Development...
Yesterday was a busy day as far as real life goes, so not much got done in the testing department (ie I didn't fire up NWN2). However, I did get some good development on the main quest done--I'm being bad (or good, depending on how you look at it) and pushing ahead into the main plot so the players aren't left on a total (almost literal ;) ) cliffhanger. I'm struggling once again with the idea of releasing as a single chapter as opposed to polishing it while I work on the next installments. I think Tiberius209 is doing something similar, where he's releasing his entire "Maimed God's Saga" in one package; this is what I saw myself doing at the beginning of development, and it's what I find myself leaning towards once again.
Here's my thought process. In the past, I've done only standalone modules; ToM 1 was never really intended to have a sequel. When I started on ToM 2, some of you might remember that it involved a major revamping of ToM 1, particularly with the ending and the beginning--I added a Prelude module to Chapter 1, and the end cutscene, which is what segways into Chapter 2.
In this case, I would be for the first time releasing with the knowledge that I'm not done--in other words, that I have a responsibility to players to deliver the next part of the story on a timely basis. With college starting up in a week, I know that real life is going to become much more time consuming from a social and academic point of view...it may be a month or so before I have the chance to settle down and seriously crack open the toolset again, meaning Chapter 2 could be a long time coming. At the same time, there's no way Chapter 1 will be ready in a week. So, I'm thinking that my best bet is to not jump the gun--I'll stick by my original vision of one colossal campaign released all at once. And so, I have officially begun Chapter 2 (while Chapter 1 will continue to be tested). I designed almost the entire opening sequence, which is pure central plot; I did the writing, the scripting, the area design--everything except for a few blueprints. I added Chapter 2 to the campaign and wrote the quick transition script from Chapter 1 to Chapter 2. So basically I did a bit of work on Chapter 2, and made the decision to keep Moonshadows 1 under wraps until the time is right.
Here's my thought process. In the past, I've done only standalone modules; ToM 1 was never really intended to have a sequel. When I started on ToM 2, some of you might remember that it involved a major revamping of ToM 1, particularly with the ending and the beginning--I added a Prelude module to Chapter 1, and the end cutscene, which is what segways into Chapter 2.
In this case, I would be for the first time releasing with the knowledge that I'm not done--in other words, that I have a responsibility to players to deliver the next part of the story on a timely basis. With college starting up in a week, I know that real life is going to become much more time consuming from a social and academic point of view...it may be a month or so before I have the chance to settle down and seriously crack open the toolset again, meaning Chapter 2 could be a long time coming. At the same time, there's no way Chapter 1 will be ready in a week. So, I'm thinking that my best bet is to not jump the gun--I'll stick by my original vision of one colossal campaign released all at once. And so, I have officially begun Chapter 2 (while Chapter 1 will continue to be tested). I designed almost the entire opening sequence, which is pure central plot; I did the writing, the scripting, the area design--everything except for a few blueprints. I added Chapter 2 to the campaign and wrote the quick transition script from Chapter 1 to Chapter 2. So basically I did a bit of work on Chapter 2, and made the decision to keep Moonshadows 1 under wraps until the time is right.
Labels: Development, Moonshadows
posted by Alex | 9:51 AM
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