SorceressAshura
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Newly Updated Progress Report. [07.30.08]Well I'll be happy to announce, that my progress with the persistent world is moving along. I'd like to start posting a weekly report on everything I've accomplished so far as the PW is concerned. That way you guys dont think I've disappeared, when I dont post replies often.
Overall Status. [38.31%] Complete.
Areas [60%.]
NPCs [30%.]
Scripts [99.9% Finished, but still testing.]
Quests [30%.]
Items [5%.]
Conversations. [5%.]
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Detail Report.
**Projects remaining.**
Racial Cities - Finished.
Filling the gaps. - 20%.
Dungeons. - 15%.
Working on "Gifts" related zones. - 5%.
Number of Areas total: 21.
Quest NPCs nearly completed.
Just started on Ambient Life.
Number of Quest NPCs. 18.
Number of Common folk. 2.
Number of animals 0.
Number of Bosses. 1.
Death System. Completed, but not tested.
Special Class/Race Abilities finished. Finished.
Magic-user Gift System completed, but not tested.
Custom Experience System. Nothing yet, but will work on one soon.
Misc Scripts ie; Sitting in Chairs, auto closing doors, etc finished.
Starting quests, for new comers. Complete.
[Search and Destory stuff. Simple but will help earn steady exp.]
Items need to be made, and conversations need to be written.
Completing VFX for Gifts. Appling the vfx in script form.
Filling out the areas with NPCs, and all the lil critters that make a world
active. Coloring directional waypoints, and connecting all possible zone entrances/exits. Creating custom images for load screens.
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IskatuMesk
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You've certainly been busy o.O
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SorceressAshura
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LOL yes, I have. I spend every minute of free time I have on the pw. Thank god for Ginko Biloba, and coffee.
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IskatuMesk
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I have a lot of free time, I just get bored easily. Coffee doesn't seem to help that. 
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Nathraiben
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Don't drink coffee - inject it 
But, really - you are FAST, Sorceress... truly a sorceress in every regard! 
Can't wait to see the finished thing - those screenshots are still just simply mouthwatering, no matter how often I look at them!
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Valasyr
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Yeah I like the screenshots too thats what lured me here.
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SorceressAshura
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Thank you guys, I'm real glad you guys feel that way. When I create an area I always have music playing in the background. Without the music for inspiration, I can garuantee they wouldn't of turned out nearly half as good. Wait until you guys get a load of this next batch of screen shots. I've taken some photos off the net from real places, and trying to recreate them in the toolset. And it's getting pretty hard to tell the difference between them.
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Nathraiben
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Any new CDs we can get you to make sure you'll never stop?
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Valasyr
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| Nathraiben wrote: | | Any new CDs we can get you to make sure you'll never stop? |
No need for CDs, just use the internet...I have a good playlist for myself on windows media player that I love...used to play that in the background whenever I build or post rp messages on forums. Been a while though...
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SorceressAshura
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| Quote: | | Any new CDs we can get you to make sure you'll never stop? |
Well, now that you mention it .... lol jk. Its okay, I've got Limewire, access to any song I please. But thank you for offering. I can assure you I wont be stopping any time soon. Just .. Grr.. I want this to be done all right now! ...I miss being able to roleplay, and get into character.
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Nathraiben
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I suffer vicariously with you... my last forum RPG was like... 5 months ago, and my last fix of PnP I had in October. I dearly regret getting NWN2 right after it came out, long before any (decent) PW had a chance to be done by then 
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IskatuMesk
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| SorceressAshura wrote: | | Thank you guys, I'm real glad you guys feel that way. When I create an area I always have music playing in the background. Without the music for inspiration, I can garuantee they wouldn't of turned out nearly half as good. |
That's pretty much the same for me. I can't even function without music going.
Also, Limewire doesn't have nearly the kind of database I have access to. 
Additionally, if you have some backstory I can work with, I can create you some lore for baddies.
edit -
For clearification, I'll need info on exactly what limits you want your villians to have, the backstory of the world itself, the way "power" works, so on. An example of my writing in one of my novels...
| Quote: | An eternity of silence. An eternity of darkness. This was his curse, his blessing, his fate. A thousand blades, a thousand storms, a thousand meaningness ages. He held not the memory of how it all began, merely a distant recollection of an infinite distance that was the past. A distance he did not dwell upon often. When he gazed in his reflection upon the dimly-pulsating panels that encircled him in his multi-role tactical assault ship, Gal`Sennmus only saw an empty shell staring him back. This was his curse. His blessing. His fate.
He did not know truly why he had the impulses he had. The impulse, the desire, the will to find one soul among a meaningless million. It was so empty to him, the quest he was sent upon, but he served with no less care. His mind barely operated at all – the scarce thoughts that pulsated from its tortured depths were little more than commands to his ship. He was not in a medition, but rather a dead-state. His blackened robe and cowl were no warmer than his soul. With every breath his half-mechanical body let out, the consoles around him dimmed a little more, their energy drawn by his mere presence.
He was far beyond the minds of most of the others, now. A time where he could immerse himself in absolute nothingness. Become a part of the Abyss itself. This was when he was at peace. He was tempted to remain here for an eternity, to embrace the absolute meaning of nothingness. Yet, every time he was forced to answer the call of the blood that flowed through his forsaken veins, it caged him that much more. He loathed the Abyss and all it stood for. He loathed time itself. He knew, though, that he'd never be free of it all, no matter how much he tried.
Sennmus only derived mild pleasure from the souls of others. To his empty mind, they were but a momentary sustenance that, while pleasing for the first while, would eventually run out. He existed not then to serve the desire of those that bound him to his mission, but himself. He was angered now, though. He had foreseen a possible manner in which he might end it all, but it had been snatched from him, right from under his nose. His one hope of nothingness, stolen from him. It was this that brought him to his darkest of minds. It was this that would bring the darkness down upon the world.
Sennmus was not as much a commander, a leader, as he was a simple figure that few unfortunate individuals would never wholly know before their own end came. He relished in the dying moments of others, dreaming of when he might find a creature that can deliver such a fate to himself. The priest was never to find such an individual, cursed by his own power. Thus, he would wander the wastelands of the Abyss, damned to sleepless immortality by the very power that he had willingly become. |
Kind of long, but when I want to start introducing people to characters, I like to be thorough.
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SorceressAshura
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Very nice Iskatu, the character shows weakness and strength. Flaws that make him "human" but not quite. And potential to survive through many readers. Keep that character up, I'd love to see what happens to him.
For the rest of the night I plan to fill out some character introductions in the All Creatures Tavern. Characters that will be npcs in the PW, (NPCs that DMs can control.. *hint hint* ) As well as elaborate more on the actual lore of Rhydin.
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Nathraiben
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Utter glee - to both of your posts!
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IskatuMesk
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Actually, Gal`Sennmus is not human. He is an immortal demonic priest, created by the essence of an Elder God who was killed during an event called the First Turning. The essence does not have a real sentience, instead a collection of impulses and emotions. The demons, called the Drenahm, spawned from the essence. Sennmus is one of the most distinct and powerful of these demons. By DnD standards, he could completely annihilate the Gods. The very air around him is frozen to the point that matter cannot exist. It simply disintegrates. That is simply from the energy of his soul.
However, all this power and agelessness brings to him an interesting state of mind. He is bound to Guola, which is basically the Devil, and can never really die. He seeks out a power that can bring his wretched soul to true destruction, to be free of the endless agony that is existence.
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SorceressAshura
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I never said he was racially human, just that he had flaws that identified him with humanity. As far as being a god destoryer, and all that.. is fine.. but the problem with a character like that is nothing will phase the reader if hes quote, " most distinct and powerful of these demons" That just lines him up with all the other demons, others have created with a similar story. The flaws, and weaknesses is what defines a memorable character. But thats just my first glance at the character, so I'll wait until I get the full story before I speak
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SorceressAshura
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Moved your post to the All Creatures Tavern, it belongs there more so then here. Let me know what exactly you want the topic subject to be so I can change it to suit your writting. 
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IskatuMesk
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Well, Throne of Armageddon is one of my novels, so something pertaining to that would be best.
I also do appreciate comments on my writing. It helps give motivation where there is none.
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Nathraiben
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Wait, "utter glee" doesn't qualify as comments on your writing? 
Well, okay... I'll try my best to put it into more concrete terms:
I just love a series of ellipses at the beginning of a text, so I was quite delighted when you used that very stilistic device. For me it's a sure bet to get me hooked up with a text!
Same for using systrophes and repetitios/anaphers, they give the story an epic feeling long before the reader gets to KNOW that this is about an epic being.
Lots of epitheton ornans as well, and while their significance for non-trivial texts might be arguable, I think they make for great stilistic devices to built up the desired atmosphere in fantasy stories.
Another chalk up one for the story is the linguistic variation - taking full advantage of a diverse vocabulary. The repetitios are the only parts of the text where it gets repetitious, so there's no risk of getting bored at the grammatical aspects of the story.
There's nothing much to say about the "story" of course, just that it makes you curious and awakens the desire to read on about this mysterious being.
(Better? Or should I rather go back to a simple "utter glee"? )
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IskatuMesk
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Actually I understood that quite well.
I was more or less referring to the larger post that was moved to the other section, too.
Additionally, repetition is something I've been working on squashing. It's pretty hard when you're looking at a ~1200 page book.
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Nathraiben
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| IskatuMesk wrote: | | Actually I understood that quite well. |
Ah, don't get me wrong, I didn't think you wouldn't understand my comments! 
(Well, maybe for my bad English... *hehe*)
But I just hate sounding like a cockalorum, and I know I always do when reviewing a text - I graduated from highschool in German literature (the only thing I've ever been proud of in my whole life - sad, isn't it?  ), and I never got rid of that bad habit of analysing texts instead of writing simple reviews.
(Okay, I was a bit exaggerating back there, but all in all that's how most of my "reviews" turn out  )
| IskatuMesk wrote: | | I was more or less referring to the larger post that was moved to the other section, too. |
I thought Sorceress's comment was about your first text - didn't read the other one yet (I will, since I like your way of writing, but right now I'm seriously lacking the patience to read anything longer than one or to sentences - scripting does that to me all the time ).
| IskatuMesk wrote: | | Additionally, repetition is something I've been working on squashing. It's pretty hard when you're looking at a ~1200 page book. |
Well, like most of the more... obvious stilistic devices, repetitios should be confined to the first chapter (or the different chapters intro texts, if there are any), so I can see where you're coming from. In that particular text though they were well placed, quite perfect.
(Btw: See, now I'm sounding like a know-it-all again - and that's exactly why I prefer to restrict myself to either a simple "yay, like it" or carefully and very subtly pointing out the less obvious flaws in a text.)
Actually, I have the very same issue, though with me it's more with the ellipses. Oh, or the out-of-context, pseudo-dramatic first sentences (you'll see what I'm talking about when I ever get around to writing a text for Rhydin... hm, then again... all this talking about literature was quite inspiring - hell, maybe I'll write something later, who cares about my upcoming strict deadlines  )
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IskatuMesk
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You just need more coffee.
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Nathraiben
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True, true! I think I didn't get my hourly caffeine injection yet!
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Greyshore
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You've been really busy. Thank you for your hard work, looking forward to see this world.
You know, I'm sure some of the forums members (or the yahoo group you mentioned) would enjoy helping out for example, by creating items such as weapons, robes. I know of a really simple tutorial... though it was posted on a page of another Pw's forum... and I don't want people to think I'm advertising it. @_@;
But if you'd like, I'll pm it to you or to anyone else who might be interested.
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SorceressAshura
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I actually use RDRItemCreationWIzard Plugin, to make items that I need. The only problem though is taking the time to customize items pulls away from my building of the actual world. My priority right now is to flesh out all the zones that I can think off, then go back and fill them up with npcs, working in important conversations, then go into item creation, and lastly make shops.
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IskatuMesk
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All the weapons I made for my units so far are probably horribly overpowered by D&D standards. Like the Thunderer Blade that procs level 20 chain lightning on hit and has +20 enhancement, with wounding and such.
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SorceressAshura
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Well, its been alittle over a week since my last report, so I figured I'd update once more to let you all know how its coming. As I keep adding more areas and content into the persistent world.. I'm noticing it taking longer to load. So I fear I may have to remove the First time log in separation script, that separates each race into thier own city. And just start everyone off in 1 of two places based on alignment. It kind of sucks, but I wouldnt want people waiting 20 minutes just to log into the world. Maybe later on I can create separate modules and get people to help host, but thats further down the road.
Edited: Following through with that idea, I think will subtract from the amount of time it will take to put up a beta version of the PW.
Overall Status. [39.31%] Complete.
Areas [62%.]
NPCs [30%.]
Scripts [99.9% Finished, but still testing.]
Quests [30%.]
Items [5%.]
Conversations. [5%.]
-------------------------------------------------
Detail Report.
**Projects remaining.**
Racial Cities - Finished.
Filling the gaps. - 20%.
Dungeons. - 15%.
Working on "Gifts" related zones. - 5%.
Number of Areas total: 22.
Quest NPCs nearly completed.
Just started on Ambient Life.
Number of Quest NPCs. 18.
Number of Common folk. 2.
Number of animals 5.
Number of Bosses. 1.
Death System. Completed, but not tested.
Special Class/Race Abilities finished. Finished.
Magic-user Gift System completed, but not tested.
Custom Experience System. I've been taking a futher look into concepts.
Misc Scripts ie; Sitting in Chairs, auto closing doors, etc finished.
Starting quests, for new comers. Complete.
[Search and Destory stuff. Simple but will help earn steady exp.]
Items still need to be made, and conversations still need to be written.
Completed VFX for Gifts. Filling out the areas with NPCs, and all the lil critters that make a world active. Coloring directional waypoints, and connecting all possible zone entrances/exits. Creating custom images for load screens.
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SorceressAshura
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Copied and Pasted from the separate thread.
Hello guys,
I know some of you have gone into the shadows, and are peekin in occasionally to see if I gave up yet . lol No I didn't. Infact, I've been focusing all my time of the PW lately. So much has been done, and I think I'm finally seeing that bend in the road, nearing the finish line. I've been reading the various forums out there about running a NWN2 PW, and acquiring tips and tricks on how to successfully run a stable server. I've also been building new areas, and coming up with new adventure ideas. So here's a little progress report and summary of the Rhydin Planes.
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When entering the Rhydin Planes for the first time. The player awakens in the Plane of Adventure, this simple, yet beautifully designed area provides the player with all the information he/she will need to live a successful life in Rhydin. After speaking with the lore mistress, they are granted passage to the portal, where they will begin thier persistent life. Complete with a short unique cutscene to immerse the player in Rhydin's rich history.
Rhydin City will be the starting point for everyone at this stage in the PW. The player will have many quests available right off the bat to get started on making a name for him/herself. Not boring ones either, well scripted and pain stakingly detailed dialogs. The city is large, and very full of life... Birds in flight over the harbor, while the bells of Roc's temple chime the hour. The guards are ever vigilant, caring for it's citizens, answering questions to new comers on demand. The land outside the city walls lies many pitfalls for the careless traveler. However, those with a sharp wit, and strong character will survive the perils of the open road.
Quick Report.
1. Conversations. 75%
2. Scripts. 80%
3. NPCs. 95%.
4. Areas. 65%.
5. Items. 50%.
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