Roleplay, small story, some side-quests, crafting available, some hack'n slash, traps
Patch
1.03
Description
You realize you've been following the road for days, almost as if driven by some unknown compulsion. However, you cannot recall even when you started or where you're traveling from. As your head begins to clear, you notice again a sense of urgency within you, that you must travel further. Perhaps the answers to your past lie somewhere ahead. Your fate beckons from Avendale...
This is my first adventure with the NWN2 toolset. I'm still learning the program and I'm not an incredible scripter, but hopefully this will be a fun beginning-level adventure to play. I apologize in advance for any minor bugs (this toolset has a steep learning curve.) Have fun, and I look forward to any feedback!
Notes:
If playing as single player, I recommend using the two available henchmen in Avendale. If playing multiplayer, try to keep the party to 3, max 4 players for balance purposes (or any mix of players and henchmen up to 4 total.) I also recommend starting at level 1.
Once I have a new computer and the toolset doesn't randomly crash when I try to save, I will begin work on the sequel which will start where Avendale leaves off.
Just wanted to say that I am currently playing your module and enjoying it very much. It is involving and very stable, even with the latest patch, which is nothing short of amazing for such an early work. Stylistically the story reminds me of the early Shadowlords modules for NwN1. What I particulary liked, however, was the use of Spot/Listen checks and the essential fairness of the set-piece encounters. If you had right skills and payed attention to your surroundings, you were forewarned. That is one of the things which is sorely lacking in CRPGs and it really helps to conjure the feeling of exploration. It also seems that the player's actions can really affect the outcome. Even if it is only an illusion, it enhances the experience a lot. Once I finish "Avendale" and have a chance to play a few more mods for comparison, I'll be back to vote. Thanks a lot!
Posted by schatten9 at 2007-08-0819:33:43
Thanks for the comments and vote, Aredhel371. That's interesting that the merchant was ignoring you despite having been to Vith's. I'll have to look into that, but maybe you could tell me how much you did at Vith's before you went back? The trigger, I think, is set to you finding an item of Vith's once you defeat him, so that may be why it didn't trigger? Let me know more specifics, and I'll go bug-hunting. As far as the area north of Vith's, the only real incentive to travel that way was that your henchmen wants to see the city that way, plus, you're an adventurer looking to explore and perhaps find some answers to your memory loss. This is only implied at the very, very beginning of the adventure, and you're right, I didn't develop it very far. Thanks again for the vote and review!
Posted by Aredhel371 at on08/06/07
Agreeing Nonas comments I'm even voting the same! ;-) Perhaps I should mention, that I didn't experience any crashes and freezes. What I did appreciate most, were the dense atmosphere and the interactions with it's inhabitants, although some dialogue-structures are in need of some polish (for example, the village-merchant Jenson (?) is constantly ignoring that I had already reported my first visit to Vith , so that I had to repeat this part again and again in order to trade with him before I set off to Vith for the second time). SPOILERS?? Second, I didn't get a hint for exploring the area north of Vith's Tower(with that fort on the hilltop and the crypt on the other side of the valley) - well, I did it nevertheless, but.. (did I miss anything?) _________________________ Aka Gront0307 - because of a second adress..;-)
Posted by schatten9 at 2007-07-1607:44:19
Hi Donuts, thanks for your feedback. Frequent crashes and freezes sounds like a problem with your computer, not the module--no one has reported my module as causing that. As far as autosaves, that is something I believe you can set in the options menu. If you're not saving frequently, then play anything (my module or someone else's) at your own risk. As for total party kills, you are right that venturing into gnoll territory or the kobolds will be a challenge, but the information given to you through dialogue in the game indicates these are tough areas that you should not attempt on your own. The kobold quest is mentioned intially by the farmer, and he says you should try gathering some friends from town before going up there. Try hiring the two available NPC's--the game is balanced for that. Also, if you work on the minor quests throughout town, you'll gain enough XP to level up to 2, so venturing out to do the other quests, with NPC's, will result in a much more balanced experience. As for shadows, I have had numerous complaints about lighting in this game so, because I am tired of trying to please everyone, I have matched the light settings to that of the official campaign. If you have a problem with the shadows and lighting, then complain to Obsidian, because I'm using their settings instead of my own. The conversation with the kid's father can happen with the kid standing near, because the kid is on random walk. The chance to mention the fairies depends on how much you've talked with the kid and what conversation path you choose. If you can indicate the exact order of options you chose, I can see if there is anything unusual actually happening and can look at the conversation tree. Yes, you're right, there aren't many opportunities for diplomacy, but there are a couple, later in the game (involving the wizard.) Thanks for taking the time to comment. Some of the problems you're having sound like they are outside of any module-designer's control, but I do hope you will find the module a fun experience overall.
Posted by Donuts4Hire at 2007-07-1303:30:47
I've been having a lot of trouble with this module, including frequent crashes freezes. This isn't the mod maker's fault, but auto-saves would save me a lot of grief as I don't save the game very frequently. The initial difficulty is pretty high. The first time I played, I got killed by the first batch of kobolds in one hit. :( In another attempt, my entire party was slain by the longbow gnolls shortly after entering the pass. Overall, I'd have to say the difficulty is better geared towards level 3 starting as opposed to level 1. A fighter or barbarian could probably handle it at level 1, but anything else will be struggling and a single well placed or lucky hit from the enemies will quickly end your game. I cheated and leveled my character up to level 2 with the console and had much better luck but there were still a few TPK (total party kills) - and with my negligence in saving and lack of auto-saves it's always a pretty hefty setback. Others mentioned the visual shadow problems, I have to echo this. Please fix the shadows, the biggest offenders are the chandeliers in the taverns. I didn't notice any obvious use of the social/diplomacy skills, but I didn't get very far in the module. A minor problem with the Father Kid - the father mentions his kid (who is standing right next to him?) - but I did not get any chance to mention the fairies until after the kid told me about the strange egg. Fix the shadows and add some auto-saves at various transitions and it would be much better.
Posted by Nona at on06/10/07
My pleasure giving the feedback schatten9--I figure it's the least we players can do as thanks for the mods that are created for us to enjoy. *Spoilers* As for the rogue assassin, I think what I would do is have it that like 2 buddies of his secretly followed, and reveal themselves at the same time that he betrays the player. The same idea could hold for it all--the assassin joined up with you to ensure that you'd venture down to uncover the treasure of the tomb, and then his buddies join in to kill you for their secret mission and at the same time to get the treasure of the tomb. If they're all slightly more powerful than the PC, that'll make for a tough battle indeed. I hope you're able to return to mod-building soon and make a sequel!
Posted by schatten9 at 2007-06-1623:13:04
Thanks for the vote and excellent feedback, Nona! I really appreciate the time you took to respond in such detail. I would like to address a few of your comments: I agree about the dialogue very much, and plan to write better dialogue in the sequel. This module began as an experiment with the toolset to get used to it, then grew into a few small quests, and eventually became what it is now. I wanted the NPC's to have some personality, but to serve as functional in conveying quest goals and setting a little atmosphere. I found myself cutting a lot of conversation because the variables were getting hard to track and I wanted to keep things moving. I will check out Tragedy in Tragidor for dialogue ideas, though--thanks for the recommendation. I'm glad you felt the challenge level was good and that you enjoyed the open-ended nature of the quests. I do hope to produce a sequel someday, but things have not gone very positively towards that lately (time, career, family, and lack of a better computer--this one has the bare minimum specs, and the toolset has not treated me well on it.) SPOILERS: I understand the confusion about the fairy-wood. There isn't much of a point to it, but it does fit in to the story some. The little boy had collected fairy dust (how do you think he got it? This is implied, but by killing fairies), despite his father's warning, and had angered the fairies. I intended their attacks (and that of the dryad) to be the result of that kid just being a typical, destructive boy. It's not very significant, but I hoped it would add a little extra character to the world. Yes, the rogue assassin was not very wise in attacking you when your entire party was there. For someone playing it single-player, it's more reasonable, but there's not much I know to do if you have a larger party present. I had thought about having him try sneak-attacking the PC's while they were engaged in battle, but then it would be tough to get the full impact from his dialogue. He is 2 levels higher than the PC's and has an undroppable magical rapier to make him more powerful, but being a rogue, this of course doesn't help much. I am open to suggestions on this, but my scripting ability is very limited and I'm probably unable to do much more than I've done with him. Thanks for the bug catch! I will have to try and fix the bartender and make sure he doesn't repeat himself! And yes, the loot level is a little high. I continue to struggle with loot balance, and I need to remind myself that most players do try to carry everything they find. When I've played through the module, I pick up what I think would be in-character (ie, if I'm playing a rogue, I don't carry the plate mail, dwarven war-axes, etc. to town) I'll continue to work on loot tweaking, though, thanks for the comment. Again, I really appreciate all your comments. Thanks so much for taking the time!
Posted by Nona at on06/10/07
I think this mod is fairly rated "Very Good, Deserves a Look," as it was indeed very well done. It was predominantly a conglamoration of sidequests with the hint of a future story. The side quests were all very well done, and could be approached in pretty much any order that the player preferred. Challenge level was good. My entire party died once, but in addition there were a number of fights that left us limping or with one or two characters dead. So overall enough to keep me on my toes. I didn't spot any typos or misspellings, and the lack of scripting didn't slow down the mod at all. There is some room for improvement in the mod. (spoilers ahead). For one, the dialogue had no errors in it, but it was merely functional. What I mean is that dialogue almost without exception gave you a quest, some basic information about how to accomplish the quest, and then a reward for completing the quest. None of the npc's really developed any character apart from being quest-givers. For contrast in this, try out Tragedy in Tragidor if you haven't already. The townspeople come alive in that game, carrying on dialogue that concerns the quest, but from personal perspectives, highlighting the impact on their lives. That makes for a more "real" feeling to the town. I also found myself kinda scratching my head about some of the segments of the module. Most pertinently, the fairy wood. The farmer told me that the fairies would put people to sleep and cover them in flowers. That's not what they did with me...they attacked without even a comment. Why were they attacking? I never understood that, and there didn't seem to be any closure to the quest, even after clearing the whole wood. I was also a bit puzzled how the lone rogue assassin figured he would slay my entire party. I mean, that was a really dumb assassin, and indeed, that was a very quick and easy battle. One very minor technical glitch I hit: after completing the hermit's tower, and finishing the egg quest and returning the lost daughter, I went to the inn to rest. Talked to the bartender, and his dialogue had been reset, as if I had never talked to him before. He could tell me the various rumors around town, and even reward me a second time for clearing the rats out of the cellar. Finally, this is a personal issue, but I feel that the loot level in the game was a bit high. Completing the module with a fourth level character, I had around 20k gold, full plate, a good weapon, some nice accessories, and a pack full of trophies to sell from the mausaleum. All that said, I do hope we see some more modules from schatten9. This one set up a nice world and I'd definitely play the sequel.
Posted by schatten9 at 2007-05-1321:34:01
Thanks for the vote and comments, morphousblob, and I'm glad you liked the story and had fun! I was very encouraged that you appreciated the nonlinearity and low-magic environment of Avendale. I've always thought it's more fun and rewarding to discover a magic item in the field than be able to buy it, though I've heard the argument "then what are we supposed to do with all this gold?" Low level adventures are great for that, but I'm going to have to be really careful with it as I write higher-level mods. Regarding the magic crafting, I was wondering if you could mention which low-level scrolls would be needed for some of crafting? I certainly want to make sure it's available and I don't think I did my homework enough on what was necessary for it to work. Wow, thanks--I'm glad you think this could be in the top ten! The eta on the sequel is still up in the air, unfortunately. I would like to say by August or so, but the truth is, I haven't even started. After I finish with a few concerts I have to give this month, I'm hoping to have some free time to get back to NWN2. I'd sure like to get myself a new computer to work with so it doesn't take so long to use the toolset, too!
Posted by morphousblob at on05/13/07
Highly entertaining romp. I really liked the mod, more than some of the others and I do hope this mod ends up in the top 10 where it belongs. Story was good, had several layers, and was more sophisticated than a straight-forward hack and slash. Was pleased with the way certain areas such as the gnoll or goblin caves were not necessary for the completion of the mod, but could only be found by exploring, thus giving a nice feeling of nonlinearity. Also the fact that its a low magic/farm community. Really makes finding the odd +1 magic item fun, and you dont always even have access to your favorite martial/exotic weapons at start, which I found fun. Agree with the comment by others that the spell casting level makes item crafting not doable, although you have certainly put in a good effort to seed the areas with enough raw crafting materials. I would suggest either an alternate henchman, or that the merchant sells the required scrolls for crafting, such that the required spells for crafting are made available. Near the end I had one blank journal entry, between entries about The Rogue, and Fort Boulderguard, possibly triggered by conversations with the rogue. Whats the tentative eta on part 2 :D ?
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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