With all the clues in hand and an eye for the obvious, you can follow the game to its obvious conclusion fairly quickly. But you are encouraged to try different combinations to see consequences.
Number Players
1
Language
English
Level Range
1-40
Races
any (and I'd especially like to see a dwarf or orc thespian)
Tricks & Traps
Non-existent
Roleplay
Heavy
Hack & Slash
Non-existent
Classes
any
Scope
Small
DMNeeded
No DM Required
Single or Multiplayer
Single Player
Max Character Level
Any
Max # Players
01
Min # Players
01
Min Character Level
01
Content Rating
Teen
Alignments
any
Gameplay Hours
<1
Description
Ever fancied yourself as a star? Someone who floors critics and wows audiences? This might just be your break. The few remaining members of the "STAR" group of wandering bards and ministrels are frantic with worry and need your help. A high brow critic is expected in an hour, and Guilo, the handsome actor with the uncanny ability to spout the kind of dialogue that would have critics delirious with joy has gone. They now depend on you. Impress the critic with a performance of a lifetime and you have won their gratitude. Fail, and their dreams flee, just like their lead actor did.
Important:
1. Briefly and diplomatically explores some `alternative' themes, but you'd see worse on "Will & Grace"
2. Not a polished mod. It is my first time even writing one.
3. You get second chances in this mod. Sometimes, third chances, but do not expect more than that.
A comment for Mr BrickHazard and Mr. BlueJaberwocky.
I thank you for your compliments, however I must state that the low votes that I have got have nothing to do with prejudice against the Gay community, but simply because the reviewers did not like the mod as much as others.
I honestly believe it has nothing to do with an absent NPC's sexual orientation.
For those who liked my mod, thanks for your high votes.
For those who did not, sorry the sorry failed to meet your expectations. Firstly, humor is a subjective thing, pretty much `hit or miss'. Yes there was a lot more I could have done with this entry, but time and talent prevents me.
Posted by flaminjoel at 2006-03-31 13:32:00 Voted 9.75 on 03/31/06
This was like being on American Idol because the critic is like Simon Covell the nasty guy. When you are not good, the critic can say some very mean things. I like it because it have entertaining interactions. My friend is gay so I am being most respectful of the Gay community, but I did not know they made plays coz I thought they be fashon desingers or clothes or hair and makeup like the Qweer eyes gay mens. But this did not show gay men like the cowboy movie be showing, but talk about them. I liked the play very much. It was very funny the way people kept falling dead!! I made the girl kill hsrelf, not the wife but the actress by putting on bad show!
Posted by brickhazard at 2006-03-31 12:51:39 Voted 10.00 on 03/31/06
One of the biggest losses with Bioware Games has been the loss of humor. BG1 had it, BG2 had it, but as the KOTOR and NWN series have started, they have become less and less funny. It is obvious that Bioware has writers who can write the nailbiting whodunnit, the thrilling adventure, but pretty much most writers they have in comedy SUCK. Deekin was a little beam of sunshine, but he flickered as well.
Not all quests have to be big things. This one reminded me of a sidequest in BG2 where I could be actor in a play. Of course, I was not a bard, and had to download various cheats to play just that sidequest. But you do errands, you kill goblins, you save the world, but a few quests that don't depend on your strength, greatsword, dexterity or wisdom are welcome. It gives you some sense of excitement and accomplishment early on in the game. I personally LOVED IT. I was also very surprised by the prejudiced votes that this mod got, obviously for featuring gay people. Come on, this is not about who is gay or who is not, or about how easy the journal was to find, or whether you (who probably solely finds Woody Allen funny) found it funny or not. It is a fresh new approach to sidequests. I was immersed, loved playing various options, and most importantly, this is one of the 2 mods I voted for. I voted that a 10 as well.
Posted by bluejaberwocky at 2006-03-31 12:32:21 Voted 10.00 on 03/31/06
As a proud GAY American I salute you for finally acknowledging our existence. For years, we have played CRPGS, and Bioware has pretended that there couldn't possible be any gay people in the entire faerun. There was no scope for gay romances, hell there was not even a gay npc, character or darned reference to one.
Yes, yours is based on a stereotype, but it is a positive one, and atleast you give us acknowledgment as vital members of the community. Guylo's fear at being discovered is real, sometimes the entire world is your closet and the only way you can face up to reality is running away from it.
My ex-roomate who is straight was the first person to see this. Then he recommended I see it. I currently have dial-up so it took me forever to load it. Then I have been trying to post my comment for days. I had to go to his house to log into my account and post. My boyfriend will be posting just after me. He loved your mod too.
Yours is the only mod I have even attempted to download. It was worth it. Everyone will see it as a funny mod, but it has a strange pathos of gay people not allowed to just simply be.
Also, anyone who rated you low, all those Krits, and Rats and Mikes and Lances, they are rednecked bigots. They purposely rated you low because it features a GAY man and they cannot handle that. Stop the hate people. We exist and there is only so long you can pretend that WE DO NOT EXIST.
Posted by The_Krit at 2006-03-31 11:36:51 Voted 6.50 on 03/31/06
For your first module, this is not bad, but it could be much better. The opening is long and doesn't significantly involve the PC. Finding the two books is a bit too convenient. However, once you get the critic on the scene, the story improves. If only there was more after this point.
Posted by Anonymous ( 70.72.xxx.xxx ) at 2006-03-31 11:00:12
This mod reminds me of watching telemundo soap operas.
That is a VERY good thing!
Posted by rjfnccii at 2006-03-30 19:20:03 Voted 7.00 on 03/30/06
I didn't find this module to be very funny, though it attempts to be. It reminded me of a girl who you almost think is cute, but somehow just misses the mark.
It also should have had more endings.
Posted by sekhar at 2006-03-30 12:27:49 Voted 9.75 on 03/30/06
I was just clicking on mods on random based on their descriptions. The two best I played were this and Find the Fish. There is just something refreshing about a well written funny module since most of them are exactly like something out of SoU. This was my fave, coz, it was to my taste. Loud, over the top, sometimes obnockious. It was very well written because I could change my responses, and get responses for my responses, you know? I loved this best.
Posted by RobertMoon at 2006-03-23 14:06:46 Voted 8.25 on 03/23/06
I had fun playing this module! I especially liked the ignorance of the one character not knowing the playwrite an actor were a couple. Very funny. When I read the first inference of their relationship, I was ready to see some sophomoric, redneck ridicule of gay people, but your scenario played it well with humor and matter-of-factness. (Is that a word?)
So in my book, the story got an 8.5. Light-hearted, fun, but not jaw-droppingly fantastic. The writing, while far above average -- and fantastic for a first-time module -- was a bit simplistic at times. I saw a few typos ("plasy", etc.), but I didn't mark down for that. Overall, a very strong 8.25. Great job!
Posted by herrjeff at 2006-03-17 09:20:39 Voted 9.25 on 03/17/06
Revised, after further mods' reviews and to support builder's choices with respect to the background story.
-----------
Interesting scenario, with developed background and NPCs. The choices provided for adapting the performance were varied, funny and allowed a lot of flexibility.
Conversations with NPCs should not be repeated for better consistency, as well as avoiding a second critic to appear in the room!
Posted by imported_beer ( 24.0.xxx.xxx ) at 2006-03-14 11:32:16
Well, thanks GOTELF. That is exactly what my mom would say. Unfortunately, she is in a bit of a minority group. Those who believe I have `talent'.
Thanks HerrJeff. And how may I write to you....
Posted by herrjeff at 2006-03-14 05:54:24 Voted 9.25 on 03/17/06
Well, Boozehound Blue and you certainly found a great fan with GOTELF...
Posted by GOTELF at 2006-03-13 07:33:04 Voted 10.00 on 03/13/06
For being one of the 2 mods that didn't get all "I am great Paladin and will decide the destiny of this she elf/this earth/kingdom/demonlord" on me, I give it a 10. It was not the best mod here in terms of scripting, or maybe even in terms of writing, but if more CRPGS had elements like this, then we wouln't be known as the geeks.
And if BoozehoundBlues logged out of his account as soon as he was done posting then my comments would not appear as his. Sorry about that but the above two comments were posted by imported_beer.
Posted by Boozehound Blue at 2006-03-09 11:14:56 Voted 10.00
I also wish to point out that my main reason for writing this module is that I always play as a Paladin. If I act too `bad', I lose a lot of my `powers'. Sometimes the nicest Paladin wants to act `bad' without any serious consequences, hence the entire play set up. The original module actually had any of the four critics appearing at random,which makes for more interesting play, but alas I am a scripting retard and the contest allowed for only 4 NPCs overall.
Posted by Boozehound Blue at 2006-03-09 11:13:04 Voted 10.00
I do agree with a lot of contestants that the writing is not upto par with some of the "power" module makers here. But please do understand that this was my first effort.
Posted by Lance Botelle at 2006-03-07 14:24:42 Voted 6.50 on 03/07/06
6.5 THE STAR QUEST (183RD TESTED MODULE)
This is my updated scoring system structured around the format provided by Bioware. The final score is still consistent with my old system, but I hope to give clearer feedback within the new guidelines. NB: Judging any material is always subject to personal taste. I have tried hard to be as objective as possible. Remember, this is only my opinion; Bioware�s is the one that counts! If you believe I have scored your module unfairly, or I have missed something of importance, please email me at �[email protected]� and I will consider any comments made.
All nine Bioware points can score a maximum of 1 point each, leaving 1 point for my personal interest/like of the module.
Text of Module: (1.75 out of 3)
The Writing: (I do not scan the writing looking for errors, but if I notice something while reading it, I will note it here.) I noticed a wrong word, poor punctuation and sentence structure. (0.5)
Characterization: The characters were well done. (1.0)
Dialog Flow: Some long texts with not many options most times. (0.25)
Concept & Execution: (4.25 out of 6)
Originality/Creativity: Helping with a play was quite original. (1.0)
Logical Flow: No real logic as to why we were there. The logic was generally weak. (0.5)
Drama: Finding the journals and choosing the performance were dramatic moments. (0.75)
Pacing: An urgency to prepare for the critic. (0.75)
Character Development: The critic changed as we performed. (0.5)
Multiple Paths: I will assume at least three. (0.75)
Conclusion: Technically, this module scored average in the writing in my opinion. (1.75/3). The story scored above average in my opinion. (4.25/6). My personal score is 0.5 out of 1.0. This was mainly for the performance section at the end.
MY SCORE SYSTEM (IMHO):
< 5 Not up with the competition.
5 - 6 Average.
7 - 8 Above average.
> 8 An exceptional piece
PERSONAL SCORING FACTORS (IN ORDER OF MY PRIORITIES):
GRAB FACTOR: How quickly am I involved in the action? Do I have direction?
PLOT: Is the story engaging? Is subject interesting? Varied conversation choices?
CHARACTERS: Are they easily identifiable? Are they rounded/memorable?
SPELLING & GRAMMAR: Is the text easy to read? Are there quite a few errors?
OTHER FACTORS (MINOR INFLUENCE): Design for atmosphere & scenery, including sounds & props. Quality of module stability; does it break easily? _________________________ World of Althéa Blog: Link
Posted by Mister_Leebo at 2006-03-04 14:11:34 Voted 8.75 on 03/04/06
The writing was sharp and the puzzle was very interesting. If any part of the writing can be improved, I'd say the beginning dragged on a little slowly making it hard to get into it.
It's a shame, a friend of mine was making a module very much like this one until a virus wiped it out. The presentation was quite good but I felt the two actors were a little too flat and uninteresting. (It seemed the "interesting" ones left before the module began, hehe)
Posted by lethen011 at 2006-02-27 04:31:19 Voted 7.00 on 02/27/06
I thought this tried to be funny, but it did not feel very "fantasy." Still, it was very well written.
Posted by MikeLM9215 at 2006-02-24 16:49:08 Voted 6.75 on 02/24/06
I wanted to be the 10th vote. Luckily the averaging gods will delete this one. Tries to be funny and almost makes it. When you get to choose from books it won't let you continue forward on the bad acting path (to the reviewer) until you try different variations of the same lines. May be too modern. Harmless fun. Only 2 endings.
_________________________ The road to Ravenloft is paved with good intentions.
Posted by Kirian at 2006-02-24 15:17:01 Voted 7.25 on 02/24/06
This module was mildly amusing. The start was a bit longwinded, and I get easily annoyed at stereotypes (even if, as in this case, they are intended as a parody) but the performance for the critic was cleverly done. The writing wasn't spectacular, and I found a couple of commas missing.
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