Episode 106: Avoiding The Gaps!

I was having a discussion about D&D and other RPGs with one of my long-time D&D players and how pen and paper (PnP) differs from the modern computer based role-playing games we have today. It led to a discussion about design and mechanics for both formats, and we both came to the same conclusion... Read on to hear what we concluded and why it has an impact on the design of my NWN2 modules that are based upon my PnP campaign, and especially the latest Predestinated Days...

The Discussion!

It was while my friend and I were looking over the original "Temple of Elemental Evil" PnP module, when we both observed that the module had maps showing three levels of an inn. We both recognised that neither of us (as DMs) would have made our players role-play every "room" as laid out within the module... and I guess no other DM would do so either. Arguably, there was too much detail of "emptiness" that would not make for exciting gameplay. To their defence, PnP modules are designed in such a way to give the DM an overall picture for them to work with in relation to any events and actions that the players may take during a gaming session. Therefore, a DM only takes what they need from the module design, and only plays the parts the players are interested in. This is a major difference compared to a computer game! While playing PnP, the story remains focussed on the player's actions rather than what the players are being "forced" to work through within a computer designed module maps or setup. Consider this...

In PnP, maps and module details are used to setup an environment for the players to explore and play their story in their own way, at their own pace, and they can ignore parts that serve no immediate purpose. E.g. If an inn has 20 rooms, and the players explore one, the DM can describe one such room, and, if need be, add that exploring the other 19 gave the same result (taking next to no time disrupting the flow of the game)... unless the DM had other plans for one of the rooms, of course.

Within a computer environment, however, such reinterpreted maps and module details can overcrowd its design with potential "emptiness" that can quickly affect the pace and enjoyment of an equivalent game. There is no DM to inform the players that the remaining rooms are "the same as the first explored" and so a PC gamer would have to explore every "empty" room just to reach the conclusion that there is nothing else to be found. This is a forced "gap" or "break" in the flow of the gameplay that a player should not have to experience in a story based RPG. 

This fundamental difference between the two formats means that when designing an area in a computer environment, I believe designers should not have the same leeway or feel the need to include the "empty" spaces to anywhere near the same extent as any PnP module does, which has been prepared and provided for different gaming possibilities. If, for example, we designed an inn similar to the one above for a computer game, with three levels and 90% of it was empty, my friend and I concluded that it would make for rather boring play: to simply go through every room and find nothing after ten minutes of searching. 

If it is not clear from above, my friend and I concluded that 

• Modules and campaigns designed for PnP worked because a DM could manage the module material to work according to the player's story expectations, and avoid repetitive boredom.

• Computer designed story-based modules and campaigns are weakened if incorporating "empty" spaces originally designed to "flesh out" the game, and can create boredom. If left out, the pace of the story would improve, and focus the gameplay on what matters for the story. 

Removing The Unwarranted Gaps! 

The problem is, I believe some computer RPGs (even some mainstream ones) have suffered from this kind of "empty" design because of trying to imitate historical PnP designs in an attempt to replicate the same gaming experience as PnP provides. Large open world designs have been built to allow a player to explore and find quests, but as these worlds have grown in size, they have become less story focussed or had their pace affected due to such areas of "emptiness". I have found myself playing such games, which had sounded excellent when reading about them, but later found myself somewhat deflated and even bored when running all over the world with little focus or only to find yet another item that just gets heaped in with the rest to sell.

I am reasonably certain that not everyone will agree with my conclusion about "empty" spaces, and I do agree that some "emptiness" is not unreasonable and sometimes can be expected. Personally, however, I believe such a design is probably more suited to a "sandbox" type environment rather than a story focussed campaign. However, if what I describe above about "emptiness" sounds familiar to you, then I hope to reassure you that I am doing my best to ensure no such large "gaps" will remain within my campaign. To be clear: exploration and secrets remain, but traversing over large landscapes (or walking through empty buildings) trying to locate a certain path or item will not be time-consuming... for the player at least. Furthermore, my aim is to fill any gaps that might otherwise appear somewhat eventless and/or serve little purpose within my areas. I am not saying every corridor, nook and cranny will have something to do within it, but I am saying I am trying to avoid the "empty" spaces that are often added just because a place is expected to exist. E.g. A city has many dwellings and potential places to visit, but you will not be expected to enter and explore every building, but may be directed to a specific building in the course of an adventure instead.

My D&D design goal, if I can achieve it, is to keep the player focussed on one area of the story at a time. Note, the player will still be able to hear of and pick up a number of leads to various tasks at any time, but my goal is to hopefully encourage the player to focus on just one such quest to investigate, and then see it through to its end, wherever possible. In this sense, my quests or tasks are not designed in the "sandbox" style, (only to be handled as they are found or become accessible), but, instead, work as solid leads to an adventure that the player can do there and then. The decision of which lead to follow (of a potential few), is left to the player to make... where opting to follow one path instead of another may possibly affect the remaining quests.

My aim is to initiate a task or quest that offers something immediately available to the player and, wherever possible, provide an "on the spot" objective as a current goal. Such tasks or quests can vary in length, of course, but the aim is to allow the player to achieve something by following the task without having to park it as a "to do" quest: one that is only available if and when the heroes happen to discover its location. I believe this is what sets a NWN story adventure aside from other RPGs as they try to remain focussed on a particular story line, leading from one quest to another as the story unfolds. That said, it is not unreasonable for rumours of a place, or an event, or even an item that can be discovered to be added as quests set in the near future. However, I would suggest that such quests are not too far removed from the main story and are not of little substance, such as finding a hidden item that is just going to be sold at the next vendor's establishment! In my own gaming experience, such unfocussed "quests" can have a detrimental affect on the pace of the game. I also believe such incidental "quests" should not be given the status of a "quest" at all, as they distract from the game at hand.

Older Areas Revised!

In latest build news, I am continuing to optimise some of my original area designs being used for this final stage of the module; to consider a multi-player (MP) co-op environment as well as a single-player (SP) one. The areas I am talking about were originally designed many years ago, prior this post I made in September 2021, which mentions when I learned more about area load times for a MP game.

Basically, prior this date, I designed areas with no real thought about how an area's contents may affect its loading time, especially when playing a MP game. All my area designs and testing prior this date were mostly done in a SP environment, which, when compared to a MP game, load much faster (up to ten times faster) subject to the area content involved. Note, I am not talking about loading times based upon just an area's size, but more about its actual content, such as lights, visual effects, useable objects, creatures, etc. As an example, a designed area may load in 5 seconds for a SP game (not too long), but that can be closer to 50 seconds in a MP gamer if care is not given to the area contents included. 

When I released my first module, I did notice a couple of its areas were taking longer to load than others, but lack of MP testing at the time did not highlight this issue sufficiently compared to when I was working and testing larger areas (with more content) of the second module. This is what led to the post I made above, and I started making a conscious effort from that time to optimise areas as required to try to keep loading times to below 30 seconds for a MP game, if possible. Such redesigns has including breaking a single area into two, reconsidering lighting and visual effects, and generally trying to design areas more "intelligently" with respect to interactable objects. 

Other Updates

Alongside reworking the areas, I have also been writing conversations that move the main quest forward. I had to look back over other conversations related to the same quest to ensure every worked logically, and was able to finish off some of these others too. It concluded a quest line that I am glad to finish as it was preventing me from focussing on events later in the adventure. It was a matter of three areas of the module (conversations, are designs and items) that I needed to work on at once to complete the quest state and refocus my attention on a later stage.

I still have some areas that need optimising, but I hope to address these as I move to them with each remaining quest I finish. Currently, I believe I have only around two side quests to complete (although there is a slim possibility this can increase), and then just the final quest for the main story.

I also have around three areas to finish, with one that currently only has one room! Two other areas have the rooms outlined (nothing else at all yet), and the "purpose" of them and what the PCs are to gain from exploring them is yet to be finalised. Once fully furnished, they need to go under the "gap" test (not boring to play) before I am satisfied with them for the final testing.

I am not quite at the point of saying "the end is in sight", but I do feel I have taken a large step forward over the last month. Look out for the blog title when I make such a claim, as it may well be closer to final testing and release by then. In the meantime, here are some screenshots from the new area and an area my wife recently play tested from stage 2. For the record, my wife is currently replaying module one again, and helping to find any last minute points that need addressing there. This is why there has been a v1.42 update for this April. I am hoping she will finish her latest play through this month and any last minute changes required will come in May if necessary.

A Stage 2 Encounter!

 

Stage 3 Area Testing!

More Stage 3 Area Testing!

Episode 105: The Secret of the Kiri-Dor Crystals!

For the last month or so I have been continuing to work on the third stage of my second module, Predestinated days. I have to admit that after a month's hiatus, restarting was harder than I thought it would be. However, it turned out the problem was as much to do with my own dissatisfaction of the current design of the area I had returned to working on more than anything else. Once I decided a redesign was in order, things started to fall into place. Read on to hear more about this and other news...

Area Redesign 

So, as my introduction points out, I found myself returning to building an area that is to be played in stage three of the module. However, I was struggling to find satisfaction in what I was continuing to add to its design. Put bluntly, I was finding the area to be somewhat plain and lacking character. In all fairness, this was the first time I had returned to working on this particular area in years, and I have had a lot of experience of working on other areas since then. Initially, when I came back to continue working with this area, I found myself struggling to be happy with the additions I was making and could not see why. I liked the ideas I was adding to the area, but something still felt wrong about it. It was only after I made the decision to remove and/or redesign some of the rooms within the area and change the way some of its transitions worked that "unlocked" the stagnation of design for me.

Now, alongside the new gaming mechanic system I mention next, I am having a much more enjoyable time putting the area together, which I hope will translate to an equally enjoyable experience for the player. Hopefully, by next month, I will have some new screenshots of this stage three area and/or maybe other areas to show you. In the meantime, here is a little "secret" for you...

A Secret Revealed

As this month's title alludes to, I want to "reveal a secret" with respect to a new gameplay mechanic that I have designed to work in this third stage of the module. It is to do with a citadel called Kiri-Dor, (a main bastion the heroes find themselves exploring on the isle of Tarn-Kiri), and some crystals that can be found here.

I had this new gameplay mechanic idea (and started work on it) years ago, but have only now just returned to finalise it. It involves some careful handling as it enables a whole new layer of gaming choices for the player, allowing them to choose how they would like to develop new abilities, and enable them to move forward in their quest. I will provide a couple of screenshots of the new mechanic, which I hope will help present the idea more clearly. This could be considered a minor spoiler, I guess, but I have done my best not to give-away too many details, but, hopefully, just enough to whet the appetite...

The Secret of the Crystals 

The new gaming mechanic relies upon the PCs learning of unique powers locked away in some special crystals that can be acquired within the areas of Kiri-Dor. Once acquired, the PC can activate them to unlock the potential of the powers that they can bestow upon the heroes. The heroes first have to unlock the BASIC path, which when completed, unlocks the ADVANCED path. Both paths require working with crystals of four different colours: white, green, blue and red:-

Heroes Begin To Unlock The Secret of The Crystals!

Eventually, as the heroes continue to make progress in their acquisition and study of the crystals, they can unlock the ADVANCED powers, which will, hopefully, aid them in overcoming the problems they currently face while within Kiri-Dor:- 

Heroes Have Managed To Reach Advanced Crystal Usage!

As you can see from the edited screenshots above, once the player has unlocked the ADVANCED stage, their choice of abilities opens before them in a tree-like structure. They can choose to concentrate on one particular colour branch of crystal study, or maybe spread their knowledge, bearing in mind how the adventure opens up before them.

As I say, I hope it will add an exciting new level of gameplay for the player, but I still need to address balancing and practicality of the system before I can be happy it is a working gaming option. So far, I have made reasonable progress developing the system, but it will still require some alpha testing before I know for sure.

I like to believe that The Scroll is probably one of the most heavily modded modules in NWN2, with extra care and attention given to a whole host of new XML GUIs and gameplay mechanics that serves to keep it a new and fresh experience for anyone wanting to play a NWN2 module, while staying within the gaming experience they know and love.

Latest Campaign

Meanwhile,  I also released v1.41 today, which addresses some minor issues, but I still believe is worth updating if you are on anything older. It improves maintaining variables on split stacks, fixes a minor Vigour glitch, and a Mapping fix among other things.

Episode 104: The Path Less Travelled

First, a heads up: There will not be a February blog post, as I am taking a month's hiatus. However, before I take the break, I am leaving you with the very latest v1.40 module and campaign files ready to use, after my wife did another test run of the first module using the latest build. A couple of minor issues came to light, but the updated Examine and Hardness systems, which I have now finished, are working well. Read on for more information...

Unconventional?

Regular readers (or players of my campaign) will note that my approach to design for both mechanics and quests does not sit within "normal" expectations for NWN. Instead, I believe my own design sits more closely to the table-top D&D game experience. Or, if we were to place the range of NWN modules available on its own spectrum, The Scroll Campaign (a.k.a. The Althéa Campaign), would probably be considered an extreme "conservative" style, or one that I would suggest plays more akin to a "Traditional" D&D table-top game. Your choice of how you play the module can alter this experience, but the underlying design principal is based upon trying to replicate the table-top experience, whether you choose to play the campaign solo or with a friend or two.

Whether this approach wins the approval of the majority of NWN players or not, I cannot say. However, for those players who like to dive deeply into a traditional style D&D game, with unique lore, quests and gameplay, alongside convenient traditional gameplay mechanics, then I hope the campaign will hit a sweet spot for them. Imagine a table-top session, and then translate that experience to a computer environment, along with all those elements that come with the former: combats, puzzles, crafting, varying NPC conversations and scenarios... and even creating bonds with fellow players as you travel your chosen path within Althéa!

The Trend Continues

This may surprise some, but when I first started writing the campaign using the NWN toolset, I had not planned to release it to the general public. This was because the campaign I was writing with the toolset was already a few years underway from a pen and paper (PnP) table-top campaign. Initially, I did not see any way to introduce years of material to new players when I was trying to continue the existing story for my PnP players. However, because I wanted to bring the campaign to new players, I found a way, by taking the first unconventional step to introduce a "background selection" that allowed new players to start the campaign afresh as if having never experienced the campaign before. As you can imagine, this introduced a lot of additional work, as I had to cater for both items and knowledge that the entering player had of the campaign world, and how their experience differed from someone who had never experienced the campaign before.

This difference of gameplay experience only finally becomes resolved within the second module, which is now nearing completion itself. What I am trying to say is, while it has taken me a long time to ensure a new audience is accommodated for, this first single unconventional approach I took, while prolonging the build, has, I hope, been worth the effort to bring the campaign to more players. Effectively, by the time both old and new players have played the second module, both groups will now be in the same position of background knowledge serving them to complete the campaign within the third module.

The choice of campaign background was, however, just the first of many design decisions I would end up making to help bring the table-top experience to the player. My main focus from the start was then also to support PnP home-brew rules that were familiar to my own group of players, but also incorporate them in such a way that I hoped would not alienate new players not familiar with them. So, over the years that followed, new systems were added and altered until a balance between the more traditional and modern could be accommodated, including: a proper time system with attrition, fog of war, crafting, and various death systems alongside the Life Essence system, to name just a few.

To say this was a big undertaking would be an understatement, but ignorance of this fact at the time helped me to bring you the campaign that you have available to play today. The second module is now only a few months off completion (I believe) with only the third stage (of three) to complete. However, even with this last stage, I am "bucking the trend" in an attempt to bring the player new experiences when playing this D&D adventure. Like all new ideas and additions, however, they take time to implement, but I hope the time spent will be worth it, especially if the player does have a new enjoyable gaming experience.

Stage Three Development!

I have spent the last month going through more optimisation of the new areas of stage three, improving lighting, atmosphere, and general interaction, including the walk path. I have also been going through NPC interaction and conversations, improving lip-synch and animations where required. It was during these general improvements when I decided to also improve the Examine and Hardness interactions of which I speak above, as the new areas required it. I have also gone through the various NPC interactions to remind myself of the course of actions available to the player and been updating/correcting those that need it.

My tester, Dustin Offal (who has my greatest respect and thanks for all his work and feedback over the last couple of years or so), has also finished another play test of the second module (stages one and two), coming in at around 70 hours of gameplay. (This suggests completion of all three stages of the second module will take around 100 hours to complete, subject to gaming style.)  Also, from his feedback, I spent some time focussing on ensuring plot items could be dropped by the PCs when they were no longer required. I began work on this last month, but managed to finish it for both modules in the latest release.

The third stage of the second module is now in a good position for me to continue with it come February.

Latest Campaign & Module

This new year brings both new v1.40 campaign files and new module files. Alongside some minor quest and animation fixes, I also took the plunge to deal with two areas of the campaign files where the code was over 15 years old and required updating to work more smoothly. This new code has also been tested with the first module again to ensure it works as expected. The two areas that have been updated were the Examine GUI code and the Hardness of objects with respect to bashing them.

Prior this latest v1.40, the Examine GUI employed a "mask" to ensure unused official code (OC) was not displayed when not required. However, this mask had a tendency to go out of synch (especially when related to creatures) and could sometimes cover text when not required to do so. It was frustrating me and so I got rid of the official XML entry altogether and updated module creatures with any examine text they required. I suspect many players do not use the Examine GUI anyway, (although I have made it a more useful tool now), and so only those who do use this GUI frequently are likely to notice the changes. The Examine GUI is now "clipped" to show only the information my campaign requires, so that erroneous OC information (faction or incorrect challenge rating) is no longer displayed at all. NB: If you are playing with an older module prior the one released 1st January, this new year, then some creatures will fail to have any description at all if examined.

The latest v1.40 campaign also updates some of my own very old code that handled the broken official hardness code. My old code was convoluted and much was not required. In the worse case, it could misreport when an object was fully bashed and not "clear" the way head. (Another bash would fix this, but it could look "odd" if not done so.) The new replacement code is much more streamlined and works well. NB: If you are updating an existing game (as opposed to starting afresh), then any areas already previously entered having any objects that could still be bashed, will have their hardness changed and will break on the first bash. (A minimal consequence for these levels only for a game that was patched as opposed to a new game where all work as expected.)

Lastly, there were a few very rare bugs that I squashed for this release, related to additional PC creations and/or a player not using the "Companion Protector" feat. They are so rare, I will just point to a description on the download page for more information.

There was one other final "game crash" bug, which is only likely to occur at higher levels, and so was discovered while testing the second module: If a summoned creature was killed (or dispelled) within 1.2 seconds of being summoned, it could crash the game. I believe this bug has also been squashed now.

Next Blog Coming In March!

As I said at the start of this month's blog. There will be no February blog, as I take a month's hiatus. The module and campaign files are in a place to continue with them in February, at the end of which, I will write the March blog to bring you up to date.

In the meantime, I leave you with a few screenshots I took as I was testing some points of the second module:

Discovery of A Secret Chamber!

 

Something Approaches from Behind!

Surprised By Skeletons!

Episode 103: Along The Coastland!

For the record, I am currently under a lot of real life pressure to help in a family situation, and so I am not as far into stage three as I hoped to be at this time. That said, I am still chipping away at the final stage as time permits. Furthermore, testers have been continuing their feedback to help make the experience with this second module as pleasurable as I can make it for you all. Let's now talk about what has been done.

Along The Coastland!

The second module has turned out bigger than I first expected it to be. As regular readers will be aware, I had considered removing this third stage of the module, and use it as the opening part of the third and final module instead. However, when put to the vote, there was a slight leaning towards having this third stage included in the second module, and so I concluded to stick to the original plan of including it. If it had not been decided to be included, then this second module would be released already!

So, the design decision made, I continued to bring the module forward with consideration on how this third and final stage was to play out. As you can see from this month's screenshots, we find our hero at a new coastal location, the beginning of an important area that has the hero nearing their end goal at last. Except, the adventure is not yet over, far from it, and a whole new gaming experience awaits both the hero and player alike. For this new stage is where I have shaken things up a bit, and the player will find themselves in a new and challenging situation... which I am NOT going to say anything more about, because it would spoil the experience.

Suffice to say, I have tried to employ a whole new mechanic that will have the player reconsider some of those things that they had previously taken for granted. The main code for this is already up and running, as are any new GUIs I have in mind to use. The point is, stage three of this module moves up a gear with respect to gameplay, and may require new tactics having come this far. Some balancing of the system remains, but I am pleased with the results so far.

Retreading The Path

Much of my current module building involves me having to replay various paths through the current material to remind myself whereabouts I was with regards to material already completed. It was a good year ago since I concentrated on this section, and the paths available are as complex as those I have already finished in the first two stages. I have to have a complete recall of how events can unfold before I can continue from where I last left off.

The added complexity of balancing the new system with respect to a few areas, as well as finishing a number of conversations related to such, all require careful consideration. To date, I have tried taking a look at (a) the first of these areas, from which the screenshots come, and (b) some of the later areas that have more NPCs involvement and PC interaction. Unfortunately, these later areas require my full attention, which, sadly, I have not been able to give to of late. So, instead, I have been doing the simpler things, such as add lip-syncing and animations to conversations that have already been added.

Therefore, while I have not been able to make as much progress towards finishing the final steps involved, I have instead, been doing those basic things that are needed prior release anyway. I can continue with these basic "monotonous" steps until real life has settled down a bit, and then I can get back to the nitty-gritty of finishing off final conversations and plot events that require more of my concentration.

Latest Campaign

I have just released v1.39, which mainly addresses some Dominate and Charm spells that could add creatures to the party, which I did not want. The new adjustments now prevent this, and apply the paralyse effect now instead, if successful. I.e. The PC dominated creature cannot do what they want to do due to the effect.

As far as another release, not much more has been added or fixed, as the latest versions have been pretty solid of late. Therefore, unless you use charm or dominate spells, or have the Expert Mapper Feat, then you may only notice a basic leg animation fix. So, I don't foresee any other campaign updates for the foreseeable future with respect to the first module.

Enjoying The Coastal Breeze ...

... Of A Quiet Coastal Retreat!

 

Episode 102: Everything You Want From A D&D Campaign?

Have you ever built or run a pen and paper (PnP) Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) campaign? Both building and running your own campaign can be great fun, especially if you know the style of gameplay your players enjoy playing. That's the thing with D&D though, you have so many variations of styles of play, let alone different rule editions that alter the flavour of the game, that saying someone enjoys playing the D&D role-playing game (RPG) conjures a different memory of such enjoyment to different people. With that in mind, let's see what The Althéa Campaign, The Scroll, has to offer players and what they may expect to play. I will also be bringing you up to date with the latest campaign news.

Campaign Style

1) GAME FORMAT: Let me start by mentioning the biggest difference (or challenge) we face: That of bringing a PnP D&D game world to the computer environment. We notice straight away the differences from being able to play in an ad-hoc reactive way between players within a PnP environment, to a much more restricted response on a computer setup, simply because of real environmental limits. I will discuss player interaction next, but for now, I will speak about the technical differences only.

On a computer, there are both: a) Physical boundaries that limit the player to the areas designed by the builder, and b) Conversation boundaries that are governed by the options the builder has presented to the player at the time of build. These limits can be mitigated by designing a more open world approach and by offering more conversation options, but ultimately, we recognise that such boundaries always exist. However, I don't think this is such a bad thing. For what first appears as a limitation, I believe actually helps focus the player's attention on what matters for the campaign's gameplay. If done well, it's akin to a Dungeon Master (DM) gently guiding a group of PnP players in the right direction for their planned scenario for the session. The only real difference, I believe, is the DM in a PnP environment is able to pick up on player chatter and react to certain comments that help them direct the narration in the way they need it to go, rather than this same guidance coming via pre-written conversations or events within the computer designed module.

With respect to these apparent limitations, I believe the real goal for both module builders and the PnP DM is that they provide a sense of freedom that allows players to make the gaming decisions they want to make to unfold the story designed before them in a way they would like. Of course, in either case, the player will still need to observe the rules of the gaming environment while trying to do this, but if the player can approach a campaign world in various ways, both in character design and world path taken, then I believe the same sense of freedom with the same level of satisfaction can be achieved in both formats. 

The key points to consider for a module design to emulate PnP, if possible, and are a core design to the Althéa Campaign are:

• The campaign should be non-linear as possible, and offer various paths of approach for scenarios.
• Respect character class and backgrounds by offering supporting conversation options.
• Design in such a way that allows as much flexibility of play, to help avoid linear gameplay.

For example, if a PnP scenario has various leads and approaches by design, then a module design should also try to accommodate as many of the same as possible. This is much harder to do when building a module for a computer environment, but the more options and paths we can include that differ in some way, the greater the same D&D gaming experience of a PnP session can be replicated within the computer environment.

2) PLAYER NUMBERS: Another important aspect of D&D gameplay is the camaraderie had when playing as a group of players. Sure, playing an adventure alone can be fun, but the fun can be so much more amplified when you share the same adventure with a friend or two. This is part of the attraction of a PnP D&D session, in that you could share goals and ideas with fellow gamers, and the sense of "party" in the game being played would reflect as a bonding exercise in the players themselves. Overcoming a challenge was not just a lonesome achievement, but a group one! If you were unable to solve a problem in one challenge, you knew you could normally rely on another player to help your own thinking to overcome any problems the party faced. Another time, you would be the one to figure something out, and so the relationships between players grew as their own respective characters did.

Thankfully, Neverwinter Nights 2 (NWN2) supports this camaraderie spirit by accommodating co-operative play (co-op). As long as the module has also been designed to support multiple players, then a group of players can join together within the campaign world and take on the challenge together. If you have access to your own computer, then this can take place in the same room (as LAN is supported), or you can be on the other side of the world and do a direct connection via the internet. In such cases, you can also meet together in a group chat program (e.g. Teams) at the same time and keep the lively real-time chat going in the same way as if sitting at the same table in a PnP session. In this sense, the spirit of the PnP multiple player attendance is very well replicated for the co-op module. I quickly note that we are NOT talking about a Persistent World (PW) approach here, as I do not believe the PW approach can capture the same spirit and personal experience as a group of friends playing a co-op module.

The key points to consider for a module design to emulate PnP, if possible, and are a core design to the Althéa Campaign are:

• Design a module to support co-op play. (*)
• Accommodate a conversation system that respects multiple player interaction.
• Be sure to have a reliable chat program to enable clear communication between players. 

(*) I would recommend a maximum of four players when joining a module designed for a co-op session, as the more players involved, the more the game area load times and overall stability are affected. Other modules may offer support for a higher number of players, but your stability mileage may vary.

3) GAMEPLAY: Assuming we have an open world design, with various paths, and multiple nodes of interaction when speaking with the various NPCs in our world, the next biggest challenge we face is being able to offer the kind of gaming experience that players enjoy when playing their favourite RPG. This is one of the hardest challenges, because, as module builders (as opposed to a closed PnP group with a DM), we often do not know of our players likes and dislikes when it comes to their style of campaign adventure.

This is the main reason I chose to write this article today, as it helps illustrate what a player can expect from The Althéa Campaign, as well as demonstrate how our own PnP scenarios can still work well within a computer design. To emphasise this point, I have taken my own PnP D&D campaign, and rebuilt it within the NWN2 toolset, in such a way that I hope evokes the same gaming fun among new players, as my own group and I had many years ago within PnP. Indeed, I still have two players from the original group, who eagerly await the opportunity for us to all play the translated versions of the campaign from its original PnP setup to a NWN2 campaign.

As regular readers will already know, my wife, who joined my D&D group later than my other remaining player, has had the opportunity to play test some of these translated D&D scenarios, and her feedback has been most positive in that she has found them great fun to play. I quickly add that these same scenarios have multiple approaches, and so even though she has tested these and enjoyed some aspects of them, other approaches remain, which I hope will also work well and come to light when we all have the opportunity to play them as a group upon completion.

The main question still remains, however, and that is what can new players expect in gameplay when playing this particular campaign, within the world of Althéa? After all, as regular readers will already know, this campaign has been heavily modified. Even before Baldur's Gate 3 claim to be very much like PnP on the computer, my own campaign is as close in design to my original PnP campaign as I could build it within NWN2. i.e. Systems and gameplay interactions have been designed to accommodate all those PnP practices we used to enjoy playing within our own PnP campaign. I will list some of them now:-

• Added an optional pseudo Turn-Based Combat system with auto-pause. (1)
• Allowed multiple Player/PC creation support and/or companions, and/or henchmen. (2) 
• Added Fog of War to ensure maps did not give immediate player meta knowledge. (3)
• Added many puzzle games and events that encourage players cooperation. (4) 
• Improved and included all three crafting systems that work within a developed economy.
• Improved inventory and store systems to reflect skills and items equipped.
• Improved Journal interaction to ensure the player knows exactly what to do.
• Improved AI (and real life) responses that can affect alignments.
• Updated and multiple approach death system to accommodate personal styles.

All the above alterations or additions are designed to be fully integrated and work with one another and most importantly, work alongside the story that is being played. For, ultimately, it is the story that is the most important aspect of this campaign. The above are just some of the "seasoning" added to support the player's interaction within the World of Althéa as they play their role in the story that they are playing out.

Note, that some of the above are optional in some way, and can be changed according to the player's own preferred style of approach when playing D&D. Here is a little additional information about some of the  above:

1) There is an option to switch on an auto-pause during combat to pause the game every round of six seconds. While paused, a player can queue combat events ahead of time, or change them at the beginning of a new round. There are even some additional options to move the combat in smaller time intervals for those who like very specific control. I decided to include this system as an option, because of my PnP background and the players I have who prefer this level of control during combat. My wife loves to use it, and her combats are very well controlled, even when she has some very large party sizes at times.

2) The alterations I made here make a fundamental change to the way players can play PCs under their control. For example, in a co-op game with three players, but in a party of six (with three additional companions), normally only the leader can control the additional companions and give them orders. However, in the changes I have made, each player can control their own companions. This allows players to share any additional companions among themselves to control as they prefer. It is more akin to players of a PnP game, sitting at the table with more than one character. Again, this suits the way we used to play within our own PnP group and I imagine other groups probably do too.

3) As my players and I come from a PnP background, none of us wanted to have any maps revealed (or sometimes available) the moment an area was entered. Too much information from the start spoiled the sense of adventure, and so I added this as the default nature of the area map, and also made the mini-map only available in certain situations. There is an option to change this setting with certain feats or options in the game, but again, I imagine PnP players would prefer this on by default, as it is.

4) As players from a PnP background, we enjoyed those times when I would introduce a puzzle to my players in one form or another. That is, there were moments when the pace of the game would change from the tactics of an engaging combat to resolving a puzzle of some kind. However, I also recognise that some players (not of my own group) may not like these kind of challenges, and so I also included different ways of solving these puzzles automatically instead. It may require taking on a certain feat, but sometimes just having the right item will help solve it for the PC.

The key thing to take away from this section is that these systems are often flexible and are designed to complement the story and offer a change of pace at certain stages of the game. Their inclusion comes due to the fun times we recall having with puzzles from our own PnP days. I hope other players from a similar background appreciate their inclusion in the same way.

4) THE STORY: Like most PnP campaigns, the Althéa Campaign has a story that drives it along. Importantly, however, the pace of the game is left within the hands of the player and they can approach their immediate goals available in any order they think best. Changing the order, or trying a different path altogether is often allowed, but does not detract from the player's understanding of the game. Indeed, it is the choices of the path taken within the world and the story that the player unfolds for themselves that is "altered" subject to the choices the player has made along the way.

Sometimes, certain paths will become accessible earlier than other times (or change), subject to other paths the player or players have already agreed to take. Each decision can affect outcomes, but ultimately, the story remains in place, always reminding the player that there is a greater mission to complete and to drive them forward.

There is much more I could add to this campaign overview, but wanted to write this article to show that if you like or have enjoyed playing PnP D&D before, recognise that this campaign has been written to emulate that gaming experience as close as I know possible, and have access to. Note, I have not yet played Baldur's Gate 3, but as that uses 5th Edition, I like to think that The Althéa Campaign is a first to do something as close to the same, while using the 3.5th Edition rules. So, if there is anything you wish to ask, or know more about, just ping me a message and I will try to respond as soon as possible.

Latest Campaign

The latest release is v1.38, but has not had any updates since v1.37 that was released on 24th October, which was a critical update. The only reason for this latest release was to bring the module and campaign release to the same date. The module itself has had some minor optimisations for a couple of areas, but, otherwise, no other major changes. This should be, unless anything critical comes to light, the last update for the first module. 

Meanwhile, I am continuing to work on the second module. Due to personal circumstances, however, I was unable to do as much work as I had hoped to have done, but have managed to replay an important area and made some changes/updates where required. The next few weeks may be difficult for me to do as much as I would like to do, but I will be continuing to work on the module as and when I can. Hopefully, by next month, I will be in a better position to give the module my full attention. For now, here is a screenshot from the area I did work on:-

An Expected Visitor!

 

Episode 101: The Beginning of the End!

If you have been following the latest blog posts, you will know that I have started the third and final stage of Predestinated Days, the second module in The Scroll Campaign. Over the last month, I have been able to concentrate on the "final" area that the players will be playing in the module, which I hope leaves the player in a satisfied position with respect to a potential third and final module some time in the future. Note, however, that I still have a few areas to complete before the player reaches this end point. Anyway, I go into more details below...

Filling In The Gaps

As it happens, the "final" conversation, the one after which the game notifies the player that the module is over, was slightly more involved than I first anticipated. This is because I had a need to address the player's Main PC by name, and in a co-op multiplayer game, there is obviously more than one player! So, as the conversation is designed as a cutscene type, I had to play with the game mechanics somewhat to ensure all players had their own personalised ending, alongside their own conversation options. I think I managed to pull it off, but will double check the final run with further testing prior release.

That conversation finished, I then began the larger task of filling in all the adventuring gaps that remained to be finished from the end of stage two up to this end point. As I have reported previously, at least half of this third stage is already completed, but some of the more "important" plot lines still need to be ironed out to ensure the plot flows logically irrespective of the player choices, and according to the campaign storyline.

As an example, I have two original pen and paper (PnP) handouts that still require working into the story, which help prepare the player for what lies ahead. They require a degree of rework because of some of the subtle changes I made to ensure the campaign played for both newcomers and original players, and to ensure the gameplay worked better with respect to a computer environment rather than a tabletop one. Thankfully, the third stage design for this second module is reasonably flexible to work with and I already have a couple of ideas on how they will be included.

I also have a major plot line that requires some rethinking due to an "impractical" design of the original tabletop version of the scenario in question. In the original PnP design, there is an area that is inaccessible to certain alignment types, which had a useful practical design when I originally only played with parties of "good" alignments from my PnP days. However, as The Scroll Campaign is now open to both "good" and "evil" alignment types, I need to reassess the premise of the design. Strictly speaking, this scenario and its requirements do not come into play until the third module. However, the lead up to this scenario affects the design of events of the storyline in this second module, especially this third stage, and so I need to consider this and the surrounding events now.

Special New Mechanics

The final third stage of the second module is also where I have designed a new gaming mechanic, which I hope adds an interesting dimension to the scenario sections that include it. Its inclusion does, however, still require some careful handling for game balancing. Importantly, all the necessary user interfaces have already been designed and included and are working. The "system" mechanics all work as they should do, and now I just need to balance the cycle of acquisition of items involved and how the system affects the PCs environment. I know that sounds vague, but I don't want to give away spoilers for this interesting setup for the third and final stage. Suffice to say, the player has a new gaming element to consider when they reach this point in the module, which allows for various gameplay approaches. It should add a very interesting diversion for players to consider. Maybe, if people ask more about this, I may be tempted to reveal more information ahead of release.

Alpha Testing

Alpha testing continues. In the process of which, my wife did a replay of the first module (so as to test moving directly into the second module after completion), and found a couple of last minute bugs affected by some altered conversation code. This has now been addressed, alongside a couple of other minor issues and released in the latest v1.36, out today. (See below for more details.)

The main test, however, was ensuring a player could move from the first module directly into the second, since some of the module transfer code had been updated again, and that all appeared to work fine. Furthermore, a second tester, who started directly from the lobby (skipping module one), also started again, and highlighted a couple of minor item issues, which have now been fixed too.

Basically, both testers have been replaying the second module heading towards the new content that completes the second stage, and I hope to have some extra feedback on that in the next blog. Both testers are making good progress and the now fully completed second stage should be having its first test results back soon.

Latest Campaign 

Apart from a potential conversation drop out (with Dringle in the Ancient Crypt) and a couple of combats that fired too soon (in the Halls of the Goblin Kings), only a few remaining cosmetic issues were fixed for the first module. Importantly, much of the second module has now been alpha tested, and any changes there have been retested within the first module, meaning this latest v1.36 may be the last update for module one for some time. Even the latest module build (today) has had some final checks made with respect to any potential environmental objects that should not be destructible. A few were found, and fixed, but were unlikely to have been broken anyway, unless the player had been deliberately trying to do so. The steps now taken to ensure they cannot break is just extra precaution.

I leave you with some screenshots from the second stage of module two:

The City of Southstrong!

 

The Toothrot Tavern!

The Stink (Beneath Southstrong)

Episode 100: The Last Stage Is Underway!

For the 100th episode, I am pleased to report that the planned Stage 2 of the second module is now fully complete, and I am now turning to finishing the third and final stage of this second module. It has been a long and hard process, due to various reasons, but also fun to bring this module to life. Read on for further news.

The End In Sight?

With the second stage completed, it means I can focus on the remaining third stage, which already has much of its content done. This means that the completion of the entire second module may well be close at hand. However, I choose to not be too hasty in fully announcing this, as I have experienced times when I have thought to be closer to completing an area than I actually was. So, with that in mind, let me suggest to you where I think I am at.

Now, rather than give away any specifics, I will talk in percentages to give an indication of where I am at (with the current areas involved) without giving away too many spoilers. Therefore, if we consider the second module as a whole 100%, the three stages divide out in roughly the following percentages:

• STAGE ONE (BORAN REGION): 47% OF THE MODULE (COMPLETED!)
• STAGE TWO (SOUTHSTRONG REGION): 32% OF THE MODULE (COMPLETED!)
• STAGE THREE (TARN-KIRI REGION): 21% OF THE MODULE (50% COMPLETE!)

In total, this module is now around 90% complete!

As I started work on this module back in May 2019 (Episode 1), that means it has taken me just over six years 3 months (75 Months) to reach this point. If I can continue at a similar pace, and I assume the remaining content is proportional, that means I might be able to fully complete by 75 x 10%, or seven and a half months! I need to add some time for holiday breaks and time when I don't have access to the computer, and so eight and a half months brings us to around the middle of May 2026.

However, until I start to work out what is actually left to do for the third stage, this estimate is a rough calculation. As I have said previously, I would like to get the module finished by the end of the year, but it all depends how my health and current real life events unfold. I like to think that the second module completion is in sight now, but recognise how this can change at any time.

Alpha Testing

On the back of the estimated finish date, I can add that alpha testers are continuing to test the new content, and my wife is also testing module one again for any last minute alterations required for v1.36, which is due as the next update. So far, all updates required to v1.36 are minor ones, and mostly cosmetic in nature, except for one that determines XP awarded for unlocking a door, and a very minor (likely unnoticeable) logical flow fix. Suffice to say, I am waiting for her to complete her latest run though of the first module before releasing v1.36, especially as v1.35 is the most stable to date.

As soon as any of the alpha testers reach and give feedback on the latest finishing touches of the second stage, I will let you know. It's now built, and testers are now heading there! 

The Althéa Campaign

For those that have not experienced my D&D campaign, The Scroll, or like to keep up with the latest information, I recently produced another quick video demonstrating the latest rendition of the campaign's unique Turn-Based Combat System. There is a link to the video below.

Note, if preferred, The Scroll Campaign can be played with the original default setup, using "pause at any time" (rather than the auto-pause system), while still gaining the benefits of the AI improvements I have made to the combat system for PC control. That is, AI can still be switched on or off (puppet mode) on any individual PC rather than on or off for the whole party, and orders can be given to follow, attack or stand ground irrespective of the current AI setting, as a party or individually.

This basically means, the combat system works more intuitively for those that like to manage tactical combat, especially when using "puppet mode". So when orders are given, the PC continues to carry out those orders until a new order is given, or until the player switches them back to AI, where the PC then chooses its own tactics. This is an improvement on the official system that can sometimes keep asking for orders, when and where it may appear an unnecessary step for the player to have to make.

An easier and more intuitive combat system is not the only improvement that has been made to the NWN2 game mechanics. Indeed, there have been a number of improvements that make the whole gaming experience feel fresh from the start. Couple that with a new and engaging story set within its own world, and you effectively have a completely new game to play that has been primarily designed with D&D pen and paper (PnP) players from the start. This is also why the campaign can be played both solo or with a friend or two (up to four players) co-op.

To help explain the co-op side some more, players that play together also control their own companions independently from the group leader. So, for example, if three players wanted to play together, they could each also control one other companion each (as the maximum party PC size is six), which only reacts to their control and not to any other player, unless the option to do so is unlocked from the campaign's unique Main Menu. It's akin to sitting at a table of a PnP game where each player controls two PCs each. Every player controls their own group of PCs! There is still one party, but The Althéa Campaign has updated the game mechanics so that it plays like a PnP experience. This, as far as I am aware, is the only campaign that does this.

Furthermore, where possible, I have improved and made easier every interactable GUI and gaming mechanic, making it more accessible and informative to the player wherever possible. Be it an improved inventory interface that allows descriptive comparisons at an improved store interface, or make clearer the crafting system available and fixing the economy related to it, all improvements made have been done so to help maximise the players ability to play the way they want to. Even the way the story is designed is done in such a way to play on each PCs abilities and skill strengths or weaknesses.

This is the core design ethos behind The Althéa Campaign, and I have only touched the surface of what you can expect. The first module, The First Day, allows the player to become familiar with many of these differences from the start of the campaign; and the second module, Predestinated Days, takes that system a stage further with other improved mechanics and gameplay that will allow another fresh gaming experience as the player forges their own path. I can assure you that your decisions will make a difference on how the story path unfolds and I hope you will have fun on your journey!

Finally, I need to say that I also hope to have a third and final module called, The Last Day, in which I bring the campaign to its conclusion. This has already been started, but I have not looked at it in years as I have focussed on the second module.

Latest Campaign

As I touch upon above, the latest v1.36 is ready in the sidelines to replace v1.35 as soon as my testers have finished their current testing. It addresses mostly cosmetic issues, but will also have any other fixes required that are reported between now and its release, based upon when my wife finishes a replay of the first module.

I leave you with a screenshot from one of my alpha testers from the second module:- 

Preparing For The Path Ahead!