22 réponses à ce sujet

[M. Rieder]

My original plan was to make 3-4 chapters of the Wizard's apprentice.  I am starting on the second and trying to decide how to release it when it is done (I like to plan these things way in advance, I am nowhere near finished). 

I had originally thought I would release the sequel as a campaign which incudes the first chapter as well.  This seems like the neatest way to do it, but I was also considering releasing the second chapter as a stand alone.  If I did this, I would release each subsuquent chapter as a stand-alone and then release a combined campaign at the end.

Does anyone have any insight or input regarding potential benefits or flaws with either of these strategies?  Players, would it be confusing if I released the second chapter as "The Wizard's Apprentice Chapter 1 & 2"?

Thanks for any advice.

[kamalpoe]

What I would do is put in an out of character room right at the beginning, so the player can say "I've already completed the first module, zoom me to the second," or I want to start from the beginning.

[steelfire_dragon]

one at a time works for me, but then if you upload a cmpaign file and update it with each module.. then that works too.

[Shaughn78]

For my game I have created a campaign script for the end convo. Currently it jumps the player to a transition area. There they can save the character and click an item to continue the story. Right now, it tells the player they need to wait. Once the next part is complete the campaign script for the end convo will just jump the player into the next chapter and the continue item will pick up the story.

[M. Rieder]

Are you planning on releasing the next part along with the current one, sort of like Risen Hero 1&2? That's what I was originally planning on doing, but was concerned it may be confusing to some. Thoughts?

[Shaughn78]

Yes, I am hoping (very ambitious here) that when you start the game you can bring it to completion without having to export and start a new game.

[Eguintir Eligard]

I would just do the 2nd module seperate.

[BartjeD]

I'd say the same thing. Seperate them at first and then combine them later on if / when you finish the series.

[Kaldor Silverwand]

I've done mine as a campaign. It is easy enough to modify a campaign conversation to allow a party to transition. For both new players and old it is seamless and it is really no overhead because you should be releasing as a campaign anyway so that features like party creation can be used.



Regards

[M. Rieder]

Okay, lots of good advice here and I appreciate it greatly. I have decided to release them separately and then combine when I am done.



To make combining them at the end easier, I am considering making all scripts, conversations, and journal entries campaign level and releasing each chapter as a campaign. I will build on the campaign as I go, but only release the pertinent chapter for each release. This way, when it is time to combine them, the work is already done.



My only concern is this:



Will having extra campaign conversations, scripts, journal entries cause problems if they do not all relate the to module being played. For example, lets say next year I release chapter three and I include all the scripts and conversations and journal entries for chapter 1-3 in the campaign folder, but onlyuse the ones for chapter three. Other than being a tad bulky, will this cause other problems?

[BartjeD]

It may get slower because it loads more resources although I'm not sure how NWN2 handles this.



I think it would mainly be inconvenient because you'd have to sort through all those non-used scripts and conversations. You could keep most of them local though presumably because most side quests focus on a single module or area as opposed to the entire collection.

[M. Rieder]

BartjeD wrote...

It may get slower because it loads more resources although I'm not sure how NWN2 handles this.

I think it would mainly be inconvenient because you'd have to sort through all those non-used scripts and conversations. You could keep most of them local though presumably because most side quests focus on a single module or area as opposed to the entire collection.

It would be messy.  I mainly want to avoid the scenario where I am a year or so down the road and tryin to cobble all these modules together when there may have been an easier way to do it as I go.  I'm just trying to figure out what that easier way is.

[Kaldor Silverwand]

In a campaign all of the journal entries must be in the campaign journal. So you will not have them duplicated.



Having scripts and conversations in the campaign folder will not increase load time, instead it should reduce load time when modules are loaded unless you also duplicate them in the module. If a script is in the campaign folder you should not have a same named script in the module, just to avoid confusing yourself when testing.



In general in my campaign I have scripts and conversations that are module specific, such as conversations with npcs that can only exist in one module and the unique scripts they require.



I'm not understanding from your post what the issue you have is. A simple release schedule Looks like this:



1. Release campaign with module 1.

2. Release campaign with module 1 and module 2. For people who have already played module 1 they will be able to continue into module 2. Any module changes you make in module 1 between release 1 and 2 will not be noticed by them unless they start over, but changes in campaign resources, such as scripts and conversations, will be noticed by them. People who have never played will play the second version of module 1 and the first version of module 2.

3. With each successive release you just add in the next module.



I really see no reason to do this any other way. The people who played your module first do not need to replay it to continue. You do not need to provide level up or import capabilities. And new people get the benefits of the latest versions with any corrections you have made in the modules (like fixing walk mesh issues).



Regards

[M. Rieder]

@ Kaldor,



My main concern is organization, titling, and not confusing people.



So your suggestion is that my next release should just be titled The Wizard's Apprentice Chapter 2. In that release I would also include chapter 1 with a way for the player to choose which chapter to go to. Is that right?



This is how I was originally going to do it, but for some reason I was concerned about something. It was a gut feeling and I can't quite articulate it. I guess maybe it seems a little messy or misleading since chapter 1 is already on the vault.



I recognize that I may be making a mountain out of a mole hill. If you think I am, please say so.



Thanks for your help.

[Kaldor Silverwand]

I would just call it The Wizard's Apprentice. In the release override the conversation of one of your permanent chapter 1 NPC's (a storekeeper or a bartender or anyone else who is accessible and permanent) with a campaign conversation that adds an option to jump the party to the starting area in your chapter 2 module.



That would allow both new players and those who have already played chapter 1 to go to chapter 2. If you want to force the players to complete chapter 1 before starting chapter 2 then check for a journal entry or other proof of chapter 1 completion in the conversation before showing the jump party option.



Regards

[The Fred]

Would this require the player to re-download Chapter 1, though, or would you be able to make it modular (I'm guessing you could, but how easy would this be)?

[dunniteowl]

If you make the modules part of a campaign, you could add in the changes to the conversation points with the Chapter 2 release. The download would automatically 'pop' it into place as part of Campaign Conversations and that should be the end of it.

Of course, you should test it. Still, though, that was one of the more longer term potentials I saw in the whole use of Campaign assets for making modules -- especially if you wished to make a continuing story or saga. It allows you to release shorter modules, all tied together in the Campaign level. And that doesn't mean that each module has to be set in the same area or even have the same overall themes. Just that the Campaign level stuff helps tie it all in together so that they can all work in the same Magnum Opus.

dno

[The Fred]

I think that theoretically, you can override module scripts and convos with campaign ones, I just haven't had much success with updating things this way so far.

[Kaldor Silverwand]

You would not have to redownload module 1. Only the campaign folder and module 2 would need to be downloaded if someone already had module 1.

[Kaldor Silverwand]

Module scripts and conversations are overridden by campaign versions. Campaign versions are overridden by versions in the override folder.

[M. Rieder]

Thanks for the responses. They are very instructional. I built the first chapter of the wizard's apprentice in module format and just switched it to campaign at the end, so I am still trying to get a feel for all the ins and outs of using the campaign options. Again, the help is appreciated.

[The Fred]

Campaigns are awesome, but it *would* be nice to have had some more documentation on the ins and outs of using them, like, to name just one example, the mechanics and pros and cons of using the campaign folder vs override folder vs haks etc. For example, there are a few 2das which randomly don't work in the campaign folder - you have to use override or hak versions.