Category Archives: The Miracle Worker

Posts related to the Sanctum of the Archmage, Part 2: The Miracle Worker

Should I Post a Public Beta of Sanctum II?

2 - The Quest

I’m probably within one or two test runs (which I hope I can do tonight) of having my beta test of Sanctum 2 ready. I’ve thought about the remaining scenes, and they actually shouldn’t be particularly difficult to do — so hopefully, I may be able to finish them in a few days. I’m taking off tomorrow from work to give myself a long weekend to see what kind of progress I can make.

What I’m thinking of doing, though, is actually posting the Beta version to the Vault over the weekend for everyone to try out. I’m both comfortable and nervous about that at the same time; I think the mod is pretty tight, but I was hoping to have some feedback on the how it plays before going “public” with it.

Any thoughts? Should I post the beta version this weekend?

An Update on Sanctum 2A

2 - The Quest

An update on Sanctum 2A:

I’ve been occupied recently with some other projects, so progress on Sanctum 2A has been slowed a bit. However, I’m pleased to announce that I finished a playtest of the first 75% or so last night. Aside from a few spelling errors and minor bug fixes, which should only take a couple of hours to fix, the first three quarters or so of the sequel is done. I only have one area and a few more scenes to build, which shouldn’t take more than 2-3 weeks with luck.

The first three quarters is complete and self-contained, though, so I think I should be able to allow a few beta-tester volunteers to check it out by this weekend. So if anyone is interested in beta testing, please let me know!

Status Update on Sanctum 2

2 - The Quest

I was surprised to realize this morning that I’d let all of August go by without blogging. That’s a good thing in a way, because it’s an indication of how busy I’ve been, and work on Sanctum 2 has been front and center on the list of things that have been keeping me busy. I’ve made some decisions about how to move forward with releasing the work I’ve been doing on it, though, and I wanted to make all of that “official” with an announcement here.

I still very much want to keep working on the sequel modules to the Sanctum of the Archmage saga. It’s become very clear to me now, though, that the only way I’m going to be able to manage that is to develop them in relatively short pieces, on the order of 2-3 hours in length — similar to the format of Adam Miller’s “Shadowlords” and “Dreamcatcher” series. In line with that decision, I’ve decided on a good point in the story to break and end the current module, and I’m now working toward that as my goal. If all goes as planned, I should be able to release the first installment of “Sanctum of the Archmage 2 – The Miracle Worker” in about a month.

For those who may have read my previous remarks on the idea of releasing my current work as a “demo” module, I want to stress that “Sanctum 2A,” as I’m now thinking of it, will not be a demo. It will be a short but fully completed piece, probably a little over 2 hours long. Although there will be a couple of challenging fights, it will be light on combat, and very heavy on dialogue and roleplaying. I also spent a good deal of time working out how to do some (I think) fairly creative things with scripting cutscenes, structuring dialogue, and the like — all of which I hope will give the module the same feeling of novelty that many players have come to expect from Sanctum of the Archmage.

Here’s where things stand right now. I’ve fully tested the module up to the current scene, which should constitute a little under 2 hours worth of play. I have one more conversation and a little script debugging to do, and then the current area will be done. After that, I have one more area to create, and 2-3 scenes to write, along with about a dozen or so journal entries. Perhaps more importantly, the remaining scenes will be straightforward, not involving any of the complicated scripting or cutscene testing work that tends to slow things down a lot. With some sustained effort, this should be a few weeks worth of work at most. And since I have most of the current 3-day Labor day weekened free to work on it, with any luck I should be able to get a fair chunk of that work done right away. 🙂

A Demo Version of Sanctum Two?

2 - The Quest

Work on Sanctum 2 is moving along, but perhaps not surprisingly, not as quickly as I’d hoped. Part of the reason is that I’ve inevitably gotten sucked into trying to do a series of new, challenging, and (to me) very interesting things that I either didn’t know how, or didn’t have time, to do in the first chapter. Some of these include:

  • Almost completely re-writing the death scripts from Sanctum 1, including a radical upgrade to the “mortal damage” code. I’ve also worked out a way to circumvent the game engine’s mortal damage limit of -10 hp for players. Players and companions who fall in battle can now survive longer before dying, and can get saving throws vs. death to hang on a little longer when mortally wounded, hopefully making for a more complex combat dynamic.
  • Including lots of new tilesets, skyboxes, placeables and music, to make for a far richer audio-visual experience than in the first chapter.
  • Updated travel and rest systems, and a number of new (and I hope interesting) items that can be found while exploring.

The good news is that most of that infrastructure development is now complete, along with the initial scenes of Chapter Two as the player travels through the underground passage to Mount Cassandra. As I promised at the end of Sanctum 1, these are heavy on dialogue and roleplaying, with only a few combats (including  a couple of quite challenging ones). My current playtests run a little over an hour if I read all the conversations. And between now and the end of August, I’m fairly confident that I can finish the scenes that involve reaching Mount Cassandra and rejoining the resistance, which should probably constitute around 2 hours of play time all told. After that, though, I’ll have to scale back my modding for the fall, to finish one more part-time semester of graduate school.

Since Sanctum of the Archmage is a linear module series, I think that that work might be able to stand relatively well on its own, either as a demo mod, or perhaps even as a short module in its own right. So it occurred to me to throw out the idea of releasing it in that form, probably around the beginning of September or so. I’m curious what my readers think of that idea. Would there be interest in a demo version of Sanctum 2?

Still Plenty of Life in the NWN1 Community

2 - The Quest, Gaming & Modding

I wrote the following comments on a Bioware Forums thread concerning my thoughts about NWN1 and NWN2, and thought that I’d repost those here on my blog.

MikeLM9215 wrote: “The two biggest problems with NWN 2 are size of modules and lack of creatures.”

I agree, although I think that the instability of the toolset is an extremely serious problem as well. Some builders (myself included) won’t risk losing scores of hours of work trying to build in a toolset that might erase it due to module corruption.

The lack of creatures is primarily related to Obsidian’s decision to use a proprietary 3D modeling format and toolset (Granny 3D) for NWN2. I’m hesitant to criticize those decisions, since it’s easy to play “armchair quarterback” and I don’t really know the considerations that they had to face that led them to that decision. But I’m inclined to regard it as an extremely shortsighted and foolish move for the sequel to a game whose defining characteristic is its custom modding community.

The thing that gave NWN1 such a long life was its toolset and its moddability. And it is the NWN custom content community that provides the foundation for and enables that mod work. They do it by creating a veritable cornucopia of components that modders can use as raw materials to build ever more ambitious mods. Anyone who could learn to use Gmax (let along 3DSMax) could create models for NWN1 — whether creatures, terrain, placeables, or items. Artists could create compelling portraits for it. Musicians could create scores, coders could create script systems, and so on.

Regrettably, Obsidian was either unwilling or unable to provide the kind of empowerment for the custom modding and content communities that was really required for a sequel to NWN1. The “Granny Plugin” that they are scrambling to develop and test now should have been available at or before release of the game, not nine months after it. A stable toolset to enable the modding community to build for the game should have been their highest priority from the beginning of development, not an afterthought that is still not yet addressed. And the lack of these things at release should have been a signal to the NWN1 community — players and builders alike — not to jump ship to NWN2 so quickly. (I’m as guilty of this last as anyone, so that criticism is directed at myself as well.)

I’m hopeful that Obsidian can address these issues in the near future, but I’m now officially skeptical. Even if they get a stable toolset and 3D plugin out this year, it will still take another year after that before these can really be exploited to start producing good mods in the kinds of numbers that we saw with NWN1. That’s a year and a half before NWN2 can even begin to be able to function as a legitimate successor to NWN1. And that’s the main reason why I think NWN1 has plenty of life in it yet.

Some Early Sanctum 2 Milestones

2 - The Quest

Work on Sanctum Chapter 2 is proceeding apace, now that I’ve finally made a decision to continue building in NWN1. I’ve worked out and implemented several important features that will be used in the new mod, and thought that an update about some of them might be of interest to my readers.

  • Module Transfer and Starting Options. Chapter 2 opens in the same “waiting area” with the talking portal where Chapter 1 ends. I want to encourage everyone to hold on to their final savegame in the portal room from “The Sight” (not from the placeholder module!), because that will enable a smooth transition to Chapter 2 — preserving information about your game state such as items, companion relationships, permanent abilities, and so on. If you don’t transfer from a Chapter 1 savegame, you’ll only retain your items (if using an exported character), but will have to accept default values for the rest of your game variables. Plot-related items will be re-created or upgraded automatically for you, if necessary.
  • Configuration Interview. The portal will talk you through what you need to do to configure your preferences for Chapter 2, and includes an extensive “troubleshooting” interview if you encounter any problems when starting. It will also let you select a class for the sequel’s new companion, to enable you to better balance the game for your character and personal playing style.
  • Character Upgrades. I learned a great deal about designing effective characters and levelup packages in the year since I built Chapter 1, which I wanted to incorporate into Chapter 2. The sequel will give you the option of “upgrading” Robin and Orion to take advantage of these new packages, which include improved class, skill, feat, and spell selections that are also optimized for Chapter 2. Robin’s build in particular (in keeping with my vision of her) is a little more “roguish,” and includes a level of the custom “spy” package that I created for the series.
  • Merging the Male and Female Robin Versions. I’ve now worked out a way to support Robin as a male or a female character in the same module, eliminating the need for two different versions. The configuration interview will give you the option to choose which version of Robin to play with or upgrade to — even if you played the opposite gender in Chapter 1.
  • Travel. Chapter 2 will involve traveling significant distances across the eastern part of the World of Glorn. This in turn required me to develop an approach to making that extensive travel possible, both in terms of the story, and in terms of game mechanics. I’ve now implemented and tested a fairly elaborate system for this, which I think turned out to be surprisingly authentic and that players may get a real role-playing kick out of.
  • Dialogues. I’m currently writing the early “extended dialogues” with Robin and Orion that I promised at the end of Sanctum 1. I just finished Robin’s, and at just over 6000 words, it turned out by far to be the most complex and ambitious conversation that I’ve ever written. And while I won’t spoil what you talk about, I will hint that it does include a long-overdue discussion (if you’re playing the romance) about what’s really going on with your relationship…

Return to NWN1

2 - The Quest, Gaming & Modding, Sanctum: The Modules, The Miracle Worker

After thinking carefully about the issues that I raised in a previous blog post (“A Builder’s Dilemma“), I’ve made a final decision to return to building the next installment of the Sanctum saga in NWN1.

I won’t rehash any of the reasons for that decision now, but those who are interested can find a good discussion of them on the Bioware forums (here and here), as well as on my blog and on the Sanctum I module page. I want to sincerely thank everyone who shared their thoughts and gave me feedback on my questions. That was invaluable in helping me think through the issue — and, I think, to make the right choice for the next chapter of the sequel. I’m still confident that with a little more time, NWN2 will mature into an awesome modding environment — so I will almost certainly be switching to the new game for the last two chapters (three and four) of the series.

I’m also thinking of changing how I’m structuring the series. My plan had been for the three sequel modules collectively to constitute “Sanctum of the Archmage, Chapter 2: The Miracle Worker,” and to refer to each of the modules individually as “Acts” in the second chapter. This is similar to how Savant is treating the fourth chapter of the Aielund saga, “The Fall of Aielund.” I’m now thinking that it might be better to stick to referring to each module as its own “Chapter,” so that there would be four chapters in the series all told. The first half would be in NWN1, consisting of Chapters 1 (“The Sight”) and 2 (which I’ll probably now call “The Miracle Worker” instead of “The Alliance”). The second half of the series would be in NWN2, consisting of Chapters 3 and 4 (names yet to be announced). I could refer to the two halves as “Acts,” so that Act I would be in NWN1, and Act II would be in NWN2.

How does that sound? Does anyone have any thoughts or advice on this?

A Builder’s Dilemma (2NWN2, or not 2NWN2)

2 - The Quest, Gaming & Modding

I’m posting this blog entry mainly to solicit feedback on a major dilemma that I now find myself facing, with regard to the development of Sanctum of the Archmage II. That dilemma is whether to continue with my decision to develop the first act of the sequel in Neverwinter Nights 2, or to go back to developing it in Neverwinter Nights 1.

I was initially very impressed with Neverwinter Nights 2 in January when I got my new computer and played through the OC. I was wildly enthusiastic about the possibility of scripting with parameters (those of you who don’t code, trust me: that’s a big deal), with the improved graphics and terrain modeling, and with many of the design improvements that I saw in the engine. And since it seemed to me that the future of Neverwinter Nights lay in the sequel, rather than in NWN1, I decided that making the switch early would be a good idea.

I also heard (and saw, as I started trying to learn it) a great deal about the instability of the toolset. I was horrified at the almost uniformly grotesque head models, the full-body underwear, and the elimination of 2D portraits and cinematic cutscenes. Many of the armor models had bizarre hard-coded tints that could not be changed in the toolset. And the initial palette of creatures and models did seem a bit light. But I also knew that I wasn’t going to be able to get to work in earnest on Sanctum II until May or so because of my schedule. And by then, I reasoned, most of these issues would have started to be addressed and new and custom content would start appearing for the game. In the meantime I could work on planning, and on fully fleshing out the plot for the three acts of the sequel.

Now that May is here (indeed, almost over) and that planning work is done, I’ve had to take a sober look at these expectations. And what I’ve seen hasn’t given me a sense of confidence about the prospect of being able to build the first act of Sanctum II in NWN2 — not in a way that I will be satisfied with as a builder.

The NWN2 toolset seems to be crashing less than when I first started using it, but there are still widespread bugs. For example, the item-related 2DA files have actually spawned a whole host of “Bad Strref” entries since the 1.04 patch. I haven’t lost any work due to corrupted mod files, thank goodness, but I’m still seeing posts from other builders who are reporting this. And unless I’m completely confused about where to to look, the NWN2 models sections of the vault show next to nothing in the way of new creature and placeable content. This was a huge surprise to me, since NWN1 had a robust community of modelers (such as the CEP Team) that were regularly developing such resources for the game.

After doing some digging this morning, though, I think I’m beginning to understand some of the reasons for this. Apparently, Obsidian used a proprietary 3D modeling and animation system for NWN2 called “Granny.” From what I’ve been able to gather, Granny offered certain benefits in terms of performance and ease of development — but at the price of a proprietary format for which there are no available converters for commonly used modeling programs like 3DSMax. A prospective modeler could, of course, buy a copy of Granny — starting, I believe, at around $12,500 for a single machine license. Perhaps not surprisingly, that hasn’t turned out to be a particularly viable option for the cadre of amateur 3D modelers who had previously been turning out so much excellent work for the Neverwinter Nights community.

As a result, and from what I can see, there are few to no new creature and placeable models for NWN2, even now eight months after release of the game and much longer after the appearance of the pre-release toolset. There has been widespread clamor for a “granny plugin” from Obsidian that will finally make this modeling work possible, and they appear to be working hard to provide one in the relatively near future. If it works well, that will be a real breakthrough that should liberate and empower custom modelers to start creating new models for NWN2.

But that work will almost certainly come too late for me to make any use of for Sanctum II, Act I, since I have to start making progress on the sequel now. And this has put me in something of  bind with regard to some of the content that I need to make Act I work. Wasting half a day today unsuccessfully trying just to re-create the “Control Rod” from Sanctum I — a simple, unadorned black rod held in the left hand — brought me up short about the harsh realities of this. Here’s a partial list of the creatures and models that I want or need for the sequel that I currently cannot find or create in NWN2:

– The Beastmen. They return and play an important role in Sanctum II, Act I. The closest thing I can find to them in the NWN2 toolset are bugbears.

– Hand-held wands and rods. The player acquired several of these in Chapter 1. None of the wand or rod models from NWN1 seem to have made it into NWN2.

– Demons. Demons play a central role in Sanctum of the Archmage, and not surprisingly, there are a number of major battles with them in Sanctum II. NWN1 and CEP between them gave a wide selection of fiendish outsider models to choose from. NWN2, by contrast, has Balor, a Hezrou, a Succubus, and a couple of devils. I could probably make do with these, but that isn’t a whole lot of variety from which to construct an army of demons that are overrunning the kingdom.

– Pegasi. The elven pegasus warriors play an important role throughout all three acts of Sanctum II. From what I can gather, there aren’t even any horses available in NWN2, much less winged ones.

For these reasons and others, I’m now seriously considering returning to building in NWN1 until NWN2 matures more as a modding environment. There is no question that the development of Sanctum II Act I will go much faster if I do this, even if it does mean scrapping much of the preliminary work that I’ve already done in the NWN2 toolset. And I could always port Act I to NWN2 later on. I really would rather move to NWN2 now, but I can’t shake the conviction that the considerations I’ve described here are too important to set aside and just “hope for the best” by sticking with NWN2, at least for the first act. (As a former manager of mine used to put it: “Hope is not a course of action.”)

This is a decision I have to make now. So the question I wanted to solicit feedback from my fellow players and builders on is: what do you think? Am I overreacting, and are the prospects for NWN2 maturing sufficiently in the couple of months or so better than my currently pessimistic mood would indicate? Or would going back to NWN1 be a sober decision based on an assessment of the current realities of modding with NWN2?

gearing up for Sanctum II

2 - The Quest

Now that the spring semester is finally over, I’m ready to start turning some serious attention to the task of building Sanctum II. As I’ve written previously, I have the three acts of the sequel pretty much plotted out, and I have some very ambitious plans for the romance plot as well. I’ve been tinkering with the toolset on the initial areas to get the hang of it, and I’ve imported and fixed up most of the important items, as well as the extensive utility scripts that I used in Sanctum I. Now I’m ready to start hacking away at it in earnest!

The thing I’ve been dreading most is the task of area creation. From everything I’ve heard (and my own limited experience has been consistent with this as well), creating areas in NWN2 is a royal pain, requiring much more time and effort than it did in NWN1. However, I’ve learned an interesting tip from some other developers that has made me a bit more sanguine about this prospect: using a terrain tool (such as L3DT) to create realistic terrain, and then importing it into NWN2 using YATT. I’ve heard that using these tools can dramatically speed up the process of area creation, so downloading and familiarizing myself with them is my main building project for the next week.

An Update on Sanctum II

2 - The Quest, The Miracle Worker

In the comments on my post, “A New Face for Robin,” Michele asked: “When is the next installment coming out? I’ve been checking up on it ever since I played #1 last summer.”

Michele, thanks for your interest in the sequel! Here’s a little more information about the progress of “Sanctum of the Archmage II – The Miracle Worker.”

Players of Chapter I may remember that I gave a pessimistic estimate (“sometime in 2007,” I think I wrote) about when I might be able to have Chapter II available. Unfortunately, I’m more or less still on schedule with those expectations — but my plans for Chapter II have also expanded significantly in scope since then. As I describe on the Sanctum Projects Website, I’m now planning to release Chapter II as a series of three short modules or “Acts” for Neverwinter Nights 2. I’m hoping to be able to release Act I, titled “The Alliance,” sometime in the late summer of 2007.

The main reason for the delay is because of the demands of my “real life.” Currently, I’m juggling a full-time job in quantum optics with part-time coursework for a graduate degree in physics. What little spare time I have left is split between my writing projects (including the modules), and of course spending time with my wife. Unfortunately, that means that during the academic year (between September and May), my ability to spend focused time working on the modules is very limited. I wrote Sanctum I in my spare time over the course of a year, from August 2005 through July 2006, and I’ve been using more or less the same estimate for how long it will take me to develop the first act of the sequel.

That timetable has been complicated by my decision to build Sanctum II in NWN2 rather than NWN1 — which means, among other things, having to learn a largely different and much more complicated toolset. And it has also been complicated by the fact that my plans for the sequel have become much more ambitious in the past few months. I’ve been plotting it on my drives to work using a new attachment that turns my iPod into a voice recorder, and I now have the basic storyline for all of Chapter II entirely worked out. The good news is that it has now grown into a fairly extensive and complex plot that will support a somewhat longer sequel trilogy — but each Act of which I should take less time to build than the full sequel that I had originally planned.