Episode 84: (α1) The First Alpha Feedback

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

The First Feedback

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

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

Tester Comments

First Impressions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gaming Mechanics

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other Information

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

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

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

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

Campaign Update

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

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

Nathan Helps Out The Heroes!

Episode 83: Alpha Testing (Stage One)

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

Alpha Testing

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

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

Cutscenes

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

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

Puzzles

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

Campaign Update

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

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

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

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

The heroes investigate a cavern...

...And discover a strange machine!

Episode 82: March Big Update!

If you have been following of late, you will have seen that The Scroll campaign has currently been withdrawn from downloading. Basically, I had to make some big decisions about where the campaign was heading with module two on the horizon, and how I was going to manage multiple modules moving forward. I concluded that I needed to make some big changes to some of the core files for the campaign and so rather than prolong the agony, I took the steps required. Hopefully, I will have the latest version of the campaign ready to download by the end of the month. It's still only the first module at this stage, but even that will come with a grand facelift with the changes made. Read on to hear about the big changes I have made ...

The Enhanced Is Dead! Long Live The New!

To mark these big changes, I made the decision to end the "Enhanced" version series of the campaign, and replace it with a new straightforward version system. (The enhancements will remain, of course, it's just the version tag that will be going.) Importantly, the new version system is now no longer limited to 100 iterations before having to move up its first digit. Now, it allows thousands of increments, allowing me to keep the primary digit to relate to the current module release. Therefore, I will start at v1.1, where the first digit before the period represents the modules currently available and supported, and the digit after the period is the campaign version release. When module two is released, for example, it may go to v2.162, if we are on the 162nd version of campaign updates by then.

This has also allowed me to start afresh with "backward compatibility" support, which the current version series had been covering games as far back as v1.50E (March 2022). A lot has changed in the last two years, alongside many fixes, and I believe the enhancements made are now in a far better place than when first released, and so I feel happy about starting the release version anew. This new series will only be guaranteed backward compatible with v1.41E and up to v2.60E, the last release number of the Enhanced edition. (Older versions will have varying results.) That said, this latest v1.1 does come with some module improvements too. They are minor and have less of an impact, but the cleanest experience would be starting afresh from v1.1.

Now, let me cover some of the major changes coming in v1.1, and how module two made an impact.

Even The Start Screens Have Been Updated!

DM Client Support Removed

When I first designed the campaign, I thought there would be a need for me (and others who played the campaign in a coop multiplayer style) to have to "do stuff" as the players made progress. The idea being that I could still play in the same fashion as we, as pen and paper players, had done in the past. However, the beauty of being able to script events meant that my role actually became less as a DM, whose only role was more about in-game fixing if need be. The monster AI was working well for our needs, and all I ended up doing was following the heroes around as an invisible side-kick. Put simply, the module design had no need for a DM. 

In fact, the campaign design has changed so much over the years since its first incarnation, that certain events, such as area transitions, are actually hampered by the presence of a DM. Trying to accommodate the presence of a DM, especially with the up and coming module two, that comes with more advanced events, became such a burden that I could not see any reason to continue to support the DM Client system. Instead, I decided to concentrate on making coop multiplayer a much more stable and protected way of playing. Once I pulled out the DM client code, I was able to improve the efficiency and stability of player clients joining the host's game. Furthermore, I added a number of "safety checks" to help players setup their game without running into connection issues due to joining timing errors.

Moving forward, I realised that I, (who once played as the DM), can now, instead, share their gaming experience by playing alongside them as a PC of the party too. I also recognised that it was easy enough to add a DM tool if I ever wanted to reacquire some of those gaming elements that the client once provided.

A final great benefit to this change was that it helped alleviate the multiplayer area transition times, which I appreciate, especially as module two comes with one or two slightly more involved areas than the first module. However, on the subject of loading times, it was the next update/fix that really helped here.

Database Handling Improved

I have had an "unknown" issue with the module sometimes crashing upon entering the second area after a module fresh start. This never happened on my computer, but always did on my wife's. I knew it had been related to the database somehow, but only recently did I figure out the problem. It seems that the game does not like to "destroy" a database and set one up shortly after, especially if using the same name. It turned out that somehow, this action upset the game, which then went on to cause the game to randomly crash on some computers. The solution was to, rather than destroy an existing database, to simply "reset" all the variables it contained by overwriting any existing. The end result amounts to the same as destroying and creating a new one, but the process does not cause the game to crash shortly afterwards. I was greatly relieved to have this issue (ever since first release) finally resolved.

On the back of solving this issue, I looked closer at the way the database was handling data, and concluded that some of its operations were not required for multiplayer gaming, and so switched their operations off for such. It turned out this helped improve area transitions by a significant amount; around 3-8% for multiplayer gaming. The bottom line, when module two is finally out, it will be working from a fixed database system.

Fast Travel System Overhaul

I'm not sure how many people are aware of this system I implemented, but it's one that can be put to good use when it comes to moving around the World of Althéa. Whether your PC is encumbered or not, if you have a valid waypoint available (and you can set your own too), you can use the system to move rapidly to the waypoint you choose. No more slowly dragging your party back to a location to do something, as it's as simple as left-clicking on the map and selecting the way point to move to. It's the closest thing I can achieve to the likes of clicking on a map and have the party to move rapidly to that location.

There were some teething issues with the initial system, as sometimes the PC could be left in an unusually fast speed even after the fast travel had finished. However, I am hoping they have all been sorted now. If any others are discovered, they should be reasonably straightforward to fix now too.

However, one of the things I have wanted to address with it for some time now, was to incorporate the Fast Travel GUI into the area map GUI itself. The system prior this latest would open a second GUI that opened somewhere else on the screen, from which the player made their selection. However, this latest version now keeps the Map Pin selection incorporated into the Area Map GUI itself, making the whole system feel more natural and intuitive. Take a look at the image below. A player need only left click on the area map to bring out (or close) the list of waypoints, and then select a waypoint to move rapidly to it. The player can leave the pop-in panel open if they wish to (in case they change the current waypoint in mind), of left click on the area map again to close this pop-in to watch their PC icons move rapidly across the map to the waypoint in question. To cancel any rapid movement, the player simply closes the area map, either by clicking on the area map exit cross, or pressing escape. The rapid movement has been designed to auto-stop if required, such as a conversation starting, or combat encountered. Basically, play is unaffected apart from the speed at which the party moves to the selected location.

Area Map With Fast Travel Pop-In Open

Persistent Skill Bonus Fix

For some time now, as long as the Adventure Skills system has been in place, a bug has been lurking in plain sight, basically going unnoticed. Thankfully, its impact has been relatively "minor", albeit frustratingly unfair when required by the PC. The problem is associated with Skill Bonuses gained by items that sit in a PCs inventory, which fail to reinitiate their bonuses on a game reload if they had been stowed away in a container the PC carried, such as a Bounty Bag. As PCs had the potential to gain campaign feats that awarded such Skill Bonuses, which were then stowed in their Adventuring Skills Book, then it meant any such benefits would have disappeared on a reload, and likely gone unnoticed.

Addressing this particular bug has been one of the issues that has contributed to the longer delay of the campaign's next release.I wanted to make sure this bug was also made backward compatible, alongside the other final list of bug fixes for the Enhanced version releases. The upside to this latest fix, is that some good has come from it, in that I have improved the operation of party feats that can be acquired in the campaign, as well as fix the Skill Bonus container issue.

First and foremost, new campaign feats now alter skills in a permanent manner. They no longer rely on Adventure Skill pages. I could have still done it this way, but now wanted to reserve the Adventure Skills book to bonuses from items carried by the PC only. So, campaign feats with skill bonuses are handled via script rather than items, and are permanent alterations either way. The new fun changes come with the skill bonuses that are benefitted from items that sit in a PCs inventory. For now, the Adventure Skills Book keeps an overview of all the benefits gained from such items, and is the item that ensures these benefits are not lost between reloads. Importantly, these skill bonus items can now be stowed away in containers and their benefits will no longer be lost between reloads!

Now, whenever a PC acquires a skill bonus item that sits in their inventory to gain the benefit (as opposed to an item that can be equipped for such), the Adventure Skill Book tracks the benefit by adding it to its own list of beneficial skill properties, as well as keeping a page copy of the real benefitting item within its contents. So, if a player wanted to see what benefits they were gaining from items in their inventory, they need only check the Adventure Skills Book properties for a full list. If they wanted a breakdown of which items were providing these benefits, then they need only open the Adventure Skills Book and examine each page therein to learn where the benefit is coming from. This new approach actually gives the Adventure Skills Book a more active role for feedback in the game than previously. Take a look at the image below for a quick overview of the kind of thing I am talking about here.

• 1 - 3: These are the three real items collected by the PC that are giving them skill bonuses.
• 4: The Adventure Skills Book (ASB), the current description is up and showing all benefits.
• 5: The ASB contents. Each page can be clicked to see its own description instead of the ASB.
  

The New Adventure Skills Book Information

There's A Lot More!

The above differences are just some of the bigger ones that impact the campaign and module two moving forward. However, there are also a lot of other fixes and updates coming to address some niggly problems and gameplay from previous versions. From logical flow issues, combat activation (including auto-pause), creature issues, launder bench usage to name just a few. Take a look at the full list here.

TLK & UI Updated!

With all these updates, and being a NEW version, starting from v1.1, there will also come new TLK and UI folders that will need to replace any existing Althéa versions that you have. If starting afresh, you will also need to grab the latest module folder, which now also starts to be noted by release date rather than version number release. This is done to help prevent players downloading a newer module than campaign in error, which can lead to a broken game. There is also additional file checks in the new code to help prevent this, and a "silent" version number will be kept with any module upload to help maintain this. As far as the player is concerned though, the release date for the module folder should be the governing guideline for them now as to whether there is anything significant about its changes that affects them.

I recognise that this month's blog is a lot to take in, but I wanted to let you all know that I have been busy preparing the campaign for the second module, and this is the result. My wife is currently play-testing all these changes, and still helping to find any remaining bugs that can be fixed prior release, and as soon as she is done, I'll upload for all to benefit from.

Episode 81: New Year Progress!

I took a hiatus in January, which means this is the first blog for the campaign this year. Prior to my break, I released v2.60E of the campaign, which has been relatively stable. That said, I have picked up on a couple of minor issues, which will be covered in the next release. Also, I have picked up building module two where I had left off at the beginning of January, and making progress once again. Read on for more details and the screenshot of the month.

More Area Work

At the beginning of this year, I am focussing on finishing off the final couple of areas that Stage One of module two requires to be ready for alpha testing. To this end, I have completed another section of an area that serves as multiple locations. That is, the area being worked on, actually serves three locations, with this section being the last (I believe) that I needed to add. I have some scripting left to do for events related to this area section, but I had managed to do the hardest parts just before I took the break.

The time-draining section for me is the tidying up of an area to make sure it looks good in-game. This potentially involves adding blocks and events that allow the area to "unfold" as the player explores it without having sections of the area showing due to existing VFX (visual effects). Unfortunately, some visual effects can show up in sections of an area that the player has not yet reached, which can spoil the immersion. Some are more easily hidden than others, but one or two have required extra work to help maintain the quality I am after.

Another Henchman

The latest module work also gave me the opportunity to introduce the possibility of another henchman. (NB: I am not talking about a companion that a player control, but an additional party member along the lines of Scraps or Sebastion in module one. Although, there will also be the possibility for a couple more companions in the second module as well.) However, this also means I have to examine the logistics of the total number of henchmen that a party may have in it. If a party is already quite large, or is a MP game, I need a fair way of handling how this new henchman is going to respond to such. However, as there are also plot implications involved with some henchmen, I am going to have to see how handling this goes in testing. Note, players can already bring the existing two henchmen from the first module along with them to the second.

Moving Forward

I am hoping that progress will continue as normal this year, although I am conscious that my health is not what it was, and I have to consider more appointments to deal with that alongside module building time. Module one has very few issues now, and any I find are usually as I am testing aspects of module two that I recognise also have an impact on the first module. Therefore, I am spending less time addressing fixes there, which is allowing me the time to focus on the second module. My wife is still testing various aspects of the campaign as a whole (both modules), but has not found anything major in the last few areas of testing. I also have another tester who is quite thorough, and has not yet had any other issues to report other than confirmation of old issues being fixed, which is encouraging.

As I allude to, I have already returned to the toolset and started to familiarise with where I was last at, and hope to be in a better position to be underway as normal next week. In the meantime, I will leave you will a screenshot from the latest area I am working on.

Episode 80: Preliminary Stage One Alpha Testing!

My wife has, at last, had the opportunity to do some first ever alpha testing on the second module, Predestinated Days. It's only some very basic testing at the moment, such as party module-to-module transfers and checking the overland map features, but it's a start. Also, I'll mention now, the next blog post will not be until February! It's nothing to do with the time of year, but simply a case that I find myself being offline in January. In the meantime, if you want to catch up with this month's progress, a couple of screenshots, and other latest campaign news, read on.

Preliminary Stage One Alpha

I don't want to get ahead of myself, nor mislead readers... so, to be clear, this is really only the very first stages of testing. It is using the latest build of the second module, but even that build has not yet been completed enough for continued Stage One testing. In other words, this was mainly about checking if the PC (and party) transferred from the first module worked, and if the Overland Map that the player first enters played as expected. As it happens, even this early preliminary testing highlighted some issues that I needed to address:

1) TRANSFERRED PCs NOT EQUIPPED: The second module can be started in one of two ways: (a) Continued play direct from the first module, or (b) Started afresh from the opening menu options. The latter method also allows the player to import various PCs from any other PCs they may have finished playing and exported from the first module. So, it's possible to create quite a mix of PCs from various end games of the first module. This meant having to ensure certain items could maintain their variables if brought in from an exported PC. (This second method of starting the game, where the player starts in a lobby, a room of the Bloated Buckle Inn, has yet to be alpha tested.)

With respect to continuing direct from the first module, the first issue I encountered and fixed was that the code being used to handle variable consistency for exported PCs (via the alternative means of starting the module) turned out to be not required when PCs moved directly from one module to another. The problem was, when this extra code was executed, the PC companions would not re-equip their weapons upon entering the overland map starting area, which meant they would be unprepared for any map encounter they may later have. Thankfully, after removing the function that handled the weapon variables, all worked as it should. The function that caused the problem remains in place for starting afresh with potential exported PCs, and I will keep an eye to see if this has any other impact with more testing.

2) ENCOUNTER AREA TRANSITIONS: Another problem discovered at this stage was that when leaving a conversation to start an encounter, the game would sometimes fail to transition to the encounter area. It turned out to be a simple timing issue where the Overland Map creature that initiates the conversation was being destroyed just slightly before the transition it handled took place. It took me a while to track down, but once discovered, I simply gave the map creature an extra 0.5 sec lifespan and the transitions worked as they should.

3) ENCOUNTER NUMBERS: I use my own encounter.2da files to determine which creatures and their numbers are encountered, subject to the terrain the PCs find themselves in. My original tables had allowed for fewer numbers than the conversations suggested (*), and so required updating to accommodate this; as well as for the more powerful parties that will start with module two. (*) If the conversation talks about a "gang" of trolls, you don't expect to meet just one in the encounter area, as it had originally stood.

4) OVERLAND MAP MOVEMENT SPEED: My wife's first test was using an over-encumbered Main PC. (I had not been expecting this.) It meant that her normal slower movement for being on an Overland Map was even slower due to the PC's encumbrance. While this was effectively a "correct" interpretation of her proportional overland movement while on the map, I personally found it a little frustrating. Therefore, I added an extra check that would help maintain a consistent map speed whether the Main PC was encountered or not, by effectively doubling the PC speed if encumbered so that it remained consistent when travelling the Overland Map. I made the assumption that party members would share the load (if companions were present), or that the Main PC just handled it more efficiently. Practicality trumped realism here. Besides, normal encumbrance movement rate is suitably restored when entering the normal areas anyway.

Moving Forward

I'll see how the next couple of months of building goes, but my aim is to finish enough to allow my wife to be able to do a more thorough test of Stage One of the second module. It's not an ideal situation, as I intend to keep some of the module options unclear to her, so that when she comes to play it properly, the experience is a better one for her. This means that some parts/paths will go unchecked, but hopefully, the important parts will be tested. Other paths and options, I hope, will be tested by any volunteering beta-testers when the time comes. I am also having to prioritise some home repairs at the moment, and so depending upon how that goes will determine what I can get sorted in the next month or two.

DON'T FORGET! NEXT BLOG: FEBRUARY!

Take a look at the screenshots this month, which show the Main PC on the Overland Map, who represents the whole party. The first shows a nearby encounter with some trolls, narrowly avoided. The second screenshot (representing an hour later) shows where the trolls catch up with the party and begins the conversation pertaining to the encounter.

Campaign Update

There have been some noticeable changes and improvements to the overall campaign code, as I have been making preparations and alterations to tie in better with the needs of the second module. Things like multiple scripts that did similar things have been replaced with a single script. For example, there were around four scripts that handled various faction changes and updates that were quite confusing when to use and how (if at all) they differed. These were some of the first scripts I wrote, and they were altered over the years to try to accommodate various updates with factions that I have made. The single replacement script is much easier to understand and use, and with testing to date, appears to handle the same as every other script did, but more efficiently.

On the back of this, I hope I have also improved when auto-pause kicks in (if used) and the Enemy Counter. There have also been a myriad of other updates and fixes, which while not always obvious or even encountered by every player, will help smooth out the gameplay moving forward. For instance, I have fixed an inventory feedback when handling some items; added a missed VFX beam for a spell that gives the player a more accurate interpretation for a missed spell; and Captured Spell Books have been fixed in one or two places, where a spell was not working or a book that could not be evaluated and sold. There are a few other such minor fixes, which will all be available when I release v2.59E.

Avoiding The Gang of Trolls!

No Avoiding The Trolls Now!

Episode 79: Area By Area (Stage One)

As there was no blog last month, I felt I needed to bring readers up to date with the current progress of the second module. I had hoped this blog entry was to bring news that the first stage (chapter) of the second module was signed off by now and being alpha tested... but I'm not quite there yet. Read on to learn of latest developments.

A Significant Jump

I can report that in the last two months, I have managed to sign-off on a number of areas of development that required some intensive design work. By this, I mean area building, item building, and some conversations. However, in that time, I was unable to finish every important conversation, and until I do finish them, then this first stage of the module cannot be tested to "completion". I remind readers that this Stage One (of three in total) accounts for around 50% of the second module (in my estimation), and so will be a significant step once it moves on to the testing stage.

Area By Area

I won't divulge how many areas are to be found in this first stage (to avoid spoilers), but as a means to help me cover all final content for alpha testing, I have switched back to signing off one area at a time. That is, I am now working through all areas for the first stage and working on the finishing touches for each. This may be as simple as removing test items left in the area, to writing final conversation sections, or adding hostile encounters based upon story requirements. The main point to recognise here, however, is that all design for the first stage areas are now completed. For instance, it was only in the last few days I finished designing the final room to a dungeon that was the last area for this first stage to finish. It involved a puzzle element and some careful attention to effects and sounds, but the end result was as I had hoped.

So far, I have covered around 14% of the areas I need to finalize for this first stage. However, many of the remaining areas need nothing more than test item removal, which takes only a minute or two to do. It takes me longer to double check for any potentially unfinished conversations for an area, or an encounter placement, for example. A final check for each area is whether I feel it lacks enough "interaction potential". Possibly surprising to some, this final stage is what takes more time for me than many other aspect of building. This is the stage when I decide if there is anything else a player may have their PCs discover in the area, be it something as basic as a crafting item, unusual treasure, or just some other point of interest. Depending upon what I finally decide to do, determines whether it is a five minute job, or something that may take me days to implement.

A Design Delay Example: Missile Only!

As an example of how something can cause a delay in development:  I have a situation where I wanted an object to only be targeted by missile weapons. So, if targetted by a melee weapon, then the PC was to stop their attack and report they required a missile weapon. The problem is that NWN2 does not handle any Z (height) axis very well, and so it was allowing an attack on said object even though it was effectively "out of reach". It took some thinking, but I eventually figured out a way to allow this to work, even when the default action for the object was set as an "attack". This was further complicated by the fact that I have an "attack object" button that a player can use to have any companions/cohorts attack any currently targeted object. Therefore, I had to also update that area of code to work with the newly implemented missile only code. Thankfully, that is all done now, and another area of code sorted for the campaign. Testing to date shows it works as intended.

That Which Is Done

I have finally finished all the journal entries for the first stage. This was a reasonably large task, as some of these entries can differ subject to what the player does from the very start of the module, and if they have played the first module. Finishing these also required me to have many items built and conversations written so that I could ensure the entries made sense from what the PCs had already done. Due to the amount of flexibility of play I allow, this coordination between journal entries and conversations (especially), was a big challenge, and one that I had to restrict building to days when I could cope best (with my health) in managing them.

That Which Still Remains

I have two plot lines that still require some conversations, which are currently holding back alpha-testing. It took quite a bit of pre-planning and design (now completed) to reach the point where I can now safely write them without (I hope) causing any potential logical flow in their writing. Sometimes, I can write a conversation ahead of time, because I am reasonably sure at what stage of the game the PCs will be at. At other times, like with these two conversations, I needed to wait until all the gameplay aspect was in place to help me determine what options the conversation should offer.

There also remains some plot items that require considered placement surrounding these two conversations, as well as some of those final area checks (that I mention above) where these conversations take place. Once I have these two sections of gameplay sorted, then alpha testing will begin.

Continued Improvements

Alongside the latest building, I have been continuing to support and improve on the overall campaign code. Some of the key updates and improvements have been some tweaks to the follow routines when switching between PCs and/or AI and Puppet Mode; help avoiding PCs becoming stuck in the environment, as well as general improvements and a few minor fixes. There are currently over 40 amendments and fixes listed for the next v2.56E release, and so it will be a worthwhile download, even if not critical. Some of these updates have been due to preparation of spells and other play for the second module. This latest update will be released after my wife has finished play-testing it for a few hours.

Episode 78: Not Long Now, Maybe!

Now I don't want the title of this blog to oversell the point I want to say, but... I believe I am now quite close to passing Stage One of this second module to my wife for alpha testing. To put this into perspective, in one calculation, Stage One accounts for around 50% size of the overall module... a large chunk of its entirety. Importantly, once passed across for alpha testing, that section is considered "locked" to further development, leaving me to concentrate on the second and third stages again. These two later stages still require some work, but are themselves already both reasonably well developed. All in all, I would like to think the completion of this second module is in sight.

How Close To Overall Completion?

I don't want to make promises I cannot keep, but what I can say is both of the remaining stages already have their core quests and outlines in place. Both stages two and three do, however, require a couple of areas added from scratch to complete their adventures. Stage three also requires some further development on a new game system I have developed for that section. The core design is already in place, but it requires some more balancing and tweaking. For those that like stats, I have recently saved my 310 th backup of the module, which currently weighs in at 1GB uncompressed, which compares to 365 MB for my first module. (Module three, The Last Day, currently weighs in at 398 MB.)

Last Month Update

I can say that even the first stage, in its latest build, has required me to add a new area and another NPC to fully realise another potential plot path. Sometimes these sort of things happen, especially when I have an inkling that some players may want to try something different from what I first considered. When I have these thoughts occur, I like to include and implement a means where a player might be able to fulfil any ideas they had in mind, alongside those already available. It's potentially a niche requirement, but if I can include it without adding too much to the build time, I do.

Campaign Update

Starting from this blog entry, I will now cover any first module updates in this section entitled "Campaign Update". Moving forward, and especially after the second module is added, any fixes to the campaign affects every module that the campaign supports. In the meantime, I just want to add that there will be another update in the form of v2.56E in the coming days or weeks to add additional support or fix some minor points in the first module, The First Day, too.

So, please bear with me as I try to move this project forward. I hope the wait will be worth it. In the meantime, here is another screenshot taken from the first Stage of module two. NOTE: Screenshots from this date onwards will be from the new 3440 x 1440 (approx) format.

Access Locked, Until Conditions Met!