"Slimed!" is a module that has been developed for the Bioware module design contest. It has a play length of about 35-40 minutes; however, depending upon the character class you decide to play, a certain amount of random luck, your reading speed and your choice of places you go it can take longer to play. The module has only one critical path and plenty of indication is given to make that path clear, but you can venture into a spot where the results of that exploration could increase the play time.
You can play with any character race/class/level you wish, but the module has been developed to be challenging for a 5th level character with only a certain amount of gear. When you begin the module you'll be given the option to level your character to 5th level (up or down), have your gear removed and then be given 5000 gp's to equip yourself from a store. You can choose any number of these options or none of them -- the choice is yours.
If you play a rogue, bard or monk, it will likely be quite difficult -- especially at 5th level. So, there is a secondary choice to have your character leveled to 7th level instead of 5th. The module was not designed to be particularly tough on these classes, but given the nature of some of the encounters, the solo capabilities of these classes and other gameplay elements it is quite difficult. Anyone can choose the 7th level option over the 5th level option, but it has been provided mainly for those playing the mentioned classes. However, if you find the mod too difficult you can always try again using the 7th level option or just use one of your own characters outfitted and leveled as you like.
Playtesting revealed a 5th level fighter (including ranger, paladin and barbarian), cleric, druid and mage or sorcerer could all be played successfully through to completion of the mod. As with all things D&D, a streak of good rolls or bad rolls can shift the balance of difficulty quite dramatically, but on the whole, the mod was played to completion without too many mishaps.
The module features several unique attack types that are employed by the resident critters. I hope you find them interesting and as a bit of extra spice to combat. They are wholly in line with the nature of the creatures and the module plot line.
In terms of plot, I won't reveal anything in this document. The plot will become self-evident just after the module begins and to say anything here would just pre-empt actual gameplay. Suffice it to say that the module title is not just decorative in nature.
In terms of gameplay, a potential player needs to know that there is no respawn option if you die. So, it's a good idea to save at regular intervals. There are, however, autosave points in the module that are performed at various times. If you choose the option to equip your character in the mod and be stripped of any gear you bring in, there will be no heal kits available to purchase. You can buy potions, but heal kits are not available. Resting is slightly restricted in that if you are in a dangerous area you will need to find a secure room before you can rest. If the room has a door, then that door will need to be closed. There are no other alterations to the normal resting routine. Finally, if you have an animal companion or familiar, then choosing the "feed your companion" dialogue option when you speak to it will not heal it at all -- it will heal fully when you rest.
UPDATE:
Added the version 1.1 download that fixes a couple of bugs to the official download now that the contest is over. I'll leave v1.0 available in case anyone still wants to look at it to see the module that was actually judged.
Slimed! was chosen as one of the contest winners. :) Congratulations to the other winners and thanks to the judges and everyone else involved.
Posted by Mirgalen at 2011-02-16 00:21:42 Voted 7.75 on 02/16/11
Worth a try but short (as per contest scope) and with limited replay value.
It must have been bad luck the first time I tried this. My 2nd attempt with a barbarian lvl 5 (and nothing fancy other than a +1 sword) turned out to be a "piece of eight".
There is a lot of creativity here. It's amazing to see what can be done with the basic toolset and no hak. The author gave us dancing creatures, a rainbow of colors, some new interactive object and more.
This could be turned into story with a larger scope not to mention the bunch of goodies the author already produced (like round shields). Also, luckybastardo wrote a Gladiator script that could be used here.
Posted by Mirgalen at 2010-02-11 20:22:36 Voted 7.75 on 02/16/11
"a 5th level fighter (including... could all be played successfully through to completion of the mod."
Really? First fight my ranger got killed right away. I may retry it with a tougher character.
Posted by Razide0506 at 2007-11-21 09:16:17 Voted 9.00 on 11/21/07
A fun little module with some innovative scripting and a couple of stand-out cutscenes along with well-written dialogue, challening combat, and a good story. Great as a short break between playing full-length modules.
Posted by boodah at 2007-10-01 09:04:41 Voted 9.50 on 10/01/07
I know, contest is long since over, but I'm checking out the entries anyway...
This one is really great. Nearly perfect little module with a nice p&p feeling.
I test the entries in alphabetic order and this one is (until now) the best and I think the author has good chances to win the contest.
I am not voting since I am in the contest, but . . .
I enjoyed your module. I liked the custom attacks very much and had fun with it. Cutscenes were well done (although the dance of the cubes could be a bit shorter maybe?).
Good luck in the contest. _________________________ Vuldrick Garrison
Yeah, I setup the Selasresh battle for him to always fall back into the cave he's in. The reason is more technical than for gameplay itself. Since his death fires off the cutscene that cutsecene can be triggered anywhere he is -- that's a tricky proposition and a bit of a risky way to fire a cutscene, so for those reasons I wanted to be sure he died in that room which was pretty much clear of clutter which might obscure/fudge up the cutscene. If I had time, I was going to have him drink a cure potion of some sort when he fell back to stop that being an effective tactic, but I didn't have the time and wasn't too worried about it since there was still another battle to come.
Yeah, "tithe" was part of the puzzle itself. Hard to gauge these things. I hope the stubborn player, at least, will check a dictionary if the word's meaning is unknown to him/her.
I appreciate the comments and vote. _________________________ Thought thinks itself.
Posted by jettoki at 2007-07-24 12:18:26 Voted 9.25 on 07/24/07
/// SPOILERS ///
Just finished it, with my ranger at level 7. Still had to use the animal companion to tank while I waited to regain control from being slimed, but I survived well enough. Only other problem I encountered was that Selasresh just ran back and forth while I hit him with arrows at the threshold of the room. Oh, and I'm not sure how many people will realize that "tithe" means "tenth", hehe.
On the whole, I think this module demonstrates some really innovative scripting and a great command of the toolset. The many unique attacks you programmed for the enemies were perhaps overly challenging - but never buggy. And the overall level of polish was very high. Best of luck!
Oh, I forgot to mention that, yes, Ghostbusters did have a bit of a influence on the module concept. Not directly, of course, but the "I've been slimed" line certainly was floating around in my head.
Speaking of influences, etc. There's a character in the module with the name of a famous Monty Python character -- it's an anagram of the Python character's name, though. _________________________ Thought thinks itself.
Yeah, sounds like you had a bit of bad luck, too. Combat can play out a lot of different ways depending upon a good or bad roll here or there. It's also not certain a cube will attack with a slime shot at ranged distances, but quite likely. Your level of slimed infusion can make a big difference too: one sliming is level one and a 25% chance the slime will stop your attacks for 1-3 rounds, a second sliming is a 50% chance and a third a 75% chance. That's why the antidote is valuable stuff to have.
For that blue cube, try following him down the hallway from as far back as you can -- when he rounds the corner at the far end run towards him and try to stick close to the right hand side wall. There are some outcrops there you can hide behind a bit and when the cubes starts heading back try attacking when he gets close. _________________________ Thought thinks itself.
Posted by jettoki at 2007-07-24 11:16:01 Voted 9.25 on 07/24/07
Ecto Cooler was marketed using Slimer from Ghostbusters. It was a glowing-green, tangerine flavored drink that sold millions. This module sort of brought back memories. :P
Actually I didn't get past the second solo cube, so I never saw the room you're talking about. I tried three different tactics with the blue cube I encountered in the first hallway - ranged kiting (worked until I got cornered), melee charge (just failed), and tanking it with my animal companion (almost worked). Everything seemed to result in me getting slimed and losing control of my character until the cube killed me.
Sounds like you went into the big room with 5 cubes. That room is definitely tough -- and it's meant to be. The cubes there are meant to discourage taking that path down as the alternate way mentioned in the lead up cutscene is the optimal path. It's really a room the player is meant to maybe enter once and then think, "I'm not doing that again" and then look for alternate routes. Running away is always a good tactic. ;)
Getting slimed is supposed to make things difficult and should be something to be avoided at all costs.
All other cube encounters in the module are solo cubes. The very reason is that in numbers the cubes can make it pretty much impossible to survive.
Tactically, the slime shot is a ranged attack and will not be used if you are in melee range. So, the best tactic for solo cubes is try to close on them using the walls/corners for cover and try to stay out of their line of sight until you are close to them to start whacking. Or, if you can summon creatures, then summon something close to the cube to melee with it and then go to work with other spells or ranged attacks, etc.
Using those tactics and avoiding the big room I've completed the module a bunch of times with 5th lvl characters. I ran a ranger through a few times with the stock gear available in the module. Mileage may vary with build, though.
Thanks for the comments, feedback is always appreciated. I'm afraid I don't know what Ecto Cooler Hi-C is -- I remember Hi-C, but not anything named "Ecto Cooler". Cool sounding named, I guess it's like ectoplasm? _________________________ Thought thinks itself.
Posted by jettoki at 2007-07-24 10:12:03 Voted 9.25 on 07/24/07
Seems like a great module, but you should really change the suggested level to 7+. My absurdly well-equipped level 5 ranger had no trouble dealing with the combat in general, but even with the antidote, the slime attacks forced me to sit around for several minutes at a time in combat waiting to regain control of my character. By the time that happened, I was usually dead from the cubes' 10-15 damage attacks. I finally gave up - I might try again sometime, but I found it a bit too punishing for a level 5. It might have helped if the antidote also granted immunity to the slime attacks for a minute or so.
Other than these issues, this seems like the most well-polished entry I've seen so far, and it certainly demonstrates a large measure of scripting expertise. Out of curiosity, were you a fan of Ecto Cooler Hi-C as a child? :)
This looks interesting :) Hopefully I'll get some time to check it out tomorrow. Since you still seem to be tinkering with it a bit I'll stress it out for you.
Yes, the flee was a straight up "run away quickly" thing sahuagin style. There was no alert made or warning given. Those guys, if hurt, will flee to the water since you made it that far down. Their morale broke after receiving a few knocks and they could see that the boss was in for a stomping. The flee routine was also a way to shorten the encounter a bit as total play time was always a spectre lurking in the background when developing the content.
Yeah, definitely try a 5th lvl character. I took a run through v1.1 with a 5th level dwarf fighter (AC 24), and he did well but still took a few good knocks. I used that character as the baseline for the upper range of a tank character when testing. If you take a rogue, I'd be willing to bet you don't make it through without a few deaths. But it's possible I'm just a poor player of some of the character classes and someone else might have better strategies of leveraging their strengths and minimizing their weaknesses. _________________________ Thought thinks itself.
Posted by QSW at 2007-07-22 13:34:36 Voted 8.00 on 07/21/07
*********Spoilers***********
You mean the last boss fight? Nope, he never hit me that I can recall. It was over pretty quickly (I got a knockdown hit in, but I think he was immune to that, least he never fell over at my feet) I think it might be fun to try at a lower level as you suggest, a level 7 'tank type' PC is pretty hardy. I'm thinking more Rogue would increase my heart rate *grins* The only thing that has me wondering (well not ONLY, but more prominent)is where did that you know what go to once it escaped into the pool of water....to warn the boss, or just away from my Warhammer? _________________________ QSW -NWVault Reviewers Forum
Hehe, that was definitely unintended consequences if you thought it was something you were doing or failing to do that made the antidote spill. That was just supposed to be an IC way of saying "you cannot target that object with this item". I guess that's a bit of a lesson that sometimes an OOC message can be the best route or to at least make sure an IC message is crystal clear.
Yeah, you had the perfect "power build" for the mod in that you had the best, or close to the best AC you can get. There are a few circumstances that can turn the tide quite quickly, though. If you are fully slimed, then you can end up getting battered around a bit. Which is why the antidote needed to be steadily available -- well, I saw it as necessary. Depending on the character, things can get pretty tough if you're stuck being slimed. And I really didn't want anyone to hit a wall where it wasn't possible for them to complete the mod.
Did you happen to get hit by the reason stealer in the battle? If he gets a hit or two on there's a good chance that it's going to make the outcome less one-sided. If you have an AC around 24ish though, he doesn't hit very often. _________________________ Thought thinks itself.
Posted by QSW at 2007-07-22 11:06:40 Voted 8.00 on 07/21/07
Posted by QSW at 2007-07-22 11:05:14 Voted 8.00 on 07/21/07
The wait:
This was actually supposed to be much longer. The idea behind the antidote is that the PC shouldn't have a near unlimited supply and should treat it as a scarce resource -- only to be used on yourself when needed (apart from the initial test). This makes venturing into the big room much less desirable and should push the PC along the path to use the puzzle route. But, again, with play time being restricted, I couldn't really force a longer wait, so I had to go with the antidote being much more available than I would have liked. I'm curios what your reaction would have been if after receiving the first vial you knew it would be something more like 20-30 real minutes before you could get another vial.
From my playing style point of view I would have preferred to have been given say 2 vials and either told that was all that could be made from the small sample I had brought in; or told that no more vials would be forthcoming for at least several in game hours. If the latter then I know I will have to be very careful, but still have an 'out' if I am sloppy and waste my vials before anymore can be obtained. As for 30 real minutes, this could apply to what I just said, but there is a part of me that is an all or nothing type, and so I would rather simply have 1-2 vials given and nothing more after that ;)
After the first comment here I realized that it was likely to be attempted to be used on the npc's in order to "save" them. I had intended on giving some more specific feedback when used on an npc (i.e. "The person pushes the vial of liquid away as you attempt to administer it.") to make it clearer it wasn't the PC's responsibility to cure the villagers directly.
You would have had a chuckle watching me attempt to heal the villagers. The message saying I had wasted some of the liquid spilling it drove me eventually to standing buck naked in the village trying to cure the NPCs. I thought that perhaps my heavy armour was affecting my dexterity or something and that was why I was spilling the antidote!
The journal entry for the weight was great, brain like a sieve me, so being able to read the answer again was smashing.
I actually did not enter the big room first, instead I solved the puzzle and once below found that I could walk up a stair into the big room. Good to know it was a slight bug with the creature AI, as I felt a tad bad having such an easy ride with them. (not only that, but I *thought* I had heard/read that the room was a school, and slaughtering young-uns even that type, did not sit well with me.) I have to say I only used the vial twice in the other areas, the cubes themselves appeared to do little damage to my PC, I don't think I lost more than 10-15 HP if that. Perhaps my PCs class made recovery that much easier? (that and I had full plate +1? Tower shield +1 and war hammer +1 to keep me going!) Glad my feedback is of some use, as your module certainly gave me enjoyment. I'll have to go play your updated version now! _________________________ QSW -NWVault Reviewers Forum
Thanks for your comments, QSW. The kind of feedback that you've provided here is top notch. I really appreciate you taking the time to think about your comments and present them clearly and concisely. I'm also very gald that you "got" what I was trying to do with the mod.
I'll address some of your comments here:
The puzzle:
Yeah, it's a tricky thing to gauge in a module of this nature because you don't want to make it too difficult since play time is a factor, but you also don't want to make it too easy either. My feeling was that I erred on the easy side, but that feeling could be mistaken. I added the journal entry after using the scales later on as an attempt to give a nudge in the right direction.
The antidote:
After the first comment here I realized that it was likely to be attempted to be used on the npc's in order to "save" them. I had intended on giving some more specific feedback when used on an npc (i.e. "The person pushes the vial of liquid away as you attempt to administer it.") to make it clearer it wasn't the PC's responsibility to cure the villagers directly. A journal entry would be a clearer indication as well. Unfortunately, time played a factor as well as not having any external beta testers for feedback. It's difficult to see what might not be as clear as it should be when the designer/builder is also the tester.
The wait:
This was actually supposed to be much longer. The idea behind the antidote is that the PC shouldn't have a near unlimited suppply and should treat it as a scarce resource -- only to be used on yourself when needed (apart from the initial test). This makes venturing into the big room much less desirable and should push the PC along the path to use the puzzle route. But, again, with play time being restricted, I couldn't really force a longer wait, so I had to go with the antidote being much more available than I would have liked. I'm curios what your reaction would have been if after receiveing the first vial you knew it would be something more like 20-30 real minutes before you could get another vial.
The big room and lots of "*waits*":
Yep, you've located a bug I let slip. I changed the way I kickstart the combat A.I. and now I remember why I used the method I did originally. Gah. If you leave the room and enter again the combat A.I. will kick back in (if you leave perception range) and it will be a cube fest on your PC. Unfortunately, the bug makes that room quite a bit less dangerous than it was meant to be. The main idea was for it to be deterrent to progressing that way -- making the puzzle route the preferable route.
The final fight:
I think you might have found it more challenging if you'd taken a 5th level character instead of a 7th level one. It's also the kind of encounter where it can go quite easily and then play quite differently again using the same PC. Your AC also can make quite a difference. If you have it near the mid twenties, then you are likely to have a fair bit easier time in that encounter. I've had a 9th lvl character with AC 17 go down pretty quickly in that encounter and a 5th level character with AC 24 get through it quite easily. This is one of the reasons the module can be tough on rogues in particular.
I'm really glad that you enjoyed returning to the village. When I was looking at play time, leaving the module running "officially" seemed to be a bit risky as wandering around afterwards could eat up a fair bit of time. So, I left that up to the player's discretion, but I was hoping that people would explore that option. For purposes of completeness I really had to have the "finishing touches" available and complete.
Thanks again for your comments and feedback -- you provided me with very valuable information, and getting feedback of this quality is real "gold dust" to someone developing a module like this. _________________________ Thought thinks itself.
Posted by QSW at 2007-07-21 16:41:12 Voted 8.00 on 07/21/07
Ack, I am sorry for the awful typos in my text below, obviously I drank way too much tea! _________________________ QSW -NWVault Reviewers Forum
Posted by QSW at 2007-07-21 14:29:37 Voted 8.00 on 07/21/07
**************Minor Spoilers***********
I enjoyed this module very much. It has an original and unusual plot, with just the right amount of humorous moments. I very much enjoyed the flavour text, and the fact that placeables had colour text. Main NPCs had extremely good descriptions and all were unique in their look. The CutScenes were smashing, not only by progressing the story , but also the camera angles were very smooth. (I almost bust a gut laughing at the dancing!)
The puzzle had me foxed for a bit (but I am really awful at puzzles), however I found it to be a very well scripted moment in the game (along with the other smashing scripts that fired throughout). The dialogue was engaging and the emotes expressed were well placed, I was also pleased to see that you did not overuse the movement emotes of the NPCs during those times in the text.
I found the Emporium to be a very cool idea, but I did not like being forced to wait one real time minute before being able to get another 'you know what'. Having said that, I thought the Emporium owner's movements during the process were excellent, adding not only flavour visually, but also making the whole process more believable.
Visually the areas were all excellent, you have an eye for not overdoing the décor, yet lacing objects ' just so' and I get the impression that each item placed was carefully and painstakingly thought out.
The action was a tad tricky. Some enemy were all too easy to defeat, yet I enjoyed their fighting tactics which really made sense given their natural environment. The big room at the centre of the mine was the hardest, but only at first. Since you state in your documentation that a certain thing can only happen 3 times, it is simply a matter of waiting that out then tanking in. They did not seem to respond as I had hoped they would, and did a lot of "waits". The final boss fight was a real pleasure although not exactly challenging. However, the skill in which you orchestrated that outweighs that and I feel I must praise you on the imaginative way you imparted information.
Finally, the modules final CutScenes were not only beautiful, but utterly surprising, and I was very happy indeed to return to the village and find that my actions had made a real impact. I certainly recommend that anyone playing does return to the village, it is well worth the effort!
I played a lvl 7 PC with one level in the Rogue class. I use equipment bought in the module and never died or even came close to dying. My only slight criticism would be that one I have initially tested out the 'you know what on the you know who' I tried to use it on the village folk, not realising that it simply was not possible. Call me slow *grins* but perhaps a journal entry telling simpletons like myself what the PC should be doing next might be of some help. I certainly think this would make a wonderful quest in a Gameworld.
I've scored this module using the NWVault Reviewer's Guild scoring guidelines as that is the only measure I am willing to use when voting. My score came to 7.78, and so I give this an 8 as that is the closest fair score I can use on the voting box here. Thank you for a great gaming experience! _________________________ QSW -NWVault Reviewers Forum
There are combat strategies that can be employed which make things much more straightforward. Also, if you went into a certain large room, then things will get much tougher. That room can (and should) be avoided, though. _________________________ Thought thinks itself.
As Erasmus suggests, testing the antidote on an animal would be a good idea first. You should have a journal entry about this -- Corky, Captain Bellow's parrot, was seen to be shot with slime in the opening cutscene and now acts oddly. Try the antidote on him.
The antidote also works on yourself if you have been slimed. You can't use it on anyone/anything else in the module for plot and gameplay reasons.
Hope that helps. _________________________ Thought thinks itself.
Just a reminder that if you're posting a question or comment that includes spoiler information, then please mark your post clearly as containing spoilers.
Thanks. _________________________ Thought thinks itself.
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