Playing Dragon Age

November 16, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

Well, needless to say, it's been awhile since my last post. Mostly I've been playing the official Dragon Age campaign with my surprisingly limited free time, getting ideas for what I want to do. I'm loving the game itself, and thought they did some pretty amazing things with cutscenes and I'm generally enjoying the story and personalities of the characters.

I'm still trying to figure out which systems I want to bring into my campaign. I'm still pondering items like gifts and friendship bars. There won't be an overland map for the first module, but perhaps later on.

My main issue continues to be lack of time, which I suppose could change any time.

Testing Dialog

November 05, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

I continue to work on the beginning of the module, trying to set the mood and humor of the place. Today it was writing dialog and seeing how recorded dialog could be properly attached to the game. So far, it's working relatively well.

NDA Lifted, All Systems Go

November 04, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

The Non-Disclosure Agreement has been lifted and I can talk freely now. After over a year of silence, I just want to say how impressed I've been with Bioware. At our first toolset conference, they listened carefully to all our thoughts and concerns. Now that the game is released, I can say that all our major issues have been addressed. While the toolset is challenging to work with at times, it's an amazing platform that should let me build some wonderful modules. I have a long road ahead of me. I'm starting fresh with the story, dialog, scripting, and have much to learn about the toolset. That being said, I have faith that I can put something together that entertains and enlightens. Since we can now share everything, I thought I'd show off the intro cutscene to Dreamer.

Once More Into the Breach

November 01, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

Just to clear up some of the mystery of my last post, I'm in the process of getting divorced. Not having foreseen this particular life event, I was pretty incoherent for a few weeks. Strangely I seem to have adjusted and am working hard towards making my new life. My wife and I are relatively amicable, avoiding lawyers and generally agreeing on finances and child custody, so we're hoping for a relatively good divorce.

In terms of module making, I completely lost interest for awhile. In the last week, I've reinstalled the Dragon Age toolset and have cheerfully started writing dialog and making areas. It's a pleasant distraction during this transition and my son likes to help me work. The story is largely changed, but not entirely bleak. I'm hoping for moments of humor and hijinx as the player wanders through Nightmare.

I'm still not sure how much time I'll have to spend on module making. My current thinking is that I focus on story, dialog, and avoid some of the more time-consuming scripting systems I've done in the past. I'd love to do another card game, but we'll see what I can manage in the months ahead.

It feels good to be back and I appreciated everyone's notes and e-mails of support. They helped carry me though a hard time and I deeply thank you all.

Personal Problems

August 31, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

I just wanted to give a quick update, as I haven't given one in a long while.

Dark Waters is out and seems to have been well received. Three years of work finally done.

Unfortunately my personal life has taken a massive turn for the worse. I've lost all interest in anything except make sure my kids and I are happy and well. I'll be on hiatus, who knows for how long. Some of my plans may come to fruition. For now, I need to step back and take care of my personal life.

Many thanks to all the fans out there. I hope I've been able to spread happiness to people in times of trouble, or given a pleasant distraction for a few hours.

Back But Not Caught Up

August 14, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

I returned from my UK adventures last weekend, but have barely had a chance to breathe until recently. My apologies to everyone who e-mailed me while I was gone. I'm trying hard to work through my InBox, but have yet to tame that beast.

The Dark Waters release seems to have gone relatively well. I had a number of bug reports that I'm still gathering and sorting through. Otherwise people seem to enjoy the variety in gameplay and endings.

I'm torn between working on cleaning up Dark Water issues and digging into my Dragon Age module. It calls to me with a siren's song, promising wonders beyond that of mortal reckoning. Well, maybe not quite that much, but I just got a new build of the toolset and can't wait to fiddle with the latest features.

Dark Waters Album Released

July 24, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

Rob and Eshinee Veith just released the full Dark Waters album, complete with new songs that never made it into the game. You can find it here. I'd like to thank Rob for all his help over the years. Eshinee did a wonderful job playing Heather, and Rob spent many hours chopping up dialog and getting the music ready for the game.

I leave for England tomorrow, which should be a wonderful adventure for my son and I. Hopefully all the castles, Roman ruins, and jousting tournaments will inspire me. I'm bringing along a notebook in case I get an urge to write dialog for Dreamer.

I continue to get bug reports and am dutifully keeping track of them all. After I return, I'll try and go through the list and come up with a patch for the game.

Every End is a Beginning

July 20, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

Though Dark Waters is finally considered done and released, the bug reports have already started to trickle in. So far, most of them are familiar. Sometimes modules get corrupted for no particular reason. Occasionally there are issues with Robert not appearing in DW1 in the right place. Fortunately there are workarounds for both.

I'm starting a list of other bugs, and hopefully will get some time to investigate further. The timing of release is a little crazy, as I'm leaving the country for England this Saturday. Maybe I can find some time after my return.

Like with all endings, it also marks the migration of my hobby time to Dragon Age. I'm still under NDA and can't talk about the toolset itself, but I can talk about some of my activities around it.

The plot for Dreamer continues to come together and I spent some time this weekend writing dialog. As usual, I'm shooting for a mix of funny and clever, though I don't always succeed with either. I'm also starting to hear the characters' accents when I write the lines, which hopefully isn't a sign I'm becoming imbalanced.

When I'm off on my trip to England, hopefully I can draw inspiration from the place. I'll certainly have long plane rides to get some writing done.

Finally Live

July 16, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

And it looks like we're finally live on the Vault. You can read a short interview as well. Here's the fancy YouTube preview, just for fun.

Posting Soon

July 13, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

The game should be posted in the next day or two. I'm busy doing all the last minute details. I feel strangely calm, though I know things always get a little crazy after release.

I've started more serious work on my Dragon Age project. Way too much scripting, yet again. When will I ever learn?

All Systems Go

July 09, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

Just to be sure, I tested both the Isle of Insanity and Drake's voiced lines myself this morning. They both seem good enough, so I think we're ready to go.

I still have a few gripes with the Isle of Insanity. The GUI doesn't close, which is minor. On a more major note, you can't lose any more. It looks like in the last NWN2 patch, the OnDamaged event stopped firing when a creature is killed. Because of this, the sanity you're supposed to be defending can never actually die, the attackers will just keep coming until you kill them all, and you don't have to restart from the beginning.

While this wasn't my intended version, it's still fun and more importantly, it works. I'm fine sticking with it for now.

At this point, I think I'm waiting to hear from the Vault admin with a list of questions. I have a preview video ready to upload, and I think we're in the final days before release.

Fallback Plan and RC2

July 08, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

I continued to fiddle with the Isle of Insanity code and decided I had messed things up so badly that it was time to revert to a previously working version. It didn't seem worthwhile to continue to try and fix all the secondary problems I created when originally trying to fix something that was mostly cosmetic.

Here's the new release candidate:
Dark Waters - Full (567 MB)

The two changes are going back to a previous version of the Isle of Insanity module and new Drake dialog. This means the GUI can't be closed until you leave the island, which is vaguely annoying. Also, most of Drake's lines for the Vault should be voiced now.

If someone has some free time, it would be wonderful if they could use the game options item to teleport to the Isle of Insanity and the Vault to make sure they seem to work okay. It's unlikely I broke anything with the dialog, but stranger things have happened.

Below are the alternative downloads. I'm currently uploading the Mac version and I'll post it once it's ready.

Dark Waters - Lite (227 MB)

Mac version (600 MB)

Worst Fears Realized, Hopefully Fixed

July 07, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

My worst fear at this point in the development cycle is that I put in a simple fix which ends up horribly breaking things. Sure enough, I got a report from Todd that the Isle of Insanity was horribly broken. It turns out that my simple fix to allow the GUI to properly close ended up causing a subtle error where a repeating function was called over and over until it eventually caused the game to crash.

I furiously tried to fix it last night, and have a new build that theoretically fixes the issue. I still want to do some testing tonight to prove to myself that it really works.

I also got the last of Drake's dialog, so I'll be working on getting that into the game. I also have a response from the Vault folks that I need to respond to. Things are picking up again, hopefully a sign that the end is finally here.

Slowly Wrapping Things Up

July 06, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I sent out an e-mail to the folks at Neverwinter Vault, which I think means I've passed the point of no return. I'm still nervous and I've had a few more bug reports. I think most of the remaining ones fall into the "NWN2 doing weird things for unexplained reasons" category. Hopefully the issues won't be too widespread.

I continue to experiment with Dragon Age custom content, playing around with different looks. I love the free-form "playing" part of game design. It's way more fun that grinding through bug fixing.

Back to the Real World

July 02, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

This week has been insanely busy at work and home, leaving me only a few brief moments to collapse asleep and start again the next day. I think things are improving, fortunately.

This morning I was up at 4:30 and managed to process and attach a bunch of new lines Derek sent my way. As usual, his work is amazingly cool and I couldn't resist posting a few short clips. Hopefully they're not too spoilery.

I did get a note about show-stopping bugs, but I think it may be one that's out of my control. For some reason, some people get stuck at the "loading area" screen, which is very frustring.

In any case, I need to putter around some more and send an e-mail to the Vault folks. Hopefully I can get the last of Drake's lines recorded and send it in.

Release Candidate 1

June 29, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I'm back from vacation and unless I hear anything horrible about the last build, I think I'm good to go. I haven't gone through all my e-mails, but the plan is to do that today. In the meantime, here's a list of the different versions I put together over the weekend:

Full Install (563 MB)

Lite Install (227 MB)

Manual install package (600 MB)

The full install is exactly the same as the last build. The Lite Install has the sound, music, and load screens removed. The manual install package is for Macs and anyone else who wants to copy files to the right place themselves. The latter option isn't very well supported, as I don't have a Mac, but I think it generally works.

I'll try to get things released on the Vault relatively soon. I have a preview video floating around somewhere.

As for Dragon Age, I did a bit of writing and art tests over this last week. I'm still fiddling around with the creative side, so we'll see what happens.

One Last Build Before I Go

June 19, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I'm off on a short vacation for the next week, but here's the latest build:

Dark Waters (full)

And as before, here are the bug notes

I think this build may be relatively good for release. I think all of the very serious bugs are taken care of (minus the weird High Seas ones). People are generally able to finish the module. I'll probably let people fiddle with this release for the next week. If I don't hear anything critical, I'll start the release process.

On an unrelated note, I'm eager to finish up Dark Waters so I can get started on my Dragon Age module. If I get inspired, I might try some more writing and planning during my long car ride.

My Trusty Crate Posse

June 18, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I did some more testing this morning, validating that most of my fixes actually worked. My biggest fear at this point is that I'll make a small fix and end up breaking something badly.

I was using debug mode like a maniac, bouncing between modules and acts. I ended up at the beginning of the game with a large group of crates in my party. It wasn't really a bug, as normally it would never happen, but it was an amusing little side effect of my testing.

I'm going to work on packaging and getting out a new build before I head off for vacation for a week.

Brains

June 17, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

Good progress yesterday and this morning. I think I have all the bugs either fixed or listed as requiring some more testing.

I spent a fair amount of time with the Sanity Defense mini-game. Something must have changed in one of the patches, as when a creature is killed, their ondamaged event doesn't fire any more. While you could still beat the mini-game with this issue, it did make it more challenging. I think I have most of the issues worked out, but want to do some more testing.

Hopefully over the next couple days I can put together a good build that I can declare a "release candidate" or something similarly lofty. I'm off with limited Internet access next week, so I'll probably wait until afterwards before I think about releasing anything.

Another Day, Another Bug Fix

June 16, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I can tell I'm suffering from QA fatigue, a rarely discussed medical condition that mod developers sometimes suffer. I think I'm in the second or third month of bug fixing and occasionally my enthusiasm wanes.

Still, I've decided to dig into the latest round of issues that were reported over the weekend. Some were weird, such as a treasure digging script that used to work, but stopped working for some reason. I added a delay to the script and it started working. Maybe something changed in the latest NWN2 patch?

There are a few other quirky things like that. My hope is that I can get a new Friday build together. When I go on my vacation next week, I can haul along my computer and work on any issues that pop up. Maybe when I return, I can finally make it live?

Hope springs eternal.

Another Friday Build

June 12, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

Here's the latest build:
Dark Waters (full)

There really aren't any significant differences in this one and Wednesday's build, except the epilogue has some fixes.

I did get some new bugs reported today, so I need to review them to see what I've already fixed and what I should look into. The list keeps getting smaller.

Tweaking the Epilogue

June 11, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I fiddled some more last night and I think I got the epilogue working properly. There were cases when certain lines in the dialog would be skipped due to quirky links between the lines. I think it's all ironed out now.

I haven't heard of any more issues, so I'll probably make a new build for tomorrow morning and see how it goes. Who knows? Maybe after this weekend, it'll be good enough to release.

From the Bowels of the Earth, a New Build

June 10, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I'm rushing out a new build that should hopefully fix the more serious problems. The worst was a door that didn't unlock properly in some circumstances. I think that's working now, but I haven't had a chance to test it thoroughly.

Dark Waters (full)

As always, here are the bug notes.

I think I'm getting pretty close to done, but there are still a few issues I want to iron out before release. In some cases, not all the epilogue options show up and I want to figure out why. If I was really brave, I'd try to tackle some of the issues with the High Seas system, but that particular one may just end up being an albatross around my neck.

Good Progress Yesterday

June 09, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I made some good progress yesterday, hopefully getting in fixes for the more serious set of bugs.

As more people play through that game, they've been pointing out not just bugs, but missing things. There was a rather large dialog branch that had voiceover, but never could display. In another case, it wasn't possible to say something important in order to break/fulfill a vow, so I quickly wrote the dialog to make that possible.

I'm feeling increasingly good about the state of things, adding more "just in case" scripts to handle odd possibilities. The one thing that never quite worked right remains the High Seas combat and trading. Occasionally it will behave strangely for no particular reason. Still, most everything else is fun and well behaved. More and more people are successfully finishing the game, which gives me hope.

I'm going to see if I can polish things up and get a new build out tomorrow.

Not Quite Done Yet

June 08, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

Well, the brave men and women who plowed through the module over the weekend found a few more bugs. As such, I'm back at the grindstone to see if I can fix them and whip out a new build.

The QA phase of a project never seems to end.

A Boy and His Pig

June 05, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I did a bunch of testing last night, using a new character in order to test out an issue with animal companions running around on the open ocean. I think this one is sorted out, though I think I would have liked watching a giant pig roam the seas.

As for the big news, I have another build ready to go:

Dark Waters (full - 580 MB).

Here are the bug notes.

I'm waffling as to whether or not this is the final version. You should be able to play all the way through and have a fairly fun and clean experience. There are still some known bugs and the High Seas system still has strange, erratic problems. Most of the issues that remain are either minor or difficult to reproduce/fix.

I spent some time this morning trying to work around a weird issue where if your entire party dies at once, Death arrives, but a "you've been defeated" GUI panel has already popped up. You can use the number keys to navigate Death's dialog, but the GUI panel stays around. What's really weird is that I don't call the death GUI, so it seems like it's built in to the latest patch.

In any case, I think I'm going to let people tinker with it over the weekend. If no new huge errors are found, it may just be time to post it to the Vault and call it good.

More Fixed, One Broken

June 04, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

Yet more progress, working away at some of the smaller issues. I ended up double-checking some of my work on the Isle of Flesh. Even though I've played through it dozens of times, it still creeps me out.

I think I managed to break the High Seas module, or at least it wasn't opening in the toolset for me. I may have to backtrack to the previous version and try to figure out what went wrong. Still, if I can fix that and test some of my other fixes, hopefully I can put together a new build for tomorrow.

Nearly Ready for a New Build

June 03, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

More good progress yesterday and today. I think I have the most serious bugs squished and I'm getting down to the "nice to fix" ones.

One of the ones I was happy to fix was the "card fanatic" in the Black Spot. Every time you talked to him, the game crashed. The problem was with the sound files, which I finally figured out and fixed. Now you can hear my son being a whiny little kid, which he fortunately doesn't do that often in real life.

I also have to give a lot of kudos to PJJ, whose spelling is far better than mine despite English being a second language. The number of typos people have been reporting is remarkably low.

Hopefully I can do a little more testing and polishing, then get another build out the door.

Back to the Grindstone

June 02, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I admittedly took a couple days away from my computer to do some house projects, but now I'm back. Hopefully this is the week to clean up the remaining annoying issues and get things ready for a real release.

I'm going to hunker down, read through all the e-mails, make a list of bugs, and try to fix them all. It's one of the stranger phases of mod making, one where I'm not really making anything, just trying to fix those odd issues I missed when making it in the first place. Hopefully it will be over soon.

Happy Build Friday

May 29, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

Okay, here's the new build:
Dark Waters (full - 565 MB)

I've also included a bunch of bug notes, listing the things I've (hopefully) fixed and the things that are still pending.

The good news is that the list of issues continues to dwindle. I think I'm down to the more mysterious ones or the ones that are hard to fix. If I really screw up my courage this weekend, I'll try and tackle some of the High Seas bugs, which are many and difficult to reproduce. There are also a few bugs that fall into the "not my fault" category, such as the crash and reboot ones that seem to be tied to the most recent NWN2 patch.

I managed to test some of my fixes, though there's always the risk that my fixes ended up making things worse (sadly a common occurrence).

I put together a build for the German gaming magazine, minus the Lute Hero songs. I'll see if I can send that off to them soon.

All-in-all, it feels pretty awesome to be in the final stretch of this project. I couldn't have done it without all the help people have given over the years, for which I am truly grateful.

Gearing Up For a New Build

May 28, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I've been slowly fixing bugs and looking into assorted issues. So far the issues are either relatively minor or so completely crazy that I don't know where to start. My favorite weird bug was that in a certain area for a certain play through, Melody ended up with the sky looking like graphical garbage. The picture was quite amusing, though I could never recreate the problem.

Hopefully tomorrow or the next day I can get a new build into everyone's hands.

I think I sorted out the issue with the German gaming magazine. I think they'll get a special build without any of the Lute Hero music. Such is the joy of copyright issues.

Pushing Back the Deluge

May 27, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

The bug reports continue to pour in. It's overwhelming, but I'm thankful for all the reports. I've yet to actually read all the e-mails that came in over the last few days.

Work and life is feeling very full, but I've managed a few bug fixes. A few are still quite serious, but their number is hopefully dwindling.

Back in Business

May 24, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I picked by the offending piece of hardware at the office and put a new build together. The most horrific of the bugs should be fixed, which means that this latest version might be to the point where it's fun to play through. You can grab it here:

Dark Waters (full install - 586 MB)

I put together a list of bug notes, documenting all the things that I've fixed and other things that I couldn't reproduce or have yet to get to. There are one or two things still on that list that worry me, such as a crash when transitioning and the infamous "Heather gets 1,000+ skill points" bug.

My goal for the week will be to work through my pending list, as well as any new bugs that might come in. As it stands, I feel pretty good about the state of the campaign and it's nice to finally get towards the end of this three-year project.

I'm an Idiot

May 23, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I've left the power supply to my portable hard drive at work. Unfortunately it means that while I can touch the drive that contains handy things like my build script, I can't actually get to the files.

For the moment, I'm going to work on polishing up the module and cursing my rush to head home.

I may just have to drive in to work so I can pick it up and make a new build.

Sigh.

Nearly Ready

May 22, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I continue to be deluged with bug notes. It seems that people are generally able to finish the game, but there are enough issues that a few more build cycles are needed before release. On that note, I was up at four-something o'clock this morning, grinding through the issues. Even if I don't finish with everything, I'll put together a build and post it tonight.

I'm working with a German gaming magazine to get the campaign published. The Lute Hero game is a bit sticky, as the copyright issues around the songs are a little nebulous. I tried to be careful and use "okay" songs from Keyboards on Fire. Still, I'm not a lawyer and magazine companies have to be careful. In any case, I sent them off some high resolution screenshots and we'll see how that goes.

Working the Problem

May 21, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I dug in to the list of bugs and I'm hoping to have a new build this weekend with the worst of them sorted out.

The most cryptic is the "Heather gets 1,000+ skill points on level up" bug. I haven't been able to replicate it and for the life of me can't figure out what would normally cause it. There was also a crash bug in the sub area mentioned, which I don't understand. I've had more random crashes with the latest NWN2 patch, typically tied to visual effects.

In any case, I'm trying hard to beg, borrow, and steal time to work on things. Endless thanks to everyone for taking the time to test things out.

The Bugs Pour In

May 20, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

The bugs are starting to pour in, both in the comments and in e-mail. A few of them are very mysterious, including the "Heather gets 1000+ experience when leveling up" bug. I don't think the "irolltwenties" is the cause of it any more, but I'm currently at a loss as to why some people would have the problem.

There are a bunch of typical problems, from scripting issues to typos. The really good news is that some people are able to finish the game. Still, there are a few cases where people can get stuck and a bit more polish is definately needed.

Every time I do a big release, I get a little tense, some odd version of stage fright. I'm trying hard to focus on working the problem and getting things to a state for general release.

Cry for Help

May 19, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I got e-mail from a couple brave souls who volunteered to test things out over the weekend, as well as a few people in the comments. Two of them quickly ran into strange problems, though fortunately I don't think they're due to problems in the module.

In one case, I think it was due to the "irolltwenties" cheat resulting in thousands of skill points for Heather when leveling her up. In another, I think continuing from a previous save caused weird behavior and crashes. Unfortunately save games seem to hold on to old campaign scripts, which can cause bizarre behavior and crashes.

I also had one person (Hild), who managed to finish the module, which was very exciting. They reported a couple issues, which I want to look into in more detail.

I thought I'd put out the call to others, hoping to swell the ranks of these brave men and women. It would be great if a few others could join in the testing.

I still want to putter around with the epilogue some more myself. There are so many variations that it's challenging to test them all. I think there are some character-specific mentions that are dropped under certain circumstances.

Still, it's very exciting to get things out there and at least get one person to finish.

Beta Test

May 15, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I managed to get Chris' new sound clips in the game. As usual, his outtakes were loads of fun.

And now for the big moment.

Here's the link to the current build: Dark Waters (full Windows install - 566 MB). Note that this is really a beta. I think you can finish the game, but there are likely a number of issues and problems that you'll run into along the way. Only try it out if you're one of those brave, kindly souls who likes to punish themselves for the greater good.

There are some semi-known issues with this build, such as random problems with the High Seas game and some issues I need to research with the epilogue and some dialog that flashes by too fast on occasion. I'm hoping the big issues are fixed, though.

In terms of playing the beta, here are the instructions:

• Export your character if you haven't already.
• Uninstall your current Dark Waters
• Install this full version
• Start a new campaign with your exported character
• In the first dialog, choose to jump to DW3

Voice Recording, Magazines, and Beta Testing

May 14, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I think I worked through the majority of PJJ's bugs last night, getting the final part of the module a bit more polished. Chris Serani just sent me more of Daniel's lines, so I'll be working on getting that integrated into the game today. It's been wonderful working with him and the other voice actors. They really bring the game to life.

I also got an offer from a German gaming magazine to put the game on a DVD. I'll probably need to gather up some high resolution screenshots to send their way. Since the full installer will clock in at a little under 600 MB in size, that might end up being a preferred way of distribution for some folks.

Finally, the beta test is coming very soon. I'm going to see if I can get comments working on the site today. Hopefully tonight I can put together a new build and get it posted for the world to see.

Just a Wee Bit More

May 13, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I was busy slaving away last night and this morning, trying to fix the last of the bugs. The typos were easy, and the extra dialog and voice recording is pretty done. Now I'm left with the cryptic bugs and things I've yet to be able to reproduce.

Hopefully over the next few days I can deal with these final issues and get things ready for public testing.

Just About Ready

May 11, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

For the first time, PJJ got to the end of the game.

He did find some bugs along the way, though, and I'd like to try and address them before throwing the gates wide for all to download.

Over the weekend I threw together a preview video. Nearly every promo requires a video or screenshots or something.

Not much longer.

Lookin' Good

May 07, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I did a bunch of testing and fixing yesterday, taking care of the most serious of problems that were discovered. I think things are looking pretty good so far. I might try a little more testing and tweaking tonight, assuming I have the time, but I think I'm ready for the hopefully last weekend of alpha testing before we go to beta.

Slowly Getting There

May 06, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I sunk in some more testing time last night, resolving a couple more issues that were bugging me. One involved a conversation that was cut short, with the fix being to remove the "on abort" script for the dialog. The other was a misbehaving NPC that joined the party. It turns out that if I added him to the party and waited a half a second before starting a dialog, everything worked great.

Hopefully I can manage more testing tonight and get a new and beta-worthy build out the door this weekend.

Climbing Towards the Summit

May 05, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I spent some time testing this morning, squashing the most serious of the bugs. I tried to get my children to playtest the module for me, but they instead wanted to play the Plants versus Zombies demo. Ah, kids these days.

I think I'm down to non-critical but annoying bugs. I still have one really mysterious one that's easy to work around. Basically an NPC joins and then just stands there until you tell him to follow you. No other NPC behaves the same way, so I'm a little mystified.

In any case, I'm hoping I can get things a little more polished by the end of the week and then humbly submit the latest build to PJJ's critical eye.

I'm Crazy

May 04, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I worked hard over the weekend on PJJ's latest list. Most of the issues were "nice to haves", with the exception of the one impossible fight. I still have some typos to fix and other little details, but as I was testing the ending of the game, I got to a certain point and stopped.

A certain event, which was supposed to be big and epic and jaw-dropping, ended up being rather dull and silly looking. Something had to be done.

So, I spent much of Saturday and Sunday making a new GUI, writing AI, and coming up with a proper epic ending. It's fun and a little silly, more a visual treat than something particularly challenging. I tried really hard to avoid the "super hard ending you'll never beat" syndrome.

Anyway, I'll stop talking about it, fix the last of the bugs, double-check some things tonight, and get a new build out the door.

And So It Ends

May 04, 2009 by Adam in NWN1

My son and I finished our adventures over the weekend, ending the long trek through all my old Neverwinter Nights modules. I enjoyed the father-son bonding and it was a treat to have an excuse to play through my old work.

Demon was a tricky beast, and I remember how unsatisfying the ending was until I rewrote it and added on. Grand finales are tricky to pull off, giving the player something memorable and interesting, but not too hard. I spent much of the weekend reworking part of Dark Water's ending, so it was a timely lesson.

It does seem a little sad that it's over, though maybe my daughter will want to play them in a few more years.

Once More Into the Breach

May 02, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

Once again, PJJ has proved he has the patience of a saint. The final combat area of the game was pretty badly broken, with the start point moved to a weird debug area and an impossible fight right around the corner.

The impossible fight has since been fixed, hopefully adjusted to the right level of difficulty. I also uncovered another issue involving loading a save game from this area. It turns out that if you reload, your non-PC controlled character jumps to where the player is, which breaks everything. Fortunately I have a script for this, as I had a similar problem in DW1 for the war area.

Hopefully I can fix these and the other issues PJJ reported. I keep thinking we're very close, and maybe I'm actually right this time.

Finally, I'd just like to say that I love Firefox. NWN2 has a nasty habit of causing a blue screen of death when I'm switching between windows, causing a reboot. Fortunately Firefox saved this post and I only lost half a sentence.

Sigh

May 01, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

Well, PJJ has reported more bugs, including some show-stopping ones. He's so close to the end that I can practically taste it, but I've got some more work before you can actually complete the module.

As usual, there are a bunch of typos and weird issues I need to work through as well.

Not much further.

To Infinity and Beyond!

May 01, 2009 by Adam in NWN1

My NWN1 adventures continue, exploring the planes of existence with my son. I had forgotten about some of the places I made, such as the Elemental Plane of Air and the Elemental Plane of Fire. Both were highly entertaining and a nice mix of combat and puzzles.

We've also continued the main quest, going through a couple extremely tough fights along the way. Being able to repeatedly die was almost a requirement in a couple places. We've also worked around some issues with multiple players. In order for me to get my experience back, I had to go into his spirit gem, grab the soul prison, and talk to the workshop guy myself.

It's strange being so incredibly powerful after spending most of the game at second level. There are a few more things we can do in town, and then it's off to the grand finale of the game.

Another Day, Another Build

April 29, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I packaged up the latest build and sent it off to PJJ. I'm also trying to get a comments system together for this site in order to help with the beta testing. It's fairly informal, but hopefully it'll do the trick.

Sweet Vengeance

April 29, 2009 by Adam in NWN1

My adventures in Demon continue. Like before, it's been quite instructive to go back and play through my old modules. There are a lot of lessons learned buried in there.

First off, I ran into some bugs, a few that were serious. Sam became invulnerable after a cutscene, but fortunately returned to normal the next session. He also got stuck in the walkmesh of his spirit gem, but I was able to push him to freedom with a possessed familiar. Finally, a couple cutscenes didn't work with two players, so I ended up staying out of it. All of these could probably be fixed with more testing and effort, but it does point to the challenges of debugging something that is both multiplayer and large. With Dragon Age, I'm hoping that smaller, single-player games are easier to polish.

The other big thing I noticed was the sense of despair at the beginning of the module. I was once again very weak and all my equipment was taken away. This is a very frustrating place to put players in, and should be done carefully. What's interesting, though, is once I started gaining levels and getting my equipment back, there was a huge rush of excitement. I felt far more powerful than if I had simply remained a high level throughout.

Finally, the card game continues to be one of my bigger successes. Sam spent big chunks of our time playing the card game and earning jink. When I was broke and wanting every piece of gold, I got horribly excited when I'd win against the little girl.

We've started in on the main plot in Demon and will likely wrap things up in a week or so. It makes me a little sad to come to the end of an era.

Home Stretch

April 28, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I woke up early and looked at the crash bug that PJJ was reporting. It was weird and frustrating and I kept trying different things to no avail. At the end of a key dialog, the game would crash.

I finally went back and rebaked a couple of the key areas and miraculously it started working again. It seems that the game didn't like me moving an NPC to a place they couldn't be. Anyway, it seems to be working again and I ran through the scene twice just to make sure.

There were some other bug fixes and improvements along the way. The areas now have music and I added some voice over to a dialog I had previously missed.

Not much further, almost there.

Flight Delays

April 27, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I should just expect problems at this point. PJJ ran across a show-stopper over the weekend, so I'll be back to testing the grand finale tonight. I swear that it was working great at one point, but perhaps it was just my imagination.

On the plus side, Chris popped in with an offer to record any missing voices. Of course I wrote a few more dialogs after he did his recordings, but I felt a little guilty about asking for yet more after all his hard work. Fortunately he asked, so I cheerfully sent him several dozen more lines.

Demon

April 26, 2009 by Adam in NWN1

My son and I continued our co-op adventures in the last of my NWN1 modules. We hit a couple significant bugs, both due to cutscenes, but managed to work around them. Multiplayer testing was always a challenge for me, and was one reason I ended up with Dark Waters being single player. Sam and I have been having so much fun, though, that it makes me wish Dragon Age were multiplayer. Though few people play co-op games, they completely change the style and enjoyment of a game.

It's also fun seeing the game through someone else's eyes, as Sam was about four years old when I made the module. The first time he saw the main city with the Sigil tileset, he oohed and aahed and just wanted to look around.

We haven't gotten far with the main quest, but we've been enjoying ourself with Gate Diving and the card game. Demon Cards sucked up nearly all our play time today and he's done really well while I kept getting defeated by the little girl.

Since the plan is to have a card game in my Dragon Age module, it's a good sign that it's still so fun to play.

The End of a Voyage

April 24, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

It seems like we're approaching the end of the Dark Waters project. I'm hopeful this weekend is the last of the alpha tests. The most important of Drake's dialogs are voiced now and in the game. With luck, PJJ will give me the green light to start the beta testing.

It seems that nearly all my computer hobby time has been focused on Dark Waters for several years now, one of my bigger gaming projects ever. I've had the opportunity to get many people's help along the way, which I'm very grateful for. Still, endings are often new beginnings. I'm still planning on working on Dragon Age next and trying to get everything ready to go.

It is nice to have a little more time to do other gaming things for a change. I'm actually getting some time to play through the Witcher, which is something I wanted to do for a long while.

Tea and Crumpets

April 23, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I chopped up and attached the sound clips Derek made for Drake.

I love hearing my writing come to life, with just the right mix of insanity and villainy.

The Villain Has a Voice

April 22, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

A quick update today. Derek sent along Drake's lines for me to work into the game. As usual, they sound wonderful and I'm excited to get them in. They'll take a bit of work to edit as appropriate, but I think it will be time well spent.

If all goes well, I can get these clips into the module by the weekend and have PJJ give them a whirl along with a (hopefully) final test before the beta.

You Can't Get To Somewhere That Isn't There

April 19, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

Well, I figured out the problem with the latest version of Dark Waters. PJJ was reporting that it was impossible to get to Vault Island, though it worked great for me. After a bit of pondering, I realized that the installer was made before I made the final module and it simply wasn't included.

I just uploaded the new version that actually has the ending. With luck, a public beta is right around the corner.

Death From Above

April 14, 2009 by Adam in NWN1

Sam and I continued on our march across Faerûn to save the world. The conclusion of Dreamcatcher 3 was just as much fun as I remembered, though Sam's health actually got down a little low towards the end. Still, there were few really hard fights after I recovered my spells. Few foes can survive six fireballs in a row.

Now we're about to lead the troops across Evermeet. I remember having lots of challenges with getting the soldiers to work properly, but I liked the overall concept.

Back From the Dead

April 14, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

It turns out my ISP made some changes over the weekend, causing this site to be down for three days. I was clueless about most of it, as my site works great from my house, even though the rest of the world couldn't see it. Ah well, it's back up and running again.

PJJ passed along a new set of bug notes, which were most promising. I think every obstacle to getting to the final island has been lifted and the game might actually be playable. I'm under no illusion that it's ready for general release, but the magical beta release may be fairly soon. It's been a long road.

Weighted Companion Cube

April 14, 2009 by Adam in NWN1

Sam and I made it to Dreamcatcher 3, which is probably my personal favorite of all my modules. For some reason, there's something immensely fun about being knocked way back in power, barely alive. Running around eating mushrooms and hunting frogs for a few hit points is quite the contrast from the usual flashy spells.

Sam had a great time with the one trap/puzzle where you can push a crate in front of you, setting off spike traps. Of course, he decided to keep it with him at all times, pushing it onward through the dungeon.

We burst into laughter as the indestructible crate was repeatedly crushed by the wall trap. Later on, it got stuck in a saw trap and we risked life and limb to get it safely out.

Little did I know that the crate would be one of my more memorable NPCs.

More Spelling

April 11, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

PJJ reported better results with his quick tests from yesterday. I verified that one bug fix worked, and strangely couldn't replicate another bug.

I'm strangely enamored with the letter combat mini-game. I was especially proud that I won the final battle with the word "pants".

Into the Dreaming

April 10, 2009 by Adam in NWN1

We've moved on to the second module and had a great time wandering around the void and under the sea. Part of what makes Dreamcatcher special is the large amount of custom content. Around every corner is something unique that catches the eye. Even though the length of the modules are short, every section holds some surprise.

I'm trying to keep that in mind when working on my new projects. Quality over quantity is what counts the most.

Dreamcatcher

April 09, 2009 by Adam in NWN1

My son and I started in on Dreamcatcher, finishing up the first module. It's been really fun to go back and play through my old modules, in part because Sam's reactions are so enthusiastic.

From a design standpoint, there are a number of things that work well, from the custom content, occasional humor, and unique situations. Though the modules are short, each area is packed with all sorts of treats to discover. Hopefully I can replicate that magic in my future projects.

In any case, we're now in the second module. It's highly entertaining to walk around, leaving flaming footprints as we go.

Like An Ultra-Violent Spelling Bee

April 07, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

PJJ pointed out that a couple doors didn't work with the Alphabet Assault mini-game, an embarrassing newbie sort of mistake. That was quickly fixed, as well as adding "rest altars" where players could heal up before heading into the next big battle. Some of the fights in this area are immensely difficult, mostly to encourage players to use the word-spelling attack system.

In terms of the system itself, I personally enjoy reading a particularly verbose assault adjective and then bursting through the door like a crazed librarian. It's mostly optional, like many of the mini-games, and people can simply use brute force to make their way to their goal.

I've sent along the latest beta to PJJ, and hopefully this is the magic version with no show-stopping bugs. I mostly worry that he hasn't gotten to the final area yet, as that's bound to have an issue or two (if I'm lucky).

I'm still struggling to find a good place to post files, as 4shared ended up being painfully slow to download. I may end up posting open betas on the Vault, which is a fairly public way to show off my embarrassing mistakes. We'll see how it goes.

Another Test, Another Show-Stopping Bug

April 06, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

PJJ dutifully tested again last weekend, unfortunately reporting another show-stopping bug. The good news is that it should be pretty easy to fix, so I'll get cracking on that right away.

I'm also working on finding a better place to host files, as the current one took days. Fortunately I have a new batch that I want to try out.

Slowly getting there.

Saving the World . . . As Usual

April 06, 2009 by Adam in NWN1

Sam and I finished up the Shadowlords campaign last night. Co-op is a very different experience than the typical single player style. At times, Sam was wanting to rush through while I went at a more leisurely pace. There was also the fun of dividing up loot, though fortunately our classes were different enough.

The adventure itself went well, with only a couple really tough fights. I keep hoping that Dreamcatcher handles the combat balance issues better. I'm also excited to show off some of the custom content from that module.

All-in-all, the campaign was a success. There's nothing like a little father-son bonding while slaying hordes of monsters.

Onward, to Evil!

April 03, 2009 by Adam in NWN1

My son and I continue in our quest to rid the world of evil, one dank cave at a time.

Yesterday we worked through Skull Gorge, where I learned that players will fiddle with everything, even when a sign clearly states that bad things will happen when you do so. Sometimes the bizarre and unexpected are more fun than following the main storyline.

The toughest fights were again the auto-balanced ones. A pack of beetles nearly wiped us out. There was another fight that was so hard that we resorted to invisibility to sneak in and grab the treasure. It's strange how getting combat experience modifies behavior, as I felt cheated by not being able to kill everything I possibly could.

Finally my mage got to fifth level and I excitedly started blasting everything with fireballs. Tonight we head into the Battle of the Bones, hanging out with undead and goblin bone miners. Should be fun.

That's The Second Biggest Brain I've Ever Seen

April 01, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I dutifully went through the Isle of Flesh quest and to my happy surprise, everything seemed to work. I'm hoping that's a sign that I've come a few steps closer to an open beta, but my hopes have been dashed so many times in the past that I no longer expect anything.

I'd like to think I've reached a Zen-like state of bug fixing where the goal is not to actually release a working module, but to gracefully fix one bug after the other. But I'd probably be lying.

Yes, But What Kind of Idiot?

March 31, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

I explained to PJJ yesterday that I was an idiot, but it turns out that I was an idiot for different reasons. Initially we thought I hadn't gotten the right file to him, as bugs I claimed were fixed weren't really fixed.

This morning I double-checked everything and decided to actually test some things myself. It turns out you really couldn't get to the Isle of Insanity. I had fixed one issue, which was good, but I had to fix another before it would actually work. Similarly, a couple trolls that seemed killable actually weren't. I fixed one issue, but the Immortality flag was set and keeping them from dying.

Now I'm down to the Isle of Flesh, which supposedly has some additional problems. I went to test it this morning and ended up with the blue screen of death and a reboot. I don't think this particular one was my fault, just one of those things that happens on occasion. Hopefully tonight I can test some more.

I Didn't Know Evil Had A Smell

March 31, 2009 by Adam in NWN1

My son and I continued our adventures through my older NWN1 modules. Yesterday we braved the town of Hill's Edge as our trail led us to the Fist of the Future temple and the inevitable horrors that lurked below it.

I had used encounter triggers to supply some of the fights, and on the final level we hit a horribly difficult challenge. Basically the fights were impossible, and our NPC companions died and were left behind. I finally had to change tactics completely by returning to town and fetching the invisibility spell. We could then retrieve our companions by sneaking past the monsters, grab what we needed, and jump out through the portal.

I'm glad that in future modules I went with my own encounter triggers to prevent these sort of issues. The other thing I'm noticing is that depending on how you play through the game, you can get quite a range of experience. Removing combat xp was a difficult choice, but I think it makes sense in the long run.

Tonight we head to Skull Gorge and likely face a new set of horrors.

When We Last Left Our Heroes

March 30, 2009 by Adam in NWN1

My retrospective NWN1 adventure with my son continues. We finished the first module, fighting our way through the mines and later scouring the battlefield on the other side. I got a "Thanks, DM!" from my son after I solved the puzzle ring for him. Otherwise many of the locations are just fuzzy memories for me.

There are a lot of lessons as to what worked when looking back at my earlier works. I really like the room descriptions and large volume of side quests. The first city in particular seems like a large place with endless nooks and crannies. It takes a lot of time to take that approach, but gives a richness to the game that's otherwise lacking. I'll see if I can manage something similar for Dragon Age.

Today we hope to investigate the ongoing mystery at Hill's Edge. We already had a bloody fight in the warehouse and the temple is next on our list.

The Adventure Begins

March 29, 2009 by Adam in NWN1

My ten year-old son has never played through any of my mods, despite being an avid gamer. I haven't worked with my NWN1 modules in years, so it was fun when he and I decided to play through cooperatively. I'll see if I can document our assorted adventures, and perhaps include a bit of commentary along the way.

We started off Shadowlords 1 in Scornubel, he playing a dwarven fighter and I an elven mage. We wandered around town for awhile, helping out the villagers. Eventually we ran across Thistle, and discovered we couldn't progress until we found a ring he was accused of stealing. While barging into houses and shops, we ran across the boy who had taken it. After telling him his mother was looking for him, we got the ring.

To celebrate, we broke into the store's back room, killed the shop keep, and killed the thieves who lived there.

Eventually the ring was returned and we were off to the ghost town of Eureka. Being the brave explorers, we headed into an abandoned house and poked around. Interestingly enough, the creature scaling system decided to throw a zombie at us that was immune to non-magical weapons. It quickly became a boss fight and we died multiple times before dozens of magic missiles felled the foul beast.

And with that victory under our belt, we called it a day.

A Trip to the Dentist

March 29, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

I just discovered that FileFront is going away. I've used it for a long time to send files to beta testers, and it's worked great. Now I'm scrambling to find a decent replacement, ideally free as well.

I went through all of PJJ's bug notes and I think I've fixed them. My biggest desire is that the show-stopping bugs are fixed and it's possible to complete the game. I also fixed a couple others that I stumbled across, including some custom creatures that weren't animating due to my recent 2da changes.

Slowly getting there.

Ew, Gross

March 27, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

This time I went back to the Isle of Flesh to fix another show-stopping bug. Along the way I cleaned up a variety of other issues, such as improving journal entries and providing more feedback to the player.

Today I'm jumping to another island, trying to get things working as planned. Now I'm fixing blank names in dialog, misbehaving monsters, and broken quests. Fun, fun.

No, That's Not a Glowing Hat

March 26, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

I've been spending a lot of time with robots lately, working through PJJ's long list of bugs. It looks like there were two show-stoppers, which I'm trying to get resolved before the larger beta test. I keep running into bugs that I swear I've fixed before, making me even more excited about Dragon Age's versioning system.

At the moment I'm on the Isle of Flesh, making sure my fixes are actually working. Hopefully that'll avoid the guilt I often feel when passing along untested fixes.

Another Day, Another Bug Fix

March 25, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I've been going through PJJ's latest list of fixes. There's one show-stopper, making it impossible to finish the game. The rest is a mix of typos, strange behavior, impossible fights, and a few more broken quests.

Staring at my list of bugs, I have to fix a case of accidental nudity, creatures walking through rocks, and parasite removal. I already have a tentative fix for Heather's inadvertent invisibility, as well as the one show-stopping bug that prevented the player from going to an island.

Slowly getting there.

Not a Week, Half a Fortnight

March 24, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

I can't believe it's been a week since I last posted. My life has been a whirlwind of activity, which I'm hoping calms down relatively soon.

PJJ dutifully tested a bunch over the weekend, and I've yet to peek at the results. I'm going to beg, borrow, or steal some time tomorrow and get cracking on things. I really want to get to a more widespread beta and start moving things toward release.

My Dragon Age work continues, though mostly in ways I can't talk about. This latest card is a Blight Wolf, essentially causing disease in whatever creature it damages. There are a few different creatures that can cause Blight, including one card that gives the Blight to all creatures in the game. I'll obviously have to balance the ability so that it's not overwhelmingly powerful.

Shark Attack

March 17, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I'm in the process of uploading the latest build for testing. I made a really silly mistake for the last build, where I'd changed a transition to a trigger, but players ended up appearing in the doorway behind the trigger. Any time they tried to move, they hit the trigger and went back inside.

That's fixed now, hopefully the last of of the show-stopping bugs. It's such a huge game that playing through takes a long time. I've personally played through most sections, but sometimes bugs pop up when you put it all together.

100 Cards

March 16, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

I managed to get to the 100 card mark yesterday. My goal is for players to be able to create a variety of deck types. Tower of Ishal was designed to help decks with lots of smaller creatures.

Often the secret to Demon Cards or Pirate Cards was to get the biggest creature possible out on the battlefield. Hopefully with Dreamer Cards, either approach will be possible, and there will be cards to counter both types of decks.

PJJ sent back another bug report for Dark Waters, but I've yet to hunker down and work on it. One appears to be a show-stopper, which is annoying. Sigh.

One Life, One Arrow

March 15, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

I have a tentative goal with the Dreamer Cards game to create 100 different cards. Yesterday I hunkered down and now have the total up to 90, so it looks like I'll be meeting my goal nicely. Lots of details of the cards may change, but I feel pretty happy with the variety and quality of the set.

This particular card uses the Dragon Age novel's book cover, one of the images bringing to mind a particular quote. Like all the cards, I'm hoping none of these are too powerful. This one's unusual in that it costs no manna to cast, but has a potentially significant downside.

Facing a single powerful creature, this is a great card. If you're low on health or facing lots of creatures, playing it could mean your death. If you have the life, this card could clear the battlefield of enemies and allow your creatures to freely attack your opponent.

I like tricky cards like that.

Back to the Beginning

March 14, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I went back to DarkWaters 1 this morning, adding some "just in case" scripts. Occasionally a particular cutscene won't trigger properly, leaving the player stuck. Theoretically the new script will let people continue on if things go horribly wrong.

It's strange going back to see Heather and Daniel dressed in villager's rags and holding candles. Later in the game they're decked out with all sorts of fancy equipment. You've come a long ways, baby.

More Robots

March 09, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I spent more time cleaning up the Clockwork Man quest over the weekend, and just sent PJJ a new build. I think we're getting close to having made a rough pass for every area. With luck, all the show-stopping bugs are fixed and we can do more widespread testing fairly soon.

My guess is that there are still some serious issues lurking in the latest build, as it's hard to test everything out. I'd also like to spend more time with the Mac version. I've had some people report success and others report utter failure. Without a Mac of my own, it's difficult to really test.

Though I'm sure once more widespread testing starts, I'll be inundated with bug reports. For now, though, I can feign ignorance and bask in the thought that maybe the game is nearly ready for release. Ah, blissful ignorance.

I just killed a frost imp

March 07, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

The bug killing continues. This time I went back to the painter's to make sure you couldn't admire a painting in the heat of battle.

I'm also revisiting the Clockwork Man quest, hanging out with automata. While I think you can technically play through, there are some non-obvious parts that I need to clean up, in addition to adjusting the balance of a particular fight. Hopefully I can get out a new build today sometime.

Fighting Bugs

March 07, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I've been fighting bugs again, often quite literally. I've headed back to the automata area, trying to take care of all manner of minor and major bugs. I think the most serious has been fixed, but there are still some things I need to test. Hopefully tomorrow I can get a new build together.

I've been through a lot of bug fixing passes before the release of a module, yet it still surprises me just how long it takes. The price we pay for quality, I guess.

Submariners

March 03, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

I can't believe I've actually stayed away from NWN2 for nearly five days in a row. Unfortunately PJJ found a nasty crash bug this Saturday and I got up at 4:30 this morning to try and resolve it.

It looks like removing polymorph effects during an area transition is a bad thing, but not too hard to fix. He also pointed out that the lights on the sub were pointless, so I made it possible to search for treasure if you have them on. Unfortunately it also makes you more visible to enemies, so it's a trade-off for the player.

I think I also finally got the dialog issue from before fixed, though I should probably test it myself just to be sure.

With luck, the last of the big bugs will soon be behind us.

We've Moved. Pardon the Dust.

February 26, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

Okay, I finally bit the bullet and made the new site live. Hopefully it's adequate and looks a bit more modern.

I'm currently working on a new build that moves around a key conversation. Before, your NPCs were silent after a fairly major event and you had to talk to them explicitly before they'd say anything. Now they'll start the conversation and give you the opportunity to talk about it.

Dreamer Cards - City Elf

February 26, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

One of the reasons I made my initial Demon Card game for NWN1 is that NWN1 shipped with this beautiful portraits of monsters and people, but few people ever saw them in their full glory. As technology improved, I switched to in-game screenshots for the card images, but there's something special about hand-drawn art.

The City Elf uses one of the Origin stories and turns it into a card. Though she's only 1/1, she has a special power that makes her a little unique. Many cards have an extra twist, just to make them interesting.

Also note "Elf" as the creature type. There are various creature categories in the game, such as human, elf, and dwarf, and certain cards affect everything with that category. I suspect it will be common to create themed decks for particular creature types.

Deactivating Crab Traps

February 24, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

More progress. I fixed the problem with the trapper so it should properly deactivate and sent the latest build to PJJ. Hopefully we can get this quest playable and move on to a larger round of testing.

I spent some more time getting the new site ready. Theoretically if someone goes to my old NWN1 site (via http://adamandjamie.com/nwn/), it'll redirect to the shiny new one. I'll probably do my main NWN2 site tomorrow and the move will be complete.

I still have the one show-stopping bug to resolve

February 23, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I still have the one show-stopping bug to resolve. I think I know exactly what the issue is and how to fix it, so hopefully I can get it fixed tonight.

I'm thinking about moving to the new site relatively soon. If there's anything horrible that I'm missing, let me know.

Dreamer Cards

February 22, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

Though I can't talk about any beta stuff, I can talk about my plans and things that I create that involve public content. This includes one of the projects I'd like to include in the Dreamer Campaigns, something I'm currently calling Dreamer Cards.

It's in the same style as Demon Cards for NWN1 and Pirate Cards for NWN2. Essentially it's a collectible card game played in real-time against NPC opponents. The plan is for it to be an optional add-on to the campaign, as well as a stand-alone game people can play.

For those unfamiliar with the game, here's an image of the playing card. I created it using the Magic Set Editor, using information and screenshots from the Dragon Age site.

Each turn, the player can play one Lyrium card, which creates one source of manna. This manna is used up when you cast a spell or summon a creature, but is refreshed each turn. That way you can cast increasingly powerful cards or cast multiple cards at once.

For example, this Fanged Skeleton card has a casting cost of one, has an attack power of one (the first number), and a toughness of one (the second number). The type of the creature is a Demon, which is important when mixed with other cards. The moon in the corner is the symbol, black indicating that it is a common card. Finally, it has a special ability of being resistant to magic.

Playing the card summons a skeleton which will try to kill your opponent's creatures, or your opponent's avatar. If your opponent's avatar falls, you've won the game.

I'll try to show off more cards on a regular basis. They're still all in flux, and it's likely I'll make changes when playtesting. There are still many months until the game is released, so I'm not sure how often you'll see them. The current plan is for roughly a hundred cards, which should be plenty of variety.

Two steps forward, one step back

February 19, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I think I fixed the issues with new site, so feel free to take a look. Hopefully it does a better job with integrating all my various projects.

If I ever do a postmortem on Dark Waters, one of the things I'll mention is that I should have used a better version control system. I ended up losing some dialog somewhere along the way, so I ended up rewriting it this morning. One of the great things about the Dragon Age toolset is that it has built-in versioning. Hopefully my days of cursing when I overwrite something will soon be behind me.

I'm going to start working on a new build for PJJ to go over this afternoon. If we can get things generally playable, maybe we can start beta testing soon after that.

Dressing Gnomes

February 18, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I spent last night watching robots dress gnomes. It's the price I pay for trying to give people the best play experience as possible. It turns out the automaton was shutting down too early because of a complicated issue involving distance to a target and how recently the gnome manakin had been dressed. I think I have it all working properly now.

I have a few more bugs that PJJ reported that I'd like to work through today. After that, it's time for another build and another round of testing.

As has been pointed out, my new site is horribly broken and doesn't work for anyone but me. Hopefully I can fix that soon.

All work and no play makes Adam a dull boy

February 17, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I had a very busy weekend watching the kids by myself, plus two insanely busy days at work. I'm hoping I can sneak in some time tonight to work on some of the new issues PJJ reported. My main goal is to get rid of the show-stopping bugs and start up beta testing.

Over the last few weeks I've been working on a new web site that combines my NWN1, NWN2, and upcoming Dragon Age modding projects. I've tested with IE and Firefox and it seems okay, though I'm always nervous about such things. You can take a peek here. Please let me know if it looks weird or things are horribly broken.

I tested out yesterday's 2da fixes by playing...

February 14, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I tested out yesterday's 2da fixes by playing a few practical jokes on Daniel. There's nothing like being grabbed with a giant hand to induce a few chuckles. So far, it seems like my changes worked just fine and Dark Waters is finally compatible with the latest expansion pack.

I finished attaching all of Sheridan's dialog. Chris did an amazing job with a 50 minute recording session. It took me at least that long to do my part as well. I think there are a few of Daniel's lines remaining, Lord Brighton, and Drake's dialog. After that, I'll probably declare all the voice recording done.

At the moment I'm creating the installers and will slowly upload them all for the testers.

I just finished chopping up the last of Chris...

February 12, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I just finished chopping up the last of Chris' dialog he sent, including nearly 90 different clips of Sheridan which took him almost 50 minutes to record. As usual, I have some of his outtakes.

I did a count of all the wav files that come with Dark Waters and the number is a staggering 3,704 files taking up nearly 260 MB of space. That's a lot of dialog.

I still need to attach the lines to Sheridan's dialog, and I'll work on that next. I also realized that I was missing some dialog in another part of the game, so I need to work on that next. Hopefully I can whip up a new build towards the end of the day and get that to the testers.

I think I finally hammered out the issues wit...

February 11, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I think I finally hammered out the issues with the hak pack and spells should be working properly. I just need to double-check to make sure I'm not missing anything obvious.

I think most of PJJ's latest bugs have been fixed at this point, and I've been spending my time chopping up sound files. Chris has done a heroic job trying to read my occasionally incoherent dialog. Fortunately he seems to be good spirits about it.

I was back at work yesterday, going through t...

February 10, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I was back at work yesterday, going through the list of bugs PJJ reported. The most amusing was the armorer, who pounded away at his anvil with an invisible hammer. I ended up making him a fighter, as well as giving him a new hammer. All seemed better after that.

I fixed another issue with the psionics failing. It turns out that when I was doing my SoZ fixes, I managed to delete all the spells.2da files from my hak packs. I have a fix in place, but I think I need to redo it again. Working with hak packs is quite tedious.

I continue to appreciate all of PJJ's work, especially finding all my embarrassing typos before doing a more widespread beta test.

I have more of Daniel's voice to get into the game. Busy, busy.

Why We Fight

February 09, 2009 by Adam in Dragon Age

Though I'm still under NDA and can't say much, I did manage to get a blog posted on the Bioware site.

I was lucky to be involved with Dragon Age early, attending the builder’s event up in Edmonton. Already plans are forming, my notebook filling with scribbles of maps and dialog. Last night I made my second cutscene, the player stepping out of a mirror and looking about in wonder. I felt that familiar excitement welling up, the lure of mystery and promise of adventure.

I keep plugging away at chopping up sound files

February 05, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I keep plugging away at chopping up sound files. Fortunately Chris continues to do a fine job of entertaining me along the way.

Still no Bioware blog post yet

February 04, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

Still no Bioware blog post yet. I'm trying to beg, steal, or borrow a few free moments to work on chopping up dialog. Life has gotten very busy again.

Update: The blog got posted. I also uploaded more outtakes from Chris Serani's recording session. Clearly he's having too much fun.

I see Jay edited my bio at the bottom with a subtle job offer.

I uploaded a couple new builds to the testers...

February 03, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I uploaded a couple new builds to the testers, one of them a Mac version. Chris has been plugging away and passed along a couple new pieces of dialog that are waiting for me to chop up and get ready.

I wrote a piece for Bioware's Blog that should be posted tomorrow. I'm also working on the new web site, hoping to get things polished and ready relatively soon.

Fun, fun.

Nothing too exciting to report

February 01, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

Nothing too exciting to report. I've been splitting my time between bug fixing problems I created and problems created by the new patch. I think things are generally under control for the moment, though I'm sure there are still plenty of undiscovered issues lurking about.

I spent a little time yesterday trying to put together a new web site that consolidates the NWN, NWN2, and upcoming Dragon Age projects. As it stands, everything is using somewhat old back-end technology and I figure it's time to upgrade a bit.

I spent yesterday getting some of Chris Seran...

January 28, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I spent yesterday getting some of Chris Serani's dialog in the game. Just for fun, I put together a short clip of his ramblings between takes.

I worked hard yesterday, trying to get the sh...

January 27, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I worked hard yesterday, trying to get the ships and cargo to transfer between DW2 and DW3. I went to bed unsuccessful and then woke up again at 4:30. It seems a fresh look and a cup of tea did the trick, as I just had a typo. Now the ship and cargo come across nicely.

I had a little extra time, so I went through and fixed a few different things. I fiddled with the camera in a particular dialog. There's a weird glitch where the Port Brighton module occasionally gets stuck on the loading screen, and I made some changes that might fix that.

Hopefully today I can get back to the voice side of things. I've fallen behind on correspondence again and think I may have some extra dialog to download and process.

I spent some time this weekend trying to figu...

January 26, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I spent some time this weekend trying to figure out some weird problems with cargo, as well as coming up with a good way to move it from DW2 to DW3.

The first weird problem was that only one cargo hold would vanish when leaving the docks. I think it might be a patch-related issue involving getting faction members. I opted for a different approach that I'm hoping will work better.

I tried hard to get the roster system to do my bidding, but ended up using the database instead. Theoretically it should keep track of ships, deeds, and standard inventory without too much difficulty.

The campaign system that NWN2 uses is very useful, but it makes certain types of information sharing occasionally difficult.

I started in on one of the more tricky aspect...

January 25, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I started in on one of the more tricky aspects of integrating DW2 and DW3. If all goes well, no one will notice anything, but I suspect I'll hear a lot of complaints if I do nothing.

Right now, the cargo holds in DW2 are creatures with inventory. If you jump from DW2 to DW3, they'll vanish and all your ship deeds will stop working. I have part of a mechanism in place that saves off your cargo holds, but I need to write the second part that reads them from the database and recreates them when you first enter DW3.

I was back on Serpent Isle yesterday, blowing...

January 23, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I was back on Serpent Isle yesterday, blowing up zombies and testing things out. I think I've gotten most of PJJ's newly found bug notes resolved. At the moment I'm uploading a new build, which is hopefully more stable than the last.

I ran into some nasty module corruption issues, but I think I've managed to recover without losing anything. It always sends me into a panic, checking backups. Fortunately I'm holding on to all my builds, so I can always recover from those.

When I get a moment, I think I need to work on voice over again. PJJ is saying very positive things about having all the voices in the game. I'm convinced it's one of the things that makes the campaign special.

More good progress yesterday and this morning

January 22, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

More good progress yesterday and this morning. I worked through all of PJJ's bug list, including the really nasty feat bugs that screwed up stealth and other things. Even harder was fixing a weird bug with skill gems. I'm not sure if I had screwed up a core function with a recent change, or the patch introduced some changes in how scripting works. Either way, I sorted it out.

I was also going through my e-mail junk folders and came across various things people had sent me, including another PJJ bug report that I completely missed. I'll be working on that today, along with some more voice work that was sent my way. If folks don't hear from me in a week or so after e-mailing me, feel free to bug me again. Sometimes spam filters can be worse than spam.

I'm working on uploading a new build for testing, along with digging into the old bug notes I just discovered.

Last night I recruited the kids to do some im...

January 21, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

Last night I recruited the kids to do some impromptu testing and voice over. Emma dutifully drove the character around Port Brighton to test out various areas. Sam did the voice for a somewhat unusual child. Armed with PJJ's bug notes, we ended up fixing a fair number of problems, along with a few others we ran across along the way.

I'm still tracking down a somewhat serious issue involving certain feats getting messed up. I'm fairly certain it involves some of my 2DA changes I made for SoZ. I want to support people making the new character types, but I think I managed to mess them up along the way. Hopefully it's as easy as comparing a few files and making some updates.

After a few days off, I'm back working on thi...

January 20, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

After a few days off, I'm back working on things again. There were some missing voice over lines that I snuck into the game today. I'm also working through PJJ's bug list.

The most troublesome are related to icons showing up strangely with SoZ. Hopefully I can figure out what's going on.

Yet more progress

January 16, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

Yet more progress. I've managed to integrate all of Heather's dialog into the campaign. It's truly great stuff and hearing her read the lines was very inspiring.

I also managed to fix a few bugs along the way. Theoretically the crew would give you something nice if you'd been generous with them when dividing up the treasure at the end of DW2. Unfortunately that never actually happened due to a minor bug in converting from NWN1 to NWN2.

I'm still waiting on a few more VOs to trickle in, and I'd like to give PJJ a bit more time. Still, I can see that the time for a more open beta test will be coming soon.

My dark offerings went unheard last night, so...

January 15, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

My dark offerings went unheard last night, so I'm going to spend some time chatting with my ISP today and hopefully sorting out the relevant network issues. There will likely be some downtime, but hopefully not too much.

I continue to work away on getting Heather's dialog in the game. Eshinee has done an amazing job and I'm excited to finish everything up so everyone can hear it. She has a great emotional range, going from tears to laughter in a single conversation.

So far I've only got one of Heather's dialogs...

January 14, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

So far I've only got one of Heather's dialogs in the game, but I'm slowly chugging along.

Tonight I'm doing a bit of site maintenance and may be down for a little while. My static IP address is changing, so I get to do a little network voodoo in order to appease the routing gods in the sky.

I chopped up what Chris sent me and got it in...

January 13, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I chopped up what Chris sent me and got it in the game. I just checked my In Box and see that Eshinee sent along all her voice files, which is what I'll be working on today.

I sent along a new build to PJJ yesterday, hopefully with some new bug fixes and features. Busy, busy.

I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't do much ...

January 12, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't do much with Dark Waters over the weekend. I played hooky and helped my son program his Lego Mindstorm robots, as well as doing house work. In the meantime, I'm posting a video that Chris Serani took of himself recording voices for Daniel. There are some spoilers in there, so you might want to steer clear if you want to stay pristine. Still, it's an interesting view and the dark and torrid world of voice over actors:

I had yet another busy day yesterday, full of...

January 09, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I had yet another busy day yesterday, full of all-day meetings and family responsibilities. I'm going to try hard to get to all the e-mails languishing in my In Box.

I put some work into the automata dialog this morning. You can take a quick peek at the video version of both the automata and the gnome mayor. Probably the best part is seeing the cylon-like eye in action. It's one of those in-jokes that ended up being incredibly complicated to pull off. In order to block out the eyes, there are these tiny black globes placed over them. In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have tried so hard.

I'm hoping to get to the other great voice actor work today and hopefully put together a new build soon. There's much to be tested over the next couple months.

Upon our return home last night, I sat down m...

January 07, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

Upon our return home last night, I sat down my son and made him record some missing NPC dialog. The end result was something that sounded like a squirrel who smokes a pack a day, which worked fairly well for this little gnome voice. There were some challenges with sore throats and interrupting sisters, but such is the price of true Art.

I have a few other voice actors sending me files, most excitingly Chris and Eshinee. I'm swamped as is usual upon my return, but I'm hoping to start getting those integrated into the game fairly soon. It's amazing how much work all the voice acting requires, but I think the end result is well worth it.

I managed more writing while in the car

January 04, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I managed more writing while in the car. It's fun to do something new.

I actually put in some debugging time last night. It's always amazing all the bugs I run across when playing through an area I previously thought was good. Even though I have some great testers, it's hard for them to catch the absence of things that I meant to have in there. In this case, there was this great treasure map that led to my favorite treasure side quest. Unfortunately it was almost impossible to get, which wasn't my intention.

There were also a few unvoiced NPCs I ran across. I'm trying hard to get as many in place as possible, so I'll probably deal with that the next time I'm around a microphone.

I went over the Mayor's dialog for the Clockw...

January 03, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I went over the Mayor's dialog for the Clockwork Man quest. While it technically worked, it was nearly impossible to get his map and he had no dialog. Just to get it over with, I put on my high squeaky Gnome voice and quickly recorded the dialog. Hopefully on my trip I can chop it up and attach things.

I did a bunch of bug fixing yesterday, though...

January 02, 2009 by Adam in NWN2

I did a bunch of bug fixing yesterday, though there are still a few things that need some additional attention. I have some automata with cylon-like eyes, as a funny cultural reference. The problem is that the head has real eyes, which end up looking very weird behind the moving red eyes. My fixes for blocking the eyes haven't worked too well, though I think I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

I made a new build this morning, but I may hold off for more tweaks, fixes, and voice recording. I also ran across an unvoiced NPC gnome, so I may break out my high squeaky voice and whip out some quick dialog tonight.

I'm off to Bend for a few days, which often means extra writing time. Since Dark Waters is wrapping up, I've started tinkering and planning for future projects. All my plans are still extremely early, but I don't plan on retiring any time soon.