41 minutes

I ran another content test today. Things are getting pretty exciting. It took me 41 minutes to run through all the content I have made so far. I was also speed clicking through dialog and skipping a few optional encounters. I imagine it would have taken an hour if I hadn't been in a hurry.

This makes me very happy though. An hour of gameplay already! This mod is only about 1/4 done with content scripting and conversations so it will probably be 4-5 hours to play when it is complete. And then when you take into account that the first chapter will be comprised of this mod and 3-4 others... It may well take 12 hours to play through the first chapter. 3-4 chapters total...

I'm getting ahead of myself. For now I must get ready for work. A hell week looms.

-Inder

How can you read it? There's no pictures!

I have been informed that my blog is "difficult to read" since "there are no pictures".

...

After much reworking I think I'm done with the Evermoors!




















































Pictures. The Evermoors look way better when I artfully take pictures than they do in-game. I know I said I was officially done with area design but I was never truly satisfied with the way the Evermoors turned out. Too much like a swamp. And though most people, including D&D design crews and authors, don't seem to realize there is a difference between a swamp and a moor... I do... thanks to Wikipedia. Enjoy!

-Inder

...

Autosave caused a crash. Mod got corrupted. Lost all night's work. Pissed.

-Inder

The New and the New

Obsidian has clearly been very busy with the first expansion pack to NWN2, the Mask of the Betrayer. The game seems to be on course for a september-ish release. If you're here reading this than you probably already know all this info but the game takes place in Thay/Rashemen. This is extremely exciting to me. The Sword Coast is a classic region and I don't think we'll ever run out of fun to have there, but these two regions have never had a game set in them. This is some fresh territory. The Red Wizard prestige class is being added, which is great because I intend for Red Wizards to factor into my game later on. I'm just happy to see Thay explored. So frequently we encounter Red Wizards so very very far from their homeland of Thay. It will be interesting to be a hero in their home territory.

We're also getting the "Favored Soul" basic class...

Let me just put this out there. I don't like new basic classes. When I pick up a copy of "Complete X" nowadays and look at all the new classes they add I retch a bit in my mouth. I do not think that there has ever been a need for new base classes. Ever. No Favored Soul, no Dragon Shaman, no Duskblade, no Hexblade, no Warmage... none of them! All of these things can be accomplished with multiclassing. People just don't like to multiclass because it is frequently weaker than this new classes. Most of the new classes are redundant or don't make sense anyway. Like Samurai. Seriously, a Samurai is just a fighter from Japan. Not a whole new class.

I guess it is becoming a sign of my "age" that I despise these things. I remember a more pure D&D. A time before I had to contend as a DM with 30 different "Complete" and "Races of" books and a whole Player's Handbook 2, all of which are official content so cannot rightfully be turned down.

Regardless of what is coming in the expansion I am thrilled it is coming so soon. There will never be enough content for us builders to mess with and I am salivating with anticipation over the Mask of the Betrayer.

-Inder

Head meet Wall: The Revenge

New problems. There are always new problems. Today I had a corruption scare. All 3 backup copies of my module became corrupted. At least, I thought so. Turned out it was just the hakpak I was using. I'm still not sure what about it was causing the problem, but the instant I disabled it and removed all elements of it from my computer my module began to load fine. It sure was scary hour or two trying to determine the problem. For a while, I thought I'd lost ALL my work.

Otherwise, I am still plugging along. Trying to figure out why a few scripts function oddly or not at all. Stealing more scripts from the OC. Standard stuff. Hopefully my next update will have some substance.

-Inder

Head meet Wall

Been diligently working on the module all week after taking the weekend off from it. First thing that I bashed heads with was custom .tlk files. I started with the easy thing first, I know! Anyways, I spent a whole day tackling that and finally figured everything I wanted to know out. It is working like a charm now. Custom feats. Custom companion influence. Everything is working great. I'm almost done with the first big cutscene now too. Things are taking shape and it is very exciting.

-Inder

I was never really gone

I'm back, but in truth I was home the whole time. A few days ago I got sick with something. We aren't sure what. It was fairly gross and I won't go into it here. Suffice to say I was expelling large amounts of blood. I woke up the next morning, strangely, feeling 100%. Absolutely great. Haven't had the problem again. I got busy then. A friend came over and we spent the day playing NWN2's OC in multiplayer (something which is ludicrously fun). Now I'm back to work on the module. The first couple of convos are done. I've also completed a few set up scripts to ensure that freshly made characters have some gear and money. Everything is coming along smoothly. Today I intend to finish the module's first major cutscene.

-Inder

1018 & 1019

Figures. Two last minute additions to the module, bumping it up to 19 areas. 1018 should be extremely small and easy to create while 1019 may take a little while. Time to get to work.

-Inder

What's in a Name?

A good point was raised recently to me on the BioWare Boards. "Shadows of the Past" isn't the best name around. It was pointed out that "Shadows of X" is a pretty commonly used, perhaps overused, name scheme. That is true, but there is a limit to how much I care about that. One thing that bugs me about the name is that it is kind of a pun. Now, unless you're a clever one you probably don't realize how. Just take my word for it, since explaining how it is a pun would spoil some serious plot elements.

In any event, I'm not terribly fond of the name. I mean, I like it, but I'm still hoping something better will come along. The campaign has bore that name for years though, ever since Pen&Paper days. I have been toying with other names though and I have a few ideas. Hopefully the perfect name will crop up before the project is complete.

-Inder

1017

It is done. All 17 areas are now complete. I leave for work in 20 minutes. It has been a long day. I've been up for 16 hours already and I won't be able to go to bed for at least another 5 or 6. Ugh.

Anyways, tomorrow I open each area one by one and give them a good going-over. Make sure all the walkmeshes are correct, no funky glitches, etc. If there are no big problems I will be able to begin convos/scripts and actually breath some life into the module. Hopefully by Friday I will be starting the first play tests. For now, work time... I wish bed-time.

-Inder

Walk / No-Walk

I just spend the better part of an hour tinkering with the camp pictured in my previous post. Huge swathes of tiles were baking as unwalkable, despite the fact that everything was an environmental object with walkmesh triggers. I came to the conclusion that there were simply too many of these so I had to slowly remove one object at a time, bake, and see if the tile became walkable. A frustratingly slow process. The area is fine now, it was just a pain.

I've made extensive use of the walk and no-walk tools in this area. I like what I've done but it worries me a bit. Video games like NWN2 so frequently use illogical terrain as a barrier. Like a bush or a shallow stream. For the most part I am also guilty, though I would never have a bush impede you! Rough slopes and water will for the most part obstruct you. I try to be consistent with what blocks your path and what doesn't, but I'm afraid I may have broken the rule with this area. You see, there are a few "secret" approaches to the enemy base that you can utilize. Basically, these approaches are areas of terrain that, in any other area of the mod, may be unwalkable but are walkable here. I will have to test this area thoroughly to determine if anyone notices these paths or even realizes they are capable of using them.

-Inder

Cats and Dogs Living Together!

A new area is now completed. Here are a few pics.



































Orcs and Gnolls! Out of desperation these orcs and gnolls have banded together to attempt to resist the forces of Wood Elves and forest-kin that seek to drive them from the High Forest. Their combined power has become a serious thorn in the side of the High Forest's agents in the last few months.

Okay, and I promise I will post screenshots outside the High Forest eventually!

But now I am at 16/17 areas. One more and then the joy of convos and scripts.

-Inder

It's out there...

I've posted an announcement about this project on the BioWare Boards. Berliad has already given me a few kind words of encouragement.

I can't take it back now. Now it's out there. It lives on the internet now, not just in my private little world.

Kinda scary.

How it all Comes Together

Obsidian provided us with a great new method of game building in NWN2: the campaign. Stringing multiple modules together allows for larger and better games. I enjoy the possibilities and flexibility that the system affords to the designer. Shadows of the Past will, of course, be using the campaign system. As of right now, Chapter 1 tentatively has 3 modules that comprise it. A 4th module may be added later on, depending on whether or not I feel one is warranted. Each module will consist of 15-20 areas. My work has been centered on the 1st module of chapter 1 at the moment and I am pleased to say that this module is almost done. This module consists of 17 areas and will take the player through the story all the way until the city of Everlund itself. I currently have 15/17 areas completed and then I can begin on writing conversations and scripts, which is something I immensely enjoy. I anticipate the final two areas to be done in a few days.

It is time for me to get back to work. I leave today with another screenshot of the High Forest. I was going to add a pic of Sylwood Hamlet but somehow that screenshot became all distorted and weird.


















- Inder

The Short Version

I am returned. I left off earlier just short of diving into a description and preview of the Shadows of the Past (SotP). Like most modules I've been designing for NWN1 and 2 it is set in the Forgotten Realms. Personally, I am a lore nerd for the setting and memorize pointless dates, locations and events. This knowledge always helps shape and define my modules. That being said, I went out of my way this time to garner even more knowledge of the setting. I intend to fill the campaign with as many details as I can without it becoming overwhelming. Hopefully the result will be a completely believable FR experience.

Now, for what the campaign is actually about. Set in the Silver Marches, your character receives a mysterious summons from an unknown party to the tiny logging village of Sylwood Hamlet, nestled just inside the Silverwood. Curious, you make the journey but not long after you arrive the village is in flames. Suddenly, you find yourself on the run from the army of Everlund, a nearby metropolis, being hounded for a crime you did not commit. In your journey to clear your name you come upon the intricate and deadly deception that has befallen the city of Everlund.

Well, there's the blurb. If I had a box I'd put that on the back of it. What I just described will only be the first installment of the campaign. That's right, it will be a series. I know some people are probably disappointed by this. "Oh great, another "OC" that will never be finished". You may be right sadly, but damnit if this idea dies then it goes down fighting.

In any event, it is a multi-part campaign. I am hesitant to use the term "Chapters" but I will anyways. Chapter 1, what I just described, will be called "The Deception of Everlund". This chapter will have you and your companions traveling all around the Savage Frontier and the Silver Marches in an attempt to evade the Army of the Vale, Everlund's army, and prove your innocence. Expect to explore some high profile places, such as the Evermoors and the High Forest, as well as some less well-known areas and places that I created myself.

Time for some screenshots:



















Here is a screenshot of the Forest Queen's Peace, the only inn in Sylwood Hamlet and one of the first areas in the game. I am personally very fond of this area.




















This one is a part of the High Forest, another favorite of mine.

Well, it is late/early and I'm going to take off. Soon I will post a link to this blog in the Modules forum of the BioWare boards. So, I hope you like what you see.

-Inder

Beginning Halfway

A Blog. It's something I never thought I'd have. The word itself still exists as some kind of jargon in my head. They're something people talk about in 5 minute segments on news shows on CNN or FOX. It is especially strange that they should hold this odd position of half-existing in my head, since my wife has a blog that she updates regularly and I see nearly every day. In fact, she is the one that suggested I create this blog.

In any event, here I am. My pre-made template website is a bastion for my thoughts and ideas in the tremendous ocean of the internet. ... That sounded a tad pretentious... nor did it make a whole lot of sense.

Neverwinter Nights. It is about time I mentioned it considering it is the reason I made this blog in the first place! I am an amateur module designer (I guess we all are) for this fantastic game. I got my start designing in early 2003 with Neverwinter Nights 1 and now I work with the Obsidian developed sequel. My name on this blog is the same as my BioWare forum name and my NWVault name, Inder. Feel free to look me up, you will see that I have contributed very little to the NWN community. It is something I feel a bit ashamed of, honestly. Over 4 years of practice with mod-creation and only one, average quality (at best) module released to the vault? That is a pretty poor work rate.

I think I am probably a very good example of the typical mod designer in the community. We have great ideas, they take over your mind and run wild with your imagination. You sit down at the toolset to give digital form to these ideas. You work for days and days... and then sometimes the daunting nature of your task looms ahead of you. Your eyes get tired and you start to think in C++. You take a break, months go by, a new idea appears and the cycle starts over. I probably I have 3 or 4 NWN1 modules still on my hard drive that are between 75% and 90% complete. One of my favorites, the Perils of the Black Road, was so close to completion and then NWN2 was right around the corner and I got the pre-release toolset. The poor mod was never finished (of course, I intend to create it in NWN2 one day but you know how intentions are).

With the extreme power of design we have in NWN2 my head is full of ideas all the time. This toolset is so powerful and so full of possibilities that I think I can finally create the greatest mod ideas running rampant in my head. I took the first 9 months or so with the toolset for practice, I knew I would butcher whatever I made due to inexperience with the toolset. I was right. My early NWN2 works aren't very good, but each one got better. Now I feel like I finally have the experience and skills to do justice to a module (rather, a campaign) that has existed in my head since I first ran it as a P&P D&D campaign (nearly 7 years ago). Alas, I rambled and now it is time to get ready for work. My next update will be to display my efforts in my largest endeavor ever, a campaign called "The Shadows of the Past".

-Inder