Undead Valley BEING TESTED

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AuthorTopic: Undead Valley BEING TESTED
Agent
Member # 4506
Profile Homepage #0
Guys (and Girls),

Undead Valley Testing version 9.0 is being tested. There are many changes to version 9.0 from version 8.0

*Hundreds of bugs fixed
*NEW ending
*Hidden City weapons less powerful, but with abilities
*Hidden Cty harder to get to
*NEW Identifier added (Gomlaka the Sorceror)
*A town from another scenario on the way: "THE MAZE" is guarding the HIDDEN CITY!
*cut-scenes slowed down
*ALL HIDDEN CITY items work now
*All three quests can be completed!
*and a few other things I've forgotten

Undead Valley's come a long way from version 1, which was absolute ****. Hopefully you'll enjoy playing it as much as I did creating it.

TESTERS : You should have received your email by now with it in it! (If for any reason you didn't, just let me know!

I hope that it will be out soon!

- Archmagi Micael

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"You dare Trifle with Avernum?" ~ Erika the Archmage
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My Scenarios:
Undead Valley : A small Undead problem, what could possibly go wrong?
--------------------
Richard Black - PROOF of his existance (the Infernal one's website).
--------------------
MY FORUM! Randomosity at it's highest! :)
Posts: 1370 | Registered: Thursday, June 10 2004 07:00
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Profile #1
Hey I don't know if you got my email or not, but the link to the UV file didn't work. Can you send me the actual zip file? Thanks.

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Beware the Were-Rabbit!
Posts: 45 | Registered: Tuesday, September 21 2004 07:00
BANNED
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Profile Homepage #2
It works. You have to copy and paste the link, though.

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Posts: 6936 | Registered: Tuesday, September 18 2001 07:00
Apprentice
Member # 5005
Profile #3
Thanks, it's all working now.
Ok, first little bug: there's that secret passage way a little southeast from th first bridge you cross. When you reach the end of the passage way (the route that takes you farthest south), it comes up "o4 Error: Unmatched left paranthesis in line 51." Might want to check that out, esp. because I played 8.0 and know where this passage is supposed to lead.

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Beware the Were-Rabbit!
Posts: 45 | Registered: Tuesday, September 21 2004 07:00
Infiltrator
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Feel free to use the Beta Testing Center. :)

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Visit the Blades of Avernum Center
and the Beta Testing Center

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"Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." Colossians 2:6-9
Posts: 483 | Registered: Tuesday, June 29 2004 07:00
Apprentice
Member # 5005
Profile #5
Ok another thing.
Besides the fact that the first cutscene with Renhtar Irhno (forigve my poor spelling) is a little too long (the "hmm" for about 3 minutes, etc.), most of the dialogue doesn't even show up. Fragments of the sentences they say pop up, not all of it.

Alright, making my way through. The Persistent Players town is cute, but way too tempting for a party to be overpowerful and overly wealthy. Also, as I'm going through your Maze, I pop back outside of the tunnel and it says "maze Error: Wrong number/type of parameters, line 21."

What's the purpose of the HIDDEN CITY *insert dramatic organ chords* exactly? There are plenty of powerful weapons all the way up to this point. Do you really need to laiden your scenario with more unnecessary items?

Anything else I'll submit to you in a formal beta report.

[ Sunday, May 08, 2005 10:41: Message edited by: Wizcozski ]

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Beware the Were-Rabbit!
Posts: 45 | Registered: Tuesday, September 21 2004 07:00
Agent
Member # 4506
Profile Homepage #6
Okay. Version 9.1 should be going out to the testers in about 5 minutes. It has tons of bug fixes:

Intro text: "you say an ad"

What's with the lava right next to the portal?

In the first town, I ask questions like _Why are you so nervous?_
The _ is only turned into a " for responses, not questions, so it looks
wrong.

You sometimes spell Rentar as Rhentar eg in the first town.

The woodcutter has a sentence split between two paragraphs, which looks
ugly.

When I talk to some random townsperson, I get a dialog for killing the
undead in the storeroom.

Alfonso: He never tells me his name, but after killing the undead in
the storeroom I somehow find out.
"level 35 party" - Characters should not know that sort of number.
Also, that response is too big to fit in the box it's in.
He says to try to walk into the walls south of the undead wall. Those
are hills or something, not walls! Remember that he is a character in
the scenario, not someone writing a hintbook.

The wizard and the slith avatar died in the fight. The important
characters should have masses of hitpoints, huge resistance to
everything and scripts that keep them healthy, so they don't
accidentally die. (or make them invulnerable)

Cave is exactly square - unnatural. The road out of it just suddenly
stops.

Random outdoor combat is too frequent, and against monsters way weaker
than the recommended level.

Vahnvoi blademaster hits ridiculously hard (thousands of damage)

I used some automated tools to help search for things that are wrong,
and came up with the following

Spelling errors:
ending.txt: "Ofcourse", "enough,and you dont" (should have space after
comma, and dont should be don't), "aquired" should be "acquired",
o4.txt: "impresive" should be "impressive"
o7.txt: "definetely" -> "definitely"
odditiesout.txt: "recipies" -> "recipes"
onewalluv.txt: "wierd" -> weird
pitvahn.txt: "immediatly" -> immediately, "nerously" -> nervously
rolareep.txt: "Ofcourse", "propositiory" is not a word, "speacks",
"hten", rolareepdlg.txt: "equiptment", "excersice", "excercises",
succesiom", "beleived", "Vahnvoi" (should be "Vahnavoi"),
rolarkeyvoi.txt: "Vahnvoi Baldesmaster""
sloeva.txt: "slimess", "existance"
t0maggrove.txt: "frome"
t0maggrovedlg.txt: "skils","traveled","traveling", "itf","youselves",
t11Rahversai.txt: "prescence"
t1smallcave.txt: "ebough"
t1smallcavedlg.txt: "releived", "Ofcourse","definetely", "actully",
"beter","gratefull"
t3firsttow.txt: "griamce", "securtiy", "beleive", "corrdior",
"mis-trust" is one word, not hyphenated, "traveled", "ofcourse"
traversai.txt: "TRAVERSAI" looks stupid in all caps, but if that's what
you want, be consistent and do it like that everywhere.
undeadvalley.txt: "storeromms"
undeadvalleydata.txt: "Vahnvoi", "Blademaster" - you normally say
"bladesmaster". Make up your mind.


Script errors:

In two places you use set_sdf. This is not actually a call. You
should be using set_flag instead (If you also use get_flag instead of
get_sdf, you won't get confused) Files where you have this are:
Boom.txt, Tick.txt.

Boom.txt:
You have "flip_terrain(my_loc_x(384),my_loc_y(385));" - the numbers
shouldn't be there.

windpit.txt, t3firsttow.txt, t8bridge.txt, rolareep.txt, onwalluv.tzt,
o9.txt, odditiesout.txt, maze.txt, hidarea.txt and magout.txt have two
breaks at the end.

maze.txt line 21: You have three strings in a message_dialog

rolareep.txt, line 56 or so - you don't have a break between states 21
and 57.

t1smallcave.txt, t11Rahversai.txt, t15vahnspiral.txt - missing
semicolon after the variable list.

t15vahnspiral.txt: you have BEGINSTATE in all caps. I think this is
actually okay, but I'm not sure.

t1smallcave: You have Break instead of break on line 49 (end of state
15)

o4.txt, line 50, "if (get_flag(77,7) = 1)" should be "if
(get_flag(77,7) == 1)"

Entering the supply depot from the west side takes me to the east side
of the town. Also, why would bread just be left outside? It would go
off in a few days, and be rained on, and stolen by animals, and so on.

The First Tower is a really bad name for a town.

If I stand in the gate for the tower wall (outdoors) then enter the
tower by going SE, then leave by going SW, I end up stuck in a wall.

In cutscene, my character said "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
then "Probably". Am I talking to myself? And I don't know what I'm
thinking.

"How did they penetrate security?" By walking through the open door
guarded only by a single weak skeleton, probably :-p

Talking to Gromlaka: HIDDEN CITY in capitals looks silly, he doesn't
explain how he knows about it, he mentions another scenario, and the
text is a bit too long for the box.

Bladesmaster's sword is way too powerful.

Obelisk in room south of Gromlaka can't be read.

When I enter the tower, there is the sound of something being destroyed
by a laser.

On locked doors: "your hnd near"

What's with the weird floating things? Why are they there?

The trap with the crystal and all the power globes that zap with
lightning is very annoying - it takes ages to resolve. Yes, the taking
ages is a consequence of the Blades engine and pausing to play sounds,
but that doesn't mean you should keep it as it is.

When I leave the tower by the back, I can walk round the outside and
end up at the front entrance.

Gate with all the feeble skeletons - for me to get this far, I have to
be powerful enough that skeletons are only an annoyance who take a long
time to kill.

I don't need to go through the Vahnatai wall - if I go north along the
outside, I end up on the other side. (And I can get back by going
south)

Hidden City boots are called "Object" when unidentified.

Those traps are so annoying, even if the sound is off. If there were
only about four charging blobs instead of dozens, you'd get the cool
effect without driving people insane. And it would look better, too.

In the Winding Wall, I can get very close to the north and south edges,
but then it says I can't be bothered going further. Why?

Going to the Vahnatai port - if I try to go in, it says I don't want to
fight a million guard to get to a storeroom. But I don't know it's a
storeroom. The sign said it was a port, and it looks like one.


Tunnel in Vahnatai lands. I should go in before I get the message
about what's there.

It would be cool if killing the keepers made the demons leave control
and attack everyone

When I go through the tunnel, going back the other way takes me to the
wrong side.

The raised bridge to Rolar-Tel's fort just looks wrong.

Rolar-Tel's fort: If I stay outside and follow the wall south, I end
up past the fort. If I go north, same problem.

Rolar-Tel - I'm supposed to talk to him, but I have to break down loads
of barriers and doors to see him. Also, the conversation has my
questions _like this_, which doesn't work right.

You have sentences split between paragraphs again.

I didn't get the Rolar-Tel cutscene until I came in, spoke to him, left
and came in again.

There are too many unlabelled levers. Rolar should have told me which
to pull. Two of the levers don't do anything, I can't pull them.

Going back into the spiral (after fixing the script error that stops
it) still doesn't work, as move_to_new_town only works if you are
already in a town. This script is still called if I go there first,
while looking for a way past the first wall.
Another new quest (to make the storyline easier to understand).

Town - The First Tower:
X-9, Y-25 = This room contains eight crystal boxes. Each box contains an
“Archer's Bow” Being that the group can be a maximum of four characters it
would be nice to have different weapons/armor/objects in each box.

X-9, Y-15 = A message pops up saying a Vahnatai is coming, but there is
none. Also there is a blank obelisk (though that may be intentional)

X-35, Y-33 = After speaking with Rentar's Shade he never goes hostile. I
assume this to be intentional, but it seems there should be a battle.

Town - Vahantai Wall:
X-16, Y-21 = I killed the Vahantai and got the following massage: “Error,
the game just faille to load this graphic: sheet 502, icon B”

If you walk to all the way to the north you are able to exit the town. This
puts you one the other side of a wall. I went back to try to enter from the
east, but the gate was closed and I couldn't get back in. Make it so the
north exit is in the same square as the east exit, so this wont happen.

Town - Winding Wall:
When I tried to exit to the west I got the following message: “You don't go
any further because all there is more walls” I walked all the way north and
was able to exit to the west. I went back into the town and did not get the
message there after.

Town - Rolar-Tel's Fort:
X-11, Y-38 = The guard skeletons at the front gate are friendly. Well many
things are friendly. Skeletons were fighting an invisible guardian, which
was apparently my allie (X-48, Y-24).

X-37, Y-28 = The Wisp of Rentar is friendly, but it has no dialogue. It's
labeled as neutral, so it doesn't do anything.

X-28, Y-15 = These Vahantai told me via a pop up message the Rolar-Tel
wanted to speak with me, but when I go to the door to where he is I get a
message that results in blocked entry (X-50, Y-38). Also I assume you want
these guards to stay at their post, they wander randomly. There is no other
way to get in.

Some general comments….

About Dialogue: When you want to put something in quotes type it as
_example_ it will show up as “example”. Also you can have multiple dialogue
stings in the same state. You probably don't need to be told this, but it
was common throughout you dialogue that the person would have to go back to
the start of the conversation to pick a different option.

About Towns: You need to define entrance/exit points. In several towns it
is possible to leave from places the player shouldn't be able to. The
result is getting stuck places, or not being able to get back in the town.

About Land: There is a lot of open space, trees, rocks, dirt, water,
abandoned buildings, anything would be help.
That's a lot of bugs fixed, but there's probably still a few out there.

MAC testers will have problems with graphics, unless they convert them first. Also, they will see _Go on..._ instead of "Go on..."

Hidden City is just about randomly strong items to help you stay alive. I took Khoth's advice about the First Tower's guard seriously, so it packs one helluva punch now, as well as tons of health (Repeated Walls of Blades is the best way to kill it now), as do other monsters (like the Vampire and the Bladesmaster in the Vahnatai Wall. If you're stuck and don't know what to do, a message box should now tell you what to do.If for some random reason you let the wizard die (...) then you'll get some stuff you won't understand. Anyhow, good luck!

- Archmagi Micael

--------------------
"You dare Trifle with Avernum?" ~ Erika the Archmage
--------------------
My Scenarios:
Undead Valley : A small Undead problem, what could possibly go wrong?
--------------------
Richard Black - PROOF of his existance (the Infernal one's website).
--------------------
MY FORUM! Randomosity at it's highest! :)
Posts: 1370 | Registered: Thursday, June 10 2004 07:00
Post Navel Trauma ^_^
Member # 67
Profile Homepage #7
Did you actually fix every bug in those two reports you posted? That's what you seem to imply, but I have to say I don't actually think you did.

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Barcoorah: I even did it to a big dorset ram.

desperance.net - Don't follow this link
Posts: 1798 | Registered: Thursday, October 4 2001 07:00
Shake Before Using
Member # 75
Profile #8
Submitted my beta report.
Posts: 3234 | Registered: Thursday, October 4 2001 07:00
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
Profile Homepage #9
Ouch... it hurts... testing this gave me a bit of a headache. However, I submitted my report.

I hope some of the things I addressed were fixed in 9.1, because I'm not sure I can force myself to play it through again.

EDIT: Take no offence at my remarks... I just hate undead (see signature).

[ Sunday, May 08, 2005 18:40: Message edited by: Ephesos ]

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
Shaper
Member # 5437
Profile #10
I sent you my 9.0 report, but I need to wait until tomorrow to play through 9.1
Posts: 2032 | Registered: Wednesday, January 26 2005 08:00
Infiltrator
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Profile #11
Im not sure if its a bug but in the beginning battle if you pass by the portal in front of it it says the portal is not running but you manage to jury rig it Im not sure if you did that on purpose or not
Posts: 507 | Registered: Tuesday, March 1 2005 08:00
Agent
Member # 4506
Profile Homepage #12
quote:
Originally written by hawk king:

Im not sure if its a bug but in the beginning battle if you pass by the portal in front of it it says the portal is not running but you manage to jury rig it Im not sure if you did that on purpose or not
It's meant to be like that. If you try going over it again, you'll get a message asking if you wan to leave the scenario. If you do, it says that because you were a pathetic bunch of wimps, the Empire has sustained a major attack by physcotic Undead.

Ephesos - I addressed some of your problems in 9.1, but I probably won't be able to make 9.2 until thursday, but I have a couple of hourse later, might work out... YES, you're not the only one who hates those traps taking forever (myself included), so I've decreased the AMOUNT of traps, and just seriously increased their damage.

Khoth - I fixed all of the bugs in those lists that I thought needed fixing, still I think I missed a few out (like appearing in solid rock) by accident.

- Archmagi Micael

--------------------
"You dare Trifle with Avernum?" ~ Erika the Archmage
--------------------
My Scenarios:
Undead Valley : A small Undead problem, what could possibly go wrong?
--------------------
Richard Black - PROOF of his existance (the Infernal one's website).
--------------------
MY FORUM! Randomosity at it's highest! :)
Posts: 1370 | Registered: Thursday, June 10 2004 07:00
Apprentice
Member # 5781
Profile Homepage #13
Hmm... I think about every BoA scenario has swarms of putridly weak undead in it at one point. And I'm very sorry, but 9.1 Beta report will take till the weekends to fix.. I was just assigned a project.
Posts: 17 | Registered: Tuesday, May 3 2005 07:00
BANNED
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Profile Homepage #14
quote:
Originally written by MrAndersonMan:

Hmm... I think about every BoA scenario has swarms of putridly weak undead in it at one point.
Emerald Mountain, Canopy, Babysitting, Xerch'de...

...

There are way too many undead in BoA.

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*
Posts: 6936 | Registered: Tuesday, September 18 2001 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 5566
Profile #15
quote:
Originally written by Kirk Johnson:

quote:
Originally written by MrAndersonMan:

Hmm... I think about every BoA scenario has swarms of putridly weak undead in it at one point.
Emerald Mountain, Canopy, Babysitting, Xerch'de...

...

There are way too many undead in BoA.

the reason for that is undead have no life no soul when you have undead in your scenario they can be mindless killing machines and nobody gives a second thought about it.On the other hand you have to have a good reason why a dragon went mad and attacked a city or why a very talented wizard has gone insane and wants to attack all civilization starting in YOUR little village on the far side of the empire but a swarm of undead ruled by a insane vampire is a classic thats not how this is but its easy to put undead in a scenario.

But yes there are way to many undead in BOA
Posts: 507 | Registered: Tuesday, March 1 2005 08:00
Apprentice
Member # 5005
Profile #16
quote:
Originally written by MrAndersonMan:

And I'm very sorry, but 9.1 Beta report will take till the weekends to fix.. I was just assigned a project.
Yeah me too, I have finals to study for and I'm getting over yet another illness.

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Beware the Were-Rabbit!
Posts: 45 | Registered: Tuesday, September 21 2004 07:00
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
Profile Homepage #17
Hey, almost every early BoE scenario that I've played suffers from Excessive Goblins Syndrome (EGS). It's to be expected that some type of monster will get overdone in the first year or two.

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Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens.
Smoo: Get ready to face the walls!
Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr.

Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me
The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever
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hawk king: Have you actually played the scenarios TM listed before he said there were too many undead?

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Barcoorah: I even did it to a big dorset ram.

desperance.net - Don't follow this link
Posts: 1798 | Registered: Thursday, October 4 2001 07:00
Agent
Member # 2759
Profile Homepage #19
That's the trouble with sarcasm; it just doesn't work very well in plain text.

Back on topic (I think - I've actually forgotten what the topic was) I have no problem with armies of undead in every scenario, provided the plots are varied and plausible. What does bug me though is when standard monsters are used, but have been silently "improved" for the purposes of the scenario. For example zombies at level 40, etc. At least have the decency to give the creation a new name ("warrior zombie", etc) to give the poor player a sporting chance...

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"I can't read this thread with that image. But then, that's not a complaint." -Scorpius

Geneforge 4 stuff. Also, everything I know about Avernum | Avernum 2 | Avernum 3 | Avernum 4
Posts: 1104 | Registered: Monday, March 10 2003 08:00
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quote:
Originally written by Khoth:

hawk king: Have you actually played the scenarios TM listed before he said there were too many undead?
duh what do you think i do all day other than being a nOob here ? i remake and add to scenarios ;) i know they have plot and story in them i am not that stupid :D yes they all have plot but its easier to make a plot for undead than other things i mean watch this ill make a plot for undead right here and now

swelisburg was a happy village they all lead simple happy lives they enjoyed their lives the boys would happily watch the lily pads grow at the lake while they fished. The girls would sow and play with dolls as their father worked in the fields and their mothers cooked and baked it was a perfect life. But than everything went wrong. A group of mischief makers thought it would be enjoyable to paint all over some tombs that were in an old mansion but accidentally broke a few of the tombs open revealing an old tunnel as they explored a boy named elie melter felt something on his neck he looked over and discovered two red eyes by his shoulder he screamed and ran out of the tunnel leaving his friends wondering watt had happened ? after all it was just a old tunnel or was it ? as they looked around they realized they were in a room that was covered in bodies with weapons still sticking out of them. A death chamber they turned to run but the opening sealed on them and suddenly all the dead got up and attacked. The only one to survive was elie melter who was still running he made it back to swelisburg and went to the village elders and told them everything from planning to vandalize to the strange white creature with a long black cape and black clothing that had had fangs and bit him on the neck. he told of the strange feeling that he had felt after the bite and how for some reason he had started running. He told of the screams he heard behind him as he ran and the tunnel and how he felt no tiredness and how he had felt he should tell them something that the thing that had bit him seamed to have said. We are awake and we will take back watt is ours you can not take away everything you can not defeat us all of you that we kill will join us ! rising up from the pain for pain no more you will not defeat us ! we will win.

By now the elders looked alarmed and began whispering together in urgent voices after a couple of minutes they thanked elie and as punishment for vandalism sent him to manure work for three weeks. As time went on people began to disappear from the fields children not coming home from school and the ponds soon people only came out armed with watt weapons they had which were mainly pitch forks and saws but they were weapons they thought if we are attacked we will defend ourselves. They disappeared soon a agent left towards the empire for help but he died a local mage offered to try to build a portal the elders said anything to get help so the mage built a portal and a courier jumped through and made it just outside the region near a town he went there and asked for help and was told go to a main city for council he did he asked for help it was not given they ignored him. he went to the adventurers part of town and set up posters after a few weeks a band of adventurers showed up and went with him to a portal mage and gave the location numbers and you were teleported swelisburg you got a room at an the inn and are going to talk to the elders in the morning.

[ Monday, May 09, 2005 18:23: Message edited by: hawk king ]
Posts: 507 | Registered: Tuesday, March 1 2005 08:00
Post Navel Trauma ^_^
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*sigh* Never mind...

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Barcoorah: I even did it to a big dorset ram.

desperance.net - Don't follow this link
Posts: 1798 | Registered: Thursday, October 4 2001 07:00
Law Bringer
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Profile Homepage #22
Too many undead, very true... that's why in my scenario ('tis on the back burner, probably won't be in time for the contest), there will be virtually no undead, and definitely none of the rotting flesh kind. Shades, if anything.

It's an interesting challenge to find a substitute for undead... I'm using lizards, and anything that uses lots of fire (I will avoid Ruby Skeletons).

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Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice.

I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion.
Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
Shaper
Member # 247
Profile Homepage #23
Why not use Nephilim? For me undead just don't produce the same atmosphere of adventure.

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The Knight Between Posts.
Posts: 2395 | Registered: Friday, November 2 2001 08:00
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Profile #24
good for you i probably wont post till tomorrow i had surgery today four wisdom teeth taken out today and a tooth pulled into position and my face is numb but it isn't that bad my dad is finally letting me se alien aliens and aliens resurrection and he got a bunch of other movies and pop and mints and popsicles so it aint that bad ;) no chores no school all week :D just movies and pop !

EDIT: sorry about this i posted it when i was still highly affected by the drugs

[ Thursday, May 12, 2005 11:09: Message edited by: hawk king ]
Posts: 507 | Registered: Tuesday, March 1 2005 08:00

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