aka Ravenwing

It was working yesterday, but yeah, now I'm getting the 404 too.

I support the Blades Forge idea too. Heck, maybe when I'm less busy I'll even have time to play/review some scenarios. I'd be for doing it at Shadow Vale too (again, Tyran's site, Tyran's choice), but most of what we've seen there lately is spambots anyway. I hate to say it, but it might not be around much longer either.

Heck yeah. This is me being excited about the new topic title.

New… vers– wait, Nikki, it's not a new version or anything… I was just spreading my infection to SW! Unless you haven't played the final release yet. Then I support it. I mean, I'm not gonna discourage it either way, but… eh screw it. Have fun.

I eagerly await the next Song of Ice and Fire book, A Dance With Dragons. Expected to come out in 2006. Amazing. Just amazing. And worth the wait, I'm sure. But until then, maybe I'll get with the times and read the Harry Potter books.

Uhh… released a couple of months ago, for those who aren't in the know about this sort of thing. You can download it here: http://blades.ermarian.net/scenarios Adversely, if that doesn't work, you can download it here: http://www.freewebs.com/nemesis42888/scenarios.htm Available for Mac and Windows. Huzzah. (Yeah, 'ventually I'll send it in to the SW scenarios page. But just now… I'm too lazy.) (EDIT, by Ephesos: Enthusiasm, Nem! You finished a scenario!)

Quote: Originally written by Bigmouth: Also, noobs and newbs alike will not be given armies/cool swords/good dialogue. So there. Eh. The way I see it, we newbs are here to be made fun of anyway. Your scenario, Nikki. Do what you will. Anyway… I've already decided your fate for TRoR. Quote: Originally written by Spokesmage of the Dead: Nalyd doesn't mean an army of undead servants. Just a nice skeleton following him around. And he isn't quite a newb anymore. He's. . . older. . . or something. Please refer to the top half of Nioca's post above. All will become clear to you. Unless you're stupid. Then it still won't be clear. Also, ET: I ran your updated graphic through the Graphic Adjuster, and there is a lot of white noise. It's like there's an actual pattern of it in the background. You're definitely going to want to get rid of all that.

I seem to recall having this same question for Kel a while back (though I doubt he remembers). Actually, it was really more of a suggestion for the battle arena in the HLPM. I don't recall what he said about it, but I was kind of curious as to why Jeff didn't include the feature into BoA, as he used it in the prior Avernum games. Kind of a bummer, too. I could make good use of that for at least one or two of my scenario ideas.

When I have a graphic for you I'll post it at SV. Shouldn't take much effort, it's just a matter of doing it. But I'll get it to you.

You guys could always just… switch to Mac.

Quote: Originally written by Ephesos: Also, Muffin: Check out TM's newest scenario "Settlers" for a quick example of a very, very simple scenario. It includes documentation of how the scenario was created, and was designed with new designers like yourself in mind. Of course, half of TM's intent was to prove that you can do a scenario in a day. (Not recommended for your first attempt) Yes, but the other half of his intent was that anyone can make a small, simple scenario that doesn't offend people with its suckiness. This is the part to bear in mind, Muffin. And welcome to the crew. We can always use more designers.

I've tried getting my friends to play BoA, but it didn't take. I've been trying to tempt them by working on my scenario when they're around, but still no. Probably because it's sprite based. Bah. Spoiled, closed-minded…

Well, if you are having issues with, say, cheesy lines, just listen to how people talk in real life. Or you could take a look at the sorts of things other designers (including JV) are having the people say. Something I've noticed is that many NPCs have sort of a one-track mind, so to speak. That is, they generally tend to talk about one thing that's forefront on their mind. There are exceptions, but for most smalltalk situations, this may be the way to go. It all kind of depends on what your scenario's about, though. Whatever you do, just make sure you check the spelling, grammar, and sentence flow several times before the beta. *cringes from bad memories*

Don't worry, Nine Inch. It's something you get the hang of when you work with it enough. Actually finishing scenarios is where it gets tricky for some people.

Quote: Originally written by Gust of Ice: Here's my way: 1. Come up with a plot on the spot and type it in the intro. 2. Design and code bits and pieces. 3. Become really discouraged by a bug. 4. While fixing the bug, realize that I don't even know how to create a download for the scenario anyway. 5. Lay aside the scenario. 6. Find the scenario months later and trash it. Let me know if this works for you. EDIT: Crud. Didn't even realize I was reviving. Yeah, don't trash finished scenarios. Now that you're a member here, ask one of the good Spiderwebbers for help. As you can see, there are many that are quite willing to help if you have a question.

Quote: Originally written by Dahak: That should be the next thing to add to the editor. The ability to choose the size for town 0. Eh. It's not a big deal. It's just another town. You can easily make another town and just ignore t0 if you don't want any medium sized towns. There's definitely things I'd rather see fixed if JV was gonna fix stuff.

Thank you, Doctor Vogel. The lag is gone!

I've noticed that Freewebs is kind of volatile sometimes, and therefore very unreliable. I'd change to a different website, but… eh.

I noticed it. Bugs. The crap. Outta me.

That does pose a problem to my suggestion.

You guys know about ItSoD. And no, it shouldn't be taking so long, because it's probably still gonna be really short. I sometimes have to restrain myself from scrapping the whole thing in pure disappointment. Don't know when that'll be ready, because I still have to reorganize my thoughts (as well as the files) for said scenario. Then I have to deal with the stupid lag, generated by my Intel Mac. This I have little patience for, so it could well be after Jeff fixes that issue. Boo. I sure hope this little scenario is worth all the trouble it's being. Right now it doesn't look like it is.

Quote: Originally written by Kennedy: Quote: Originally written by Nemesis: Could it just be sent out to a few designers who've already bought the game, and who know what they're doing? That may work if you release some of the code to a trusted few like maybe some of the board moderators who know how to program. Certain parts of the code you still may want to keep classified. Yeah, that's pretty much what I was thinking. I'm figuring that a board moderator that knows how to program is exactly what JV would be looking for in this case.

I have an idea about the source code release for BoA. May or may not work, but I'll just put it out there. Could it just be sent out to a few designers who've already bought the game, and who know what they're doing? If that worked out, maybe they could iron out the bugs. It's most likely an arduous, unpaid, and nearly thankless process, but then again, so is third party scenario design itself.

You know, I've sometimes wondered why there are never any Vahnatai PCs. I figured that by BoA we'd probably have them available to play as characters, but it didn't turn out that way.

To veteran scenario writers: I'm curious. In what order do you recommend I write the files for my scenarios? What way would be easiest to make the story flow smoothly? The reason I ask is because my scenario seems pretty weak story-wise (among other things). It's kind of late to go changing it now, but in the future I'd like to know the best way to do it. With ItSoD, I didn't really have a method of doing it. I just kind of did stuff as I thought of it. Then stuff got added on after I'd started actually writing it, creating what I'm sure are some sizable plot holes. Anyway, thanks in advance.