Bard of the Soul

Yes, I have the stairways on the same squairs in the different towns. If that is the issue it is rather odd because I have the same araingment between the base town and another town that works just fine. I don't have any jump-to's, I figured that they might cause a problem so I left them out. Just for clarification, the base town is not the starting town of the scenerio, but rather town 1 which I am connecting to town 2 and 3. It is the connection with town three that is the problem, but both connections use the exact same style of connection. I'll check through the known bugs and see what I can find. Thank you very much.

Greetings, I am finding myself with a very strange problem that doesn't make a lot of sense. I have a stairway in one town which leads into another, and then one in the other town wich leads back. Pretty standard. I have done this before a dozen times without a problem. I set it up so that each stairway puts the party on a space with no specials. It is a forced stairway with no text boxes. When the town which serves as a the main floor is entered and then the party decends down the stirway it works fine. However, when they try to go back up they are sent to the new town and then automaticaly sent righ back to the tow they just left. I tried moving the space that the stairway sends them to further away from the special but I still get the same responce. I have double checked the node work on both ends and everything appears to be in order. Is this a bug that I have run accross? Or is there something that I may have missed?

I just received my copy of BoA on CD in the mail. I attempted to load it up on my old laptop, a Compaq using Win95, and everything installes just fine. But when I try to open the program after installing it I get this message, Blades of Avernum EXE file is linked to missing export KERNEL.DLL:GetLongPathNameA Can anyone tell me both what this means and what I can do to get around it. Please also keep in mind that the laptop in question is not connected to the internet, hence the CD, nor do I have any intention of changing that.

That map page is really good. So good I think that I just might use it when I launch my next project, or side project. I never thought someone had such a complete map of Exile I. I thought I was going to have to make it from scratch when mly copy arrived.

I would have to also say the GIFTS. There is something about them that I just love. I guess it could be the way that they are almost always there and greeting you with a smile and "Hi!"

Probably because it is such a good game and so well made that nobody has any real questions and none feel the deed to discuss things in order to try and figure them out. Then again I could be wrong. Sorry if that sounded bad, I am just in a really good mood and willing to play around. My copy of Nethergate just arrived today! Along with Blades of Avernum and the entire Exile Trillagy! Yay! Not sure if Nether will run on my current computer, I don't have my desktop in college with me so I am using a VERY old laptop, but once I get home I am going to fire it up and beat some celtic rear!

I persinally have several irons in the fire at the moment so I can quite agree that this medium is still alive and kicking. There just isn't as much talking going on in these forums for it as the other one.

I have just read this and I must say that I like the idea. I believe the reason why so few scenerios for BoE took place in Exile is that very few people wanted to try and re-create the landscape because it really is massive. Having said that, if you want to do this, and are as awair of the difficulties as you seem to be, I must say go for it. I know that I for one would use it. My only question would be, how detailed do you plan on getting? Are you talking just a simply map of all of the areas, the main caves and the Van lands, or do you have even more ambitious plans? Do you plan on mapping out all of the towns, forts, and caves too? Or would you simply note their locations on the outdoor map? I think of this idea like the setting books that you can buy for role-playing-games. One book with maps and information that is ready made for you to put your own ideas into. The docs for such a thing could be extensive though if you tried to include information about the various lands and important NPCs. Another interesting idea might be a re-creation of the surface, if such a thing were possible, that would allow for people to make games that take place on empire lands. Bottum line, if you want to make it then go for it. Just because other people don't like the idea doesn't mean that everyone doesn't. And even if nobody else used it, a thing that I persinally find unlickly since I know that I would at least, you still have it for yourself and can cut and paist what you need without re-creating everything. I have often wanted to make a game about when Exile was just starting out, but have not done so because I couldn't get around the map problem. A untility like this would make that possible. Edit: Also, a note about copyright. I believe that this is not only not breaking the copyrite, but that it is also part of the purpose of BoA. Jeff made this so that we all could continue the stories of E/A and in order to do that we would have to be able to use the official areas. Persinally, I think that Jeff should have included basic maps of Avernum and the surface with the games instead of the four starter scens, or maybe with them, since I would find such maps for more interesting and useful in the long run.

It really depends on what kind of a scen you are trying to make and the impression that you are trying to give. I have been working on my own scens for quite a while now and I can tell you that if it is done right, with love and care, a could town can take days to get right. However, it is ultimetly worth every second when the end result is a place that looks and feels real. There is nothing that kills my pleasure more than a lack-luster town that was just slapped together to provide a place for the characters to rest and buy weapons. When I work on a town here are a few things that I think about, in case anyone is interested or looking for advice. 1, why is the town there? It is good farmland? Is it in the middle of an important trade rout? Is it an important defensive or offensive postion? The answer to this question is very important, but not nearly important as the next one. 2, where is this town built? On a river, in the middle of grassland? Built upon the ruins of some older structure? 3, What is this town's history? This town was around a long time before the characters came around. I would say that at least three very important events happened in this town, no matter the size, before the character's arrived. What were these events and how did they affect the town? Are their any signs of these effects anymore? These three questions are very important, and should seriously affect how you paint your town. Basicly, any town, no matter what it's purpose in your mind, should be built with the same care as any important NPC, because in a way that is what a true town is, for each town is alive and has a history of it's own, and will continue to tell its' own story long after the scen is over. If the player can't get a sense of that from the towns that they visit then the reason to visit towns goes away and it gets boring really fast.

Thank you all for your responces. A very interesting read I must say. Nicothodes, you show wisdom. I probably should have made this clear in the beginning. My thought for starting this thread was not to search for ideas but to see if we could come up with a good range of scources of ideas for those who feel that they know how to use the Editor but don't feel confident in their abilities to come up with an idea out of thin air. One thing that I have found interesting is something that is posted in the dungeon master's guide for 3rd edition D&D. It is a list of 100 plot ideas set up so that they can be randomly selected by a die roll. Now I don't like the die roll part but some of their ideas are worth a thought or two. Would anyone be interested in reading them or should I leave well enough alone?

I have actually tried all fighter parties in the past. Unfortunetly, when I did I kept running up against things that either required a wizard of a priest to move forward because people assume that there will be one in the party. It is a different style of play and is just as legit as anything else. I persinally highly support it because I feel that it offers more room for tactics when party creation is concerned and allows for more specialization in various fields. However, the main flaw is that healing is a little harder. Money tends to be a little tighter in the beginning but then towards the end money just isn't an issue anymore since you aren't paying for those really powerful spells and you already have most of the armor and weapons you will ever need. I just think that more designers need to be concious of the possibility of an all fighter party entering their scenerio and plan accordingly. When I build one I uwually have four front-liners, two with edged one with bashing and one with pole. Then there is an archer and a thrower who split unlock and disarm traps. Of course, having someone with woodsman and potion skill really helps. Sure you may never get the more powerful potions but then again all you really need is a few healing potions and you are good to go.

I have seen quite a few different scenerio ideas fly around, both on these boards and through the scenerios that have come out, and that has started me wondering. Where do you all get the ideas for your scenerios? Does it simply one day occure to you? Or do you read adventure novels until something strikes you? What do you do? Me? I get my ideas primarily from looking at the editor itself as well as examining RPG handbooks. I see an interesting feature and wonder how it would work out in a game. Then I construct something in my head which showcases this feature. Another place that I look is history books and the classics. I have a rather interesting idea developing in my head based upon the ice age and surviving in it. I also have a few ideas wherre I intend to work in other less well known bits of history mixed with fantasy. I also have a book called "The Encyclopedia of Things That Never Where" that I find very interesting. It is a gathering of myths and legends from all corners of the world and is a great storehouse of ideas. So, where do you all get your ideas?

Thanks for the hint asbout 0/0. I already knew that from reading people's articles but I am sure that someone who didn't will probably read that and be glad to know. If it is inspiration you are looking for there are a lot of different places to look. In fact, I can see that being a good thread.

All help, no matter how great or small, is deserving of notice. Thank you for the little tip you just gave as well.

Which is why I won't try to. I have just spent the past few days working on it. However, all that time has been spent on one town, or more accuratly on the multiple towns which will make up the capital of the small kingdom. Of course, once I have these finished I will have to do them all over again, using Import Town of course, to reflect the changes that will take place once a certain event takes place. Using that as a means of measurment I feel safe in saying that there is no way to tell. I will let you all know when I get closer to Beta Testing time.

Thank you all for the information. I'll be sure to use it and credit you.

I quite agree with both of you. Even a Dungeon Crawl needs good plot, some might even say especially a dungeon crawl. I plan on doing some research, I have just downloaded a whole mess of scenerios; paying close attention to the good and bad dungeon crawl types. I will also be looking through a couple of old dungeon crawl books from TSR for a few more ideas about how to do the plot and game balancing. I have a few ideas already so I shall get started on that one as soon as I can.

Milu, I quite agree about the dungeon crawls. I feel that they are gitting an unfair hearing and simply need to be re-examined on their own merits. I persinally like them because there are days when I don't really want to work my way through a complet plot and listen to pages of psycobabble and just want to get out there and kill some things to gain treasure and experience. Plus, there is always the chance to run into an under ground civilization, or the ruins of one, as well as a few other goodies. Plus, I find them more entertaining and interesting than a party-builder. The only trick is figuring out a way to keep them from getting boring and making them replayable. Well, this idea may take a while to come out, I plan on pushing as many limits as I can with it, but while it is in the works, what kinds of plot work do you think? One overriding plot or just a group of smaller quests that can be performed or ignored at the player's whim? Or both? Ben, I plan on finishing Classic first. It is smaller and will give me some much needed experience in the BoE engine. However, Courage will probably be my next project simply because I want to prove to all the nay-sayers that it can be done, and done well. I will probably splurge and put in a few potions, but these will be rare indeed to reflect both the difficulty of making them and the natural mistrust of anything concidered 'magical' by the locals. The plot and setting I mentioned may change, but I will keep the spirit the same nonetheless. The Portal is going to take a while to make though. I have a LOT of ideas for little missions as well as larger ones. The tricky part with that one will be the node-work. Now that I know how to do the portal itself, thanks to a lot of help from some people here, the hard part will be testing it. I know how I will do it but that doesn't make it seem easier. Anyhow, thank you all for your support. I shall get back to my node-work now and check in later.

Thank you for both the information and the idea. I hadn't thought of using the stirway node that way. I have some other questions, this time about special nodes. How do I give the party a choice when they hit a special encounter? What I mean is; the party wonders down a dark alley in a town and then is confronted by a thug. They can either pay him or fight him. How do I get the buttons to read "Attack" and "Pay"? Also, with graphics, can I replace monster graphics, or edit the ones already there? instead of making totally new ones and risking getting the measurments wrong? Or would that be altering the BladeBase?

Well, I have a few questions that I can't seem to find the answers to. I was wondering if someone here would be kind enough to let me know the answers. Mainly I want to know this, if you have a variable town entrence do both towns you enter cout towards the max number of town entrences you can have in one outdoor section? When you port a town does it capy everything, including special nodes, monsters, and dialogue? Or does it only port the town layout? Is there a way to have someone buying a room at an inn trigger an event, and then have the town entry check to see if the person had stayed the night at the inn in order to decide wich town the person actualy enters when they come back after leaving town the next day? My intention is to have the party enter a town, speak with some people and then sleep in the Inn for the night. The next morning the town will be different due to a change.

Actually, it was reading that article that gave me the idea. I probably won't do too much with the dongeon crawl. That one is kind of just for the fun of it and mainly for me, although I can concidering some random node work there to try and make every trip into the sewers and caves below a little different. Also, I quite agree about not making the lady a weak little thing that just stands there. She will be quite the firecracker I think, but I won't say anything more for fear of giving away the plot.

I have several different irons in the fire. Some of these might indeed be interesting. Classic DID, a scenerio that is almost done in the graphics and construction area. All it really needs is the climax and the node and sdf work. Based upon the classic idea of a lady in distress. It is pretty simple but has a very things in it that I like. Courage of Steel, just started this one recently. It is a game that takes place in the Dark Ages. It is created with an all fighter party in mind and will have little to no magic at all. I am leaning towards none but part of me wants to put in an old crone hidden away in a dark forest that will sell potions. This game puts the players in the shoes of a Viking style warband as they follow their Jarl's orders. Dungeon Crawl, this is just what the name says. A city is reporting strange happenings in its' sewers and is looking for a few brave souls to find out why their sewer workers are vanishing. Just started this one too. The World of Teradoth, this is an idea. It is not a scenerio as much as a world map that has quite a few interesting locations to explore and many secrets to discover. Dare you to brave the Fisherman's Maze? Unlock the secrets of Juntland Keep? Delve deeply into the wilds of the Pull'Tok lands? Or would you rather enter the Kings Court and try to influence his decisions. This is epic in size but will have no huge plot so it may or may not be an interest to anyone. Besides, I am making it more for myself than anyone else. The Portal, this one is going to be, I hope my masterpiece but I don't have a problem with sharing the idea at the moment. The idea is that there is a magical portal that will send the party to a random place each time they enter it. My hope is to create a scenerio that won't be the same twice. It will make heavy use of the Randome node and should have challenges for parties of all levels. I won't say any more than that however. Now, porbably none of these will come out in the next year, if they ever do, but I will be working on them in my off time. If anyone has any comments, thoughts, or suggestions I would be open to hearing them. Also, if there is a specific one that people want to know more about, or want me to rush production on, then just say so. I can't make any promises, but I will do what I can.

Nethergate is my favorite game from SW for several reasons. The historical background. The basis in myth as apposed to generic fantasy The very different magic system that made nearly every druid or roman caster different. The ability to discover the great history of the game. I am a big fan of finding out about people and civilizations that existed before the game itself takes place. All of the intrigue. And all of this I have gotten just from the Demo! Seriously now, I plon on ordering BoA, because I want to play it but also because it will get me a serious discount on a copy of Nethergate!

I'll take a look thank you. One further question for clarification though. When doing this am I limited to using the specials in the town where the portal is, or it \\s it like a stairway where I\the special actualy is in the town you are going to? Edit; Hmmm, now I feel obsent minded. I meant this for the BoE forum and didn't realize that I posted in the wrong place until now. Ah well.

[NOTE: This was moved from the BoE Forum] I was wondering if I might be able to get some advice reguarding the random number node. I have an idea in mind that involves a portal that the party must go through, but each time it sends them to a randomly selected location. Now, what I need to know is this. Is it possible to rig it so that this will work? If so, how many different locations can I squeeze in? I plan on running my own tests, but I thought that I might ask first since this idea may have been tried before to some extent. I'm also wondering, has anyone ever tried to give an item that the characters can take with them when they leave a scenario and then have a second scenerio that checks for that item during certain encounters? I am kicking around the idea of a short series of short adventures. However, it is my hope to prevent the party from beating a final boss or solving a final puzzle unless they have gone through all of the adventures. So, is this possible?