Episode 50: A cRPG About 3rd Edition PnP D&D!

Those who have known me for some time will know that my RPG interest stems from a PnP (pen and paper) AD&D background. For me, NWN2 offered the best way to get AD&D PnP scenarios into a cRPG environment. Importantly, it offers an excellent interface that allows individual companion possession as well as encouraging multiple players to team up and play a game together. For my own campaign, there was still a lot of work for me to do with respect to improving the MP coop environment, but at least the core program was flexible enough to allow me to transfer from one medium to another. Over the years I have been doing this I have noticed other builders use NWN2 from quite a different angle. My observations follow ...

THE CORE REQUIREMENTS

Turn-Based Combat System

When I first started designing The Scroll, (using NWN1 at the time) my initial modules were created around a completely unique true turn-based combat system that I spent a long time coding within the NWN1 environment. It involved individual players controlling their own mannequin, which in turn controlled every PC they owned. Through this system, as DM, I was able to control the combat in a true turn-based system, which allowed DM and players alike to take turns according to when the next creature's initiative came along. Of course, when NWN2 came along, which allowed the instant switching between PCs for players, the mannequin concept I had developed could take a back seat if we were prepared to play a pseudo-turn-based system: where all players and DM (or AI) assigned their actions at the same time for the up and coming combat round. To me, the newer NWN2 approach offered greater benefits for us, not only as it meant I would not have to edit every spell to work in a true turn-based system, but it reflected a more "real" response in a combat round. (The spell editing was something I had started with NWN1, but stopped when the decision was made to switch to NWN2 when it came along.) Another benefit of moving to NWN2 was that it meant I could create the campaign for a larger audience, now allowing the new turn-based system to be merely an option for any new players that may like to play my campaign using tactical turn-based combat.

As the years have passed, however, I have seen less and less interest in some of these key elements of gameplay of which I hope to cover here: tactical turn-based combat being near the top of what appears to me a wave of "old ways rejection". I hasten to add this is not the case for myself or my own players, as we still very much like to play a combat using a character by character assignment in every encounter! However, I think there are other elements of which I hope to cover below, which have also taken a hit to inclusions due to changes in attitudes. I will approach these as I believe they have impacted the gameplay.

Resources: Rest and Recovery

Much of what governed the way a D&D module played in the PnP days was as much about good player management of their player character (PC) resources as anything else. Timelines, equipment, spell uses and hit points all mattered! I know there may be those who would argue they still do, or maybe there are others that will argue they are glad that such aspects of play no longer matter. My argument, however, is that while I am quite keen to see changes to mechanics that add interesting elements of gameplay, I am saddened when (in my opinion) elements are broken, or simply removed altogether. To me, it matters because such changes also break some of the key gaming aspects of a role-playing-game (RPG), especially with respect to the spirit of a D&D module.

Even the official NWN2 campaign suffered from this when players are allowed to rest almost at any time and anywhere. A simple pressing of the "R" key to rest and most (normally all) ailments, hit-points and spells are fully recovered. It becomes such a farce that it begs the argument of even having any "usage" for such recovered elements of play at all! Furthermore, once these kind of resources "no longer matter", such things as tactical combat (pause and assign commands) becomes meaningless, as we may as well use all our best resources against any foe because the moment the fight is over, we can just recover everything! It's no wonder that players today do not appreciate the more tactical side of playing a D&D combat. Basically, it has changed from players carefully considering their "limited" options to ensure they progress both in story and character as a team effort, to one of a fast solitary mega-build to compare their PC builds to their fellow players. Just look at the way coop games have declined over the years. I am referring to true D&D party coop and not large MP worlds.

The Timeline

The alteration of or even complete omission of a timeline also has damaging repercussions, albeit more subtle than that mentioned above. For while "free resting" is an obvious abuse of a timeline, it is made worse if left out altogether. When playing an RPG, events are occurring, and normally within a time frame. At the very least, even if no actual calendar is used, the world should reflect changes in light from night and day, even if scripted to do so if not through actual time passing. Otherwise, again, the player is no longer thinking about the resource of time and how that may have an impact on what they need to achieve. 

Basically,  the more we remove aspects like the importance of time and resource management, we are moving away from the RPG and into the realm of an "adventure game". There is nothing wrong with an adventure game, for I have played many and still enjoy them now. My point is, however, as the years have passed, I have noticed builders, even of AAA "RPGs" steer away from these traditional core RPG gaming elements.

Suspended Realities: Items & Encumbrance

I believe there is a difference between a fantasy game that considers resource management and one that does not. I have already mentioned the effects of some of the more obvious resource management issues to do with combat, but there are others that I would like to mention here too, such as encumbrance. Once again, I know the arguments used with such a game mechanic, but to ignore it completely (or even partially) can (in my opinion) imbalance a game. If you allow any PC to carry any amount of equipment (including gold), then one of the benefits of having strength among the PCs becomes less of an importance. The point I am trying to make, however, is that when too many aspects of gameplay mechanics are ignored, then we move away from the player even considering what they carry. Anything and everything becomes a viable item for the pack-rat that such a system encourages, leaving any items of importance just another bauble in the avalanche of "prizes". Personally, I believe the game is already over-generous with the strength allowances it gives. My preference, however, is to encourage an environment that gives value to finding a bag of holding or at the very least has players recognise the carrying capacity of a low strength PC. This is why to this end, I ensure gold does weigh something in my campaign.

The Economy

This brings us nicely to the economy of a world. I am the first to admit that balancing such is no easy task, but a clear game-breaker for any resource considering world has to be how common certain items are found in a world. I understand that certain items are necessary to help a world move along, but the value of a fantastic item is truly lost if every other vendor carries the next best thing.

IN CONCLUSION

I was going to consider some other aspects of gameplay that reflect a spirit of D&D, but I believe if the core concept of managing resources is understood as a vital distinguishing mark, then other aspects such as archetypal classes and NPC interaction also fall into place. I hope I am not alone in my observations, and that others also would like to reclaim some of those elements that have fallen by the wayside with time. Or perhaps I and others like me, are now a dying breed. Maybe the RPG has moved on to those who have better dexterity (for real), and don't really want to know about role-playing an avatar in a world where tactical choices beyond a bigger and better sword or spell matter, as long as they can beat the next creature that comes along and grab its massive horde. Please understand that this is NOT a complaint about any specific choice or style of play, but at worst, a lament for a kind of "depth" to a game that appears to be no longer in fashion. What about you?

MODULE 2: PREDESTINATED DAYS

For those interested, Predestinated Days will be written and designed in a style as close to PnP 3.5E AD&D rules as I can achieve, with some of my own additional mechanics that reflect the current world setup and main plot. This means you will need to consider resource management, and have the option to switch to turn-based combat if you need to, to help manage your resources. You will have to consider what PCs you have in your party to help manage all those situations you may find yourself in, but will also have the flexibility to adapt to the situation with any PC if you take time to learn about the world. You will face different creatures with different backgrounds and goals. You will come across difficult locks that only the best at lock picking can crack. You will also encounter puzzles to test your mental agility, and characters ready to test your moral fibre. Think D&D with an AI DM at the helm, as you will not simply be able to kill your way through the game.

But, you will not be left without the means to succeed. You can only fail if you lack the ability to manage a party of PCs both carefully and wisely. It's not a casual game, although you can certainly make it a lot easier by dropping the game options where I have taken care to allow easier foe and puzzles, but even with such adjustments, the player NEEDS to make careful decisions. It's a true traditional D&D game (as close as I could make it), based on a PnP campaign, including some of the original paper written dungeons, that will have you having to stop and think at times. If you have ever played PnP D&D, then I hope you know what I mean ... otherwise, unless you like a challenge beyond input device twitches, then maybe it won't be for you. ;)

Below is an original image of a city called Southstrong from my PnP campaign, of which some areas will be used in Predestinated Days. The two images below the map show a tavern from that city, and a thief attempting to pick a lock. (GUI improved from the first module to work on chests now.) NB: The option to switch to a NWN style pick lock is also available on the GUI.

Original Pen And Paper Map Drawing of Southstrong

A Tavern Within The City of Southstrong

Chest Demonstrating the Lockpick GUI

 

EPISODE 50: UPDATED VIDEO FOR THE SCROLL

Episode 43: Permits Permitting!

I know it's been a while, but I am finally back in a position where I can now safely start producing more material for the module, Predestinated Days, the second part of the campaign. The once ever-present brick dust in our house has finally been eradicated, and both myself and the computer can now breathe more easily, allowing me to get back to production without any fear of a breakdown. Note, however, I have not been completely absent from the task, but simply hampered. This blog is to announce a return to a more structured pace and a little info on what has transpired since I last posted ...

MORE QUESTS!

Since my last post, I decided to change the area(s) I was working on ... which actually involved around half a dozen or so areas in the end. Since these are areas that will be found towards the end of the module, and are quite involved, I decided to start working on some of the earlier areas instead. Here I was able to introduce some new quests, which I hope will have an impact on the later areas anyway. In the latest area(s) I am working with, I was able to introduce three new quests, and add a lot of new conversations and characters that I hope will add flavour to the story as a whole.

MORE CONVERSATIONS!

From there, I was also able to manage a number of new conversations that will play according to the various PC backgrounds. As I continue to develop these areas, I have found that I have been able to make more and more usage of the new conversation options, which should add for some interesting outcomes, subject to which PC the player decides to allow to comment and according to the different background personalities they have.

MORE MONSTERS!

This latest area I am working on is also the area where I will be adding a new creature type. I won't say anything about it, except this link could be considered a small spoiler. However, true to my own style and tradition in such situations, there is more material I need to add regarding such, including bestiary information and even potential readable texts. i.e. I try to give more background to certain monsters where possible, to give greater immersion and potential gameplay options. With this, however, comes potential complexity that may clash with some other ideas I have in mind, and so I will need to work through this particular creature type with care.

AND ANOTHER SCREENSHOT!

I don't know if I have shown a screenshot from this area before, but as it is from the current area I am working on, I decided this was the one for now. Please note, like all my screenshots, the main PC speaker (and other potential party members) are NOT properly dressed, as they are test PCs only. Therefore, please do not let the lack of dress put you off ... I leave that for the player to apply when the time comes.

Things Are Never Straightforward!

Episode 42: All In A Day's Work!

Work at our property feels like it's taking ages - more like a campaign length project than a module! Hopefully, from tomorrow, we enter the final stages and I am hoping normality should return soon. Thankfully, this latest bank holiday has also given me a brief respite from the hubbub to be able to write this blog and give an update on some things I have managed over the last few weeks. Read on ...

Increasing The Spec!

Whether it was the brick dust floating around or simply its time, my wife's 10-15 years old computer (subject to various part changes) died a few weeks back. At first it looked like a GPU issue, but even after replacing that with an old card I had, it still failed to boot into Windows. Only later, after sorting out a replacement PC and rearranging the hardware did I also discover the OS had corrupted. So, whether the old PC is now fixed (and would boot from the reinstalled OS), I have left as an unknown, because I do not wish to risk corruption of the OS again on some potentially dodgy hardware.

The bottom line, I gave my wife the PC I have been using and acquired a new computer for myself with better spec to help with the module building process. (Moving forward, it will also benefit the odd newer game here or there of course.) My old PC is certainly good for my wife's needs and we are now both able to get on with our hobbies again. For the new PC, I switched to an AMD Ryzen 5600x CPU this time around, as opposed to using an Intel (my normal preference), so it will be interesting to see the results. I was also able to get a reasonable price on an Asus RTX 3070 in the build. At the moment, I am not noticing a great deal of difference (same drives being used from the older PC), but I imagine file compression and such applications will be quicker as I continue to build the module.

Frustrating Delays

Having to cope with our current situation is, without doubt, placing a strain on me. This limits me to what I can do even more than normal, causing frustrating delays. Rather than lose the thread completely, I have tried to load the toolset at least once a week to add the odd conversation update, or plot addition, but I confess that it has been so disturbed that it cannot amount to more than a few days work in total. So instead, I have also been trying to help out a little on the forum posts where I can, simply to keep my mind involved in "module" mode.

I did manage to fix a few issues with my module one and upload the latest v1.38E, which is now at the most stable it has ever been with respect to any issues, mechanics or plot. My wife helped to find the broken uploaded v1.36E after she wanted to play it again. This had been one of the most frustrating discoveries to date, as v1.36E never needed to have been broken, and had gone unreported for a couple of months. I'm just glad that is now replaced.

Module Two Actual Progress

Since the last blog episode I have shifted focus to an area where a key part of some action will take place. It involves a couple of cutscenes, some involved conversations as well as a fair amount of player interaction. It brings together a lot of those things I have learned from making module one, including animations, walk ways, spawning, as well as a multiple path conversation to cater from various playing styles both SP or MP.

This section also allowed me to use some code I had developed in module one, but never (until now) had a reason to employ. It involves my Read Language scroll, which allows its caster to be able to read a foreign or magic language while active. 

It was while testing this latest spell addition when I noticed some VFX I had been using were no longer supported in NWN2, and so I went through the lists looking for ones that worked better for the various places I had used them. Changes included the VFX_DUR_SPELL_PREMONITION, which is used in the cocoon spell I have designed. For the record, this update is not available until v1.39E release, but I will also be keeping an eye open for any other failed VFX constants used between now and then.

So once again I have to apologise for the lack of news, but, hopefully, things will begin to improve in the not too distant future. For the time being, here is a screenshot from one conversation I have been working on.

All In A Day's Work!

Episode 41: Moving Forward?

As I write this, a hammer drill echoes through the house as workmen sort an issue for my wife and I. Furthermore, this noise and distraction may last some time, meaning all production of the module will be compromised. Don't worry, once the house work is complete, I hope to regain my pace, but for now, progress may be slower, and this will also be reflected in fewer blogs until things are back to normal. Read on for latest ...

Latest Area

Recently, I have been writing conversations which handle a number of key quests surrounding a location, which the players will encounter nearer the end of the module. I have now sorted much of the initial stages of these quests, but am now working on one of the areas where the action takes place. Progress is slow, simply because I find area design difficult. Also, I have the added consideration of balancing some new game mechanics that take place in this area. It's hard to explain exactly what I mean, but this part of the module plays with some added game mechanics, which require careful application while designing the areas that use them. It all takes time.

The Journal Notes

Another gaming aspect I have been making good use of of late is my Journal Note System, which I first wrote about around this time last year. It has become a very useful tool, not only to help give players a gentle reminder of certain gaming points, but is also useful when keeping track of what players should know at any given time. It acts as a dynamic notebook, with updated notes that players may or may not act upon, but also allows me to observe different variable states that these journal notes may represent. As an example, a player may have a conversation with an NPC and learn of a clue about something the NPC mentions. This will update the journal note system, allowing the player to refer to it, to remind them of some useful piece of information, without incrementing a quest stage. It is also useful for me to observe in testing various variables.

There is not much else to report at this stage, and so leave you with another screenshot from the area I am working on. It may be a little while before I write Episode 42, but hopefully, by the time I do, I will have more to report.

 

Unusual Objects!

Episode 40: The Big Picture!

I know it's a cliché of a title, but as we have reached Episode 40, I think it's also appropriate for a round up of the campaign so far. Another cliché they often say is that "life begins at forty". Believe it or not, I was around that age when I started building with NWN2, which came out in 2006. Since that time, I have released The Scroll: The First Day (module 1) in 2016, and am still currently writing the follow up module. The question is, if it took me ten years to write the first module, how long will it take for me to finish the second one? And isn't there supposed to be a third module? Read on for more info on the bigger picture ...

Getting To Know you

The D&D game is nearly as old as I am, and if you include wargaming as a general pastime, the hobby is far older than me. However, when I was first introduced to the "game" in 1981, little did I know back then that it would play a big role in my life. For those interested, I wrote three articles about the changing face of D&D and my personal experiences with the game in the early pen and paper years: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. The bottom line, The World of Althéa campaign is my second campaign from my days of pen and paper gaming, and it was born of a growing understanding of gaming rules, imagination, and the love of telling a story. But, and here is a key point, that story has grown with me as I have grown. It's as if the story has revealed itself more and more to me as time has gone by. Don't misunderstand me: the core elements to the plot were in place (mostly), but the details were always vague to me until I put pen to paper ... or more lately, fingers to keyboard. So, it occurred to me, this story actually feels like it carries a correlation to my own life, and much about its telling carries aspects of my own past, as the story to come will be of my future. There is a humbling realisation that once the story has been finally completed (God willing), then the story ... and that large part of my life ... will be over, and both the end of the story and the fuller part of knowledge of myself will be known.

Isn't It Just A Story?

I suppose it is just a story - after all, it's reckoned we all have a story inside of us, waiting to be told. Although, it begs the question, why do we tell stories? Why does the bard pick up a pen and write a play to be acted by performers to entertain others? I want to emphasise that I am strongly distinguishing a story from a historical article here, or from any factual account for that matter. However, stories are still written and published, but from where does their source come? What is our imagination truly? I have my own beliefs about such, but I ask you to ponder over these matters yourself, and recognise that we all, for some reason, have desires to "hear" or "play" a story, even from a young age. Why is it that we like to escape to another place in our imaginations? That escapism is very much a real aspect of life, even if the story itself is just a result of the imagination ... whatever that may actually be?

Back To Althéa

Enough philosophising ... Latest news: I have been making progress with Predestinated Days, the second module in the series. And in case readers may be concerned that these modules stop at a cliff-hanger point (as part of a series), rest assured that I have designed them in such a way that I hope a player can play them individually to a satisfied end point in the story line with each module. So, if you want to make a start, then you can play module one to a satisfying "end", and keep your saved game, or any exported PCs to be able to either carry on playing with module two, or import and do the same. There will also be the option to simply start playing from each module's beginning regardless.

At the moment, I am in the process of sorting no less than four quests. I am taking time to write surrounding conversations in such a way that logical flow works no matter which way the player picks up the quest. All four quests are to do with the section towards the end of module two, and are some of the hardest ones to prepare to work well. Part of the issue with these quests, however, is that there are a number of new items and placeables that need work around their application too. i.e. I need to build new items, which need to be added via a 2da, which in turn are acquired via specific placeables, which are then referred to in conversations and the quests.

I still have a major section to finish that I have already started, which the players encounter earlier on in the module. There are at least three areas that I have not yet even started to work on from a perspective of player interaction - although the areas themselves have been finished. All in all, however, I am hoping the process will go more smoothly than the first module, simply because core functions are already in place. Although, the latest module also has much new content, including monster AI surrounding vampires and werewolves, as well as a unique gaming system to do with a campaign story line. It all adds up to some interesting gameplay ahead ... I hope!

How Long?

Trust me when I say that if I could have released this second module now, I would. My wife, who catches glimpses or hears sounds of me testing it, has often asked me the same question, eager to play the second part. She has even made a list of some crafting items that she would like to see that would help her with some higher level crafting when the time comes. (You would have to see the appropriate craft books to see what I mean.)

I can only answer in this manner: The first module took me ten years to build, but was done with less knowledge than I have today. Furthermore, much of the core code for module two is already in place, which means I am simply adding content. On the flip side, my concentration has become worse with each passing year, definitely slowing progress. This module also has more areas than the first one, and as I do not like giving players areas without something significant about them, I need to allow the area to "mature" and develop with each aspect I am currently working on, which also adds time.

The official SP release date for The Scroll: The First Day, was 04 May 2016. (This is ten years after I first started working in it in 2006.) From that time, I continued to work on patching and updating this first module as I also laid some ground work for module two. However, I did not start MP testing for the first module until 17 November 2018, which came to an end after 31 episodes on 02 March 2019. These current episodes that you are reading, detailing the building of the second module, Predestinated Days, then began on 03 May 2019.

We also need to consider that much of the area design of the second module (much like the third module) has already had major work done. (Although I have found myself needing to add new areas for the second module, which I hope is now finished.) Therefore, although difficult to pin down an exact date of when I started to focus on building module 2, taking all things into account, I believe we can fairly say that I can use a start date of around January 2018. Strictly speaking, work started a long time before this date, but allowing for all those varying factors above, if I had been starting this module afresh, I believe it would have taken around three years to reach my current point, at my current speed and knowledge.

I am not sure how much that helps us though? Simply because it is hard for me to know how I am going to fare from day to day. It is so frustrating having to pace myself due to my condition, but if I do not do so, then I would suffer. Also, there remains one or two areas that I have not currently focussed on at all, which means they are an unknown entity when it comes to time involved.

Speaking optimistically (and recognising potential health impacts), I would like to say this module will take me five years from start to finish, which would mean a target end date of January 2023. That is, I believe I am probably just over the half way point. But, like always, only time will tell. For instance, it may be that things fall into place much quicker and I could be finished by the end of this year! But, life events are unpredictable, and we must bear these in mind too. As for the third module, and to use another famous saying, "it will be done when it is done!" (And maybe I can report on that after this one!)

The Scroll: The First Day

Regarding module one, version 1.36E was recently released after my wife finished playing it yet again! She genuinely likes it! I encourage her to play some of the classic RPGs, which she does, but nevertheless comes away saying she wants to play my own module again to see if she can improve on her earlier accomplishments - she is into the new crafting system a lot! While v1.36E is the current release, I do have another version in the pipeline, which fixes stacked wand (and other item) usage. However, as this is a minor issue, I will wait for a while longer to see if anything else should reveal itself from any other reports.

This report also marks another aspect of module two: It has reached its 100th backup! To mark this, I will post some bonus screen shots ...

An Ancient History!

Viewing Ahead With Darkvision!

Cornered By Zombies!

Waterways!

Episode 32: Shaken To The Core Files!

Today's blog is a bit different this week, as my attention has been taken by a revamp project regarding my NWN module, Soul Shaker. This came about for two reasons: 1) A player showed some interest in the Soul Shaker module and 2) I wanted to give the code in The Scroll a break from any changes I am making as I write module two. However, all this still helps towards the second module for The Scroll, as I hope to explain ...

Soul Shaker Revamped

Anyone familiar with my projects will know that I have also released a NWN module called Soul Shaker, which received some acclaim back in its day for its innovative ideas. (Podcast.) However, I have now come to believe that there were some coding differences I implemented at the time, which hampered its accessibility and ease of play for players. The current revamp addresses these issues. The gameplay itself, which could raise another argument about its accessibility, is not being changed. The gameplay differences are deliberate plot and mechanic ideas that were implemented to reflect a gaming style similar to System Shock 2 (to which the module pays homage), but within a D&D mythos.

Hak Patch v Databases

Way back when I first started to write Soul Shaker, there was no reliable system in place to patch a custom module so that a player who had already started the module could fix their game if a problem occurred without having to restart the module. Sometimes one could make use of the override folder, but this could become awkward and could not be relied upon. So, at the time, as not having to force my players to start again was a priority for me (as my own group of players would not welcome such), I ended up using databases to track data, which could then be used to replace data and return a player back to the correct point in the game should the module ever need to be updated and replaced. Indeed, the system worked well, and is the only means I know of to date, which would still (to this day), allow a builder to release a module where a player could replace an entire module (not just scripts) and not have to restart their game.

When I first wrote, my coding skills were not as good as they are today, and there were one or two cumbersome operations required of a player to ensure the game updated correctly. At the time, they seemed fine to me, but latest experiences with player feedback have shown me that what may appear straightforward to one person may not be for the next. Therefore, recognising these issues from the past, I decided to look at making the whole process more streamlined for the player by revamping the module and making the whole process more straightforward and intuitive.

As I started this latest revamp, however, it occurred to me that the module components (area designs and objects within them) were now pretty much as stable as they could ever be. Therefore, module updates were not really an issue any more, and that the only real points that needed consideration were potential buggy scripts or dialogues. For these types of issues, I could address them using my own devised "Hak Patch" system, which I had figured out how to implement towards the end of writing Soul Shaker, around early 2007. Indeed, if I had discovered this idea earlier, then I may never have relied so heavily on databases, or even used them at all. However, by the time I discovered the idea, the core database files were integral to the module design and not so easily removed. Rather than do this, I released it and the rest is history, as they say.

Fast forward to today, and after a new interest from players, and my own improved knowledge of scripting, I cannot bring myself to leave the module in its current state. Yes, it works, but the code is still weighed down with inefficient scripting and (now) pointless reliance on databases that require extra unwarranted attention of the player. Therefore, with renewed skills, I decided to remove all the database storage code (that relied upon extra implementation of the player) and, instead, rely solely on the "Hak Patch" system for any future updates that may be required for this re-release of the classic.

Soul Shaker (v2.00)

So what do these changes do for the player? Basically, the revamped version of Soul Shaker will now load and save like any other NWN module. Should the module require any patching (due to a bug), it will be handled by a one hak file download, which replaces the current one being used. The player would then simply reload their current game and continue to play from where they left off with any previous problems resolved. i.e. The Hak Patch system works in a similar fashion as changing the entire campaign folder in The Scroll. (That is how The Scroll is patched.)

The new version will no longer have any "unintuitive" reloading for players, and there will no longer be any databases to deal with at all. Not one! Furthermore, I have now amalgamated all supporting third party haks (of which there were about 13) into one larger hak, making it easier to install in the first place.

All these changes also mean I have to rewrite the Soul Shaker gaming manual that explains how to install or save games as these no longer apply. As an aside, this has been complicated by the fact that I cannot find the original source file for the manual, and so am having to make changes using what I can salvage from the release manual. It is coming along slowly though.

As I have made gradual progress, I have also discovered remnants of older code from a previous system I was using with my own group of players that is simply not used, and requires removing. There is also poor usage of some official functions and a lack of custom functions, which I am now addressing as part of the revamp. I am also trying to add comments to every file that I find to help with any future patching or queries. Currently, as I look at one script, I find it points towards a dozen others, each in turn requiring attention to check the code. I often find inexperienced coding, which requires a rewrite, which in turn requires testing of its own. All this means that it is taking me some time, but I do aim to release it as soon as possible, in the hope that the revamp may encourage new players who may be looking for something a bit different.

The Scroll

Meanwhile, this means I have been able to leave The Scroll alone as play testers test some final changes to its core files that needed to be updated after discovering one or two rare issues to do with Animal Companions, stackable items, auto-storage containers and gold. Note, some of these latest issues have come about after feedback from players who may try to use "console" commands (or "cheats") to aid in their gameplay. I discovered using such can break some aspects of play. Unfortunately, adding code to help circumvent these issues in the event of players who use them without recognising the dangers added one or two teething problems in the new code. These have been the reason for the latest flurry of updates. These and also the discovery that local objects cannot always be relied upon when stored on other objects, especially when recalled at a later time. Such stored objects can become "invalid" due to the way they are tracked by the engine, and so code reliant upon such can break if the objects are no longer valid.

Yet all this is beneficial and to the improvement of the second module of The Scroll. i.e. Problems discovered now will not be present in module two. And as I have currently stopped adding new material for module two (as I revamp Soul shaker), the latest problems I am fixing with The Scroll will now be the final updates required. The v1.32E should be the last version I need to fix anything with for module one.

Soul Shaker: How It All Began!

Episode 28: You Can Count On Vampires!

What a bit of a selection of things to tell you about in this blog! My efforts (for what they are) have been tested in a number of directions, as health permitted during this difficult time. There may be another word with "V" in it that we are all talking about of late, but for this blog, I am going to restrict its application for the monster, the vampire! (The other word was "Covid", but that's the first and last time I will mention it.) So, what's been happening ... read on ...

CLASSIC MONSTERS!

You may recall from a few months back that I managed to put together some scripts that will manage lycanthropy in my next module. Now, in a similar vein, I am trying to rework another horror classic: the vampire! However, none of my vampires will be "Count" like characters ... or at least, they will definitely not be like the caricatured beaten to death more times than even the hardiest of undead characters, "Dracula" if I can help it. I aim to have them simply be the monster that D&D has made them and try to escape the stereo-type portrayal if possible. But who am I kidding! I reckon the "Dracula" character is so embedded in our psyche that it will be impossible to escape some mental images of that persona.

New Visual Effects

So what's new? Well, I discovered that NWN2 did not support the gaseous form that we are familiar with when a vampire wants to avoid an untimely end. Therefore, I had to script a version of that. (See video link below for a demo.) On top of that, I was not happy with the way the vampire model relied on a spell to try to dominate its victim rather than use a gaze attack, so I updated that too.

I also applied some of my previously developed "undead" scripts to ensure level drains work alongside any Life Essences a PC may be carrying. In my modules, Life Essences can act as a barrier towards level draining, in that some undead will drain these from PCs before actual levels.

Other than that, most (if not all) other vampire aspects are covered, from needing magik weapons to hit, fast healing, blood (constitution) draining, damage and other resistances. They are quite a formidable foe, but one that can be overcome if the party of heroes go well prepared; normally with a cleric and accompanying spells.

In Development

I still have some scripting to do with respect to their coffins and stakes, but that is all going to tie in with other plot related stuff and so it will come together in time. And you can thank my wife for their inclusion, as she wanted me to write a story based upon the return of one of her favourite characters from The Scroll (module 1), and this is where it led to. I won't say who that character was, but some of you who have played module 1 already may well be able to guess. :)

GAME OPTIONS!

As most players will know, vampires have the power to dominate their victims. This led me to looking at the various effects that I would need to have the vampire employ, which in turn led to the game option function, GetScaledEffect. This function is basically called when some effects are used on a player to alter the overall effect according to the Game Difficulty settings. Unfortunately, this section of the NWN2 game appears a little buggy, and so I determined to look a little closer at this too, especially as vampires use the dominate effect.

I discovered a number of small issues, but enough differences to what I expected to make me decide it needed "fixing". It's still currently a work in progress, but I do now have a greater understanding of the various effects involved and hope to have an update to this section of the game not before too long. I may even consider releasing another update for module 1, subject to any requests for it or not. If no-one asks for it, then I may just leave it as an update if and when module 2 is released.

The Vampire Combat Video demonstrating new effects ....

Episode 27: How Do You Like Your Game Served Sir?

Another week and another blog, but a little different this week. This week serves as the divider for me about what has been done (module 1) and what still remains (module 2 plus). To mark this event I wanted to take a step back and look at the whole gamut of what makes an RPG again. I do have news on module two and a new screenshot, but this post is as much about the RPG itself than just my module specifically. So, what am I talking about? Read on ...

The Game Is Over!

Well, actually, only module one is now "over", as I have now made a final v1.21E upload that should mark the end of all patches and upgrades to it. My wife has now played through the module about eight times via various paths and I think between us we have now found everything. Bottom line now: Unless someone reports a game-breaking bug (or I happen to discover anything), this module is complete ... finished ... done ... baked! So please, download it and enjoy it. I should point out that it is what I would call a TRUE RPG, in that there is plenty of "player agency" (see next) and decisions to be made by the player. You will need to think about what you intend to do, as there will be consequences. It is not designed for the casual player!

Medium Rare or Well Done?

Having started to concentrate more on module two again, I was reminded of all those aspects of the design that I like to include for a player. As I thought of this, I also recognised that there is quite a bit of difference between the types of modules out there. There are those like mine, which cater to the more hard-core "challenges" and "tactical" player, down to the more "linear" style and "casual" player.

As it happens, I quite enjoy most styles, but I do think how a game is presented can make a difference to ones own approach to it. For instance, if I pick up a game labelled an "RPG", I would expect such a game to allow me to develop my PCs as I wanted to, and be able to explore the game areas subject to what skills and abilities I developed as a party of adventurers. Sure, there will be some limited access to certain areas to begin with, but with a recognition that if I should increase a certain skill, I would then be able to go in a certain direction of my "choosing". However, if a game requires little "input" from me (as a player) with respect to direction or tactics, or limits access to new places by plot consideration only, then, personally, I would consider that more akin to an "adventure" game than an RPG. Note, however, they both deliver a story (the meat of the game), but in very different styles (cooking).

Player Agency

Basically, what I just described above is about a game mechanics concept referred to as "player agency". I am NOT the first to coin the phrase, but I do appreciate what is meant by it and believe builders and players (especially of NWN mods) should be more aware of its influence when considering the type of game they either like to play, or even build. The issue we have with NWN (both 1 and 2) is that in its original design and release, it is very much an RPG. However, the toolset is very flexible (even if an awkward beast at times), and unless a builder keeps player agency in mind (on behalf of the player), then we end up with modules that while may still fun to play (if you like other styles of games like "adventure" games), are not, strictly speaking, RPGs! i.e. Just because a module is built using the NWN toolset, does not automatically mean you are going to end up building (or playing) an RPG.

I hope I have not offended anybody by saying this, as that is not my agenda. As I stated above, personally, I enjoy most styles of games built with the NWN toolset, from the more "linear" style to the more "sandbox" offerings. I simply wanted to highlight that some players will be expecting higher player agency from a module advertised as an RPG, or simply just because it is as a module built using the NWN toolset.

Player Agency Examples

So let's look at some real in game examples that differentiate the gaming styles ...

1) PC DEVELOPMENT: This is one of the clearest guidelines to help determine what style of game you are building or playing. If the game does not support multiple classes and races, and/or the ability for the player to develop their skills over the course of the game, then it lacks player agency. Note: Games that alter a PC on your behalf (or severely limit your choices as a player), have less player agency than those that do not restrict such development.

2) ATTRIBUTES, FEATS & SKILLS: On the back of the first point, if the game or module does not offer many aspects of gameplay that test any skills or attributes that you are "developing" for your party as a player, then it lacks player agency. For example, even if you can develop/level a character, if there is nowhere the attribute or skill will be of much use, then it lacks player agency. If a game offers only one or two diplomacy type check in its entire course, then it does not (should not) qualify as an RPG. I would consider that "lip service" only.

3) COMBAT CHALLENGE: Connected closely to the above points, a game that does not offer any challenge in combat, and where equipment and statistics make little difference, lacks player agency. I experienced this when I played MS "Dungeon Siege". I could actually walk away from the game and know that I would win a combat irrespective of my input or lack thereof. NB: It was not a "bad" game for this, but it did disappoint some of my expectations. Once I had accepted the gameplay for what it was, I eventually finished the story anyway.

4) THE WORLD ECONOMY: Surprisingly, but perhaps not to everyone, I am quickly disheartened upon finding vendors in a game that sell every super item one could ever expect to find. It makes treasures, equipment and all related choices simply subject to how much gold I can horde. Games or modules that swamp a player with such goods has effectively robbed a player of an area of gameplay: improving their capabilities with equipment. Furthermore, just because the item is expensive and I cannot afford it as a PC, does not make it a player agency potential. Rather, it trivialises the items in a game.

5) LOCKED DOORS & CHESTS: If there are no doors or chests to find locked, which can be unlocked with a PC with the skill, then the module lacks player agency in this area too. NOTE: I enjoy discovering doors that require a certain key (and I use them in my design too), but they should be the exception when referring to locked doors rather than the norm. If every locked door requires a key, then it is an "adventure" style game and not an RPG.

Well Done Please!

The bottom line is to report that module two is being designed with the same level of player agency as The Scroll module one has. In other words, it is being designed in such a way that the player drives the game forward, rather than the game leading you along a determined path. That's not to say there isn't a definite story, which there certainly is! The difference is, the path you take will determine how the story turns out for you and what your party will be like at the end of your game. Did you build all your party, take some companions, change the way the party developed, etc? This is my preferred style of game design: A true RPG!

That said, because I am just one man, I am limited to how much material and direction I can add, and the various paths I do write in take more time to prepare than if I was writing for a more casual linear style game. The game still has to work as a cohesive whole, no matter how you (as a player) approach it ... and one of my other design concepts is to ensure the game plays as if you found the true path, irrespective of the path you end up playing. Furthermore, the path should appear clear to you, whichever path you end up deciding to try first.

Rest assured though, whatever choice you make will have to be supported by other choices you make for you and your party. If you lack a thief, how will you bypass a lock? Do you have a wizard with Knock, or maybe a fighter can bash down a door? Will you buy a new weapon or save gold by making a repair yourself because you have the skill to? Will you simply keep saving the gold to be able to afford to do some crafting, or offer it at an altar for increased benefits now? Basically, there are many choices in the World of Althéa and it requires a conscientious player to find their path through it. Are you up for the task?

For the record, I had to make another area for module two .... ;)

The Heroes Finally Make It To Boran!

Episode 12: The Mega-Dungeon!

Over the last week I have been considering the "dungeons" I intend to include in module two. In my last post I wrote about another area I was working on that acted as a dungeon between areas. It was as I was working on that, that I decided to start looking at the main dungeons that the PCs will have to overcome during module two ... This, in turn, started me thinking about the dungeons we used to play of old in PnP D&D and those of the likes of Ultima Underworld. It started me thinking about the feeling I had when playing them, and what it was that made them memorable. Then it dawned upon me that it was the "scale" ... They would be what we would refer to as mega-dungeons!

THE MEGA-DUNGEON

Now admittedly, I am looking back with "rose-tinted specs" when I consider some of the "dungeons" I played through in the past. However, considering I still remember some of that feeling of immersion and exploration from all those years ago, then I believe there must have been something about them that captured my attention, imagination and gave me the fond memories of enjoyment I have of them today. If I can recapture those elements in my own "dungeons", without compromising expected gameplay, them I believe the effort will be worthwhile.

Thinking about the shared design aspects that these dungeons (or games) had in common, I realised that it is the areas the single dungeon covered (which you were about to explore) were big! You knew the moment you started the dungeon that it was not going to be over in a single gaming session. In fact, for these dungeons, it meant you would probably only have just scratched the surface of what was coming ... and who knew what else to expect other than its mega-size? Note, the other common aspect was that the "dungeon" was (for the most part) self-contained; in that there was an entrance to the dungeon (or game), and you had to move forward to get out! i.e. It was also about survival!

OLD OR NEW SCHOOL?

Now the very thought of a mega-dungeon as I just described may be a delight to one person, but possibly considered an absolute nightmare to somebody else. However, I am not sure a negative reaction should necessarily be the correct response if we consider how the mega-dungeon has changed over the years. For instance, in its original concept (from PnP days), there were no CRPGs, and so the D&D dungeon was the de facto "game" to play to get your fill of exploration and encounters. Back then, size simply meant more to play, and so you felt safe that the game was not going to end any time soon. At the advent of CRPGs, however, this almost "infinite" dungeon would have to be pared down to a finite game to make it viable. Good CRPGs, like the Ultima Underworld series, would do this in such a way so as not to lose the sense of game length and depth of play. Take the concept forward a couple of decades and you pass through some excellent "mega-dungeon" style games such as the System Shock series and more recently, the Bioshock series.

My point is, all these games of which I have enjoyed the most in my gaming life have involved this "mega-dungeon" feeling to them. It is about their presence and challenge to overcome and win through that holds the appeal to the player. It's the "now I am stuck here, what can I do about it" feeling and the need to survive this epic environment and win through! It was not going to be a quick hack a few monsters, loot the gold, maybe answer a single puzzle and be off again to a complete new area any time soon.

THE MEGA GAME

There is (or should be) more to a "mega" dungeon than purely its size. That is not to undermine the importance of size, as that allows the player to get to know their "adversary". However, as the player gets to know their adversary (the dungeon in whatever form it takes), then this is when the builder can add to the dungeon personality, and even (if possible) add new gaming elements that make the whole dungeon memorable. So what else can be done?

MY MEGA DUNGEON

Before I continue, let me first say this: I am a D&D player through and through, with preference to the 3.5E rules. This is why the NWN2 platform is perfect for me to build my campaign. However, I am also a builder of a campaign that has its own personality and game style. For myself, this means if a storyline takes the player into some different angle of mechanics for the game play, then I will do so, but always while honouring the core rules, or giving a good reason for any significant mechanic changes made.

As an example, the most extreme changes to any mechanics I have made to date were with Soul Shaker (a NWN1 Module) when the PCs were gated to a different realm of existence in the Outer Planes. For obvious reasons, my argument for making the game mechanic changes were to help reflect the extreme change of environment in which the PC now found themselves.

The point I am trying to make is that while my campaign is core 3.5E D&D, I will change, add or remove different mechanics if an environment encourages or demands it. In the case of a mega-dungeon (and I would say any mega-dungeon), I believe such an environment necessitates the need to do something with this aspect of play to ensure the player does not become despondent, overwhelmed or even "bored" thinking about the task ahead. I believe this is of paramount importance if we intend to build a large levelled dungeon with which we hope to engage the player without giving them the same old experience that they may have had in many other dungeons in their gaming life already! (I know some may argue that is exactly what they want, but in my experience, that would eventually become tedious. Sometimes we need to have our familiarity jolted, even if just a little.)

So, that is my aim for any mega-dungeons moving forward. If you want a comparison to something I have done already ... It will not be as extreme as Soul Shaker, but more akin to the "Ancient Crypt" dungeon in The Scroll, which introduced the new gaming aspect with runes. However, I am talking less about puzzles, and more about introducing new PC skills and abilities specific to that mega-dungeon, which the player becomes involved with for their PC to enable them to succeed. Couple this new (and I hope exciting experience) with a mega-sized dungeon to explore, and I hope I have a winning formula to keep the player interested to see the task through.

MEGA INSPIRATION

I won't deny (and have admitted in the past) that I am heavily inspired by such works as the System Shock series (Bioshock series in later years), and to which I will now quickly add the Ultima Underworld series. Therefore, do not be surprised in you recognise certain aspects of those games in the new ideas and concepts I hope to introduce and use in my mega-dungeons moving forward.

In all fairness to myself, I believe I am simply taking various game mechanics ideas but using my plot to make them work in a D&D environment. However, I am grateful to the designers of these games who have helped bring a fresh feel to all mega-dungeons since their first inception!

What Lies Beyond The Collapsed Dungeon Wall?

Episode 2: Getting It Right!

One of the benefits of working on a second module is the opportunity to do it again minus the parts that one did not like so much in the first. Now, let me say from the start that I am 100% happy with the first module and that I would recommend everybody who enjoys a classic PnP (pen and paper) style D&D adventure to download and play it. However, having played it a number of times myself, I can see where I could have improved it, and it is in these areas I hope to do better in the second module.

AREA DESIGNS

1) BROADER PATHS: To be frank, my own area designs are left wanting, in many ways ... and I know that even my newest ones for the next module will be no works of art. However, one aspect of the area design I will look at "improving" is simply to make (if possible) the walk-paths easier to navigate, especially when handling a larger party. For while I have found some of the areas in the first module are good to look at, they can also be let down by too "narrow" paths when trying to manoeuvre a party through them. For instance, it is easily possible to have over a dozen characters in a single party; and while I have made a means of escaping such tight spots available to the player, even this can need some extra persuasion at times.

2) SMALLER AREAS: I have noticed that when loading areas, a MP game can take some time if the area is of the larger size. For instance, when I first designed the Holy Mountains and Ancient Crypt areas (both 32x32 or thereabouts if I recall correctly), I had not tested their load times in a MP environment. Since my own MP testing, I have decided that I will break larger areas into smaller areas to enable faster load times for all play styles. I have not determined my exact limit yet, but I am considering around 24x24 maximum - all subject to testing.

CONVERSATIONS

1) CUTSCENES: Personally, I have come to the conclusion that the cutscene conversations certainly do well to immerse the player in the game, and therefore want to maximise my usage of them in the next module. I actually started making design changes to this end with the latest version of module 1, but going forward, I hope to keep as many cutscene types as possible. Obviously, those that serve an individual player will continue to be such, but I hope to do more cutscene for the players as a party as a whole.

2) COMPANION INTERJECTIONS: These came late in the design process for module one, and did not go without teething problems with the script involved .... which was quite complicated. However, now that the script that handles these is finalised, I hope to be able to use it more fruitfully in the later modules. The script that handles these interjections is designed to intelligently supply a response from the most appropriate companion, be they provided by the plot, or created by the player. That was part of the complexity.

SCRIPTING

1) EFFICIENCY: As part of the transition from finishing module 1 and starting module 2, I have been trying to rewrite and make my campaign scripts more efficient. Part of the problem I have, however, is that some of the earliest scripts I have go back over ten years! Thankfully, my knowledge of coding has improved in that time, but with the new knowledge comes recognition of where some weaknesses are in my older scripts. Many of these scripts have been "updated" and "improved" as the years have gone by, but I may have to "lock down" some older code and rewrite some parts to be more effective moving forward. The point is, I will be building the second module with greater understanding of the way things work ... and more importantly, do not work!

2) MINIMISE NEW SCRIPTS: The thing I enjoy most (when it comes to building with the toolset) is writing scripts. And while I am no expert (even now), I do enjoy seeing the results of a script come together in a game. That said, my aim is to NOT to introduce too many more scripts, simply because they can be time-consuming and one of the quickest means of introducing extra work (at best) or bugs (at worst). My aim now is to make use of the scripts and functions I have already tried and tested simply to produce more material. If I find myself needing to write another script, then I will keep it to a minimum if possible.

ITEMS

1) RECIPE INGREDIENTS: Having made a start in the provision of items required for crafting and enchanting, I want to be able to focus more on this area of items and make further provision of such to the player. Once again, having the core crafting code already in place, I hope it will now be a relatively easier process of determining how to distribute some of those items that are less random; such as creature items.

2) MANAGEMENT: Module one already includes a comprehensive item handling system, which has taken some time to stabilise, especially with respect to keeping stackable items and/or plot items in the right count. Therefore, I intend not to go beyond what is already working here. Any future items will, therefore, hopefully be designed to work around the current system already in place.

I hope that by the time I write the Episode 3 report, I will have uploaded the latest revision of Module One and all bug searching will have come to an end, allowing me to focus completely on the new build. We shall see ... Hopefully more on the module two specific latest next time!

The Opening Loadscreen For Module Two

Alignment Talk (Part Two)

This is a copy of another post I made in a forum when discussing alignments. It is comprised two sections, the first in response to someone who said they "used the law intuitively" in their approach and the second in response to the full post included below.

POST BY KEVL: 

I think we’re seeing the “intuition” (mine) vs “rationale” (yours) modalities here.

MY RESPONSE:

Well, it may be that what you refer to as “intuition” is actually what I (because it says so in the Bible) calls “the law written on their hearts” : -

Romans 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; 2:13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

We are basically being told that because the law of God is “good and right” and of God, everybody (including non-believers who God created too!) knows what is right and wrong according to God’s law because God has placed the law in every man’s heart.

Basically, they have enough knowledge of the moral law of God in their hearts by virtue of being created in God’s image (morality) so that their consciences are conflicted: sometimes approving, sometimes disapproving. (Moral Law: Ten Commandments. Not the Mosaic Law.) Also …

Hebrews 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 10:15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

This speaks about how God makes a new covenant with His chosen, that enables such believers to have a new heart and no longer find the gospel offensive and believe it for what it is: That Christ died for their sins. The new heart with the Holy Spirit inclines us to obey the word of God, which includes those moral laws that all know. We become submissive to God’s law, because of our new heart.

So, in summary, both believers and non-believers are aware of a moral conflict (due to having been created in God’s image) and having the law in our hearts. But, the converted heart (only possible by God) is given a new heart of acceptance and has a new covenant where sins are no longer held against them … and the believer also no longer wishes to commit!

POST BY KAMAL:

Pretty much just what I am getting at, we can’t say “picking pockets = always evil act” in dnd. There are valid rationales for situations that make otherwise negative behavior the “good”. As a builder, we are not in a place to judge why for many things a player might choose to do or say.

Maybe the rogue picked a commoners pocket to be able to afford the gizmo they need to defeat the villain, and they had to do so because there was no other work available (no quests, no more random evil monsters to kill or things to hunt for sellable pelts).

Much of my Crimmor rogue specific module is this way, if you play a good pc there is a questline that shows that you are a member of the Shadow Thieves (an evil group) because you are infiltrating them for a good organization, and you report back on what is going on internally with them. You are essentially an undercover agent, doing some bad things because it’s necessary for a greater good.

The “middle area” where we shouldn’t automatically assign alignment points is much larger in a module without a DM. Some things are going to be evil no matter what, randomly killing some good orphans for example, or good no matter what, but the middle space is much larger without the DM to know the intentions of the player.

MY RESPONSE:

This actually reveals the whole point I am trying to make about the responsibility of the builder, and which KevL answers very well and quite succinctly in his post that followed.

However, to expand on KevL’s post, we, as builders know the full story and (as a responsibility to the player) should be building the module in such a way that the player should be able to tell when actions they take are going to be “good” or “evil”. And the builder consequently (who knows all), rewards alignment shifts according to the actions the player takes while trying to complete the quest. A very quick example: Man has key I want: (a) Kill man and get key (Evil). (b) Ask man and man may or may not give key. (Neutral?) (c) Go to authorities, plead case in law and win right to key. (Lawful) NOTE: This is a very simplified example, because it does not take into account whether the law is a good or evil one, or if the man killed was an enemy of the good refusing to hand over a vital key. However, The builder definitely knows, and any well designed module would have given the player enough clues to allow the player to know what type of action they are making too.

"Member of a Group" ... does not specifically reflect the moral nature of the person in question. Sadly, I have met many who call themselves “Christian” whose moral nature is severely challenged … That does not necessarily reflect the group (unless they all hold to such bizarre morality, which then begs the question of the label) … nor does the group affect the person in such circumstances. A label does not reflect the nature of the one carrying it, but their actions do.

“Greater Good” … I believe this to be misleading, as there is no such thing as a “greater good”, even though I have heard it a great deal and have probably (to my regret) used it myself from time to time. Note to self: Must stop using the term. However, that said, I can see how easily it can be used as a “plot device” in any fantasy world, simply because in such a world we have no real definitive “good” like we have in our own real world. Basically, for myself, I will try to keep my own story straight forward and that actions are either simply “good” or “evil” … and hope that the player will work out the right actions to take to complete a quest for good or evil.

Good V Evil : Another point that is often missed, because it is so subtle in our own world (and simply un-believed) is that there is such a thing as Holy War. In our own world, this war has already been “won”, and was arguably always the case, but from a human perspective, the “war” continues in what we see as conflict due to “good” and “evil” that men do. Therefore, if we are able to emphasise this point in our own modules (which many do of course when they involve the gods of the mythos), then the “order of things” especially with respect to what is good and evil becomes clearer. We gain perspective, as does the player, if they know what they are fighting for!

Example: Evil god hands over 1000gp to PC and says go and give everybody a 1gp to join my cause by worshipping me, knowing souls that worship him are destined to servitude in death. Consequently, a good god takes everything from PC and says go and do likewise to all that you meet by gentle persuasion, knowing that by doing so, all that do will be cared for by the good god. Now, the player PC knows that doing the evil gods deed is fundamentally evil, but for those he meets not in the know, this looks like a benevolent god, giving gold and so don’t ask questions and serve. Consequently, the requests of the good god look totally unreasonable and require a step of faith to follow. Subject to which action the PC takes, to serve the evil or good god, by either giving gold or relieving peoples of their goods (not by force like a thief I hasten to add), dictates the heart and mind of the PC … and hence their alignment shift that the builder handles for them. The bottom line is knowing with clarity from the start and ensuring a player knows what they are doing.

The “Middle Area”: My tag line “Even a shade of grey is made from black and white” was written for this so called grey area. Basically, the builder should know every possible outcome and way to achieve a quest because they built it! And at every step (that makes the grey), the builder then assigns alignment shifts accordingly, so the player “learns” what is and is not acceptable according to the steps they are taking. This is exactly what I mean by making every effort! Designing and awarding alignment points should not be arbitrary, but can be made of small adjustments here or there, as long as the more significant steps come with the more significant awards. E.g. Killing is evil. Theft is evil. Destroying evil is good. Taking back goods that were stolen is good.

NOTE: The same actions may be employed in every situation (taking life or taking goods), BUT the heart, mind and law behind that taking is what defines it as either: “killing”/“theft” (both evil) or “execution”/“seizure” (based on good laws of a good god). NOTE: The evil nature of hearts like to change and manipulate words for their own benefit, so it takes a discerning heart not to be manipulated by words that appear “good” to do an “evil” act. e.g. Judas reasoned he was “doing good” when he sold out Jesus to the local law of Pharisees (who had become a “brood of vipers” by this time), and so it is obvious to all (and he as well afterwards as he went and committed suicide - another sin) that his actions were evil, even though he argued (at the time and agreed with the Pharisees) that he was doing good!

A lot more could be said, but that’s enough for now.

EDIT UPDATE:

"As a builder, we are not in a place to judge why for many things a player might choose to do or say."

As builders that is exactly the kind of responsibility I am talking about! However, to be in a position to make such “judgement calls” we (as the builders) need to be absolutely clear in our understanding of the actions that our story is leading the player to take … and thereafter, award the alignment shifts.

The point being, we are not using our own judgement, but that judgment that we know is right and true … Gods! Which is written in the bible … and in our own hearts if we care to listen to our consciences … if they have not become seared. (Hardened heart!)

Alignment Talk (The Importance of Language)

This blog post is made due to a conversation I was having with somebody on the Vault forums. It speaks about the use of alignment in D&D, and my own beliefs. This was my comment:-

... I think this entire thread/conversation does highlight the importance of language, and how we use it … and that is always a concern to me. For if somebody hears one thing and understands it to mean something else to the speaker, then problems can arise.

While this is not always a problem, and can even make for a moment of mild amusement, there are other times when it is of the utmost importance! And, let’s be frank, if the language being used is talking about matters of good and evil, which, as we know, stems from a real-life perspective of a matter of faith, then its importance is paramount!

Logically speaking, whether somebody is a believer or not, if any conversation is talking about a matter of life and death, then anybody of sound mind should sit up and listen. And, as everybody who is reading this is alive (and knows they will die one day), then it behoves them to give serious thought about anything that pertains to an afterlife, which, as we have been discussing, includes matters of what “good” and “evil” are, and our own relationship to them.

Confusion of terms compounds misunderstanding, and will only serve to lead people into erroneous thinking, which ultimately will (at best) lead them astray while they are alive, or at worst (from a believers understanding), lead them to Hell in death.

The problems that the erroneous use of language (due to a sinful nature) are what give us the sects and heresies in the first place … and, so now we can see why (logically) that the only way a man can be “saved” from such errors (sins and evils) is by the grace of God, who is outside of such errors and bestows His grace upon those He chooses. i.e. A man cannot escape their sinful (evil) nature without outside salvation (God). The ones God saves are known as the “Elect”: http://www.calvinistcorner.com/index.html However, no man knows who God’s elect are, and so Christians still “Preach the Word”, because it is by hearing the Word of God that people are “saved”. Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

That all said, and not to understate its importance, I now turn back to the matter of the use of language in D&D with respect to alignment in gaming terms. The bottom line being, and in my opinion, players of the game take a lot of what they “play” and “learn” in their role-playing to heart. After all, that is part of the attraction: to live out a persona that embodies the hero inside them! I can speak from experience when I say that playing D&D for me, opened up a lot of my thinking about life in general … including aspects of alignment and religion. Maybe, as a DM, it required greater thought to “implement” than a player simply “playing” it, but, nevertheless, it made me think … and not always in the right way.

However, thankfully, there were those around me, who, by the grace of God, helped me to discern and appreciate language and its use there of, to the point when I was able to appreciate when something was not “right”. And here is the point: I do sometimes think that players today lack any moral teaching, and only pick up any idea of “morality” from games that have an “alignment” system, including D&D. And if that system uses poor language or descriptions to reinforce an amoral idea of morality (as absurd as that sounds), which basically “subjectifies” peoples ideas of morality, then we are only serving to lead people astray.

Therefore, I strongly believe, a builder has a moral sense of duty to ensure their world minimises any confusion of what is and is not meant by the terms “good” and “evil”, so that it reinforces what we should already know in the real world with respect to “absolutes”. I am not saying we cannot have a morally difficult situation, or even a morally ambiguous situation, but am saying that a player should be reinforced in those areas that are already “absolute”. E.g. Even if a “rogue” does steal, the player should have all consciousness that the action would certainly be perceived as “evil” in the real world, no matter what language they may use (or borrow from D&D) to try to justify a known evil action such as theft. i.e. I hope said players would not be encouraged (in real life) to argue that theft can be “ok” simply because they believe they are not “evil”, but simply a little “chaotic”. That (in real life) is a slippery path to … fill in the blank.

Even a shade of grey is made from black and white!

Webspace Concerns

Just a quick announcement: I have recently been informed that my ISP is changing some of its services, which includes its web space allocation. While this may affect only a handful of their customers, it will have an impact on me. They have offered "alternative solutions", but due to my current website structure and requirements, the current solutions are not viable.

I am currently seeking help from them, and hoping a viable resolution will be found. I am also trying to get help from friends who may be able to make any transition as easy as possible.

As soon as I have a resolution, and possibly new site, I will update you will the information. Sorry for any inconvenience this causes.

UPDATE: With the help of a friend, I have successfully managed to move my website to a new location. The link in the sidebar below points to the new site. My thanks go to Simon, without whom the site would not have been preserved.

Players' Expectations (A Personal Perspective)

A little while ago I spoke about Player Expectations with respect to free mods that they can download. Just recently, STEAM ventured into a project to allow Skyrim mods to be added to their listings for people to sell rather than be offered for free. (This idea was quickly quashed by the public after only a few days.)

All this interest in the mod gaming market got me thinking about NWN/NWN2 mods and comparative RPG games in general again and what it is exactly that motivates players' interest in certain styles of play within the RPG gaming environment. Everybody is different of course, and each will be motivated by different mods/games for different reasons.

Like most who read this blog, I have my fair share of likes and dislikes when it comes to certain styles of games, and I prefer to have them tick certain boxes as I play them. However, just recently, I was surprised to discover something about my own interests that sat at odds with a certain game design that I am currently playing ... and with everything else currently going on in the RPG world, I felt prompted to discuss this aspect of gaming again. (More about that in a moment.)

I like to think that I am a "fair" player, by which I mean I will put up with the odd bug (as long as it is not game-breaking), and can put up with a fair amount of frustration aspects (like some back-tracking). I will even accept older graphics in a game, if it is not one I have played and like the looks of it. For example, a short while ago I started to play the "Gothic" (2001) and "Divinity" (2002) series of games, because I had never played them and Steam had them on one of their good deals. Now these are both old games compared to today's standards of games, and both lack some of those "tick boxes" I like to have. However, to my surprise, they are both more enjoyable than another game I have recently started, called "Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning" (2012). (I tend to start more than one game than once for variety. As a slow player, it helps to give some variety.)

At the end of this analysis, I will compare my findings with how it relates to NWN2, and, hopefully, how it compares to The Scroll.

APPEAL ANALYSIS

This recognition of one game appealing more than another did not occur to me until after some time of playing these games. Let me start by showing which of these games scored best with reference to my own "tick box" requirements (in no particular order). Note, I have only finished "Divine Divinity" at this time of writing:-

1) STORY: Winner: Gothic: Had me hooked straightaway, and not just because it's premise reminded me of my own module. Even though I have not yet finished this game, I still like the overall appeal of how the game sets its pace and keeps me interested in the story. DD comes in second, with KoA coming in last. I felt the latter suffers from a diluted story due to its open-endedness.

2) CONVERSATIONS: Winner: DD: I felt that of the three systems, DD felt the most natural to me. Gothic and KoA were OK and certainly acceptable, but if I had to choose one, it would be DD. Interestingly, having "talking" during the conversations did not affect my choice at all, as I often found myself skipping talk anyway, especially with KoA, which just felt like a lot of superfluous drivel. NB: I know you can ignore all this in KoA by jumping straight to the "top" option, but I like to get involved in other dialogue if possible. This dialogue felt rather one sided though.

3) COMBAT: Winner: Gothic: Melee speaking, while Gothic has comparatively fewer weapon options than either of the other two games, this actually turned out to be more exciting to play than the myriad number of options that the other two games offered. On the other hand, as far a magic combat goes, DD had the most straightforward method of spell acquisition and usage, which made it more accessible and enjoyable to use, giving it second place.

4) PC DEVELOPMENT: Joint Winner: Gothic/DD: In fact, the only reason KoA actually loses out in this area is because of the inordinate amount of achievements that affect KoA outside of normal development. i.e. There are other aspects beyond the normal skill benefits that can affect the way you PC plays that you decide at level up.

5) MAPS: Winner: KoA: The map system in KoA is extremely well done. It has good map mechanics, including a mini-map. DD comes in a close second, with Gothic trailing in last due to a really clunky way one has to access them.

6) EXPLORATION: Winner: Gothic: This surprised me greatly, because I like exploring and I thought KoA would win hands down. However, I actually found Gothic the more interesting environment to explore because I felt it was more manageable. And for the same reason, DD came in second. KoA, by comparison, felt long winded.

7) CRAFTING: Winner: DD: I like the idea of crafting, and think it can offer a lot to a game. However, I have found that the thing that stops me from using a crafting system more than anything else is how complex it is. Complexity can mean anything from the number of combinations to make a product to the difficulty in applying the skill in the first place. DD was as simple as finding single crafting items and having a skill to apply them to other items. Gothic felt items were too far and between to achieve, and in KoA I felt overwhelmed with the number of options.

8) MECHANICS: Winner: DD: To be fair, NONE of these games had "great" mechanics in my opinion. KoA would have won, had it not been for the lack of a decent "Inventory" access, which really got me down after playing some time. I was surprised at how much the "Inventory" GUI (out of all the GUIs) would have made such an impact on the game experience for me, but it did. I even had more sympathy for Gothic's poorly implemented inventory system compared to KoA in the end.

COMPARISONS & CONCLUSION

So, here's the crunch .... Take a relatively new RPG (KoA: Reckoning) and make comparisons to some older RPGs (Gothic and Divine Divinity), and the newest one, even with much slicker graphics and many more game options, comes in bottom (for me at any rate):-

WINNER: GOTHIC

For me, Gothic wins (and KoA loses) for a number of reasons:

Gothic, while it takes a bit of time to get used to its rather antiquated mechanics, has a good story and a "traditional" character development system, which probably will appeal to old school gamers like myself. Even though Gothic suffers from a lack of a decent mapping system, exploration around the game area feels more exciting than exploring the albeit larger regions that the other two games offer. And when you start to encounter enemies in the game world, your character skills, abilities and weapons all feel more important than the other two games. I have not done any crafting in Gothic yet (as it feels too much of an effort to achieve), and recognise that Divine Divinity has better gaming aspects in this region and overall general mechanics, which was the only game I felt crafting was simple enough to apply.

SECOND: DIVINE DIVINITY

DD comes in a second, being closer to Gothic than KoA as an overall result. DD scores higher than KoA due to having a better story and PC development than the latter (in my opinion), but starts to fall down with its similarities that made KoA come last, like innumerable number of items/weapon combinations that don't really mean a lot to me after a while. It also suffered from some large meandering regions, which just felt too tedious, and I was glad to get them done and move on. DD did, however, have better overall gaming mechanics than Gothic and a more straightforward crafting system, which gave it an element of interest above the others.

Loser: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

KoA, on the other hand, has plenty of place to explore compared to Gothic, but with "plenty" comes a lack of pace and direction (in my opinion). I agree that KoA has done well to tie together all the quests and updates the local and world maps accordingly (winner hands down there), but just because those quests are there to do and the world is there to explore, I feel as though my heart and reason to be motivated to do so are seriously lacking. But what about the greater number of weapon combinations and combos, etc. that KoA offers I may hear you ask? Well, to be honest, the combinations are too many and too vague to be of any real interest or motivation to do anything with. As long as I have a reasonable weapon and/or spell and have developed my PC relatively well, then I will generally be OK. I wouldn't really know if I had found something decent above what I already carried or not really, and after picking up the nth coloured item, I'm not sure if I even have the heart to carry it back to a shop to sell it, even if I could stuff another item into my already limited and difficult to manage inventory.

NWN COMPARED

Now we come to the point ... CRPGs come in many flavours with comparable gaming aspects, but with some things that arguably make the game good or bad. I will now take a look at the points raised above with respect to how NWN handles CRPGing, and hopefully, how my own module, The Scroll, will work upon its release.

WORLD VIEW: To begin with, NWN offers a superior (in my opinion) number of perspectives to the player to explore the gaming world compared to any other CRPG in the examples above. Gothic uses first person, DD uses fixed isometric, KoA uses a 3D over the shoulder third person. NWN, on the other hand, uses 3D isometric with additional options to make world interaction more flexible, especially when it comes to combat. For this reason, NWN is the superior game when it comes to tactical combat in a CRPG, which is traditionally a style enjoyed by D&D players and the style to employ to duplicate such a roleplaying environment.

GAME SYSTEM: Each of the games above uses it own system to allow players to develop their PCs. They all rely on gaining XP, and then selecting skills and/or attributes to increase as the PC develops. The problem with "new" systems, however, is they are never easy to quantify with respect to overall development. The myriad options available in games like KoA or DD do not leave the player with a satisfying knowledge of actually being all that much greater with what they have achieved or acquired. NWN, on the other hand, uses an established D&D system, which uses a D20 system, which any player can quickly learn to understand how an extra 1 on a roll makes a difference to their PC stats. NWN uses an established and recognisable system.

COMBAT: Closely tied to the GAME SYSTEM is how combat is handled. The problem with many games (especially the modern ones like KoA), is the mechanics behind combat is as much to do with the ability to click a mouse as it is to do with actual character development. In both of the older games, Gothic and DD, I still felt the difference as to what I could achieve in combat compared to the likes of KoA. Thankfully, in NWN, the robust D&D system means a player will be able to tell when they may or may not be up for a task. In many modern games, it's sometimes hard to tell if a certain creature is tougher than you simply because there is no common ground by which to understand the situation, be it due to the game system used, or because of a unique creature design. Importantly, it will not be dictated by the speed at which they can click a button!

WORLD EXPLORATION: NWN comes with very adequate mapping systems, which allow for world maps, area maps and mini-maps. And while they once lacked the Fog of War feature that gave games like DD a greater feel of exploration, my own Fog of War hak now removes that problem for those that implement it, which I have done for my own module. And while some may consider the "area by area" approach of NWN to be a "weakness" of its gaming platform, I have come to realise that it is actually a strength! Why? Because it gives a player a greater feeling of control and achievement while exploring. Unlocking an area, or moving to another outdoor area gives a feeling of progression that seamless exploration cannot give. I believe this is an important point, as this affects the pace of progression for a game. (Although, poorly designed area progression can also feel just as "tedious" as wide open-ended landscapes.) The point being, I believe there is less risk of potential "tedium" in the design of a game that uses separate areas compared to large open areas, like those of some modern CRPGs. The vistas of the latter may look far better, but it takes a great deal more expertise to make those same area interesting compared to area designs, which modders of NWN use. Hats off to Bethesda who do manage to make interesting areas most of the time.

NWN MECHANICS: NWN still, in my opinion, offers the best in the way of GUI interaction for the player to play the game and work with their PC compared to any other CRPG I have played to date. There are certainly some aspects I have seen in other games that I have liked, such as the ability to get a description of an item while in the inventory without having to right-click first, but thanks to NWN2 ability to edit XML, such an inventory GUI has been implemented by myself for The Scroll. Couple this with one or two other GUI alterations, such as adding a Bestiary and a Main Menu for other gaming options, and we have at our disposal one of the most versatile GUI systems for any CRPG. Modders of CRPGs have a great tool in NWN, which is not only customisable, but is fundamentally based to work on the well-established 3E D&D rule set.

CRAFTING & CREATION: The idea of crafting actually has its roots in item creation from D&D. Therefore, it is no wonder that of all the systems that have come about over time, crafting is one of the more esoteric and potentially more complicated ones to develop. Even NWN has multiple systems, which on the face of it, are quite convoluted and difficult to employ. However, having made the system simpler, I believe I have placed this skill back into the hands of the player who may like to take the time now to develop one or two items that are worthwhile creating. The main thing is, I am hoping that items will be worth taking the time to gather the ingredients to make now, and that process will be easier in the first place too. However, I am also trying to avoid the many combinations and multiple items that can be collected that can make the process too confusing to use in the first place. i.e. I don't want to make a huge list of different items like KoA has when trying to craft or make something.

A HOPEFUL FUTURE

So what does all this mean? Well, basically, I believe modders for NWN already have a massive head start over any and all current CRPGs with the tools/system they have to create their mods with NWN2. In every aspect of general gameplay, they already have a stable and established gaming system that meets the requirements of a CRPG gamer. The only aspect that is missing is the story. So, if the builder has a reasonable skill set, and the time to develop, then using NWN2 they should be able to create a reasonable game that stands up against many (if not all) CRPGs currently written.

With the added benefits of cameras for conversations and the ability to script certain events and actions, imagination really is the limit for modders using NWN2. And yet, while I point out all this, I must add one reality check .... A good mod does require a good story, with good pace and overall balanced progress. That takes time and experience to get right ... but hey, even the experts get it wrong in my opinion, as there are few games I would say that are definitely what I would call "good". Even the winner of the three above would only score an "adequate" in my opinion. Yet even games like Baldur's Gate (which was game-breaking and used D&D rules) still does not get a high result from me compared to some of those I have experienced in later years. (Maybe at the time it was one of the best, but times have changed.)

The point being, however, I have not yet seen any gaming platform for modders come close to NWN2 with respect to a well-established ruleset, an ability to cater for a CO-OP multi-player environment, an ability to customise and still hold its own after all these years. For this reason, I do believe that there is the potential for NWN2 modders to do something special compared to any other mod market out there. And that has to be a good thing!