First post

Welcome to my blog
Been lurking on a few other NWN2 builder's blogs and seen it as a good way to keep diaries of their work. So with the module contest ofver and the dust settling, I thouhgt I'd start keeping an account of my thoughts as I build my next module, "Dark Avenger"

I'd played with the toolset in NWN1 a little, mainly to sketch out places for my online D&D campaign "Vanfein's Crossing". But it was only with the NWN2 toolset, I really tried to make something playable.

• Palace of the Silver Princess - this was my first attempt. I chose to do a conversion of a pen-and-paper module for the main reason that everything was ready prepared; all I had to do was translate it to the game. Having since started working on my own ideas, from a blank canvas, I've only just realised how much help it is having something written down ion front of you. In terms of acheivement too - doing a module conversion of a dungeon, you can cross of each room as you go.
• Sadly, POSP got the dreaded corruption as I neared completion. All in all I was quite happy with is as my first attempt, and on the whole, the reviews have been positive and fair (perhaps generous, but i won't complain). The cutscenes generally worked as i wanted, and give it a nice feel, I think. But my biggest lesson from doing POSP was that I needed to learn how to script if i wanted to really take things further...
• What's Bugging Costen - when i first started building, I had grand schemes for converting years worth of DMing D&D into a campaign for NWN2. My biggest lesson from this was definitely; limit your scope. As I started, it quickly dawned o nme just how big and complex it can get. Putting in non-linear quests, keeping a decent cast, writing engaging converations. All took much longer than expects. I released a small setion of the work I'd done as a mini-module - to showcase my ideas, and the campaign. Sadly, it's only a small reflection of what could have been.

So having learnt about limiting my scope, and the need for notes/preparation, and buoyed by some positive reviews, I set about my current project Dark Avenger.

And then the Obsidian module contest was announced...