'Into The Mists' - The sinister prologue of the 'Dark Powers' series, a Lovecraftian twist on the domains of Ravenloft.
You must begin with a brand new 1st level character. This is survival horror, featuring challenging 'skin of your teeth' style encounters. Characters begin with a few basic class-specific tools to help them overcome the early challenges found in the prologue.
This has been designed to be a rewarding experience for any class, but only tanks are advised to attempt this on the harder difficulty settings. Don't be surprised if you have to reload a time or two, as respawn has been disabled.
Additional notes:
Alignment shifts are possible due to your words and actions.
Holy water does slightly more damage, making it actually worth using.
Please note, this is an extremely short(but tough!) little module that will take you about 15 minutes to play. It's purpose is to dramatically transition the character from the more "mundane" setting of the Forgotten Realms into the dismal domains of Ravenloft. I released the prologue by itself because I'm looking for help with custom content, and I just couldn't keep this to myself any longer!
Version History:
v1.1:
1. Updated for Storm of Zehir(Patch 1.22).
2. Removed level restriction due to a persistant bug.
3. Added narrative text to lever scripts.
4. Made the puzzle trap detectable.
5. Added numerous placeables for both aesthetic and gameplay reasons.
6. Changed texture tints in crypt.
7. Optimized shadow properties for trees and lights for better performance.
8. Added starting equipment for Swashbucklers.
9. Added a new, interesting item.
10. Altered starting equipment for spellcasters.
I have full intention of supporting this project after any future patches or expansions.
This is intended for brand new, 1st level characters. Inventory was controlled to maintain the difficulty and for setting reasons(did you notice what you were wearing?) Your character(or this version of it) is only intended to exist within the context of this series.
This mod was meant to segue directly into the next mod(with the same inventory control).
I've gone to considerable lengths to maintain a certain level of difficulty. Your over-balanced gear is most definitely NOT welcomed by the guy trying to provide you with a "scary" challenge.
Thanks for the generous vote, especially in light of your misgivings. :)
At this point, I should state that I will probably not be continuing work on the Dark Powers series. Frankly, I became frustrated with the numerous flaws with the NWN2 engine. I'm extremely passionate about my story, but feel constrained by how difficult it is to do so many of the unique things I want(ed) to do. My plans have been FAR more ambitious than the average mod.
And let's be honest, it's a hell of a lot of hard work for a game that hardly anyone plays, especially compared to NWN1. I still haven't decided for sure, but felt I should say something about my lack of updates.
A group of people just spent 9 years making a huge mod for Deus Ex, so who knows? _________________________ Dark Powers
The Ultimate in Gothic horror.
Posted by roieco at 2009-06-06 06:33:58 Voted 7.00 on 06/06/09
has potential, still needs a lot of work and substance..
a word to the author:
please don't take items from the character.
it prevents the player from exporting the character after your adventure, and is completely bogus.
Thanks for your vote! _________________________ Dark Powers
The Ultimate in Gothic horror.
Posted by thasic at 2008-12-21 10:42:37 Voted 7.50 on 12/21/08
I liked it. It is very short, as the description clearly points out. It was a bit difficult for 1st level characters. Maybe a tweak or two to tone it down some is in order, but very good as a beginning, first time mod. Waiting for the rest of the tale. _________________________ Failure is not an option
Thanks to Obsidian for finally fixing the speaktrigger bug!
I've taken this opportunity to fix the 2-3 issues that users objectively commented on. This mod was never intended as a beta release, but it now has the benefit of being fully tested. If you do find any bugs, please let me know! _________________________ Dark Powers
The Ultimate in Gothic horror.
Thanks for your input, Gwydion669! I agree, the boss fight is a hard one. I tested this out for every class. Done right, some classes(like rogue) actually did better than a straight tank. Still, this is a mod where sliding the difficulty down might be a good idea.
Most classes have different starting equipment. Spellcasters in particular start with a few goodies. Nonetheless, equipment is very tightly controlled in the prologue to actually make it "survival" horror.
You'll have to excuse Brother Camus for his brusqueness. He is dying, after all.
The devs @ Obsidian told us they're working on a fix. I've already constructed a (surprisingly complicated) workaround. Really, I'd rather just wait 'til they fix it. :) _________________________ Dark Powers
The Ultimate in Gothic horror.
Posted by Gwydion669 at 2008-11-28 22:09:25 Voted 6.75 on 11/28/08
Quick addendum:
I'd recommend taking a look at Berra's horror series. Characters could get xp for just "surviving" from point A to B, and spend a lot of time running from / avoiding creatures that are much stronger than them.
Running around screaming like a naked halfling can be fun at times.
Posted by Gwydion669 at 2008-11-28 22:03:37 Voted 6.75 on 11/28/08
I liked this short intro. With a little tweaking, I'd up the vote by at least another point or more. I love the idea of combining H.P. Lovecraft and Ravenloft and view this as a good start and can't wait to see more.
I believe it seems to be targeting "combat monsters" and could be tweaked for a more general audience. I had to put my barbarian through FRWCC to get a little gold for weapons and a shield. Even then, one good blow can kill the character and the group at the end is a deadly combo (especially if the first two spells get them). You might consider decreasing the group by one or modifying the fiendish spell combo (kudos on that, my next mage must remember it). "Reloading" is okay, but no one likes to make a habit of it.
The cleric seems a mite rude in his response if the PC is not a paladin type and chooses "I'll try my best" or the equivalent.
Finally, there's no telling how long it'll take the dev's to make a fix. The boards said something about the problem being with the "onEnter" script but something like "onAreaEnter" working the way it should. Don't quote me since my programming stopped in the PASCAL days. It might be worth looking up, though, and seeing if it can be fixed before the official patch comes through.
I'm definitely looking forward to what comes next.
Posted by darant at 2008-11-26 01:06:51 Voted 7.00 on 04/04/11
Ok, you've got a good attitude. I pulled two levers and the doors opened, no puzzle was presented or hinted at in dialogue. There was a clear path, cutscenes describing the summoning appeared, I slowly 'w' hotbuttoned myself forward. Then without warning I died. "Someone did 65 pts. dmg." I must say I was into the adventure. Whatever that was, that kind of massive damage doesn't belong in a begginer module with a character with 100+ xp fighting for his life against skeletons. If there's a full campaign module to come you only dissuade a non-arcade playing D&Der (which must be your philosophy without respawns) from waiting with 'baited breath' for the full darkworlded release.
Thanks for the encouragement, Liso. I have full intention of getting chapters 1 & 2 of this campaign done(1 being pretty big). Apart from it's size, it is a very ambitious project, IMHO.
Gerardo, glad to hear that you're interested. I've already made a few additions/changes that should clear up some of the...criticisms I've received so far. I'm just waiting for Obsidian to put out a new patch(numerous mods on the Vault are currently broken as of 1.21).
And to clarify: The argument here is over a puzzle, NOT a standard trap. I fully concede that it was poorly implemented. _________________________ Dark Powers
The Ultimate in Gothic horror.
What appears to be Dordain's first module release, I think some respectful critiquing makes more sense than coming on here to just bash and bitch about it. We have too few modules hitting the scene as it is. Why not help guide the module author and point out problems rather than scream at them through text?
Dordain, I am not big on playing prologues, mainly because if the project gets abandoned. I get annoyed that I was left hanging. Good luck with your new release. Do not get discouraged by disgruntled players. They are the minority with this type of behavior. Do your research, see what other modders have done and never be apprehensive to ask questions. I am sure I do not need to tell you these things. Keep up the modding!! ;)
Regards
Liso
_________________________ Michele O'Sullivan
Ossian Forum Admin Link
"Oh, and a real dark, twisted writer seduces players deeper into his macabre world, he doesn't pettily finish them off."
On that we agree 100%. _________________________ Dark Powers
The Ultimate in Gothic horror.
Posted by darant at 2008-11-24 19:57:34 Voted 7.00 on 04/04/11
Oh, and a real dark, twisted writer seduces players deeper into his macabre world, he doesn't pettily finish them off.
Posted by darant at 2008-11-24 19:56:19 Voted 7.00 on 04/04/11
Hey Azarr fellow, I'm glad you're defending the mod writer but I'm right. I did pull the levers and all the doors were open. A 1st lvl character can't see every trap with beginner skills. That trap has ABSOLUTELY no place in a beginner mod; no question (65 pts dmg!!). You're a fool if you think otherwise. I know when a writer gets glee from killing players, and this is it. Why not put a troll you should just AVOID in the mod too.
I hope no one's been playing this in 1.21. I'm going to have a slightly revamped version up in a day or so, as soon as Obsidian releases the new patch they're promising. You'll be happier if you wait a few days before playing.
The way I set that trap up is my only real regret about this release. Believe it or not, it's already been changed a little bit for the v1.1 SoZ fix, "hardcore loser" or not.
Thanks Azarr Kul. :) _________________________ Dark Powers
The Ultimate in Gothic horror.
Posted by Azarr Kul at 2008-11-24 13:41:23 Voted 5.00 on 11/24/08
Look genius, just pull some of the levers instead of becoming stupid.. Err.. Angry!
You should really check if there is a way around such a difficult trap in a module instead of just quitting and spewing out such... I'll just stop now..
And here's your 5 again, Mr. Dordain.
Posted by darant at 2008-11-24 01:55:30 Voted 7.00 on 04/04/11
What was that?!? I was playing this mod and enjoying the vibe, then a trap I can't see hits me for 65 pts. dmg. What's a trap like that doing in a lvl 1 mod? That's something only a hardcore loser would do. I'll make sure to never waste my time playing anything by you again.
Buckwheezer, your previous feedback was already causing me to make some changes, even before SoZ broke my opening cutscene. Constructive criticism is the best kind. :)
I plan to have an updated, SoZ friendly version up in a few days. _________________________ Dark Powers
The Ultimate in Gothic horror.
Remember, sometimes readmes have vital install instructions in them.
You must use Rogue Dao's Lip Flappers with this mod. Otherwise, the cutscenes will fly by, ruining the drama.
Your character's past is your business. I intentionally left that for you to fill in.
The book's name is a sinister-sounding approximation of "Book of Evil Dead" in Latin. I went for phonetic appeal rather than literal accuracy. _________________________ Dark Powers
The Ultimate in Gothic horror.
Overall, a nice feel to the mod. There were some issues, however....
**SPOILERS**
The initial set-up wasn't very well plotted. No believable back-story as to why I would be walking in Neverwinter Wood, heading into a graveyard in the middle of the night was even hinted at. The title shot (and a lot of dialogue throughout the module) went by way too fast. Some of the dramatic moments you wanted to create weren't as effective as they could have been for the same reason--they just weren't long enough. (In some cases, the overall dramatic effect was lost almost entirely. Conversations seemed to zip by faster than Brown Jenkins running off with a finger-bone. Black Astor's raising of Sir Kathoris and Astor's subsequent monologue suffered greatly because of it.) The bug described by Tellner was experienced by me as well, and proved annoying. I had to go into the toolset and disable it just to play. My rogue took a good pasting from the walking dead after I beat Astor and the mists emerged. I went back in the crypt to rest, and ran into a second one. This one was non-hostile, however, so I'm not sure what triggered that change in faction.
I enjoyed the easter eggs in the graveyard. I liked the set-up of the traps and the minions popping up out of the places that they did. The combat was quite challenging for a 1st level rogue, damn-near impossible for arcane spell-slingers, and tanks may break a slight sweat; thus, an enjoyable experience for me. I haven't played it with a cleric or druid just yet. The use of Cthulhu Mythos lore was incorporated quickly, and in a way that made the threat real and immediate.
One little note: My Latin is a bit rusty, but the title of the book seemed a tad off in the translation. If you meant something dead, the word mortuus might be more appropriate. Maybe. Just a thought.
Anyway, thanks for the contribution. Lovecraft-themed mods are in seriously short supply, so please keep 'em coming.
Tellner, that's the one unexplainable bug that very rarely happened while I tested this. Just start again, it shouldn't happen twice. _________________________ Dark Powers
The Ultimate in Gothic horror.
10 - A Masterpiece, Genuinely Groundbreaking 9 - Outstanding, a Must Have 8 - Excellent, Recommended to Anyone 7 - Very Good, Deserves a Look 6 - Good, Qualified Recommendation 5 - Fair, Solid yet Unremarkable 4 - Some Merit, Requires Improvements 3 - Poor Execution, Potential Unrealized 2 - Very Little Appeal 1 - Not Recommended to Anyone
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at 2011-04-04 19:04:32
