Final Post before completion

Hello all...

I just wanted to let you know that this will be my final post this month.

The next time I post I will be uploading my completed Mod.

This should be around the 1st of April.

I am nearly done... and am just going into the final stretch, thus I will be working on my mod rather than reading/writing posts.

When I post my beta version I will post a change log as well as some general tips on doing major modifications.

Here is a list of things I have finished now:

1) I have fixed about 30+ spells that NPCs could not previously cast

2) I have fixed 25+ wands that did not previously work

3) I have fixed multiple potions that did not work

4) I have fixed several reputations that did not trigger

5) I have fixed 100+ small bugs and typos in various item/npc/spell scripts

6) I now have NPCs pre-buffing with defensive spells

7) NPCs now use potions/wands/scrolls

8) NPCs now use Break Free when trapped in webs

9) The range of spells that NPCs now use is about 5 times what it was before. NPCs will use a wide variety of spells now and not just the same old stuff over and over again.

10) I have upgraded the AI and I believe this is a massive improvement
10 - a) NPCs will not cast helpful spells on enemies/hurtful spells on allies
10 - b) NPCs will make better spell choices
10 - c) NPCs will make better use of skills and abilities
10 - d) NPCs will have more emphasis on offensive spells
10 - e) NPC spell casters will try to ignore incapacitated targets

11) I have added new quests

12) I have added new encounters with dialog

13) I have added new sub-plots

14) I have added new traps

15) I have re-vamped the way experience for disarming/setting off traps works

16) I have created several new items/monsters/npcs

17) I have upgraded many overly easy combat situations

18) I have re-done the Feats for many NPCs that simply had the wrong feats for their class

Plus I have done a lot of little stuff that I simply have forgotten about doing...

Once I post the mod I will then concentrate on fixing anything that doesn't quite work as intended...

I have done a lot of testing, but I am only one person and I am sure I have missed some things.

Anyway, when next I return it will be to post my beta version...

- Livonya

 

You are awesome! Check your private messages, by the way.

 

Good gracious ... lots of stuff to include in the next release. What about an easter egg or two?

I thought about creating a lawful good magician: Hazbro, the Wizard of the Coast. He is supposed to appear everytime you try to kill one of the kids and - after giving you a sermon about moral values in D&D games etc. - revives the kid, and fries the whole party. Harhar.

 

And don't forget about him showing up at the brothel to chastise you for being there, as well...

 

April 1st huh. hmmmm... Your not going to pull an April Fools joke on everyone are you. I hope not because I would really like to try out this mod. Thanks in advance to all your hard work you have done. This game is awsome just needs some TLC.

 

thats fantastic Liv im looking foward to trying it out im sure the game will be better than ever now with all your hard work added to it.

thanks

 

Hm, Hasbro the Wizard of the Coast, Terrible Scorcher of Roleplayers (TSR for short), master of Duck and Dodge (D&D) tactics. Imagine a scene - St. Cuthbert appears to chastise Iuz, and suddenly Hasbro comes to the scene, saying, "Hey, Cuthie, don't ye know the 1d20 rule - "one dupes twenty", leave Iuz here be. He's only a demigod, but this is his homeplane, whereas it ain't yours and you are supposed to have a sense of your portfolio as per page 147 of the holy book of rules, so don't mess with Iuz's portfolio, and besides he is only here to help a demon lady in distress, who was actually a deity when Gary wrote her but then we whacked Gary, so now she is not, and anyway since this was written by teh Circle of Eight who are not here and should not be here at all, it does not really matter."

 

I'd bet a platinum piece "child killer" is one of the new reputations Livonya was talking about.

 

Hahaahha.... I am breaking my statement about not posting again as this was too funny...

I was actually going to add child killer as a new reputation, but as it turns out if you kill a child you already get the Butcher of Hommlet reputation so it seemed silly to add a redundent reputation... but yeah, it absolutely went through my mind!

As a side note, on Friday night I discovered some code that Troika never finished that was relating to a prestige class... I assume since prestige class didn't make it in the game they never finished this quest... or they may have taken it out due to Hasbro as the code is for very, very evil people.

In any event the quest/sub-plot was never finished, and could not be triggered in game, even though many of the elements were in place and the dialog was written. I finished the codding, and made it possible to complete... originally you would get a prestige class as reward, but since that isn't possible I turned it into a reputation...

so there are now 3 new reputations available in game... child killer not being one of them...

- Livonya

PS: I am still on track for a release on Friday or Saturday of this week. I just have a few more things to finish up. I added a new sub-plot over the weekend, fixed a few more things, and wrote a ton of new dialog.

Last night I spent about 4 hours just fighting battles. The new AI is awesome, and I really enjoy the combat now. Hopefully it won't be too hard, I often get my ass kicked, though my test party doesn't have any good equipment... a real play through will be different as parties will have much better equipment.

 

This weekend, I got this weird paranoid vibe and decided to collect up all the online material about TOEE in case it ever disappears. In one of the developer diaries or (I believe, actually) in an online interview, Tim [can I call him Tim, OK I will -- I'm speaking of Tim Cain of course] stated that prestige classes WERE in the game, until the switch to 3.5

Just a bit o' trivia.

-- dulcaoin

 

D -

That is interesting. I tired to get the prestige class to trigger... but I didn't ever see any effect... so I just switched it to a reputation. It would be cool if we could get prestige classes to work, but I can't remember how they work exactly... it would take 10 seconds to switch it back to prestige class if we could figure out how to get that to work...

- Livonya

 

Here's a better reference...

The entire chat log can be found here: http://www.atari.com/toee/cain_chat.php

And the relevant quote is:

-- dulcaoin

 

Sounds great.

I just recenty decided to replay ToEE, and I am glad I happened upon this place. Your work will be appreciated by me as I too was disapointed at the ease of the game, and the numerous screwups. I plan to hold off playing it until you release this. I'm so bored out of my mind I can't wait.

Thanks!