Episode 89: Improving The Code!

Progress continues with Predestinated Days, alongside some final fixes and updates for the first module. The fixes required came when my wife alpha tested the second module for the fifth time using Hard Core death mode. I'll tell you all about it,if you want to read on...

Module Two Alpha Five Testing

The fifth alpha testing was actually pretty solid as far as the plot and general mechanics were concerned. What came to light, however, were a few campaign bugs that had crept in over the last few updates, which affects both the second module, and the first. Important to note, all issues noted below have now been fixed in v1.19,  unless stated otherwise.

PLOT ITEMS: In particular, an issue related to when a PC died (and the player had not chosen the Companion Protector gift that would allow a PC to fall unconscious only) and required "raising" from the dead. When this happened, an update to the way Plot Items are handled, (to prevent the Main PC potentially becoming burdened when they were transferred on a companion's death), managed to lose the plot items completely instead! It was a potential game-breaker, which was fixed in the earlier v1.18.

ITEM DESCRIPTIONS: A minor bug also came to light with respect to containers sometimes not updating the descriptions of items. So, I took another look at the container handling functions and addressed any code I found that had not traced the current container correctly. Now, if any description for an item is missing, it is updated. I also discovered that my wife used the context menu to open a container, rather than a double click (as I do), and so I had to address that area of code as well.

Other Testing (Inc Module One)

TB COMBAT: My thanks again go to Dustin_Offal for noticing this problem. Basically, when TB Combat initiated, it could (sometimes) cause a summoned creature in the party to un-summon! This was a hard bug to track down, but I eventually traced it back to an old line of code that was simply no longer required. Once I removed it, the problem was solved. However, in the two days prior to its discovery I was able to make more improvements to this area of code, especially related to its overall efficiency. Now, the TB Combat initialises a lot more smoothly, and PCs using ranged weapon, target enemies more intelligently.

SEWER ACCESS UNITS: Dustin was also the person who discovered a minor bug in the sewer access units too. Related to the container issue reported above, these units also required some extra special handling to prevent closing at the wrong time and also to prevent a PC wandering up to them, when not required.

EXAMINE & MINI-MAP GUIS: I also noticed a couple of GUI issues, which may have flown under the radar for some time. First, the Examine GUI is supposed to report the RANGE of an object in its top bar. This was missing sometimes, due to a variable not being cleared. Secondly, the Mini-Map, which can be made to appear "larger" or just as an area name bar, would lose some of its image on its largest setting. I fixed both of these GUI issues too. The latest screenshot from Module Two (below), shows the larger Mini-Map open and now displaying correctly.

BETA TESTING: Dustin is currently playing through the first Module, The First Day, so that he has a party he is satisfied with to start his run of Stage One of Predestinated Days, the second module. Subject to the time he has available, he may be in a position to start the second module at some point in the near future and, if so, he will be the first person, other than my wife, to give some feedback regarding the first stage of the second module.

Stage Two Development

My wife has started her sixth alpha test of the first stage of module two. I am not anticipating any further problems, but I would like to see if we can make it through this stage without any issues (at all), at least once. As I have reported in previous blogs, current module two scripting has moved away from the core files (apart from where fixes have been required), and I have been concentrating on completely new scripts.

As an example of how I do newer coding, I now aim to write only one or two scripts that manage the entire events for a specific area or situation. The script code manages various events subject to how it is attached to an object and to any variables passed. So, whereas I once may have used two to three scripts per object, I now try to use only a single script (or two), where possible. The same goes for conversations related to an area, event, or other object. The new scripts and conversations are better implemented and more "cohesive", rather than a mishmash of various scripts handling what only a single script now does.

This approach is a continuation of the "improvements" to the old code I have been implementing over the last few months in preparation to run alongside the second module. Multiple versions of similar scripts have been amalgamated into a single all-purpose script. Not only does that make finding a specific script easier when required, which helps speed up building, but also helps when looking for bugs in the code. The problem in the past, was my not realising that similar scripts could be easily amended to accommodate multiple approach of use, so that only a single script was necessary for multiple event hooks.

I confess that I have also recently discovered some "old" scripts that still remain (while I was improving the code in readiness for the second module)... but unless they end up having to serve any other purpose for new module work, I am just going to leave them be. My goal now is to write new scripts for the new module, and only rework older scripts when and if I have to. Hopefully, enough module-to-module transition tests have been carried out now (with the latest alpha tests), which means all the older scripts that had required any reworking has finally been done. Maybe one or two conversation scripts can still be amalgamated, but I will treat them as I come across them and if they are needed for the newer modules.

The last Module Build released was on the 1st October 2024 and unless anything comes to light, this will also be the LAST module build for the first module. The only reason for me to update that build now, will be either due to a module bug, or me just wanting to bring modules and campaign dates to a single timeline. That may happen when I have finished the campaign completely: including module three!

For those following, you will recall I was hoping to finish Bloodstone College in the last month, but due to its continued complexity, I still have some elements to finish, especially related to the latest area (related to this scenario), which has had me have to think hard with respect to MP gaming code. The good news is that I am now writing the "exit" code for that particular area, which means I am seeing light at the end of the "area" tunnel. The latest first module is now out for grabs, and if I don't have any other issues with that, I can concentrate fully on module two, and hopefully, get back to the other sections I was working on a couple of months back.

As an aside, I did find myself having to double check an area from the third stage of this second module, which shows I am still progressing in other sections related throughout the second module as well as the college section. i.e. You may not hear about everything that is going on between blog posts, but, as I have said many times before, I am still making progress.

The Heroes Find A Cave (Showing Fixed Larger Mini-Map)

New Container Direct GUI Calls (I.E. Can Avoid Inventory)

Episode 88: Delving Deeper!

The biggest difficulty to making improvements and additions to the campaign code, is that there is always a risk to alter break something that was working fine for months! I must be the number one 'Guilty Guy' for this sort of thing, as, once again, I have had to release yet another version of the campaign (v1.13) to address some new issues due to changes made. However, what this also means, of course, is that I have been making reasonable progress on the second module, Predestinated Days ...

Latest Alpha Four Testing

My wife recently finished testing Stage One of the second module for the fourth time, finishing in a similar time to previous test runs, at around 30 hours. This was (as to be expected), the most stable test to date, but there were a couple of module changes I needed to make that means there will be a fifth alpha run.

However, due to the changes made of late, I asked my wife if she could test the first module again... just to be on the safe side. This is when I discovered the impact of the latest alterations to the campaign code had made. Frustratingly, even though the changes were extremely small, it just so happened that while these additions fixed one issue (for the second module), they broke aspects of the first.

I hasten to add that these alterations are/will become fewer and fewer as time goes by and as the core code becomes adequate for the newer second module to run alongside the original first. As an example of the kind of thing I mean: An animation in the second module was causing NPCs to shuffle their legs without ceasing... very annoying! So, I added a small "cancel animation" command to the area of code that was causing it, only to find it would cancel a rare animation I had been using in the first module, which I did not want to cancel. Only play-testing the first module in its entirety with the latest campaign files revealed the issue.

I have to confess that recently there were also some blatant mistakes by me when adjusting some code to be more efficient to handle bigger loops required for the second module. A bad variable check caused a whole condition check to always return an invalid object and so stop the correct object from doing what it was supposed to do. Again, it affected only one object, but nonetheless, it was broken because I had altered the function to work more efficiently with objects of the second module.

Yet, it is also during the latest alpha testing of the second module that previously unaddressed problems come to light. When this happens, I fix them and then schedule a new update for the campaign files as a whole. When that is released to fix these issues (which have normally been fully tested for both modules), that is when some of the newer issues mentioned above, sneak in at the same time as I am repairing those issues that should be addressed.

So, where am I going with this? Basically, there are two things that are happening, which should help moving forward: First, I am starting to write more unique scripts for the code I am needing for the second module, which means I am no longer having to adjust "core" code to accommodate some of the newer second module events. Secondly, I believe I should have fewer "old" scripts left to have to alter due to them not being up to the task to support the second module. In brief, I am reaching a point where I am now able to break away from core code alterations and concentrate on new scripts only, which will have no impact on the first module at all. As an example of addressing some old core files, the 'scaling' function should now be stable (which was one such broken in v1.10), the 'enemy detection' function should now be fixed properly, (which was also broken around v1.10), and most (if not all) inventory management systems have been fully tested in both modules.

The code for the new second module (Alpha) and older first module, should now be a lot closer to completion and apart from some "old" bug that comes to light, should not need to be opened and altered again.

Closed Beta Testing

To help alleviate any issues moving forward, I have also invited Dustin_Offal to a closed Beta Testing of the second module (Stage One). He is someone who has already offered great feedback that helped me iron out some issues with the first module, and I hope his input will help me to address any final lingering issues that remain in the code between the two modules. He has a good understanding of how the campaign is designed to be played and so I hope will be able to notice any issues that come to light as soon as he finds them.

Stage Two Development

I find myself still working on the Bloodstone College scenario. In particular, a "simple" comment in my own pen and paper notes, regarding a part of the adventure that in one sentence requires of me an extremely unique area design and adds a degree of complexity to the design and coding that I had not at first given much thought to. Without giving any spoilers, this section of the adventure allows multiple players... or a single player with multiple companions... or even a single player to enter an area and carry out a task that can vary according to who of these variations is present. I certainly have had to delve deep into the design and coding aspects to accommodate this aspect of the story, that's for sure!

Thankfully, I believe I have broken the back of the design now, and the code is working well in first testing (all new scripts that do not touch module one I hasten to add), and it should be fairly straightforward from now on. Although, an accompanying conversation (already up to 3000 words), is also quite cumbersome with numerous variables. Once again, however, I have written the largest portion now, I believe, and so should be reasonably straightforward to finish off now.

Considering this is a relatively small part of the overall scenario, I am hoping I can finish it next week, and allow myself to get my teeth into the rest of the areas involved. There are still a number of events to finish designing and write up, but I am already pleased with what has been accomplished so far, and I think will be one of the more exciting adventures for players when the time comes.

A Strange Dusty Room!

Episode 87: Bloodstone College (Stage Two)

While my wife continues alpha testing Stage One of the second module, Predestinated days, I have been focussing on its continued development of its second stage. Basically, the third alpha test has just been completed, and my wife is about to undergo a potentially "final" fourth alpha test. For more information, on the latest third alpha result and the stage two latest development of the second module, read on...

Alpha Three Results

Even during the third alpha run, we still had a few minor issues, which were immediately sorted. There were, however, a couple of module fixes too, which means there needs to be at least one more alpha test for the first stage. Interestingly, it was during this alpha test stage of the second module that my wife spotted the latest animation and companion fixes required for the first module as well, and so they will be in the next v1.11.

This third run through came in at just under 30 hours gameplay, but that was after I had asked my wife not to do any crafting to be able to give a time of play where a player may not do such activity with their PCs. This also ended up having quite a large impact on how difficult the game became for her, as her equipment was not as "complete" as she normally likes it to be. More than once, she had to drop the difficulty to be able to proceed with combat. Note, my wife would confess that she is not the most tactical when it comes to combat, but, the important thing to recognise is that: (a) Crafting does have an impact on how well your PCs can prepare themselves for combat and (b) The difficulty settings do have an immediate impact to be able to make the combat easier if you lack either the crafted items or skills that challenging combats may require.

As there were a couple of module changes, there will be at least one more alpha test for this first stage, which my wife intends to do after she finishes some further module one testing of the latest v1.11 release, which is being finalised today.

Stage Two Development: Bloodstone College

The screenshot this week is of the infamous Bloodstone College, situated in the southern "sunny" city of Southstrong. (You'll have to play the module to learn the reasons why this college has such a reputation.) This college of "learning for clerics", dedicated to the god Narmor, has been the focus of my module two development for the last month. As I may have mentioned previously, this is one of my original pen and paper (PnP) scenarios for my campaign, and it is turning out to be surprisingly more complex to develop than I first thought it would be.

The problem lies in the tasks that the players are expected to complete to progress their adventure. In PnP, a series of tasks (in a specific order) can be more easily tracked compared to keeping the same in a computer environment. Therefore, a more complex task in PnP turns into something of a "monster" to track inside NWN2. I could, in theory, make things easier by slim-lining the number of items or events involved, but that would be doing the original PnP design a disservice, and that is something I do not want to compromise on, if possible.

The bottom line is that even "one" task, such as being able to acquire something for the heroes to be able to proceed, in this current example I am working on, requires around three event stages (depending upon how you consider events), as well as the acquisition of a number of items, which can be found in any order. This is no simple objective of "find one item and use it" (even if it sounds like it at the start)... but a cascade of events that can impact one another when dealing with certain events involved. The bottom line is, it is complex, and my poor concentration means I have to pace myself when trying to sort this and spend longer on the problem than most do. However, I am determined to do this if I can, and the end result should be something quite fun to play if it works out. And that's just one aspect of this scenario, which has a number of specific scripting requirements. As I say, this should be a fun one to play if I get it right, and so will need quite a bit of testing when the time comes.

In general terms, stage two progression is going a bit "uphill" at the moment, in that each current step feels like a hard one. However, I hope these will become less as I progress, and allow me to pass stage two onto alpha testing as soon as it's ready. In total, around four scenarios (including Bloodstone College) are incomplete and require more work, accounting for about 20% of stage two. Some material will be easier (quicker) to complete than others.

Campaign Update

I am feeling more confident that the latest v1.11 that is to be released later today is going to be the last update for a while now. The only reason issues have come along in recent updates is because of really unusual bugs that are hard to predict until the game is played. i.e. Some basic code is changed, and somehow that impacts a situation that had not been foreseen. As an example: the "spacing of PCs" after jumping or moving to allow for smoother play had one such impact. On the surface of it, what could possibly be wrong with just giving the PCs a slightly wider spacing after a jump? Well, that piece of code also spaced PCs after a jump, where larger parties could be spaced in such a way that some of those members could fall on the wrong side of a door or wall from other members... and that door could be locked or mean PCs could not reach each other!

Admittedly, some of the bug fixes this time around also addressed previous fixes that also broke a line of events that affected animations, or even a companion conversation. However, these areas of code are now redressed, and now proven to be working, and I have no intention of passing that way again unless a further fix is demanding.

The bottom line is, many of the latest updates have been a result of module two preparation and updating in readiness for situations where the same module one code needed condition checks for new module two additions. As far as I am aware, I have covered all of these now, but also recognise that it is possible some minor alterations and updates still remain that I have not yet foreseen. However, if there are no reports of any issues requiring fixes in v1.11, any later updates after this version will not be uploaded until module two is ready - and then only uploaded after ensuring module one has not been affected adversely by them.

I remind readers (who may also be playing the first module), that if you should find any issue with the first module, then to let me know. My wife and I will try to continue to monitor any aspects of our testing module two that may also impact module one, and, if need be, add it to a v1.12 that will be available form next month, but only if required. I am especially conscious of any bugs that may affect a Coop MP gaming, as that has been tested the least. Therefore, if this includes you, then any feedback you have is welcome, as that helps me out a lot.

Bloodstone College

Episode 86: (α3) Latest Alpha Feedback

Alpha three testing of the first stage of module two is currently underway as I continue to work on the second stage (of the three in total) of the second module. The second alpha testing has been completed, and results are in this month's blog, as below...

Alpha Two Results

In my last report, my wife had completed 15 hours of her alpha 2 testing. By the time she finished the fixed alpha 2 version (now with its previously broken areas repaired and made accessible), her final play time came in at just under 35 hours. That was a fair increase considering her first alpha test had come in at just under 25 hours. A ten hour increase, even based on her second play test.

My wife reported that she was very satisfied with the fixed NPC conversations, and apart from a couple of tweaks for logical flow, they allowed her to complete a few tasks that had come to an abrupt end previously. The biggest difference and the most entertaining for her, however, was now being able to enter a couple of new areas that had not been fully completed previously. My wife remarked that she had not expected the areas to be as involved as they turned out to be (due to where they were located on the area map), and was pleasantly surprised at the depth of the story that came from it, and some of the new mechanics that in included.

As this was the first test for these new areas, there still remained a couple of misplaced items, which I had to fix "live" to allow her to finish. Overall, however, my wife reported that this "new" section of stage one was probably her favourite section to date, because of who it involved and how the story played out. I cannot say more to avoid spoilers. Suffice to say, all the initial issues for this section have now been addressed, and my wife is currently in her third alpha test of the entire stage one, which should now be, to all intents and purposes, complete. Once she has finished this third alpha test, that will probably be her last until I have finished stage two to allow her to move forward.

A final point about the latest alpha testing, is to say that new creature AI all worked well, and latest creature balancing appears to be working as expected now.

Stage Two Development

There is certainly more work involved in getting the second stage up and running, and I can recall at least three "largish" scenarios I need to finish. Sadly, we have had some real life issues that have had a bit of an impact on me, but rest assured, I am still progressing as and when I can.

Currently, I remain working on a conversion of a favourite scenario I wrote many years ago for my PnP (Pen and Paper) campaign. Like another I converted (which my wife has now already play tested in the first alpha), it requires quite a bit of revision to remind myself of how it was supposed to play as well as consider any adjustments required for its translation from paper to computer.

This is one of those scenarios which my own players have already played in this campaign, but I have been able to adapt it to work in this later time frame so that new players will also benefit from it. Furthermore, as my own players played it over 30 years ago now, they have said they have no qualms about replaying these older scenarios in the new computer NWN format.

Only in the last week, I was able to convert the original PnP handouts required for this scenario into my "readable" books and scrolls content where required; at the same time fixing some minor points of logical flow, or altering the same to work in the slightly altered design. This also allowed me to refresh my own memory on how the scenario played out, and remind myself of the other items required... I discovered that there are a fair few, which all require careful journal/task handling, as well has some new scripted events related to them. Some, I hasten to add, I have already done, as I knew they would be required before I read over my notes. However, it's the smaller steps that remain to be done. It looks like it should be fun for me to translate their implementation, and I hope that also means it will translate as fun for the player.

Campaign Update

The current latest version available is v1.10, which, hopefully, covers the last of any alterations and updates (including fixing these alterations) made for some Module 2 updates. Although, just yesterday a small scaling issue (to do with a book dropped) has been discovered, which will be part of v1.11 when it becomes available. It's nothing major, and just requires the player to look a little closer at the screen to pick up the book (if dropped), due to the book rescaling to around a tenth of its size on the drop. I am still strongly recommending v1.10 as the latest update to have installed, as this version fixes a few location issues that could place PCs in a wrong position, as well as a missing texture for a readable book. It also addresses a number of quality of play issues.

Therefore, v1.11 is currently rescheduled for next month, around 10th August, to allow time for any other issues that may have not yet been discovered to be reported and included. Again, if anything major turns up, then this will expedite the release.

The College Mausoleum (Stage Two)

New Readable GUIs (Stage Two)

Episode 85: (α2) Second Alpha Underway!

The first alpha testing of stage one was finished last month, coming in at just under 25 hours play time ... Except that two largish regions had had to be skipped due to some unfinished module sections on my part. That code was completed last month too, and the second alpha run is now well underway. Read on for the latest update ...

Missing Regions

My wife, who is the only current alpha tester, had to avoid completing three quests on her first alpha run, which had been expected to finish in the initial test. However, soon after she started, it soon became obvious that two NPCs were missing for one of the quests, one was missing a conversation section for another, and the last quest had some missing quest details required for finishing. The last one I advised my wife just to ignore exploring the region, which she did, and the other two quests she just played as far as she could take them. Along with other fixes required for the first testing, all these areas and conversations are now completed too.

Alpha Two To Date

So far, my wife has covered almost an identical time span for her Alpha Two test as she had the last time I blogged about it with respect to her Alpha One test... that is around 15 and a half hours so far. Only this time the story has opened up a fair number of different branches to what she had experienced in her first play through. Partly because I had fixed a section that allowed her to play the first dungeon to completion (as opposed to in two parts) and secondly, because of fixes I had made to those conversations I spoke about earlier. Important to note, however, that both her Alpha One and latest Alpha Two tests were both valid paths, irrespective of the updated conversations. (She had just had no choice the first time.)

The story has unfolded in a different way for her, and she was caught a little by surprise once or twice when she noticed certain aspects had changed. I cannot go into details, to avoid spoilers, but an area she unlocked early in her first play did not unlock until later in her second play through ... and by a different means due to choices made.

I am hoping the fix to the previous broken areas will add a few more hours. I will report in the next blog how many we hit with the fixes in place.

Encounter Balancing

As you may recall, creature encounters was an area I wanted to look at balancing. Changes made this time around have certainly improved things greatly. There is still one encounter that required my wife to drop her settings to "EASY", but I am not sure if this does need adjusting or not, as one time I tested it on "D&D Core Rules" I managed to beat it. So, if anyone has any thoughts about this, please leave a comment.

Further Development

I have been concentrating on ensuring Stage One runs as expected, and addressing issues as soon as anything turns up with the current alpha tests. However, as these are starting to become fewer and fewer, my mind is starting to turn towards finishing Stage Two of the second module, and making it ready for my wife to alpha test as well. As soon as this happens, I will be sure to update you all. I am hoping to report on that as soon as the next blog if all continues to go as planned.

Campaign Update

After some feedback from three current players, I have managed to fix a number of small issues, including some typos, which have gone under the radar for some time. I have also included some "quality of play" updates to help the player in general. As an example, Ooze Oil can now target a PC to apply to all valid items, as opposed to applying to individual items. One fix that missed this month, but will be in v1.7, is the "collision" of the Main PC on initial entry. Basically, from v1.7, the Main PC will get less caught up on other party members when trying to move. This was supposed to be in place already, but I only noticed the issue myself when testing movement in a tight spot.

12 JUNE 2024: I have released v1.7 earlier than expected, as there was a critical error that could cause the game to crash in a couple of situations. Neither are game-breaking, but one causes a side-quest to not be completed. The problem was introduced in v1.4 released on 07 May 2024. Latest v1.7 fixes these crashes.

One of the New Areas Yet to be Explored!

Episode 84: (α1) The First Alpha Feedback

Sorry for the slight delay of this latest blog release, but I was tied up fixing code for my wife's first alpha play-through... well, I guess that gives you a slight heads up on how things went. However, the overall first testing was not as bad as this introduction may imply. Read on to learn how things went... I have tried to avoid giving away any spoilers, but keen-eyed readers may pick up on one or two titbits.

The First Feedback

My wife is the first person to play the second module as a player, albeit, as an alpha tester. Before she actually started, I gave her the heads up that she was likely to encounter a number of issues, as not everything was still fully "complete" with respect to all potential paths and final details. However, as it turned out, I had also not anticipated the path that she would end up taking ... interesting results, to say the least.

To help present this feedback in an unbiased way as possible, I asked my wife to give some feedback in her own words, which I then comment on. (Her comments are presented in italic and blue text.) I made slight alterations to their presentation below, so that they read more clearly in the current context of this blog. For neutrality, in my comments, I will refer to the comments as coming from the "Tester".

Tester Comments

First Impressions

"In contrast to the first module, this one feels more expansive with the various locations popping up on the overland map creating a sense of a larger scale."

"I have been to a series of locations already and you can take different paths and have different outcomes based on choices that you make, which allows player agency and a less linear approach to the game."

Having finally escaped New Edgeton and let free to explore, I was quite surprised to find the tester immediately going off the beaten track to explore regions of the overland map that I thought they would have left to later. As they had a cleric in the party that could provide food and water via a prayer, then long distance travel was no obstruction to them, and they took full advantage of it.

This was not strictly a problem, as I do anticipate some exploration like this, but it did start to open up paths that had had less logical testing right from the get-go. Thankfully, all overland encounters worked fine, and even the first areas to be reached all worked as expected. I accidentally managed to introduce one glitch when trying to fix something else, which prevented the encounters going hostile, but this was quickly remedied and the encounters provided their threatening hostilities once more.

"There is a nice mix of serious and more light-hearted tasks depending upon which NPCs you are dealing with. There has also been a lot of detail put into NPCs and the interaction that you have with them..."

The number of tasks I could write for each stage of the module was one of my biggest concerns to get right. Too few and the world would feel empty and without meaning. Too many, and it might start to feel like every man and his dog wanted help in some way. I was also trying to cut-down on Fed-Ex tasks (those go fetch and return with an item type), which, if overdone, can make a game lose impetus. To this end, my aim is to try to ensure that any such tasks which do fall into this category are simply small additional tasks that can be completed while carrying out a main or side mission.

As the tester points out, I also try to mix the style of quests, not only to work together, but differ in style, with respect to their nature of importance... from what may appear trivial or humorous, to the essential ones. No matter who the player ends up receiving a task from, I hope that character remains memorable in some way.

"The conversations are in the same style with lots of different options. This time, however, also with the addition of different responses based on a person's background i.e troublemaker, leader, flirt etc. This makes for more interesting conversations, which again, can affect alignment and/or whether you gain or lose influence with the person you are conversing with."

Role-playing conversations is one of the biggest differences that players will come across when playing Predestinated Days. The PC Background system I ended up developing for deeper conversations came out too late to be fully employed in the first module, but I have taken as much opportunity to include its usage as possible in this module... and hope to continue to do so moving forward. Therefore, be sure to choose different background types for your party of PCs to be ready to take advantage of this when the time comes. It is an area where I can introduce potential humorous responses based on PC background choice, as well as maintain the normal character behavioural responses.

Gaming Mechanics

"If you bring characters through from mod. 1 they retain all of their items, levels, abilities and feats which is good so you can benefit from this and continue to build and advance your party skills further."

If you have been following my blog, then you will know that I have gone to great pains to try to ensure the party you know and love can continue their adventures from where they left off at the end of the first module. This is the way the tester started their first run through, straight from an end game save of the first module, transitioning into the second. However, when released, the game will also support starting afresh at the start of the second module, and makes assumptions of the items you would have recovered and kept as if played the first module. In this second option, you can import any PCs that you have previously exported from any other play through.

"There has been a whole variety of different creatures that you can encounter with some new and some familiar creatures."

Indeed, I have tried to up the number of creature types the heroes can encounter, from standard Monster Manual types not yet encountered in the first module, to one or two more unusual. Where I believe improved AI code will help, I have added it. I won't go into details as that would be a spoiler... suffice to say, however, I try to make good use of any potential special attacks if I can.

One aspect regarding creatures that has come to light is the difficulty of a challenge. As the heroes are now around level ten, finding a worthy opponent can be difficult to balance, and this is one of those area that is undergoing some close inspection at this stage of testing. Currently, some encounters are easier than I would have liked, and one has turned out far more challenging than I thought it would be. I am learning quite a bit about what properties affect a party than I have previously.

"The overland map also has opportunities to find treasure and items for alchemy that are always useful."

I have tried to retain as much flavour as people will be used to with respect to the overland map. That said, I have also added many new features that offer greater feedback on the current travel, such as skill and time feedback. This tester has not yet experienced the overland map in the official campaign, and so would not be able to make any clear distinction on what is new or not.

Other Information

IN GAME FEEDBACK: I have also been trying to provide more feedback on various new systems along the way, so that players have a full understanding of what is happening in the game. This can be simple chat comments, notice texts, or even a full blown GUI update if required. During testing, I did note that one or two of these styles of feedback was not quite giving enough detail (like a specific PC name missing) and so have rectified this now.

WALKMESH: There were a couple of areas where the walkmesh had broken. One was easier to fix than the other. Something that I discovered that was rather frustrating was even a backup of the area in question did not retain the old walkmesh that had worked. i.e. Even though I replaced all five area files from a backup that had once worked, when opened again in the toolset, the area still showed a broken walkmesh. I have no idea why this was the case. Bottom line, I had to redo the walkmesh, and it has finally been fixed. I also learned that you should not replace certain files (as a patch) or they break objects in the saved game area.

GAMEPLAY DURATION: The current first alpha testing is still being played, as I have been "patching" any difficulties encountered along the way. This has included such things as the bad walkmesh (as mentioned above), items with the wrong tag, etc. Simple, but important fixes that I knew may well come to light. So far, the gameplay recorded by the built-in timer records just over 15 hours gameplay. In this time, the tester has finished a couple of smaller side quests and is making headway into the main quest. There are still a number of quests that have been started and can still be finished.

WORST CASE SCENARIOS: I am breaking tradition and saving the worst to last. Now, bear in mind that these were not all entirely unexpected, but the odd one was. (a) There was a conversation that was unfinished that the tester found. (I had not expected them to take that path at this stage.) (b) There was a complete quest path broken due to two missing NPCs. (I did not realise I had not finished this quest.)

Campaign Update

The campaign has recently been updated to v1.5 after I addressed a few conversation issues related to excessive skill checks. The function causing the problem has now been fixed and related conversations no longer suffer from its potentially bad results. The update also addressed one or two AI adjustments and overall core efficiency.

And here is a screenshot from the latest alpha testing ....

Nathan Helps Out The Heroes!

Episode 83: Alpha Testing (Stage One)

I have, at last, reached a position where proper alpha testing of stage one of the second module, Predestinated Days, can begin! This is a huge milestone for the development cycle, and one I feel great relief in reaching. This first stage (of three stages) for the second module is the largest in many aspects. As the module currently stands, it has the "lion share" of the number of overall areas that can be explored and the quests that can be done. It is comparable to an estimated 70% of the size of the first module. Read on for more information.

Alpha Testing

As this is only the first part of the module, as well as being the very first time that it is going to put to a proper gaming test, the testing is going to happen in-house only. This means at the hands of my wife, who probably knows my first module and what to expect in campaign play more than anyone else anyway. However, that is not where I want to end testing, as fresh eyes and unfamiliarity are also always a good thing to have to give feedback too. Therefore, once all three stages of this module have been alpha-tested, I hope to be able to find beta-testers who can brave the testing period for me when the time comes.

Hopefully, in the next blog, I will be able to give some feedback on how well (or not) the overall alpha testing is going. I will obviously try not to give away any spoilers, but, at the same time, give you some honest feedback on how my wife's experience of the testing is going, and if there were any major issues discovered during her experience. I can safely say now, she will not be able to test every path that is available, simply because there are too many potential ways for her to cover in the time. Furthermore, as this is only the first stage, any testing she does do, effectively ends and would require a restart by the time stage two becomes available for testing.

Cutscenes

One of the delays of the last month was taking time to cover a few cutscenes I wanted to put together for a section of the first stage. However, I believe the time spent on them has been worthwhile, as the outcome of the last one I tested was exciting for me to see the end result. I believe I have covered the majority of the cutscenes for this stage now, apart from maybe one or two minor party conversations.

One aspect I have been working on, and is part of the initial testing, are cutscenes around various party builds, and need to work subject to various party conditions and states. Accounting for the many options that the party can be in by the time the cutscene starts can require some thinking out to ensure logical flow works in every situation, especially for journal entries. As an example, I am dealing with variables that could have been set many gaming sessions earlier, and even then subject to backgrounds selected and race of PC played. I can often sit making notes and pathway diagrams to ensure I have all the logic correct. Again, I hope much of this will be part of the initial testing.

Puzzles

In the latest quest I was working on to have stage one ready, I found there was an ideal situation for a cutscene I had in mind, which, as mentioned above, played out well. However, due to the nature of this cutscene, I felt that as it was quite a dramatic moment, that it also required some build up before the player was rewarded with the scene. To this end, I designed a multi-stage puzzle with new GUIs, and items. The end result, I believe, will be a fun and rewarding exercise for all who play it. In this case, there is a possibility that a player could miss out on this section altogether if they make a different choice and end up on a different path. Hopefully, however, the adventurous spirit will win out and most, if not all, players will discover this section of the adventure and enjoy the fun of the puzzles and the end cutscene for it.

Campaign Update

As I continue working on the second module, I cannot help but discover occasional areas of code that require a minor alteration or fix due to new situations that coding module two brings. In the latest building, these issues have been relatively minor, and will be available for v1.2 of the campaign in the near future.

As most of these issues can be avoided by mindful play, or can simply be ignored for the time being, then I am holding back any newer patch until after I receive any further feedback from current play testers. In this case, I would rather only add a new patch after I believe the new code is stable. I am trying to reduce the number of patches with this newer system. Priority fixes, if required, will continue to be responded to with an immediate fix and updated as soon as possible.

At this time of writing, there are currently no further module build updates for the first module. The 30th March 2024 is still the latest module build. Neither, currently, do the TLK or UI need any newer files. If these are altered, the latest versions are always included in the latest campaign file download anyway.

Anyway, that's all the latest for now, and so I leave you with a couple of screenshots from the latest Stage One of Predestinated Days. If you have any questions, or would like to hear more about anything specific with the campaign, just add a comment and ask.

The heroes investigate a cavern...

...And discover a strange machine!