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Originally written by CAJUN:

So when is A4 gonna be released?Is there a date?I don't care if its like A1 or 2 or 3 or even e1 or whatever.I just like playing all of the avernum games.....enjoy it really.

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Quality game design cannot come from oldbies alone. The contest is perhaps a nice incentive to design, but with that having passed, it seems inevitable that BoA will take to the razors and pills- heck, it's been doing that pretty religiously already.

But BoA still has tons of resources. Okay, maybe four of the eighteen third-party scenarios (that amounts to 22%) are by one person, but there are still twelve designers for BoA- and that's an achievement! Considering Jeff's convictions that his games are aimed exclusively at eight-year-olds (and his game design as a result of that), the fact that people with the ability to code have come out in such numbers is remarkable.

And it's not as if BoA is like BoE, where all you have to do is start putting down globs of monsters and you have a scenario. No, far from it- The mere act of making a simple but successful script is challenging, and to my delight, absolutely no-one here used Warrior's Grove! (Or, at least, those who did hadn't used it as their starting town.)

So before I start addressing individual scenarios, let me first congratulate everyone who made one of these things. Sure, I'll go out of my way to bash mediocre scenarios on CSR and the SW ratings table, but I'll also be the first to understand the difficulty of having to pump one of these things out.

I'm going to address the scenarios not by myself or Kel (since his ego really doesn't need any patting) in order of their performance in the contest results. (Or perhaps, if you're Micael / Zxquez / Selentine / Slack, the contest insults.) I am going to say what any good editor would- what your best qualities are, and what I suggest you do to improve where you're lacking. Without further ado…

Backwater Calls- You have a penchant for humor; it shows in virtually every town you write. Furthermore, you are skilled in giving dungeons character! That's not an easy task. Things simple like "a dungeon full of goblins" manage to look good, and they're comparatively not monotonous. My suggestion to you is, in the future, focus more on better characterizations. Demons are a poor villain, and belie your talent and creativity. Your scenario could easily be twice as good if you gave a face to your villain. Play An Apology or Shadow of the Stranger to see what a villain with a face looks like. Congratulations.

Druids of Krell- Wow! I still love what you do aesthetically in this one. The treetop was pretty genius. Also, you have a way of making cutscenes that have minimal talking and are well-done to boot. You are one of the most competent coders for BoA thusfar. Your scenario deserved a higher place than it got. Your good guys are all well-done and very believable (apart from the obligatory and heavily unfortunate Vahnatai reference). It's a shame that Oakleaf, the protagonist of the story, didn't have a convincing villain to match- although admittedly, the scenery of Klortis' Castle was very oppressing. The scenery alone helped realize your bad guy, which was a pretty neat effect. I would just watch out for this in the future- I doubt you'll catch lightning in a bottle again. Your worst problem in this scenario is your combat- there's not a lot, which is much better than could be expected. Other scenarios have shown how torturous repeated fighting can become (including the first-place finisher), so not falling for this obvious klunker is a testament to your ability. On the other hand, it's all simple, and most of it is monotonous. I would (re)play Canopy or Areni to get a good idea of how combat can be interesting and/or unique repeatedly. Congratulations.

Cave of No Return- A blast from the past. Clearly, comedy seems to be your forté. I also respect the level at which you're able to make a dungeon crawl. In fact, it's also very well balanced as you go further in. It's bug-free, and the pacing is the same as you go further down. Alas, this is a recipe that is used quite often; I would look at virtually any Blades of Exile scenario rated 9.0 or above to see what kind of scenarios other people are writing. Your scenario writing skills are clearly there, but the execution is a bit stagnant by comparison. You've got talent; I'd suggest making another foray into design with a different design, you too will notice your success at something new.

A Large Rebellion- What to say? You clearly have skill with noding, and your dungeons are almost always interestingly imagined. Your english, considering your age and nationality, is great- though I would also have an english-speaker proofread what you write, since there are some english expressions you botch from time to time. Characters act logically, and you have a mildly gonzo setup for your plot. Unfortunately, your plot is gonzo in the sense that it is difficult to follow. More beta-testing would significantly improve this scenario. Keep at it, playing other scenarios for BoE and BoA, and you should be able to realize your potential.

Cresent Valley- It's a very standard adventure, but I would just reduce the sexual content or make it sensical. Naming characters "Jock Strap" is frowned upon. It is surprisingly refreshing, though, to see a scenario whose completion requires no combat whatsoever! Your idea with the seduction of the party is also not bad, although could be expounded upon. You have lots of detail in this scenario, but it's too bad that most of it isn't more easily noticed.

Xerch'de- It has the neat idea of the vote, and the plotline splits mid-way through. It's very short, but it's competently noded, has decent dialogue, and an easy to understand story. It's a good effort, save for its length. Scenarios that take a little longer to beat will be preferable in the future.

Undead Valley- It is clear that you have lots of energy to invest in Blades of Avernum, which makes me wish that you would spend more time playing BoA and (more importantly) BoE. Your creativity is large, which makes it more unfortunate that you can't harness it particularly well. If I were you, I'd reccomend using your own characters and using your creativity in making encounters more interesting than walls filled with undead. And please, for the love of god, don't make another Maze. You're better than that and everyone knows it.

Nephil Mystery- You certainly designed a decent-looking valley, and some of your encounters are unique, but I can't really think of anything in your scenario that is particularly unique. If I were you, I would prioritize on originality and reducing combat. Again, your coding skills certainly are formidable- it's merely a shame that this plot has to be the medium through which they are displayed.

Congratulations to all of the entrants- and apologies that all most of you will be getting is just a SW game for your efforts.

(And if anyone wants to speak with me about anything I failed to cover here, feel free to IM me. TerrorsMartyr, as always.)

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