An epic adventure that will take your character from a lowly peasant to a famous hero. I call it a plot driven hack-n-slash. It is a free-form modual with lots of side quests and more than one way to get to the end.
Don't know if anyone is still reading this, but I get an error when shopkeepers inventory is opened (screen freezes. Log files give me this:
GENERIC SCRIPT DEBUG STRING ********** NW_GYPMALEClass 1 100
GENERIC SCRIPT DEBUG STRING ********** NW_GYPMALEClass 2 100
GENERIC SCRIPT DEBUG STRING ********** NW_GYPMALEClass 3 100
GENERIC SCRIPT DEBUG STRING ********** D100 Roll 99
GENERIC SCRIPT DEBUG STRING ********** HumanClass 1 7
GENERIC SCRIPT DEBUG STRING ********** HumanClass 2 99
GENERIC SCRIPT DEBUG STRING ********** HumanClass 3 99
GENERIC SCRIPT DEBUG STRING ********** D100 Roll 94
any help would be appreciated. Thanks
Posted by ericdoman at 2008-08-21 10:58:21 Voted 9.25 on 05/05/07
My goodness. Shocked with this news.
A wonderful epitaph from MagistarsFriends
Magistar
Rest in Peace
Posted by hmdai at 2008-07-17 10:40:24 Voted 7.75 on 07/17/08
The story line is interesting enough to let me keep going. Also, the author has custom made many interesting items for the player to use.
However, it suffers from the following shortcomings:
- Overly large areas. The size of some areas can be reduced as not all of them are that necessarily large.
- The combat are somewhat repetitive. In the same area I have killed the similar groups and types of enemies over and over again.
Update June 4th 2008: Today, Magistar, the author of this module, lost his 7 year battle with ALS. He was braver in real life then any of us in any RPG. He will be sorely missed.
Posted by ericdoman at 2007-05-05 01:56:52 Voted 9.25 on 05/05/07
Went through this again with my favourite combo clr/pal/ftr and finished it. Gave club to hafur who did the business. Hence change of vote
Posted by ericdoman at 2005-10-06 15:28:31 Voted 9.25 on 05/05/07
This is a very tough mod (combats)and so I enjoyed it. The reason for not scoring higher is for some reason I could only hit Bilbizar on a natural 20 and as he regenerated NO Chance. It's a shame finished as a mixed 14th lvl character 4/5/5 ftr/rg/rgr but had to quit. Hence lowish score.
Posted by ericdoman at 2005-10-06 15:25:07 Voted 9.25 on 05/05/07
Tried with Hafur as well. As I mentioned below even tried with tru strike. I would have hit ac 55 but still could not hit him. Only a natural 20 I,m afraid. HAve to call it quits I,m afraid.
Posted by from Magistar ( 71.101.xxx.xxx ) at 2005-10-05 14:24:28
Thanks for all the great compliments. I definitely intended for the combat to be tactically varied and challenging. I'm glad you appreciate it.
If you have the club you should be able to defeat Bilbizar fairly handly. He isn't easy to hit, but I don't know why you are having so much trouble. I would give the club to Hafur. That's what I do when I play as a mage or a sorcerer.
Good luck!
Thank you!
Magistar
Posted by ericdoman at 2005-10-03 16:05:44 Voted 9.25 on 05/05/07
Tried tru strike and am on 46/41/36 and playing in easy mode still can't hit him?
Posted by ericdoman at 2005-10-03 08:40:11 Voted 9.25 on 05/05/07
Back again. OK now got to Baldizar (missed out on old tower and kobold quests). How do you kill him? Is there a phylactery I've missed? I am attcking with Baldizars club on a 27/22/17 and the only way I can hit him is on a natural 20. As he is regenerating as well the next time I hit him he's back to uninjured. I've got the club but help? He's now used up all magic and is hitting me with his staff. I can negate bludgeoning damage but not neg points (that is until my scroll runs out). So near and yet so far?
Posted by ericdoman at 2005-10-03 01:44:02 Voted 9.25 on 05/05/07
Have not finished this yet but about 3/4 of way through. First things first. BE PATIENT and stick with this upto 4th or 5th lvl, it does get much better the combat in the sewers was the most enjoyable I have had because it was not just a one off, you'd have plenty and forget about spulling mistakeys.
There are a number of plots but it is predominantly HaknSlash. However playing hardcore your opponents especially later stages are very tough ie you wear a grt sword belt, they change to using 2H flails, also rogues hood or dragon slippers as many of your opponents use imp knockdown. So plenty of strategy required (also hindsight is a wonderful thing ie save and reload). A mini spoiler take out Crimson Mages first, they will nail you otherwise.
Based on previous comment it is worth taking a henchman as well (without Hefur DWF Ftr no chance). Both of us were using +3 Sonic Great Axes, found in Mystic Order building, bull str, bless, grt stoneskin (although I found that this was ignored, as was shield when mephits magic missiled me to death on one ocassion) basically as many potions (and scrolls my character was a 4/4/3 ftr(gladiator)/rg/rgr with 14 UMD)as possible. The DWF took the brunt of attks and I swung wildly with the axe you will connect and sneak attack of course does more damage (hence my use of rogue more skill points UMD, recover traps set traps, criticals are enormous 50-70.
Advise all players to not go with DWF Waraxe as focus and speciality, tried it for a difference. BECAUSE the better weapons are the swords and in Birekolast? ie big city you have the biggest selection of magic items ever found to my knowledge in any mod. eg 10 pages of axes, 10 of other exotic wpns (scythes, kukri) 18 pages of swords etc.
You could probably spend a couple of hours checking everything out. Armour as well
Big spoiler Yugudeth has a +5 GRt Sword, +2D6 slashing damage and +8 vamp regeneration! However it is Chaotic. Have element resistance eqpt and bought belt of guiding light from Temple.
If you don't you will die (he only has 2 of these death magic attks but they are lethal). I think 2 attacks are +35 and +30 so he's not going to miss hence grt sword belt, stoneskin, eth visage potion, plent of heal potions. Even with grt sword belt and if he does a critical 25-50 pts damage (ouch).
Have just reached 4/4/4 and now for the showdown. I'm giving it a 9 at the mo. But if there was more role playing (numerous possibilities) my vote would be much higher.
Even so this is a VG mod so have a go and stick with it.
Cheers
Posted by from Magistar ( 71.101.xxx.xxx ) at 2005-09-09 13:12:37
Sorry it took me so long to answer. I was in the hospital.
Yugodeth is one bad mutha! You should be able to beat him if you have shopped around the Trade District and equipped you and your henchmen with the best stuff. Be sure to stop by Mute Matt's. He has some powerfull potions!
Good luck!
Posted by Kid Kayos ( 24.61.xxx.xxx ) at 2005-07-06 19:18:21
Great mod! Really enjoying it - creativity and originality are a big draw here. I have pretty similar complaints as the others - inside areas a little confusing, not enough pinson the maps, and the lack of a spellcheck but that's all spit and shine work in my opinion.I can play beyond it.
I found the combat challenging but have been pretty successful after a few changes in tactics.
But Yugodeth is a different story...
So as a 12th level Ranger I've reached him and am dead within a few swings. I load up on potions and invulnerability spells etc. and can hit him a few times to damage him slightly but he's impossible!
Anyone have some suggestions/tips/tricks?
Posted by Hamsandwhich at 2005-05-11 14:40:21 Voted 8.75 on 05/11/05
Great mod -- could be one of the best on the vault. I love the non-linearity, and all the subquests. I think the maps are well laid out, and the battles are fun. Some issues need to be resolved though. *SPOILERS BELO
1. Consider breaking into smaller parts -- The Penultima series is a good example, makes the save times much quicker.
2. Scripts need some polishing. NPCs will offer the same quests after you complete them. For example, if you complete the abusive orc quest, you can come back to the battered mother time and time again, and she will continue complaining about the orc. Other examples are people who introduce themselves to you after you have met them..
3. I like the limited respawning option. However, if you chase after the angel when he walks away, you can still get a respawn or two out of him. :)
Posted by from Magistar ( 71.101.xxx.xxx ) at 2005-05-10 18:58:55
Hagaar,
Thank you for your feedback. I know that the names of many items are very obscure. This is due to the fact that this is my first module and I had no idea how to script. I did not know if the scripts were using the item name, tag or resref. I learned a lot over the 2 1/2 years of writing this module and by the time I finished I am a pretty good scripter. I think you will notice that by the end of the game the item names are a little better.
I'm sorry about the level names. I realize some of them are pretty lame. If you notice that most of the interior areas of the towns have multiple buildings. That is why they have generic names like Overest Interior. There is not a whole lot I can do about that at this point.
As I said earlier there are some quests that are harder than others. You can do them in any order but there is definately a correct order in the very beginning. You should be second level by the time you reach the goblins.
For anyone who wants to download the zipped version of my module go to my website Link where you can also find a map I made of the entire Western Lands.
I really appreciate your feedback and I am applying it toward my new module currently under construction.
Magistar
Posted by Hagaar at 2005-05-06 14:25:59 Voted 8.50 on 05/06/05
I'm back now having finished the module. I've given it an 8.5 *only* because of the content, layout, and quests.
The "bad" points: Dialogues need to be reworked both in spelling as well in grammar (my guess would be that English is not your first language). There's a good program here for that, it's called, I believe "Spell Checker".
The conventions you used in naming. THAT needs to be corrected. Generic terms are fine... to a point, but telling me that I am inside town 'X', floor 'Y' when I already know the name of the town is not a good thing, especially when you've already named the building I've entered.
Locations of important NPCs. I spent a better part of an hour running around looking for I think her name was Mayla (sp??). Try having people point out that the person is in 'such and such'.
A real lack of direction (map pins). In the final area (city), I couldn't find the Mayor's place nor the Mystics House and wasted ten minutes hunting them down.
Other than these, I actually found the module to be a lot of fun, once I gained a few levels. And will be looking forward to playing the next part in this series.
_________________________ We are all born ignorant, but one must work to remain ignorant.
Benjamin Franklin
Posted by Hagaar at 2005-05-04 11:59:54 Voted 8.50 on 05/06/05
Just a comment on some things that *really* stand out as problems for me in the module.
What's a "grimky"? Or for that matter a "hmky"? I find this to be rather irritating especially in a module such as this. For someone who has gamed 20 odd years you would think about things such as that. The same goes for the naming of the interiors of the various areas especially when you've already identified the location "xxx interior 1 or 2".
The first pair of encounters (at least for me): the wolves and in the vineyards, the goblins. For a level 1 character thses two encounters were costly... I died before I could do anything, even on Easy setting.
I'm sorry if I sound like I really hate the module over the few things I mentioned, I don't. I'm enjoying it a lot. I would however, pick up a copy of WinRAR from their site (I believe it's a freebee) even with the connection I have it took a bit to download.
If you are thinking of updating this work, I would suggest that you redo the namings of the items, such as the keys as well as the other Items one receives as gifts or rewards.
One last thing. Adding a map pin for some of the transition points would definitely help. After dealing with the Goblins, it took me five minutes before I found the transition back to town. *Yes* (sigh) I know, I could do that as well but when I'm looking for some "thing" or "one", I don't have time to stop and place a pin.
All In all, This module is very well done and I am enjoying it.
*****Possible Spoler*****
What do I do with that Evil Wizard's head???
_________________________ We are all born ignorant, but one must work to remain ignorant.
Benjamin Franklin
Posted by from Magistar ( 71.101.xxx.xxx ) at 2005-04-27 12:12:00
I'm glad you're stubborn. : )
I hope you are still enjoying yourself.
Your dad will give you directions to the fletcher if you ask, but you are right about the map. I will fix it.
Thanks,
Magistar
Posted by kmc at 2005-04-27 11:08:09 Voted 7.50 on 04/27/05
Nice story line, lots of side quests and interesting places. On the other hand, not much in the way of NPC personalities, maps are excessively large and load times are extreemly long. _________________________ KMc
On another minor point:
If you are going to keep the first map hidden (a bit odd as it IS my childhood town), you might want to include directions to the bow-makers house in the first quest.
On another minor point:
If you are going to keep the first map hidden (a bit odd as it IS my childhood town), you might want to include directions to the bow-makers house in the first quest.
As to trying again: Don't worry, I'm stubborn.
Posted by from Magistar ( 71.101.xxx.xxx ) at 2005-04-23 16:53:00
Quaterling,
I checked into it and you are right. My bad. I'm really sorry. I've played all the way through 3 times and never caught that. I will fix it.
That is why your feedback is so important.
This won't keep you from completing the modual though. As I said Re'Amulux can't identify the Orb. He suggests you seek out his brothers at the Order of the Mystic house located in Birekolast. You get there by following the East Road west out of town.
The problem with the Orb was that I had been nosing around and had already been given the rogue wizard quest before I went into goblin territory.
When I ask the wizard on the lower level about the Orb, he refers me to the one who gave the rogue wizard quest up on the next floor, but the only coneversation options I had dealt the rogue wizard; there were none for the Orb.
Posted by from Magistar ( 71.101.xxx.xxx ) at 2005-04-23 11:39:00
Quarling,
I really appreciate your comments. Please keep in mind that while the quests can be completed in any order, some are more difficult than others. The South Knoll quest is intend for 4-5 level characters. The rogue wizard is tough, but definitely beatable by 5 level character. You can also adjust the difficulty slider to suit your liking. This quest is optional.
You should have found the orb on the altar in the boss bugbear's room in the goblin cave. If you have the orb in your inventory you should be able to ask the Order of the Mystic mages about it. Ultimately he can't identify it and tells you to seek the Order of the Mystic house in Birekolast: a large city to the west.
I admit the loading time is long due to the large size. I'm sorry.
This modual is not designed to be easy. I wanted the combat to be challenging.
I urge you to give it another try. You haven't completed 1/3 of the modual yet.
Initial impression:
-Interesting custom items.
-Excellent henchman.
-Good, staple quest that tie in to the background.
-Very good maps. If there was an award for best use of large maps, this module would get it.
That said I have quit playing the module and am somewhat disinclined to try again.
What broke the module for me was a combination of 2 minute loadtimes and a, quite frankly, absurd challenge level: I entered the south knoll area at second level and got jumped by two dire wolves, a winter wolf and a number of worgs. I managed got get through the goblin caves (somehow), but couldn't get the orb indentified since the wizard wouldn't talk about anything but their absconded member.
When I went for the rogue wizard, now 5th, I ran into a flesh golem backed by a wizard that seemed to cast Isaac's Lesser missile Storm... I died, I quit playing.
I'm sorry if seem harsh or if there is something that I have done wrong during play, but I was simply frustrated by what to me was a glaring flaw in an otherwise excellent, and interesting module
Posted by from Magistar ( 71.101.xxx.xxx ) at 2005-04-14 14:21:00
Qlippoth,
Thank you so much for your kind words and comments. I thought I changed all the voices off the defaults. Guess I missed some. BTW only people with names have something to say.
I will definitely apply your advice to my next modual which I'm currently working on.
Some polish on the NPC voices would be nice. Many have no voice or sound like the dog warrior guy... Little things like descriptions and such. Maybe random speech strings from the NPCs when you attempt to talk to them.
Overall this module is fantastic. (Did I say that already?)
This is a fantastic module! The layout, the little quests, the NPCs. The way you set it up is very intimate and engrossing. It is very well balanced and well thought. I haven't even gotten to the main story yet, but if the story is as engrosing as the little side quests I'll be giving this module a bog score.
The way you intorduce the player, the NPC dialog, the factions, you really feel a part of the town.
- Qlippoth
Posted by from Magistar ( 71.101.xxx.xxx ) at 2005-04-12 10:06:00
My Cousin is helping me set up a little website where you will be able to download the zipped version of this file. It should be up tomorrow or the day after.
I hope everyone will give it a try.
Posted by Tyrell ( 65.35.xxx.xxx ) at 2005-04-11 15:59:00
lebowski, a zipped version should be forth comming.
Definatly a fun mod. :)
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at 2011-01-16 10:48:19
