Solvheil Development Blog

Steam is Lame

2011-11-11T01:54:00.002-05:00

Why would you want to download the entire game from the internetz when you have the disc in the drive?

"C:\Program Files\Steam\Steam.exe" -install E:

For 64 bit systems

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\Steam.exe" -install E:

Replace E: with your DVD drive.

11/11/11

2011-11-11T00:22:00.002-05:00

Installing.

The last binary date I will likely live to see (I think) barring medical breakthroughs that extends life a few hundred years, and I will spend it playing Skyrim.

Now the question remains how much time will I spend playing before the lure of looking behind the curtain overtakes me. I give it 2 days.

TES Creation Kit

2011-10-04T06:50:00.002-04:00

A little over a month before Skyrim is released, and I am already 99% sure that it will be my new toolset of choice. I've spent a little time trying to familiarize myself with the Construction Set as a primer to how the new tools will work. I won't lie, it is very similar in concept to Aurora/Electron, but very different in practice.

While I still maintain my best times were had working with NWN/NWN2, I just don't see the viability of it for mainstream appeal anymore. Time is a cruel master and tarnishes even the finest shiny metal. That and I have become quite fond of working within the Single Player experience after my work in NWN2.

Granted, I truly miss the building/running of large multiplayer worlds such as NWNOnline: Cormyr the Forest Kingdom PW from the NWN1 heyday. However, because I have no intention of taking an engine and building an entire game around it, I am limited to what releases and tools are made available. Right now, that looks like Skyrim.

Sooooo Bethesda eh? I hadn't honestly spent much time with them although I am familiar with their work. Never played Morrowind...just "finished" Oblivion to get familiar with the gameplay. Yeah, I think I can make this work.

I may just cast Raise Dead on this blog.

Custom Content Joys and Woes

2010-03-01T22:40:00.003-05:00

RWS has been very kind to area design, although I am having a heck of a time with a few tiles. For some reason, there are some key tiles missing from the various RWS tilesets in the all in one package. The placeholder is there for them, but they fail to render in the preview or in the toolset when attempting to place them.

For the most part, I have been able to get around them by using replacements. Although, I do think that the set could be much more versatile if these functioned in the combo hak, as I know that they work for the most part in the individual RWS Tile haks. It almost makes these beauties much like the Shadow Palace tileset....gorgeous, but limited in variation. I know if these pieces worked, that problem would disappear.

Pretty soon, I'll begin to assemble the required non-area hak assets. Sadly, that will have to be a custom hak in the absence of a 'Best Of' compilation that I don't feel would be a unneeded waste.

Building the Team

2010-02-21T00:37:00.003-05:00

With a title like that, you'd think I was about to make my Mass Effect 2 confessions. So what if I sent Jacob to his death in the ventilation shaft. I'm pretty sure he was messing around with Miranda and got snippy with me about it. That and I like to have the weapons room all to myself to roll around on the ground with my sniper rifle. (oh, and as the ultimate in jerk moves, I dropped Miranda for Tali, then Jack after we saved the universe...sheesh, how's that for cold-blooded renegade?)

Besides that little incident and losing Legion somehow (I must have missed a transmission), we all got out alive. If you don't know what I'm talking about, get Mass Effect 2! Also, don't believe the message that has enhancement advertisement to become big like Krogan, that stuff doesn't work!

No, the title refers to the effort to make this latest NWN2 project a more diverse affair. I've had great fortune in the meeting of Jason D Smith aka shmity72, who has agreed to help put this thing together. There is another individual working through some WIN7/Toolset issues who I will announce as soon as I ask his naming preference.

Is the team complete? Heck no! Join up if you get the development itch. The more minds that collaborate on a project, the grander it becomes (to a point of course). I'd love to have a well rounded team who can get their hands dirty on all of the many aspects of building an adventure. There's plenty to go around, I assure you. I also promise not to send you into a ventilation shaft to override a blast door.

RIP Jacob, I just couldn't trust ya after seeing what your dad did on that planet. Why do you think I never left you alone on the ship with Miranda?

Pseudo-Science and Companions

2010-02-04T00:32:00.001-05:00

Anyone who's thumbed through the in game Tome of Koth knows that I'm a pretty big fan of pseudo-science and trying to attach semi-plausible explanations to certain elements of a fantasy setting. There's a pretty strong 'Unified Field Theory' involved in the gameworld that tries to further tie together matter, energy, gravity, time, magic, sound, etc. Thus the reason that bards can cast spells, or bards + mages = altered boom. Even the reason that the Ruins of Solvheil are a giant divot in the otherwise flat plane of the material world with everything bending around it.

There are a few good shows that also explore some of these "maybe this is why, and, what would happen if" situations. At least one of these has caused me to spit coffee across my desk, curse at my television, and rewrite things midstream because some elements were getting a little too close for comfort lol. Another reason that I'm glad the SoS trilogy is for the most part, done.

I've often thrown things into the story that were asides from my bad habit of watching the History channel (ala the Dwarven Bagdad Battery, or the Nalassian cliffside watermill). So here's another little tid-bit that will feed into the current adventure.

Silver, often revered in ancient times for its healing qualities (true) is the reason that it is a powerful ally against such afflictions such as lycanthropy or the undead. It's pure healing power is a bane to the sicknesses that twist and rot.

Silver was sometimes ingested which in some extreme cases, caused a blue tint to the skin (true). Now here's the rub:

A lycanthrope/undead hunter NPC of a sacred/secret order. This order of hunters ingests silver to purify themselves and cause their very bodies to be toxic to their prey. Naturally they sport the vague blue hue to their skin, and wear a cool looking Van Helsing-ish hat (well, maybe). I envision them using a heavy crossbow with wooden or silver-tipped bolts/stakes as they drop their foul foes. While not clergy, they do employ the divine tools of the temple such as holy-water, symbols, etc.

I've also been toying with the idea of this particular hunter companion to be taking the silver supplements to contain something within themselves as well, perhaps something to reveal late in the module as they utilize this innate ability in combat/cutscene.

This is one of those framed-out ideas that I just haven't had a chance to go flesh out. I figured I'd throw it out there to see if anyone had any suggestions or holes that could be shot in the idea before I get over that way.

Tomb of Eldrynn and Mini-Map Lament

2010-02-03T00:17:00.002-05:00

This is the Tomb of Eldrynn which lies partially hidden in the Great Forest of Dalreon. Again, this area is far from finished from a detail standpoint, but just getting the tiles in place and a few key objects sets the tone and allows me to feel like a little progress has been made.

The party visits this area pretty late in the adventure after learning that the key to defeating their undead adversary is finding a weapon used to injured them in their mortal life. How's that for semi-spoilertastic?

Now, on to my lament. I will never be able to use a mini-map until I can keep myself from jumping all over hell and half of Georgia. I seem to have this problem with writing stories that require long distance travel, like across the continent long. Maybe I should use the ole Indiana Jones airplane map effect.

Anyhow, I have always wanted to use a mini-map. I even made one long ago for the Isle of Sampeatos, although it just wouldn't work for the kind of location hopping that all of the adventures that I've written require. I will have to make myself the same promise that I've used to cheer myself up before: Next time.

Jungle Ruins

2010-02-02T00:06:00.004-05:00

Have I ever gushed over RWS additions to the NWN2 toolset before? Yes? Well here I go again. These are the jungle ruins that reside beneath the pyramid structures from the Sampeatos Jungle shots earlier.

I used RWS Dungeons for the initial spiral staircase, then switched via stairway to their Dark Ruins tiles. I haven't done much in the way of detail just yet, but I seem to draw satisfaction from these initial rough sketches. Throwing together landscape and placeables, even in the mildest sense to set a tone is one of my greatest thrills in area design. In other words, this may not look like much right now, but serves as a sketched-up placeholder for when the story arrives here.

While I was doing this area, I happened to stumble upon 'Dusk till Dawn' (Clooney's best role evah! Keitel, meh, he's done better) on one of the countless movie channels on TV which really fit the mood perfectly. While the mod doesn't feature a truck stop on top of a pyramid it does connect a certain affliction to an ancient exotic culture.

Hopefully I can convey through the two areas that the blood of the sacrificed is gathered via the large snake statue in the temple structure and dropped upon some soil to be packed up and fed-exed. These shipments serve the main 'paper-trail' followed by the party bringing them to this point.

On a technical note, I am having some trouble with the walkmesh of this tileset. It seems that any offshoot door tile from a hallway tile (with the exception of the one door in the middle variety) has a broken walkmesh, thus rooms cannot be connected. It may be a good thing since I am trying to do something that I've had trouble with my entire NWN life, keeping area size small.

Next up, I'll show off some screens of another crypt that the party explores late in the module before their return to Lontharvia.

Hey Man, Got Any Grass?

2010-02-01T00:02:00.004-05:00

One area that I've never felt that confident about in area design is setting down grass on a rural area. I'm back to that point in the Shivering Pines since I've finished the trees, placebles, and texturing. This is the part where I make a quick backup erf and just throw caution to the wind.

It always comes down to how much is too much, and whether to use a pattern or subscribe to chaos. Actually, I think it is a combination of both. I normally plop down a humanoid creature to judge height and begin to throw a few patches here and there to see how it blends. I've never been one to use more than one grass type at a time, instead preferring to use the smallest brush possible and the lowest possible pressure to have the ultimate control over placement (I also use the hell out of my cntrl-Z).

Things are coming along nicely! Taking a look, I have quite a few of my main areas framed out nicely.

In Order of Appearance:

-Shivering Pines Forest
-Spinehollow
-Dra'ithkyrn Family Crypt
-Evertide
-Evertide Sewers
-Sea of Aluun
-Crown Port
-Sampeatos Jungle
-Jungle Ruins
-Crypt of Eldrynn

Now if I could just find someone to handle the NPC designs, dialogue, and scripting....badda-bing badda boom lol. Seriously though, I would like to bring in some additional writing talent to help fill in some of the gaps.

I'll have to work to get the design doc finished so that there exists a little clearer picture of what this adventure is all about. At the moment, the walkthrough reads like a bullet point list which I need to make legible paragraphs out of.

By the way, has anyone had a chance to try out this nice looking Mimic model that was put on the vault by ArtEChoke? http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2Models.Detail&id=195

I haven't tried it in the toolset/game yet, but the screenshots look very promising.

Screenshots: Jungles of Sampeatos

2010-01-31T17:23:00.003-05:00

Here are some in-progress shots of a jungle area for BTSP. I know, I know, what the heck is a jungle area doing in a module about classic horror? Well, that's a little twist of the story that I am currently working on getting out of my head and into the design document.

One of the hardest parts of the process is to take the fluid ideas and solidify them on paper so it is easily understandable to someone who isn't privy to telepathy. It also helps me keep things straight as well. While I know I want A, B, and C events to occur and I want to include areas 1, 2, and 3; it helps to keep the critical path of the story organized to help tie it al together.

I'm going to call this area almost finished. While I would like to be done with plopping trees down, I am far from finished with foliage. I am still currently creating the Shivering Pines forest, and have yet to begin a small area in Dalreon's Great Forest.

Oh, did I mention that I still have the overwhelming urge to do an Asian themed mod sometime soon as well? Will I be able to keep my concentration on one thing at a time? Probably not.

Misery Stone...

2010-01-26T23:48:00.002-05:00

...is just plain kickass, and I really can't review it any better than that.
The full title of the module should read, "Misery Stone: and THAT'S how it's done".

As soon as I finish it off, I'm going to finally dig into Trinity.

Of Our Elaborate Plans, The End

2010-01-25T06:00:00.009-05:00

Granted, the trilogy is done and out, but didn't end exactly like I would have liked to. The original title to III was Chasing the Golden Dragon and was to take place in Orilyn (the Asian/elf inspired eastern empire). This was before MotB got released and I included Beneath the Hearleforne as part II. Crusaders of Shalihir was to be the middle or at least a jumping off point.

The original ending wasn't an ending at all, but had the player stop the chain reaction (which I know I failed to convey it's even existence in the current build) caused by the Sarcophagus of Rel powering/channeling the remaining crystals beneath Solvheil. In doing so, the player is transported through time (because time is an illusion/fluid) to Orilyn long before, arriving naked on a beach completely respecced.

At one point, I tried to think of a reason to include a shipwreck because it's always such a dramatic piece of area design, but couldn't. Although the use of ships and docks have been used pretty liberally throughout the series, sometimes even without water.

That mod, Chasing the Golden Dragon followed the player in their quest to ascend Mount Dramoto and face the worshiped Golden Dragon with full knowledge that it is actually Rel and that all regions basically follow the same creator, calling him by different names. Torrne being a channel to Rel as a combatant of demons and demi-gods.

So getting to Mount Dramoto was going to involve conspiracy in the empire, some Sabaril vs. Zinyari action (read: Half-elf Samarui vs. Dark-Elf Ninjas), as well as a need to travel to the Zhanthul Jungle to acquire rare spices to help make the journey up the mountain.

See, the top of Mount Dramoto is actually a pocket plane, or at least where the veil between the material plane is barely intact. That is the reason Orilyn is such a spirit-infested land is the ease of passing, at least to some degree, into the material plane. So one doesn't exactly "climb" the mountain, although it indeed feels that way.

There was also a bit of a subplot involved with lycanthrope melee fighters (ala Weretiger Kung Fu) and the experimentation of some to create a weredragon. This leads into the premise that both the Orilyn and Zinyari already possess dragon blood in their lineage; Orilyn the Golden Dragon, Zinyari a shadow dragon.

This dragon heritage is responsible for many of the races unique powers such as the Sabarils channeling of their interior power, to the ability of others to use charisma based sorcery instead of traditional casting.

Anyhow, at the end, the player meets the Golden Dragon. They acknowledge each other's true identities and the player is sent on to the next module: "Champions of Rel" to do some extra-planar battle with demons, dragons, and titans (basically this is where epic levels may have kicked in as Chasing the Golden Dragon would have been generous in experience to let the player take Weapon Master prestige).

I was always disappointed in a good Sphinx model for NWN2. In NWN1, I used the Wemic and had it winged. I know there were already androsphinx and gynosphinx models added in Shadows of Undrentide, but the original host of sphinx were much more armed melee combat centaur-ish winged lions with human torsos that kicked ass and left a glowing footprint. So the player would have led an army of them for great justice (with a side order of spaghetti).

These last few mods would have wrapped up the explanation of how Torrne could be exist in multiple places within the same period of time, and how he was indeed Rel's champion selected to stand watch over mankind (from either topside, or ground level). It also would have shed a bit more light on the entire portfolio of pantheon, how Rel was basically the lone deity and merely addressed by different names or through different channels, as well as the limitations of the subdieties who did achieve immortality, but not omnipotence.

Obviously that grandiose plan wasn't going to happen and I had to wrap things up a bit. All in all, it didn't end exactly how I would have liked, but I am quite pleased that it did have an ending. There were several times that I came close to perma-shelving part III and starting fresh. Luckily I have the greatest community of builders/enthusiasts around me, and one uber-talented cutscene guy that was willing to lend a sunbeam engulfed helping hand.

Now I'm toying around with a handful of pretty decent (IMHO) areas that all fit into a separate adventure. I've been considering asking a longtime old school friend of mine to join up with me and ratchet up this romp across the continent. Him and I both had the same enthusiasm for games/gaming/design/3D Modeling, and artistically, he is faaaar superior to myself. However, he has since wandered off and never focused on game design (hasn't even ever played NWN/NWN2/etc). If I could seduce him to the darkside without losing too many midaclorians in some freak severing of limbs, things would look pretty freaking awesome. As soon as I attach that carrot to a stick, I may give this pitch a go.

Pea Soup and Docs

2010-01-05T23:01:00.004-05:00

One aspect of design that I've never felt 100% at, environmental effects. Fog, shade, sun, etc. Anyhow, the challenge in this are was to have it dark/foggy enough to be forboding and dangerous, yet allow enough visability for certain background objects (like the mill and castle) to be visable from the far side of town. I think it turned out pretty good for just winging it. I will likely revisit it several times and keep fiddling with the settings.

In other woes, I'm learning just how many trees, vines, and canopies it takes to make a 20x20 jungle area, yikes.

I'm starting to consider putting a more formal touch to the storyline. Right now it exists as the normal collection of texts and spreadsheets (along with the stuff in my head). I have moved most of my stuff over to Google Docs to have backedup/accessed, so there is that. The main motivator was my Motorola Droid phone and the ability to access them all from anywhere.

Perhaps writing this out as an old-school adventure mod would be structured. Something like Isle of Dread or Palace of the Silver Princess (the two that I had lol). Where the story, description, stats are all there and seperated by visual dividers as to what was presented to the player(s), and what was for DM knowledge. That may just make it easier to stay focused on the critical path of the adventure while leaving the nessasary tributaries for side-quests (not that I ever have time to go back and add those in as much as I would like anyway).

Crown Port

2010-01-03T23:18:00.003-05:00

A little more detail on Crown Port which is admittedly inspired by Port Royal in Jamaica. Crown Port is located on the Isle of Sampeatos and acts as a major trading hub between the kingdom of Dalreon and the Orilyn empire.

Because of the vast amounts of currency and goods that pass through the streets, Crown Port is a constant target for pirates and thieves. Backed into the untamed jungles of Sampeatos, the city walls protect residents from any number of untold dangers that lurk in the lush surroundings.

Moving Forward a bit with NWN2

2009-12-30T00:02:00.002-05:00

I've decided to do some more building in the NWN2 toolset, just because it is comfortable right now and I'm not in the awkward, learning mood this winter break. So, here are a few screenshots of the yet unnamed village (juggling between Stormhollow and Spinehollow) that sits at the base of Dra'ithkyrn Castle in Lontharvia.

Hak wise, I am sticking to using the RWS All-In-One combo as it gives the most bang for the buck as far as combination haks go. The way I have this baked right now, all three RWS tower models in the castle have walkable balconys each set at varied heights. The biggest trick will be getting the fog settings set well enough to allow visability between the two, while maintaining the creepy musty ambience of a forest/mountain setting.

Decisions Decisions

2009-12-19T03:34:00.004-05:00

One nice thing about having a semi-short attention span is that when you finally do finish and release a project, you have lots of leftovers. Such is the case with a few areas that I built before I finished Crusaders of Shalihir.

Now I stare into the abyss of starting a new adventure that I have semi-written, and asking myself which toolset to use. These areas are quite a few points in the NWN2 direction as a few major locations are already plotted out. I think, in the end, it will come down to market. The question will be, are there still enough people playing NWN2 mods to make it worthwhile.

Honestly, I'm hoping that there are. It's not that I don't want to use the Origins toolset, I just don't want to start right now. I'm going to let my just released module test the waters. That should help me gauge whether to stay with the whats familiar, or attempt to blaze a new path.

Crown Port

Evertide

Finito: Uploaded to the Vault

2009-12-16T22:25:00.007-05:00

While it seems like I've been working on this forever (and in truth, very little work was involved), Sands of Solvheil III: Crusaders of Shalihir is uploaded to the vault and sitting in Pending Approval status.

Whew!

It's like having labor pains when the kid is 2 yrs old already (best analogy I could think up on the spot).

Well that's that, it is done. Three mods that I intended to be a different three mods (this was originally only part II) have been designed, developed, and delivered. The story is told, although maybe not as originally intended. Naturally had I made the one after this the ending would have been changed slightly.

Now it's time to kick back, play a night of Modern Warfare 2, drool over the prospects of playing Arkham Asylum II, and Force Unleashed II when they come out, picking my Jedi/Sith name for Bioware's Old Republic, and decide which toolset to have my next affair with. Electron, you're not out of the running just yet.

Home Stretch

2009-12-15T02:45:00.002-05:00

Well the module is getting some last minute magic. The last battle/cutscene has been spruced up and bugfixed, and now it is a matter of looking a few things over before a final test. I have reloaded my laptop with a fresh version of NWN2 + Expansions and it seems to have done the trick. I can now build/test modules again.

I had forgotten that I had an old extended RC on there before. The desktop, I'm still not sure of the error, but at least one of my machines runs NWN2. Interesting as I look between the two toolsets side by side for the first time. Funny the strengths between the two and what of each I wish I could cherry pick.

It shouldn't be long now before I'm asking for the vault FTP login information for the first time in a long long while.

Beyond the Shivering Pines (Intro)

2009-12-06T03:22:00.003-05:00

Since SoSIII is pretty much in the bag (or at least as much of one as I can put it into), here is the rundown of my planned DA:O project. Same setting as the trilogy, almost completely removed from that story arc (as in, let's pretend most of that didn't happen).

This is about as spoiler free as I can make it. I'm going to put together a complete rundown for those who may be interested in joining in as I have most certainly run out of solo-team-steam. Things are so much better in a group...that's why most RPGs let you make a party!

Anyhow, here goes:

BEYOND THE SHIVERING PINES

In the far reaches of Harrn, beyond the Shivering Pines, lies the small region known as Lontharvia. It is ruled by Baron Dra'ithkyrn from his castle in the Caspez Peaks. The territory was claimed by the Baron's ancestor, a Nalassian prince, long ago before the flood.

King Ulivon maintains the long tradition of allowing Lontharvia to operate nearly autonomous from the crown of Harrn in Jarldorf. Because of this, the Baron has been able to continue the enforcement of Lontharvia's embargo on silver as he suffers from the same allergy to the metal as the rest of his bloodline.

After the end of Dalreon's war with Harrn at the surrender of Storneth, a new initiative arose to reforge the kingdom and access its nobility's commitment to the crown. Two emissaries were sent from Jarldorf to Lontharvia to meet with Baron Dra'ithkyrn and discuss his loyalty to Harrn.

Their badly mauled bodies were found a few weeks later in the Shivering Pines forest. As news of this grim discovery reached Jarldorf, it was decided that an investigation needed to take place without the stigma of acting as agents of the crown. Suspecting lycanthropy, an outsider is recruited by the court to travel to Lontharvia and look into the deaths, as well as any possible corruption in Dra'ithkyrn Castle.

Beyond the Shivering Pines takes the player into the cold reaches of northern Harrn as they travel through the frigid evergreen forest to reach the territory of Lontharvia. The village beneath the castle is home to mainly farmers and completely devoid of clergy. It also serves as a waypoint for gypsies who transport gems and goods from the dwarven kingdom.

Once there, they discover a culture far removed from the daily life of Harrn. One that lives in constant fear and subservience of their surroundings. With constant peril wandering out of the woods and the shadow cast on them by their local regent, they consider everyday survival a success.

Dark secrets await in the Dra'ithkyrn family crypts as they search for the source of the scourge that plagues Lontharvia. Taking advice from some gypsies, as well as some pages from the local history books, they find themselves on a quest South for an elven artifact to counter the ancient curse of blood.

Will their efforts save the land, or will they simply become another corpse that the locals fear rising from the grave.

A Little Spit and Polish

2009-12-05T04:14:00.003-05:00

Thankfully, the module release will have to wait about a week or so. This is actually great news because JasonNH is using the time to take a look at a few cutscenes. Honestly, his cinematics are truly the best part of the adventure, so the time is well worth it.

I've been shuffling my time between writing out the complete story/details for my next project, and trying to learn a bit about the new toolset. I decided (after giving area/level design a quick try) to start with facial morphs. Here's a few of the early ones that I have put together by tweaking the properties a bit here and there.

A Bit of a Snag

2009-12-03T00:25:00.001-05:00

It appears that even though the toolset runs on my laptop, I cannot actually launch/test the game. I'll have to rely on the previous beta tests and double-check that I set all of the new conversation pieces correctly.

I've also noticed that I am unable to save to a mod file. The ole lappy seems to only work in directory mode. I don't suppose there is any kind soul out there that wouldn't mind taking a directory and saving it as a module for me?

Sigh, I'm pretty sure I couldn't return to NWN2 development even if I wanted to. The gods of hardware/software don't will it.

SoSIII: Released This Weekend

2009-12-02T00:02:00.002-05:00

No joke. After looking at this directory sitting in modules folder for about half a year...its time. I blew the dust off and finishing up the final battle that has been undone for too long.

Now that most of the interest has shifted toward Dragon Age, it will go out with a whimper instead of the original intended bang. In other words, the quality of the final battle and cutscene(s) will not be on the same level as the rest of the module. A comprimise I know, but the time has come to ship.

NWN2 toolset doesn't play nice with my Windows 7 64bit install, and I haven't had much of a chance to do finish this off. I still have the toolset on my laptop though and can at least get the last part working. Honestly, I need to get this old business taken care of so I can focus on new business.

New business will start right after this weekend release. I will follow up with details of my planned DA:O module: Beyond the Shivering Pines.

A Game to Finish

2009-11-29T00:00:00.002-05:00

I don't often finish games. Especially those that include a toolset.
DA:O is an exception. I stand on the savegame before the end and actually surprised that I made it this far. The story has been pretty darn good so far. The companions are engaging, the ambience pretty stellar (and funny all too often), and the backdrops are rather eye-catching.

Anyhow, just wanted to say a quick kudos to Bioware for coming through on a great SP adventure (or OC as we like to call it). I know this means that I am about to dive into dangerous waters with a toolset that has yet to see a patch, but as I charge the arch-demon sword drawn, I'm shocked that I not only lived this long, but that I kept logging in for more.

DA Toolset Released!

2009-11-07T12:04:00.002-05:00

Remember how lost you were in the Electron (NWN2) toolset the first time?
"This isn't anything like Aurora...why did they make it so hard?"

Get ready for that overwhelmed feeling all over again. The new Dragon Age toolset is a completely new animal that befuddles and amazes all at the same time. Some intial thoughts as I have only been able to toy with it for one evening:

1) Complex as all get out...but reassuring that it can do so much more than previous toolsets. The learning curve is much higher, but so is the ceiling of what is possible.

2)Levels vs Areas. Here is one of the first things a new builder must grasp the difference between. Terminology in this toolset is completely different. Levels are landscape, decoration, basically all of the static elements of what we are used to calling an area. Areas, on the other hand, inherit the elements of a given level, and allow you to add the in interactive elements. Bioware basically split area design into two facets: static and dynamic.

3) Um what are these models again? The organization of the models used to create levels and areas is far from intuitive. They are put together in folders that prefix the first three letters of th model, relating to what area of the SP they were used.

4) Thank the Maker for the Wiki. Serioulsy, without the hard work, effort, and screenshots of the beta testers that has been documented in the toolset wiki, this might be a mission impossible. Beerfish went through and snapped shots of many of the models. JasonNH went through and put together cheatsheets of the textures. This is truly a community learning effort.

I have many more thoughts on this but I hesitate to follow the rabbit trail too far before I get some more time logged. I am once again experiencing the exciting feeling of curiosity, terror, and power all wrapped into one.

Bioware Social Site (DA Toolset Wiki)

2009-10-25T23:19:00.002-04:00

I haphazzardly stumbled upon checking up on this at a great time. The Bioware social site is up and even appears to have project tracking in place on top of the normal player/developer/project profiles.

Very well done from what I see (albeit a few bugs still). The Dragon Age character creator is out as well, and showcases some nice facial customizations to give an idea of the flexibility of the toolset. I do hope skintones go a little darker than provided in the CC. Dark elves would have to change to really tan elves.

Ultimately, I think that will be the biggest challenge in creating a "traditional fantasy" setting in the DA Toolset, the creature pallette. Using their own IP means that Bioware will provide the custom creatures that then need to flesh out their own world. While there are some matches that can be used (Genlock = Goblin), there will be some places that noticeable differences (ogre == ogre).

All in all, reading through the toolset wiki is exciting...kid at Christmas exciting. Whatever the limitations, this is obviously the clear cut winner in a new development environment. While I highly doubt it can replace what NWN/NWN2 has come to represent, it will be nice to work with a new system for a change of pace.

Hopefully this new social site venture of Bioware's pays off for everyone involved. I think it will all come down to user buy-in, but so far they have me hooked.

What Happened To That Deadline?

2009-09-05T22:16:00.001-04:00

Good question. Well, I have not forgotten about release. Things just got very very busy. I had to write my first ever technical paper to present at a conference (good for tenure they told me...and I'm too new to say no). The new academic year at the university started, and my first full one heading up the Software Engineering program.

Things are great with a new batch of very talented freshmen, as well as my first graduating class entering their senior year. While the economy took a giant dive over the summer, putting a serious damper in the plans of getting all of my upperclassmen into software engineering internships, I do have a few that have survived the great Jedi Purge.

One of which is the only female in the program getting accepted as an intern at NASA. Well sir, I just don't think that it gets much better than that. I am extremely proud of her achievement and look forward to hearing about it all as she progresses.

Now, back to NWN. I am seriously at the end. No, really. My partner in crime is still plugging away at some of the last cutscenes and then it's just a matter of plug and play (as in put it in place, and test to make sure it's all good in the hood).

While I'm not at a place that I can predict a release date, I am comfortable enough to say: soon. ;)

Bored? Try the Batman: Arkam Asylum demo for either PC or XBox. Now that is a total thrill!

The Approaching End

2009-08-10T00:28:00.002-04:00

Well, I am finally finished with all but the final battle. The last stretch was a real bear. I guess you don't truely know what you don't have done until you get there. Anyhow, things are really falling into place and I am finally starting to be pleased.

Luckily a new tester has come forward (and one that has recently re-completed parts I and II), and may be giving things a semi-final runthrough this week. I'd love to expose any potential problems or unfinished aspects before I seal it all up.

I do know I have to complete some companion chatter for both Malcarus and Anziath, and I may want to go back and add one more triggered encounter in the late plot discovery. I think there is a bit too much fact-finding and not enough violence right before the final series of sequences so I may try to mix things up a bit there.

In the meantime, here are some shots of dimensional ruins after I spent an evening tinkering with placed effects and environmental settings:

If I Had Free Time..

2009-08-02T12:51:00.003-04:00

...I'd be playing Zork. Seriously. I don't deviate from the Forgotten Realms often (which is odd since I've spent almost all of my NWN2 time outside of them), but Zork is a classic. A classic's classic. I'm talking your first text-based CRPG classic when the only other thing you had to occupy your time was Oregan Trail and Logo the Turtle. Probably one of your first real experiences with some sort of AI built into a game that in ways far exceeds the actual thinking algorithms that we enjoy now. It seemed like anything you could imagine doing with the environment could be done. To me, especially back then before I knew a little more about logic and design, it was mind-blowing.

ZORK – Rediscovering the Great Underground Empire

Do yourself a favor, and see what Amraphael has done with one of the genres that helped set the foundation of computer based fantasy. If I had some more free time, I certainly would be. It's one of the proverbial carrots I have been dangling on a stick to work towards getting to enjoy.

If I was a wiki kinda guy...I would think it was time to update this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zork in the See Also section.

Did I say July?

2009-07-27T00:18:00.001-04:00

Wow, why does the end always take so long? I had really hoped to have a stuck a fork in this mod by the close of the month, and now I know that is crazy talk. As the summer winds down and my first summer break since becoming a working man, I find myself busy as Hades doing all of the things I neglected all season. Extracting weeds from the back of my house that have larger trunks than my new apple tree for example. Y’know, you have to be careful when you have underground cables. At least that is what I’ve been telling myself to avoid doing it.

Anyhow, I’ve made some nice progress with the wrapping up of the last sections of the module before the endgame sequence. Just 3 areas to populate with encounters and the final battle to finish up. There are a couple of important cutscenes coming up that will rely on things I’m always shaky doing (during combat). My new estimate is if I hit this hard and everything works out without fighting back too much, I should be finished by the time I have to return to the world of academia (Aug 21st).

Campaign Mimosa

2009-07-13T22:58:00.003-04:00

I’m starting to wonder how difficult it would be to wrap all three modules together in a campaign. I’m also trying to establish the benefit of doing so. The first two did not utilize haks so there would be no 2DA conflicts. Although, what would really be gained?

An overland map or even campaign map is out of the question as most of the travel (albeit some great distances) are already handled via conversation. I do have the map of all of the areas already finished, polished, etc. Heck, I had that before I even broke ground on the first one. I just can’t see how to incorporate it at this point.

One upside would be the ability as a player to play through parts 1-3 taking a character from 1st to 12th (or so, haven’t tested upper cap). The module endings and beginnings do match up nicely as well, so from a continuity standpoint, that would work.

Admittedly, I haven’t done too much research into what it takes to make things a campaign as an afterthought. There would be no campaign variables, conversations, or scripts, as each mod is already self-contained.

Also this presents a possible release situation. While I like the idea of having an all-in-one option, I don’t want to have 2 separate releases (one for part III, one for campaign). I’m weird about wasting vault space, which is why I always host the beta downloads off of my server.

I also don’t want to force players who just want to pick up at part 3, either because they’ve already played the first two or just because, to have to go back and do it all over again. I’m not sure if the ‘lobby’ area could be used to select which chapter of the campaign, and then either do the appropriate leveling or not.

I might just be over thinking it all.

"That's right boys, it's Doctor Venkman."

2009-07-10T22:21:00.004-04:00

"They hate this...I like to torture em."
(I actually have a piano in my house that only has two keys ever played for just that line)

So here is what I've been doing when I need a sanity break from finishing up the mod trilogy. I have to say, I consider myself a pretty skilled gamer. I mean, I'm from the Atari generation. Although, this game on medium difficulty whooped my butt good. I had to humble myself and drop down to casual setting. (How anyone defeats 'The Collector' on hard is beyond me).

The graphics are amazing, down to the facial flaws on Bill Murray's face on an HDTV. The gameplay is fun, the levels filled with puzzles and uses for the PKE meter. Great game, lots of fun. The Ramis/Ackroyd writing style really shows through. While some elements are reused/rehashed, it never feels cheap (like for some reason Ghostbusters 2 did).

I have to admit that when going back to the library to face 'The Gray Lady', I had to turn the thing off for the night and wait until my kids woke up the next morning to help me (by sitting next to me lol). I was maybe 8 years old when my parents drug me to see Ghostbusters in the theater...a movie for which I had never seen a preview before I found myself standing in line.

Immediately after Dan Ackroyd yelled "Get Her!", my face was buried in my coat like a little sissy mary. Facing the librarian again brought all of that pre-teen dread rushing back like your first time in a haunted house.

Watching my 5 year old flee the room in terror when the Stay-Puft Marshmellow Man came on the screen gave me the same twisted smile that must have been on my parents face in that theater way back when.

Hakpak to Snackpack

2009-07-09T19:06:00.002-04:00

Did a little trimming of the unused hak assets and shaved about 50 megs in MDB and DDS files. Mainly it was items from the BCK (Builders Construction Kit). I used a few select pieces in some areas like the Temple and the Aquaduct, only about 7 out of hundreds of models. Didn't feel right to leave the whole thing in there unused and force more vault space and bandwidth.

Although there is no way I'm going through to remove all of the unused item placables. Then again...have to see what the late night hours bring.

All the Small Things

2009-07-09T00:17:00.003-04:00

Loadscreens. Nothing exciting or jawdropping about making and/or viewing them. Just something that I had no excuse not to do now that the third module is using a custom hak.

On a related note, I need to go back through and trim some fat out of that hakpak. I took inventory of the pieces of larger sets that I've used, and think I could save a bit of space if I removed the rest now that things are pretty much sealed up.

Screens from Playtest

2009-07-06T22:07:00.003-04:00

Here are some screen captures from my most recent playtest:

New Poll: All About the Whys

2009-07-05T23:38:00.002-04:00

I've posted a new poll that explores what people want as their excuse for risking their virtual lives for a given adventure. Not quite backstory, as this looks more at what circumstances put this individual into the prediciment presented to them.

Hopefully I get some decent poll results and can better formulate how to establish my next project. While I have several details, events in mind for the next adventure, I want to take a look at what really pulls the player in on mod load ;)

I've posted a working beta of SoSIII: Crusaders of Shalihir that covers a very large portion of the module. After any bugs/issues are discovered/stomped with that portion, the rest should be a breeze. I'm very optimistic about a July release...as long as Dunkin' Donuts keeps selling large iced coffees with cream and sugar.

No screenshots tonight...all conversation work (pretty boring stuff visually). Although I must say positioning camera angles for various nodes is probably my 2nd favorite thing to do (right behind area design).

Choice in Conversation

2009-07-05T01:37:00.004-04:00

Here are some screenshots from inhouse testing of one of the more dynamic conversations in the module. I decided to move the Diplomacy node to the top after looking at these.

While I'd like nearly all conversations to have this level of decision and skill usage, I just can't within the constraints of time and story. This one turned out alright though. Just about every choice has a slight alignment adjustment.

Beta Testers Needed

2009-07-02T14:19:00.001-04:00

There will be a working version of [Sands of Solvheil III: Crusaders of Shalihir] that covers the first 2/3 ready by this Sunday or so. I'd like to see if anyone would like to give it a run, make sure that the story, conversations, scripts, cutscenes, encounters, etc go smoothly under a variety of circumstances.

My preference would be individuals who have already played through [SoSI: The Ruins of Kazatharis] and [SoSII: Beneath the Hearleforne] so that the overall story arc and reveals can be gauged. Although, new players to the series are also welcome to give it a go.

I estimate completion and release of the module by the end of this month should the tests go favorably and the last major battles are finished without too many snags.

If interested, please respond in this thread, on my blog, via private message or email, smoke signals, etc.

Thanks in advance.

Here are a few screenshots from the completed sandstorm cutscene by JasonNH. I can't convey how cool this looks ingame. Great cutscene work like this turns a seemingly mundane aspect of gameplay and turns it into something great to behold.

Adding Some Frosting

2009-07-01T04:16:00.002-04:00

A few toolset shots of some painting in of details. This first one is a shipwreck in the desert that serves to shelter the party through a violent sand storm. I'm just adding a few item-based triggers as the larger cutscene is being added externally.

These are a few speaktrigger based smaller cutscenes that offer a bit of flavor to the main town area of Tahamman. While nothing plot dependant or groundbreaking is achieved in these, they do add the opportunity to break up the linear story a bit.

I'm really happy with how things are moving right along now. This is, I hope, that part of the process where seemingly seperated segments fall into place like magic. I like seeing a more and more complete playthrough each mini-test.

Addam's Family?

2009-06-29T06:33:00.003-04:00

No, I am not making an attempt at anything crazy and kooky. I am just doing a bit of playing around to see if I can use some of the RWS assets to create a nice mountaintop castle that would serve as a decent vampiric abode. Long before I start shaping terrian, I like to work with strictly placeables to see what I can fit with each other to anchor the look.

I'm kicking around a few ideas for my post-crusaders development life. I have a few nice projects in mind, with this being near the front of the pack for tying it all together.

Don't worry, I'm not content with staying in one setting throughout a module, so this adventure I'm tossing around has a spanning storyline that also visits the depths of the forest, an island jungle, and a few other scenic places to die.

Sigh, I suppose I should get back to progress on SoS:III, while I have made a good dent in the first third, I am realizing that many of my ideas had not yet manifested into actual conversations. Hopefully I can take care of these pick-up shots without a noticable difference in style.

The Next Two Thirds

2009-06-28T03:06:00.005-04:00

I finally get to start revisiting some areas that I have had semi-completed for some time. Normally, almost all areas in my modules reside as prefabs from the moment the story is determined. Then I have to take it a little at a time filling in all of the non-visual parts that make that happen (dialogue, waypoints, scripts, etc.) forcing me to shelf some of the later areas.

Anyhow, with the first third of the module in a working order, I can begin to open these back up and start adding the filling. I'm sure I won't be able to stop myself from retouching here and there.

Temple Exterior

Temple Interior

Oasis Crypts

Ruined Tower

Alakanthor Exterior

Alakanthor Interior

Scarcrag Pass and Cliffside Battle

2009-06-27T00:10:00.001-04:00

Here are a few screens. One is the introduction to Scarcrag Pass which connnects the kingdom of Dalreon with the Shalihir Desert. This is the first area the player encounters after leaving their estate in Albrynn where they headed to at the end of SoSII.

The other screenshots are the setup and battle along the edge of Nalass. Nalass is a former island kingdom in the Imlan Sea that is now just a large plateau littered with ruins in the desert.

The beginning of this area is some fabulous cutscene work put together by JasonNH. I still love watching this thing and an earlier one he did for the town of Tahamman everytime I test the mod.

Conversations in Nalassian Ruins

2009-06-25T23:22:00.004-04:00

Just a few screenshots from an area I'm trying to finish up the functionality of. These are the ruins of Nalass where you, Malcarus, and a few of his holy brigade to to capture Anziath Aers and recover the Tome of Koth. Naturally there are plenty of Ith'inaar dark-elves waiting there for you, as well as some of their new breed. Hazards of playing with chaos magic I suppose.

NWN MMO

2009-06-12T01:34:00.003-04:00

Ug...

Hopefully the reports on the gaming sites are just idle speculation. I guess I wouldn't mind if the NWN Name/Title went to an MMO, as long as something else stepped up to replace the toolset driven community development suite that we know as NWN. I don't know, the DnD Ruleset Fantasy Module Creation Studio would be fine. I don't care what you call it, just don't take away our ability to mod.

On the flipside, anyone know of Dragon Age user created content can/will be deployed to consoles via live connections?

[Edit]
On the upside, finally a DnD MMO that isn't set in Ebberon? FR > Ebberon.
4E is practically screaming to be made into a game with it's cooldowns and such.
[/Edit]

God help me, I can't stop making towns

2009-06-10T03:51:00.002-04:00

Oh, and RWS All-In-One...rocks.

To Dragon Age or Not to Dragon Age...

2009-06-05T01:17:00.002-04:00

...that is the question that I'm sure many of us in the development side of things are considering. The big question (for me) is how much latitude will the toolset allow us? While the footage from E3 was beautiful, and the dragon in combat was not only modeled well, but animated smoothly. I did notice some hiccups, which lead me to believe it will be like when NWN2 came out and was a bit much for standard machines of the time. I refer to this as the Crysis Conundrum.

I know, I shouldn't be setting sights so far down the road. Especially when I have a project that I am long overdue on finishing. With a release date of late October, there is plenty of time to not only wrap up the Solvheil trilogy, but also perhaps throw another smaller module out there. I've been having a blast using the RWS All-In-One for area design.

Hopefully as things come more into focus, we will all have a better idea of our long-term development dreams. I'd like to try to put together a medium-small team and attack a grand goal with some sense of scope and strategy...just not sure which platform will end up looking the most attractive.

MoW: At Last

2009-05-02T01:16:00.001-04:00

Pop the champagne...because the long wait is over.
Ossian Studios Mysteries of Westgate is finally available to the general public and I'm sure most of you know already how sweet it is to enjoy the fruits of a labor of love. I haven't gotten a chance to crack this one open just yet, but hope to start this weekend.

Congrats to all of the talented individuals that poured so much into this adventure pack and had to watch helpless on the sidelines as its release was pushed back more than Guns and Roses Chinese Democracy. I'm suprised that Dr. Pepper didn't give away a free drink to encourage Atari to get this one out a little sooner like they did with GNR.

Anyhow, the upside is that it is out there now. No more excuses about having to get the garden planted or do yardwork...you have an adventure waiting.

Tedious scripting is tedious

2009-04-20T23:52:00.000-04:00

Just toiling away over Client Enter Area scripts. It's like setting the table multiple times based on who's coming for dinner.

Although, forward progress is nothing to sneeze at.

Devil in the Details

2009-04-13T23:33:00.002-04:00

If you think your area design is done, put it away for a few months and reopen it. Talk about the decorating bug. I'm going back through just about every area in the mod (23 total now) and putting some more icing on.

It's tough making sure you aren't using SoZ stuff because I want to keep this MotB req only. Next mod, all bets are off, but I have to respect the scope this time.

I am having a horrible time with the shading on the cliff placables. This was built long before RWS put their wonderful pack out, and I am using an cliff pack that has some issues with Day/Night cycles. Hopefully the lead that I am following up from its vault entry will prove fruitful, because I really don't want to just remove them.

I've gotten quite a bit of the Journal Entries done. I'm a bit long-winded in my journal, and use it as a detailed account of the story as well as the main quest path. While I have the side-quests planned out, I want to add those in last.

Stringing it all together

2009-04-06T00:20:00.000-04:00

Well I dove right back in and started tying some knots. I have the first third of the module completed (minus encounter balancing) with corresponding conversations, cutscenes, and journal entries.

Feels good to get some real progress and look ahead to the other major chunks. There are some rather intense encounters coming up and of course the final few battles will require some real cutscene magic.

I avoided making another interior for Anziath's prison and ended up using a vacant room in the Tahamman palace. Love it when I don't have to add bloat as this thing is getting up there in size.

I have some sidequests jotted down and have for awhile. I want to get the main storyline complete before I go back and add these optional quests in. I promise I won't get itchy and release it without at least a few of them.

Don't think that I haven't the foggiest clue that my modules are rather linear and play like an interactive book. That always was their intention. I do want to add a bit of the old distraction from the overall arc.

I'm not 100% on my encounter building abilities. I know the where's and what's, but juggling the numbers has always been a challenge. For now I am just adding in the placeholder creatures without too much tweaking. Hopefully I will be able to find someone to help me make sure it all balances out right.

BouncyRock Minotaurs

2009-04-04T01:25:00.004-04:00

These guys cannot be stopped (and I'm not talking about the Minotaurs).
Another grand slam from Jonny Ree and his ninja-modeling skills.

Check them out here

Let's see someone try to tip these bad boys over.

Das Uber Hak and some AnimationSpeed snags

2009-04-02T21:22:00.004-04:00

So, das uberhak as I have been calling it (until I finalize a naming scheme)... I figured I would list out what all I have included in the collection for use in my propsed massive dungeon.

I'm smoothing things out nicely, although at the point now of having to add animation speed into the Placeables.2DA for several legacy creatures. I believe that is the issue with the snake which frankly when using my 2da vs. the one that came with it, looks like it has rigor mortus.

I'm also having some trouble with missing body/head on the Dragonkin model which may be related.

Anyhow, I would like to make a decent enough hak that it could be used by others and save them some hassle. I would think the collective works of RWS and BouncyRock would be enticing enough to warrant snatching up.

I adjusted the 'RWS Mezzo American Placeables' 2DA entries down by 100 since they were colliding with their Merchants Placeables hak. Other than that, I tried to preserve desired 2DA lines with those two content developers as they are the foundation for this hak.

Any suggestions on additions or heads-up on troubles you've run into with any of them would be most appreciated. If I have missed something (and yes, there are a few weapon packs that I'm on the fence with on size vs. gain), please give me a yell.

Now, let's roll the credits (aka, those who do the real work)

By Robinson Workshop
http://www.robinsonworkshop.com/

RWS Bridge Pack
RWS Cave Entrances
RWs Cliffs and more.
RWS Creature Conversion Project Creatures
RWS Dark Ruins Tilesets
RWS Deep Halls Tilesets Deep Halls
RWS Deep Sewer Tileset
RWS Mezzo American Placeables
RWS Tower Pack
RWS - Dungeons Tilesets
RWS - Pocket Citadel Tilesets
RWS Deep Chasms Tileset
RWS Pocket Castle Tilesets
RWS Pocket Cathedrals Tilesets
RWS Pocket Caves Tilesets
RWS Pocket Ship Interiors Tilesets
RWS Tower Rooms Tilesets
RWS-CODI Sigil Tilesets
RWS_Merchants Placeables
TKP 1.0

By BouncyRock
http://www.bouncyrock.com/

BOUNCE - Beholder BouncyRock...
BOUNCE - Yuan-ti Pureblood
BOUNCE - Yuan-ti Abomination
BOUNCE - Driders

By Misc

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2HakpaksOriginal.Detail&id=285

Dragonkin

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2Models.Detail&id=145

Rust Monster

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2Models.Detail&id=131

Koa Toa

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2HakpaksOriginal.Detail&id=411

Goblin Worg Riders

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2Models.Detail&id=97

Tonfa

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2HakpaksOriginal.Detail&id=282

Ninjato & Nodachi

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2HakpaksOriginal.Detail&id=153

Item Placeables

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2HakpaksOriginal.Detail&id=125

Hats Explosion

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2HakpaksOriginal.Detail&id=81

Tarim's Weapon Pack

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2HakpaksOriginal.Detail&id=244

Backpacks

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2HakpaksOriginal.Detail&id=302

Sunsilk shields

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2HakpaksOriginal.Detail&id=366

Drawbridges

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2HakpaksOriginal.Detail&id=383

BTH Weapon Pack

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2HakpaksOriginal.Detail&id=7870&id=330

RB Ruins Full

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2Models.Detail&id=113583&id=143

Trap Pack 2

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2HakpaksOriginal.Detail&id=344

Everfire Forge Swords Pack

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2Models.Detail&id=147

Snake

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2Models.Detail&id=156

Giant Ant

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2HakpaksOriginal.Detail&id=27460&id=414

Gargoyle Placables

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2HakpaksOriginal.Detail&id=303

SDJ Oriental 3D Models Pack 2

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2VisualEffects.Detail&id=36

VFX Bats

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2VisualEffects.Detail&id=32

VFX Birds

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2VisualEffects.Detail&id=37

Character VFX

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2VisualEffects.Detail&id=43

Stained Glass VFX

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2VisualEffects.Detail&id=50

Hidden VFX

All of those years spent growing up with a plastic sword...

2009-04-01T01:56:00.002-04:00

....and now, it finally pays off.

Flipping sweet.
Just found out that they do this twice a week at the park up the road from me. Now that Hackee Sack is passe, it may be my only future exercise.

An Army of Software Engineers

2009-03-30T23:38:00.002-04:00

No seriously...

I literally have an army of future software engineers at my disposal. The possibilities right? Do you know what I would have given for this back in my NWN1 PW days? The sacrifices that had to be made for scripting back then?

So my relatively new position gives me control of the University's Software Engineering B.S. degree program. A team focused, project driven dream. Then they ask me to help come up with some degree concentrations, and they are leaning toward Game Development (at this point, I'm sweating bullets trying not to do cartwheels with a sense of euphoria and horror).

As tempting as it is to give in to the dark side, and toss aside other semester/year long industry partner software projects, and control a zerg of NWScripters like a mad necromancer... I have to do the right thing. However, for those that are serious about game development. I mean, who am I to stop them right? <- See that, I'm trying to justify it in my head.

If anyone out there has a good idea for a team based software project that can last a semester or year and has milestones, deliverables, the whole gambit. Please, let me know. Help me suppress my evil overlord urges to shoot fish in a barrel.

Which reminds me. I've been tired of the whole story-driven thing I've been doing. That's kind of why I released the Campaign Setting. That way I have somewhat told the foundation story without having to drag myself to the finish line with part III. I'm sure I'll finish it eventually, it's so close.

The conversations, plot, scrolls, books, etc. Just starting to feel like a bedtime story, y'know. I'm thirsting for some action. I don't want to set the table anymore.

It would be sweet to make a big-ole uber dungeon for SP/MP use. Take advantage of the very best community developed custom content, and just go to town with a very large dungeon crawl.
I'm talking multiple areas, tilesets, population types, CR. Possibly multiple access points for various level parties with the chance to take some companions along for the SP guy.

I have an idea for one, and I'm getting the itch to start some serious planning. Damn I wish that third mod was done and released....lol. It would make it so much easier to have old business out of the way.

Campaign Setting Finished

2009-03-30T11:15:00.002-04:00

Well, after an exhausting couple of weeks, I have completed the PDF version of the Elrithorn Campaign Setting. Just under 40 pages and chock full of details.

The minute I uploaded it to the vault, I realized that I had wanted to add a Notable NPC section, as well as some other additions. However, at this point, I am content leaving it as it stands for awhile. I have some bigger fish to fry.

Pretty soon, I'll make an announcement about why I stayed up past 4 in the morning and my plans for the hak to end all haks.

Campaign Setting Progress and Crazy 2DA Lines

2009-03-28T04:31:00.002-04:00

Alright, how did I miss the fact that a line number in the Placeable.2DA repeats itself, thereby throwing the rest of the entries off? That one took me a few hours a couple of nights ago while I was getting all of the 2DA files SoZ complient (although the third module will still only require MotB). What a mindbender...what a blunder!

Anyhow, doing really well on the whole Campaign Setting Sourcebook thing. I'm at about 37 pages and still plugging away and putting additional content and details in here and there. I'd be happy to have anyone give it a look and see if it is organized correctly, clear, interesting, etc. Although, you know me and my perpetual boredom...I'll finish it whether it ever gets read or not :p

Well, quickly approaching 5 a.m. and time for me to wander upstairs for a bit of shut-eye. This weekend I will try to write a bit more for the sourcebook and get several areas of "Crusaders of Shalihir" prepped for cutscenes. I've been setting the cameras, laying down triggers, and placing waypoints so they are all ready for the onenter scripts to check the journal and work the timed magic.

Driders

2009-03-24T21:45:00.002-04:00

Need I say more?

Big Huge Thanks to Jonny Ree and all of BouncyRock for releasing the meanest looking thing on eight legs.

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2Models.Detail&id=181

I've taken this awesome occasion to update my Sands of Solvheil haks (content and 2DA) to not only include Driders & Beholder, but also bring the 2DA files inline with changes from SoZ.

Looking forward to seeing these both in the toolset and ingame.

Elrithorn Campaign Guide

2009-03-16T01:08:00.002-04:00

I have decided to start assembling the various texts and information from over the years into a working guide for my custom campaign setting. While I really just started to start clacking away at the keyboard a few nights ago, it is already over 20 pages long, without images. I'm actually enjoying getting all of the various information, lore, geography, etc organized. I must say I think it is coming together really well.

Know any aspiring artists? I don't really want to fill this book with photoshoped ingame screenshots, and would love to have some traditional print art to compliment the text. Also, if you know anyone that enjoys being a brutal editor without regard to feelings, please let me know. I would like some outside eyes to take a menacing read through and look for conceptual, communication, and grammatical errors.

Beneath the Hearleforne Reviewed

2009-03-14T22:20:00.002-04:00

SOSII: Beneath the Hearleforne: Review

Big thanks to the NWVault Reviewers Guild for doing an outstanding job, and an extra special thanks to VPJ/Phantom Joker for the kind words and taking the time to complete/review the mod.

I'm really happy with the review and the results. No shockers into which categories didn't get the highest marks, but definately scored high where I was aiming. The reviewer also took the time to check out the documentation, design doc, etc. I think that's really cool.

Anyhow, part of my new gig as faculty allows me next week off (Spring Break), so it looks like I'll be back at the toolset again. I had a bit of trouble with the toolset on my laptop since installing the Windows 7 Beta (which is awesome btw). The desktop is fine though, and even moved my digital download of SoZ over to it to overcome the required disk annoyance.

SoSIII: Crusaders of Shalihir will still be MotB only requirement, not SoZ. As tempting as it is to go back and revisit all the areas and update with new content...it's really a bad idea at this point. As close as the module is to complete area wise, I really should focus on conversation, encounters, and scripting.

Crown Port

2009-01-05T01:32:00.004-05:00

This is my initial spacial test of Crown Port, or the largest town on the Isle of Sampeatos. Now, I have no idea how well this will bake when finished (especially the docks), as I am not nearly to the point of even looking at the oven. I just wanted to try arrangement and see what I could fit in a 20x20.

Now, I don't by any means consider a 20 x 20 area size small by any means, however, when you throw docks in the mix, things can get a bit needy for space. I've always had a thing for making docks for some reason. I wish I could get even more elaborate than this, perhaps a cicular dock or series of, but this is already larger than I should probably go for use with an overland map.

New Year, New Job, & SoS III Early Partial Beta

2009-01-04T02:08:00.001-05:00

It has been far too long since any updates on the Sands of Solvheil series has been talked about. I am pretty close to finishing up an early partial beta that explores the first third or so of the module. With the great cutscene work done by JasonNH, I think this will be a pretty fun little peek at the adventure.

I have also decided that I will be simul-dev a few things at once. I have been spending quite a bit of time on my Isle of Sampeatos overland map, and I am pretty happy about the results. I want to start developing some of the specific areas to be used with it, but I don't want to delay Crusaders of Shalihir that much. I have already been doing enough self-admitted slacking in that area.

So enter a new year, and new opportunities. I recently switched seats at work (what can I say, the music stopped), and took over the Software Engineering program. While I may be busy ramping up the degree program and trying to secure both incoming students, as well as industry partners for class projects; I should have a bit of extra time. Time that could, I don't know, be spent with the toolset?

I mean, technically NWN2 development is pretty close to software engineering with a .NET framework, right? Riiiight. I hope to keep both projects rolling to keep from getting burnt out on either one. JasonNH has done a breathtaking job bringing some of the early conversations to life in SoSIII. I think it only fair that I do my part to finish what I started, and get this trilogy finished.

While I don't plan to continue with part IV, Chasing the Golden Dragon, I think that the story wraps itself up pretty nicely at the end of the current module. That will let me switch gears permanently and work on Isle of Sampeatos, which will be a wilderness adventure (SP or MP) that will feature multiple different levels of terrain encounters. Along with quite a bit of drop-in adventure areas that may or may not be assigned via NPC conversation within some of the more 'civilized' areas of the island.

Interview from Overseas

2009-01-03T20:16:00.001-05:00

Well, overseas for me anyway. A few nights ago, I had the opportunity to be interviewed by some Mass Communication students in Singapore who are putting together a project about ameatuer game developers. It was a rather long interview conducted via skype, but all in all it was pretty cool.

They asked me if I knew any other developers from the community, and of course I directed them to a few of my favorite blogs. I wanted to make sure they knew that one of the greatest assets of developing with NWN/NWN2 was the community of developers and players out there. Without the braintrust of my peers, I would never have been able to produce anything (aside from a mass collection of areas).

Anyhow, pretty cool stuff. It's always interesting to marvel at the communication that can happen from one side of the globe to the other. Sometimes we take for granted the global community that has become even seamless with the integration of the internet in our lives.

I will say, that all that talk about NWN/NWN2 development has given me the hunger for human flesh...err...I mean...for firing up the toolset. So without anymore clickity clacking, I'm off to see what can be done on this long weekend.

More Overland Shots

2008-12-27T23:03:00.001-05:00

Well of Course I had to make an Overland.

2008-12-11T00:49:00.002-05:00

I can't resist. I am so weak. I had to try my hand at Overland Maps. This is an early draft of the Isle of Sampeatos. Not nessasarily connected to the Sands of Solvheil series, but a definate location in the setting. I was thinking about turning this into (after I finish SoSIII of course) a seperate adventure, possibly multiplayer. Think Isle of Dread, original orange cover. Yeah, nothing to do with that, but that cover shot...yeah, that's the feeling.

Finished SoZ, sorta

2008-11-29T23:05:00.003-05:00

After much adventuring and exploration, I ended up at the final battle a bit too early. All party members were around 13th level and collectively got their tails handed to them by the final encounter.

I really enjoyed SoZ because of the stark differences between it and previous NWN/NWN2 releases. While I have always had the problem of being either completely open ended such as the Cormyr PW I worked on in NWN 1, or very very linear and story driven such as the Solvheil campaign, SoZ seemed to blend these two elements together.

This does present some problems, as evidenced by my untimely demise (and rather one-sided battle). Without the proper controls in place, it is entirely possible to wander into something that your party is not nearly prepared to handle. While many of the adventures required activation from an NPC conversation, the random encounter tables and overall story arc was completely accessible whether you were ready or not.

This did indeed add the danger that was present by wandering monster tables and other elements of traditional PnP. However, it was without the divine intervention, aka DM discretion, that was there to make sure the gameplay was enjoyable.

Again, I know that many were less than pleased with the latest release. I just happended to find it a bit more interesting than previous. I've always had trouble being guided through a main story without much room for deviation (although I design SP modules the complete opposite because I just want to tell a story). This title gave me a blank sheet to make my mark upon, and retire whenever I saw fit.

SoZ, or, Christmas comes Early

2008-11-25T12:12:00.003-05:00

I really do feel like I'm 10 years old on Christmas morning staring under a tree bursting with wrapped presents whenever a new NWN release comes out. I love looking at the new content, be it appearances, placables, scripting functions, weapons, or whatever. The release of Storm of Zehir was no different.

First of all, I have to say that this expansion is indeed a bit different from previous releases. It is much more strategy based and less hand-holding and guiding story than we are used to. Not everyone will be happy with it, while others will welcome the change. Personally, I think it's rather engaging. Although I am sure the toolset bug will overtake my will to complete.

I'm sure I will hit the 'Retire' button long before the module is finished and dive headfirst into the toolset once again without looking back.

Good thing it's a holiday week around these parts, I have lots of game to plow through. Happy Caravan-ing!

Updates are for Chumps

2008-10-20T11:14:00.002-04:00

Alright, maybe they're not. I have been one horrendous slacker as far as updates go lately. Luckily, it took some work on the BouncyRock Halloween module to get my rear kicked into gear. While my contribution wasn't exactly as elaborate as I would have liked, being my favorite holiday and all, it did get me back into the swing of things.

So what have I been doing with the two months it's been since my last post? Mainly taking/teaching classes (which is awesome since my two Software Engineering classes are busy making video games...gotta love those guys). Then of course I HAD to buy a new laptop. HAD to (that's what I told my wife anyway).

It is one sweet sweet machine. The Gateway P-7811FX, which is one hella gaming machine squeezed into a semi-portable shell. This thing is screaming fast, and I'm happy to report that NWN2 runs juuuuuust fine on the Vista 64-bit. Crysis Warhead doesn't run too shabby on it either.

Now I have very few excuses to not get right back into writing some dialogue for SoSIII. I'm starting back in this morning as my work computer is on the frazz and running through checkdisk. Seems a waste to not do a little something productive, right?

That's one spicy cutscene

2008-08-18T00:01:00.002-04:00

Oh man, I totally see why I asked for outside assistance with cutscenes. I just saw a rather mundane setup conversation come alive. Great camera work, great gestures, completely changed the whole dynamic. It's very cool to see a conversation become a true scene, because you can better convey mood and atmosphere between characters. JasonNH nailed it on this first one, and I realize I had better get my rear in gear to finish up some more dialogue.

Anyhow, things have been really busy, but as I finish up this 10 page case study for class (and come to the realization that I can't sleepwalk my way through a masters program like I did the undergrad), I think time will start to present itself.

Also, did anyone else swoon when they saw Bouncy Rock's new Yuan-Ti Pureblood model? Perfect texturing really set this thing off. I have no idea if Obsidian plans on including one with SoZ along with Half-Bloods, but if so they really have their work cut out to trump this thing. Y'know, with talent like they have over there, I think one could very well take over the world.

Curse You Sharepoint!

2008-08-12T11:27:00.002-04:00

Holy Smokes! That's a long time between blog posts!
Things have gotten a might busy between taking masters classes, teaching a Software Engineering class, and this @#$%! move to MOSS 2007 at work. While I have not forgotten the module at hand, I haven't had a free hand to touch it in over a week, bleh!

Anyhow, any Sharepoint Gurus out there know how to ease my pain? Y'know, let a guy get back to his beloved NWN2 module by answering the questions that keep him up at night?

Requirements:
Public Facing MOSS2007 Internet Site for Content Management (with Publishing/WorkFlow) w/o Deployment (no Staging Server). Just want to make sure we begin on the right path before we delve too deeply into content deployment. We will eventually work with the Document Management as well for online forms and such.

Questions:

1.) a.) Which Site Definition should we use to begin with? Collaboration Portal, Team Site, etc.
b.) Should we create a custom Site Definition and if so, which do we base it upon?
c.) Since there will be sites below the top level site (homepage), should their Site Definitions differ from the top?
(IE Collaboration Portal for top level, Team Sites below that).

2.) Since there will be significant CSS changes, as well as multiple MasterPages per site level, should we override the CORE.CSS and what is the preferred method for doing so (Inline, Override Textbox in Site Settings, Custom Function, etc).

3.) Editing Custom MasterPages, there is a place for PlaceHolderMain, yet no breakdown of the Web Part Zones contained within this area. What defines the Web Part Zones and their placement on a given MasterPage?

4.) Calendar and Announcement WebParts only seem to be options in a Team Site. Is there a way to enable these for use in other definitions? Is that done on the MasterPage, the ONET.XML, etc. Basically, how do we select from the Smorgasbord if they are prepackaged into Value Meals?

5.) Assuming that we will eventually be writing custom Web Parts, should we contain the entire Sharepoint Solution on VS2008 as a deployable package, or keep the Web Parts separate within Visual Studio and rely on Sharepoint Designer for the inner workings of Sharepoint.

Elrithorn it is

2008-08-01T10:14:00.001-04:00

Elrithorn it is

After a lengthy voting session, the results have determined that the continent be named Elrithorn. Of all of the choices, I also dig this one the most. Lontheria also recieved a decent amount of the votes, so I have decided to assign it to one of the northern uncharted regions (no need to let it go to waste). Of all of the choices, I think Elrithorn fits best with the existing names of some of the areas and longstanding NPCs (mainly the elves due to their elongated lifespan).

I haven't done many updates lately. I suppose the toxic mixture of graduate classes, newborn, and daydreaming has got the better of me. I am still somewhat considering scheduling release of the third module for after I get my hands on SoZ. Not so much for the content that it will provide, as much as the ability to properly pad the 2DA files within the hak. Since the hak also contains material for the fourth module, I didn't want to apply a band-aid hak with it (although if I opt for custom loadscreens/hints, this may be unavoidable).

My development time has been spent less in the toolset itself and instead in various txt and xls files trying to lay down some decent conversation nodes. Now that I have a bit of help in that area, and with cutscenes, I am hesitent to lay anything 'to tape' just yet.

It's like Deja Vu all over again

2008-07-17T11:03:00.003-04:00

I just find myself thinking back to be fore MotB's release and drooling over certain placables and creatures thinking to myself how much I could have used those in Ruins of Kazatharis. Alas, here we are again. A fresh batch of E3 Screenshots from Storm of Zehir, and taunting me like a jailer dangling keys is what I believe to be a serpent creature model and of course, this beautiful shipwreck you see above. Both of which would serve the current module in development well, however, substitutes will have to be made. Interestingly enough, the substitute in question for the shipwreck is the very Sloop building placable that I coveted in the MotB screenshots (I guess I just have to make my sandy shipwreck an overturned one.

Anyhow, some pretty decent screenshots from Storm of Zehir here.

I'm Batman

2008-07-15T23:22:00.002-04:00

OK, I'm not. But if I had a boatload of money, I would certainly try.

On Friday, The Dark Knight hits theaters and I will be there (sans costume, I mean, it's not Star Wars). I'm really looking forward to this as I enjoyed Batman Begins, and found the reimagining of Gotham a darkly beautiful vision. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge Tim Burton fan (when he's on that is) and I was a Michael Keaton supporter since his name was attached to the role. Jack, I mean, don't get me started....it's Jack. He even made Wolf watchable. However, that was the 80's, and as great a decade as that was for its iconic media, it is 20 years away.

The yet unrevealed (or at least I haven't stumbled upon it) is how they well they can pull off Two-Face. By the time Tommy Lee Jones got hold, the franchise had already taken a nosedive into the cheese tray. I'm not familiar with Eckhart, so we'll see. Naturally I hope Maggie Gylanhaal will do a good job filling in for the 'please send help' absent Katie Holmes. After Donnie Darko, how could I not at least give her a chance. Although, it is still a bit odd viewing Gary Oldman as a virtue, but he definately has the Gordon look down. Just slap on some black framed glasses and whiten that hair to a Colonel Sanders sheen.

Anyhow, long story short (too late), here's to hoping this is at least as good as the first one. Anything beyond that is just pure gravy.

The Eagle has Landed

2008-07-11T21:30:00.002-04:00

Audrey Marie came into this world at 5:46 p.m. on 7/11/2008. Her and her mother are doing awesome and taking a well deserved nap. Big sister Brynn Michelle has changed her sentiment from 'can we give the baby away?' to 'can we bring the baby home right now?'

This one's a bit quiet...definately not a bard. If I had to wager a guess, I'd say wizard or monk. Here's to hoping the trend continues.

Thanks to all for the well-wishes, thoughts, and prayers.

Be back w/ baby #2

2008-07-10T22:51:00.002-04:00

I'll be out like sour kraut tommorow. At the hospital at 7 a.m. (earlier than I get to work, sheesh) with my wife to start the Level 2 Summon Baby spell. I believe it is a targeted effect, duration is about 18 years (not sure of the calculation in rounds), and it summons a 1d4 hp baby henchman that disobeys orders despite your CHA. (I won't get into the material components, although an expensive dinner is one of the reagants). This spell does incur a STR/DEX/ CON ability drain, as well as cost significant gold (275k or so). However, the XP gain is well worth it...because you are in essense rolling up a new character. Now, if only the wife would let you name it.

Building Team for Solvheil Series

2008-07-09T13:34:00.002-04:00

Repost from the NWN2 Forums

Details (aka The Pitch):

Want to work on a large-scale/short-term module project in a semi-established NWN2 series? I have come to a point in development and life where putting together a small team to help move things from paper to toolset is the only way that I will complete this third module to the level of quality I am seeking and in the relatively short timeframe.

I have just put the finishing touches on the 2nd revision of the Design Document for Sands of Solvheil III: Crusaders of Shalihir, and completed not only the main story path, but a majority of the areas/npcs/adversaries. Now is about the time when my mind starts to wander to what will take place in the module after this, what little tidbits of information can I throw in here or there, maybe this area needs some more detail, etc.

In short, I am not very good from this point to the finish line, and think the time has come to seek some assistance. The first two modules (The Ruins of Kazatharis and Beneath the Hearleforne) suffered because of my rush to finish and solo status. I would really like this third module to shine above the others and display a look and polish that wasn't possible before.

Below I have outlined some of the areas/positions in which I need the most help. While these are rather detailed descriptions, they don't have to match 100% as I have never been a fan of pigeonholing talent into one box (leave that to ILM). If you would like to work on this module, but feel you would be good at X and Y, but not nessasarily Z, feel free to contact me anyway.

Dialog Engineer

With the central plot already outlined, the story needs translated into conversational and descriptive format which will be delivered via various NPCs, Objects, and Triggers. There will be a fair amount of creative latitude for fleshing out both plot pivotal and ancillery information. Aside from the look and actions of an NPC, conversation is where their personalities should really shine through. An extremely important task is breathing life into the character models.

-Basic Conversation Mechanics
-Creative Writing withing given scope/bounds
-Ability to mix Narrative with Descriptive text
-Knowledge of Skill/Ability Checks, Success/Fail nodes

Cutscene Engineer

I've always been a fan of module theatrics, and this third installment will be no different. I would, however, like it to be better. This is where an individual with a talent for cutscenes would come in. They would be responcible for taking a storyboarded scene, the nessassary NPCs, conversations, etc and melding it all together for those dramatic moments where the player lets go of the keyboard/mouse, and watches the screen with their jaw agape.

-Conversation Nodes
-Conditionals
-Use of Static and Mobile Cameras
-Use of Waypoints & IPoint Speakers where applicable
-Blocking Scripts (NPC Actions)
-Play VFX
-Play Sounds
-Play Animations

Encounter Engineer

I have plenty of battles througout the story, however I don't have the numbers in place. How many, how difficult, how much reward, are all aspects of development that are far from my area of expertise. I am hoping to find an individual who possesses the mind of an Accountant and can easily calculate what makes a challenging encounter for any given class, without venturing into either frustrating or yawn-inspiring territory.

-CR Calculation
-Economic and Challenge Balance Configuration
-Basic NWScript AI
-Onspawn/OnUserDef/OnHeartbeat actions

SOLIII_MOD Design Document Online

2008-07-03T01:46:00.002-04:00

Heavy Spoilers, however, I have posted the design document for Crusaders of Shalihir to the vault (attached to part II:Beneath the Hearleforne) and linked it above. It is not a finalized version, but does have a decent list of current areas, companions, as well as a storyline runthrough.

It is always nice to have something like this to look back at, modify, adjust to keep all of the smaller Excel Spreadsheets, Text Files, and MindMaps togather in one place. I think I flesh out the design document at this point in the development because I have all of the areas pretty much finished, and just beginning to procrastinate on dialogue.

Lay-Down Before the Cards are Dealt

2008-06-26T11:19:00.003-04:00

In my continuous effort to release prefab areas from my modules, I have just uploaded one of the final areas in the upcoming Crusaders of Shalihir to the vault. The Ruins of Solvheil was an attempt to break from the very geometric and euclidean design of Kazatharis. Ruins sunken into the desert sands, this area is dome-tastic and features the remains of man's greatest civilization.

Between this and Tahamman, I have officially given a glimpse of both the beginning and end of SoS:CoS. So for those who treat modules/adventures like a term paper, you should be satisfied and have no need to download and play it when it's released (everyone knows that the introduction and summary are the most important parts, right?). However, for you more diligent types who like to carry things through, I like to think this will be a rather interesting journey through the arid Shalihir desert and tie up most of the remaining mysteries from previous modules nicely.

Name that Continent coming along

2008-06-25T10:37:00.000-04:00

Although as of this post, there are only 13 votes, it helps quite a bit to see which of the listed names off to the left fits best. I suppose I should have included a [None of the Above] option for those individuals that think all of the choices are sub-par. 35 days left to vote and thusfar the most popular names seem to be Lontheria (actually a bit suprised with this one) and Elrithorn.

I'll let this poll run it's course and see where it ends up. I normally look at the names and try to see how it fits in with the psuedo-linguistics of the current setting, such as Lyratholln, Elrinne, and Alakanthor. Thanks to all who have voted and those that have yet to, as it defintely helps me narrow down the list.

Pro-Tip: FreeMind

2008-06-23T13:08:00.001-04:00

I have found a new favorite tool for brainstorming and organizing a module. Alright, I didn't so much FIND it as it was recommended to me by an PnP old-schooler. It is called FreeMind, and it is the right price for the title (free).

http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

It is similar to MS Visio minus the myriad of icons and about 80% of the frustration. You can simply start with a root node and keep inserting child nodes as you work through things. Then, you can move nodes or trees of nodes into whatever hierarchy you desire. It also has some great export features such as HTML, XML, JPG, etc. Copying/Pasting is also a breeze to grab a list of nodes and pasting them into notepad or other text editor.

Anyhow, I think this is a great resource for any module developer who wants to throw their ideas down 'on paper' and then rearrange them. I know it has certainly helped me get the plotpoints of SoSIII:CoS worked out nicely. It always helps to have a visual reference and bonus if it is editable.

A Few Area Prefabs

2008-06-19T11:14:00.002-04:00

While progress is, well, progressing on the third module in the series, I have decided that it was time for some old business. One of the things I promised myself when I started was that I would design several of the areas in these modules to be reusable. While I did release 3 prefab areas from Ruins of Kazatharis, I had not yet done the same with Beneath the Hearleforne.

Last night I did some cleaning on the areas, stripping away anything module dependent, npcs, scripts, etc until there was nothing but one area to pack to an erf. I pulled two areas from Beneath the Hearleforne and one from the upcoming Crusaders of Shalihir and packaged them up for the vault.

1) Keel Street on the Evertide Docks, capital of Dalreon.
2) Storneth in the Kingdom of Harrn.
3) Tahamman in the Shalihir Desert.

I just finished getting the entries filled out and uploaded, and they should be approved pretty soon (even with Maximus out for baby #3, gratz to him btw).

Gamechanger

2008-06-11T10:22:00.003-04:00

The announcement of the upcoming expansion does indeed change things a bit. For one, it means I have to consider what this does to my release schedule. I have to juggle the pros and cons of delaying production on Crusaders of Shalihir a bit to incorperate the new features of SoZ (Such as the Overland Map and assorted Chult Jungle apparel.

I can see pros and cons to both sides of this one. If I treat this like Ruins of Kazatharis, then I release it just before the release of the expansion pack to give those who don't have the expansion yet something to do. I could also treat it like Beneath the Hearleforne which was tailored around the material contained within the expansion.

One of my biggest concerns is hak compatibility and what may be effected by the expansion. That is the one driving force in my head that tells me to hold off until all the cards are on the table.

If I had to guess (I honestly haven't looked into this one yet), I would put SoZ release late fall/holiday shopping time. Which really wouldn't shift back production that much. I could continue to work on Crusaders of Shalihir, touch-up/test/verify post-expansion, then get to work on part IV (which has already undergone some script changes due to this news).

I'm thinking that may be the best way to go.

Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir

2008-06-09T16:26:00.001-04:00

File this one under 'I told ya so'...

Atari Europe has published news of a new expansion pack for NWN2 titled "Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir"

http://nwvault.ign.com/fullstory.php?id=42139

Pad those 2DA lines well my friends, and batton down the hatches, the waters are about to get stormy.

Little Ducks All in a Row

2008-06-07T01:45:00.003-04:00

Ahh the fun of making NPCs, they aren't dolls damn you, they are action figures. One of the more interesting aspects of module development outside of area design is crafting the various NPCs. While this is sometimes a time consuming activity having to make sure that factions, skills, feats, names, etc all mesh up, it allows for quite a bit of creative flexibility in designing the look and armor for each. That's right, eat your heart out Vera Wang.

Anyhow, here is a quick glimpse of some of the NPCs that will be featured in Crusaders of Shalihir. Check out that lion shield from Sunsilks Shield pack. I couldn't have asked for a more fitting model.

Hak-Tastic

2008-06-02T02:12:00.001-04:00

I have made some really good headway putting together the hakpak for Crusaders of Shalihir. Actually, I am including all custom content material for the module after it as well. With bandwidth and storage being less of a concern than it was in the NWN1 days, I decided to just combine the two. Not too mention there is quite a bit of carry over.

Of course, just when you think you have everything you need, something you want arrives. Take for example the new Robinson Workshop creation: RWS Dungeons. Just amazing quality from them once again. I already combined the 2DA entries from it and their All-In-One package and merged it into my existing hak.

I also went ahead and made the once override files of Beneath the Hearleforne into a hakpak so people would no longer have to mess with their override folder. I hope this makes things a bit easier on the players now that I'm pretty sure 2DAs are read from haks correctly.

Alakanthor & Name That Continent

2008-05-25T06:16:00.003-04:00

Here is a very early screenshot of Alakanthor. A secluded monestary nestled into the cliffs amongst the ruins of an ancient Solvheilian dock, Alakanthor will serve as the stage of a rather large battle in the later part of the module.

Also, I have a poll posted in the upper left of this page on potential names for the Continent. While Solvheil has always been the campaign name, it is the name of an ancient civilization, not the name of the giant piece of rock it takes place on. I have come up with a good number of maybes and put them up for public scrutiny. Feel free to pick your pony.

Custom Content and the 3C

2008-05-22T09:35:00.001-04:00

Alright, call me crazy. I have been exploring the magical realm of custom content as of late and compiling a list of things that I would like to use in 'Sands of Solvheil III: Crusaders of Shalihir", when I came across the 3C. For those who haven't seen it, the 3C is very much like the CEP of NWN1, except without custom blueprints, tlks, scripts, etc. It is strictly the resources.

Now, while some things that made the cut somewhat raise my eyebrows on the quality tip, the 3C does indeed have all of the resources that I was looking to add. I am seriously (as in test module) considering incorperating it into the rest of the series. I am curious if anyone has any concerns or thoughts on the utilization of the 3C. From what I gather, most of the 2DA files are adequately padded to prevent any foolery from Expansions of Adventure packs, so damage control should be kept at a minimum.

It also has many of the Robinson Workshop compilations, which can only serve to make area design that much more fun and robust. I think to stay on the safe side, I will export all of my areas as ERF and import them into a blank module wired up with 3C to try things out for a few days.

Tahamman Interiors

2008-05-20T02:16:00.003-04:00

Just a quick look at the progress of a few interiors in the desert town of Tahamman in the Shalihir Desert.

The Empty Hump: Favorite watering hole of the trade hub.

Armond Alchemy: Last chance to find a variety of flora before a trek across the arid sands.

And now for something completely different...

2008-05-19T09:20:00.003-04:00

The minor story is that I finally (10 years after I should have) graduated with my Undergraduate degree this weekend. On a more interesting note, the keynote speaker was Steve Forbes. The Alex P. Keaton in me was very excited about this. Now, mind you, Forbes is an economic mastermind who was able to explain monetary policy with the sort of ease and analogy that would allow a kindergartener to get a grasp of it (now if the Fed could follow suit). Although I couldn't help thinking what I have thought since the first time he ran for president, "My God, this guy looks like Max, the head vampire from the movie The Lost Boys."

That's right, Steve Forbes is indeed none other than the alter-ego of Edward Herrmann, the actor who played in several roles throughout the years, the most prominent in my mind being The Lost Boys. I almost wanted to take a little holy water my wife procured at her recent baptism and sprinkle it his way to see if any scalding occurred.

All jokes aside, the guy was a great speaker. Funny as hell and able to convince a lifelong skeptic that the economy is as good as ever, yet every finely tuned engine needs the right amount of fuel. The fuel in our case would be the amount of money. Too little or too much and you will never get things running correctly. A good indicator of this is the price of gold on the market with 300 being the sweet spot. Above that and strange things start to happen (y'know, like the dollar being worth squat).

In summation, QUIT PRINTING MONEY! Despite the federal plan, no economy has ever been made stronger by making it weaker. Like he said at the address, if that were the case, Argentina and Zimbabwe would rule the world.

Random Desert Area

2008-05-11T21:16:00.002-04:00

Probably one of the most difficult things I've had to pull off in area design so far is the generic random desert area. There's only so much that can be done with sand y'know. Although I have been fortunate in some texture/color experimentation to break up the monotony. A Joshua tree here, some aloe there, a few rocks scattered around.

The challenge is keeping things looking like a desert without making the edge of the area inviting to prevent players from hitting the invisible wall. I'll only have a few of these areas that will mainly be used for transition/travel, but I still want to spend the time it takes to make them look just right.

The Oasis of Azullain

2008-05-09T00:31:00.002-04:00

I've had a chance to do some texture work on the Oasis of Azullain area. The Oasis was discovered by an ancient explorer named Azullain after the Imlan Sea was expelled. It has since become a hub for trade, and waystop for all caravans that pass over the burning sands.

HoF (better late than never)

2008-05-02T23:43:00.002-04:00

Ahh yes, about 5 months after I thought I was going to finally break into the NWVault HoF (when I thought it was 2500 downloads opposed to 5k), I did it. Man I love it when a plan comes together. On a similar note, I will be walking with my undergraduate degree in two weeks...just about 10 years behind schedule, lol.

Nothing like a nice easy pace as you slide toward the finish line wearing comfortable shoes.

Things are really great, although I haven't been able to hit the toolset as much as I would have liked. I have really been diving right into the wonderful world of Sharepoint and become a bit immersed. I hope to have it about tackled enough for work purposes (doing a little content management action), and look forward to firing up NWN2 again real soon.

New Solvheil Site/Wiki Sharepoint Style

2008-04-27T00:53:00.004-04:00

http://solvheil.webhop.net/default.aspx

Whether or not I move the blogs over to the new Sharepoint site and format will depend on how reliable my DynDNS setting is to circumvent any Verizon FIOS Router Port Foolery. I am still in the process of moving the Wiki over from the old MediaWiki format one page at a time. I had a little trouble restoring the MySql database that drove it and the only table with any information is searchindex (plenty of unformatted text). I am having some good results with careful google searches and access to their cached sites, but at least this gives me a chance to review things as I rescribe.

What Have You Learned Dorothy?

2008-04-18T10:12:00.000-04:00

Well, I have learned that Sharepoint Server will NOT install on Windows Server 2008 even if you ask it nicely. This seems a bit odd from Microsoft if they want to keep things moving forward with Sharepoint serving as the cornerstone. So after several hours of locating drivers, switching mouse/keyboard/monitor back and forth (I really need a workbench), I had to return the server back to Windows 2003.

I also learned that even Indiana is not safe from the earthquakes, albeit small ones.

Upgrade Time

2008-04-17T16:28:00.001-04:00

Being the good Microsoft lapdog that I am, I will be taking down my server and installing Windows Server 2008 this evening. As a result, the Solvheil Wiki will be offline until I can restore it in the new environment.

I'm going to spend the night backing up quite a bit of data to dvd then shake the etch-a-sketch for the fresh install. When I am done, I should have the full gambit as in Server 2008, SQL 2005, Sharepoint Server 2007, and Office 2007 working harmoniously (shyeah right). I have the sacrificial chicken ready (alright, the sacrificial bucket of chicken from KFC) and confirmed for brawl. Luckily, blogger hosts most of this hoopla so if it all goes South, all is not lost.

SoSII:BtH v1.4

2008-04-12T01:42:00.002-04:00

I've decided to do some touching up on Beneath the Hearleforne with the next upload. I'm adding some additional dialogue for some things that players found were left hanging. While I wanted to address them mainly in SoSIII, they were left feeling undone and too vague for many. While this won't give anything too much away, it will help remind the player that these aspects have not been forgotten.

I'm also going to take a look at moving away from the use of speaktrigger for OnEnter of an area that has a 'cutscene'. While I haven't decided just how, an onenter script with a do once command the leader so far, I can clearly see that the default SpeakTriggers are not too be trusted. This was also quite an aggrevation in the first module, and if I can find an acceptable solution, I may touch it up as well. For some reason, even using an Ipoint speaker to prevent time/space anomolies with the partymember not being in the area yet does not quell the speaktriggers thirst for error. In short....grrrrr.

It's Over 5000!

2008-04-10T02:02:00.003-04:00

Alright, not quite as dramatic or epic as over 9000, but enough for Ruins of Kazatharis to finally qualify for the Hall of Fame automated process. Mixed emotions on that as happy I will be to slip past the velvet rope, I will also regret losing my sidebar quicklink status in Top Rated Mods. Not being visible on the vault will likely hurt the chances the mod will be discovered and played, but that just encourages me to plow forward.

Had I spent a bit more time on side quests and such in Beneath the Hearleforne, I probably could have fostered some higher votes there to keep at least one entry visible at all times. I just couldn't see putting any diversions into the module as it was rather unplanned and I am anxious to make some headway on Crusaders of Shalihir.

With my wandering mind (see below post for example of tangents), I will really have to get cracking to make progress. I am still taking a look at viable custom content for part III and want to finalize that list to get a good hakpack put together. From nothing, to override, to hakpak...all growns up.

Before I forget, congratulations to all of the Module of the Year winners and nominees! There were some really great adventures in that lot which stand as a good example of what happens when the tools are made available to good storytellers.

Xbox 360 & RPG Conceptual Idea

2008-04-08T12:47:00.007-04:00

I have been playing (too much) Mass Effect when it hit me: There are finally enough buttons on modern consoles to pull off an idea I have had since the NES system.

I think I may spend a little bit of time fleshing it out but I want to at least get a brief synopsis posted. While Mass Effect does a beautiful job combining elements of a true RPG game and aspects of a FPS with combat, I have an idea of how to expand upon it a bit for the more Sword & Sorcery genre.

The idea is tied mainly to the concept of spellcasting and making it more of a process than a one-button macro with built-in calculations for failure/damage/range. Most RPG games have various casting tied to a button or rollout menu to select spell and then optional targeting information. What I envision is a more direct control system that requires combinations of input for a successful cast. Think of your 10-Hit Combos or Cheat Code sequences utilized in a more gameplay fashion.

Example: PC Spellcaster has just found a scroll that details the semantic and verbal requirements to cast an offensive spell. If scribed correctly into his roll-out spellbook, he can select to cast it at any given time (granted he has the necessary material component, mana, or whatever control would be set in place). Upon selection, the spellbook menu is put away and a combination of Button/Analog stick/D-Pad commands appears on-screen for the player to successfully complete. This sequence represents whatever individual runes/moves/words that the caster must execute in order.

More difficult spells would of course require more involved sequences, and the speed and accuracy of input would tie directly into the success of the spell, the effect, as well as the range. Concentration would come into play as events like taking damage, being distracted, etc could adversely effect the 'casting process' and thus disrupting the spell.

In this system, there would still be the opportunity to have certain spells tied to a one-button execution as these would likely take the form of 'Quick Cast' selections (similar to PnP rules) which were essentially a macro of casting components completed ahead of time and stored as potential arcane energy to be released on command.

Scrolls would also have their place as they would be easier to use having most of the required components covered by their scribing. Thus a player could either opt to scribe the scroll to their spellbook (menu) for later attempts (aka the long way) or use the scrolls as a one-shot cast where the scroll would be sacrificed as the material component.

Like I said, I have had this idea kicking around since the release of the original Nintendo, however I felt the input controls at the time were far too limited for this to be done successfully (That and I didn't want fireball tied to up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start).

I will probably run with this idea a ways and develop at least the conceptual gameplay and storyline elements. Naturally this would have to be a low-magic setting so the discovery of new magic and combinations would be a supplemental reward system of its own. I would also like to incorporate the need to research certain arcane aspects and the possibility of stumbling across or creating spell combinations that may not be documented elsewhere in the gameworld.

Now I know the chances of a company like Bioware or Obsidian or Big Developer Incorporated swooping along and saying "Hey man, we dig it! Wanna, y'know, help us develop it?" are slim to none. That likely won't deter me from the creation process as this is the kind of thing (conceptual game design) I have been wasting* my time with since grade school (for me, the Atari days). I think it's a rather novel concept that should be explored.

If this has been done somewhere else, please let me know so I don't fall under the impression that I just invented the wheel. Always a kick in the pants when you find out an idea you've had for years got picked up and done by someone else because you were too busy sitting on your hands. For me, it's a long list: Photosensitive Contact Lenses, Solar Panel Roof Shingles, etc etc.

* It's not a waste if it gives you creative outlet and keeps you out of the pub. That's what I tell my wife anyway.

Beauty is in the Eye

2008-04-04T10:19:00.003-04:00

Big thanks to Bouncy Rock Entertainment and more specifically, Jonny Ree for creating one of the most needed and requested adversaries for NWN2. Holy Friholies does this thing look awesome! Dead on to the Monster Manual and watching it move is something to behold (oh yes, I went there).

Rough Cuts

2008-04-01T23:58:00.003-04:00

Here are some early shots of a few areas. I am just now beginning to do some terrain and texture edits to these desert locations, but I am pretty satisfied with their overall size.

My Favorite Part

2008-03-30T03:05:00.002-04:00

It feels good to be back to my favorite part of making modules, which is area design. I had to spend a little time organizing what material I had for Crusaders of Shalihir before I decided to add another module and shifted focus to Beneath the Hearleforne. Now that I have everything consolidated again, it is back to creating the areas to be explored. Man, am I rusty! I was using the terrain tools to shape Scarcrag Pass which the player will travel pretty early in the module to get into the Shalihir desert and really felt 'out of shape' as far as molding. It may take a little time to get back to where I was. It's a good thing I decided to stay out of the area design contest, because in my current state of fumbling, I'd just undo things in my attempts to polish.

I want to make sure to get the design document near complete before getting too far ahead of myself. I have a pretty good but still rough idea of the areas, npcs, storyline already. I find myself wishing I would have alluded to some of the mysteries in part II just a bit more, but I will have to make sure to tie them in correctly to make up for it. I am quite a ways off from being able to call a release date for this one because there is so much ground to cover. I shudder to think what I will have to leave on the edit room floor due to module size requirements.