Party Creation Feature Added to "Lanterna"

I just added the SoZ party creation feature so now you can create your own party or a combination of your own created companions and companions from the campaign. I suggest using the campaign companions for your first play through. That way you get all of the additional story elements and companion interations. Merry Christmas everyone! Back to work on Chapter 3, the final chapter of "Lanterna".

Lanterna Chapter 2 Released

I finished Chapter 2 and it is now available on The Vault. Chapter 2 adds another 4-6 hours to the campaign and will advance you to around 8th level with a full party (level 13-14 if soloing I believe - haven't completed a solo run). The story continues to unfold the fate of your father's caravan and the evil forces emerging in Lanterna. Enjoy...

Lantern on The Vault

Lanterna Chapter 2 Beta Ready

I finished chapter 2 of Lanterna. I made a quick test with the party I had from chapter 1 (Miki, Balen, and Ian). Everything seems to be working properly. I ended at level 8 and it should add another 4-6 hours for most players (depends on your play style). I'll probably continue to test and tweak for the next week and release on Saturday, December 20. Here is a screenie that I captured during a test run...

SoZ's new AI has made thing more interesting. One problem is that all enemies seem to come charging from eveywhere indoors once one enemy is killed (the shouting area seems to have expanded). Oh well, I guess it makes sense for the most part, but changes my original intentions for some of the encounters. Back to testing...

Lanterna Chapter 2 Status

I finished decorating the last area and all encounters are established. I made one run through with a party of a PC, Miki, Ian, and Balen. Everything seems well balanced and there are a few very tough battles. I'll be spending a few weeks working on transforming the story outline into actual conversations, interactions, and other ways of developing the story. Here are a few screenshots...

Music for Modding

There was a recent thread on the forums about what music modders listen to while building. I thought I'd post a few links to the bands I listed in the thread for those who may be curious...

Slowdive - Morningrise



Slowdive - Catch the Breeze



Dead Can Dance - The Carnival is Over



My Bloody Valentine - To Here Knows When



Pixies - Debaser



Swervedriver - Wrong Treats (live)



Cocteau Twins - Ella Megalast Burls Forever (live)



Joy Division - Ceremony



Back to modding....
I finished adding the last area and have only 3 small interiors to decorate. All of the transitions work and most of the encounters are in place. I hope to make a few run throughs to test the balance of the entire chapter. It'll take a few weeks to flush out all of the conversations, etc.
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Lanterna Chapters 1 and 2

Chapter 1 has been on the Vault for about five weeks now. The first week saw many downloads, comments, and votes. Since then, the comments have been few and the downloads average 3-5 per day. I expect that to pick up once people get around to playing (there are a bunch of good mods recently released that everyone is playing through first). There are probably a number of players waiting for the entire campaign to be completed before playing.

Chapter 2 is about half way finished. All of the areas, area transitions, and world map are complete. I will be spending the next few weeks working on the conversations and details. It looks like chapter 2 will add another 4-5 hours to the campaign and probably 3-5 levels (depending on party size). I would like to add the option of creating a few of your own companions once SoZ is available. I'll probably wait until after I release chapter 2 to implement that feature (maybe when chapter 3 is ready). I want to give people a chance to buy SoZ before I convert the campaign to SoZ requirements. Hopefully, this weekend I will make my first test run of chapter 2.

Lanterna Chapter 1 goes BETA

The first chapter (1 of 3) of "Lanterna" will be on the vault shortly (pending approval). I decided to go back to my original idea of 3 longer chapters instead of 6 shorter chapters. So I have combined the smaller 1 and 2 chapters into one and am calling it "chapter 1" (confusing, I know). It should run about 3-6 hours depending on how much exploring you do and side quest you complete. A number of areas and encounters will be missed if you do not explore. The only hints (map pins) are for where the exits are located. I am working on a complete walkthrough with spoilers for those who would like to see what they may have missed. If you do get a chance to play, please leave feedback on how to improve the chapter and any bugs. I'll start on chapter 2 shortly; after finishing my holloween submission for BouncyRock.

Lanterna Chapter 2 Progress

I finished all of the exterior areas (minus encounters, final details, etc.). I added all the transitions to the world map and test all the areas out. There are two modules in the campaign so far and transitioning from area to area, even across modules, seems to be working wonderfully. I started on the interiors for Langdale as well. My workflow is the following:

1. build areas
2. add transitions and test them
3. add NPCs, stores, etc.
4. add basic conversations with quests parts, companion join parts, open stores, etc.
5. add encounters and solutions to quests
6. test the module (should be able to playable from start to end)
7. complete conversations
8. add details to areas, books, custom descriptions, etc.
9. test, test, test

Here are a few more screenshots:

Lanterna Chapter 2 Update

I decided to finish chapter 2 before releasing chapters 1 and 2. I have a world map working and two areas completed. I still have three exterior areas, two large interiors, and a number of small town interiors to create. Here are a couple of screenies:

Lanterna pre-Beta Update

I am getting close to a beta release. I will need a few module testers to give me feedback on bugs, story flow, game flow, etc. In general, I would like to know what you liked and what I need to change. I made many drastic changes to "The Exile" based on community comments and I think it made the module much more enjoyable. I would like to do the same with "Lanterna - chapter 1".

Here a couple of screenies:

This is an aerial pict of your home village, Brinsby

Brinsby looking east with the Kinstan Mountains in the distance

Fledge's little home

Another pict of East Brinsby

I have many more areas, but I'm trying not to spoil too much. Anyway, I apologize for not updating the blog too often, but I use all of my spare time in the toolset.

Here is a list of some features that I have tried to implement:

• Three companions to choose from. None are forced and you can travel alone if you so choose. Only two companions will be allowed in the first chapter. I will never force you to remove a companion from the party for another companion (aka the OC).


• XP is scaled based on how many companions are in the party similar to BG and IWD.


• Companions take part in many encounter conversations. I had to write different conversations for each possible party combination.


• I tried to keep the loot to a minimum and very little (if any) magic items in the first chapter.


• There are different ways to travel to Langdale. Both paths have differrent events (one is a short path and one is longer).

I still have not resolved the Fledge model issue. I would like him to look like the picture below, but he will probably just be a halfling with a badger head and tail. We'll see...

I should be ready for the beta testing to begin in a week or so...

Lanterna Update

Just a quick update... I have completed another 3 exterior areas and a number of interiors. I have one more exterior area to create and then I can start with the rest of the building process. Most the areas still need some detail work, but I wanted to have all the areas and transitions working before I began on the conversations, encounters, scripting, etc. I still don't have Boone or Fledge figured out (need to create a model for Fledge and Feats/Class for Boone). Here are a couple of pictures from East Brinsby...

Lanterna Update

It's been awhile since I worked on Lanterna. I finally graduated and hopefully will be able to continue with this project. I currently have a few areas mostly completed. Here are a couple of sceenshots...

The village of Brinsby where your adventure begins...

Brinsby Inn - a popular spot where many travellers look forward to stay when passing through your little village

Kinstan Caves