Into The Stink is a story-driven adventure that takes the player to the unfortunate city of Suncoast. Something is happening in the city's enclosed dump, known locally as the Stink. People are dissapearing inside, and a terrible smell is no longer the only thing coming out. This module was designed to appeal to players who enjoy a story-driven module with plenty of good dialogue and character options. There's plenty to do and plenty to fight around the city of Suncoast, but there are quite a few conversations and cutscenes as well. This module is definitely not pure hack-and-slash, and may not appeal to fans of that genre. Multiplayer support was tested, and didn't give too much trouble. However, where single or multiplayer support was an either/or situation, single player was favored. This module can be a lot of fun for 2 or 3 players, but I do suggest you stick together, and you may wish to forego henchmen to keep the xp coming in.
This short little module feels surprisingly fresh as well as integrated into the Forgotten Realms setting, in spite of the fact that it takes place in an unofficial city. Even though the title and module description may suggest that the player will be spending a lot of time trudging through a garbage dump, the truth is that the game is far less dismal than that. The PC's quest is a highly straightforward one, starting off with a lengthy quest in search of a special key. On your way north up the coast, you have the opportunity to do several not-entirely-standard sidequests, although there aren't that many. After entering The Stink, the game becomes even more straightfoward (and the pace accelarates, perhaps too much), with the PC mostly fighting their way to the villian. To tell the truth, I correctly guess that the villian would be who I thought he was before reaching his stronghold, but that encounter was fairly enjoyable nonetheless. I must agree with those who commented on the very well-written dialogue. It is indeed well-written and fitting, and the NPC Fullerton was cute too. There isn't as much dialogue with with her as I had hoped for...but again, it *is* a short module. This module also has the unexpected feature of allowing the PC to create certain items by combining ingredients and casting a spell on them--and no, you don't need to be a spellcaster to do this! I would say the only real downsides to this module are some challenging combat in places (enemies respawn, and in the bandit forest it's easy to get overwhelmed), some shaky cutscenes, and a *very* fast-paced (to the point of being rushed) ending. I did enjoy the Great Tome at the end, which lends a sense of gravity to the events of this module and how the PC affected them.
Posted by Jamro at on11/05/06
All in all, a good enjoyable module. Very good dialogue, interesting characters. Straightforward, but that's a good way to do these shorter ones. The one major failing is the motif. There's never a good reason to do this or that. It's basically just assumed the player grabs every opportunity to adventure. Well.. of course we will, but a little motivation wouldnt hurt either. For example, you're told to turn north. But if you sidetrack into the forest westward, you get a sidequest. Could have been someone shouting something, asking for help, whatever. Something to lure you in. The henchmen writing was very good. (I went with Fullerton, seemed a cleric would come in handy against the undead threat.) The books she carried, explained her disposition nicely. But the ending kind of cut this out short. And actually, the ending cut everything short. It just comes like BLAM, the end. Never had the time to see what's in the castles basement. Had to force quit NWN three times before the cutscene in the prison worked, and even that time I had to pop in and out of windows a few times to enable the dialogue. Don't know if it had anything to do with it, but at the last (working) attempt I unsheathed my weapon and put Fullerton on "stand ground" before entering the cutscene. It seems the ending in the castle is a bit rushed overall, not up to the standards of the early parts. Which are, as mentioned, of excellent quality. Well worth a go in any case.
Posted by ralebeau at on10/31/06
Thanks for the best dialog I have seen anywhere, and some my NG Ranger/Cleric could use since so often jucy lines are just for the evil PC. Really had a good time and will have to try the other henchmen as well. A few cutscene nits (and reloads) along with having to loot the tower before killing the wiz to reach THE END tome stand in the way of a smooth wrap up ending.
Posted by Mirgalen at on06/10/07
Just finished that one but was stuck for quite a while because of a special key that need to be used properly. I also found the the end kind of rough I was expecting a key on the boss body to continue to explore the place. Also, a terrible thing is to loose Fullerton before you get a chance to take your equipment back (I like to equip the henchies properly). Had to releaod and replay that. mr2131, I also had that cutscene problem but was able to releaod and continue until the final confrontation. I will probably replay this before voting but the module is certainly above average.
Posted by Dawnseeker at on08/19/06
Overall, pretty darn good! Slightly amusing, Sometimes compelling, and only mildly annoying... Kudos to the author for character development. I'll have to play Fullerton the second time around. I'd like to see the HTML documentation though, and the site seems to have gone the way of the dodos. Perhaps the author could be compelled to place it up again or include it in the zip file with the module? Thanks again to the author for a fun little ride. _________________________ Regards, DS _____________________ Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you. -- Winston Churchill
Posted by Mirgalen at on06/10/07
Found the problem with the first cutscene (thanks to DebugMode): the trigger is in the wrong place and/or not oriented properly. It should be like a trap right out of the door as I don't see why one would assume that the player is going to make a right turn once he/she step outside. The trouble is that the conversation with the gnome makes no sense at all if the cutscene is not triggered. The problem may be due to the latest patches and/or CEP luckily it should be quite easy to fix (just move/rotate the cutscene trigger).
Posted by mr2131 at 2006-06-0608:54:32
Has anyone managed to come up with a fix or a work-around for the meeting with the wizard. I have two incomplete save files. In the first, the wizard turns what's his name into a rat and then the game justs hangs there. The second hangs in cutscene just after the capture. There is no transition to the jail cell. This would be a pretty good mod, but the ending appears to be unplayable. Mark _________________________ "What rough beast, Its hour come round at last, Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born." W.B. Yeats May the sun always be in the eyes of your enemies, and may your feet always find the correct path. Happy Trails . . . Mark
Posted by keopp at on05/29/06
Good modules that lasted about 9 hours in multiplayer with girlfriend. End was abrupt and the few bugs with cut scenes were overcome by reloading and trying again. Good dialogue and really liked the enchanter/ weapon smith. Freed golum but he said/ did nothing? Goblins were amusing.
Posted by Mirgalen at on06/10/07
I'm having some trouble with this one: 1. Where/When is the fight in/near the inn? 2. The dwarf does not move he is just standing there I assume he should walk away (towards the Stink). 3. I'm getting a very low fps not sure why.
Posted by hmdai at on11/29/05
Good Mod. Although there is some buggy on releasing Clunker. _________________________ Overlooked Module Report February 2009 | Master List | Forum Thread Academy of Modding Excellence Romance Module List Horror Module Collection Starlight's favorite module list
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