Final post for a while...

If these last few days have seemed like a blitz of action...well, that's because they have been. I've got some decent looking stuff down in preparation for at least a fortnight away from the toolset or NWN2; but before I went, I did get a chance to test-play the majority of the mod up until the Stair with a full party (excluding Char, so it's a total of 7 including the PC). I had a hell of a lot of fun, though obviously it affects gameplay and difficulty!

Anyway, accounting for the rest of the Stair-puzzles will take a while- and the Forlorn Tower, plus polishing off some combat for the 'Tale of Two Gangs' sidequest, perhaps a few mini-quests (I'm thinking of giving Char a 'hitlist' evil or neutral characters can help him complete)..well, I don't want to talk about release dates for the alpha yet. Major concern at the moment is the 'Masked Ball'- I'm torn as to whether to keep it a nice, crowded 'chatting' static event or to horribly complicate things by trying to have actual dancing, probably slowing game speed by who knows what...any good scripters out there have suggestions on the subject?

Cheers,

Nick

Few more shots...

Screenshots-Underground Stair

Bit of work on the Underground Stair and an antagonist cutscene to keep Vaxis in the PC's mind; tomorrow I'm planning to get a decent bit of the Stair done and hopefully some NPC conversation for Trent (that troubled past!) and Crow (tricky, considering she speaks half-gibberish).

Old Gil

When you're at that difficult 2/3 stage of a module...sometimes it's nice to add a dash of impromptu daftness. Old Gil is petitioning Andrey, the aide for Archmancer Vaxis, on account of a borrowed quill. Well...that's my sense of humour for you, I guess.

On a more serious note...

-Banter list added to

-Gaping Maw Cellar created

-Ready to begin on the Underground Stair

There are a thousand and one things to polish and refine in Shadowfall proper but I really do want to push ahead, get a coherent main plot going right up to the climax, and then focus on ironing everything out.

The Underground Stair

Certain slavers, the oldest and wiliest, claim to know of a route for their charges that avoids the rickety cliff elevators from Shadowfall Harbour to the Dregs above, a route that descends deep into the heart of the volcano. But it is a brave man who will venture down into the hidden tunnels of the Underground Stair, where more frightening creatures than drow or duergar are to be found...

The credulous whisper that Shardleish's magic has soaked into the firmament of the mountain, raising monstrous spirits from a prehistoric age, 'Ancestors', who stalk the dark corridors of the Stair. Whatever the truth, no slaver's party that takes the underground route ever comes back with as many as it set out with, and it is a lucky merchant who can count his heads and sigh, contentedly, that he has only lost one life to the depths below...

Crow

I get the feeling Crow may divide anyone who plays Shadowfall. She's the final companion I've created (cause for celebration, surely) and, while many of the others have their own plot sidequests, she's the only one who's tied in to the main plot (but don't worry, the mod can be completed without even meeting her). Basically, without giving too much away, she's a young woman who's undergone a strange and horrible ordeal...and as a result has ended up in the Asylum, where, in spite of her inability to speak sense, her beautiful singing has charmed many a doctor. So basically she's an idiot savant, with a heart of gold, who occasionally speaks remarkable wisdom - she'll be useful if you take Trent as a companion as well.

Winds-of-Vengeance and the Temple of Mask

***SPOILERS***

I'm very excited about Winds; originally he was just an excuse for a cleric companion, and his character was really only filled-in racial hatred for vampires and werewolves (which works into some nice banter involving Trent and Laldrissa, who unite somewhat against a common foe...still, that's relying on the fact that someone out there will want a party consisting of a chaotic good lycanthrope shaman, an evil vampiric noble fighter, and a true neutral, xenophobic priest rather than taking one of the more exotic options).

Then I had the idea of giving him a backstory as someone who knew the PC, though unseen, before the RSE leading into 4th edition. Suddenly I had some quite exciting dialogue on my hands. Plus the man's a cleric of Hoar, so you get some nice proclamations on how divinely ironic everything is.

Anyway, these are the companions as we stand;

Char Duskspinner- Chaotic Neutral Halfling Rogue/Assassin...complete

Septimus Valshar- Neutral Evil Human Sorcerer...complete

Jashemi- Lawful Good Human Paladin

Laldrissa Durmvray- Lawful Evil Undead Fighter

Trent Underbuck- Chaotic Good Shapechanging Spirit Shaman

Winds-of-Vengeance- True Neutral Human Cleric/Ranger

Crow- Neutral Good Human Bard

And, all going to plan, each one will have a decent backstory/dialogue/banter with other companions.

I've got a nice backlog of banter, incidentally, that I've been typing up...sadly, because NWN2 runs on Speaktriggers and I'm not enough of a decent scripter to sort out an alternative arrangement, I'm having to set the conversations off at given, mainstream points, otherwise any players might just miss out on them entirely.

Favourite banter so far?

Char: Um...Jash?
Jashemi: Yes, Char?
Char: I...just wanted you to know that...um...well, I think you're really pretty, and...
Jashemi: Char, darling...would it be any easier for you if I just told you now that I've taken a vow of chastity?
Char: Oh. Yes, actually. Lots.

Ok, spoilers over.