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 26: Are We There Yet?

I have to confess that I did not expect The Scroll (module 1) to have taken as many versions as it has to reach the state that I now hope it has reached ... DONE! I have said this so many times before that it is uncomfortable for me to say it again ... but ... v1.18E (2nd release) does appear to be the FINAL for module 1. Although, I confess that I may release a v1.19E (or jump to v1.20E) to mark its absolute final release, even if there are no changes from v1.18E (2nd release), just because I like to mark its place with a round number. For those of you more interested in module 2, and its latest news, read on ...

THE CRYSTAL MECHANICS

Between finalizing code for module 1 fixes, I have also been looking over the code I have in place for some new "crystal" mechanics in the next module. Much to do with balancing and ensuring certain abilities are available at the right time, as well as writing conversations that bring a player more background relating to such. That's all I can say for now though ... sorry ... it's too much of a spoiler to explain more, except to say that it plays a big part in one section of the module in a similar vein as the rune stones did in module 1, but more so!

MORE GENERAL BUILDING

I have been continuing to fill areas with interesting objects and events. However, the areas I am currently working with tie quite a bit to the new mechanics above, and so I am tending to switch between the two aspects as required. I have also hit a critical plot point of logic that is requiring me to wrestle with a number of alternative ideas, which has currently stalled my progress in this area of the story. The good news is I have a couple of approaches I think will work, but I need to consider the repercussions of these approaches fully before I commit to them. Once I am happy the logic works, I can start to write the story around it again. In the meanwhile, I am considering working on another area of the module to allow my subconscious to work on a solution too. Sometimes just letting it sit for a while like that can work for me. However, I have something to fall back on in a worse case scenario.

SETTING THE SCENE

It's fine when we have a dungeon (or area) and the player party is making their way to resolve their quest, but ... I just cannot escape the need to build more into an adventure (or any quest) for the player to discover before they embark on the adventure (or quest) itself. I don't want to rob the player of discovering their way (the journey) before dealing with the task (the destination) itself. It's true we can get away with less stage setting when delivering side-quests (to more of a degree), but even here I find I am wanting to flesh these out with more substance than I have previously. As a consequence, I have found the conversation sizes have increased, and surrounding storyline has broadened. It's not a bad thing in my thinking, but with respect to module delivery time, it does make it feel like taking one step forward, while taking two steps backwards. The price to pay for trying to create a particular scene I guess.

FEATURING THE ANKHEG

The bottom line is that there is not much I can add to the last few weeks of module building due to the various distractions of module 1 fixing and limited info I can divulge with module 2. So, rather than post a picture this week, I thought I might encourage readers by posting a video instead! It is part of module 2, and something I have posted elsewhere. However, this is the first time I posted it in this blog. Just to show I am working on various aspects still...

Episode 25: Nice New Gameplay!

Writing continues on module two at a better rate than previous weeks as v1.12E of The Scroll has proven to be the most stable release of the campaign to date. (UPDATE: As of 03/03/20, we are now on v1.18E) As this version has continued to be fault free in my wife's own latest play through (since updating), it has meant I have not been diverted from writing new material to sort out any further issues. With nearly 15 hours under her belt of fault free play, then unless she discovers anything else, v1.12E v1.18E may well be the final release of the campaign until module two is done. Talking of module two ... Read on ...

BACKGROUND ROLE-PLAY

So what's new? Well, it's hard to talk about anything too specific again, as much of the latest material is just a continuation of simply writing the whole thing! This includes continuing conversations, journal entries, scripts, etc. However, more specifically, I can say that I am starting to find an efficient way to include more background conversation nodes for players who do end up choosing to role-play a PC background. E.g. Bully or Lady's Man, etc.

I have even altered the script now to allow a Main PC (who are the only PCs that can have such backgrounds) to interject with their background node option, even if the player had started the conversation with a companion. Knowing the conversation node options will always be an option to the player has encouraged me to make the best use of them where possible, and it has been fun doing so.  

UPDATE: As these backgrounds are simply added feats, then (in theory) any PC could have a background, including companions. Therefore, I have reverted to the PC speaking as the PC applying their background comment, with a caveat that if no background has been set (either by the builder as a feat on the companion or as a feat applied as a background trait by the player when creating a PC), then if the Main PC has one set, then that will be offered if there is none other available.

JOURNAL NOTE SYSTEM

Another aspect of play that I have been having fun making more use of since I have it working now, is the ability to add additional notes to the player's journal. This is in addition to the normal journal quest entries, and are added alongside the notes a player can also add to the journal note section. Just like any player added note, they can be deleted by the player at any time, but are added as useful bits of information that help highlight those aspects that may be important when it comes to playing. For example, those players playing module one already may have noticed a note is added if and when a PC learns how to manage weapon repairs at a Repair Bench. This is one of the few notes that module one adds, but module two will make much better usage of this game mechanic to highlight not just game mechanic notes, but possible plot notes too.

NEW AREA MUSIC

I am also playing around with some new music files that I found, which I have managed to convert and add to areas. My test addition worked, and it currently sits as the music for an area I am currently working on. It's a minor new addition, but I hope, along with those I mention above, will be some of those differences that will benefit the next module.

THE MEGA MECHANICS

If you may recall, I have mentioned in the past that there will (also) be a mega-dungeon design in module two, which I hope will be well received. I have taken time and effort to develop a system of new mechanics that complements the overall design of the mega-dungeon to give a completely new experience to sit alongside the normal NWN2 gameplay. i.e. In much the same way players can currently experience new GUIs for puzzles and gameplay in the first module, the new GUI arrangements for module two I believe offer a whole new variety of gameplay to experience!

This week I have also been scripting aspects of this new gaming design to ensure it runs as smoothly and intuitively as possible. One thing I learned during this time is that you cannot get the gold piece value of ammo (bullets, arrows and bolts) like you can with other items. This meant I had to improvise a new way of doing so, which while quite boring to do, does mean I now have the system in place ready to work with some more code. All in all, this whole side of the gaming mechanics is gradually coming together ... right alongside the additional Readable Books I have written to complement such systems in the game and to give the player greater depth to the story. I have found the writing quite rewarding as I have brought the overall campaign story arc together.

That's all for now, as there's not much more I can say without giving spoilers ... Dare I say, I was even reluctant to use this week's screenshot in case it spoiled anything .. but I decided I was just being over cautious, so here it is ....

We Have Found A Tomb!

Episode 24: Continued Development.

I write with mixed feelings today, as I have just discovered I introduced a module one game breaking bug back in v1.06E (27th December 2019), which I only just discovered while testing something else today. It is so frustrating when something like this happens, especially when I am doing so little with scripts that may affect that module now. (This has now been fixed in the latest version available.) On a more positive note, I have been making reasonable progress on module two of the campaign, including making another home-brew placeable that the PCs will discover. (Included as this week's screen shot, as it is only a minor spoiler at most.) Read on ...

SCRIPTS LOCKDOWN

From today, I am forcing myself to make sure I add another line of code to critical scripts to ensure I do not break existing code that module one relies upon. This should, in theory, mean there should be no further "breaking" of module one. I know I have said this kind of thing before, but sometimes I thought the change I was making was insignificant. How wrong I can be! As a lesson learned, adding any new code to existing scripts will now be properly segregated from module one.

AREA DEVELOPMENT

Much of the last fortnight has been to do with continued area building for the module two, especially for those areas related to the main quest. It was during this time when I discovered an issue with "rope" in the game. Rope is used for some situations and so has extra associated scripts. However, it also has an "item placeable" object associated with it, which means a new placeable is created when it is dropped. The problem was, however, is that once dropped, I could no longer pick it up. This led me to a fix for v1.10E. When I went to test the rope fix in module one, that is when I discovered the On Area Enter issue ... which led to the essential update I speak of in the introduction.

It was during this time that I also discovered playing more than one sound at the same time could potentially cause an issue by only playing one of the sounds. This was also fixed in the latest campaign release.

NEW PLACEABLE BOARD

During my area building, I was reminded of some games that show a profile map of an environment, where the different vertical levels of said environment are shown in relationship to one another. I think of games System Shock 2 and more lately, Prey. As the layout of the environment I am currently working on is a bit different to the standard "one level directly on top of another", I thought I would also provide a map showing the unusual vertical layout for the player.

My first attempt was to use the "painting" model, which I am familiar with already. However, the model was too small to present the picture I had prepared. Therefore, I decided to look for another existing model that was bigger to do the job. I eventually opted for the arcane chalk board, but transferring my image to that turned out to be more tricky than I thought it would be.

On my first attempt, the image wrapped around so that it did not show correctly. Eventually, I was able to see that the original image did the same, and that if I wanted to present an image unwrapped, then it needed some alterations, which finally worked after some experimentation. However, this led to a second issue ... the text was mirrored and on the wrong side. Thankfully, simply inverting all the images related to the arcane board and the text in my own image sorted the issue. The screen shot of the final result is this weeks screen shot.

PC BACKGROUND CONVERSATION NODES

I also worked on more conversations, and was reminded how each main PC in a game could potentially come with a character background feat/trait. For example, you have the bully, or the lady's man, etc. Not every player may select one, but for those that did, I thought it would be good to try to include some conversation options that helped to reflect their PC background choice. These conversation options would sit alongside any others that the conversation required and I hope would add flavour and encourage the player to play their role-play their PC character background role more. I ended up having to write a new script for the conversation node checks, and discovered the farmer trait to be incorrectly present in the official nwscript file. It has been fixed with my own script that simply uses basic number integers.

A Profile Map of the Citadel

Episode 23: Most Puzzling My Dear Halfling ...

One of the things I like most about D&D as a whole is its variety of play. We have exploration, we have encounters, we have combat ... and we have puzzles! Furthermore, NWN2 is a great platform for all of them. Where else can you create an entire party of adventurers by yourself or with friends and play a D&D campaign of a home brew design sporting its own unique new GUI puzzles? Personally, I like a campaign that provides puzzles, and this post is about some of the new ones that I am hoping to bring to supporting players when it is finally released. Read on ...

NEW PUZZLES

Players of The Scroll (module one) will have experienced quite a number of puzzles in my campaign already. From "ripped scrolls" to "combination chests" and from "chameleon stones" to "cryptic puzzles". It has a fair number for the player who likes the occasional change of pace and a chance to flex their "thinking caps". And let us not forget the "rune puzzles"! For those who prefer not to tackle puzzles though, there is also the option to bypass many of them, with the exception of one or two game important ones.

The puzzles of the second module will, I hope, be of similar design. The three I show in the video below are actually part of a main dungeon design, and so are designed specifically with that dungeon in mind. However, with minor alterations, I may be able to use them in other areas of the module too. Anyway, here is the video ...

THE JOURNAL REMINDER

While on the topic of new GUIs, I also decided to update one of my other GUI designs to act as a JOURNAL REMINDER. Basically, if the player receives a journal update (maybe even in the middle of a conversation), then my SHOW GUI now keeps a worded reminder that the entry needs checking and remains present until the entry is accessed via the journal. 

Furthermore, the player needs only HOVER over the SHOW GUI (when the reminder is present) to open the journal to read the latest entry. The new system also works alongside the new JOURNAL NOTES system, whereupon a slightly different worded reminder is presented in the SHOW GUI alongside a sound file informing the player that the journal NOTES section has been updated. The reminder is cleared after the player HOVERS to open the journal and enters the NOTES tab section of the journal for such entries. This weeks screen shots image show the update in action. (See below.) And for those that would like to have access to this update now, then you will be pleased to know that The Scroll (module one) supports this from v1.09E.

AREA BUILDING

The last couple of weeks has also seen me going over some of the areas, gradually filling them with objects and creating a "lived in" environment. From a scripting perspective, progress is smooth as I am able to use scripts that are now quite stable and work well for my needs. e.g. I have dedicated encounter triggers that are more flexible to use than those officially provided ... and I have been making good use of them.

As I have continued to develop the areas, I have also been able to consider various side quests and various plot twists that come to mind. How many will make it into the final, only time will tell. It involves more conversation writing, of which I already have quite a bit still left to do.

CONTINUED IMPROVEMENTS

As I continue to design the second module, I find myself being able to improve older scripts, which continue to have improvements on module one. This is why module one has also had an update to v1.09E. However, this is bound to slow down sooner or later, as many of these updates are mostly cosmetic now. So unless further improvements have a reasonably significant impact on module one, they may not be seen until the second module is released, at which point all the other minor campaign improvements will be added then.

ALTHEA WEATHER SYSTEM

For those who may be interested, I also managed to update the Althéa Weather System to v2.0, which is basically the same system I use in the latest version of The Scroll. So, if you want a fully implemented weather system for your NWN2 campaign, then maybe it's worth considering. Version 2.0 basically runs more efficiently than earlier versions.

New Journal Update Reminder System

Episode 22: May The Force Field Not Stop You!

With the toolset issues behind me, I am now able to push forward with the creation of module two of The Scroll with more ease. Especially in the department of working with sounds and VFXs. I am not an expert in this area at all, but find I am able to rework some of those VFXs that others have made or come with the toolset already. To this end, when I found myself in need of another VFX for the latest dungeon I am working on, I was pleased to find I was able to make the VFX I needed. Read on ...

FORCE FIELD VFX

So if you had not guessed from the title already, the new effect was a Force Field. I don't think I give any spoilers by mentioning it, because I have not yet decided just how "menacing" the final encounter with it shall be. Suffice to say, the effect turned out as I hoped, with the only caveat being that I had to separate the sound part of the effect from its visual effect. This was because the sound of the VFX could not be easily managed in scripting if I did not. It was going to be this week's screenshot, but as the full impact could not be easily portrayed in a soundless 2d image, I am treating readers to a small six second video link to take a look instead.

AREA BUILDING

I also managed to start building another interior area to support one of the exterior areas I am currently working on with respect to the main quest. It's one of a few interior areas I knew I was going to have to build, and as I have just updated the HAK folder for the campaign, it gave me the opportunity to check one of the yet unused tile sets: Cellars by rjshae. This week's screenshot is from that interior area in it's early design.

CONVERSATIONS

I have also started to add templates for more conversations that are needed for the mega-dungeon section I am working on. These conversations are reasonably straightforward ones, but like anything to do with the "mega" status, I simply need more to accommodate the dungeon size. And while on the subject of the mega-dungeon, I can add that I have also continued to work on its various areas too.

SCRIPTING

Thankfully, writing scripts is one of the less taxing aspects for me, which I have been able to keep reasonably well up to date as required. On the subject of scripting, I have also decided to move all scripts, including altered official campaign ones, to the root directory of the campaign folder. This is because if they are stored within their own sub-directory (like they had been), they were not checked when using the "compile all scripts" option. While this may not be an issue much of the time, there are some circumstances when missing these scripts during a compile check may have an impact in future, because I often forget what these scripts refer to. So basically, it's a precaution moving forward from v1.08E (next release) of module one. As an example, the "invisibility" scripts required recompiling after I removed a function they referred to. Thankfully, the removal made no impact to the spells at all in any past releases, but I won't be taking the same risks moving forward.

BACKSTORY & QUESTS

I have also been taking time to put together back story in my Readable Books format (*) and develop some more side quests. The latest book written has over 2 x 6 pages! It is designed to answer some of the questions the player may have been wondering about, but they can choose to read or simply skip through. Either way, the game will continue regardless of how much detail the player chooses to read ... but I hope they are encouraged enough to want to know more of the story anyway. (*) Latest version in The Scroll campaign files only.

As I have stated previously, my aim is to try to provide some side quests that will complement the main quest more naturally than in the previous module. It's more of a subtle change, but one that I hope may make gameplay feel more natural ... perhaps. They take the shape of "while you are at it" approach, as opposed to "here is something else".

The Cellar is Cold, Dark and Dank!

Episode 21: Encountering Toolset Problems!

Building a module is not always a plain sailing affair. In fact, ask any builder, and I can guarantee they will have a bunch of "issue" stories as long as their module quests list relating to the building of their behemoth! For any module can become a monster to wrestle with when the NWN toolset is involved, irrespective of module size. I too, have not been without issues in the making of my modules, and over the last week or so, I can, at last, say that I have put two such particularly nasty encounters behind me. Read on ...

SOUND CRASH ISSUES

The older of the two issues I encountered goes back a few months, and was when I noticed that trying to play a VFX (with a sound attached) within the toolset VFX Editor crashed the toolset. I soon learned that the only way I could work around this problem was to "remove" the sound file prior to playing the VFX. However, this was not satisfactory and I was always concerned that this may be having an impact on the module for players too, as I also occasionally crashed in game in a sound intensive environment.

I tried the usual approach: reinstall sound drivers, reinstall NWN2; neither of which were fruitful, and even required me having to do a restore of Windows 10 to recover from further issues I managed to introduce while trying to fix this one. In the end I decided to just let it go, resigned to the idea that probably only a Windows "reset" would fix the issue; something I was not prepared to do at this stage.

Move forward to this week, and a post on the forums about another player experiencing Game Crashes (where VFX were noted) made me look into the problem again. I continued down the path I had started and looked further into any potential CODEC issues by using the KLite Codec Tweak Tool.

Using this utility I was able to ascertain that the DirectShow filters appeared to be deregistering when using the toolset's VFX Editor. With further searching, I eventually found this page that discussed similar issues and this page that recommended removing some of the DirectShow filters. So now it was just a case of experimenting with my own filters to see if I could find a combination that fixed my own sound problems ... and I did. (See the image to see which filters needed disabling to fix the sound crash in the toolset.) In fact, after discovering which filters were the culprit, I decided simply to uninstall the programs that had installed these filters (Nero Essentials and Cyberlink PowerDVD), especially  as I no longer used these programs anyway. The toolset problem is now gone, and I hope such changes will make for a more stable gaming environment too.

Disable These Filters If You Are Having Sound Problems!

HAK SIZE MATTERS

Along with building a second module comes new content. No problem, I thought, I can simply add to my campaign hak, and have it ready for the next module .... wrong! Having added nearly 2 GB of data to an already 500 MB file, making a total of 2.5 GB (or there about), came with its own inherent problem that was not immediately noticeable.

The problem was that while all the new content looked good within the toolset, by the time I went to view it in the game, one placeable would have been replaced by another! i.e. The placeable in game was nothing like the one I had positioned in the toolset. At first discovery I had no idea what had caused this, as I was ignorant of any kind of hak size limit, which I am now led to believe may be around 2GB.

What made this latest discovery worse, however, was the fact that I just uploaded v1.05E, with every folder based upon this new large hak build. In quick testing of module one prior to release, all appeared to be OK, but I had not checked every placeable object. As quick as I could, I repacked the hak into a smaller size (with less content than before) and re-released it as v1.06E. Sadly, there had been at least three downloads of the larger files, and so I just hope their game is not compromised by the error.

Furthermore, I released a second version of the v1.06E Campaign folder, which removed the "replacement" WAV files I had been using during build time that were helping me to avoid the SOUND CRASH ISSUE I mention above. Unfortunately, I also discovered that these replacement WAV files did not always work well within NWN2, and so I hope the one person who had managed to download v1.06E in the time before I re-uploaded it, manages to get its second release minus the temperamental WAV files.

TREASURES

So, while I don't have much to say about module two this week, (preferring to use this post as a cathartic exercise for the last two issues), I will, however, leave you with one image that I hope will make it all worthwhile ... Here's an image of some valuable treasures you should keep your eyes open for in module two... Hopefully, I will have more to report in my next post now that these issues have been dealt with.

Treasure: Some Priceless Paintings!

Episode 20: Adventuring Proper!

This last fortnight has seen me delving back into the second module of The Scroll ... and for proper adventuring stuff too! And while module one v1.04E was also released during this time, that was simply as a result of improvements in module two that sorted out some module one AI at the same time. That aside, everything has been about adding new content to the next module, and there were three areas I looked at in particular. Read on ...

CONVERSATIONS

First off, I continued to develop conversations for NPCs to complement both sub-quest and main quest lines. One NPC had quite a number of lines added that works with my newly developed SP/MP handling. i.e. When the conversation required MP (multi-player) handling, it does so, but the minute the content is angled more towards SP (single player), such as purchasing items, then the conversation seamlessly switches to a SP environment, allowing other players to continue with their own actions. Where this system is still quite new (even to me who developed the idea), I am still quite slow while making sure all the variables are being set as I need them to subject to which section of the conversation is taking place. Suffice to say, the ones I have updated so far work well, and include potential companion added comments if the payer has such in their party.

JOURNAL ENTRIES (QUESTS)

Tied closely to the conversations I have written are the (sub) quests that I have also added since last posted. I have managed to start three new quest lines as well as continue to add entries for existing quests. As it currently stands, I have now started around 25% - 33% of the total number of quests I hope to include by the time of release for module two. My goal regarding sub-quests is that they serve to either add more backstory or some form of greater reward for doing them. In this way, I hope such sub quests do not detract from the main story line, but help to give the player something extra to consider as they progress through the main story.

AREA DESIGN

This last week also had me back at area designing ... or rather continuing with an area that I had already started a few months ago, before I was sidetracked with both other material and seeing the Enhanced version of module one released. It's one of four interior designs that are required for the current quest I am writing. (This week's screenshot is from the area.)

For me, area designing is both a "love" and a "hate" thing. The "hate" is due to having to fill an otherwise large empty space with interesting stuff that will keep the player interested in spending time there ... and I do not have a lot of patience when it comes to filling in details like you find in some of the better designed games that can be bought and played. That said, however, I do find that when I start to fill an area with placeables, it can sometimes inspire me for a quest idea, and that is something that happened in the latest area design. This as a definite boon for any would-be player, as these design diversions are what bring an area to life in my experience.

i.e. It's not so much about what an area looks like or the content it has, but what a player can expect their PCs to do while there. A blandly designed area may be a "minus" point, but if the player is too involved with the action/plot/gameplay to notice, then that negative point can, hopefully, be swallowed up in the experience. That is how I find games work for me, and I hope the same applies to others that end up playing my modules. The only downside is I then get side-tracked to work on this new gameplay aspect before finally getting around to finishing off the area design itself. This is what happened this time too. Basically, the area is required for a main quest, but I like to add ideas that make the area interesting in and of itself.

CREATURE VISUALISER

I have also had the opportunity to try out KevL's Creature Visualiser plugin in the last few uses of the toolset, and am please to say that it works well as an alternative viewer to the "Armor Set" tab that a builder may have problems using in the official toolset. KevL says the plugin is still in alpha stage, but if it continues to improve at the rate it has been, then I guess it won't be long before it's good for many others to consider using too. I found it useful even at this stage!

And here on your right is the kitchen!

Episode 19: The Lore of the Land.

Writing for module two of The Scroll is back underway, after the last few weeks of preparing the first module for its "Enhanced" version release has come to an end. Now, at what I believe to be a stable v1.03 E (Enhanced), the first module has been "put aside" to allow me to concentrate on module two once more ...

ANOTHER AREA

I really thought I would not need to design yet another area, but circumstances dictated otherwise. Simply put, I felt reluctant to have a player reach a location where everything took place outside. So, although unscheduled, I designed an area where a player would also learn more about the lore of the land ... a Sanctuary. (This week's screen shot.)

RELIGIOUS TEXTS (LORE)

As a Christian, writing about the lore or religion of the world is something I find quite difficult. Not because I don't have an imagination for it, but because I do not want to write anything that could be taken the wrong way for whatever reason, or do a creation story "injustice". That's all I am going to say on the matter, except that I do think "religion" in a game is an important aspect for any world that wants to become more than something just superficial. Think of Tolkien's world of "Arda" in "Lord of the Rings" and the depth of lore involved in his world design, and you should recognise that is what goes a long way to giving his world depth.

That is the premise I used when I wrote the "history" for Althéa. Even before I wrote the first story or designed my first dungeon, I had much of the lore written down and in place. A complete world map was also drawn up, even though the main thrust of the campaign as it currently stands was only to take place on one continent: In the north-west continent called  Narborantra. I even have a version of the elf language that I use to help name the various places in my world with respect to the elvish names. E.g. Althéa is made from "alt" meaning "land" and "h(éa)" meaning world. So, we get the translation "world of land" from Althéa.

At the time I drew the world map, I also wrote the world history - and I also drew a second world map that showed how Althéa looked before a worldwide catastrophic event in its history known as the Debacle took place. The history written down served to explain what caused the Debacle and the events throughout all time, which included the coming of religions to Althéa. The bottom line: the religions of the world find their roots in this history of Althéa ... and not just from the perspective of what happened, but also from what was believed to have come to pass during that time. These are the "religious texts" I include in my campaign, written from the perspective of those who lived in that time ... and reflect beliefs and attitudes based upon "real" ways of thinking with respect to such. So, careful readers may notice logical arguments being posed around concepts not too dissimilar to our own world ... and not unlike the way Tolkien treated his own work.

However, I live in the age of computers, and while I have written a story about my world in book form, my main aim is to work such background for the world and campaign into the CRPG I am delivering to you in The Scroll for NWN2. And as the main thrust of any CRPG is more about action than cerebral study, these historical information dumps have to be handled in smaller packages than any normal book-reading may get away with. It is some of these parcels of lore/religious texts I have added this week. For those that have played The Scroll (module one), they take a similar format to those found in the Sanctuary of New Edgeton. The text themselves offer a deeper understanding behind the meaning to life in the world of Althéa, and careful readers will begin to see a deeper level of what drives characters in the world to do what they do, beyond the superficial.

I know many players will more than likely skip over these texts. However, I hope they are intriguing or challenging enough in their content to make the odd player or two sit back and think more about life, the universe and everything ... and not just of Althéa!

MOVING FORWARD

I am reaching a difficult point where I need to start bringing some of the plot lines together. At the moment, I have a number of plot lines (which the player may have followed in a number of ways), and I want to now make sure the combinations work. I also still have to finish the mega-dungeon, which is its own plot line, and a major one! I'll see what the days and weeks bring, and keep you updated.

Religious Texts To Study

Episode 18: The Scroll, Fixed, Enhanced & Polished!

DOWNLOAD The Scroll (LATEST ENHANCED)

I have to start with an apology for not bringing you anything "new" with respect to the second module ... although strictly speaking that would not be true, as there is plenty "new" that applies, but it's not so obvious to the player at first reading. It's all to do with improvements that affect the campaign as a whole, and so by default, also impact the second module. So what are these "enhancements" am I speaking about? Well, read on ...

ESSENTIAL FIXES

Let me get this out of the way for module one first: There was at least one game-breaking bug accidentally introduced in an earlier version, and a couple of others that would also break the game if the player took a certain path where the bug would raise its ugly head. The last two had gone under the radar of testing, as they were less likely to manifest. However, it would only take a slight change in direction for a player and they would be unable to continue their game too. So, most importantly, this latest release, called v1.00 ENHANCED, fixes those bugs.

ENHANCED VERSION

But what has been enhanced? This is less obvious to the player, but is certainly one of the biggest changes since earlier versions of The Scroll that the player will experience. It includes such things as:-

1) Repositioning of transitions to prevent "party squeeze" upon arriving at a destination. (Module.)
2) Removal of old scripts and some heartbeat scripts to improve performance.
3) Removed many "minor bugs", which although not game-breaking, did frustrate a player.
4) Updated core files in preparation of additional modules & improved MP support.
5) Update to the way Rules & Lore are first given.
6) Improved monster detection system & AI for more effective combat.
7) Many cosmetic improvements, such as adjusting box sizes to allow text to display correctly.

All in all, I addressed over 100 points with the earlier release of The Scroll to improve it, and as requested by players in some cases.

POLISHED!

Well, I guess builders are forever polishing their work. However, I do think that there will be less polishing of the first module from this ENHANCED version moving forward. I have gone over many scripts where I thought they needed it; my wife has been replaying for about a sixth time testing it, and all in all, I believe between us, we have now covered almost every aspect that needed addressing ... famous last words, I know. The point is, I have now done those things I always considered needed looking at and doing since initial release, and were highligted as issues as I began to work on module two.

MODULE TWO

I have started looking at module two again, as there was some crossover fixes that affected the second module more than the first. So, while new content has been short coming, although I did even add some recently, the important thing is that the campaign files are looking more robust since this latest update to the ENHANCED version.

ENHANCED RELEASE DATE

I am just running over some final transition testing and may allow my wife to reach the end of her latest play through, and then v1.00 of the ENHANCED version of The Scroll should be made available for you to download and enjoy ... I hope.UPDATE: The Scroll v1.00 E (Enhanced) was release on 19.11.19 and there is a link to its download at the top of this post.

New Rule Added To Players Information

Episode 17: Now Where Did I Put It?

What a fortnight of fixes and updates! For those following the module status, you will know that I have currently withdrawn v2.93 pending some final testing by my wife, which has helped bring my attention to a number of issues that I wanted to iron out. From the simple removal of some debug text to a rewrite of some core scripts. That's why the module has been withdrawn until I have this sorted. At the moment, my wife is replaying the campaign in "hard core" mode, where if a companion dies, then they are removed from the party and replaced by a tombstone. From there, the player must either raise the dead companion with the spell or take them to someone who can raise them. It's been during this play through I have been able to finally track down some of the old issues and even give a little bit of an update with containers. Read on for more information ...

CONTAINER FEEDBACK

Let me start with an interesting update. You may recall that I have feedback given on any recipe book a PC carries if they single left-click on it within their inventory. The code (which required a loop limitation fix) basically checks each of the individual recipe scrolls of the recipe book and gives the player basic info about every recipe the book carries without them having to open and check them individually. So now, as an extension of this idea, I decided to add a single left-click feedback to every container item the PC carries. i.e. Other containers will now (on a single left-click) give named feedback of each item within the container and how many of each there are. This saves the player having to hunt around, opening each bag looking for anything in particular. Now a chat message will simply give you the contents with a single click without having to open the container at all. (Check out this weeks screenshot to see how it looks in-game.)

HARD CORE DEATH SYSTEM

As I say above, the main hold up for v2.93 at the moment is final testing on the hard-core death system, which my wife is currently in the process of doing. So far, all has worked well with respect to companions dying and leaving tombstones since my latest rewrite of the death scripts. (I have now also made any tombstones sparkle gold to make it easier for the player to spot them.) Raising them either by spell or taking the body back to Orechin works fine. Initially there was a problem with odd duplicated items, but I changed the approach and now the system appears solid!

The last hurdle to overcome, which I believe I have now achieved was to ensure any plot items that a dead companion may have been carrying were transferred to the main PC upon the companion's death. This required a rewrite after I realised some players may have stashed an important plot item inside a container on the companion. This had also contributed towards the duplicated items issue mentioned above (with plot items), due to some plot items being left on the dead companion even after they had been transferred to the main PC. This has now been corrected too, and is the final part that requires further testing.

A slight update to the way the system works now, is that if a player chooses to abandon a fallen companion (option given when leaving the area and not picking up their body token), then items left at the tombstone will now still be left available to the player upon their return to it! The body token, however, that had been left on the tombstone will have been destroyed, meaning that companion is gone for good ... or bad. ;)

MODULE ONE UPDATED

The latest version of the campaign will also have an updated module one come out alongside the latest campaign files. This is because I went over a few of the areas that I felt needed their objects checked. Many of the areas had not been checked since their first design and I have learned a bit more about what works best since they first appeared. To this end I did things like remove oddly placed placeables (that were out of view), converted some placeables to environmental objects and removed scripts that were otherwise not being best employed. This included some heartbeat scripts that I felt may be costing more against overall performance than they were delivering in-game. e.g. Door heartbeat scripts simply to automatically close a door, even when not required. Hopefully, these alterations should go a long way to help overall performance for the player.

CAMPAIGN LATEST

So, v2.93 is sitting in the background, almost ready for release. Once again, many of the improvements that have gone into the latest campaign release have been driven by the need to get the scripting right for the addition of other modules moving forward. However, this also means I have been able to address quite a few annoying bugs that affect the first module. Example fixes ...

1. PLOT  STATUS: I discovered some plot items could accidentally lose their plot status in certain situations. Not good, but thankfully rare to never seen.

2. ENTRY SCRIPTS: I did a complete overhaul on these scripts due to the checks required for new modules, and then if SP or MP, and then if importing a PC, and then if starting afresh or coming from another module, and then if .... you get the idea I guess. In brief, I believe these scripts have been greatly improved, and I managed to tidy them up quite a bit. E.g. Before, if a player reloaded a game in a certain place, it would incorrectly assume they had just transitioned from somewhere else. Now a check is in place that stops all this kind of erroneous practice.

3. TB PAUSE COMBAT : I noticed a brief pause during my own testing when trying to unpause a TB combat round. I believe I have now removed this issue (which was rare anyway), and also tweaked the code to help the pause kick in on times when it appeared a bit reluctant to do so. Also removed GUI inhibitor to ensure combat GUI always showed when paused. Fixes here were minor and "cosmetic".

4. ITEM TRANSFER: Another nifty tool that I recommend all players to use is the right-click on an item within their inventory and use the Give To option to enable easy and fast transfer of items between their PCs. It really does make item transfer so much easier, especially alongside smaller portraits (if used). However, all this is also to point out that a minor fix was added to ensure container items did transfer on the first attempt. Previously, such items may have required more than one attempt to transfer successfully, even if told such anyway.

5. INVENTORY CLASS: A quick and simple cosmetic fix that ensured class names of a PC (as displayed within the inventory screen above the mannequin) fitted better and no longer had underscores in class names such as Spirit_Shaman > Spirit Shaman.

6. GOLD WEIGHT : An old problem that came back to haunt for a little while due to me missing an official gold script that was being used within conversations. Basically, I have to use my own gold transfer scripts rather than the official campaign ones due to the way gold works in my system.

And examples of campaign updates that module one also gains immediate benefit ...

1. REST/WAIT GUI: An improved rest/wait system that now works on direct button press (when options available) or cancel. Before a player had to potentially make a selection before confirming with OK. This was both confusing and potentially a backdoor to a rest exploit due to the cancel callback returning zero, which still means something other than cancel as it currently stood. This was required because some rest/wait options may not be available in The Scroll, meaning a proper cancel callback was required.

2. PARTY KEYS: Another small but quite useful update is the update that allows a door to be "unlocked" by any party member, as long as somebody in the party has the key required. Caveat: A PC with the Open Locks skill may still try to pick the lock first (if they do not have the key), but will immediately use any key present in the party thereafter.

3. PC SKILL BOOK: The PC skill book (which every PC receives at the start of the game) has had its look changed to help it stand out. It's a minor alteration, but I often confused it with any holy book a cleric may have been carrying too, so it just helps distinguish the book. (Of course, there is always the likelihood another book will clash in the future, but at least it will be less frequent.)

4. AUTO LIGHT : Players of The Scroll may be aware that a PC could auto-equip a light source if they entered an area that was effectively pitch black. This also used to auto enable low light or dark vision if the PC had the ability. Due to some difficulties, I decided to remove the auto-enabling of low light or dark vision, but ensured another light source was auto-equipped if the players controlled PC entered a dark area and had not got any potential low light or dark vision enabled. This is done as a check throughout the party the player controls, so if they do not have an alternative light source, but another member does, then they will auto-light the area. The code now also ensures any lantern equipped has fuel to burn so it is not quickly removed again.

Let Me Check This Container For It!

Episode 16: Running Away!

It's been a mixed bag of goings on with the campaign over the last couple of weeks. From adding more content, to fixing bugs and more testing! Unfortunately, I made an annoying discovery while testing some encounters with a party without the Companion Protector feat. The "hard core" death system had another bug in it, which is now patched in the current latest v2.92. It came to light as I tried to run away from an encounter that was too tough for my test party ... This weeks screenshot shows the GUI that was not quite doing what it was meant to do and highlighted the issue.

TIDYING CODE

Tracing the issue I discovered back to its origin, I believe it was introduced when I did a fairly large rewrite of the core transition code, which I did last summer. The problem is, with much of my own testing (and I suspect the same with most players), I tend to employ the Companion Protector feat during testing (or playing), which means I do not see the hard-core death system come into play that often. I only noticed it this time because I was testing an encounter which turned out to tough for me, and some of my party died (leaving tombstones) due to playing in a hard-core death system mode.

Basically, the idea is that should a player have an encounter which they deem to be too tough for their party, then if they are able to have a PC run away from the combat and reach the transition point before being killed themselves, then they will be given the option to end the encounter and respawn their party with an XP penalty (negated if they have another specific feat). See screenshot below.

On testing, the GUI ended the encounter, but failed to respawn the dead PCs! This was because these dead PCs were "dead" in a different way to the "normal" way. Closer inspection of the code also highlighted that the same check would have prevented a player from being able to transition their party while carrying dead companions. My heart sank at this discovery, as it meant any player playing The Scroll this way would have had a real difficulty. It had made the system just a little too hard-core, as I had never meant for a player not to be able to carry their dead companions back to Orechin (the priest) to be able to have them raised if they had the gold.

ENCOUNTER FLEEING

Anyway, I believe I have fixed those transitions for a party carrying dead companions now, and furthermore, an encounter that is fled should now raise fallen companions regardless of the death system used. I admit that I have not fully tested this yet, but the testing I have done appears to indicate all is well. However, this is the kind of thing that other players could help test in the field. Therefore, if anybody is playing The Scroll (without the Companion Protector feat), then please let me know how the death system is working for you.

Note: Module one does not have specific overland encounters of the type I mention above, but does still require feedback with respect to general usage, especially when carrying fallen companions back across areas.

CONTINUED WRITING

As for new content for module two, I have been continuing to write the conversations. These can be quite difficult for me, as depending upon my concentration for the day, I may write more or less. The problem is also compounded by the need to keep track of the variables where conversations relate to one another.

So far, however, I have written two more rather lengthy conversations, and have reached a point where I can add to them without having to recall what came before. i.e. The conversations are not fully completed for the NPCs in question, but at least one stage of them is.

CONTINUED SCRIPTING

Not only have I been writing conversations, but I have also been putting together various scripts to work as a whole event. This required some tidying of some more older scripts, but less seriously than the transition ones, and related to resting instead. The problem I am finding now is that some of the older scripts are not as well written as I would like and so I am put in a position where I am tidying them (and improving them) to work with the newer material. I am keeping any alterations to a minimum, but if I see something that is just plain wrong, it is being updated. I am also adding more comments to the scripts where I believe they were lacking from before.

PLAY TESTERS

This may be a strange request ... well perhaps not after this report, but I am looking for somebody (or more) who may like to consider playing The Scroll module one without the Companion Protector feat. The game would be a lot harder, but I am hoping it would also give me some feedback with respect to the latest updates as well as this way of playing. Any play tester would also have priority feedback and help from me if they needed it. Let me know if you are interested.

Abandoning An Encounter Choice To Continue Onwards!

Episode 15: Making Progress!

It's been a little while since I last posted on the progress of module two of "The Scroll", but there is good news: It continues to be written and I am still making progress. One of the reasons I have not had anything to say is because it would involve discussing a lot of spoilers. That said, here is what I can say to bring you up to date ...

ALL SYSTEMS GO!

I finally finished the new GUI that the player will pick up towards the end of module two, designed specifically to add a dimension to the mega-dungeon on which the second module will climax. Well, it may not be quite the end for the module, but close enough that I am currently assuming this to be the last dungeon a player will play through before module three! (God willing.) The GUI itself works like a charm ... well, not literally being a D&D game ;) ... but I mean to say works well.

Now that it is in place and working, I can now refer to it as a game mechanic and start to increase the amount of material that works alongside its inclusion, which means I can start shaping the conversations, items and placeables required in the module to make the whole thing come together. To this end, I have written the first conversation required for Kiri-Dor, of which I took a screenshot for this post.

OVERLAND MAP

Alongside working the new mechanics and conversations for the mega-dungeon, I have been going over the overland map code, ensuring encounters work and general player interaction is intuitive. In testing, I found exploring the map quite fun! For those that don't know (which I guess may be everybody), my own overland map exploration assumes the PC in the party with the best skills when hiding from a creature or searching for something. This means the player is not penalised on an overland map just because their main PC did not have the skills that the overland map makes use of. Basically, as long as somebody in the party has the skills, then the whole party benefit. This is a premise I work to with respect to all party skills. In this way, as I explored the overland with my own party, I discovered various hidden objects and was able to decide (mostly) which encounters I would face. All ran smoothly and made the whole exploration process quite a delight.

Another aspect I have been working on is also to allow players to be able to "shop" at locations they have previously visited without having to enter the areas with them again. For example, the player may click on the object representing New Edgeton to be able to purchase items from there as if they were in the New Edgeton area.

MODULE COMPARISONS

I thought it might be worthwhile to give some comparisons between my first and second module to help explain its current state of development. Module one was very much designed as an introductory module for the world of Althéa and the many new mechanics. A player could join the game either knowing nothing about the campaign or having come from its "pen and paper" background, which was necessary for my own players. The course of the adventures that followed was crucially about removing the barrier from around the village of New Edgeton so the heroes could continue their journey towards Boran, the capitol city.

In the second module, the heroes will learn more about the main story irrespective of their background. Events that have transpired over the last two years are now learned as the heroes are no longer trapped and isolated within New Edgeton. This liberation means a player can run headlong towards the action, all restraints removed, in the hope of either learning more about the world and its influential characters, or simply getting on with the job that needs to be done (subject to the background chosen). Needless to say, in module two, it is not long before all players are brought up to speed with their own destiny within the world of Althéa.

Module one comprised a number of quests, small, medium and large. By comparison, module two will have probably fewer smaller quests, but rather medium, large or much larger ones, simply due to the importance of the quest in which they find themselves involved. However, I am aiming to design the second module in such a way that may break these larger scenarios into more manageable chunks, so that the player does not feel either overwhelmed, nor left wondering what is required of them.

One of the major differences of module two (and the more difficult to design), is that events are more linked than those of module one, or appear to me as such at this point in design. The problem is, they may start off as isolated events, but end up becoming associated with one another as time goes by. This does add a layer of difficulty in the overall design, but one that will play well if I pull it off ... or so I believe anyway. That all said, I still hope to put in the odd independent scenario or two, as I believe they can make for some interesting side events.

What this means in development terms is that I am having to write different sections at the same time, going from one part, then to another. It makes it easier to ensure all variables are correct for each possible path taken by the player. At this time of writing, I have managed to start 75% of the larger dungeons, and completed only one smaller dungeon. Personally, I would like to achieve at least 5-10 small dungeons/quests, but am keeping my options open on that subject to how long the main quests take to write up. For even though I have started 75% of these larger quests, I would say I have probably only written around 10% of each, of which there are at least 4-5 overall. Time will tell.

EXCITING

The one thing I can say with respect to everything to date is that I am finding it all exciting. Especially as I am now working with a new module where I can work from a background of knowing what has worked or not worked in the past. To this end, even module one has benefited from some of the upgrades of module two, including the ability to stack craft items and trap kits. (This is already available in module one since v2.91, which is already out for download.) i.e. Continued work with module two has given improvements to module one where possible.

Module two has the benefit of better area design ... or perhaps I should say, more practical area design. In that I am doing my best to keep areas free of clutter to enable better PC movement, especially when encountering other creatures for combat.

For myself, it is just great to be able to write conversations that develop the story further. It is frustrating knowing how it all ends, and not yet being able to deliver it to the players. I just hope I am around long enough, as well as the NWN2 community, to be able to deliver it!

From Simple Ideas, Great Stories Grow!

Episode 14: The Mega-Dungeon (Part 2)

After resolving the issues mentioned in the last blog, I finally got back to looking at my "mega-dungeon" for module two. The frustrating thing, however, is that as excited as I am about telling you all about it, I cannot say too much for fear of revealing spoilers! However, as I have now finally overcome some of the coding and toolset issues I had encountered for my latest ideas, I would at least like to tell you something about the overall progress ... and so if you are interested, read on ...

MEGA THREE DIMENSIONS!

One of my biggest gripes about the NWN toolset is its inability to deal effectively with a z-axis. (Height in areas.) Please note, I am not complaining, but just note that trying to work with any z-axis idea is somewhat restricted/difficult when trying to give a player the feeling of depth in the environment. Having better z-axis control would be in my top ten updates if it were a dream come true.

So, while working within the constraints laid upon me, I decided to go through with an idea I had in mind to help give the illusion of a greater z-axis with respect to the mega-dungeon I am designing ... and I think I may have pulled it off to a degree with an idea I used. I am not saying anything more, except to say that if and when the player experiences it, I hope they get a minor "wow" factor from viewing the experience. I imagine it won't be a long lasting experience, but enough to show I gave the third dimension some thought, and tried to incorporate it it in such a way that adds a new element of play for the player.

MEGA MECHANICS!

I alluded to this in earlier posts, but will now confirm: The mega-dungeon environment will be more interactive with its own themed mechanics. Not only am I trying to give the player a whole new environmental feel to their NWN2 experience, but there will also be another layer of gaming interaction complementing the environment in which the mega-dungeon takes place!

In other words, players will learn more about their existing story tasks through deeper interaction with the gaming environment of the mega-dungeon, which involves whole new abilities and challenges to overcome, alongside the existing mechanics that the player already knows and loves.

As one small example of the kind of thing I am including, which has already been quizzed by readers of this blog, is how the PCs will be able to acquire or replace items in a dungeon where no stores may exist. POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT: One of the means by which I have overcome this issue is by the introduction of a special device (which shall remain unnamed) with which the PC can interact (as long as they have learned how to and meet certain criteria), to "acquire" items. Basic interaction is quickly learned, but further interaction requires exploration and extra discoveries by the PCs. It's still work in progress with respect to what items will be available, but this blog's screenshot shows a little of the interaction GUI, which I was finally pleased to get working! (NOTE: The area is not finished.)

I was gratified that I managed to be able to include image icons in the new GUI listings. It required more coding than I first thought would be necessary, but, nevertheless, the end result looked good to me ... and the GUI has been tested as working satisfactorily. It just needs to have all relevant items (and their data) added now. Basically, I had to make a LIST GUI in the same way I made the Bestiary listings in "The Scroll", which means having to add data for every entry! A tedious task.

MEGA DEVELOPMENT!

To further emphasise the new mechanics involved, I am also having to script another GUI that will show after the PCs learn about some of the background behind the latest events of the main story, and grow close to the mega-dungeon environment.This GUI shows party development with the knowledge they acquire while they adventure. It will show a "progression chart", with abilities learned or yet to learn, and any requirements to do so. It currently comprises four paths, (each with a number of steps of their own), which are fully explained in the literature that the PCs will discover in the course of their time in this environment. I have already written one of the readable books that they can come across, which covers more details for them.

Current progress of the latest module is relatively staggered, due to personal circumstances more than lack of ideas. Furthermore, thinking about an exciting aspect to include is one thing, but writing the code to put that idea in place is another. The story I had in mind has also "grown" in stature to support some of those design concepts I wanted to include. i.e. A mega-dungeon, by its very name, implies something of larger proportions than your average dungeon. Therefore, I have needed to add a couple more areas to ensure that scale and gameplay can be maintained without compromising the overall story arc.

On a final note, I can add that I am enjoying the results so far, and hope other players have the same reaction to certain events and gaming aspects as I have had, even in these early stages, as that will mean the idea was successful.

If you have anything you want to ask, comment on, or simply suggest as an idea that might be 
worth considering inclusion, then please add a comment and let me know.

Party Are Presented Items In A New List GUI (WIP)

Episode 13: Entering The Module.

As regular readers of this blog will know, part of the time spent preparing the next module is ensuring a player can bring a PC (or party) from the first module into the next. When considering the potential PC/party combinations involved; from a whole party, just an exported main PC, or a selection of PCs from previous games, the preparation for such can become quite involved, especially where existing equipment and any variables are concerned ... that is some of what I have been up to the last week or so.

While I had already written a fair amount of this module changeover code, I recently came across a problem of duplicated items when building a party from a number of PCs that had all played in module one before. An obvious result, but one I needed to cater for in case another player did anything similar. Furthermore, I discovered that "equipped weapons" did NOT keep their variables (as I first thought they had done), which meant I had to rewrite the variable container code to ensure all weapons were also stored between a module change over.

BREAK OR NONE!

SITUATION ONE (FROM A SAVED GAME): The ideal solution is to cater for players continuing playing the first module from where they left off. That is, they click on the world transition (now available) and the new module loads (after updating the campaign and module files) and the party continue on the world map in module two.

This works fine for players playing the first module and straight onto the second module that would be available to them after they finish, or a player who has added the second module and has a saved game from which they can load their last game from module one.

As such, all equipment, PCs and henchmen should, in theory, transfer and play fairly straightforward.

SITUATION TWO (EXPORTED PC FROM MODULE ONE): If a player does not have a complete saved game (recommended), but had kept an exported PC (from version 2.88* onwards), then they will be able to choose to start the campaign from module two (or three if and when available) and import this PC as their prime PC instead.

(*) Earlier exported versions will work apart from weapons losing their "condition" status. In this case, the player would have to "examine" any weapon they carry upon entering the game to ensure a new condition for the weapon was set. Furthermore, "Runic" enhanced weapons lose their property due to variables being lost on weapons prior to version 2.88. NB: Using any final "saved game" version will allow a player to keep these variables due to using new code from v2.88 to store the variables between module transfers.

For those players who may have played the first module more than once and has a number of potential PCs they could import, then I have also catered form a player importing each of these to form a complete party (to a maximum of four in the normal manner).

Some code now checks what level and equipment these character have and adjust them accordingly. So, if all goes well, only the main character will have "The Scroll" and any unique items (like "Betsy") will only be found on one imported character. Furthermore, single container items that are a maximum of one per player, like "Treasure Bags", are now automatically managed to ensure this remains the case. Any items found in containers "removed" are placed in a chest that the player can loot if need be.

SITUATION THREE (NEW PLAYERS): Quite simply, any new PCs will be levelled and offered equipment according to the level and ability expected. This happens after a player selects which module they wish to start from a module selection menu.

After selecting the module from which to start, the player's PC is moved to the appropriate module, XP given and then the player can interact with nearby placeable objects and a local store to buy anything else they require before moving onto the world map.

MODULE TWO OTHER

Another aspect of code writing specifically for module two has been with respect to some "new creature" properties. I obviously cannot go into detail to avoid spoilers, but suffice to say it included a new VFX among some other new properties for these "class" of creatures that the party will meet in the mega-dungeon ... which I continue to work with.

It was while testing combat versus one of these "new" creatures that I realised the variables had not transferred with the weapon I was using, which was an imported PC from module one. Hence, I had to switch from content writing to mechanics fixing ... but now hopefully will be able to return to the former in the days ahead.

Are We ready To Set Off Now?