Current Posted Version: v1.1
A direct continuation of [Sands of Solvheil II: Beneath the Hearlrforne]Link spoilers of which may follow:
Introduction After defeating Anziath and the invading Ith'inaar at the Stoneclef Mines in Harrn, you returned to Storneth with the injured Ellenari. It was there that King Ulivon informed you that forces from Dalreon had aggressively moved into the Shalihir desert under the guise of religious crusade. His earlier warnings about mixing faith and force coupled with the misgivings between King Jorlaan and Malcarus seemed to hold merit. Leaving Ellenari behind to recover, you borrowed a Harrn steed from King Ulivon to ride back to Albrynn. After stabling it for return as promised, you stopped by your estate before heading toward the Scarcrag Pass that connects Dalreon to Shalihir.
Sands of Solvheil III: Crusaders of Shalihir picks up where the previous module left off. A journey that started below deck on a ship in a river town leads you to into the desert and to the birthplace of man.
Module Trilogy Sands of Solvheil I: The Ruins of Kazatharis Link Sands of Solvheil II: Beneath the Hearleforne Link Sands of Solvheil III: Crusaders of Shalihir Link
Race: For the scope of this module, it is assumed that the player is human. Other races will still function, but will make less sense from a story standpoint.
Level/XP Progression: This module is designed to take a 6th level character to 7th.
Rest/Death: Left at game defaults. This module is focused on storyline over semantics.
Time: This varies greatly on how much ancillary exploration, reading, and dialogue is done by the player.
Encounters: Encounters are a mixed bag of:
a.) Hand placed creatures.
b.) Standard NWN encounters.
c.) NESS enabled spawns.
Depending on what the situation called for.
**Be sure to pick up the book you see in the beginning. It is a DM Tome that when used, can help you out of a jam. AKA "Break Glass in Case of Bug".**
When in doubt, check your journal.
(OE said it best: Save Early, Save Often)
Installation:
1. Unzip the .mod file to your MyDocuments > Neverwinter Nights 2> modules directory.
*Substitute current build number
2. Unzip the two hak files to your MyDocuments > Neverwinter Nights 2> hak directory.
3. Start NWN2, Select New Game > New Module, and select Solvheil_III_Crusaders_of_Shalihir_v*.mod
Partial Credits & Thanks
Special Thanks to JasonNH for his work on the cutscenes (he's the reason for the parts that sparkle).
Also special thanks to the following for their beta tests:
Jet Truebow
TymmeRMortis
Rashkae_
A Couple of Custom Content Creators of Cunning and Creativity who Cultivate Curiosity:
- Bouncyrock Entertainment
- Robinson Workshop
Finally, thanks to the community in general whose love of building and playing games together keep me out of the pub.
CHANGELOG v1.1 -adjusted Ambrose alignment to NG
-added Tower Shield Prof to Dorrian
-Made Doorguard always there with conditional conversation
-DO ONCE variable removed from Alakanthor onClientEnter to prevent it being skipped by glitch
Posted by shuurai at 2012-10-12 12:09:33 Voted 9.25 on 10/12/12
Excellent ending to a cool trilogy. Overall a well-paced and original story, well developed characters, and some really cool area design. Combat is nicely balanced, if a bit on the easy side for the final battle. Like the previous two, the module feels a little forced at times, but the story is interesting enough to forgive that.
Posted by Filgrind at 2012-05-22 13:57:46 Voted 9.50 on 05/22/12
An excellent trilogy for sure. However, I ran into some issues with the mastercraft armor. It seems they have no advantage and any class of character can wear them. Are both hak files supposed to be in the hak folder? Or is the _2da.hak supposed to be in the override directory? I wonder if it makes a difference.
Posted by prattlepate at 2011-09-28 14:52:12 Voted 8.00 on 09/28/11
Fascinating and what seemed to me very original visuals. Because the plot was quite linear the pace was a little fast, but grabbed your interest. I really wanted to know what was really going on by the end of the plot sequence.
I did have the same problems reported by many players, in the Malcarius (sp?) did not join back into the party and required a DM Tome over-ride, nor did the aqueducts area work properly the first three times I tried to play through. I also found the final battle rather easy, but by that point I really wanted to see the ending, so a straight forward battle was actually appreciated.
On the other hand, nice twist there at the end, and as usual, excellent visuals. I did not think they were two empty, and did think you gave an excellent sense of bustling cities and ruined granduer with the spacing and the use of placeables outside the walkable areas.
Posted by TikiHat at 2011-07-08 19:04:10 Voted 9.25 on 07/08/11
Okay, that was a fun ride and a surprise ending that I will not spoil. I'll just say that the feelings of being slighted at the end of Chapter 1 are fully dispelled The story in III became so compelling that it easily overcame most of my usual concerns about presentation and artistic impression. I did run into some near gamestopping bugs towards the end involving a missing companion and a locked door that required me to read through all the comments and your thoughtfully provided documentation more than once to resolve. Once I had figured out what misfired, I was able to go back to a save, use the Tome, and complete the very satisfying trilogy you created. In the end I am left with the thought that there might be prettier modules and campaigns in the Vault, few can rival the scope of this. Were you to make this into one seemless campaign(eliminating the gnashing strip of Chapt II) and tie in a couple of small issues like Saito, I could be tempted to rate this a 10. As it sits, it is an outstanding body of work that I plan on replaying in the future.
Posted by Kaeljin at 2011-07-07 10:30:51 Voted 8.75 on 07/07/11
i liked this module as trilogy,and,as it deserve a 9.But,if u rate individually....how i can put it ?
Well,its like a swiss cheese ,its good but had some holes !!! :)
I am playing it but I think I have run into some sort of script bug...
**** SPOILERS BELOW ****
After returning from the ship wreckage, under the desert sand storm (you find out it was the vessel used for transporting Rel's sarcophagus), I don't know what to do next. I have already returned to the city in the desert but the guy from the antiquities museum isn't at palace and nowhere to be found. Am I missing something?
Posted by sirchet at 2011-07-01 10:39:55 Voted 9.50 on 07/01/11
This is a wonderful adventure and an excellent extension to the previous chapters. I especially appreciate the work and determination required to produce a series such as this.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the chance to visit with the personalities I became interested in from the previous chapters.
Well Done! _________________________ Help is good when asked for,
Better when needed.
Posted by karen at 2011-04-02 16:06:59 Voted 8.50 on 04/02/11
Thanks for the last part of the trilogy - I really enjoyed it. What a surprise ending - I never saw it coming lol!
Posted by Avo at 2010-11-30 03:28:54 Voted 8.25 on 11/30/10
Surely the best of the three modules in this series so far. The story was well thought through and the linearity didn't stick out so much. The plot was logical and it was quite clear when the party had to be a certain location.
I thought is was weird that Malcarus never joined as a companion but followed around only for the cutscenes. Whatever - didn't jurt me much.
In genreal I'd say that the series got better and better the longer it lasted. Thumbs up!
Something that irritated me allthrough the series was, that, allthough the bulk of the dialogue was very well written, the dialogue choices for the character were rather cliched and hollow in comparison. Even as if it had been written by a completely different author.
Since it feel you are getting better and better with the toolset it would be a shame if you stopped making modules. I am looking forward quite a bit to what you are working on.
Posted by Winwood at 2010-08-06 20:51:22 Voted 7.75 on 08/06/10
I haven't played this yet as I've been checking the .hak files for compatibility.
The modified nwn2deities.2da in your .hak is based on the original one from NWN2. 4 columns were added by MotB and 1 was added by SoZ. Not sure if this would cause any problems though.
Conversely, the spells.2da the one from SoZ, with some changes I expect from the mods you've used.
Oh man, taking that key early messed you up! I didn't consider that when I last minute made him just there opposed to spawned in via journal entry. That was causing problems, and it appears that talking to Anziath too early will too :(
With the aquaducts. Unsure what causes this, as the area is baked. Try to save and reload that save when in the area. That seems to fix it for those who get stuck here. _________________________ Raith Veldrin
Sands of Solvheil Series | Atlas & Gazetteer | Blog
Posted by M.I. Ranger at 2010-02-16 10:36:21 Voted 8.00 on 02/16/10
I may raise my opinion if I can work out the Bugs mentioned by others (Aquaducts movement, and Malcarus not joining). Great story line, and I loved the use of the Driders. I like even better the "Free Trade City" idea. I took some "iron claws" off of a Black Orc and it is giving me a "no picture" bug... might have missed these somehow in the haks. I found the return to the City a little mixed up as far as where to go first (I forgot to use the journal), I first went to visit my wizard prisoner (I had already stolen the key from the guard... he did not even get upset when I failed) but the dialogue was so strange that I thought I missed something in the temple... it was even stranger. When did we find out about the "Golem Armor", I only knew about new armor being made for the King from when they sent Malcarus to meet him. The rest I liked, maybe some more pissed of merchants though since we did invade their town. Ohh, and I agree some more with Sato Tan would have been nice, we probably could have handled the guards but it was nice to be introduced to the new Warrior Elfs.
I am disappointed to hear this is the last epsiode, after reading your documentation I was excited to hear there would be a fourth. _________________________ Ranger's have Lead the Way since there was a way to be lead!
Posted by Spidercat at 2010-02-08 07:50:27 Voted 9.50 on 02/08/10
Awesome storytelling mod with good story, lots of dialogs, quite a number of *very* nice looking areas, and good use of music too. I appreciated that combat was not overwhelmingly difficult for once. Impressive work !
Congratulations and thank you ! \>^.^
Posted by jaege at 2010-02-08 02:08:46 Voted 8.75 on 02/08/10
I agree, great finally, to a great trilogy.
Posted by merbeast at 2010-01-21 17:30:39 Voted 8.25 on 01/21/10
Solid final episode of a very good trilogy. Again, the lack of dialogue options or free choice was constraining. I am glad I got to keep the goodies I had acquired from the second episode (yay, banded mail and a masterwork longsword). There were some interesting characters that I would have liked to see more of (Saito Tan, for example). The end fight was ridiculously easy, I was unbuffed at the start of it, and I don't think my health ever dropped below 75% (one companion did drop, and the other got messed up though).
All in all, the real saving grace was the story, it was well thought out. I did like the low magic setting, but the limited character creation choices (human melee), very limited dialogue choices, and a very linear storyline mean that there is going to be little or no replay value to it.
So, bottom line a good solid one time thru module.
Actually, there isn't a part IV from this story's perspective, although there used to be one planned: Chasing the Golden Dragon...a fifth somewhat concieved too. When I began Crusaders of Shalihir, I decided to wrap it all up in a trilogy instead.
The mod that I am somewhat working on (translation: Story is written and bunch of areas designed but nothing else) takes place in the same setting, but seperate events. It is more of a gothic horror-ish setting in the Northern Harrn area of Lontharvia. _________________________ Raith Veldrin
Sands of Solvheil Series | Atlas & Gazetteer | Blog
Thanks gang!
Yeah, the ending can be confusing without looking at the Journal. I just don't quite trust onDeath scripts to trigger 100% of the time, so I played it safe. If I didn't run into anomolies testing, it would have all been done differently. Still, most of the story got conveyed as it should. _________________________ Raith Veldrin
Sands of Solvheil Series | Atlas & Gazetteer | Blog
Hi, Everyone,
Sorry for the fuss. I missed a journal entry, or maybe reset the Journal wrongly with the DM Tome. Anyway, I got through OK.
I'm looking forward to Part 4!!
Cheers,
Dave
Posted by Rosie at 2010-01-20 03:29:37 Voted 9.00 on 01/20/10
I enjoyed this very much, thanks for making it. It seems I played version 1.00 as I had the bugs that some others have mentioned; however I was able to get around them with the DM Tome and completed the story. The story was a real high point, as was the detailed universe you created with tons of its own lore. Characters such as Ambrose also really brought the place to life. Outstanding stuff. I played through as a rogue, with a couple of levels of fighter and found this story pretty much perfect for that build. I'd recommend this to anyone, as long as they don't have a problem with a linear story and not too much in the way of exploration (something which clearly doesn't bother me!). Thanks again.
SPOILERS
I fought and defeated Reyzalla in the Ruins of Solvheil. He broke into 4 Thrells which I also defeated. Then nothing happens. There is a door which requires a key that I don't have and that's it. The design document says that I should drive Threll back to the Outer Planes, and then Stop Second Disaster, then the final scene. How do I get to those?
Cheers,
Dave
Posted by rabiesraeven at 2010-01-16 06:09:42 Voted 9.00 on 01/16/10
Very nice set of modules, and a pat on your back for finishing what you started! I liked that the camera moved during conversations to point out things of interest.
SPOILERS| Some critisism (for the whole trilogy) |SPOILERS
- The end boss of part 1 was *very* hard to hit. Was i supposed to be of use during the fight? My celestial ally constantly blinded and wounded my evil character with some sort of spell.
- My experience actually got decreased when importing to part 2.
- The door to barbarian king's citadel was hard to target. I had to walk super close to it manually (and it took a while to figure this out).
- I played a custom prc called warrior of darkness from kaedrin's pack. The custom feats stopped working in part 3.
- I tried to intimidate a few thugs in desert market village into not killing me or taking my money. The game made a listen check iirc. Might be a mistake.
- Marcaruswhassisname didn't talk to me or join me when I meat him outside the ancient temple area almost at the end of part 3.
- The story line moved super fast at the very end. I had some trouble grasping the final twist.
Hi, again,
Here is a method that worked for me to fix up Dorian's missing feats. Apologies to those who know how to use the Console for the baby-step instructions.
First, select Dorian as the character you are controlling.
Then type the following dialog series. Note that it IS case-sensitive. Things (in parentheses) tell you what the command will do. Do not enter things in parentheses.
~ (opens Console)
debugmode 1 (turn on Debug Mode so you can make changes)
givefeat 2 (gives Heavy Armor Prof.)
givefeat 3 (gives Light Armor Prof.)
givefeat 4 (gives Medium Armor Prof)
givefeat 32 (gives Shield Prof.)
givefeat 1115 (gives Tower Shield Prof.)
debugmode 0 (turns off Debug Mode)
~ (turns off the Console)
Dorian should now be able to wear his armour and use his shield when you save and reload. The extra proficiencies are prerequisites for the ones you really need.
Yay, I can continue with my saved game instead of starting over.
Hi, Raith,
I'm going to have to start over as I have the Dorian-with-no-armour-or-shield-proficiency bug as well, but I'm on the old version. I see you gave him Tower shield proficiency in version 1.1 Does Dorian have armour proficiency now, too?
I found that he kept his armour that he was generated with OK, but because of the missing proficiencies, on a reload of a save, he lost both his armour and shield.
It just wouldn't work out, I'm sorry :(
The hak is required for everything from area design to adversaries. _________________________ Raith Veldrin
Sands of Solvheil Series | Atlas & Gazetteer | Blog
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
Site
at 2012-10-12 12:09:33
at 2010-02-08 07:50:27
