BJ Back From the Beyond

Well, it took longer than I expected, as it usually does, but I've managed to put together the beta version for my 1/10 contest entry. Anyone interested in beta testing it please give me the following:

 

name (as it will appear in the credits)

operating system

email address

 

Note that I have made many large changes to the scenario since the contest. It still falls within the contest rules, though.

There are a few scenarios that have come out recently that are not listed on TrueSite for Blades. You can find them at The Blades Forge.

 

http://blades.ermarian.net/scenarios

You would have to depend on the honor of all participants to enforce the rules though. If we do a contest like that, I can't see the possibility of awarding prizes.

 

I do think we need to get more reviews though. *glances at own scenario and sadly shakes head*

Try using the START_STATE to turn them hostile instead of the cutscene's state. I did a bit of quick testing on this, and it appears to work.

Come to think of it, I'd really like to read the judges' reviews before doing any more editing, but I can't seem to find them. Have they been released yet?

You can put my entry on the contest page. Just make it clear that it's the pre-beta version. There are going to be additions to the scenario as soon as I stop being lazy and actually get it done.

Well, third isn't bad. I would definitely like to see the judges' reviews. I'm going to take some time to clean up my scenario, maybe expand the ending a bit, before going into beta.

I guess I could. If you send it before the twentieth I can play it during my trip. We're going to spend Christmas with my brother and his family down in Kansas.

 

Benjamin Earles

earlbenj@cableone.net

Windows Vista

We had one of the coldest Novembers on record. It snowed. Repeatedly. I must have shoveled our walkways three times in one week, and around here you're not likely to do that in a single month. Of course, now that winter is getting ready to start, all the snow has melted. That's Idaho for ya.

The same could be said of Democrats, or better yet politicians in general.


Yeah, in banks, which hire people to be tellers, security guards, etc., investments, like businesses that hire employees or the development of new technology, or other places, like charities! Rich people do so little with their money .

Okay, all snark aside, I am a conservative Republican and as such would like to see everyone's taxes cut, not just the rich. An increase in income spurs demand, and where there is a demand, supply is sure to follow. The supply side is where you see jobs made. As for the deficit, I think it's high time to throw out some government programs.

Republicans, as a mostly conservative party, want there to be a smaller government in general. We don't want the government to tell us what to do with our money, our lives, our businesses, or even our garbage. It's all about keeping personal liberties.

That's a lot more than I can do. Every time I try to make graphics for BoA they always turn out horribly.

Those are really awesome graphics . Did you draw that yourself?

I may participate. I'll need to put together an appropriate character. The one I have already is dependent on the setting being Mote.

I've never played E2/A2 (except the demo), so is prior knowledge of the setting going to be needed much?

Story:

APF's story is very good. The plot is captivating and believable, and I like the way it unfolds and the amount of detail in it. The main characters are well written, and there are a number of minor characters that greatly add to the details of the story. The ending is somewhat unsatisfying. I would like to know what happened to the spirit at the end, not to mention how to destroy it.

 

Combat:

I've played this scenario with a new party before. I wouldn't recommend it. The combat can be difficult, but not to difficult for a level 5 party. Most of the combat is average, but there are a few interesting fights.

The final fight can be difficult. I found myself dieing in the latter parts of it, before the laser puzzle, mostly due to the enemy's hasting ability combined with a strong physical attack.

 

Design:

Nowhere did I find a place to purchase lockpicks or first-aid kits. I ended up stealing a set of lockpicks in the first major town to open a few doors.

I noticed that gold was rather scarce. This isn't really a bad thing, it just meant I had to be more careful with how I spent it. I could have used some more, as there were a lot of things I really wanted to buy but didn't have any gold left over. Of course, that's partly my fault. I really wanted that ruby.

I enjoyed the final dungeon. Normally I don't like seeing charming effects in low level scenarios, but in this case I didn't mind to much as I was able to wait outside of combat until it wore off. Also, the laser puzzle was fun, if a little difficult to navigate.

 

Scripting:

I was very impressed by the scripting for the spirit in the final dungeon. That was a very cool effect. Also, the cut-scenes were good. The dialog went a little fast, but the simulated battles were fun to watch. Well done overall.

 

The final score for A Perfect Forest is [rating]Good[/rating]. I would recommend this scenario for all players. If you aren't good at combat, enter at the higher end of the level range.

Story:

Overall the story was just average. I feel like there needed to be more details about the main characters, particularly the witch and her father. They just seem like weak characters the way they are now. The rest of the story was bland, your typical "We have a bandit problem" type of story, although I liked some of the details about the setting. Some more foreshadowing would have been nice too.

 

Combat:

There is a lesson that every designer needs to learn about low level scenarios: charming is a no-no! The final fight was way, way to hard because of this. Low level parties in general do not have access to Radiant Shield or Unshackle Mind. Having my blessed, shielded, and hastened fighter turn on me is a painful way to die.

The rest of the combat was average.

Also, the poison arrows are overpowered.

 

Design:

I really, really hate it when a scenario takes away my stuff and then doesn't give it back!! I went into this scenario right after Adrift. I want my captain's sword back!

The rest of the scenario was functional, and the design of the starting town was good.

 

Scripting:

I didn't encounter any bugs, which is good, but I also didn't see anything worthy of note.

 

The final score for Witch Hunt is [rating]Substandard[/rating]. Do not play this scenario if you feel attached to your gear as you will lose it all. If you really want to play it, enter with a new party so you don't loose anything valuable.

Story:

Adrift's story is simple, but still fun. There aren't that many details about the ship, aside from what you learn from the helmsman. There could have been more clues hinting to what the ship used to be or who the crew were before becoming a drifting nightmare.

 

Combat:

Adrift's level range starts at 1. I went into it with a party fresh out of the creation screen. In hindsight, that was a mistake. The combat is very difficult for a new party. I found myself dieing several times during several different fights. In my opinion, the enemies hit a little to hard, even at the beginning of the scenario, and this problem was persistent all the way to the end.

Still, some of the combat was fun. The skeleton gauntlet was an interesting fight. It took me a few tries to figure out a way through it, but it was still enjoyable and was very rewarding when I made it through.

Then there was the final fight, which I found much easier than the rest of the combat. I think, if the other fights in the scenario were easier, then I would say this fight would need to be harder. As it is, I was sick of hard combat when I reached this point, and was somewhat relieved that the fight went quickly. Still, it was anticlimactic.

 

Design:

The layout and feeling of the ship was very well done. I liked a number of the terrain tricks used, especially the hanging skeletons.

Because of the difficult combat, I really felt that the scenario needed more healing resources. A few more healing and energy potions would have been much appreciated. Also, I found no lockpicks or first-aid kits.

 

Scripting:

There were some very neat tricks in this scenario. Particularly of note were the skeleton gauntlet and the invisible ghosts in the ship's hold. I really like the trick with the latter of the two because it's an interesting way of getting around some of the problems produced by fighting invisible creatures. I like this particularly in a scenario for low level parties.

Also, I didn't encounter any bugs, which is something I always appreciate.

 

The final score for Adrift is [rating]Average[/rating]. Overall it's a fun scenario and is certainly worth playing. If you don't want an uphill battle the whole way, enter with a party that has finished another scenario, at the least.

I second that.

What Dintiradan said.

 

I for one assumed that after the deadline had passed that no more submissions would be accepted, and in all honesty, that assumption is not any kind of stretch in anyone's imagination. I have not worked on my scenario at all since the deadline, partly because I knew it wouldn't make a difference in the contest (the other part is that I simply didn't feel like it). Others have gone through several rounds of beta testing. Pushing the deadline back farther would, in my opinion, give them an unfair advantage.

Good grief, that would mean that I need to get cracking on that thing again. I find it a bit unfair really. I spent a lot of time and energy to get my scenario ready by the deadline. Now your telling me everyone has till the end of this month? What does Tridash have to say about this?

There is a call that checks if there is an item of a certain class on a space. You would need to give each of the items their own special classes and then check to make sure those items are still where they belong every turn. It would be a bit clunky, but wouldn't get in the way of PCs and NPCs. I've never actually done this before, but it should work in theory.

I have a few large scenarios planed. The one currently in the development stage is about 9 outdoor sections and 15 towns. It's gonna take a while...

 

On top of that I have two other large scenarios planned. I've started writing the plot for one that will be using the snow template, and I've got some good ideas for the one who's acronym, ironically, is RatS.

My university has somewhere around 12 'general education requirements' that have to be met to graduate. These include things like math, science, English, history, art, philosophy, and a bunch of other useless stuff the administrators think we need.

 

Math 360: Differential Equations

Physics 301: Modern Physics

Physics 313: Intermediate Laboratory

Accounting 201: Fundamentals of Accounting

 

I'm going to be doing soooooo much math this semester...

That's not the diary. There is an item in that room called "Diary" that you have to pick up and use. It's pretty simple after that.

You did find the diary in the Crystal Caves right? If so, you did remember to read it, right?

Yeah, set_sdf is the call you want. set_flag does the same thing. Which you use is just a matter of taste.

Also, you can use the call inc_flag(x,y,z) to change the value, but this time you will be adding to the value the flag has already. x and y are the coordinates of the flag, and z is the amount you want to change the value by, which can also be negative. Note however that SDFs cannot have a negative value.