71 réponses à ce sujet

[henesua]

Since I've been too busy (and thus too tired after a work day) to produce my own content lately I decided to revisit the old premium modules and take them for a spin. Overall I find them disappointing. Pirates of the Sword Coast for example could have been great but it didn't seem to know whether to take itself seriously (in an extraordinarily tedious manner) or go all the way to "monkey island" silly - which would have been great.

However I was impressed by the Wyvern Crown of Cormyr (which I had never played before). Since I couldn't find a thread for it, I decided to make one. I am interested in what others think of this module.

My primary criticism of it is that the ending left much to be desired, and didn't clearly follow from the action. Given the overall high level of polish and that most events in the module naturally progress from one to the next (so as to feel unforced) - the ending was jarring and dissatisfying.

There is much good to say about this mod that it is hard to focus on any one thing as a stand out. The custom content still holds up well today, and appeas to be the inspiration for much of the modding that has happened in NWN since. The area design is good over all.

The writing however is what holds it all together in my opinion.

[werelynx]

If you were disappointed by PotSC, it means you probably have not played Infinite Dungeons. ID is the worst premium module in my opinion, apart from its puzzles, the dungeon does not bear any integrity. Also the difficulty level is insane and the quest system is badly executed.
Regaarding WCoC: it would be nice if the story continued after you take the crown. If I remember correctly I did not even took the Purple Knight class levels at all. I would love to join the actual organisation. Overall WCoC was my favourite Premium module with XP for roleplaying, jousting etc.

[jmlzemaggo]

WCoC is still one of my best NWN moments.
The only place I ever felt safe on a horse...

[TimG]

I tried WCOC but couldn't get past the "horse for helmet bug"

[jmlzemaggo]

Helmet bug?

[TimG]

My character appears with a full size horse in place of the helmet/head. So walking around with a galloping horse for a head is asking too much to play a module...

[jmlzemaggo]

Are you using some kind of "combat animatons" or did you alter the phenotype of your PC in some ways?
Or the  Customize Character, by Kamiryn?
That really does ring a bell, I saw that happening, and it's quite an easy fix... but I'm a still a little confused. 
So far I see it as a phenotype, (or racial?) problem. Are you human? No, not you, but... 
More infos? 

Modifié par jmlzemaggo, 04 octobre 2011 - 08:41 .

[henesua]

Are you seeing the horse helmet when you start with a new character? And do you have anything in your override folder?

[Metaldwarf]

Is there any place to actually GET WCOC anymore?

[henesua]

See my link at the top of the thread.

[Metaldwarf]

Y'huh...I mean for people who did not purchase them years ago.

[henesua]

Have you tried those downloads? If not, do so.

[Bannor Bloodfist]

henesua wrote...  <snipped for brevity>

My primary criticism of it is that the ending left much to be desired, and didn't clearly follow from the action. Given the overall high level of polish and that most events in the module naturally progress from one to the next (so as to feel unforced) - the ending was jarring and dissatisfying.

The mod was canceled, then hurriedly reinstated.  The ending suffered quite a bit from that.  There were sections that were removed etc...

However, the entire mod was conceived as a 2 or 3 part mini-series type.  The story continued long after what was displayed in WCoC.  However, since the story was intended to be presented in a 2 to a possible 3 part series, there were lots of "bits" that didn't quite seem to connect in the first of the 3.  The ending was re-scripted to close it all off, but it also left the whole issue open for possible expansion.

In other words, the surgeons knife, cut deep and fast, and some things just didn't get finished or were not intended to be finished in part one.  Ben attempted as well as anyone could, to keep the story together, and to tie off as much as he could.  However, the intention remained the same for the final scene... other than the leading bits for part 2, that were never seen.  It would have made more sense if you had seen the prequel bits as they were initially intended to be seen during that final cutscene.

Ben was/is an excellent writer, and he stood by his guns as much as he could in a game development environment. At the same time, Ben made the story live, and made it actually very enjoyable.  It truly made sense, where a lot of mods are just a bunch of bits thrown together, WCoC as designed by DLA had custom content created specifically to allow that story to be told.  All the tilesets, all the placeables, and all the creatures, were created specifically to tell that tale.

It shows. 

What is sad, is that the rest of the story couldn't be told.  (And no, I have no copies of the rest of it.)  The actual 2nd episode was never given over to us, as it was not yet fully fleshed out. We didn't have the time to worry with that, while attempting to get WCoC part 1 out the door.

There is much good to say about this mod that it is hard to focus on any one thing as a stand out. The custom content still holds up well today, and appeas to be the inspiration for much of the modding that has happened in NWN since. The area design is good over all.

The writing however is what holds it all together in my opinion.

I am positive Ben would love to hear this.  He may even still be visiting the forums under a different nick now.  Too darned bad that Atari/Infrogrames couldn't see the forest for the trees, and decided to kill all the premiums that were under development. 

As to the afor mentioned Horse Hat... yeah, that was a bugger.  Some pc's and vid cards just can NOT handle the way the horses were developed as a tail. 

Having a horse for a hat, can be quite funny at times though... as you duck through a door with a 5ft tall horse on your head.  I think we fixed that particular issue by not allowing a horse inside buildings, but a few may have slipped past the testing phases.  I don't think so though...

What was really fun was the jousting sequences... you, running down the lists with a horse on your head, holding this huge lance out in front... sorta reminded me of Monty Python.

Gah... "Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end...."  Right up until Atari stomped on everything.

Modifié par Bannor Bloodfist, 05 octobre 2011 - 06:15 .

[jmlzemaggo]

Thanks for the story, the explanations, and above all, for the game!

[Metaldwarf]

henesua wrote...

Have you tried those downloads? If not, do so.

I tried them before and it told me that NWN was not found on my pc. I found that funny since it is most assuredly installed.

[TimG]

now is the time to try them again before the chance evaporates

[Metaldwarf]

TimG wrote...

now is the time to try them again before the chance evaporates

Did so, and (surprise surprise) it still tells me that 'nwn cannot be found' so it seems I won't be able to enjoy this module. I would even pay for it and the PoSC before I shelled out money for DA2. (Hinthint bioware)

[TimG]

I am no tech guy but I am pretty sure there's folks here that can get this going for you. It is probably an issue with the installer program not finding the NWN directory or somesuch but one thing is certain and that is that we have a limited window to experience a product not currently for sale.

[jmlzemaggo]

A) I just manually installed the WCC module I got from those new links, and launched it from the premium area on the NWN screen, and it works fine, but I'm on a Mac. 
So, maybe, a manual installation would do...?

Bannor Bloodfist wrote...
As to the afor mentioned Horse Hat... yeah, that was a bugger.  Some pc's and vid cards just can NOT handle the way the horses were developed as a tail.  

I had that "horse as helmet" bug right away (does anyone know if WCC is supposed to start on a horse, as it seems?)
Anyway, it is a phenotype problem, and I fixed it through the:
"PC Customizer, in game : Customize Character, by Kamiryn",
a mod I've always "on" which can be used in game (Tip N°3 in my list in my signature).
by simply choosing a more appropriate phenotype (Current is: Normal_M(3) for now)
Now, I'm also almost certain, phenotypes can be changed by debugging (also in my list, Tip N°31), if one doens't want to use Kamiryn's jewel... for some obsure reasons...  

 The bad news being that stupidiest "online identification system" is still on... 
A pain only for those who actually payed for that premium.

Modifié par jmlzemaggo, 05 octobre 2011 - 11:10 .

[Bannor Bloodfist]

jmlzemaggo wrote...

A) I just manually installed the WCC module I got from those new links, and launched it from the premium area on the NWN screen, and it works fine, but I'm on a Mac. 
So, maybe, a manual installation would do...?

Bannor Bloodfist wrote...
As to the afor mentioned Horse Hat... yeah, that was a bugger.  Some pc's and vid cards just can NOT handle the way the horses were developed as a tail.  

I had that "horse as helmet" bug right away (does anyone know if WCC is supposed to start on a horse, as it seems?)

No, you are not supposed to start on a horse.  But if your PC character that you start the mod with, is a non-standard pheno, that could explain the problem.  As to WCoC starting up with a horse the answer is no, you are supposed to require a bit of training before you can accomplish riding a horse.  So, the first time you get the chance to mount a horse is later in the mod.

Anyway, it is a phenotype problem, and I fixed it through the:
"PC Customizer, in game : Customize Character, by Kamiryn",
a mod I've always "on" which can be used in game (Tip N°3 in my list in my signature).
by simply choosing a more appropriate phenotype (Current is: Normal_M(3) for now)
Now, I'm also almost certain, phenotypes can be changed by debugging (also in my list, Tip N°31), if one doens't want to use Kamiryn's jewel... for some obsure reasons...

The bad news being that stupidiest "online identification system" is still on...
A pain only for those who actually payed for that premium.

Well, you can re-route the search for the nwn master server to your own local pc's IP or just redirect it to 127.0.0.1.  That solution has been mentioned a few times in the "master server down" thread.

[Tchos]

While on the subject of Wyvern Crown of Cormyr, does anyone know if it's possible to find the information Manthis seeks for the Ride Like A Centaur quest? I've been to every location in town and talked to every named NPC, and found nothing.

[jmlzemaggo]

Tchos wrote...

While on the subject of Wyvern Crown of Cormyr, does anyone know if it's possible to find the information Manthis seeks for the Ride Like A Centaur quest? I've been to every location in town and talked to every named NPC, and found nothing.

Unfortunatelly yes.
There is that Lord's mansion near the shopping building where that girl Alice? gives you some quests.
That Lord is the one bad guy. You get the quest from her (Alice) actually, she wants you to find a unicorn that he (the Lord) lost, a quest which is gonna take you to that only priest in town... and so on. 
Let me know if you need more, I might have a (old) save game in this area... 
I love that module. 
Maybe it's just about time to replay it... 

Modifié par jmlzemaggo, 13 octobre 2011 - 07:01 .

[Tchos]

The girl who wants to impress a hunter? I have a white stag quest from her. I was actually thinking it would anger Manthis if I went out and killed it, since he was asking me to put a stop to the killing! I'll try it out.

Edit: Well, no luck.  I have the quest to go out in the forest to find the stag for Jenny Drabb, but it won't let me do it.  When I try to leave town, the only option it gives me (aside from gathering up the horses) is to go directly to Polter's Fort, which is where Manthis is.  So all I can do is tell him I failed.

Modifié par Tchos, 14 octobre 2011 - 03:37 .

[jmlzemaggo]

Alice, not Jenny, that shadowy girl who gives you some quests in that special expensive shop. (The "White Stag" is for much later)
Don't worry, the story holds itself, even if it feels a bit jerky sometimes.
From what you're saying, it seems you've got to do the "unicorn" quest before leaving for the "poltergeist" one.
Again, her name is Alice, almost certain.

[Tchos]

Okay, Alice Broadhand, in the Six Coffers. She offered the unicorn quest you mentioned, and Lacinda just now commented that it sounds like it's connected to Manthis' quest. Thanks! I can proceed from there, I think.