Profile for Drakefyre
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Displayed name | Drakefyre |
| Member number | 7 |
| Title | Triad Mage |
| Postcount | 9436 |
| Homepage | http://www.sitemouse.com/users/drakefyre/index.html |
| Registered | Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
Recent posts
Pages
| Author | Recent posts |
|---|---|
| Difficulty in making scenarios? in Blades of Avernum | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Monday, April 5 2004 14:40
Profile
Homepage
It's a lot of work, but the payoff is well worth it. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Calls that we wish existed in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Monday, April 5 2004 14:32
Profile
Homepage
For creature AI scripts - several calls that would be able to control where the creature moves, get the next move of the creature, tell it to acquire a next move randomly, etc. It's possible now, but only with horrible, horrible workarounds. Also, the ability to block a space only to one character or group. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Calls that we wish existed in Blades of Avernum | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Monday, April 5 2004 14:32
Profile
Homepage
For creature AI scripts - several calls that would be able to control where the creature moves, get the next move of the creature, tell it to acquire a next move randomly, etc. It's possible now, but only with horrible, horrible workarounds. Also, the ability to block a space only to one character or group. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| special items in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Monday, April 5 2004 14:25
Profile
Homepage
No it doesn't - you can call a state upon monster death. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| special items in Blades of Avernum | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Monday, April 5 2004 14:25
Profile
Homepage
No it doesn't - you can call a state upon monster death. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Unwanted lines in custom graphics in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Monday, April 5 2004 01:50
Profile
Homepage
Well, that might be a little hard if you don't have available webspace. If you email them to me (drakey@voicenet.com), I can either post them or just tell you what's wrong. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Unwanted lines in custom graphics in Blades of Avernum | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Monday, April 5 2004 01:50
Profile
Homepage
Well, that might be a little hard if you don't have available webspace. If you email them to me (drakey@voicenet.com), I can either post them or just tell you what's wrong. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Unwanted lines in custom graphics in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Monday, April 5 2004 01:24
Profile
Homepage
Post your graphics so we can see what they look like. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Unwanted lines in custom graphics in Blades of Avernum | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Monday, April 5 2004 01:24
Profile
Homepage
Post your graphics so we can see what they look like. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| special items in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Monday, April 5 2004 00:16
Profile
Homepage
Well, you'd have to give it to the party in a script. Generally, putting special items in crates and barrels is a bad idea because they can be pushed around, which would mean that your special node would sometimes be on a space without the crate. Using a chest or some sort of terrain would be better. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| special items in Blades of Avernum | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Monday, April 5 2004 00:16
Profile
Homepage
Well, you'd have to give it to the party in a script. Generally, putting special items in crates and barrels is a bad idea because they can be pushed around, which would mean that your special node would sometimes be on a space without the crate. Using a chest or some sort of terrain would be better. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Goblins in Blades of Avernum | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Monday, April 5 2004 00:12
Profile
Homepage
There's Martha, the friendly ogre from Port Townsend in Avernum 3. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Calls that we wish existed in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Sunday, April 4 2004 16:38
Profile
Homepage
Using Preview in 10.3, you can search through the PDFs easily to find calls. It's invaluable. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Calls that we wish existed in Blades of Avernum | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Sunday, April 4 2004 16:38
Profile
Homepage
Using Preview in 10.3, you can search through the PDFs easily to find calls. It's invaluable. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Post yer monster scripts here in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Sunday, April 4 2004 16:32
Profile
Homepage
Well, it's not hard to fake the not operator with excessive use of DeMorgan's laws. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Post yer monster scripts here in Blades of Avernum | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Sunday, April 4 2004 16:32
Profile
Homepage
Well, it's not hard to fake the not operator with excessive use of DeMorgan's laws. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Goblins in Blades of Avernum | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Sunday, April 4 2004 08:43
Profile
Homepage
No, still just the three base races. The idea was proposed by a number of people but not implemented. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| scenario criticism in Blades of Avernum | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Sunday, April 4 2004 08:42
Profile
Homepage
We're not rating Blades of Avernum scenarios against Blades of Exile scenarios - we're judging them based on their own merits and then placing that into a rating system. If we never get anything better than A Small Rebellion, does that mean that it should be a 10? It would still only be an 8.3 in my book. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| I have a little problem.. in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Sunday, April 4 2004 08:30
Profile
Homepage
If your scenario is called lostboys.bas, create a text file called lostboysdata.txt and write this: And after the import line, you can edit the steel plate mail. I suggest reading section 2.7 of the editor documentation. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| I have a little problem.. in Blades of Avernum | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Sunday, April 4 2004 08:30
Profile
Homepage
If your scenario is called lostboys.bas, create a text file called lostboysdata.txt and write this: And after the import line, you can edit the steel plate mail. I suggest reading section 2.7 of the editor documentation. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Goblins in Blades of Avernum | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Sunday, April 4 2004 07:13
Profile
Homepage
Then again, nobody every gives a goblin the benefit of the doubt - they just go straight in for the kill. It's reasonable to assume that there are a few reclusive friendly goblins. -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Article - Why? in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Sunday, April 4 2004 03:32
Profile
Homepage
Article - Why? For every prospective scenario designer, the most important question that they can ask themselves is 'Why?' At every step in the scenario design process, the author needs to question his/her work, the plot, and everything in-between. Answering the questions will lead to a cohesive scenario that makes sense and is fun to play. The aspects of the scenario that are most important to question are its general premise, town and dungeon design, and the environment in which the scenario takes place. All of this can be done before you even touch the editor, during the paper and pencil stage of design. The questions will help you refine your ideas and root out the bad ones. A scenario with good answers to all of the following questions will be a solid one, at least with regards to plot. Why is the party in this scenario? One of the most overused and least fulfilling answers is that they're adventurers or soldiers that heard of a mission or were dispatched to a faraway province to deal with a problem. It's always important to let the party know who they are when they enter the scenario, or somewhere in the readme or first town. The best scenarios will also take the party's identity into account when they decide how much impact on the world the party will have. A small group of soldiers will not win a war, but they can take down small fortresses, steal important items, et cetera. It's certainly possible that the party's side will still lose, despite the efforts of the party to prevent it. Why is this event, etc., taking place in this location? The actual answer to this question is not very important, as long as it's addressed. Why were the monsters attacking Valorim in Avernum 3? If they could secure a continent, they'd have a base from which they could launch subsequent attacks against the Empire. If you can justify the events taking place in the scenario without resorting to overused clichés, then you're doing a good job. A similar question is ... Why is/are the baddie(s) doing whatever it is they're doing? What's their motive? Why is the evil wizard attacking the nearby town? What can he get out of it? If the answer is simply 'because he's evil', it's back to the drawing board for you. Using a hackneyed plot and motive will almost guarantee a lot of negative feedback from players. Among the other overused justifications is 'he was possessed by demons' (but why do the demons want to attack the town? Just because they're demons?). When you're creating a justification, keep it realistic and make sure that you take into account the party's importance. Would a group of novice adventurers be able to take on the Impenetrable Lair of Lord Evilmancy? Try to create a baddie with the same power, or a little more, than the party, especially if it's out in some remote location. Why does your scenario have wandering monsters? Most areas of the Empire have eliminated all nonhumans completely, and the Empire will not tolerate banditry. Valleys are some of the most dangerous places to be in Blades of Exile, and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Why does the party win? What does the party have or do to overcome the baddies and win the scenario? All of this should be planned out beforehand, and it should all make sense. If a powerful wizard helps you break into the Impenetrable Lair of Lord Evilmancy, why are you needed in the first place? Couldn't he just take on Lord Evilmancy himself? If Lord Evilmancy knows the mark of his magic, why would the wizard hire you? Surely there are better and more experienced adventurers out there. You need to come up with an idea of progression through the scenario so that each step along the road to victory holds water. Why is this particular town/dungeon here? What does every town and every dungeon add to the plot or atmosphere of the scenario? If your scenario takes place in a remote mining town, there should be mines, ore storage rooms, miner barracks, ledgers and records, and so on. How does each town make money and survive? Also, is the town included in the scenario for a reason, or does it just exist to hold people and make the world bigger? Dungeons should be subject to the same scrutiny. Why is there a lair of ogres in the middle of Province XYZ? Does it make sense? Does it add to the plot? Why are there goblins and sliths in the same dungeon? If you can refine your town and dungeon ideas before you start writing your scenario, you'll have a much better chance of finishing, especially with BoA's town and outdoors editor. ==== As a player, if every scenario answered these questions well, I'd be extremely happy. As a designer, I've tried to think through my scenario ideas with an extremely critical player or beta-tester in mind. The closer everything is scrutinized, the better off the final product will be. Just diving in with a loose idea of a plot is something that may be good for getting experience with the editor, but when you finish (if you finish), it's very unlikely that you'll come out with something good. -- Drakefyre -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Article - Why? in Blades of Avernum | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Sunday, April 4 2004 03:32
Profile
Homepage
Article - Why? For every prospective scenario designer, the most important question that they can ask themselves is 'Why?' At every step in the scenario design process, the author needs to question his/her work, the plot, and everything in-between. Answering the questions will lead to a cohesive scenario that makes sense and is fun to play. The aspects of the scenario that are most important to question are its general premise, town and dungeon design, and the environment in which the scenario takes place. All of this can be done before you even touch the editor, during the paper and pencil stage of design. The questions will help you refine your ideas and root out the bad ones. A scenario with good answers to all of the following questions will be a solid one, at least with regards to plot. Why is the party in this scenario? One of the most overused and least fulfilling answers is that they're adventurers or soldiers that heard of a mission or were dispatched to a faraway province to deal with a problem. It's always important to let the party know who they are when they enter the scenario, or somewhere in the readme or first town. The best scenarios will also take the party's identity into account when they decide how much impact on the world the party will have. A small group of soldiers will not win a war, but they can take down small fortresses, steal important items, et cetera. It's certainly possible that the party's side will still lose, despite the efforts of the party to prevent it. Why is this event, etc., taking place in this location? The actual answer to this question is not very important, as long as it's addressed. Why were the monsters attacking Valorim in Avernum 3? If they could secure a continent, they'd have a base from which they could launch subsequent attacks against the Empire. If you can justify the events taking place in the scenario without resorting to overused clichés, then you're doing a good job. A similar question is ... Why is/are the baddie(s) doing whatever it is they're doing? What's their motive? Why is the evil wizard attacking the nearby town? What can he get out of it? If the answer is simply 'because he's evil', it's back to the drawing board for you. Using a hackneyed plot and motive will almost guarantee a lot of negative feedback from players. Among the other overused justifications is 'he was possessed by demons' (but why do the demons want to attack the town? Just because they're demons?). When you're creating a justification, keep it realistic and make sure that you take into account the party's importance. Would a group of novice adventurers be able to take on the Impenetrable Lair of Lord Evilmancy? Try to create a baddie with the same power, or a little more, than the party, especially if it's out in some remote location. Why does your scenario have wandering monsters? Most areas of the Empire have eliminated all nonhumans completely, and the Empire will not tolerate banditry. Valleys are some of the most dangerous places to be in Blades of Exile, and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Why does the party win? What does the party have or do to overcome the baddies and win the scenario? All of this should be planned out beforehand, and it should all make sense. If a powerful wizard helps you break into the Impenetrable Lair of Lord Evilmancy, why are you needed in the first place? Couldn't he just take on Lord Evilmancy himself? If Lord Evilmancy knows the mark of his magic, why would the wizard hire you? Surely there are better and more experienced adventurers out there. You need to come up with an idea of progression through the scenario so that each step along the road to victory holds water. Why is this particular town/dungeon here? What does every town and every dungeon add to the plot or atmosphere of the scenario? If your scenario takes place in a remote mining town, there should be mines, ore storage rooms, miner barracks, ledgers and records, and so on. How does each town make money and survive? Also, is the town included in the scenario for a reason, or does it just exist to hold people and make the world bigger? Dungeons should be subject to the same scrutiny. Why is there a lair of ogres in the middle of Province XYZ? Does it make sense? Does it add to the plot? Why are there goblins and sliths in the same dungeon? If you can refine your town and dungeon ideas before you start writing your scenario, you'll have a much better chance of finishing, especially with BoA's town and outdoors editor. ==== As a player, if every scenario answered these questions well, I'd be extremely happy. As a designer, I've tried to think through my scenario ideas with an extremely critical player or beta-tester in mind. The closer everything is scrutinized, the better off the final product will be. Just diving in with a loose idea of a plot is something that may be good for getting experience with the editor, but when you finish (if you finish), it's very unlikely that you'll come out with something good. -- Drakefyre -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Post yer monster scripts here in Blades of Avernum Editor | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Sunday, April 4 2004 02:43
Profile
Homepage
Very nice work, despite the fact that you misspelled 'voodoo'. I was planning on doing some of this (like the bodyguards and an adapted magekiller script), but you've beaten me to it. Now I'll have to work on something that you won't get to for a while. I'm thinking of working on a creature script that binds a monster to a certain type of terrain (ie fish in the water, birds in the sky, etc.). -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
| Post yer monster scripts here in Blades of Avernum | |
|
Triad Mage
Member # 7
|
written Sunday, April 4 2004 02:43
Profile
Homepage
Very nice work, despite the fact that you misspelled 'voodoo'. I was planning on doing some of this (like the bodyguards and an adapted magekiller script), but you've beaten me to it. Now I'll have to work on something that you won't get to for a while. I'm thinking of working on a creature script that binds a monster to a certain type of terrain (ie fish in the water, birds in the sky, etc.). -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |