Greetings All, I just wanted to give a small update.

SorceressAshura

Hey guys,

Well since the new release of Storm of Zehir, I must say.. I was blown away by how awesome the new feature "Overland Map" is incorperated in NWN2. I always hated the map system they had for the OC, and Mask. Mainly because I suck at drawing maps by hand and now -all- I have to do is design a HUGE area. Not that I'm trying to dis the wonderful 2D art of our past, but with the little gold icons of towns, and the insta-port clickable destinations.. It really left the players having to force themselves into believing..

"I'm suppose to be in large epic world, with mysteries and lore around every bend in the road... Yet I'm having these *reality* checks each time I jump from one end of the map to another which is supposedly hundreds of miles away."

The overland map now helps us bridge that gap that was unwillingly taken from us by huge walkmesh downloads, and zone crashes. No longer do we have to make "inbetween" areas to fill in places.. since there is no limit on how many overland maps a module can hold. Its like we can focus on every inch of our world, yet at the same time we won't be subjecated to long load screens. Its like a 30 pound diamond(OL Map) from gods (OE) themselves, bestowed into the hands of a begger. (mod builder) I can't express enough how much time this feature alone will save me. And with it, I think I can actually see the completion of the PW reaching it's first installment.

And if everything goes right the world will be so interactive in terms of seasons... Being able to replicate the areas and frosting them with snow to mimic winter, or cascade the plains with beautiful earthly tones for autumn, and spring. Not to mention basking in the warmth of summer. Giving the mechanics of NWN2 a biological heart that will beat with it's inhabitants... I hope you all are as excited as I am. And to top it all off, I got my new computer yesterday, so I plan to reformat my old one to be used as private server. With only NWN2 stand-alone server occuping its resources. Its a good 2yr computer, more than enough to confirm my restless thoughts of lag-infested terrains.

I've uploaded new screen shots, and I've been working on 3 overland maps. Rhydia, Draconis, and Bruhana. My orginal idea of launching with 3 continents up and ready on first launch is actually in reach now! When before it was only a distant dream.... And just praying I could finish just one region of Rhydia.
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- Sorceress Ashura.
Where your dreams, are my reality.

Zodiac knight · Traveler Joined: 15 Aug 2008 Posts: 35 Location: UK

Stop it! It's getting as exciting as christmas. (Which is probably when I can lay my hands on SoZ too) I've actually started work on a mod myself, only my approach is write the walkthrough, make the game. Are there random encounters on the overland map? All I seem to be doing lately is waiting... And I'm skipping from subject to subject, I'm going to go before I sound too weird...
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SorceressAshura · Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 12:08 pm Post subject:

Yes, the way random encounters are handled on the overland map are awesome. Its kind of set up like Lunar SSSC's encounter system. Theres monster npcs roaming the map. And there is roll checks on skills like survival, spot, listen, and move silently that determine wither or not they attack you. And each time you run into the monsters on the map a menu comes up asking if you want to enter the battle or run. If you enter the battle, then you transition to an area that represents the spot on the map you ran into the encounter. The map is huge too, but the way its set up is that it focuses on the ground. So you don't see the sky. When you want to enter a place, you just make your way there, click on the placable that represents that town. A menu pops up to ask you what part of the city you want to enter from, or if there is a particular place in the town you want to go. For instance, do you want to enter the temple? Or the castle? So it cuts all those long area transitions. The only draw back to the overland map is that the camera angle is fixed. So you have only that camera angle to see things. You cant change or move the angle. It doesn't really hinder you from seeing anything important, but its just a minor inconviencence.

It really is a gem of a feature in an other words dull module. I haven't played much of the new campaign, only enough to get a feel of the overland map. I think its well worth money though, SoZ. Don't focus to much on the campaign... becuase they really messed up with the voice acting, and it seems to be primarily focused on "trade merchants" and crafting. Which really isn't what I like about D&D. I like adventure and exploring ... not business. The voice acting sounds as if they took people off the street, and made them read from a script. Theres a couple good voices but the others are crap... compared to the ones in the previous campaigns.
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- Sorceress Ashura.
Where your dreams, are my reality.

Zodiac knight · Traveler Joined: 15 Aug 2008 Posts: 35 Location: UK

So you're saying that it's best to get the expansion more for the content it opens up in the toolset. The campaign's a showcase (albeit not very good) of what you can do with the new content. I agree with you about adventure and explorations though, being rushed I feel is not what a game's about, I like the ability to put a titanic struggle on hold for a little while and spend some time playing a game of cards, I loved the variants in the Final Fantasy series for instance. Novelty is always needed to refresh a genre, but it shouldn't be relied upon. I hope your PW is a mixture of these things too.
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'By Tyr's right buttock' -Khelgar Ironfist

IskatuMesk · Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 11:29 am Post subject:

It's good to hear you are still working on this. I'm afraid I don't have much else I can say or do for you, though. Personally I don't intend to throw any more money at Obsidian.

I'm glad to hear you're allowing the option to run away from encounters. I utterly despise random encounters and "Grinding trash mobs" that comes in the majority of games. I prefer good story and defining, challenging, epic battles that drive the story forward. When I built RPG's they were enormous, and there were far more bosses than anything else. Each boss required particular strategy and cunning to defeat, and each boss contributed to the story. Random trash mobs are just time consuming and pointless except in specific events or circumstances, but NWN's engine cannot handle epic battles at all so those circumstances are still unavailable for what I intended.

Zodiac knight · Traveler Joined: 15 Aug 2008 Posts: 35 Location: UK

I totally agree. There's something about NWN that just doesn't cut it with fights. After completing the campaign for the first time I sat thinking, "what bosses?" Ammon Jerro perhaps? The only decent one was the king of shadows, but you simply tackled him with brute force. I like the tactics of what weapon to use, NWN answers with, something big with sparks. *sigh* why don't obsidian make somthing different? (Yes SoZ brings something new but...) Of course it should stay NWN, but a re-designed battle infrastructure. Recognisable bosses etc. For instance, I like some of Adam Miller's work e.g. Dark waters. He gave us an overland map before SoZ, and the magnificent lute hero. I hope Rhydin Brings more novelty to the table.
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'By Tyr's right buttock' -Khelgar Ironfist

SorceressAshura · Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 3:34 am Post subject:

IskatuMesk · Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 11:04 am Post subject:

No point aiming to please everyone. Make what you want to play, don't get caught in the spiral of hype and public opinion. I made that mistake... too many times, and never again.

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"Ye shalt burn." - The Doom God, year 040.