And it's done.

The module is out as of today.

You can download it here : https://neverwintervault.org/project/nwn1/module/madness-and-magic

Progress update

Summer has been very productive (by which I mean I've accomplished about as much work as I wanted to). My time was split between debugging and working on the Wasteland dimension, and both tasks are now behind me - well, one is never really done with debugging... but one can hope.

The last dimension is shaping up quite nicely; it's definitely my favorite area in the whole module.

Care to guess why?

One more...

I estimate the module will be complete in two weeks, and then I'll take two more to do some test runs with different characters. The module will be released on October 8th, pending any unforeseen problems.

I can't seem to stop adding those screenshots...

Progress update

This week I've been working on a quest the player can get in two different ways. No matter how the PC stumble upon it, it eventually leads him to a masked ball given at the castle. Behold:

Lots of people and pretty lights.

The area is very laggy on my low-end laptop, which was an added difficulty.

Masks, masks everywhere...

On the bright side, I'm virtually done with Winterscale - I say 'virtually' because I still need to flesh out a few dialog files - and I'm moving on to the elven forest. (Technically both places are in the same dimension but I still count them as separate locations.)

Unlike the city, the elven forest is a pretty straightforward area. I estimate it will take me two weeks to complete it, and then I'll start working on the second-to-last dimension.

Fun with lense flare

This is what happens when I'm bored.

Progress update

For the past month I've been working on all the small dimensions the player will get to explore in M&M. Roughly speaking, we're talking about a bulk of four or five locations that make up the middle part of the module. Some can be completed in two minutes, others in half an hour, but they all revolve around a single 'concept' and feature almost no side-quests at all.

I'm almost done with them - I've still got the last one to finish, which will take me perhaps a week. The next item on the list is Winterscale and the second part of the main quest within the city walls, before moving on to the forest of the elves, and finally the Wasteland. Then I'll wrap up the module, which includes the final confrontation where all is revealed and the ending - whether or not it'll be a happy one depends on the choices you made while playing.

Initially I had planned for a summer release, but I've realized it's not longer realistic. If it does happen, it'll be late summer... early fall is more probable though. Even if the module is completed by the end of August, I'm gonna need at least a month to hunt down every single bugs and smooth out all the dialog. Yeah, especially the dialog.

On another note, look at the screenshot I captured while I was testing a cutscene:

That's what I like about this game. You think you've seen everything it has to offer, and you're proven wrong at every turn.

Achievements system

It's kind of a late addition to the module: I only had the idea yesterday. I was thinking about what I could do to increase the replayability of Madness&Magic, and that's what I came up with. Just like in NWN 2 or Dragon Age, you can unlock achievements which prove that you've done something special in the game.

So far it's just a cosmetic feature, and I think it's going to stay that way. Unlocking achievements doesn't grant you any bonus - just the bragging rights. Unlike in NWN 2, you don't get any xp either.

I've got six done at the moment, for a grand total of twelve or so at the end. They're going to be mostly humorous or silly things, like this one.

Achievement: Baby rat named after you.

Of course there'll be serious ones, too, and one or two will be extra hard to get.

Books

You'll find plenty of books in Madness&Magic. I think it's a nice way to add flavor to the world you've created without beating the player over the head with all the lore. The books are there and the player can choose to check them out if he wants to.

Some of the books are about the universe the module is set in.

You can find out quite a bit about the Citadel if you search around.

Some are about the history of the dimensions you'll visit.

People in Winterscale have been deeply affected by the Wars of Magic.

Then there is fiction...

Translated from the French original.

And of course, silly books - my favorites.

What's that behind you?