Choose Your Language

Monday, 2 December 2024

Episode 91: Birds of a Feather...

The full saying from my title is "Birds of a feather, stick together", and I am reasonably confident that most people are aware of what it is trying to say. Just in case there is any discrepancy, however, I mean it in the sense that people of a similar nature are more likely to stay together to complete a task than those who have conflicting natures... so I guess you may have guessed where this is heading? I bring up the topic of alignment shifts this month, as I had to rework an earlier amendment for my campaign after I realised some PC good/evil axis settings were going awry after a prolonged period of game testing. Read on for more...

Alignment Shifts

Readers (and/or players) may know that I like to use alignment shifts where appropriate in a game, as I believe they add an extra dimension to the story, as well as having a direct impact on some of the campaign systems. Importantly, the good/evil alignment axis and the choice of the Channeler or Harvester role, which the player selects for their party near to the start of the game, are directly connected. Basically, if a player wants to play a good alignment PC, then their whole party must play as Channelers, but if the player selects to play as a Harvester, then the whole party alignment shifts into the evil spectrum. The point being, these two variations will not "stick together" if their roles differ. It has to be all "birds of the same feather" (same good/evil alignment), or a parting of ways.

A while ago, I did update this area of the game to consider the druid class when it was brought to my attention by Dustin_Offal. Subsequent play-testing has shown, however, that this update was not robust enough to manage the task properly over time. For while it aided the druid from not quickly being shunted from a neutral standing, it meant that it was now possible for a party to start splitting alignments when other PC alignments were close to being neutral themselves. The problem I still had to overcome was that no PC can ever be neutral within the good/evil axis. They can only ever be "neutral" within the chaotic/lawful axis.

To cut a long story short, I had to redo the alignment shifting system for the good-evil axis, while still considering neutral aligned PC classes. In the end, I was able to build a system that now keeps all PCs either good (Channeler) or evil (Harvester), while allowing a druid class to maintain a level of neutrality by shifting their law/chaos appropriately, but only if it was not already extremely compromised. For example, if a Neutral Good druid played along with a Chaotic Evil act, they may shift to Chaotic Evil if they were already close to turning from neutral to chaotic in the first place. If they were closer to lawful, then the same chaotic evil shift is not likely to affect their overall neutral standing.

The bottom line is that the good/evil axis can no longer be broken by PCs that play close to the neutral axis with respects to good and evil. A good or evil act will now eventually switch a party from being Channelers (good) or harvesters (evil), subject to their latest act, and if in opposition to their usual role. This does have greater repercussions for clerics, of course, whose alignment along the good/evil axis matters. But for druids (and other classes who wish to maintain a neutral status of some kind), as long as they maintain their chaotic/lawful axis within the neutral spectrum, then they keep their class status. As a further aid for druids to help maintain their "neutrality", they can now make sacrifices at neutral shrines to help bring their chaotic/lawful back to neutral.

Alpha Testing (MP)

My wife recently finished her "single player" multi-player testing of the first module, and has already continued with her MP alpha testing party into the second module. While not ideal (as to fully test MP, it would be better to have another player logged in and playing at the same time), nevertheless, it did test the overall MP platform with respect to some scripts and their timing. For I have witnessed that some scripts require a very slight extra delay in their execution to ensure MP games work as expected. To this end, after finishing the first module play-through, my wife helped highlight four MP issues:-

  • TB GUI to opens/close for all players if manually opened. (1)
  • Prevent an on load crash if having more than ten PCs and Associates. (2)
  • Extra delay required for large loots and extra script firing. (3)
  • Reinstated fix for Main PC losing focus. (SP game already uses.) (4)

1) Could cause issues if a player tried opening (or closing) the TB GUI when it was already in use.

2) It appears that a MP game restricts the total number of PCs/Associates that can be loaded into a MP environment to ten. As it is possible to have six PCs and two henchmen, even prior any other associate types, I have now ensured all such other associate types (apart from henchmen) are removed when a player loads a game to prevent the crash.

3) An instance where an extra slight delay is required to ensure a function fires correctly for a MP game.

4) For some reason, NWN2 will sometimes lose focus on a Main PC on a reload, thereby preventing clicked items to respond correctly. I had already employed this fix for the SP game, but after it showed up in a MP game load, I added the fix for the MP game too.

Campaign Update

As well as the MP fixes mentioned above, a handful of other SP fixes have also been addressed in the latest v1.22 update, released today. The majority are related to animation (or other) cosmetics, or to apply ease of play improvements. The biggest update for the SP game was the Alignment Shift update (as described above), which affects all game types. Anyone updating their current version will have any erroneous alignments corrected with this latest update.

Stage Two Development

I have been having a lot of fun developing the scenario surrounding an area within the second stage of module two. The background for it is complete, bar the very final conversation, which I am currently mulling over. I have the choice of going with the original, more predictable way to go... or with a later "surprise ending" that came to me early one morning as I was suffering from yet another sleepless night. I'll continue to think it over for another day or so, but if I can, I think I'll go for the latter, as I believe that would make the scenario more memorable.

During the process of making this scenario, however, I was able to include a few puzzle elements as well as a couple of conversations alongside what the player may usually expect. As the scenario is reasonably involved in its own right, it means the area in which it is to work has had a significant update bringing me a big step closer to finishing the second stage.

I still have to go back and finish Bloodstone College, and I do still have at least two other areas to complete. One of those areas, however, I was able to "complete" its story/background events, again bringing me further along to an overall completion of the second stage. There is also another added cutscene, which I am pleased with, and hope adds a moment of drama for the player.

All in all (and apart from some sleepless nights), it has been a relatively productive month.

A Great Treasure! (Module Two, Stage Two.)



Friday, 1 November 2024

Episode 90: The Antagonists!

I decided to change focus from the area I was working on, Bloodstone College, and set my sights on trying to finish some other areas of Stage Two of the second module, Predestinated Days. This was done so that I might be in a position to allow testers to test the majority of this second stage not too far in the distant future. It involved dealing with some sinister bad guys! Read on to find out how things turned out with these antagonists...

Alpha Testing Update

This blog has come a week or two early this time around, and so the sixth alpha testing of the second stage has not quite been completed. All but one area has been finished, but what has been tested has proven pretty solid. That said, there were still a couple of conversations and journal entries that needed logic fixing, but this is because it was along a plot path that current testing had not tried until now. The two points in question have around eight potential outcomes, which is a lot to consider when each outcome can affect other areas of the game too. In fact, this leads me nicely to my next topic...

Story Making

Regular readers will likely recall that I am keen to build a campaign where player decisions matter. To the extent that not only is the player relatively free to find their own path through the campaign, but that each step they take can also have an impact on the outcome of the story they are effectively making. So, one player may visit one area one way before another player, and the two players experience different outcomes. Of course, this kind of design also makes for re-playability, and it is something that I have tried to expand a little more on in the second module from what I did in the first.

Such plot devices include the alignment selection of the heroes, the order of places visited, the decisions made at certain times and events, as well as differences in skills and abilities, and background options taken within conversations, of course. So the end result is that one party approaching by one means will have a totally different outcome compared to another party who have taken a different path and made other decisions. The only "downside" is that each new direction taken requires careful handling of the variables that manage such player decisions, and this is what is being tested to date. The end result, I hope, is that no matter which path you take, it will be clear of issues for you when your decisions are made.

Whatever way you end up playing, you can rest assured that it is quite possible that by the time you finish this campaign, there will likely be a number of differences to your adventure compared to a fellow player of The Scroll. Part of the enjoyment I have is watching my wife as she play tests it, and see how she makes her decisions in each time she tests it. It encourages me to keep moving this project forward, as does any feedback I receive.

The Bad Guys!

I just wanted to touch upon another area of the campaign design, that of trying to encourage an emotional involvement from the player, which, if achieved, I believe makes a game both more enjoyable and memorable. Now, as the campaign world opens up with the second module, I am able to call upon a larger scope of characters that I can now use to confront the heroes. 

For the first module, (where the heroes were stuck in their home village), I was able to introduce enemies from afar, in such a way that allowed a clear distinction between who they could perceive as the "good guys" and the "bad guys". That said, I was also able to introduce a couple of other antagonists that proved to be obstacles to the heroes, in the form of local village political types and those with personal grievances. However, with the second module, the world opens up... and small village squabbles give way to city threats from their most wanted men and women, as well as larger world scale politics and peace threatening organisations. If you thought the village life was difficult, life outside the village and in the cities of the surrounding lands is much worse, simply because it is higher up the echelons of perceived power!

This is what the heroes of New Edgeton village are heading towards at the start of the second module. Having left the sleepy village as the local heroes, the PCs will now come up against more notorious characters, those who know how to get power, and how to keep hold of it. The heroes have moved from a society of local problems and thugs, and are now heading towards political turmoil controlled by mighty powers with sinister plans... as well as their own breed of thugs. Then again, where would the work be for the heroes, if it wasn't for these nasty antagonists!

Stage Two Development

As I say in my intro, I parked finishing the Bloodstone College scenario for now, to allow me to work on some of the other areas of this second stage - and, thankfully, to much progress! You see, Bloodstone College is a complicated undertaking, which required some area building, which I am always slow with. So, when I switched to working on some conversations and cutscenes for some area encounters that are already completed, I was able to just stick to the main plot writing and allow my preferred building objectives to flow.

In the process, I was able to establish two new potential companions that can be encountered, as well as write the quests surrounding their own backgrounds. New details started to flow for me, and it was good to be able to put together the various cutscenes and outcomes that can come depending upon the player's actions for their party. Put plainly, I was able to do a reasonable amount of material this last few weeks after suspending work on the Bloodstone College scenario. Although, I hasten to add that I have finished the section I had been working on for that scenario, and that when I go back, it will be easier to complete. I just wanted to work on something different and which also had an impact on the Bloodstone College scenario anyway. The quest associations can be quite complicated to work through, and so switching back and forth is a good practice for me to build a cohesive outcome for the player.

There were two incidents I'll mention here, for the record: First, I remind myself that if I encounter two instances of a creature in my testing, it means I likely have two instances of the object with the same tag in the world and not one, as I first thought. Secondly, when the toolset points to not using a certain instance of a placeable object in the module (e.g. Runestone placeable object), then do not use it. When I inadvertently did so,  it caused my area to crash on a save, deleting the .GIT file which meant the area was wiped! Thankfully, I had a back-up from the night before, but it was still 2-3 hours to rebuild it.

Campaign Update

The latest campaign build, v1.21, was also released today. It is released as a "Strongly Recommended" as it also fixes the possibility of a player not reading a book or a scroll that has the potential of updating a journal entry. This would break the journal logical flow and may cause an undesirable outcome. That said, it is rare and unlikely to happen... but you never know. (It did happen to a tester.)

I also fixed a MP issue of an inventory item not showing its description when clicked upon. This is one of those frustrating issues that only happens in a MP game due to a timing issue where MP games requires a fraction of a second more to manage some events. I aim to have my wife test the campaign in a MP setup (albeit with just her controlling the party), but I hope that will help reveal any further issues for MP moving forward.

There has also been a fix to Holy Books, in that they now show the correct god's name. It's mostly a cosmetic fix, but I also fixed the drop object for these and Spell Books, which could sometimes break if not using the correct item.

Familiars and companions have also had some minor fixes,  and the missing "weasel" familiar has been fixed. It was caused by a loop terminating too soon! I also fixed temporary hit-points from being lost when a beetle was switched out.

There were a couple of other minor fixes, such as a description for the module, which was purely cosmetic, and I decided to restrain summons to the same durations as the NWN2 original, simply to redress some balancing. As a result, this months update also requires the TLK folder to be replaced, which comes with the campaign download as usual.

A Screenshot From Stage One.

A Screenshot From Stage Two.


Thursday, 10 October 2024

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)


Friday, 6 September 2024

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!


Saturday, 10 August 2024

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


Wednesday, 10 July 2024

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)

Monday, 10 June 2024

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!