Slowdive_fan Blog

Lanterna Updated

2009-02-26T20:31:00.003-07:00

I made an update to "Lanterna". First of all, I combined all of the files into one download to hopefully attract more players. Someone (I think EC) mentioned that too many files to download can be a turn off. I also finally figured out how to fix the annoying "PC dying and will not get up until leaving the area" bug. This also makes the ending more robust (just incase your PC dies near the end). I added a couple of other "fail safes" to the ending to make it more reliable. The download is 80+ MB, but is actually much less than it would have been if I left the .TRN files in the mods. Removing the .TRN (the game uses the .trx and the toolset uses the .trn) files reduces the file size almost in half.

If you haven't had a chance to try "Lanterna", now is your chance...back to Kuldahar for me...

Updated Icewind Dale

2009-02-16T15:06:00.005-07:00

I have added the rest of the prologue. IWD NWN2 now includes Kuldahar Pass and everything before entering Kuldahar. I still need to figure out how to implement the SoZ death system. I also have not added the Easthaven villagers convos as of yet. I should have it up on The Vault later today after one more test run. Here are a few screenshots...

Icewind Dale for NWN2 (Prologue Complete)

2009-02-07T12:22:00.010-07:00

I've been working hard the past few weeks, after finishing "Lanterna", on another project. Icewind Dale for NWN2 is now well under way. I finished most of the prologue (minus kuldahar pass - should be done next week or so). There are a few items I still need to add such as VOs, loadscreens, the Easthaven townpeople (the no name ones), the SoZ death system (still haven't figured this one out), etc.

The first part is on the vault (pending approval)

http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NWN2ModulesEnglish.Detail&id=346

I hope everyone enjoys a little trip down memory lane...

Here are a few screenshots...

Lanterna is Completed

2009-01-19T22:00:00.004-07:00

The final chapter of Lanterna is now complete. I have uploaded the entire campaign to The Vault (Pending Approval). I went back and made a few minor changes to the previous chapters and added more companion conversations (you have to speak with them - select "talk to") at different stages of the story. It has been a 2 year project and hopefully you enjoy it as much as I have. The ending was a lot of fun to do. I have been continuously testing as I build and I made two run throughs with the completed version. Hopefully there are not too many bugs, we'll see...

Party Creation Feature Added to "Lanterna"

2008-12-24T12:25:00.002-07:00

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

2008-12-19T21:15:00.003-07:00

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

2008-12-12T20:58:00.004-07:00

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

2008-11-16T21:22:00.003-07:00

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

2008-11-13T21:46:00.009-07:00

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.
.

Lanterna Chapters 1 and 2

2008-11-10T22:08:00.003-07:00

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

2008-10-03T15:41:00.004-06:00

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

2008-08-22T22:58:00.010-06:00

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:

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

Here are a few more screenshots:

Lanterna Chapter 2 Update

2008-08-16T23:42:00.004-06:00

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

2008-07-26T08:00:00.011-06:00

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

2008-04-12T01:20:00.005-06:00

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

2008-03-27T02:27:00.006-06:00

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

Exile Update ver3.1

2007-04-19T14:42:00.000-06:00

I just uploaded an update of "The Exile" to the vault. Some people were having problems with the final battle. If their PC died during the battle and their companion survived, the next cutscene would not trigger. I went into the scripts and added a few delays, so that your PC has a chance to revive before triggering the cutscene. Everything seems to be working fine now. Also, I added an option to export your character at the end (many requested this). I also toned done the alignment shift for stealing Tindra's stuff, which I accidently missed in the last update. Hopefully this is the last update and I can focus on "Lanterna" (well, once school is out, haha)
-Jer

School Projects

2007-04-11T23:11:00.000-06:00

Only three more weeks of school. I'm busy working on a power flow project, senior design project proposal, stability project, homework, etc. I only have two classes next semester (one being my senior project) so I'm basically done. Back to working full time in a month.

After finals, I will make some minor fixes to "The Exile" and then moving on to the first chapter of "Lanterna" (which I have already started).

Back to school work...

Obsidian Module Contest

2007-04-04T22:19:00.000-06:00

Obsidian just announced the module contest and the theme. It looks like they want a thirty minute to two hour gameplay module. I estimate that a good entry should take atleast 80+ hours to create. I am way too busy with school to even consider working on one. It'll be interesting to see what is submitted. If anything, those who attempt to build a NWN2 module, will gain a better appreciation of the amount of work that goes into building a module. I look forward to playing some of the new creations when I have some time (maybe in May).

New Logo by Cowface

2007-03-30T14:39:00.000-06:00

I just received my new logo design for the campaign. The talented Cowface put this together for me. It looks great! How exciting, but back to school work for me...

busy with school

2007-03-28T18:52:00.000-06:00

I haven't opened the toolset for a couple of weeks now (since the end of spring break). School has been very busy and I have four more weeks until finals. This is my last full semester. Next semester I have two classes and then I graduate, yeah. I will be going back to work in May.

It has been almost three weeks since I made some major improvements to "The Exile". Since then, I have received 350+ downloads and 3 comments. It appears that people are downloading, but I'm not sure if they are finding time to play through it. I hope people will give it a try; I feel that the new ending has been a major improvement to the overall experience.

I guess I better get back to my school work. I'll try and upload a few pictures of my progress with "Lanterna" (maybe tomorrow).

Jer

"Lanterna" map and Companions

2007-03-16T15:56:00.000-06:00

This is a rough drawing (not to be used in actual module) to help me plan out the module's areas. I'm currently working on the Brinsby area (your home village).

Below are a few possible companions that you can travel with. For the first chapter, you will have a party limit of three; so choose wisely ;)

Companions:

Boone (Bear male barbarian) - Lived most of his life with the belief that he is one of the few talking beasts still living. He has longed to return to the Charnia region, to see if the rumors of talking beast in hiding are true. He has been a good friend to you and Fledge.

Fledge (Badger male rogue) - A valiant, brave, little creature who thinks he is a great fighter, but is really a better rogue. Highly intelligent, devote follower of Elos (talking beast never change), believed to be one of the few surviving talking beasts. Good at not being seen, opening locks, traps, etc. Very skilled with a small bow made for him by the Wood Elves. He lives in a humble burrow by your home (Brinsby). He has been your good friend for many years.

Balen (Mountain Dwarf male fighter) - Until recently, he had given up hope of finding any survivors of his lost clan. He fought against Zorn with the Charnians during the Great War. He was in Charnia at the time when it was raided. He was forced to retreat with the Charnians to this new land.

Drinn (Halfling male cleric) - Basically your Mr. Know-it-all. Well versed in the Deep Magic of Elos. Always willing to interrupt other's conversations with solutions to their problems. He is an old friend of your father and wants to go with you to look for your brother. He feels a need to look out for you, ever since your father disappeared.

Miki (Wood Elf of the East female sorceress) – She was also in Charnia at the time of the great retreat. She came over to this land and has been staying in Aberfax (and Lorenwaite at times). She recently learned that your brother went to look for your father’s lost caravan. She traveled to Brinsby to hear of any news. She has wanted to return to her people (The Wood Elves of the East) to see if any have survived, but it has been too dangerous to travel alone. She is eager to hear from your brother’s group.

Chronicles of Charnia - "Lanterna"

2007-03-14T08:30:00.000-06:00

Here is a brief (preliminary) introduction to the upcoming campaign...
Background-
approximately 60 years have passed since The Great Battle of Charnia (see "The Exile"). After that battle, the creatures and followers of Zorn continued to grow in numbers and eventually run the Charnians from their homes. The Charnians escaped into the forest and eventually crossed through a great mountain range via the mountain dwarves passage. On the other side of the mountain they began to build a small town with a few outlining villages. The followers of Zorn eventually stopped hunting the Charnians and returned to their lands. They began to lose focus (since there was no one to torment) and eventually separated into different clans and tribes based on race (goblins, orcs, ogres, dark dwarves, kingman, etc.) About 10 years ago your (the PC) father led a large group of Charnians in an attempt to return to Charnia. Since the attacks had pretty much ended, they felt that maybe Zorn's evil creatures had all destroyed each other and returning to Charnia would be safe. The caravan never returned. You and your brother were young at the time. Your mother has never recovered from the loss of her husband. A month ago your brother led a small group to try and find out what happened to the first caravan. They were only supposed to be gone for a week, but haven't returned. The past few months, there has been a dramatic increase in attacks on the outlining villages by goblins. Your mother has been very ill and bedridden due to all the stress of losing her husband and now her eldest son. You have decided to form a very small (thus undetectable by the goblins) party to search for your brother.

I have a basic outline of the main events of this campaign. There will be three chapters. Each chapter will advance you a couple of levels (maybe you'll reach lvl 6 or 7 by the end - like BG1). I want the areas to have a BG1 type feel (nonlinear, some areas with only side quests, etc.). I want the combat to be challenging and require tactics like IWD1. Most importantly, I want the companions to be interesting and fun to have around (since they are the ones you will be interacting with the most). I want people to feel sad that the story has to end - I know, that's wishful thinking ;)

Jer

"The Exile" goes through some major changes

2007-03-11T00:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I posted a major update for "The Exile" to the vault. Many (including myself) were not thrilled with the previous version's ending. I spent a few weeks studying the OC and how it scripted large battles. After about 20+ hours of scripting and creating cutscenes, we have a much improved ending. I think most everyone will be happy with the way it turned out. I 'm am very pleased with it. It wasn't easy and took a ton of testing. I hope you enjoy it.

Jer

P.S. If you have played a previous version, try playing as a different alignment. This will give you a different companion (Sildor for neutral and Randel for good). They have some background stories, so feel free to right click on them and select "talk to".

The Exile

2007-03-01T04:10:00.000-07:00

Due to popular demand, I'm planning on fixing the ending (for "The Exile") over spring break (1 week). I was never extremely happy with the ending, but the way it is, was very difficult for me to script. I'll research the OC and how it handled the multiple wave battles. I liked Berliad's suggestion; having multiple waves with a couple of leaders leading each wave. The scripting should be tricky, but I'll do my best to figure it out. Hopefully, this will make a huge difference for those who like to kill everything. Expect to see this update in two weeks...

Jer

p.s. the main purpose of "The Exile" module is to introduce The Exile (the antagonist). He plays an important part in the upcoming campaign (which I was going to start writting over spring break, but it'll have to wait).

Chronicles of Charnia - possible companions

2007-02-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

I started working on some potential companions and their background stories. I will probably allow two companions to start with and maybe one more later on. Even if you do not pick up a companion, they may still appear later on in the story doing their own thing. Here are a few that will be encountered very early on in the first chapter (no names just yet):

Bear (male barbarian) - Lived most of his life with the belief that he is one of the few talking beasts still living. He has longed to return to the Charnia region, to see if the rumors of talking beast in hiding are true.
Badger (male rogue) - A valiant, brave, little creature who thinks he is a great fighter, but is really a better rogue. Highly intelligent, devote follower of Elos (talking beast never change), believed to be one of the few surviving talking beasts. Good at not being seen, opening locks, traps, etc. Very skilled with a small bow made for him by the Wood Elves.
Dwarf (male fighter) - Until recently, he had given up hope of finding any survivors of his lost clan. He was captured and escaped during the Great Wars.
Halfling (male cleric) - basically your Mr. Know-it-all. Well versed in the Deep Magic of Elos. Always willing to interrupt others conversations with solutions to their problems.
Elf (female sorcerer) - not sure about her background just yet.

Any suggestions or comments are welcome...

Jer

Tests

2007-02-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

Tests and projects for the next couple of weeks. Spring break is three weeks away. Hopefully, I will be able to start working on the storyline for the next campaign. I have a basic outline of main events. I want to have strong stories for the companions. I'll start releasing information, in a few weeks, about the possible companions (background, personality) for the first chapter.

School

2007-02-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

School is keeping me very busy right now. Lots of home work and a couple of test. Only 3 weeks til spring break, yeah ;) Congrats on Prophecy of Aracas-Chapter 1 making the Top Rated list and recently updated, as well. Also, PoRR has been updated. I won't be able to play any modules for a couple of weeks (tests for the next two weeks).

Chronicles of Charnia

2007-02-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

I've been working on the storyline for my upcoming campaign in the Charnia setting. It takes place around 50 years after "The Exile". I would like to have a few characters from "The Exile" make an appearance in the campaign (maybe Sildor, Gildor, Veloria, Belin, and/or Fifur). I would like to have 3 or 4 chapters (each about 5 hours of play time). Here are some of the design ideas:

It will be designed for good and neutral characters.
I plan on having multiple paths to the end, plus companion specific quests.
I would like to include a few options for talking beasts as companions (bear, badger, etc.). I loved Reepicheep (the mouse) and Trufflehunter (the badger) from Prince Caspian and Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Chronicles of Narnia). Also, I will have a few dwarves, humans, halflings, and elves for optional companions.
You can keep the same companions for the whole campaign. I hated swaping out companions in the OC. Just when you were building some interaction between them, you have to split them up, Ugh.
A number of optional side quests that are interesting and add to the main story.
More scripting and animations to create more immersion, I want this to feel very cinematic.
I probably will ask for help. Anyone interested in helping on this project? I will need scripters, writters (story and dialogue), custom content modelers, etc.

That's all for now. Thanks for your support.

Jer

My Rating System

2007-02-10T19:32:00.000-07:00

I created a system for rating NWN2 modules which I have played. It involves the five areas that mean the most to me. It also adds a weight factor to each area, since some aspects are more important than others for me. Here are the areas:

Story (plot holds my attention, NPC/companion interaction, etc.)
Replayablility (enjoyed it and would play again)
Strategic Combat (challenging, makes me think)
Atmosphere (area design, music/sounds, scripting, etc.)
Polish (bugs, grammer, spelling, etc.)

I am scoring each area with a 1-5 vote:

didn't like it
weak
OK
Good
Excellent

The vote for each area is multiplied by the following weight factors: 6x (story), 4x (replayable), 4x (combat), 4x (atmosphere), and 2x (polish).

Here are my current scores (and their vault equivalent):

Tragedy in Tragidor (76/100) (9 on vault)
Prophecy of Aracas (56/100) (7.5 on vault)
PoRR (50/100) (7.5 on vault)
From Within (40/100) (7 on vault)
Willowbow (46/100) (7 on vault)
Avendale (26/100) (5 on vault)

For comparison, I have the NWN2 OC at (66/100), Baldur's Gate (92/100), and Icewind Dale (94/100).

Plans

2007-02-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

I need to figure out how to use this blog thing and how best to organize all my stuff. I would like to have information about the Charnia setting, history, updates on the upcoming campaign, and possibly organizing a team to help me (scripters, conversations, custom content, QA, etc.). I'm not sure if I should use this blog or create a web site with forums. My spare time is limited, so I may just stick with this basic blog for awhile.

First Post

2007-02-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided I need a place to record my progress on different NWN2 projects. I will also leave various comments on different modules I have played.

Anyway, I need to get back to working on my homework assignment. I'm currently taking 4 classes at ASU:
EEE471 Power System Analysis and Design
EEE425 Digital Systems/Circuits
EEE488 Senior Design
EEE498 Solar Energy (Photovoltaics)

Lots of fun stuff...