Campaign Size

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I'm currently designing my NWN campaign and I'm thinking of sth really...big. I want the characters to go from Cormyr to Waterdeep, from the Moonshae Isles to Chult then Anauroch and Rashemen and even more. Now, do you think this would be a realistic and interesting adventure or am I exaggerating a bit trying to squeeze all of Faerun into one campaign?

 

Hmm, depends how you do it. Each screen will be 32 tiles x 32 tiles. Around 100 screens/area IIRC. ALFA is covering the Moonshaes to the Moonsea on 120 servers. Each chunk of Faerun is enough for say a small city + some hinterland.
Now, if you do it BG2 SOA style, with one adventure taking place in one area, then the party 'moves' to another location missing out the boring bits you can cover a big area. Trying to fill in the whole thing yourself would probably take a lifetime!

 

IF you, I, and NWN are still around 50 years from now, I'll play it.

 

I'm not crazy enough - yet - to create all of the in-between areas. I'll do it more BG2 style, just a bit looser. For example the characters will move from the Moonshaes to Calimport by ship. During the journey they may have to fight pirates or sea-dwellers but nothing really important. I'm not going to recreate every inch of Faerun. Just some major areas.

Btw, in my example of Moonshaes-Calimport, do you think I should allow the players to travel back and forth - sth that would in reality take weeks at a time- or limit them to a particular large area?

 

Well, the thing I most loathe about CRPGs like the BG series is the massive time/space compression that occurs. Its really up to you whether you want to include the travel. As long as you make it take a reasonable amount of time, I don't see a problem either way.

One large area lets you put more detail and more interwoven storylines in place. The larger area lets you do more "different" things. Its a matter of style, ultimately.

Aloha
Vormaerin

 

Good news from the BioBoffins - ships will be in. The bad news, they are static, as in BG series. Sooo, you can show them in port A and port B and maybe do a ship-ship enconter in mid ocean, but they won't move as such.
Ditto for waggons.

 

I also heard that static ships will be in but maybe they will include moving water. Even if they don't, however, I think we'll still be allowed to create an area only with water tiles; so there will be only the illusion of sailing. Speaking of tilesets, do you guys think they'll release additional sets soon enough. I'd really like to see some jungle or oriental city or sth.

 

The only problem that I see with doing a campaign over that size of an area, is how to tie all the areas into one cohesive story line. It could be done, but all the areas mentioned do not have a lot in common, so putting them all in one story may be a bit hard. I prefer to use smaller areas and lots of Plot twists that keep the characters involved in the area. This allows for more detailed developement of an area, and for more NPC developement. (ie: You only have to create the base city once, with the NPC's. The players would return after their adventures and then set out on the next part. The NPC's would become familiar to you and them, and in essence be the DM's Player Characters.

[This message has been edited by Baldak Oakfist (edited October 21, 2001).]

 

You're designing a campaign for a game that isn't going to be out for another half year?!?

Why shouldn't you make your campaigns very big, and if it doesn't fit on your computer anymore you can make a portal to another campaign. (or so I've heard). Which also allows you to play with much more then 64 players at one time.

[This message has been edited by Silverblade (edited October 21, 2001).]

 

Well, I'm actually thinking of this as a single player campaign. Of course, from what I've read, there's not much distinction between multi- and single- player modes in the game but still I imagine it more of a personal experience. That's why I want to create a whole world on its own not connected with different servers. What I could do is to have the campaign made up of seperate modules, which is a solution I'm pretty much considering.

Secondly, Silverblade, if I want to create sth really detailed and fun to play I think I'm already a bit late. I want it to be a more role-play oriented experience with in-depth NPCs and rich locations, not just hack & slash. That's why I've started planning it ahead of time.

 

Ahh indepthness, most intreaging, where will you keep your world?, what programming skills do you have?, or will the game come with its own stuff so you can tell it what to do, you know place and tell, like put a monster encounter there and make them hostile, or friendly...er friendly trolls, thats it yeah!.

please tell, as i wish to hold my own area to.

 

Just to give you an idea of what I want to create here's a sketch of how I'd like my campaign to be structured:

Module 1: The characters start somewhere in the Dales and then are introduced to a plot (I don't want to reveal any story).They have to travel to Sembia, then Cormyr and finally Waterdeep trying to discover what is really going on. From here on they can proceed to any of the following 10 modules in any order they wish.

M. 2:The High Forest and the Silver Marches.
M. 3:Anauroch.
M. 4:The Moonshae Isles and then Calimshan.
M. 5:Chult and Tashalan jungles.
M. 6:The Great Rift and parts of Shaar.
M. 7: Dragon Coast and the Vilholn Reach.
M. 8:Chessenta
M. 9:Unther and probably Aglarond.
M.10:Thay and Rashemen.
M.11:Vaasa and the Great Glacier.

M.12:After all modules are completed the final face off takes place at the Moonsea area.

Some of you may have no idea where these places are but if you got the FR map you'll see what I mean.

P.S. Snorri, I am planning to post each module on the net if they are not too much of a download - and if I ever complete this of course. Plus, I have some basic programming skills but I think the toolset will be *too* easy to use so I'll have no problem.

[This message has been edited by Lady of the Lake (edited October 22, 2001).]

 

Well thought out, but why do you want the characters to start of in the dales?.
I have started a proggramming course, which may help me, i do not know all faith lies in the hands of the Bio Team.

I when i get my server will lend a hand if you need it, ALFA watch out

 

Hehehe, I'm with you Tal:

Erran gazes into the scrying ball, NWN has shipped, and SP is THE place to download modules, scripts, new monsters, skins... aah it's clouding over again, and I didn't have chance to check the date!

 

Ah, so they will have skins for the Avatars and monsters to download, i knew it!.

Snorri Sympethyses for the loss of Errans reception on his crystal ball

[This message has been edited by Snorri (edited October 22, 2001).]

 

See, Erran, you should have been a wizard and not a bard.

 

OK. I got 3 major questions that came up.

1. City Design
There are basically two ways of designing a city. Which one do you prefer?
a)The detailed way, where you recreate every alley of the city but large areas have nothing for the players to interact with. The good thing is the realistic feeling this offers. Imagine walking into Calimport, having to navigate through the narrow streets, feeling lost and everything. The bad thing is it gets boring at some point plus it's more tiring for me to make .
b)Only some major areas are created but these places are full of interesting NPCs and quests - BG2 style in Athkatla.
Again using Calimport as an example the 1st way would need like 100 32*32 tile areas while the second only 17-18 - one for each ward.

2.Modules
From what you know, will someone be able to jump to a different module without having completed the previous one? i.e. I create modules A and B. While playing A the characters decide to visit a small town in B. But, when in town, they are confronted with a great challenge that they want to leave for later. Can they go back to A and return after a while?

3.Transportation
I'd like to use realistic means of travel most of the time but it might take the characters months to go from place to place. What would you think of a portal system that would be used only in some cases? The PCs will still have to get a ship or walk sometimes but for longer distances they could just complete a quest for a mage and have him teleport them afterwards. Or maybe there will be a gate room in Waterdeep with portals to take them to some major areas but then they're on their own. Would this look kinda *cheap* or is it OK?

Thanks.

Plus, Snorri, I finally decide to start over in Eveningstar, Cormyr so no Dales. And thanks for the offer; when the game actually ships - yeah, like that's gonna happen any time soon - I'll let you know if I need anything.

 

Ok fair maiden of the Lake, i will be here.
You seem to have things planned out very well, the type of city i would make would be the one with the most interaction with the NPCs, save stunning scenery for the countryside.