Tigranes Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 Y'know, I always thought it was a pity we didn't have one of these. Lot of us have dabbled with NWN2 modding at some point, and I know Guard Dog, Volourn (?) and possibly others are actively building. And I'm about to have a crack again now I have a bit of time. Thought it'd be nice if we could post stuff about what we're up to, ask questions, post screenshots, etc, etc. If you're currently building or considering a mod talk about it here, and I'll build up a simple list on the main post with links if relevant. We've got a nice bunch of people here and I'm surprised we haven't got a mod coming out of the ranks yet, to be honest. So who's actually opened up the toolset in the past few months? I'm still fiddling around with the basic ideas for mine, but will post about it soon (probably prematurely, knowing me). You can leave the fondue on your way out. It's for a good cause. Some NWN2 Modding Links: NWN LexiconForgotten Realms Wiki Misc Lore and Errata Cheap Soft Copies of Old Source Material FR Chronology Free JPEG Map of Faerun Free downloads of old sourcebooks and material. Let's Play: Icewind Dale Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Icewind Dale II Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Divinity II (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG1 (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG2 (In Progress) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diogo Ribeiro Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 So, yes, I'm thinking of developing something. Under Tigranes's suggestion I'm working on something in a smaller scale than what I had envisioned several years ago, and am placing the Black Isle project I mentioned on the Pen-and-Paper Gaming forum on hold. It's easy to start thinking and creating and imagining and losing track of yourself. A smaller project, or set of projects, is ideal to get an idea of what I can do with the toolset and then start building from there. I have no screenshots to show for the time being since I don't have NWN2 yet. I know it's tricky to mod for NWN2 without having the game, but I'm planning to fix my gaming PC and get NWN2 plus expansions soon after, so by January or February I should be able to properly start. I'm going for the idea I posted at the PnP forums and divide it into several smaller modules. I'm writing away the first one already, with a rough plot structure and anciliary quests. Will post about it some more soon enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guard Dog Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 Just a thought on module setting. Depending on they story you want to tell in your mod you can use any setting and no one would be more appropriate than any other. For example Tig, you were thinking of a a low magic isolated world (sort of a medevial setting). You can park such a place anywhere in FR and it is still appropriate. All the setting would do for you is provide a template for what the local enviorment might be like (desert, forest whatever) and provide an easy explanation about all the FR specific races and classes that will be running around. The nice thing about modding is that we unlike the developers have no obligation to maintain canon. Now that game changes a little in my mod because the premise for the main plot is created by the lore and source material. The biggest advantage for me in using an established setting is it takes some of the work off your hands if you want it to. If you want to set a module in a known city you can look up that city and find a map, a list of NPCs, backstory, etc right there waiting for you. You don't need to expend brain cells on thinking it up. However, if that is part of the process you enjoy the creating you own is the way to go. Heck, creating a mod is tough enough. I just like to have some thing laid out for me to just pick up and use. "While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before" Thomas Sowell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starwars Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 I'm in the early stages of developing a mod that I might call 'The Hunt'. Hard to say when or if it will be completed however since work and studies put a damper on it sometimes. Before December I hadn't even touched the toolset since September or so. But I'm mainly enjoying the process. It's pretty fun if frustrating at times. Listen to my home-made recordings (some original songs, some not): http://www.youtube.c...low=grid&view=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diogo Ribeiro Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 (edited) Woke up late, no coffee yet, couple of smokes are what's keeping me awake at the moment, so this might be totally fubar kekeke. 1) First possibility for the starting location and general adventure hub is Daggerford. This sets it in the North, between the Delimbir River and The Trade Way, with the Lizard Marsh a little ways south. It's still under scrutiny whether it should be there and what such a location brings to the fray, so there might be a change of plans. I picked Daggerford initially for a couple o'reasons - it's the largest stop between Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep, often considered its "sister city". Daggerford attempts to style itself over Waterdeep, with the members of its Council of Guilds imitating the Lords of Waterdeep even. It seems like a city trying to carve its own identity and still trying to expand, trying to be a worthwhile place both for commerce and adventurers. The other reason is that this could tie into the module by presenting some threat that stands in the way of the city's growth. It doesn't need to be tied into it directly; it may be something that's threatening the area in general but it can be reworked into something that's targetting Daggerford, maybe even someone in the Council of Guilds or somesuch. I'm still undecided about the method of introducing characters to the location. Then again, games like NWN and IWD started after a call for heroes was made and just "dumped" players in a new locale. I'm thinking if I should play it safe and have one major character welcome adventurers and ask them for their help, while also directing them to nearby places (ie., temples for Clerics) or characters of reknown (ie., retired adventurers) for more information; or make it so different classes will start in different places and motivations (ie., evil Clerics could look into the threat to spread their favored deity's dominion, good Clerics would do the opposite, arcane spellcasters could have received a call from a retired wizard who is too old to venture into the nearby region, Bards could have accompanied a troupe into town and listened rumors about it in a local tavern, etc.). The latter could be used so that a new temple/guild/sect was trying to establish themselves in Daggeford, and would attempt to send agents (the players) to solve the problem to gain the favor of the Council. The threat itself is meant to start off fairly low key, with undead roaming the lands. Outside the walls are standard brainless corpses and ghouls, but city officials inside the city report sightings of recently dead people rising from their graves; many of which retain some degree of awareness and intelligence, and are just as confused about their undead state as are the ones who saw them die. The Council is afraid that necromantic arts may be involved but they can't find the source. It could have something to do with the nearby Lizard Marsh, which shares a past with Daggerford. Here's a bit of lore found on the Book of the North: Many years ago, a group of heroes entered the swamp and killed the lizardman leader known as Redeye. In recent months, however, reports have surfaced that a lich calling itself Redeye is taking control of the lizardmen once again. If this is the same creature that was reported killed many years ago, many organizations - good and evil alike - would be interested in knowing how the transformation into undeath occurred. This could serve as the first possible location of the threat, although there are others (and besides, Lizard Marsh is one possible source - but not the source). Daggerford is visited by many travellers, any of which could have a part in this. The region also has a number of locations that could be explored - Ardeep Forest (home to a good number of elven crypts and other places) comes to mind. 2) I could lessen the workload considerably and make the module as a sort of expanded vignette. Whereas in ToEE each party alignment had an introduction followed by the game proper, the module could be set up in reverse - players already begin in the critical location of their quest. An example would be an order of Paladins that is sent somewhere to deal with an outbreak of undead. The PC (possibly with a small party) finds him or herself trapped in a necromancer's abode, and needs to stop his plans and escape. This has a positive aspect - as I mentioned, it considerably reduces the workload involved in, such as recreating a fair bit of established FR locales (in this case, Daggerfall). The negative is that it may seem too small and hedged in. Edited December 26, 2008 by Diogo Ribeiro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth InSidious Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 (edited) I've done a bit of toying around with the toolset as well, although I don't much like it, personally. I have started scribbling a few notes on a non-FR-themed, RP-heavy and combat-lite (or more likely, lite-to-non-existent) module, though. It revolves heavily around your relations with two (or possibly four) characters/puppets (not exactly CNPCs since they won't fight with you). I'll see what happens, though. Dislike of the toolset is a bit of a setback regardless, and I have quite a few other non-NWN2 projects further up the pipeline... Edited December 26, 2008 by Darth InSidious This particularly rapid, unintelligible patter isn't generally heard, and if it is, it doesn't matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llyranor Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 Role-Player, you'll have to see how the NWN2 toolset works before committing to it. It can be a pain, depending on what your priorities are. Work on your design docs, and make your scripting/dialogue via NWN1 in the meantime. (Approved by Fio, so feel free to use it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaftan Barlast Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 NWN2 is piss, modding it is even more painful. ..Im modding UT3* like real men. Who like big guns and muscles and brumaks and stuff. * the UT3 unrealed is newer than GOW so we're using that, UT3 the game is quite pointless. DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write seriously unless it is clearly and in no uncertain terms, declared by me to be meant in a serious and non-humoristic manner. If there is no clear indication, asume the post is written in jest. This notification is meant very seriously and its purpouse is to avoid misunderstandings and the consequences thereof. Furthermore; I can not be held accountable for anything I write on these forums since the idea of taking serious responsability for my unserious actions, is an oxymoron in itself. Important: as the following sentence contains many naughty words I warn you not to read it under any circumstances; botty, knickers, wee, erogenous zone, psychiatrist, clitoris, stockings, bosom, poetry reading, dentist, fellatio and the department of agriculture. "I suppose outright stupidity and complete lack of taste could also be considered points of view. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guard Dog Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 (edited) Some useful links for builders: NWN Lexicon Forgotten Realms Wiki Misc Lore and Errata Cheap Soft Copies of Old Source Material FR Chronology Free JPEG Map of Faerun Free downloads of old sourcebooks and material. Edited December 26, 2008 by Guard Dog "While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before" Thomas Sowell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigranes Posted December 26, 2008 Author Share Posted December 26, 2008 Did more writing last night and got a concept outline for a small town. I'm still not really sure about the main quest, though, since the point isn't really having a big epic main story. I need to go to work soon, but I'll probably be able to work on it there and hopefully post something about the setting for GD and the like. Right now it's just pages and pages and I need a marketable summary thing. In terms of resource management, I'm promising myself no fancy cutscenes, no new art assets, no advanced scripting. Just a lot of toolset work and conversation writing, and a judicious use of already released hak pak assets. I'm in the early stages of developing a mod that I might call 'The Hunt'. Story? Tell us. Then again, games like NWN and IWD started after a call for heroes was made and just "dumped" players in a new locale. I'm going to do something like this, with a very short opening narrative (involving you, uh, being robbed and dumped in at sea by less than reputable sailors). People get something thorny up their rear if you try to shoehorn anyway, so why go for a headache and do a super fancy opening? Let them get into the game. The negative is that it may seem too small and hedged in. Oh, not to worry. You're my sort, in that we start with a single cave and end up with a nearby town, a hidden fortress and sixteen wilderness areas. Role-Player, you'll have to see how the NWN2 toolset works before committing to it. That's true, though I think if you could deal with NWN1 toolset, you can deal with NWN2, given time. They are different in some ways, but you learn to appreciate the power NWN2 gives you once you get past some of its silliness. Strangely, I've never found NWN2 toolset that bad. Corrupt files always kills you, as does the toolset programme itself on a bad computer, but it always made a lot of sense to me, and the scripting help is nice for people like me. edit: GD > *. I'll check them out one by one at work in a few hours. Let's Play: Icewind Dale Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Icewind Dale II Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Divinity II (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG1 (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG2 (In Progress) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guard Dog Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 Another thought I had. Now that full party creation has been implemented it would be nice to see a team put together to re-create all of the old P&P modules. It has been done by various builders with mixed results but a team of 2-3 builders dedicated to just that would be very popular I think. "While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before" Thomas Sowell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starwars Posted December 26, 2008 Share Posted December 26, 2008 (edited) I also don't find the NWN2 toolset particularly bad when just comparing it to the NWN1 one, though building a mod definetely takes more time, particularly with the area creation. But I bet you could design a mod with the same visual appeal as NWN1 in a very short amount of time in NWN2 as well. Story? Tell us. The story is fairly heavily integrated into the setting. In the setting, Gods and Men are quite equal. Actually, the Gods are very dependant on humans. The Gods are supernatural and powerful but heavily outnumbered by humans. They also need contact with humans to function. So Gods often take up a role as a protector of settlements or provider of certain services (like helping crops grow or whatever the case may be). Somewhere along the line of the history of the setting, there was a huge war where humans "used" the Gods in warfare, thus destroying much of the world. The adventure will take place quite a while after this happened. Basically the really big settlements and cities have since rejected the services of the Gods and chosen to take care of themselves instead, forcing the Gods to the outskirts of civilization. The humans in the Godless cities have fared well, crimerates and so on are fairly low, humans are generally quite well off though they are also quite conservative there. In the outskirts, things are different. Poor villagefolk have to rely on the Gods and vice versa. The story hook is really simple. The player comes from a Godless city where a series of shocking murders have took place recently. Suspects are a certain group of people (haven't worked out the details yet, may be a sect of some kind) from the outskirts and a reward is offered to find out more. The player (for whatever reason) have taken this opportunity to have some adventure. The mod will start on a ship that is sailing to the small outskirts town of Sea Kings Port. The first big quest will involve this village and its particular God. It will then move to some city adventuring in a big city called Veil, which basically sits on the border of the outskirts and the... Well, I haven't come up with a good name yet, but basically the land outside is unexplored and a source of much horror to the people living within "civilization" so to speak. Veil will be a city with a thick atmosphere, where people from civilization and the "lands beyond" can safely meet. Not sure exactly how it will look thematically but there will definetely a middle-eastern influence with bazaars and what have you. The mod will be very low on combat (I might try and make it so a diplomatic approach is possible throughout the entire thing) and I will most likely recommend playing the not-so-supernatural classes as I plan on making magic *very* rare. In fact, I might try to make it just for the Rogue to make balancing better but we'll see. Choices are key, the player will always have good choices on how to handle things. Depending on the players actions, they might get a companion to join them (there are two available, mutually exclusive). They are not really your run-of-the-mill companions though, I don't plan on making a lot of banter. What I might do though is have the Party Conversation from SoZ available, and provide special options for these characters where it might fit in. Depending on how building goes, I might also have a small-ish Overland Map for the area between Sea Kings Port and Veil. The mod will mostly be about the players encounter with this (to them) unknown world and how he will impact it. It will not be designed to provide a tearjerking story, though hopefully it'll still be good to follow. I have a fair bit of it written down but it is the building that takes time, especially since I can't really plan my hours well at the moment because of work, studies and music. I'm hoping things will get less chaotic soon. I will really need the time to since I've never scripted anything in my life and I strongly suspect that learning that will be very challenging to me. Edited December 26, 2008 by Starwars Listen to my home-made recordings (some original songs, some not): http://www.youtube.c...low=grid&view=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigranes Posted December 27, 2008 Author Share Posted December 27, 2008 I like the Gods' relationship to the world, that's an easily understandable 'setting hook' - very reminiscent of some Oriental traditions as well. Mixes very well with the low-combat low-magic approach as well. Anyway, haemorrhaging my work productivity, here's a little synopsis for what I'm thinking of: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In Brief -> A world where small, isolated pockets of civilisation exist surrounded by a hostile wilderness, developing wildly different societies -> Gameplay focus on a small number of tactical, set-piece combat, 'rogue' quests (recon, assassination, sabotage...) and some classic dungeoneering -> A wanderer making his/her way in the world and interacting with different societies, rather than an epic save-the-world story Setting Nature is a harsh mistress, and civilisation has developed as small, isolated settlements, each one strongly and uniquely defined by its local conditions in that isolation, and always in conflict and interaction with the wilderness surrounding it. Sort of like the Greek peninsula of ancient times on drugs, the harsh, unpredictable terrain, the scarcity of arable land or open spaces and a proliferation of wild animals and hostile creatures have prevented the development of nations (or even interconnected regions) or permanent trade/communuication in most areas of the world. A settlement is typically small-to-medium sized, quite extensively developed in wildly different ways - having only infrequent and vague contact with each other. Such a setting is designed to explore how societies can develop very different social norms, and how human(oid) attempts to push back the boundaries and transcend their predicament is ultimately futile (no environmentalist commentary, though). In other ways, the setting can be understood as "FR Except For...". Some classes and races are represented; the others are modified or condensed; a few are cut altogether. Orcs, significantly, are very much modified to be less an indulgent and nonsensical "GRAGH HATE KILL" and more of a practical race who are short-sighted but sharp in judgment, reasonably articulate and skilled at engineering, and quite scheming. They are the 'other' civilised race, apart from the humans. Gameplay Gameplay, as you can guess, is split between wilderness exploration and urbaneering (gonna keep using that ). The first module I will try and keep small, with just one town and a few outlying areas, just so I get something done. The 'main story' is not really the big deal - it's just enough to push you into the world and then encourage you to look around, a la FO / TES. The player will generally encounter investigation / sabotage / assassination / types of quests inside the town, while the wilderness areas will often offer a small number of 'dungeons' and 'places of interest'. Combat... basically, five pre-arranged battles that makes sense rather than a hundred "spawn 5 CR-2 creatures here". The emphasis is on making enemy parties and groups think and behave in ways the player would. E.g. ambushed by a band of mercenaries? It makes sense that some archers would hide in the bushes, as opposed to just spawning in front of you with the rest of the group. Two spellcasters? One specialises in Hold spells, the other on Direct Damage, and work together (no fancy scripting required, either). You are hunting down a rogue? Odds are that he's set up lots of traps and tricks for you, rather than waiting in a room at the end of a dungeon. Also, trying to make sure that each enemy type has a specific distinguishing feature; a wolf is not just a fast melee thing, its bite also wounds and bleeds, etc. Other differences include limiting the all-pervasive power of magic to temporary and direct effect spells (so no divination, no resurrection, and very few enchanted items of any sort); potions created by collecting herbs and having a druidic healer mix them, which, in the absence of clerics (no religion), take greater prominence; possibly some Fallout-y 'silent companions' who don't blab blab all day, but just follow and fight. So what's in the actual module? "It should, in retrospect, have set off a few alarm bells when the captain cheerfully agreed to take you across the stormy waters of the Bay for less than a hundred gold pieces and a fattened pig. After all, nobody actually knew what was out there. Traveling is a risk that few take in these parts. Yet having made that ill-informed decision, you find yourself robbed of all your valuables, just short of naked and abandoned on a narrow raft. You wish that they left you some of the pig, at least, but consider it lucky that they didn't charge you for the wood for the raft. North of your current location, you spot an outline of tall cliffs - and, possibly, smoke rising from the chimneys at the top. Lying flat on your stomach on the raft, you stretch out your arms and legs, and start paddling." So the player, broke and uncommitted, reaches the brilliant provisional name of Alpha Town. Alpha Town is situated on the top of a cliff overlooking the sea, on the land-sided surrounded by thick forests that rise up onto foreboding mountain valleys. Without getting too verbose, it is characterised by a fledgling textile "industry" (only a few artisans and 'foragers' who collect the required material), courtsey of the variety of natural resources around it. So the 'merchant' sense is strong; the town's aesthetics is defined by textile works; and the player can get some nice rogue-ish quests from the rivalry. There's also an incentive to investigate the recent increase in goblin numbers in the area, leading to the previously unknown ruins of an earlier version of the settlement, and later efforts by the town to overcome its natural limit on development by colonising the wilderness. For now, though, its just a town and some outlying areas and quests, to show off the world and the concept. At the moment: It's very much a fledgling idea, only a few days old, so I think everything is rather liquid and gooey, its potential underutilised. I fear that for others there might not be much of a 'hook' to draw them into the setting, but I won't know until you guys have a look. I love people stabbing daggers in my tender heart, so fire away with crap that doesn't make sense. Let's Play: Icewind Dale Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Icewind Dale II Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Divinity II (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG1 (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG2 (In Progress) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starwars Posted December 27, 2008 Share Posted December 27, 2008 Sounds like an interesting idea that I'd gladly play. If you want inspiration for nice and natural looking environments, check out the areas in the Harp & Crysanthemum mod. I find they contain a simplistic natural beauty. And they present a nice scale to the gameworld. Are you planning on an Overland Map (could be cool for such a mod)? Listen to my home-made recordings (some original songs, some not): http://www.youtube.c...low=grid&view=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigranes Posted December 27, 2008 Author Share Posted December 27, 2008 I've been following Maerduin's blog for quite some time. I have yet to finish H&C, but yes, it is quite beautiful. I'm going to have to see exactly how SOZ's overland map is (my copy is not here yet) before I make a decision. Right now I'm thinking I prefer more of a Baldur's Gate 1 style approach (the entire map mapped out with wilderness areas)... but we'll see. Let's Play: Icewind Dale Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Icewind Dale II Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Divinity II (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG1 (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG2 (In Progress) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guard Dog Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 If you have been following the project blog you know there are two planned romance options. I'm curious, do you guys believe they add any value to the story or is it a distraction most players skip. The reason I ask is they are a hell of a lot a trouble to write and get working properly. Do you guys believe they are worth the effort? "While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before" Thomas Sowell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigranes Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 Is there a reason for these romances other than 'to just have them'? i.e. Is Jia's character one that is likely to fall in romance with the PC, and it makes sense, like Safiya's did (er, mostly)? Otherwise, I see no point putting in so much effort... unless you want to, of course. I'm using my day off to get reacquainted with the toolset. I forgot how much a pain texturing the land was and just how long it takes to get some area to look not-crap. Let's Play: Icewind Dale Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Icewind Dale II Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Divinity II (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG1 (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG2 (In Progress) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guard Dog Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 No the romances are strictly there to spice it up. Although it does add a little poignancy to the story particularly for the female PC option. However, both of the romance options will at the very least become close friends with the PC because of the nature of their relationship and their shared cause and danger. That much at least is required by the plot. "While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before" Thomas Sowell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guard Dog Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Combat... basically, five pre-arranged battles that makes sense rather than a hundred "spawn 5 CR-2 creatures here". The emphasis is on making enemy parties and groups think and behave in ways the player would. E.g. ambushed by a band of mercenaries? It makes sense that some archers would hide in the bushes, as opposed to just spawning in front of you with the rest of the group. Two spellcasters? One specialises in Hold spells, the other on Direct Damage, and work together (no fancy scripting required, either). You are hunting down a rogue? Odds are that he's set up lots of traps and tricks for you, rather than waiting in a room at the end of a dungeon. Also, trying to make sure that each enemy type has a specific distinguishing feature; a wolf is not just a fast melee thing, its bite also wounds and bleeds, etc. This kind of attention to detail is so important in my opinion. And so lacking in even the professional games (refer to my comments about Tanari'i and Baatezu fighting side by side in NWN2). I've always hated seeing creatures that are frankly out of place or acting out of character so to speak. Like you pointed out, random encounters just to fill space do not make good game play. "While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before" Thomas Sowell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigranes Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 On romances - I recommend leaving them out or perhaps only leaving hints of them - in thematic, technical and workload terms they are a whole beast of their own, and need to be integrated with *everything* in game (abilities, combat, quests, dialogue, story...) in order to truly make sense. That is, again, unless you want to do them, in which case, why not? In terms of combat, yeah, in FR terms that's definitely true, too. Another reason I'm not using FR is because I have no confidence in myself looking up all the necessary info to see what monsters are supposed to be which CR and behave in such and such ways. I am limiting myself to a pretty small palette that doesn't look too weird in one region (animals, goblinoids, humans, orcs...). Anyway, mixing different densities and tints of grass textures and fiddling with tree seeds. It does hurt that I'm no good at making things look pretty. Gonna look at some areas from H&C, MOTB and so forth later and take some notes. Let's Play: Icewind Dale Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Icewind Dale II Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Divinity II (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG1 (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG2 (In Progress) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starwars Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 (edited) Another important thing for your overall look in an area are the lighting settings. What I usually do is snag some lighting setting I like from a module or the main campaigns and then (if I need to) tweak it to my needs. As I recall, H&C had nice and misty lighting... Nice for a sort of "up in the hilly mountains" atmosphere as well giving the sense of late autumn or early spring. Our friend Jaesun also uploaded a lighting pack to the NWVault with lighting settings from many areas in the OC and MotB which is nice. MotB had some really awesome areas to look at. Mulsantir and Mulsantir Gates are my favourites. The Wells of Lurue was also gorgeous. I'm nowhere near the skill level though. Texturing is the hardest part I feel. EDIT: A nice approach is to use the Colour option generously, to paint upon your textures to give just a bit more... I don't know... Variety? I also paint just a bit of black under any bigger placeables since I find it "connects" them to the ground a bit more. It's also useful if you're in a large forest or whatever where you can really darken the ground. Then you can turn some shadows off on the trees to keep PCs from melting. Edited December 28, 2008 by Starwars Listen to my home-made recordings (some original songs, some not): http://www.youtube.c...low=grid&view=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigranes Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 Good find with the lighting, I'll check it out. Texturing is quite hard - I use some stock conventions like brownier / leavier grass below trees, patches of different grass or brown colour to differentiate from basic grass, and so forth. You can afford to, of course, get rid of shadows on everything beyond playable regions. This will take a while. Let's Play: Icewind Dale Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Icewind Dale II Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Divinity II (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG1 (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG2 (In Progress) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starwars Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 The main problem I have is that I just become "blind" to what I'm doing after a while, this is especially true of texturing. Where I look on it and say "does this look good or does it look like crap?". Another good tip in the area creation is something I heard from a guy in the NWN2 irc channel. If you don't want to rely on grass to much (and let's face it, it's generally pretty ugly in NWN2), a great way to have the ground look overgrown is taking an appropiate tree, scale it down and placing it so that just the very top of it peaks through the ground. This way your options on bush and plant life are increased significantly and it actually looks really nice. I'm also starting to look into custom content on the Vault. The Robinson Workshop (RWS) stuff is all excellent and greatly expands the interior tilesets. I think I'll definetely want to make use of that. Their Ship Interior will go into the beginning of the mod for sure. I'm also intrigued to see the custom content for Purgatorio. I imagine there will be some more industrial/steam punkish stuff, which would fit my setting also. I kinda wanted to make it in the very early throes of industrialization, but that will have to depend on how much of it is in Purgatorio. Their soundtrack is freakin' excellent though and I think I might make use of some of that music. Listen to my home-made recordings (some original songs, some not): http://www.youtube.c...low=grid&view=0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigranes Posted December 29, 2008 Author Share Posted December 29, 2008 Alternating between toolset practice and writing reams of stuff. The former when I'm at home, the latter when I'm at work. Works out. Set out the parameters for the first module (one town and 4-5 outlying locations, each with only 2-3 areas each), the main quest, and some other specific details. It's getting me really excited, but I know I need at least a month or so just getting up to shape with the toolset, then lots of obstacles on the way. Texturing does have that problem, Starwars. Today I realised I was throwing in too many low-pressure textures and ending up with piles of goo. But instead of being anxious about progress or milestones I'm going to spend the next month at least (until SOZ arrives) just fooling around and making whatever. The only way I'll get my own style and work out tricks to making various kinds of areas is to just make dozens of 'em. I've marked out the RWS stuff too, actually. Using a lot of hakpaks and custom content on your first module is a surefire road to errors, big file sizes and tears, so I'm going to have to restrain myself, but they do look good. As for music, I loved the effect Asphyxia's use of IE music had, so I'll probably do some of that too, but mix it in with NWN1/2 music a lot more, too. And SOZ of course, I've heard very good things there. What are you up to Diogo? Just when the heck do you get NWN2? (If you're bored waiting for it I'll make you read the libraries of stuff I've written, grah) Let's Play: Icewind Dale Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Icewind Dale II Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Divinity II (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG1 (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG2 (In Progress) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diogo Ribeiro Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 What are you up to Diogo? Just when the heck do you get NWN2? (If you're bored waiting for it I'll make you read the libraries of stuff I've written, grah) Sorry for keeping quiet for a while, but I've been "drafted" into a few days away with the girlfriend. There's some issues to be resolved between us, apparently. In any case... If all goes well, next week I'll send the PC in for repairing. Getting NWN2 should soon follow but I'll keep you posted. If either of you have written anything else about NWN2 modding and/or your projects, point me in the right direction and I'll read that ASAP. Happy New Year, by the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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