have encountered on reaching this point. The point being, the moment a player has their PC click on this door (left or right click, and with any PC or player in a MP game), the builder has to be ready to provide a logical response that will not break the module's sense of flow. If it is a critical door, this can involve a lot of questions that need to be answered before it even opens.</p><p><u><b>The Critical Issues</b></u></p><p>Of course, a critical path issue (or "choke point") does not have to come about as the result of clicking on a door, but a door is a good example as it is often the "portal" by which the game concludes in one aspect, but continues to open into new directions beyond. The point is, however, if you enjoy a game with many potential paths through it, allowing you to play it the way you want to, and maybe overcome a challenge differently from another player, then a multi-path game with multiple critical path choke points is likely to appeal to you. The downside is, however, preparing and coding for such multi-path choke points is a lot more involved, and potentially subject to initial potential logical flow issues until ironed out through testing. </p><p>So, next time you click on "just one door" or sense a critical path in a multi-path game, spare a thought to the many days it may have taken to ensure the path you took worked out as expected. After all, there may be a few other ways it could have been done, which you may have the pleasure of experiencing if you ever play such a game again.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0yTK0CDWqhuNPsXe6pdNYONO7vGSO-GL38ccWhVbm0Pdlv7wY_yHY5CiFlX92vYyNMOH8ByGMxr-QXkUvq4xooLwjtghtUd8IeN3a6fBKBJ09pvHjPW209WTEkN2BV6bnz08q5KlqPhV6-7qQkSfSKamFxwkmUNxutrY7L6qegOzrvJP94mKvHnOsAg/s1300/Episode%2066.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1300" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0yTK0CDWqhuNPsXe6pdNYONO7vGSO-GL38ccWhVbm0Pdlv7wY_yHY5CiFlX92vYyNMOH8ByGMxr-QXkUvq4xooLwjtghtUd8IeN3a6fBKBJ09pvHjPW209WTEkN2BV6bnz08q5KlqPhV6-7qQkSfSKamFxwkmUNxutrY7L6qegOzrvJP94mKvHnOsAg/w640-h344/Episode%2066.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>It's Just One Door!</b></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><u><i><b>A VERY MUCH SIMPLIFIED EPILOGUE ...</b></i></u><br /></p><p></p><p>PC Fighter: "Hey, look! It's the locked door we've been looking for!"</p><p>PC Thief: "Don't worry, I still have a key."</p><p>BOOK KNOWLEDGE READ: </p><p>PC Wizard: "Didn't I read somewhere that there is a fake key that summons monsters, if used?"</p><p>OR ... <br /></p><p>BOOK KNOWLEDGE NOT READ: </p><p>PC Wizard: "At last. Unlock it then!"<br /></p>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-73726283722287057092022-08-06T19:05:00.003+01:002022-08-08T21:52:15.059+01:00Episode 65: It's Starting To Feel A Little Epic!<p>When I first envisioned <i>The Scroll</i> campaign for NWN2, I had no idea of the scope I would end up trying to cover. My initial plan was to write a first module that would introduce the players to the campaign, and at the same time, bring all players, new or old, to a place where they could continue with the main plot with similar campaign story knowledge. The second module was when all players would then start to unravel the main story in more detail ... and the third and final module would be what brought the story to an end ... but let me just backup one step and bring you the latest on the second module, still currently under development.</p><p><u><b>The Brief History</b></u></p><p>Regular readers of this blog will be aware that The Scroll was originally a "pen and paper" (PnP) 3rd edition campaign, with original roots in AD&D 2nd edition. The PnP sessions of the campaign ran from the early '80s through to 2008. I then transitioned from PnP to using NWN, and <i>Soul Shaker</i> (NWN1) was the first module written for the campaign that eventually leads us into the new age of "The Darkening" upon Althéa ... and where the first module on NWN2, <i>The First Day</i>, begins. If and when played, all players should finish <i>The First Day</i> around 9th - 10th level, and with an understanding that they need to head to Boran, the capital city of the <i>Borantan Plains</i> upon the world Althéa. However ...</p><p><u><b>Main Background Differences</b></u></p><p>Even at the beginning of the second module, <i>Predestinated Days</i>, whichever background the player chose at the <b>start</b> of <i>The First Day</i> has a bearing on how the second module unravels. However, I have also allowed the option (for players who may skip the first module, or no longer have PCs to import into the second) to reselect the background path from the beginning of the second module. If, however, the player has PCs they have exported from the first module, or are one of those dedicated enough to play the first module and flow straight into the second (yes, I have allowed for that too), then the background first chosen will be retained on import or continuation of play. Why is all this so important? The bottom line is because each background path adds a whole layer of plot for some conversations the PCs may have moving forward in the second module. The good news is, I believe I have finally resolved all path differences for the most important conversations now. This means that by the end of such conversations, all players, irrespective of background, should now be in the same place, as far as knowledge and expectations of them is concerned, which, in turn, makes my progress with later conversations easier to handle ... and speed up building. Although ...</p><p><u><b>A Big World: Design Depth<br /></b></u></p><p>I already have PnP maps of the entire world of Althéa. I drew them and wrote a history for the world even before I designed the story for the players. Why? Because story elements with historical references from the world in which they take place can make them feel more <i>real</i>. In many other styles of modules, often these historical elements are either never referenced at all or are made up on the fly to give a kind of lip service to such. However, unless a builder has a good idea of how their world runs from the start, then modules can feel orchestrated at best, or lacking in details at worst. Some players don't mind that style of play. Personally, however, I like to play modules that (at the very least) have given some thought to the background in which their story takes place. The downside is that if done wrong, then introducing or making use of these elements can come across as "boring" or an "information dump". Done right, by introducing the elements at a reasonable pace and as the story unravels (as the player plays it), can lead to a satisfying discovery for the player and add a layer of gameplay that I believe is often poorly handled in many AAA titles today. In brief, I am talking about <b><i>design depth</i></b>, which, when done well, leaves the player with the impression of details that add to the overall experience of their game. The game world feels full, even with fewer areas, compared to a module with twice as many areas but no depth to its campaign world. However, all such depth of design requires more time to develop and then careful implementation in such a way that does it justice. I just hope I have the balance right.<br /></p><p><u><b>Reining It In</b></u></p><p>I confess that I need to start reining the design in, or I will lose myself within its depth for too long, and risk losing sight of the end. Finishing the final conversations that handle the background differences have certainly been a turning point for me, but I also now need to try to deliver on gaming elements that I have managed to design already. However, there remains some partially started quests, which due to their historical background and involvement with players PCs of my PnP campaign, require some extra attention to the detail of their design. Thankfully, this is a less complex process than writing conversations to handle such, but, nevertheless, they do still have some design elements that differ according to the main background chosen at the start of the campaign. Looking back, I have to admit that taking this original design policy to support both old and new players has added a extra layer of complexity for me, but, I hope players will remain waiting patiently for the end result. Thankfully, by the time I start the third module, all main backgrounds should have converged in the story line, meaning the last module should be easier to write form this perspective.</p><p><u><b>So What's Left?</b></u></p><p>Having explained my difficulties and reasons for this second module taking longer than I first thought, I suppose I should at least give another update indicating where I am currently at ... So let me try to break it down into sections that I think remain, without, I hope giving too much away ...</p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>WORLD MAP: The area is completed, but not all links are yet fully in place or tested.</li><li>LOCATIONS: Main city locations and others are in place, but extra work with them required.</li><li>MONSTERS: New monsters are in place, but some additional AI on others required.</li><li>QUESTS: Many are already started, but some require a lot of work to finish. (*)<br /></li><li>PUZZLES: I have all my puzzles working, but some new systems requires extra coding.</li><li>SYSTEMS: The second module has a special new system, which is 75% completed.</li><li>NPCS: Many have been written, but quest nodes remain where quests not yet completed. (*)<br /></li><li>PLAY TESTING: After all points above done. </li></ol><p>(*) These are the elements that require the most time to complete, especially when you take into account the points I make above with respect to backgrounds and retaining logical flow to the original PnP design. <br /></p><p>I can't deny that occasionally I still "gasp" at what remains to be done. But, there is still less to do with each blog post I make, and is why I continue to write these blogs: to help encourage both you and I in that, hopefully, one day, <i>Predestinated Days</i> will be released.</p><p>And as you have taken the time to read my post, please enjoy this screenshot of an image the PCs will come across during their adventures in the World of Althéa ... The start of another adventure?<br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0naJokokCfTXtW_KniyXC7WniyMqGglj030TQnO2EWxgdHS8pPODfpv_pqCK8uJPJi8BJOAt6uWFQwOjD5QbEpK6yGVpicYiNX4hADufkvNmaM6216nLQd6mBgRlCLAOcqCLCOw6qKqAXtVqTYzCITL3BqbpD2ISzmKG_-dYtWCQPB6LaePtLLZpDXQ/s1024/Episode%2065.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0naJokokCfTXtW_KniyXC7WniyMqGglj030TQnO2EWxgdHS8pPODfpv_pqCK8uJPJi8BJOAt6uWFQwOjD5QbEpK6yGVpicYiNX4hADufkvNmaM6216nLQd6mBgRlCLAOcqCLCOw6qKqAXtVqTYzCITL3BqbpD2ISzmKG_-dYtWCQPB6LaePtLLZpDXQ/w640-h640/Episode%2065.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>A Noticeboard Update!</i></b></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-3914346432016782772022-07-07T16:23:00.006+01:002022-07-28T12:21:25.569+01:00Episode 64: Ye Olde Shoppe!<p>For the last month or so, I have been chipping away at module two, adding NPCs, journal entries, conversations and events. During this time, I also discovered something about stores I had not realised until now. On another note of introduction, I must confess that a fair amount of my development time was taken up with designing a card game for another builder. However, now done, the mini-game will also feature in my next module as well, and you can see a video of it in action below. So, ye olde shoppe is now open for you to enter and take a browse ...</p><p><u><b>The Hunt of Life Card Game</b></u></p><p>Basically, I have built a small card game that plays similar to "Pontoon" (aka "Blackjack" or "21"). If you want to read more about the rules, watch this video below and pause it when the "Rules" are displayed. I already have an idea how this card game will be used in a quest, and hopefully, players will enjoy the minor distraction from the norm for its duration. I even intend to have a deck available as an item for players who may just like to play it now and then.</p><p>This video shows a slightly earlier build, but everything working fine. The latest build has an additional setting button that allows the player to select a faster or slower deal speed.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UIErOUX7RB4" width="320" youtube-src-id="UIErOUX7RB4"></iframe></div><br /><p><u><b>Store Blueprints Info<br /></b></u></p><p>During my time sorting out some new stores for module two, I discovered that if you made a "campaign copy" of a "STORE" object, which you hope to use as a template in other places, it fails to allocate any custom items based on altered item blueprints when you try to add them.</p><p>For example, I have altered the standard cure healing potions and have new versions of these potions, which if I then try to add them to this campaign Store blueprint, the added items immediately revert back to the original item template. The only way I could add my own altered items was to ensure the store object was already placed within an area and then add my modified items to that Store object.<br /></p><p>I was surprised that I had not noticed this before, but it may be because I have only recently been altering items prior to adding them to the campaign store blueprint. However, this is not the first time I have experienced "difficulties" with store items. Frustratingly, if you add an item to a store, and then later decide to alter that item template in some way, the store item needs to be removed and then replaced with the updated version, or else the older version has been retained. Module placed Store objects appear to maintain individual references of items placed in them, even if the original template is changed in some way. EG: If you add a potion that says, "A Blue Potion" and you later alter that potion template to read just "Blue Potion" in its campaign template, then the store will not update the item, but will have kept a copy of its original wording. It's kind of doing the opposite issue of what I describe above.<br /></p><p>This was a reason for the latest module update to The Scroll v1.63E. Some Stores objects had items placed in them, whose templates had been changed since the items had been added. So even though the items had never been referenced before (aside from the builder adding them to the Store object), when they came to be "bought" by the player, the store handed over "old" items based upon an old template reference that no longer existed! Something to keep an eye open for moving forward, and a chore to "fix" if one does ever alter an item template.</p><p><u><b>Reactive Offers<br /></b></u></p><p>Thankfully, after all these latest discoveries, I have now been able to address all potential store issues with such items for module two, even before its release. Also, as a heads up for followers of this blog, (and while talking about stores), some store owners in <i>Predestinated Days</i> will now respond and offer other goods or alter prices subject to how the player interacts with them, which in turn is governed by how they have setup their PC background and role-play their PC with them. This is on top of the existing PC appraise skill deals!</p><p>The idea is to introduce a bit more character to store vendors again. I did this somewhat in <i>The First Day</i>, but I hope to take this to another level in the next module. It will be up to players to consider how best to speak with vendors to help improve their deals. Note: This is just a small piece of game mechanics that allows more player agency ... Hopefully, I have designed it to be reasonably natural and not overly intrusive, but noticeable.<br /></p><p><u><b>Soul Shaker (EE Version)</b></u></p><p>In other news, and after some requests, I ended up buying NWN1: EE at discount from STEAM, so I could update my NWN1 module, Soul Shaker, to be NWN:EE compatible. The updated version of NWN1 has undergone enough changes that had made my module incompatible with it. The main four issues I had to address were:-</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>1) Videos required a WBM format. (Thanks to Pstemarie for help here.)</li><li>2) A script function clashed with one in NWN:EE.</li><li>3) Some VFX required a delay to function correctly.</li><li>4) Some extra code to allow SP gamers without a unique ID to play. </li></ul><p>I await feedback to let me know if there are any other issues that need addressing. However, if you want to give it a go, <b><a href="https://neverwintervault.org/project/nwn1/module/soul-shaker" target="_blank">grab it here</a></b>. Let me know if anything else needs fixing for NWN:EE.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgP4-kuZ_Js-do6qAx31BjHgwOiDX10DpX8MGlZ3fYGBzmcHzakAeP0YkMDTmbvDY8HNH-Z7bXcMlnvKKPiiMfY3aExQrdsBMEaO7Xfs7eAH6IPhvGpyUzCAg35VrLPuXRmiX96dArYWGGm6GHUqHjIkLtS_do39iX9HBnqjTOTW4OdjptRG1NgkFKqQ/s1920/Episode%2064a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgP4-kuZ_Js-do6qAx31BjHgwOiDX10DpX8MGlZ3fYGBzmcHzakAeP0YkMDTmbvDY8HNH-Z7bXcMlnvKKPiiMfY3aExQrdsBMEaO7Xfs7eAH6IPhvGpyUzCAg35VrLPuXRmiX96dArYWGGm6GHUqHjIkLtS_do39iX9HBnqjTOTW4OdjptRG1NgkFKqQ/w640-h360/Episode%2064a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>A City Vendor Tries To Attract Your Business!</i></span></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRB61Z8bulKWpm_P_e9xbmKe5uujXuvKsNlq9oh-HA1Af2uQFncNb1sqX93-7cyLBEjJRj4uAvi7lUbngm8NhvqXlP4FtEgnQJ-CZF99hn1ElmzLXjtPkde8-_addXkctPI6pRzKxZYZIwQ7CuDIlmVUGBsYEpyxQg5zfVxsdKU4WLN8wvsJorw1DCQw/s1920/Episode%2064b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRB61Z8bulKWpm_P_e9xbmKe5uujXuvKsNlq9oh-HA1Af2uQFncNb1sqX93-7cyLBEjJRj4uAvi7lUbngm8NhvqXlP4FtEgnQJ-CZF99hn1ElmzLXjtPkde8-_addXkctPI6pRzKxZYZIwQ7CuDIlmVUGBsYEpyxQg5zfVxsdKU4WLN8wvsJorw1DCQw/w640-h360/Episode%2064b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Is This The best Deal?</i></span></b><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-91594693583065353142022-06-06T12:34:00.013+01:002022-06-06T12:41:30.718+01:00Episode 63: Another Blog, Another Step!<p>Almost sixteen months ago, <b><a href="https://worldofalthea.blogspot.com/2021/01/episode-40-big-picture.html">this blog</a></b> post marked the 100th backup I had made of the second module since the start of its development. Just over a year later, and I am now over the second module's 200th backup! And what a journey that's been. Not only has the number of areas grown, but I have also been able to concentrate on many conversations and side quests since that time. New mechanics have also been written for the next module, some of which, like enhanced PC Background and Sepia Image conversations, I have covered in some detail. However, there is still more to do ... Read on for the latest overall picture of progress ... and two extra bonus screenshots.<br /></p><p><u><b>The Paperwork Progress<br /></b></u></p><p>I have before me a pad of paper, which has copious notes (with dates) spanning its pages. The earliest date is 19th November 2018, and this notepad is about my third since I started making notes about <i>The Scroll</i>. (NB: I started reporting these <b><a href="http://worldofalthea.blogspot.com/2019/05/here-we-go-again-module-two.html">Episodes</a></b> from 3rd May 2019.) This latest pad covers the notes I am using for module two, and it covers all the various ideas for puzzles, side quests and plot twists that the module needs to cover. As well as this notepad, I have other notepads and paper maps that go back decades, and cover some of those scenarios from my pen and paper D&D years, which are also being brought to the second module. The latest note I have made in this current notepad has only three lines written there ... to remind me of the key NPCs that the PCs will meet and how the main quest progresses with the encounter of each of them. I believe I have covered at least 75% of the material I need for these characters to date, which relate to this module specifically. Or, to put it another way, conversations for the main quest path for the next module, <i>Predestinated Days</i>, are almost complete! However, smaller conversations remain incomplete or yet to be written.<br /></p><p><u><b>The Quest Progress</b></u></p><p>In my mind, I am currently about 6-10 quests short of my desired number for this module. However, there are a couple of points I can make regarding this. Firstly, compared to my first module, the current quests for my second module are generally more involved, requiring a few more steps from the player to reach completion. As a comparison (and ignoring tutorial type quests), my first module, <i>The First Day</i>, had at least three quests (possibly up to six) that could be done within a few minutes of starting the quest. The second module currently only has a couple that may be considered "quick" quests. The second point I need to make is that the quests for this second module are generally more complex compared to those of the first module. In this case, this is <b>not</b> to say they have any more stages, but, instead, that each stage may have more than one outcome, increasing replay value. I have probably started writing around 80% of the quests required for this second module. I have "completed" around 55% of the expected total.</p><p><u><b>The Area Progress</b></u></p><p>Area progression is a hard one for me to pin down. For whenever I believe I have added my last area, I suddenly feel the need for another. This is especially the case in this second module, as <i>Predestinated Days</i> has at least three outdoor areas that demand further interiors, in my opinion. I am also aware that I still have at least one dungeon to complete in its entirety, of which I have not yet done any of its interior areas. There is also one other exterior area, which I believe will require some interiors to complete. I believe all these areas and related quests will be among the final stages of this module that I will end up doing, especially as they have some bearing on how module three begins. As a side note, both of these unfinished scenarios are based upon my old pen and paper notes.</p><p><u><b>The 'Other' Progress</b></u></p><p>I would like to believe that most, if not all, of the mechanics coding is complete. I have updated or added some new puzzle code, although, in some cases, these have not been added to the module itself. However, with the puzzle coding now complete, it should be just a simple matter of adding the interactive objects to any areas as required. The "complex" part is knowing where best to add such elements in a way that does not unfairly impede the player or more essentially cause a player to be unable to progress. Balancing the challenge of an interesting puzzle with a PCs capabilities (or even the player's), needs to be carefully considered. As a current guide, I watch how my wife currently manages each puzzle, and consider any adjustments from feedback that she (or others) give me. As this next module will come with some new puzzles, this may have to be something for me to look more closely at over time.</p><p><u><b>The Bottom Line</b></u></p><p>I am progressing ... slowly, but getting ever closer to finishing this latest module. Sometimes it is hard going, especially when my health plays up, when I have to stop completely. However, I still have some days when I can pace myself to be able to progress just one more little step. I am excited about what I have done so far, and look forward to releasing it ... whenever that day comes.</p><p><u><b>The Scroll</b></u> <br /></p><p>Finally, just to report that my wife decided to jump in and play the first module (v1.58E), yet again! Anything that comes to light during her latest play through is the reason for any further updates to the first module. Since her latest play I have updated to v1.59E, mainly to cater for potential "immortal" thugs if a quest is followed along a certain path. This issue can be worked around following a different path, but I wanted to release v1.59E to avoid that path issue for any new players. As long as no other such "important" (or "critical") issues arise, the next release will be v1.60E, coming after her latest play through.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjrB9CcXlO9N42YYz_1oXc-avXMQ2i6kCYbWnEDDLPtQGVn0_ubIfbN0ngPG6mZc4UK2hw3O8i9lf6VLN2mL9y25PXVomngbJd3le0pfMCc6SPlykgsLR8FVEz-UpJYxxQwHfXV23A7z82KUAwxIyDsrHOM1diYhQbdrUKt2FSBDkOPh4PgX6bjjDW4g/s1920/Episode%2063a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjrB9CcXlO9N42YYz_1oXc-avXMQ2i6kCYbWnEDDLPtQGVn0_ubIfbN0ngPG6mZc4UK2hw3O8i9lf6VLN2mL9y25PXVomngbJd3le0pfMCc6SPlykgsLR8FVEz-UpJYxxQwHfXV23A7z82KUAwxIyDsrHOM1diYhQbdrUKt2FSBDkOPh4PgX6bjjDW4g/w640-h360/Episode%2063a.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Jared's Odds and Sods!</b></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3KT0DGbaWxXWKH49m4nv34xAPLWfnuP56bLh5D0-TyAiDsu5ZmPLI6ePwpEPCcfBeE_K_ZAFQmBqkEyLXdR3d_QDKzffBiTK3Rzq-_wUctpKz45m1SGENoke2oasKONkFMHmaQybc1hDI2FTNxWRolBx0c_O2Ttr1ysfoRQt4b78NUyB2N7JrniXwQ/s1920/Episode%2063b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3KT0DGbaWxXWKH49m4nv34xAPLWfnuP56bLh5D0-TyAiDsu5ZmPLI6ePwpEPCcfBeE_K_ZAFQmBqkEyLXdR3d_QDKzffBiTK3Rzq-_wUctpKz45m1SGENoke2oasKONkFMHmaQybc1hDI2FTNxWRolBx0c_O2Ttr1ysfoRQt4b78NUyB2N7JrniXwQ/w640-h360/Episode%2063b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>I'm Looking For Phil McCavity!</b></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4Bd9r3_4Pe9Sd83e4XrdRP4E93fHjZhAu4Kb88MgYicZ65ZSGuP3A4OEGeC0iKBKSWb2IpNDnr7mrxTQLmYbe4zHyXzeGo-ixWSAdaonBxYEwwz6m5nPow_3vSZ6p12CZLWeVEHXU8Hl7bNs46kUjSLss4Jy9pwtiAupeFqcxHKhTAaAHRt90J6HTA/s1920/Episode%2063c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4Bd9r3_4Pe9Sd83e4XrdRP4E93fHjZhAu4Kb88MgYicZ65ZSGuP3A4OEGeC0iKBKSWb2IpNDnr7mrxTQLmYbe4zHyXzeGo-ixWSAdaonBxYEwwz6m5nPow_3vSZ6p12CZLWeVEHXU8Hl7bNs46kUjSLss4Jy9pwtiAupeFqcxHKhTAaAHRt90J6HTA/w640-h360/Episode%2063c.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>A Busy Port!</b></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-69361619178529344032022-05-09T13:18:00.015+01:002022-05-09T13:35:23.709+01:00Episode 62: More Areas, More Quests!<p>Just when I think I have reached the total areas I am going to need for this module, another requirement pops up in a timely fashion, requiring me to have to reconsider more conversations and, more importantly, more quests for the player to undertake. For every time I introduce a new area, I then also feel obligated to make it an area worth visiting, and as any builder knows, this means the need for a quest or two. Read on to learn more about the latest developments ...</p><p><u><b>It Grows!</b></u></p><p>It all began when I started to write an important conversation that moves the heroes from one situation to another. Originally, this was going to be a basic conversation with an NPC whom the PCs may or may not know, subject to the background they have originally chosen for playing the module. The problem was, however, I could not easily introduce this female elf NPC in any of the areas I currently had available without it lacking authenticity. i.e. I wanted to have the PCs meet this new NPC in the environment they worked in, rather than the local tavern.</p><p>So, I found a rather good prefab on the Vault (details withheld to prevent spoiler), and place my NPC in a suitable location within it. I now had a neat new area with the link I required, but the area felt very much underused. In my mind, there was no other course of action other than to consider some suitable quests for the area to flesh out the experience for the player. It also offered me a way to add some personality for the NPC as the PCs carried out some particular tasks for her. It did not end there, however, as I also wanted to give some depth to the new outdoor area, by allowing some buildings to be enterable. This meant having to create some new interior areas too. It did not take long before I had four new interior areas too, but I am not convinced that's the end of it. i.e. Arguably, I think there should be at least another two interiors to make most use of the area. Thankfully, I also managed to track down a few interior areas on the Vault that I could also potentially use for the ideas I have in mind.</p><p>I am also aware that I still have one scenario in mind for another area that will also require one or two (possibly more) interior areas to complete the quest. That quest is also based on an old pen and paper scenario, and so may require a tailored design when it comes to it.</p><p><u><b>New Tasks!</b></u></p><p>I now wanted to come up with some additional material to ensure the area was interesting enough to stand alone in its own right. To this end, I decided to flesh out this NPC, making her more fully rounded, and with an agenda of her own. I located my original pen and paper notes about this elf, and expanded on what was already known about her, basing some new tasks around her character traits.</p><p>In the process of doing this, I ended up doing some interesting new scripting that gave better interaction with the game environment. Unfortunately, I cannot go into much detail, except to say that something the player does is now reflected in the game environment. It sounds petty, I know, but it looks quite neat when played out. Another task I designed has multiple paths to its conclusion, subject to skill tests and player choices. The conversations involved were quite complicated to put together, but the end result is quite satisfying.</p><p>Also, all tasks to date, have included some random elements, which could allow a different gaming experience on any potential replays.</p><p><u><b>Dynamic Creativity<br /></b></u></p><p>My approach to the building of module two has undergone a number of changes over the last few years, and so what I may have reported a few months back may not be what I now say. Basically, my approach has changed from a rigid approach of trying to finish one area at a time to a more dynamic approach, after recognising the story forces me to refocus on various aspects as they reveal themselves in a dynamic way.</p><p>For example, as regular readers will know, there will be 'were' creatures in module two ... and that means a risk of contracting lycanthropy in the Althéa Campaign ... which means I need to provide a means for its curing. There are also other issues involved when introducing gaming elements where a PC may polymorph at any time! So, in this example, I have spent some time making sure a solid means of a player being able to cure their PC was in place, as well as ensuring such a curse did not detrimentally affect the game in other areas. I also wanted to stay true to the D&D rules with respect to any lycanthropic curse, which meant it was reasonably involved. Therefore, when it came to designing this aspect of the module, I found myself having to deal with a number or items, NPCs and areas all at the same time, which meant I was forced outside of a "one area at a time" approach. There are many such design situations like this I have in module two, which simply do not allow me the luxury of a single area at a time approach.</p><p>Anyway, bottom line, this module will be done when it is done, and as much as I had hoped it to be ready by the beginning of the next year, I may simply have to accept that the dynamic story has as much to say about when it is finished, as I thought I had. ;) </p><p>A screenshot from the latest area of work .... </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQUrFJJRyIaNv_dmXAubgZKrAfCGJ_lNpTuMMrlUBR40JXp2Q12fgd17GS2iBaNwEdkNoW2jxlvnUetAqv5AqIdJ7ynVQxFu5QUwAVIPRpbQc9q7ZCjfo5-J-mE_zIx9SodBCQvfse6upGyATwHVDXQ7t5W5231q3B5mMzQlHjuJ_hc5O_ydULipsLA/s1920/Episode%2062.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQUrFJJRyIaNv_dmXAubgZKrAfCGJ_lNpTuMMrlUBR40JXp2Q12fgd17GS2iBaNwEdkNoW2jxlvnUetAqv5AqIdJ7ynVQxFu5QUwAVIPRpbQc9q7ZCjfo5-J-mE_zIx9SodBCQvfse6upGyATwHVDXQ7t5W5231q3B5mMzQlHjuJ_hc5O_ydULipsLA/w640-h360/Episode%2062.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>Casual Enquiries?</b></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-64483595347001516682022-04-19T12:40:00.008+01:002022-04-19T12:43:10.333+01:00Episode 61: Mysteries Abound!<p>I cannot believe almost another month has passed since I last posted. I must be caught in some kind of time vortex, sucking life faster than I realise ... and talking about sucking life, (please forgive my awful textual segue), I now bring you the latest news for the campaign, which includes vampires! Read on...</p><p><b><u>VAMPIRES!</u></b></p><p>First mentioned a year ago, <b><a href="https://worldofalthea.blogspot.com/2020/04/episode-29-blood-sucking-creatures-of.html">in this post</a></b>, I recently revisited a vampire quest I am working on ... a nightmare side attraction for those that hate these undead in particular. Like all the quests designed for the next module, <i>Predestinated Days</i>, (the second module of The Scroll for the Althéa Campaign), I have tried to make this undead adventure more involved than the player may have initially thought it was going to be. By this, I mean including more steps to the quest as a whole, rather than a simple discovery and resolve. i.e. A backstory with repercussions that have affected the world environment beyond the player's normal expectations. Whether I pull this off or not remains to be seen. At the very least, I hope it will be one of those quests that stands out according to its own story and merit.</p><p><u><b>COFFIN SEPIA</b></u></p><p>I have also updated the original basic GUI regarding the vampire coffin information to be replaced by a new sepia style conversation. (See screenshot below.) As I have reported in the past, I have added a number of sepia style conversations that may serve to act as a means of interaction with the environment in a more "pen and paper" style interaction. The vampire coffin is the latest addition. Results can range from a peaceful backing off, an instant slaying, or a dreaded encounter!</p><p><u><b>LOOK THIS WAY PLEASE</b></u></p><p>I recently had a long struggle when trying to use a function, <b><i>SetFacingPoint</i></b>, to make party members face a certain way during a conversation. It turned out that any member that is "bumped" into as the conversation starts can fail to turn to face a direction when this function is called. I finally resolved the issue by ensuring another facing function was called just prior the line I needed to make the members face a direction. Here are the lines in the order required for it to work ... NOTE: The home brew <i><b>NowFace</b></i> function is the one that calls the <b><i>SetFacingPoint</i></b> function, and <b>oNearestWP</b> is the object to face. I post it here to help others and to remind myself should I forget.<b><i><br /></i></b></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><blockquote>// MUST USE SETFACING TO "UNLOCK" STUCK PCS BEFORE USING A DELAYED FACE TARGET<br /> DelayCommand(fDelay, AssignCommand(oFM, ClearAllActions(TRUE))); <br /> DelayCommand(fDelay, AssignCommand(oFM, SetFacing(GetFacing(oNearestWP)+ iALLFACTIONCORRECTION, FALSE))); <br /> DelayCommand(fDelay+0.1, AssignCommand(oFM, NowFace(oFM, vTarget))); </blockquote><u><b>MOVING FORWARD</b></u><p></p><p>I cannot deny that sometimes there feels like a lot left still to do. Arguably, this module should, perhaps, have been broken down into two or more, but the structure of the quests and their execution makes doing so extremely difficult. That is, the events of the story at this stage of the campaign require the diversity of quests and their interaction with one another to give the module the depth I am seeking to achieve.</p><p>I believe it is working out as I hoped, however, because while I feel almost overwhelmed with what remains to be done, I also reflect upon what I can only call the "fullness" of the experience I feel the module, I hope, will deliver. Considering there are only a handful of key quests compared to (perhaps) many modules available, the overall depth of the module still feels satisfying to me.</p><p>This is because I am including a world map with various places to travel between and explore. Some places will not be available until a player uncovers certain paths, but even this varies according to player decisions. However, from these various world map places, areas uncover to reveal further details and plot developments. Finally, these areas break down into further events and adventures, each with unique characters and various special qualities to help them feel new. I know I could sound like I am just explaining the game in general, but I hope I have included enough new game-play mechanics, improved conversations styles, and general control improvements that will make the whole experience an exciting one.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOw3WLA4C40gc9VtlISmdKcKpX7cKbmjRGN52lWr4VRbdW_AZ2YDf_hmIbxweNn7JI8iGK6BoJ4ZXx8wCIsmo_GGui-tIRVJ-WK0C5gtZYFZxbTlhyfs_Ru-W7bWQ_0bS1MQZNndQ9tLvyc1uD4OqlEgsEKWJ5MgVmkwPQC0Aybjl5Aa2ctyS_KSog0g/s1920/Episode%2061.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOw3WLA4C40gc9VtlISmdKcKpX7cKbmjRGN52lWr4VRbdW_AZ2YDf_hmIbxweNn7JI8iGK6BoJ4ZXx8wCIsmo_GGui-tIRVJ-WK0C5gtZYFZxbTlhyfs_Ru-W7bWQ_0bS1MQZNndQ9tLvyc1uD4OqlEgsEKWJ5MgVmkwPQC0Aybjl5Aa2ctyS_KSog0g/w640-h360/Episode%2061.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>A Vampire Coffin!</b></i></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-54443947807445293712022-03-25T17:10:00.007+00:002022-03-25T17:10:40.869+00:00Episode 60: The Deepest Darkest Places<p>Of the three modules I hope to complete for the Althéa Campaign, I believe the second module that I am currently working on, <i>Predestinated Days</i>,
will end up being the biggest. At least, that is how it looks to me at
the moment. Looking at my original notes, I thought it was going to be
no larger than module one, possibly even smaller, but as I start
bringing all the various storylines together, it's actually turning out
to be quite a size. I'm not just talking about file sizes, but actual
gameplay. New ideas and system improvements compared to module one are
starting to flesh out this second module more than I realised they would
... and it's all having an impact. Read on ...</p><p><u><b>Background Conversations</b></u></p><p>One
of the largest changes, especially from a role-play aspect is the way I
now arrange some conversations. Previously, I used to rely on just the <i>bluff, intimidate </i>and <i>diplomacy skill checks</i>
as a means of offering various approaches from which the player may
like to choose. However, these three categories are broad in how they
might be interpreted in a given situation with respect to role-play, and
so can leave some players not having an option they may be fully
satisfied with. </p><p>This is where I have now introduced conversation
nodes that may start a line of conversation from one of five personality
groups, based on the <i>background feat</i> a player may choose for their PCs. I have covered this in more detail <span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><a href="https://worldofalthea.blogspot.com/2021/07/episode-48-tell-me-about-yourself-pc.html">in a previous blog post</a></b></span>,
but, in brief, rather than be limited to one of three broader skills to
flavour the conversation, the new checks I now make against a PCs
background feat will, hopefully, begin to offer some more conversation
options in line with the way players believe their PC behaves, or
speaks. It offers some new node options along more personalised paths
before perhaps reaching a skill check like those mentioned above. The
idea being that the focus on earlier conversation nodes based upon
character background responses helps to flavour the overall tone of the
conversation.<br /></p><p>The introduction of this style of personality
trait system, where backgrounds flavour a conversation, does require
more writing, but I am hoping the extra nodes I include will now help
players be able to flavour the conversation more to their liking. No
system is perfect in a CRPG, of course, but it does help flesh out the
options available ... and the overall depth of the role-play.</p><p><u><b>From Paper To Computer</b></u></p><p>As
I have mentioned before, this campaign was originally designed as a
D&D pen and paper (PnP) campaign ... and one of those aspects which
has come to light as I transfer ideas and dungeons from pen and paper to
a computer environment, is that a translation to cater for various
paths a player may take all adds extra conversations and area design
that was not required in the paper original. All such alterations to
cater for a computer environment add up quickly, but at the same time,
offer new areas of gameplay that was not part of the original design. </p><p>Basically,
the translation of a PnP scenario increases in size for a computer
environment, and so what once appeared a small side quest on the surface
of it , can escalate into something bigger than first realised. In PnP,
a DM can prepare brief notes for different NPCs and speak as them when
required. In NWN you need to have all conversations ready, and all work
together if the player decides to explore every detail of your design.
This soon escalates into preparing more material than the paper
counterpart may have originally required. On a plus side, it is exciting
for me to develop these other areas of the campaign, as they allow for
both new and old players to experience an area of the campaign
previously never explored.</p><p><u><b>Area Designing</b></u></p><p>Now
that I have sorted a couple of new puzzles over the last few weeks
(rotating placeable objects and the new trap disarm GUI), I have gone
back to finishing off some area designs. Areas have included a sewer in
which the PCs will find themselves and more areas for the mega-dungeon I
am hoping to include. </p><p>Let me also just take this opportunity to thank <b>rjshae</b>
for pointing me in the right direction to help fix some aspects of the
sewer tileset I am using, which I have now learned suffered from broken
or missing Projected Textures. With his help I was able to fix over 200
tiles, which now correctly show target UI. (Eg: The circle that appears
when you click somewhere to walk.) For while the tileset still worked
without this, I did feel the missing UI may hinder some gameplay, so it
was good to have fixed.</p><p>Going back to the mega-dungeon, I can
report that I have started work on the final areas that are involved
with it, and been able to incorporate some of the new gaming elements
that I have been working on in previous weeks and months, including the
new puzzle objects mentions above. </p><p>This week's screenshot is also
from an area I have been working on of late ... a shot from a deep dark
place ... and demonstrating some neat walk path I managed to pull off.
As a heads up, yes, the PCs do take heat damage while standing in that
platform.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEKU0ywxtX2CSfknJpawB_4Eb3o7RO5pDh8Ys9QdKv7hfNrLz57oRnOgnlnBQgSkLcAqgpSpM_THubup6XDb_Sd-w1a3ZFNd9AHJ69D1enye8RYyR1wMV9p4pIgqABmKY7u5o_L-UUP191qYOw-Id8HGSRvxN18G6c4YOoa6vaycHCYUpOkL_2Ng29A/s1920/Episode%2060.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwEKU0ywxtX2CSfknJpawB_4Eb3o7RO5pDh8Ys9QdKv7hfNrLz57oRnOgnlnBQgSkLcAqgpSpM_THubup6XDb_Sd-w1a3ZFNd9AHJ69D1enye8RYyR1wMV9p4pIgqABmKY7u5o_L-UUP191qYOw-Id8HGSRvxN18G6c4YOoa6vaycHCYUpOkL_2Ng29A/w640-h360/Episode%2060.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>A Deep Dark Place</b></span></i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-27179703951480398812022-03-04T15:28:00.007+00:002022-03-04T15:42:36.536+00:00Episode 59: Power, Paranoia & Fear!<p>How a world can change in the time between blog posts. In this case, I am talking about the real world! I'm not going to spend time debating the arguments for or against the current world's situation, but just comment that <b>all injured parties</b> are in my prayers and to say that I find it very sad that in today's age and society that people are still so affected by power, paranoia and fear. In a fantasy world, it's a core aspect of a story for stereo-typical characters, but in the real world ... and in our modern times? It's a crying shame to the human race that we have still not learned to play nice with our neighbours, and respect boundaries and ideologies, even if we do not agree with them. So, with a heavy heart regarding the current atrocities being carried out in the name of ... indefensible arguments, I will try to remain positive and blog about such aspects in relation to my <b>fantasy</b> campaign ...</p><p><b><u>Conflict</u></b></p><p>There is no doubt that part of what makes a fantasy game exciting for many is the conflict. When it comes to writing a story, much of what drives the pace of a book involves conflict of one type or another. This is something I learned very early in my campaign writing, but at the same time, I also learned that "conflict" does not always have to end in combat. This is something I have noticed some of the more thoughtful writers have tried to include in their works. i.e. An option to resolve a conflict by a peaceful or agreed solution. However, let us now look at what is usually involved to bring about conflict that ends in combat in the first place ...</p><p><b>1) Power</b></p><p>The direct cause is normally a force or power that desires to make an impact on its surroundings. Ultimately, the "power" normally manifests within or takes control of a creature or being through which it desires to make its influence felt. In the Althéa Campaign, there is only one main source of power, but misunderstanding of that power causes the races to develop a paranoia.</p><p><b>2) Paranoia</b></p><p>History of my campaign tells us that as the races grew, they ventured into regions of land occupied by others and encountered one another. Who were these others? Look at what they do! See what they can do! It's clear they are different! Do they think and say things about us, like we might do about them? What if they think less of us? What if they do not like us? What if they want to hurt us? Such differences between the races and cultures lead to the third and final problem of fear.</p><p><b>3) Fear</b></p><p>Not everyone of the various races looked upon these cultural differences as potential problems. In fact, most would learn to celebrate the differences, or in the worst case, agree to differ and, instead, cultivate those things they had in common. But then there were others that could not accept the differences, or believed, in their ever deepening paranoia, that these other races were a threat to all that they believed about the power to which they held. This happened in every race, and it was those with most paranoia and fear of losing the power that their own culture had brought them that would be the first to bring about war ... the result of power corrupted by fear.</p><p><b><u>Conflict In Action</u></b></p><p>The Althéa Campaign has quite a rich history and background, but this is also information that sits more in the background during gameplay, as such detail is not normally the focus of the player's interest when playing a game. For most of us, all we want to know is who is the "bad guy" and what needs to be done. For most, we may pay lip service trying to prevent a conflict turning into combat (especially if we are low on HPs), but, if the bad guy won't listen, we then resort to the combat that the <b>game</b> supports.</p><p>In this sense, combat is purely a means to an end to reach the end of a game and feel satisfaction for completing yet another adventure. However, how many games do you remember how and why the conflict came about? For many players, this may not even be a consideration, and may even be considered "boring" and assigned to the same dust-building books assigned to real life history.</p><p>My point is that "real" conflict, especially that which results in combat is the result of a much deeper fundamental point of life ... and power. Conflict can be both "helpful" and "challenging" if it can be resolved amicably, but can end in dreadful destructive results if one party involved in the conflict fails to understand that any power they possess must be used for "good" rather than "evil". And loss of control that results in combat is normally a result of fearing a loss of such power, not only in their station, but ultimately also in the loss of their own life, where they have no power at all!</p><p>In the Althéa Campaign, I aim to give every conflict that results in combat an understanding that this is the case: a fear of its own existence of some kind. From a creature that simply attacks to protect itself from a perceived threat to its safety, or sees the PCs as a source of food by which to extend its life; to power driven overlords and undead that have lost all perspective of life for others, who only desire to extend their own existence by any means possible!</p><p>Thankfully, for Althéa, such evil beings are few and far between ... and there are heroes that will pick up the gauntlet and do all they can to help preserve a fair share of life for everyone. The red line, however, is that these heroes must not lose perspective and indiscriminately destroy life themselves to justify their actions. Unless the laws that govern such power are not observed, then any man "can pass from life to death". The real difficulty is understanding what these laws are, and what ... or who it is that made them. That is the fundamental part of the story of The Scroll.</p><p><b><u>Other News</u></b></p><p>Conversations, cutscenes and journal updates ... all being updated as I make progress. I did have one very frustrating moment when I spent more time than I needed to when trying to write a cutscene. Everything in my code and experience said a certain action I wrote to take place should work fine, but it simply was not, no matter how I altered it. In the end, the problem turned out to be a corrupted creature object! Once I had deleted that and replaced it, the original scripts I wrote worked fine. Let that be a lesson to everyone: Consider the associated object!<br /></p><p>Finally, just to say that The Scroll (Module 1) v1.50E has finally been uploaded. In fact, it had another upload today, but no version change because the three points it addressed were minimal issues. i.e. Unlikely to affect most players, and even then may not be noticed. (See the download page for more info.)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgo-zZeQcwIroLD1SUXZ_ihLGvB0ZTfVpAPxUOJ5BpKHRWrz_2Wym7OlhaA7byVHu19_ezSgKzFrU-UDmxNkzU6Ci9XgqTQFYQJj7T_he1hqoO5hvgwROSHozujC1RgVo4DZjQOKZLA4QKakSMBlaJ33VO995e3GQ4gwkbGHkhmyufXg96qyVP4VdudUg=s1920" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgo-zZeQcwIroLD1SUXZ_ihLGvB0ZTfVpAPxUOJ5BpKHRWrz_2Wym7OlhaA7byVHu19_ezSgKzFrU-UDmxNkzU6Ci9XgqTQFYQJj7T_he1hqoO5hvgwROSHozujC1RgVo4DZjQOKZLA4QKakSMBlaJ33VO995e3GQ4gwkbGHkhmyufXg96qyVP4VdudUg=w640-h360" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Death - The Final Conflict!</span></b></i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776163819760508132.post-13716016845865965412022-02-09T18:10:00.001+00:002022-02-09T18:11:10.915+00:00Episode 58: Rotation Matching Puzzles<p>Time has flown past since my last report, and so I thought another quick update was due. Recently, I have found myself making use of the extremely powerful tool <a href="https://neverwintervault.org/project/nwn2/other/tool/mdbconfig">MDBConfig</a> by rjshae. Basically, I have needed certain placeable objects slightly altered for my own needs, and this has been a really excellent tool to help me with the process. Read on to hear what I have done lately ...</p><p><u><b>Rotating Puzzles</b></u></p><p>As many of my regular readers will know, I enjoy interesting puzzles in my D&D games, and so I suppose it's obvious I wanted to include them in my own module. The first module comes with around half a dozen puzzles already and you may <a href="http://worldofalthea.blogspot.com/2020/01/episode-23-most-puzzling-my-dear.html">recall reading</a> I have some new designs coming along in module two. However, I finally decided to also include some I had in mind that work by "moving objects". Think either the mirror puzzle in MotB or like those found in Skyrim.</p><p>In this case, I wanted to add puzzles where the player may discover a specific sequence, which can then be applied to a set of rotating objects to unlock a path to somewhere else. Thankfully, NWN2 already has some code related to this, but I adapted it (made clearer) to suit my own needs. I still need to add the code to check the sequence and return a result of some kind, but that should be the "easier" part for me. In my case, it was making the placeable objects I needed to be able to provide the clues and for the player to interact with in the first place that was the hardest. Check out this weeks screenshot from the toolset showing my latest puzzle object additions. I hope to make use of these in the second module moving forward.</p><p><u><b>Growing Conversations</b></u></p><p>This stage of module building is otherwise being taken up with writing the conversations ... again. One of the largest ones is growing close to 10,000 words! This conversation is not even finished! I would like to point out that this amount of words is not about a large text dump, but due to multiple paths through the conversation subject to player PC choices and situation ability rolls, or character trait. Furthermore, in this particular conversation, the text is also affected by the player's background, which continues from module one (if played), or of that chosen at the start of module two.</p><p><u><b>Multiple Paths</b></u></p><p>On the theme of multiple paths, I wanted to report that I have also been coding a new means the PCs can travel, which led to a potential logical flow issue where the player could approach the same quest from multiple angles. Don't get too excited, it's not full blown flying, nor animated swimming, (or anything like that), but is a new approach which will allow the player to choose a different travel path. The point is, however, is that this new means of potential travel involved quite a bit of planning on my part, and only now do I think I have covered all the angles.</p><p>For me, allowing the player to be able to approach a problem from more than one "literal" path (as well as a skill path) is what will tempt players to play the module more than once to see how it played via a different approach. i.e. Think pen and paper where players may discuss which way to approach the game before declaring their actions to the DM ... I hope to pull off a similar approach in this module too. It does require triple checking things, which all adds time, but I am pleased with the results to date.</p><p>That said, I don't want to put players off, by suggesting the module appeared too "open world". Far from it! Like module one, the second module follows a very clear cut main quest, but also leads the player to explore other areas they may also find interesting ... with some areas seemingly more involved with the main plot than others may first appear to offer.<br /></p><p><u><b>Continued Testing</b></u></p><p>Finally, just a quick update to say module one is going through another final SP testing after I decided to make some more changes to the code. It was mostly to do with the container code again and improvements to the way items are collected. As soon as my wife has finished this play through, the latest version 1.50E of module 1 will be uploaded.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnlAa1sby2hA9s8ls-XIOb7osQaNMO6WDoanaLD5pnJ-3oiX8CoOYs3g-PIc_ieUrEHYVUMhCvWZHYaa_l03XjITBd7EQYEj1Cd_OftQ8SR0sc8cTpLFSnNeFXotfbbc6LaXW5bzCPPTdRWDvoefYk1InP85ZXuH7CsA3c1KEYFDblRuGkuj3fkfS2Bw=s1384" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="1384" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnlAa1sby2hA9s8ls-XIOb7osQaNMO6WDoanaLD5pnJ-3oiX8CoOYs3g-PIc_ieUrEHYVUMhCvWZHYaa_l03XjITBd7EQYEj1Cd_OftQ8SR0sc8cTpLFSnNeFXotfbbc6LaXW5bzCPPTdRWDvoefYk1InP85ZXuH7CsA3c1KEYFDblRuGkuj3fkfS2Bw=w640-h310" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Elemental My Dear Friend!</i></b></span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa)http://www.blogger.com/profile/16124192098553066324noreply@blogger.com0