[Release] The Black Scourge of Candle Cove - adventure module

[Tchos]

Announcing patch 1.3, and new full package uploaded

 

I've released patch version 1.3 for The Black Scourge of Candle Cove, and the accumulated patches are now significant enough to warrant a new file with the full package, all patches included. However, I've also uploaded a file with just the changes, for anyone who already has version 1.0 whether patched or not, and would rather not download the whole thing again. Patch 1.3 is cumulative, containing all fixes thus far. You do not need previous patches.

You do not need to reinstall or restart the module if you are installing the patch, nor do you need to restart the module if you're installing the full package. All changes will take effect in a game in progress.

Changes in version 1.3
This is a substantial patch, fixing numerous reported issues and adding some little extra things.

• Fixed beginning door being destroyable.
• Fixed smith opening leather shop.
• Added line to remove party effects before entering the oversea map, to prevent Enlarge Person from causing unwanted effects.
• Reduced weight of diving gear to prevent encumbrance.
• Fixed extra diving gear bug on salvage dive.
• Mostly fixed wardrobe malfunction in cave.
• Ensured lighthouse keepers don't remain on the island when the dialogue says they've returned to mainland.
• Edited captive conversation to remove unwanted conditions.
• Ensured player would not encounter non-hostile boss before intended.
• Edited rift conversation to make sure fade-to-black doesn't cover up dialogue box.
• Added wastebaskets in most shops and a couple of places outside.
• Reduced essence drop rate on elementals to make it easier to find the boss' loot quickly.
• Added special loot to Bosun Fiercejaw.
• Removed a couple of barricades that were interfering with battle tactics.
• Changed method of checking whether an area is safe to leave a companion in.

Notes:

• For the diving transitions (both entering and exiting the water), try not to skip through the dialogue too quickly. Give it at least two seconds before hitting "continue".
• If you find a phantom piece of gear in your inventory that doesn't act normally, move another inventory item on top of it, and it should disappear.

[Tchos]

I've just started your module. (It looks great)

I haven't got any companions yet, but I talked to Jane Paschal in the starting pub & she told me to visit Vivian, near the gate. Is Vivian's place "The witches cottage"? If so am I meant to be able to enter the cottage? I get a click sound as if the door is opening, but nothing else. examining the door says there is nothing special about it. Should I just go fishing & forget about Vivian?

 

Greetings, Olnorton. I'm glad to see you're trying out the campaign. Jane Paschal is there to allow you to activate the Halloween expansion content, if you have that expansion installed (it's a separate download). I thought I had it set so that her dialogue would only be activated if you had that expansion installed, but I'm guessing that you don't if that door isn't leading anywhere. Is that the case?

 

No, I haven't got the expansion installed. I wouldn't have worried about it, only it was the first thing I tried to do. I'll move on & have a look around, thanks for the quick reply (and for the module)

 

And thank you very much for reporting that situation, as I certainly didn't intend to leave you hanging like that. I'll work out how to correct it as soon as possible for future players. I'm sorry to say that the Halloween expansion did not receive the rigorous testing of the main module since I was pressed to get it out in time for Halloween of last year, but the reports of those testers of the main campaign, like yours for the Halloween content, should ensure that you don't encounter any bugs of that kind while playing the main campaign. If you do, of course, please report them, and I'll find a way to get you through it promptly.

 

Hi Olnotron. In case the first thing you tried to do was a bug and spooked you, don't worry. This module is one of the best polished and bug free out there .

 

Well I just finished it & your right, it is one of the best.

 

Not being picky, but in case you haven't noticed Tchos, the side of Vainamoinen's store is about a foot off the ground.

 

I appreciate the compliments.

 

I had noticed the elevated shop (there's also a tree in town that's floating), but over the course of making the mod, the docks area became harder and harder to open in the toolset without crashing, and ultimately reached the point where I could no longer open it at all. I can fix or change almost anything in an area through scripting, but terrain elevation is one of the few things that can't be scripted. However, I'll see if there's something I can spawn into that space to fill in the gap.

 

Thanks again! And if you're so inclined, keep a saved game on hand so you can continue with new adventures in the next quest expansion I put out for this campaign. The new content will work with saved games when the expansion is installed, as it does for the Halloween content.

 

Ha, so not like Skyrim, where you can just grab the terrain with the mouse & drag it up to meet the building then.

 

Actually, it is just like Skyrim with the terrain sculpting, but I just can't do it in this particular area anymore because it crashes whenever I try to open it in the toolset. Not to worry, though -- I've made a suitable foundation placeable to put under it, and I've got the script in to spawn it where it needs to be, so that'll be in the next patch. While I'm at it, I'm also fixing the floating tree by spawning a planter at its base, and spawning a few large cinderblocks under the corner of another house that I see is slightly out of the ground.

 

I've also worked out a correction for Jane Paschal, so she won't say anything if you don't have the expansion installed. That'll be in the next patch, too.

 

Tchos, the area I have, which also doesn't open, I forgot to tell you that as of late I can actually open it. I don't know why, but perhaps opening it after a PC restart and while no other programs are running is the trick. That way I was able to add lights and change that blacksmith to my area.

 

an absolutely pristine MyDocs/NwN2 helps also (+module ofc)

 

Just wondering: does exporting it and reimporting it clean the area files? Assuming it's in directory mode, does moving it to an empty module allow opening it again?

 

That was a strategy I used for a while, but eventually that stopped working, too. It was a gradual process over the course of a year or so. When the crashing started, it was occasional. Later I could only open it when the toolset was freshly opened. Then only when no other programs were open. Then only when it was a fresh reboot. Then only when it was a fresh reboot and I used a process killer (Gboost) to shut down all unnecessary background programs. Then all of the above except with all of the toolset's viewing options turned off, the resolution set low, and the viewing window made as small as possible. After that, nothing would help, and I got tired of trying.

 

During the last few times I was able to open it, I took note of the tags of important items, and gave unique tags to things I thought I might use later, so I could access them by script, but there were many things I didn't check, and that's when I wrote scripts to find that information for me, so I could select them anyway.

 

I had tried reducing the number of objects in the area to save it, and converted many things to environmental objects, and even tried reducing the size of the area itself, but the smaller area actually crashed more, so I stuck with the larger one.

 

I also had exported the area as an ERF and tried editing it in a fresh module, but it didn't help. The fresh module had to be attached to the campaign, of course, because there are many custom placeables that the area uses, which are campaign resources.

 

That said, I do have an earlier version of the area saved as an ERF that I can import and which doesn't crash most of the time, which I can use to check the positions of objects for precise spawning locations.

 

My assumption is that the area crashing is a memory issue, and it would open if I had more RAM, but my 32-bit OS can't access any more RAM, so I'm stuck until I get a new computer. But in the meantime, I can do almost anything I need to do in the area with scripting.

[Tchos]

Hey,

 

First off the module is just great, a bit hard on some encounters but a great mod nonetheless. The story the areas and that i am able to make my own party. But..

 

Its seams im at a dead end or i just dont have an idea of what to do next here.I am at the underwater temple area where there are 2 big locked gates that it seams i dont have the key for one of them, even though i am pretty sure i have cleared all the monsters and still nothing.

There is indeed a bag on the floor in which i suppose it may be a key but i can not interact whit that bag...

Here are a couple screenshots :

http://postimg.org/image/6p903kuxz/

http://postimg.org/image/h70piol7h/

 

I'll bet that bag has the key, indeed. It would have been found on the body of one of the kuo-toa priests, who were near that spot (at the top of the ziggurat). Since you killed the priest and should rightfully have the key at that point, you can give it to yourself with the console.

 

 

Open the console, then type:

debugmode 1

giveitem key_kuo_toa

debugmode 0

And close the console.

 

 

You can set companions to automatically pick up items from the ground without any mod. There's a good chance it was part of the Tony K AI that was added in later patches.

 

Good to know. I'll have to try it next time I see that behaviour occur.

[Edit] It works! Any time a loot bag spawns in an inaccessible location, in any module, setting a companion's behaviour to automatically pick up loot solves the problem.

 

Bug?

 

 

Jane Paschal in the Bare Gypsy Inn marked the witch's cottage in my map, but I cannot enter.

 

And another one: I can get Malvado's reward several times if I don't choose the responses marked as "truth" or "lie".

 

 

Also... is it normal for Thalrissa to make cat sounds whenever I click on her, or is it due to a voiceset mod I'm using?

 

It's definitely not normal for Thalrissa to make cat sounds. Can you try it without the mod? She uses a standard voice set, and I didn't make any alterations to anything that I can think of that would affect selection bark sounds.

 

I'll check and fix that reward repeating bug.

 

As for Jane's directions, have you installed the Halloween expansion? In the current release Jane offers the player the option of activating the Halloween content whether or not the expansion is installed, and if it's not installed, the door will not work. I have a patched version that prevents her from talking to the PC if the expansion is not installed, but I haven't released it yet because I'm working on some more content to include with the next patch first.

 

Ahh, I had missed the Halloween expansion. I'll download it; thanks for clarifying.

 

The cat thing seems to be related to the mod, yes; I wasn't aware that it'd replace some of the existing voices. Interestingly, my main character was using one of custom (or hidden) ones, and he kept it even after removing the mod.

 

Missing quest item.

 

 

I seem to be missing Aino's spine. I have killed everything and opened every box/container in the temple and I can't find the spine.

 

I could have just missed, but everything is dead, including the water elementals and the portal is closed, and I have searched all over the place and no spine...

 

 

 

I managed to find all the body parts, so it's certainly there somewhere.

 

I did the quest just a few days ago, so I can confirm what Dann said.

 

 

I don't remember where the spine is exactly, but all the items are in the same temple area.

 

 

But I did it backwards. I cleaned out the level, picked everything up and then went back and talked to the quest giver, at which point nothing registered as being found.

 

Then I tried dropping one item and it registered, then after a save/load, the other items registered, but the missing one.

 

I am wondering if there might have been a trigger depending on having the quest first.

 

Either way I don't have it, and I have been through everything, with a fine tooth comb.

 

I am looking for some kind of solution, item code, etc...

 

I can't give you a code, but I checked where to find it, as I had a save in the area.

 

 

The kuo-toa whip who dropped the key dropped the spine as well. He's by the main altar, up the stairs at the end of the area.

 

 

Thanks. I don't think there is any conceivable way I could have missed it then, it must not be there if you don't talk to the quest giver first...

 

Since you were able to enter the

plateau area, and since the key to enter that area was in the same inventory as the spine, it can't have been a matter of not finding it. There was one condition which could have destroyed the spine, but it was meant only to happen if the player refuses the quest or otherwise fails it, which would be reflected in the quest journal. Since that wasn't the case, I'll have to look for what might have happened in the code, but for now, the item code is "qu_aino2".

 

I'm assuming there are no sparklies of items on the ground that you can't pick up? If there are, then you can tell a companion to pick them up.

 

 

In response to a report in the other thread about the value of the loot from the sahuagin, I looked into it in more detail, and I found that the probabilities were being compounded so that the items were dropping more often than I intended. I've reduced the probabilities, and while I was at it I also lowered the value of some items and reduced the power and value of the crossbow. These changes will be in the next release.

 

The fact that the monetary reward given by the questgivers is smaller than what you acquired in the dungeons was intended, but not by quite so much. The quest rewards and the loot from dungeons, in both XP and gold value, were meant to add up to a more or less consistent and appropriate value in proportion to the challenge, with some variance allowed for random drops.

 

Regarding those items drops: I guess I'm biased because I'm not a great fan of random loot, but why not eliminate the randomness and simply give one of each?

 

As for their power, well... I'd argue that they're not that powerful. A spear, a crossbow and a suit of leather armour? Not the best base items, to put it mildly, so making their enchantments a little stronger isn't necessarily bad or unbalanced.

 

I have been considering making those items drop once only. I suppose it would solve the problem, since I do want the players to get at least 1, and the random element is served well enough by the rest of their lower-value loot tables.

 

I only reduced the enchantment of the crossbow by 1 because it was a very high magic item, despite that crossbows don't benefit quite so much from it. The main issue at hand wasn't the strength per se, but how the enchantments added an excessive gold value to them, mainly when dropped in the unintended quantities.

 

I found my missing item!

 

 

It was in the corner of the brick at the top of the pyramid so it was hard to see initially. If it was on the same guard, as the key to the plateau of elementals, then I don't know how I possibly got one without the other. This drop had the spine and nothing else.

http://i.imgur.com/zga8IVq.jpg?1

 

 

 

 

In my current module I'm using a 'loot pool', which is a chest in an inaccessible tile in an indoor area. Certain creatures have an OnDeath script that randomly selects one item from the loot pool, duplicates it to their inventory, and destroys the original. That way unique items remain unique, however you never know what creature might drop them. It also means that if I want to add new unique drops to the module, all I have to do is put a copy of them in the chest.

 

Certain plot-related creatures are using that OnDeath script, as well as elite versions of creatures in overland encounters. That way only powerful creatures drop powerful unique items, preventing the sword-fodder from dropping anything untoward (unless the game's random loot generation happens to do its thing).

 

Here's the script:

 

 

// gb_loot_pool

//

// OnDeath script to draw from a pool of unique items

 

void main()

{

object oPool = GetObjectByTag("LOOT_POOL");

int i = 0;

object oCountItem = GetFirstItemInInventory(oPool);

 

while (GetIsObjectValid(oCountItem))// Count the items left in the pool

{

i++;

oCountItem = GetNextItemInInventory(oPool);

}

 

if (i == 0) return;// Abort if loot pool is empty

 

int iRnd = Random(i)+1;// Choose a random item from the pool

i = 0;

 

oCountItem = GetFirstItemInInventory(oPool);

 

while (GetIsObjectValid(oCountItem))

{

i++;

if (i == iRnd)

{

CopyItem(oCountItem, OBJECT_SELF, TRUE);

DestroyObject(oCountItem, 0.1);

break;

}

oCountItem = GetNextItemInInventory(oPool);

}

 

}

 

 

 

Seems like a pretty elegant solution, and an efficient and useful-looking script. Thank you.

 

Since I'm using the SoZ loot system already, I had the option to use their own solution, where I'd just need to set 2 additional variables on the blueprints of the creatures to tell them to only drop the special loot once -- as in yours, it could be dropped by any of the monsters that have those variables. However, it would only be appropriate for this small set of creatures to drop this particular loot, and if the drop chance is too low, a player might kill them all and not get any of it. Instead I can just select one particular instance to drop one piece of the loot, and the same for the other loot types, to ensure that one of each special loot drops once.

 

The creature spawning system I wrote, which spawns creatures at waypoints as most do, also includes the option to put variables on any particular spawning waypoint that adds inventory to the creature it spawns, so what I'll do in this case is to just add that variables to put the loot on specific sahuagin.

 

The sword-fodder you mention will never drop anything untoward in this set, since I control the loot tables at a creature-by-creature level. That's why certain loot is only randomly dropped by specific types of the same creatures. Each creature has two loot tables with different probabilities for each table.

[Tchos]

Tchos,

 

I'm in the middle of playing your mod (raving comments to come later when I finish, but I'll say this: you are an excellent area designer sir).

 

Anyway, platitudes aside, I really like this touch on the doors, and was wondering how you did it?

 

 

I opened your mod up in the toolset to see if I could find anything obvious that makes that floating text appear over the door, but I couldn't. I notice you use some CSL scripts. Are they doing this? I love this touch and would like to add it to my campaign.

 

My appreciation for the compliment, and I'm glad to hear you want to add that kind of detail to your module. It's simply a matter of changing the name of the object. That is what will be displayed when you hover the mouse over it. Other matters, such as the descriptions of what you see, hear, or perhaps smell about the place you're about to enter are in the signs as their object descriptions, and I also encourage the adding of useful descriptions to any object that can be touched or used in some way, so that the player has some reasonable idea of what might happen if they touch it. (I've played more than one module where "using" a usable object was assumed to mean using it in such a way that it caused some major damage.)

 

I consider the naming of the doors to be important, because it tells the player which doors lead to an area transition, rather than a simple door that opens and closes in the same area.

 

Well said. It can be a bit off putting to click on some horrendously sinister looking item only to be told, "there is nothing special about this object." Really? Because most doors do not continually emit glowing vapors.

 

i removed that line from the .Tlk -- just blanked it. best mod evar.

 

I suppose that's more productive than my usual action, which is to mutter "Yes, there bloody well is!"

 

Thanks Tchos. I kept fiddling with the Description thinking that was what did it. Just adjusted a door Name and bingo, it worked. I really like that, especially when wandering around a new town I'm unfamiliar with. Of course one can always figure out where they're going with the overhead map, but I prefer, at times, to just walk, and mouse-over the doors as I go by.

 

Item description... yeah, working on that. First time I'd really seen it used a lot was in Harp & Chrysanthemum. I opened up his areas as well, and figured out that you had to set an object's default interaction to "Examine" in order to get it to work. I really liked his use of that quite a bit, and intend to add that as well where appropriate.

 

And yeah, I agree on the latter point... Descriptions are good.

 

I've tried, as much as possible in the prologue, to warn the player ahead of time if I thought something was going to be an issue. But I didn't understand the examine/description mechanism at the time. I'll be going through the prologue areas and adding some in. The prologue has to be re-touched anyway, since I've figured out a bunch of better ways to handle certain things, like CreateIPSpeaker...

 

Very cool. Thanks again.

 

You don't have to set the default to Examine, as the player can right-click and choose Examine from the context menu (as you would in the case I mentioned above when it's a usable item that you're meant to manipulate, but you want to check the description to see what it does before committing to that action), but I appreciate when modders do set the default to Examine, when examining it is the only thing you can do with it.

 

There's a fight in the module that has stumped a few people as to how they're supposed to beat it, and my answer to them is always to look around for usable objects, and read their descriptions.

 

Yeah, I've seen that from comments on the Nexus. I had to ping someone to make sure I wasn't missing anything. I wasn't, but I had other difficulties.

 

I like encounters like that, where there are usable objects that influence the fight.

 

 

Vampire encounter, right? The four usable objects weren't what got me, but his regen. I had him down to what I thought was zero, and kept pounding and nothing happened. He wouldn't die. I thought there was something else to the fight I was missing. Gave it a rest for a couple days and came back to it. Made sure to have my bard sing defense, time some buffs a bit different, and then had my cleric go balls to the wall on healing spells against him at the end. Just overcoming the regen was the hard part. the cleric healing him (thus harming him) was the biggest key.

 

 

Yes, that's the one.

[spoiler regarding an encounter in the module]

 

But it's just the standard vampiric regeneration that all vampires have, part of the stock vampire blueprint. He is a vampire ancient, though, not a plain vampire, so he has more HP than usual.

 

[Tchos]

Something I toyed with in my last mod and will do with this one is to use this naming method for people, I copy the description of the person, or a precy thereof, to the name section of the blueprint then use the change name script on the first line of dialog. When the payer hover the mouse over the npc they will see "This odd looking man stands on the corner picking his nose". After he/she first speaks to the man the name changes to Bob (no offence to any Bobs out there )

 

I like but it does not work for monsters as the name change never happens and the screen gets cluttered with descriptions during combat.

PJ

 

I prefer to put information like that in the dialogue itself, personally, like in Planescape: Torment, where the first dialogue node was a description of the person and what they're doing before you actually begin the interaction, giving you a chance to change your mind about talking to them. I like the idea of having the name change after you interact with them, but I'd prefer something briefer than a description of what the man is doing.

 

Well not a full description but I find it more natural and immersive for the initial description to capture 'what stands out.' Why would I choose to speak with this npc vs interrupting some random passersby? If I spot a single person in full plate amidst a group of normally dressed citizens, not much else needs to be added. A skill check isn't always appropriate but I like to reward the player for actually looking at the scene and identifying "which of these things is not like the others."

 

I keep the description brief. I think it is useful to make an npc stand out to be spoken to?

PJ

 

Yes, of course. There are many valid ways of approaching that particular issue of signaling to the player which NPCs have something important to say. I eschewed immersion and chose a more game-like approach with the floating iconic graphical indicators, as is my own preference.

 

That's a really good way to do it i.m.o. It was only laziness that stopped me following that lead in Salt and lose ends.

 

I managed to script myself a method that used red green and yellow ball vfx to show quest status. No I think of it I will use it to show there is a new quest on the notice board in Leilon. I think you posted your vfx did you not?

PJ

 

Not separately, but it's a folder in the campaign folder that can be copied fairly easily. Outside of that folder, there are a few custom include files that contain useful functions to activate and change the indicators, as well as a few conversation ga_ scripts I wrote to support them. I wrote 3 or 4 different approaches for the system over the course of development, but I made sure not to break any of the earlier versions when I wrote new ones, so they all work and can be used as the situation warrants. Look them over, and if you have any questions about their use, let me know. They're documented in detail.

 

Also, all of the quest template systems I wrote (gathering quests, kill quests, object activation quests, etc.) have built-in support for my quest indicators. My goal was to write systems that made it as effortless as possible to implement any of the recognised categories of quests, with all the bells and whistles like causing effects, actions, delays, and text and sound feedback updates in the process. I have most of them working in the campaign. Others (like "activate an inventory item targeting an object" and "activate an inventory item within a certain range of a marker) are working but I don't think they're yet in the latest release.

[Tchos]

Downloaded and installed this mod last night. Got almost no playing done. Spent at least a half hour marveling at the attention to detail and beautifully done areas.

 

Tchos made some great areas.

I spent the first hour making my party...

 

Finished this last night (well, 2 am ).

Great fun, no bugs. Got lots of ideas while playing.

 

LOL. Glad to have inspired something.

 

Yep, same here. I'm close to being finished with TBSOCC. Every time I load it up to play, I leave with new ideas.

 

Your docks area really inspired me to fix the blandness of the Scornubel docks in my campaign; something I'd never been happy with, but after yesterday's building session, man... so much happier. I'll be posting screens. I particularly liked your use of a "lower" dock area with ladders to get down. That was crafty and helped break the area up. I'm a big fan of vertical diversity.

 

It seemed to me that a sensible town wouldn't have built its actual town area right down onto the water level, considering the much higher rise of water caused by occasional storm surge, far beyond normal tides. At the real harbours and docks I've visited, there have always been multiple levels, with ramps and ladders to get to them. I was happy with the way the ladders worked, though I could have made it so that only one side would be usable at any time -- the side you're closest to. I think I decided against it because it might have gotten stuck on the wrong side if the player teleported off of the docks after using the ladder to get down there, but I could have put in a proximity sensor as a failsafe. The stairs down to the dock, for certain, would not have needed to be a usable object if I were doing it today. It would have simply been a walkable ramp. It was an early area, and when I got the walkmesh working well enough, I left it alone from then on, though eventually I was forced to anyway, since I could no longer open the area and ended up making all future changes to it by script.

 

There should be more interesting ideas in my next release. I'm working on a procedural generation system, for one thing, and I'll have a more "puzzles, tricks, & traps" orientation for later dungeons, along with the same kind of spectacle and detail I try to work into them to satisfy the sense of exploration.