Profile for The Creator
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Displayed name | The Creator |
| Member number | 112 |
| Title | BoE Posse |
| Postcount | 1423 |
| Homepage | |
| Registered | Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
Recent posts
Pages
| Author | Recent posts |
|---|---|
| Lord Of the Rings Graphics? Anyone? in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Thursday, April 15 2004 18:33
Profile
No one's going to do it, because this scenario will never be finished. LotR scenarios never are. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Lord Of the Rings Graphics? Anyone? in Blades of Avernum | |
|
BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Thursday, April 15 2004 18:33
Profile
No one's going to do it, because this scenario will never be finished. LotR scenarios never are. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Tell of your favorite plot twist in a game *spoiler* in General | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Thursday, April 15 2004 06:22
Profile
Entering Polito's office in System Shock 2, by a mile. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Article - Hey! What did you do that for? in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
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written Thursday, April 15 2004 06:19
Profile
A lot of emphasis is placed on the role of story in scenario design these days. But for a story to be good, it has to make sense. For a story to make sense, every event needs to have a clear cause. If Character A goes and kills Character B, he needs to have some reason to do it. And since the vast majority of story beats come from the decisions and actions of characters, that's what I'm going to focus on. It is vitally important to carefully think through the actions of every character in your story. every action they make should not just be motivated - it should be the best reaction to that motivation for that character. So, if Character B robs Character A's home, Character A now has a reason to kill Character B. But is that the best reaction to his motive? Why doesn't he call the guards or something instead? He's going to get in a bunch of trouble when a corpse is found in his home. Well, maybe he's got a terrible temper, and doesn't think about that until too late. Maybe he's always hated Character B and now sees an opportunity to gat him with a clear conscience. That's all good. But these simple questions MUST be answered for every action of every character for the scenario to make sense. It's truly amazing how many don't, even among the better works out there. It's basic stuff, but I really feel the need to hammer this in. 1. Every action is a reaction to some event or situation. Every action needs a cause. 2. Every cause should naturally lead to it's effect, and that effect should be the cause of the next effect. A story is a domino stack. When one action happens, that causes another, which causes another, and on and on it goes until the end of the scenario. Let's try these principles out in practice. Let's apply them to, say, Echoes: Assault. Cause: The Illithids attack your Fort. Effect: You defend it. Cause: You defend your Fort. Effect: The Illithids send in bigger guns. Cause: The Illithids send in bigger guns. Effect: Your Fort is overrun. Cause: Your Fort is overrun. Effect: You retreat. See? So far everything's going great. The dominos are toppling. And they continue to do so, until... Cause: You escape the Illithids and reach Fort Sparrowshaft... and they won't let you in. Effect: You blast the gates in, slaughter everyone in the fort, and set BOTH sides of the war against you. Now, what we have here is a domino falling against a stone wall and knocking it over. The effect is far too big for the cause. It's pretty obvious that this isn't the most natural reaction to that cause. Trying to convince them to let you in or trying to find a place that would makes a lot more sense. I HIGHLY recommend going through your story in the shoes of each character. Each time something happens to that character or each time his situation changes, think how that makes him feel, and think how he would react - keeping in mind that he doesn't know everything. If the answer isn't the same as what happens in your scenario, you have a problem. -------------------- I feel like there's something left to be said on the subject, but I'm not sure what. [ Thursday, April 15, 2004 06:20: Message edited by: The Creator ] -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Article - Hey! What did you do that for? in Blades of Avernum | |
|
BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Thursday, April 15 2004 06:19
Profile
A lot of emphasis is placed on the role of story in scenario design these days. But for a story to be good, it has to make sense. For a story to make sense, every event needs to have a clear cause. If Character A goes and kills Character B, he needs to have some reason to do it. And since the vast majority of story beats come from the decisions and actions of characters, that's what I'm going to focus on. It is vitally important to carefully think through the actions of every character in your story. every action they make should not just be motivated - it should be the best reaction to that motivation for that character. So, if Character B robs Character A's home, Character A now has a reason to kill Character B. But is that the best reaction to his motive? Why doesn't he call the guards or something instead? He's going to get in a bunch of trouble when a corpse is found in his home. Well, maybe he's got a terrible temper, and doesn't think about that until too late. Maybe he's always hated Character B and now sees an opportunity to gat him with a clear conscience. That's all good. But these simple questions MUST be answered for every action of every character for the scenario to make sense. It's truly amazing how many don't, even among the better works out there. It's basic stuff, but I really feel the need to hammer this in. 1. Every action is a reaction to some event or situation. Every action needs a cause. 2. Every cause should naturally lead to it's effect, and that effect should be the cause of the next effect. A story is a domino stack. When one action happens, that causes another, which causes another, and on and on it goes until the end of the scenario. Let's try these principles out in practice. Let's apply them to, say, Echoes: Assault. Cause: The Illithids attack your Fort. Effect: You defend it. Cause: You defend your Fort. Effect: The Illithids send in bigger guns. Cause: The Illithids send in bigger guns. Effect: Your Fort is overrun. Cause: Your Fort is overrun. Effect: You retreat. See? So far everything's going great. The dominos are toppling. And they continue to do so, until... Cause: You escape the Illithids and reach Fort Sparrowshaft... and they won't let you in. Effect: You blast the gates in, slaughter everyone in the fort, and set BOTH sides of the war against you. Now, what we have here is a domino falling against a stone wall and knocking it over. The effect is far too big for the cause. It's pretty obvious that this isn't the most natural reaction to that cause. Trying to convince them to let you in or trying to find a place that would makes a lot more sense. I HIGHLY recommend going through your story in the shoes of each character. Each time something happens to that character or each time his situation changes, think how that makes him feel, and think how he would react - keeping in mind that he doesn't know everything. If the answer isn't the same as what happens in your scenario, you have a problem. -------------------- I feel like there's something left to be said on the subject, but I'm not sure what. [ Thursday, April 15, 2004 06:20: Message edited by: The Creator ] -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Sissy teleporting punks in Blades of Avernum | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Thursday, April 15 2004 04:16
Profile
I don't particularly mind it, but it does get a bit overused. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Article - Designing Quality Towns in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
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written Thursday, April 15 2004 04:04
Profile
There is one town in Deadly Goblins. It does more than just house the local "Bob" (Dasen) and provide shops - there is an attack on it by the goblins that does (to my mind) an excellent job of introducing them as villains. All the NPCs add atmosphere and provide info about the threat they're facing. Well, most of them. Some of the guards are just there for laughs. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Article - Designing Quality Towns in Blades of Avernum | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Thursday, April 15 2004 04:04
Profile
There is one town in Deadly Goblins. It does more than just house the local "Bob" (Dasen) and provide shops - there is an attack on it by the goblins that does (to my mind) an excellent job of introducing them as villains. All the NPCs add atmosphere and provide info about the threat they're facing. Well, most of them. Some of the guards are just there for laughs. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| 1 Character Party with 4 People In in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Wednesday, April 14 2004 17:01
Profile
It is possible to count the number of PCs. I did it in BoE years ago. It should be even more possible in BoA. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| 1 Character Party with 4 People In in Blades of Avernum | |
|
BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Wednesday, April 14 2004 17:01
Profile
It is possible to count the number of PCs. I did it in BoE years ago. It should be even more possible in BoA. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Use of NPCs in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
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written Wednesday, April 14 2004 00:51
Profile
See my 'Bob' article. You can do just about anything with an NPC. It's up to you to decide what. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Use of NPCs in Blades of Avernum | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Wednesday, April 14 2004 00:51
Profile
See my 'Bob' article. You can do just about anything with an NPC. It's up to you to decide what. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Article - Good Bad Guys in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
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written Wednesday, April 14 2004 00:49
Profile
Eh... not really. You travel back in time and prevent the event that made him become a bad guy. Like I said, change of heart in a villain is really tough to do right. You need your bad guy to not only be convincing as a bad guy, but to have a convincing 'conversion'. I wish you luck. To beta test, basically you post here, get people to volunteer and email it to them individually. They (hopefully) email you bug reports and artistic comments, which you fix. You can then get them to go through it again or release as is. Keep in mind that it's not unusual to have dodgy beta-testers. I recommend not sending it out for beta until you think it's good enough to release to the public. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Article - Good Bad Guys in Blades of Avernum | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Wednesday, April 14 2004 00:49
Profile
Eh... not really. You travel back in time and prevent the event that made him become a bad guy. Like I said, change of heart in a villain is really tough to do right. You need your bad guy to not only be convincing as a bad guy, but to have a convincing 'conversion'. I wish you luck. To beta test, basically you post here, get people to volunteer and email it to them individually. They (hopefully) email you bug reports and artistic comments, which you fix. You can then get them to go through it again or release as is. Keep in mind that it's not unusual to have dodgy beta-testers. I recommend not sending it out for beta until you think it's good enough to release to the public. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Article - Good Bad Guys in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Tuesday, April 13 2004 17:39
Profile
I've hardly ever seen it used. Probably because it's very, very hard to do it well. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Article - Good Bad Guys in Blades of Avernum | |
|
BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Tuesday, April 13 2004 17:39
Profile
I've hardly ever seen it used. Probably because it's very, very hard to do it well. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Article - Good Bad Guys in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
|
BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Tuesday, April 13 2004 17:00
Profile
Okay, so you're going to make a scenario. Presumably you're going to have a villian. This guy will be one of the most important characters in your scenario - after all, it's usually the villian who sets the action going in the first place. The function of the villain is generally two-fold. First, he gives the scenario focus. "The bad guys" is a pretty vague entity. Usually there's hundreds of them, and you couldn't care less about them either way even when you're fighting them. Having a central villain gives the player someone to hate and someone to chase. Second, he provides the party with a "silver bullet". Usually, once the villain is dead, that's the end of the road. His underlings can't do anything without him. This of course means that the biggest fight is the last, and your scenario finishes with a nice bang. If you think you can fill these dramatic needs without a villain character, you're welcome to try. For the rest of us, here's what it takes to make a villain good. First off, you have to see him. It's very easy to have a villain who sits off in his tower and who you never see until it's time to kill him. However, the best you can hope for with a villain like this is that he'll be okay. He can never be great. This presents a bit of a problem for scenario designers. After all, if the villain gets close enough to talk to the party or be seen by them, why can't they just kill him there and then? Unfortunately, it's up to you to answer that question. There is no fix-all solution. In my scenario Revenge, you can kill the Nightmare Guardian as many times as you like - it just comes back. In Tomorrow, the Wickerman pops in and out at will, throwing obstacles in your way and taunting you as he does so. In Spears, Nath flees the battle if it looks like he's going to lose. Perhaps you could make a scenario where the villain is some kind of psychic - telepathically watching your progress and speaking to you as you go. However you solve this problem, solve it you must or your villain will be given no opportunity to be anything more than a bunch of statistics and an evil laugh. Once you've found a way to get the villain close enough to talk, you then have to decide what they say. Some hardly say a thing at all - their actions speak loud enough (Cornell, for example). Others are very chatty - the Wickerman loves to taunt and sing. But whatever you do, please, please avoid Shakespearean Monologue Syndrome. Any point where a villain says more than a couple of lines at a go is usually bad (though there are exceptions). First, because it's just plain stupid. Say you're fighting someone - you aren't going to stop and wait for him to finish speaking, you're going to keep fighting him! He should keep any comments short and sweet so he can focus on the important things, like not dying. Secondly, when players see a big lot of text, their eyes kind of glaze over. They have to get their minds into reading mode and digest all the stuff in front of them. It breaks the flow. If you keep it very short, that text has gone through their eyes straight to their brain before they've even thought about it. Instant impact. Of course, maybe you think your scenario doesn't need an excellent villain. After all, Selene in Falling Stars was nothing special, but that scenario did fine. The Leaving has no villain at all, and it's still a good scenario. And maybe you're right. It does depend on your scenario. But if you're going to put a lot of focus on one bad guy, make sure he's a good one. -------- Ball's in your court, Drake. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Article - Good Bad Guys in Blades of Avernum | |
|
BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Tuesday, April 13 2004 17:00
Profile
Okay, so you're going to make a scenario. Presumably you're going to have a villian. This guy will be one of the most important characters in your scenario - after all, it's usually the villian who sets the action going in the first place. The function of the villain is generally two-fold. First, he gives the scenario focus. "The bad guys" is a pretty vague entity. Usually there's hundreds of them, and you couldn't care less about them either way even when you're fighting them. Having a central villain gives the player someone to hate and someone to chase. Second, he provides the party with a "silver bullet". Usually, once the villain is dead, that's the end of the road. His underlings can't do anything without him. This of course means that the biggest fight is the last, and your scenario finishes with a nice bang. If you think you can fill these dramatic needs without a villain character, you're welcome to try. For the rest of us, here's what it takes to make a villain good. First off, you have to see him. It's very easy to have a villain who sits off in his tower and who you never see until it's time to kill him. However, the best you can hope for with a villain like this is that he'll be okay. He can never be great. This presents a bit of a problem for scenario designers. After all, if the villain gets close enough to talk to the party or be seen by them, why can't they just kill him there and then? Unfortunately, it's up to you to answer that question. There is no fix-all solution. In my scenario Revenge, you can kill the Nightmare Guardian as many times as you like - it just comes back. In Tomorrow, the Wickerman pops in and out at will, throwing obstacles in your way and taunting you as he does so. In Spears, Nath flees the battle if it looks like he's going to lose. Perhaps you could make a scenario where the villain is some kind of psychic - telepathically watching your progress and speaking to you as you go. However you solve this problem, solve it you must or your villain will be given no opportunity to be anything more than a bunch of statistics and an evil laugh. Once you've found a way to get the villain close enough to talk, you then have to decide what they say. Some hardly say a thing at all - their actions speak loud enough (Cornell, for example). Others are very chatty - the Wickerman loves to taunt and sing. But whatever you do, please, please avoid Shakespearean Monologue Syndrome. Any point where a villain says more than a couple of lines at a go is usually bad (though there are exceptions). First, because it's just plain stupid. Say you're fighting someone - you aren't going to stop and wait for him to finish speaking, you're going to keep fighting him! He should keep any comments short and sweet so he can focus on the important things, like not dying. Secondly, when players see a big lot of text, their eyes kind of glaze over. They have to get their minds into reading mode and digest all the stuff in front of them. It breaks the flow. If you keep it very short, that text has gone through their eyes straight to their brain before they've even thought about it. Instant impact. Of course, maybe you think your scenario doesn't need an excellent villain. After all, Selene in Falling Stars was nothing special, but that scenario did fine. The Leaving has no villain at all, and it's still a good scenario. And maybe you're right. It does depend on your scenario. But if you're going to put a lot of focus on one bad guy, make sure he's a good one. -------- Ball's in your court, Drake. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Making a Resources Page on the Avernum Site in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
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written Tuesday, April 13 2004 14:33
Profile
http://www.personal.psu.edu/staff/b/x/bxb11/boa/louvre/ The Louvre. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| Making a Resources Page on the Avernum Site in Blades of Avernum | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Tuesday, April 13 2004 14:33
Profile
http://www.personal.psu.edu/staff/b/x/bxb11/boa/louvre/ The Louvre. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| 1 Character Party with 4 People In in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
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written Tuesday, April 13 2004 00:49
Profile
Exactly how important is race, sex and name, given that nearly every player will have played many, many different combinations? If I have a male slith called Joe (why not?) in one scenario and a female Nephil called Frank in another (my choice, remember?), is it really going hurt my playing experience that much if I get asked to play a young human male apprentice mage called Jonah? I really don't think so. In Blades, there are so many scenarios and opportunities to create your own characters that one or two scenarios that ask the player to step inside a pre-established one really don't hurt. I find it very telling that not one person who has actually played BoE has raised the complaints you have. Besides, in Quintessence, the plot simply would not have worked if the genders of the two principals were switched. To allow for choice in PC gender would require essentially two different scenarios. If you want to be a slith, the love story would be truly bizarre unless everyone else were sliths as well. Another scenario, with no real difference. And another one for Nephilim. Name? Well, I suppose you could have called him whatever you wanted, but it would mean that your beloved would never be able to call you by name. Is all of this worth it, just so you can choose name, race and gender yourself? Also, I cannot think of a single scenario in BoE that uses a pre-made party that would be better without it - but I can think of two that don't and would be better with it (Redemption and Brotherhood of the Hand). [ Tuesday, April 13, 2004 00:54: Message edited by: The Creator ] -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| 1 Character Party with 4 People In in Blades of Avernum | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Tuesday, April 13 2004 00:49
Profile
Exactly how important is race, sex and name, given that nearly every player will have played many, many different combinations? If I have a male slith called Joe (why not?) in one scenario and a female Nephil called Frank in another (my choice, remember?), is it really going hurt my playing experience that much if I get asked to play a young human male apprentice mage called Jonah? I really don't think so. In Blades, there are so many scenarios and opportunities to create your own characters that one or two scenarios that ask the player to step inside a pre-established one really don't hurt. I find it very telling that not one person who has actually played BoE has raised the complaints you have. Besides, in Quintessence, the plot simply would not have worked if the genders of the two principals were switched. To allow for choice in PC gender would require essentially two different scenarios. If you want to be a slith, the love story would be truly bizarre unless everyone else were sliths as well. Another scenario, with no real difference. And another one for Nephilim. Name? Well, I suppose you could have called him whatever you wanted, but it would mean that your beloved would never be able to call you by name. Is all of this worth it, just so you can choose name, race and gender yourself? Also, I cannot think of a single scenario in BoE that uses a pre-made party that would be better without it - but I can think of two that don't and would be better with it (Redemption and Brotherhood of the Hand). [ Tuesday, April 13, 2004 00:54: Message edited by: The Creator ] -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| 1 Character Party with 4 People In in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
|
BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Monday, April 12 2004 21:28
Profile
quote:Having a woman save a man from being raped just isn't the same. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| 1 Character Party with 4 People In in Blades of Avernum | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Monday, April 12 2004 21:28
Profile
quote:Having a woman save a man from being raped just isn't the same. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |
| 1 Character Party with 4 People In in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
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BoE Posse
Member # 112
|
written Monday, April 12 2004 17:02
Profile
There is another solution, and it's one that gets quite a bit of use in BoE. Premade party. See Election, Emulations, Quintessence, Echoes: Assault, Zankozzie's Big Mistake, and Chains. They only use one-PC parties, but there's no reason you couldn't get them to have more than that. -------------------- Rate my scenarios! Areni Revenge To Live in Fear Deadly Goblins Ugantan Nightmare Isle of Boredom Posts: 1423 | Registered: Sunday, October 7 2001 07:00 |