Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Few screenshots

Did a quick playthrough of the main plot so far and quite happy with the generally bug free (or bugs that were easily fixable) experience. Some quick screenshots follow

Shot of me attacking the militia camp from the front. As you can see most of the party died...

Seich and the new companion Zabados argue theology

Quick shot to show that now there is a party roster interface - handled by talking to your horsey and getting him to ferry companions between your position and a hideout. So the party can be more fluid. But you will be limited to BlackDeath + 3 companions, so who you have could impact on the story/insight you get

This simple shot was only intended to show a new system I've been working on - whenever you change your party composition, there is a random chance it will spark some party interaction - here, Briars talks with Seich about how happy he is having his Master/Mistress back. SImimlar discussions will happen randomly at/during rest.

7 comments:

Jclef said...

Oh man - as if I wasn't looking forward to this module enough...I MUST stay focused!

Nice post - I like the new "companions on the fly" system you have there. Also, I like the custom portraits. Oh, and good to hear that it's not too buggy! :D

EC said...

Complete main quest playthrough!That's quite the milestone. Congrats on your progress, and on your scripting prowess ;) (for the low bug count)

The random companion interjections system sounds very interesting. Great idea.

And the screens look good too.

Delak said...

This is looking good.

I have a design question for you and anyone else reading.

I am toying with the idea of creating all the content for the main quest and then branching off from there to add in the other details. Is this a good idea or should I do one area at a time and finish all of the detail then move on to another area?

EC said...

Delak: if that works for you, go for it. If you prefer working another way, then that might be the better option for you.

That said, I am one who believes that it is preferable to complete what is essential first before doing stuff that can be considered accessory to the mod, which includes optional side quests.

I have the impression that most mod projects never see the light of day because they are never completed. If one at least completes all the essential parts of the mod, including a full main quest, before burning out if that happens then at least there is a mod that exists that might still be worthy of release.

But building must still remain fun. If that means working on a side quest or other non essnetial material because working on the main assets feels like a chore at that point then so be it. I'll admit that's exactly what I'm doing with ITFR these days.

Amraphael said...

Here, pal! *sends a beer - or any other enjoyable, celebrational beverage* That's great news! And the screen shots promises a lot of things I think I'll (any many others) will like.

@Delak.
In my opinion, it's just a matter of taste. Both ways will work well. I work on all areas and puzzles on the same time and watch everything grow slowly but massively. It's only because it's the way my brain works and I would be bored otherwise. It doesn't mean that I work unstructured. Every thing is documented and planned. I put in more central and complicated tasks between the more simple and playfull. I also work in iterations and with spikes when not knowing exactly how to solve a problem.

Delak said...

Thank you for the feedback, I think i will do the complete the main quest path first. This way I know its done and can spend the rest of the time adding in the side quests and such but still know that I have finished the main part.

Wyrin said...

thanks for the comments - been away a few days

I'd agree with following the main quest on the whole. However, I know I sometimes get to points where I have a branch, where it's nice to flesh out sidequests - particualrly if any then impact on he min quest - it helps to plot out any journal entries from sidequests you might need to then feed back into the game main plot at a later point