Novia, a dark and rainy city in the world of Agapia.
Number Players
Strictly singleplayer. Story is written for one player and scripts are *definitely* written for one player.
Language
English
Races
Any (strictly speaking gnomes, halflings and half-orcs don't exist in Agapia where the module is set, but I'm not going to stop anyone from playing with these races)
Tricks & Traps
Non-existent
Roleplay
Medium
Hack & Slash
Light
Classes
Any.
Scope
Small
DMNeeded
No DM Required
Single or Multiplayer
Single Player
Max Character Level
01
Max # Players
01
Min # Players
01
Min Character Level
01
Content Rating
Mature
Alignments
Any.
Gameplay Hours
<1
Description
Novia, the City of Rain on the Dyrcan coast, doesn't get a lot of visitors. But a few days ago a new face showed up, although no one seems to know who this person is. Not even you, which is a bit of a bummer, because you ARE this person. You are almost certain you have been in Novia before - the streets look familiar, and you have the distinct feeling of having walked down them several times - but why doesn't anyone seem to recognize you? Except for one person... who, in all honesty, you would probably rather *not* pay attention to you.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: You MUST play this mod at hardcore difficulty, otherwise there will be much screwupness in a cutscene.
Posted by werelynx2 at 2012-02-08 07:23:14 Voted 8.50 on 02/08/12
Very nice atmospheric little module.
glitches:
- you can find the door and speak the password before you are even assigned the quest, thus the next convo with cultists is broken - no sacrifice
- few areas are unnecessary, not related to the story
- my clone got killed like Mirgalen's during the cult cutscene
- first time I triggered wizard cutscene screen goes dark and then nothing. Then I switched to normal difficulty and tried another time.
- ending: couldn't the wizard rescue me from the asylum? _________________________ Thanks Rolo:)
Posted by Mirgalen at 2011-08-08 21:26:16 Voted 9.50 on 08/08/11
Thumbs Up!
Pros:
+ strong and original story (a "Twilight Zone" or "Tale from the crypt" feel)
+ overall good atmosphere, cutscenes and dialogues
+ Best BWDC module I found so far. Overall, the city is well done (reminded me of "Maugeter" and "Cormyrean nights")
Cons:
- areas may be too big or too empty and chess board tiles (are these black/white marble?) should perhaps be avoided
- Slow start, I almost gave up (hint: you see a closed gate don't turn back)
- a bug/glitch in a cutscene (in the basement a copy of my PC got killed by the elven girl as a side effect I could even loot my clone body
This would be worth "8.5" more or less but given that somehow it did not make it to the top 10 I think I'll give it an extra point.
Posted by Ayriel at 2007-08-10 14:27:29 Voted 10.00 on 08/10/07
I think you show a non-common class with this mod. It shows lots of promise: if you manage to create one "on your ground" (i.e. with haks) I think it'll definitely be a big hit. Until then consider mine a 10 "of encouragement" ;).
Thanks for the vote! I suppose you already read my excuses as to why there isn't a whole lot of content, so I'm not gonna line those up again. My inspiration seems to have gone on vacation for now, but hopefully it'll come back soon, rested and ready for action, and then we'll soon see the expanded version. :)
Posted by nereng at 2007-08-06 16:26:03 Voted 9.50 on 08/06/07
Hi, there! I thought this module was pretty good, though I have to agree with those who previously said that the first areas after you enter the city seem a little empty with not much going on. I was almost ready to quit when I found the slums area, whereafter things got a lot better. Very nice cutscenes and interesting plot!
Cheers! :)
Posted by LucyWanabe at 2007-07-27 18:05:31 Voted 10.00 on 07/27/07
Awesome! (And so is Baldur's Gate). I can't wait. ^_^
Thanks muchly! I'm currently busy playing Baldur's Gate II (yes, I know it's old), but when I'm done with that I think I may feel ready to open the toolset again, since there seems to be enough interest for an updated version with lots of haked goodness - Novia looks soo much better with a proper skybox and dark textures. As for how long it'll take to get the expanded version out - no idea. I'll probably be a lot lazier when I don't have a deadline, but I hope to get some work done before the end of the summer. Keep an eye open. :)
Posted by LucyWanabe at 2007-07-27 10:41:48 Voted 10.00 on 07/27/07
Nicely done! I liked the unique story approach, it's a nice spin on the old "you don't remember who you are" plot hook. :)
Yes, there was much walking, but I didn't mind since I like ambience and there was definitely plenty of scenery for the eyes to look at. I like the small bit of background on Novia, and I hope to see more!
Also, the ending made me go nuts because I was all set to break out of the asylum! I hope you make the "extended edition" soon! :D
Hm... Strange. I admit I forgot the possibility of having an animal companion when I wrote the code (I hardly ever play classes using animal companions and familiars), but technically it shouldn't make a difference. I'll have to look into this, although now it's too late to update the module. Thanks for pointing it out anyway - I'll see if I can fix it for the haked, expanded version which may or may not be released.
The "dead ends" do indeed lead to other areas in the "real" Novia that I have on my computer, but I didn't want more areas with nothing to do in them. Novia is actually a very large city - I think I had about 160 areas in it on last count (interior and exterior). Depending on how the haked version goes I might include more areas in that, or at the very least a speakstring saying that "you have no reason to go here". Which, in retrospect, I should have done in this version, but again I blame lack of time. If only I'd started two weeks earlier...
Anyway, thanks for the comment, and good luck to you too. :)
I played through this and wanted to comment even though I will not vote (I am in the contest too so I refrain from the vote).
I agree about the areas being too big and empty at the start. I kept looking for something to do and . . . nothing. Also, I found a lot of dead ends that looked like the "should" have transitions.
When I did make it to the area where the plot could continue and went to the alley my animal companion was killed by somebody and the plot continued . . . but the main NPC was talking to my companion as if it were me? This is obviously a bug, but it left me unable to finish the module.
Obvious strengths I saw where some unique area designs and what is likely a neat story idea; its a shame the plot broke on me though. I will likely try it again with a fighter (no animal companion) and see how it goes.
Good luck in the competition. _________________________ Vuldrick Garrison
Sorry you didn't enjoy it. I know there's a lot of walking - that's why I included the map, which you can use to teleport around. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to include more things to do, even if that was the plan.
Posted by SenssaiCheese at 2007-07-24 06:58:20 Voted 6.75 on 07/24/07
First off, I have to admit that I didn't finish this module. I assume I got about 75% of the way through. However, I just didn't have the patience for this module. And this module requires a good amount of patience. Simply because the first 30 minutes is nothing but WALKING. The areas themselves were actually really good. Each district had its own little feel to it. But there was absolutely nothing to do in any of the districts. Just look at the scenery and walk. That's it. Now I don't mean to be too harsh. As the other reviews show, other people enjoyed this module. Apparently, this module just wasn't for me. So I'm not trying to discourage other people from dl'ing this, but simply warning people what this module really is. So thank you for making this module, and I do believe that if you had spent extra time on each district and added a few places to go and a few things to do in each district, this module wouldn't have been so loooong and sloooow for me. _________________________ Link
Heh, been there, done that, got the chain mail. Thanks for taking an interest, though. :) I hope to release a haked, expanded version later, so be sure to look for that. :)
Thank you very much for your comments and the vote. As I mentioned in a couple of places the deadline got the better of me, and I too feel that the plot is too linear and a bit rushed towards the end. But there is plenty of room for development and it feels like there's sufficient interest for an expanded version, so as soon as I can open the toolset again without feeling a rush of panic coming over me I'll get to work. I never really thought of expanding the jobs - I only meant it for a quick way to earn money - but that's a good idea. Thanks again. :)
Posted by Vidal at 2007-07-21 10:47:32 Voted 9.25 on 07/21/07
It is really very good. Everything starts with a pretty conventional idea (*lost my memory* mods are not uncommon), but the whole thing evolves into an interesting experience, with great area design, good dialogues and a properly somber atmosphere.
The plot reminded me of "Cormyrean Nights", one of my favorites. But here we've got a bleak tale that plays like a lovecraftian short story or, better still, an episode from the Twilight Zone... one can almost hear Rod Serling narrating the first and final scenes.
I also liked the working options, though they might have been more interesting if there was actually something to do... instead of a lapse of two days and some money, the PC might get some tasks to perform or even short descriptions of what he did during his time as an employee... this would add to the experience, and allow for an increase in the whole *ordinary life* situation which I think would help the conclusion to be even more effective.
But it is a large mod as it is... with fully developed areas and characters... it really looks and plays as a normal mod, despite being kept short by the linear approach.
And that's the only point I didn't like... in the end I didn't feel rewarded by the experience, instead it disappointed me... not because of what happened, but because I felt like an observer and not a player... and that's where gaming is different from other media... reading may be a passive activity, but gaming doesn't have such luxury. No matter the end, the gamer needs to feel he was part of the decision process, otherwise he feels neglected.
But I don't use my personal taste as a basis for voting... judging the mod by itself I would say it is very well done... and vote accordingly.
Good luck in the contest... and with the expanded version of the Mod... with more options I would really enjoy playing it again, to see if I can change the outcome.
Thanks for the vote! If it's well received I definitely will release an improved version with haks, sidequests and an expanded main quest (alternate paths and such). :)
Posted by Drinin at 2007-07-21 06:03:38 Voted 10.00 on 07/21/07
I blame lack of time. I really did intend to flesh it out with more sidequests and alternate paths, but that darn deadline has a nasty habit of sneaking up on you when you least expect it. Thanks for the vote. :)
Posted by coreyh2 at 2007-07-21 00:01:58 Voted 9.00 on 07/21/07
A really good module. Has good dialog and cutscenes. Biggest strength compared to the other contest modules I've played are the areas and ambient PCs. Sort of weak in gameplay since Its just walking and conversations.
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at 2012-02-08 07:23:14
