As expected, the concert was great! Man, you don't know what it is like to be surrounded by 3000+ people who enjoy video game music just as much, if not more than you. Heh, it was where I belong:)

It didn't change much from last year, but the little amount of change was good. For instance, they brought this guy out, who played a solo medley of 10 different Final Fantasy songs on a piano. Then, they blindfolded him, and he did some Super Mario Bros. After watching this video, I noticed that he was hiiting some wrong keys, but who gives a damn! This kid is good:)

Here is some Legend of Zelda.

Here is some more Super Mario Bros. while blindfolded. The best part is when he speeds things up. Remember when you only had 30 seconds or so left, and the music changed, and sped up? Yep, he puts that in as well:) He then moves on to some Tetris.

One of the more interesting things was when he starting playing the main theme to Final Fantasy 10. This couple in front of me, looked at each other, and at the same time, said, "This is our song!". Then they kissed each other, and continued watching the performance. Yeah, it may be cheesy, but never would I thought I would live to the day when I would see something like that.

So, the concert itself was held at Yale University, so it was pretty cool to go there, since I had never been there before. Heh, perhaps I will run into Hugie out there some day if the concert ever goes back, since I believe that was one of those top tier schools he applied to. Anyway, since the school itself is very old, they had a very old organ in the concert hall as well. So they put it to good use, and had that guy come out, and do some Castlevania! Just great stuff:)

Let's see, what else... They did the obligatory Zelda, Mario Bros, Halo, Sonic (which I REALLY enjoyed), God Of War, etc. The only computer games worthy enough were World of Warcraft, and Civilization IV. Meh... Perhaps one day, they will start dealing with music at the beginning of development, and not an afterthought, especially when it comes to CRPG's *cough* NWN2 *cough*.

All in all, I had a great time. I also heard some music I never heard before, which I plan on checking out (i.e. God of War). Finally, as expected, it invigorated me with the inspiration I need to finally put together the final tracks I will be using in my next games. Yeah, it will change as time goes on, but if I go in with at least 40 tracks, I will feel better:)

Till tomorrow...

P.S. Drop by here, if you haven't voted for the Module of the Year.

I just relaxed today, mostly because I knew I had a ton of work to do on the secret project tomorrow. So, uh, yeah:)

Till tomorrow...

So, a while ago, Luke "Alazander" Scull was telling me to keep my options open, with regards to the platform I choose to build my next game on. More specifically, he mentioned using Dragon Age. since I wrote about it, I got a bunch of emails from people telling me that no toolset was being shipped with the game. Then, before really doing any research, a thread at the NWN1 modules forum got off topic (I think), and they started talking about whether there was going to be a toolset or not for Dragon Age. Towards the end of the thread, someone posted a link to a post made at the Dragon Age forums from a developer, essentially saying that Bioware never said there wouldn't be a toolset, but that was all he could say.

From what I gather, there may be a toolset, but that won't be the focus of development, which may mean that using said toolset might not be as easy as using the Aurora Toolset, or the Electron Toolset (don't laugh, it's not that hard, really!).

Now, I know I have said this before, but for some weird reason, I have faith in Bioware that Dragon Age might actually be a great game. The fact that it doesn't adhere to the DnD ruleset is probably the best thing going for it, in my opinion.

RANDOM TANGENT

I make no secret about that fact that I LOATHE this entire setting (FR). In truth, it really isn't the setting so much as it is the fact that some people compare everything to it, and if your game doesn't hold up to some vision of what they expect an RPG to be, you get flamed. Ah yes, I do remember the days of getting votes of 1 on The Coming because the goblins in South Shinkara Forest had 60 HP's:) In truth, stuff like that doesn't really bother me that much anymore (I just received the vote a few months ago), but it is still annoying, sort of like getting a mosquito bite:)

In fact, because of things like that, the design of this series has changed a bit. Not that much, but enough to appease the players, who might be expecting certain things. Now, I was able to compromise, because I know this version of this series is not the final one, and that one day, I would be coming back to do it commercially. Plus, as I said in another update, I am making games that people like. If I wanted to make a game that only I like, then I should keep that game to myself:)

Oh, and because some people always seem to take things the wrong way, let me state something: This is not an intended knock at the lovers of FR games. I respect the fact that people like different types of games, and I also respect the fact that the majority of people who play NWN are looking for games like that (actually, I don't have numbers to determine if that is true, but it seems it would be). It's just not my thing, and not the type of games that I want to make. Yes, I have my little niche in the community, but I want to reach more people. And, I think I would reach more people with Dragon Age.

Of course, the majority of the people who buy that game may be lovers of NWN and Baldurs Gate, and if so, then this would be a moot point:)

BACK ON TOPIC

Yeah, so no DnD ruleset makes Challseus very happy:) Also, I think I read it somewhere, but they will actually be using a mana system this time. By the gods, a mana system! What's the one negative thing? Um, yeah, so it's not coming out until 2009! Right... Looks like I'm stuck with NWN2... Heh, I tried:)

Till tomorrow...

So, as I have mentioned a million and two times, while developing Rose of Eternity over 30 months, I let everything go. If it didn't have to do with Rose of Eternity, it just wasn't important. In retrospect, this obviously was a bad decision, but oh well, things happen...

So, one of the main things I let go is my general health. more specifically, how I ate. Since I was always in front of the computer, I was too busy to eat real food. Instead, I was content to have McDonalds and Drake's Apple Pies everyday:( In the process, I gained around 20-25 lbs. Since I actually started eating real food a little over a month ago, I have already lost 10 or more lbs. Well, I have been working out with one of my friends, who is a personal trainer as well. Truth be told, I am in the best shape of my life, and it will only get better.

Another thing I let go for far too long was the health of... well... my teeth... In all honesty, I hadn't been to the dentist in about 10 years, possibly more. So, from 2000-2004, I had an excuse (sort of), as I didn't have dental insurance. The rest of the time, well, yeah... I am a procrasinater... Big time...

Well, I finally started going in the middle of January, and let me tell you, it sucks:( I have been there at least 4 times since then... It's basically because I had to get caught up with everything (i.e. proper cleaning of my teeth). Now, the interesting thing is, throughout all of these years, my teeth held up fine. In fact, everytime they see me, they constantly tell me how lucky I am, because most people would have had tons of cavities, and possible missing teeth. I guess my luck isn't that bad:) The worst part, however, is when they are cleaning my teeth, it hurts the hell out of my gums, because they hadn't been properly cleaned in such a long time. Everytime I go for my cleaning, they can only do so much, before it starts to hurt like hell, and they tell me to come back later, so they don't kill me:) the first 2 times, I was using basic novacane that they apply through this gel they place on my gums. Heh, next time, they say I need to get the needle to really numb things. Oh well, better than going through pain for 40 minutes straight...

So, let this be a lesson, kiddies. Get to the damn dentist!

Till tomorrow...

So, I cannot go into full details, but I have found a new set of music (close to 20 tracks) that may end up defining my next game. It's just so freaking weird how music like this drops in my lap when I am not even looking for it, and even worse, how it inspires me to stop my lifestyle change, and design games whenever I am not at work, or doing work for Ossian Studios! For now, I will try to just brainstorm various situations while listening to it, and keep it at that. I mean, I will continue to attempt to port all my scripting systems, but that's about it.

Anyway, I think I may have found the main theme for Chapter 3. Chapter 3 is definitely not supposed to be as dark as Cry The Beloved was. When I say that, I don't mean how gritty it is, but environment wise. While designing EVERY area with Cry, I was trying to keep a certain ambiance, which started with Dematol. If you play through the game, 90% of the time, the areas are very dark, and if it is light, then the skies are cloudy, and it is most likely raining. Besides the fact that it is written in the story that the continent of Dantiras is very rainy, I also just wanted to keep that dark feeling through the game.

Chapter 3 is quite different. The player emerges on the other side of the Danue Mountains, in Aurora, which can be described as a vast plains area, with lots of free roaming animals, lush hills, and TONS of sunshine. Stramadon (come on people, the fact that the player goes to this city shouldn't be a spoiler!) will likewise be a very vibrant city, in ambiance, and in style. This trend will continue with the other planned areas for the game.

Now, along with this new look, new music is needed. Now, around the release of Cry, I had already been listening to various pieces of music from RPGFan Radio which I knew I was going to use. Well, all of that music can be reinforced with this music, which if everything goes according to plan, will arrive at my house on Friday. Yeah, yeah, I decided to take the moral high ground, and just buy the damn CD, instead of scouring the internet. I'm much too busy for that right now anyway...

In other music related news, I will be attenting a Video Games Live concert in New Haven, Connecticut, with one of my longtime friends I have known since 3rd grade (1988). I was already lucky enough to attend one of these concerts at the Game Developer's Conference last year. I remember it being the perfect ending to the grand week I had at the Independent Games Festival, where The Coming took home the prize for best NWN module. Man, how time flies... It has already been a year...

The fact that this concert has been playing all over the world is just a testament to the fact that I was NOT crazy in 5th grade for liking the music to Mega Man II:) Hell, looking at my past, it should be no secret why I have the passion for music that I do...

Till tomorrow...

Yep, another co-worker is leaving. I'm actually very used to it now:) Of course, we will have to take said co-worker out to lunch, and then drinks, as it is the standard way of sending someone off to a better life:) This particular worker and I got along quite well, as he was somewhat of a mentor to me. He has been in the industry many years, so he had tons of knowledge to pass down to me, including programming related things, but mostly, office politics 101:)

It's always sad to see someone leave, but it is what it is.

Till tomorrow...

P.S. To those who have emailed me in the past week, don't think I am ignoring you. I have just been super busy with the secret project, real work, and some other things. I will be working from home the next 2 days, so I will respond to said emails tomorrow morning.

So, I think I have found a new contender for my favorite TV drama. It is called, Rome, a show that comes on HBO every sunday at 9:00pm. I'm already a history buff who has been interested in ancitent Rome lately, and this show is just the icing on the cake. It is a historical fiction show, but the areas they took liberties with work really well.

In my opinion, the entire cast is excellent, but the 2 main characters, Lucious Vorenus, & Titus Pulo are the standouts. They are cold blooded killers who can't seem to get out of the army, but when bad things happen to them, you actually feel for them. This is obviously because of the way the show is presented, not making everything black & white. I'm not a reviewer, so I am not going to go into great detail about it, but if you are a fan of Rome, and you are also a fan of HBO original programming, check it out.

Sadly, the series finale aired today:( I missed a bunch of episodes from season 1 (there are only 2 seasons), so I hope they re-air them on HBO On Demand, and if not, I would gladly pay for the overpriced (most likely) box set. It's that good!

Till tomorrow...

Only one word comes to mind when I get a new piece of art: INSPIRATION... The instant I received some new art, I would always just throw on some music, and look at the piece, inspired enough to come up with new ideas. It's really wondefrul how someone can take something you have had in your mind for 8 years, and bring it to life.

So, it was around the middle of November, and I received an e-mail from a young woman from Spain, named Olaia Ferrando. I don't recall everything that was said, but it was along the lines of "I am an artist, and would like to help you with your game". Up to this point, I had been wary about anyone requesting to help me with stuff, because let's face it, 90% of the people who are excited about helping out are never heard from again. I didn't want to get involved in something big, only to be burnt. So, I asked her for something simple: an official logo. I had always wanted one, and it seemed simple enough, and if she never got back to me, it was all good. A few days later, I received what would become the new logo for Rose of Eternity. Okay, she passed test #1: she got back to me with results:) She immediately wanted to start work on some concept art for Clopon. By the end of the month, I had a sketch, and this is where I began to get excited!

This trend would continue on until even after I released Cry The Beloved. It always brought a smile to my face whenever she would send me over some new work. What made the whole thing special was just how damn nice Oli is. She's very easy to work with, and it obviously very good at what she does. I know who I will be recommending if someone is ever looking for an artist:)

Besides character art, I also received some art that was a map of Dantiras, the continent where the first 2 games take place. This was all compliments of a gentleman by the name of Jonathan. He just so happened to be referred to me by Aria Valesco (Vaei), who did the work on the custom spinning animation used in the game. Now, this was very interesting, because I actually had drawn out my own map in pencil back when I was in college in 1999. So, I have always had an idea of what the land looks like, on a high level. All I had to do was get him a copy of it, and he took it to the next level, artistically wise, that is. It was fun to have the back and forths with him over the few months we worked together, and I am very happy with the map of Dantiras.

Interestingly ehough, when I first started receiving pieces of art, I claimed I was going to create a separate art page. Yep... It's been over 15 months now... Still, no art page... Perhaps one day:)

Till tomorrow...

Ah yes, Quality Assurance... The last line of defense... The unsung heroes... Meh, not at my dayjob:) More like the untouchables... If they aren't happy with something, they don't release it. Their word is gospel. Even worse, if something is released with a bug in it, they don't get in trouble for not catching it. Yep, it's the engineer's fault. Ah yes, Quality Assurance...

Okay, sorry for the little rant, but I thought it was important to know where I am coming from, with regards to my feelings on Quality Assurance. At my day job, it is most definitely a hate/love relationship. On a good day, I get props for giving them something with no bugs. On a bad day, I am getting 20 bug reports for things that are not bugs:) That said, it is very different when you are directly working with people who are testing something you feel passionate about, like, oh I don't know, a module for NWN1:)

While developing The Coming, I must have gone through the game at least 200 times. This was mainly because it only took 3 hours for me to rush through everything. It was something I could start on the train ride into work, and finish on the train ride home. And for the most part, it was quite linear. Yes, towards the end, you had a chance to teleport back to South Shinkara Forest after meeting Challseus, but even then, that was a linear experience. That said, before I released the game, I still wanted to have some people test it out, in case they caught something that slipped past me. There was no plan really, I just made a post on the NWN1 modules forums, provided a link to the BETA, and hoped for some response. Most of the feedback I received was about the design of the game, not so much about bugs, or any other technical issues. Actually, one person did complain about the length of some of the cut-scenes. I guess that was just a small tatse of what I would experience a few months later:) But, all in all, things went well.

Fast forward a year while Cry The Beloved development was proceeding , and I was longing for the days when I could run through The Coming in 3 hours. Cry was taking roughly 10 hours everytime... And that was with me skipping all cut-scenes, and ESC out of conversations when I could. It was a beast! Luckily, I had a nice group of people who were very enthusiastic about Rose of Eternity, and didn't mind running through the game. Things didn't start out so smooth, however...

In the fall of 2005, during the peak of The Coming's popularity (in terms of DL's), I was getting tons of emails everyday from people who wanted to have some part in the development of Cry. 90% of the people wanted to be alpha testers. Who was I to turn them away:) Problem was, I only had about an hour of a playable game, so I didn't want to waste anyone's time. I wouldn't end of have a playable ALPHA until the end of November. At this point, I would just email everyone with a link to where they could download the ALPHA. Very unorganized. Eventually, Amy Laurin got sick of it, and created the ROE Development Forums.

With this centralized place, I was able to post a link to the files one time, and better yet, everyone was able to meet each other, and have discussions on various parts of the game. Once this happened, I was able to release a new ALPHA every 2 months or so, though it slipped to 3-4 months one time...

As expected, a sub forum for bugs was created, which became the bane of my existance:) Seriously though, it served it's purpose perfectly. By August 2006, everything was standardized, and I had the following people working with me, who consistenly did more than I ever asked of them:

Alistair Gill
Igal Tovievich
Bjarne Madsen
Rick Sanderson
Sean O'Daniel
Todd Harrell
Camron Harrell

I say consistent, because some people would BETA the game, and then never be heard from again. These people stuck with me the entire time. And boy, did they really do a great job! Anyone who has played Cry knows how complicated it was, so without them, I couldn't even imagine what shape it would be in right now. And, I will be honest. There was a TON of bugs! So much so, that I had to create a separate sub forum for bugs that were fixed.

I will admit, it was a grueling effort, but with the support of everyone, we made it through everything. Hell, there were some people testing the game at 4:00 am the morning I uploaded the game. Now that's dedication! I am sure I rubbed some people the wrong way when I would say, "Oh, that isn't a bug" :), and there was this little post I made in the General Discussion forums, where I broke down and said I couldn't take it anymore. I am sure they were all like, "Oh damn, Challseus has really lost it this time...". But, here I am, and the small amount of bugs that have been reported since the release of Cry is a testament to the job they all did.

As I have said in the last 2 updates, I would never create another game without a group of people like this. I am sure my next game will be more complicated than Cry, and to think of doing that by myself... Well, yeah, not gonna happen:)

Till tomorrow...

Edit - There were actually more people that helped out, but some wanted to remain anonymous for whatever reason, and the others, I was not able to get their permission to put their names here...

Much like the writers (which I wrote about yesterday), without my editor, Jason Melancon, I would surely have gotten letter bombs complaining about my horrible grammer skills:) But, having a good editor just doesn't mean that you have someone to point out typos and such, as I slowly learned over 15 months...

Similiar to the situation with the writers, I initially was introduced to Jason through the now familiar sequence of events. Before even playing The Coming, he found some hideous grammar mistakes in the description of the module itself. He outright wondered about the quality of the module, given the mistakes. I convinced him there was no correlation, and a week later, I had an email along with edits for damn near every conversation in the game! This was just the beginning...

At this time, I had already started working on Cry The Beloved, so I reluctantly asked him to take a look at some other conversations that had been written by Amy and Joseph. Luckily, he was familiar enough with the convo editor in the toolset to actually just take the exported conversation files, and make his changes in line. What was good was, he ended up coming up with a format, so that I knew what to remove, and what to add. Basically, if I saw a "+" sign, then I knew that whatever was between it needed to be added to the sentence. If I saw a "^" sign, then I knew I needed to remove something. Here is an example:

I assumed as much. This time+,+ however, we ^will^+must+ +*+all+*+ ^take place^+participate+ in the battle. First^ off^, we will split up. I will take my soldiers through one path, and you take your party through the trenches^,^ just north of here. +We will converge on the fort from two directions at once.+

// This time, however, we must *all* participate in // First, we will split // trenches just north of here. We will converge

On the bottom, you can see where he would just put the actual sentence, for extra clarity. This system really, really worked well. I would send him an original copy of a piece of dialogue, I would get it back, filled with convo nodes like the above example, and make the changes. As time went on, and he got more familiar with the Rose of Eternity world, he would come up with better ways to present the dialogue, not just simple edits. Here is an example from the dialogue that plays out when Claudian is telling Aramus about what he will encounter on his way to Fort Brigance:

They will no doubt take him to Fort Brigance. +It is the only secure location in range.+ We now have the excuse to not only rescue him, but take the entire fort itself.

// Fort Brigance. It is // range. We now have

// One additional option, parallel to "I want to take part":

// Aramus: Are you sure that is wise? What about using stealth, and avoiding further loss of life? Not to mention angering Castias, apparently the only one of them with a cool head?

I would get suggestions like this in many pieces of dialogue, and this really helped flesh things out even further. He was big on giving more options than normal in dialog, which he assured me people in the community appreciated as well, so I gave in:) I was perfectly content having linear pieces of dialogue, as that was my style, but I realized that I wasn't making the game for myself. As an aside, people sometimes say on forums that you should make games that you like, and not to worry about what other people think. Screw that:) If you are making a game for yourself, keep that sh** to yourself:) I am making games for others, so I'm definitely going to make it something that they like.

Towards the end of development, the editing expanded. Normal dialogs weren't the only thing he was willing to tear apart:) He started editing the dialogue in cut-scenes, and even descriptions of items and creatures. In fact, if anyone ever looks at the description of the Heart Stones, you can thank Jason for that, because the normal description was as generic as you can get:)

Now, maybe what he did was what a normal editor does. I wouldn't know, because it was my first experience with one. Hell, the fact that he was so involved with the project for free is good enough for me. I also know for a fact that I would never create a game again without an editor. Always have to take forward steps, not backward... I just hope he will be around for more work later this year. I guess I could pony up some money, or promises of free women, or something:)

Till tomorrow...

One of the more common issues people had with The Coming was the writing. "Bah, this was obviously written by a 6th grader!" "I couldn't finish this module because of the horrendous writing" "Seriously, next time, get a f***ing writer". Yep, I have heard them all... Fair enough... I'm a practical type of guy, so I can't argue against those comments at all...

So, when I was making this game, I was totally unprepared for the type of people that were going to play it. I thought everyone would love the gameplay, and not worry about my lack of writing skills. I obviously underestimated my audience. I now know better. When people started sending requests to help out with the writing, I was thrilled. "Wow, now I can worry about the cool things in game development!" was what I thought. Again, I now know better.

So, I won't go over the details of what happened over the next 15 months, but long story short, I had a bunch of writers join the team, some stuck around until the very day I released the game, some never even finished a writing project, and some are still harrasing me to start work on my next game:)

Either way, my appreciate for their skill has increased ten fold. Not really caring too much about the writing in games, I never really noticed the difference between good writing and bad writing. Well, I recently played through The Coming, and I am about 80% through Cry The Beloved, and the difference in my eyes is staggering, which is validated by the fact that I have not had ONE SINGLE COMPLAINT about the writing. In fact, it has gotten raves!

Some people have even written me, telling me that they are so impressed with my newly found writing skills. They obviously didn't watch the opening and/or ending credits:

WRITING

Phil Carter
Amy Laurin
Joseph Portello
Daniel Swingle
Kelvin Lu
David Timmons
Jason Melancon

These are the people that need to be thanked... These are the people who took pathetic descriptions from me about what a particular NPC should say, and formed then into what you see in game today. Amy & Joe were two of the first on board, and wrote the majority of the dialogue of the NPC's in Dematol, which makes sense, as it was the first area I was working on when development started. Anytime you see a piece of dialogue where Aramus has a chance to say something sarcastic, you can be sure Amy wrote that:) Remember Fifur, the pissed off dwarf at the docks? Joe did him, as well as the hungry Dematolians.

Kelvin was in charge of what he dubbed, the Dematolian Oracles. Basically, anything that had to do with the Keeper of the Rose, and the prophecy surrounding her. This included the dialogue that was used in the opening cut-scene, any of her dialogue when you met her in dreams, and all of the text found in Dematolian Oracles books (edited by Amy), scattered around the game world.

David did little bits here and there, but his most important contribution was Jarl Thuvik's riddles. Because of this, as a little teaser, Jarl will definitely be back, with more riddles to test your brain against. And trust me, they will be hard, because I haven't even been able to figure out any of them. David is just too tough!

Even though Jason was the Lead Editor, he also dabbled in writing when needed, such as a TON of dialogue for Auden if you happened to take him with you to Bannerman Hill. But, more on my new found love for editors tomorrow!

Finally, there was Phil Carter, Lead Writer. What can I say? His stuff was simply superb... His stuff is most likely the most recognizable because he focused on the major characters in the game, such as Jarl Thuvik, Kira Allendry, Lord Montolio, Ashard, Challseus, Aloia, etc. The difference with how I dealt with him was that I always gave him dialogue that I had already written, as a sort of placeholder. His job was to make it better, and that he did! Here are some of my favorite lines:

Lord Montolio - "The Father Lord's power and love know no bounds, my friend. But you must reach out to him. He cannot take your hand if it is closed into a fist..."

Kira Allendry - "In the perfect stillness of a chill winter night, I heard a song drifting upon the frigid air. I could not discern its source, for it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. I took up pen, ink and paper to try to capture it, for I could tell this was the Father Lord's response to my prayers. That song, we have now come to know as "Cry the Beloved". I...have often thought that it was the sound of our Father Lord's tears..."

Jarl Thuvik - "I have tempered the ticking of my time with the creation of compelling, challenging conundrums; quixotic quandaries whose delightful difficulty is demonstrated daily; puzzling, penetrating posers placed plenteously, presenting provocation unparalleled..."

The last exmaple in particular, with Jarl Thuvik was the first work he did for me, and after reading the entire piece of dialogue, I was literally in tears (from laughing that is!). Phil was also responsible for the dialogue between Aramus & Aloia, which couldn't have come out better, IMHO. Again, simply superb...

Why have I rambled on and on about this? Because, without these fine folks who graciously gave their time, the voting comments for Cry The Beloved would be filled with "Damn, didn't I tell you to hire some writers last year?!" "You just don't get it. People won't play a game with horrible writing!", and so on and so forth. Any future module builders out there, if you suck as much as I do, get a writer fast! Just do what you are good at, and let others do what they are good at.

Honestly, I just hope I can find a set of writers that are good, if not better than the old team. Even though I haven't really talked about it, if I didn't have a group of writers, I would probably not put out another game. I don't want to have a repeat of The Coming all over again:)

Oh and for what it's worth, I actually think that my writing/grammar skills have gotten a little better:)

Till tomorrow...

P.S. I am well aware of the irony of saying my writing/grammar has gotten better, when I am sure this very update is filled with many mistakes, so don't even bother writing me an e-mail to tell me:)

Just like yesterday, I think I am slowly, eventually coming to a realization with regards to what chapter I would like to do next. With that said:

CHAPTER 3 VS. CHAPTER 4

So, in a perfect world, I would, without a shred of doubt, start the work on Chapter 3. I mean, why not? I have already been building up this long and drawn out story and I have spent years characterizing the 20+ major people in the cast. And the best is yet to come! In particular, I am most proud of how Castias has been evolving, and it seems I have been spending more time on his story than Aramus!

So, what's the problem, you ask? Well, for one, if I did it for NWN2, I would have to redo chapters 1 and 2 first, for two reasons: 1) You can't transfer characters between NWN1 and NWN2 and 2) I can't assume that everyone that plays Chapter 3 would have played the first 2 chapters. Since the story is linked in a certain way, it just wouldn't make sense. As for redoing earlier chapters, I have to be realistic. I wouldn't just do a simple port. I would obviously update things to take advantage of what comes with NWN2, and I anticipate that taking a long time... Also, with NWN2's cut-scene system, I don't know how I could replicate all the cut-scenes, without compromising the quality. If I did it in NWN1, I wouldn't have any of these worries, just some other ones, as stated in yesterday's journal entry.

Now, of course, there is the option to start with, *GASP*, Chapter 4... An obvious pro is that I will be starting a new, fresh story on a new, fresh platform. I already have the general story mapped out, but you all know how I design. Things will just come to me during the development, as I listen to music:) But, everything I have right now is quite good, in my opinion. Even though the game will be vastly different than what people have played so far, it will still be Rose of Eternity... Just grittier... As I have stated before, this section of the game (starting with Chapter 4), the player would have only been through 1/3 of the full scope of the planned series.

The cons are that some people may not want to just skip Chapter 3... Some people may have become attached to some of the characters, and will therefore want closure. And, they would be right to want that. I guess this is where reality comes in... I have a fulltime job, I have obligations to Ossian Studios, and most importantly, I am in the middle of a lifestyle change, which means I actually want to decrease my time in front of the computer. Regardless, game design is my passion, so I will be working on something soon, I am just not sure.

Right now, if Obsidian fixes the cut-scene system in NWN2, I think the answer to the questions posed yesterday and today is this: Chapter 3 with NWN2...

Till tomorrow...

Okay, so here we are again... 5 months after the release of Cry The Beloved, the debate continues... Luckily, I think the decision is becoming clearer...

NWN1 VS. NWN2

Just to recap my ramblings over the past 5 months, the benefit of sticking with NWN1 is that I have TONS of custom content readily available, I am very comfortable in the toolset, and I already have all of my custom systems in place. Yes, with whatever game I do next, I would expand on these systems, but I don't think it would be on the same level as the jump from The Coming -> Cry The Beloved. To be clear, that doesn't mean I won't be continuing to innovate and whatnot, it just means that I will be able to focus on cool new skills to add to the various systems (Last Resorts, BOB, Passive Abilities, etc.), not neccessarily adding new systems. The cons are obvious: The declining population of NWN1 players. Let's be honest, it took me 15 months to do each game, and I am not about to compromise the quality of the game to get it out early, so will people still be around in 2008? *Shrug*...

Now, the benefits of NWN2 are likewise very nice, such as direct control over party members (what the hell is a companion! :) ). I haven't played the OC, but I have played around with certain fights with multiple party members (in a test module), and let me say, if designed right, things could be really strategic. Plus, I would be able to expand on the Unison Ability system, allowing the ability for more skills between party members not including Aramus.

Another one that may not seem to be big deal to other people is the inclusion of the ability to run animations for anything at will. I used to hate how I couldn't play an animation, such as Auden shooting an arrow whenever I wanted to. For those that played through Cry The Beloved, did you ever wonder why I faded the screen during the execution scene in Dematol, or during the epilogue cut-scene where Arik executes some soldiers? It wasn't some sort of directorial thing. It was because I literally had no way to show the archers shooting in sync with the prisoners screams. In the end, it was a better effect to fade to a black screen, so I guess everything happens fo a reason! But, I still love how much control we now have over animations.

Lastly, I have to admit, I am intriguied by the custom GUI system. After porting my scripts over (someday, hopefully!), my next project will be to do a bunch of tutorials with the GUI system. I already have uses in mind, such as custom screens for all the custom systems, such as Bonds of Battle. No more tacky dialog systems with party members to set certain skills. Gah, I loathed doing that in NWN1. In my mind, just simple tacky...

So, the main issue stopping me from using NWN2 is the current cut-scene system (as I have mentioned many times before). I don't want to beat a dead horse, but this could actually keep me from doing anything with NWN2. Or, at the very least, at least keep me from remaking The Coming & Cry The Beloved. I couldn't go from the awesome cut-scenes in NWN1, to these stiff, un-inspiring ones in NWN2. Oh, and to be clear, I can do some pretty cool things in NWN2. It's just that it's like a very bad hack to get it done. Things that used to take me 10 minutes now take hours. So, maybe I should back up. It's not that the new system sucks per se, it's just that the paradigm has changed. Apparantly, rotating, zooming, and changing elevations weren't something the cinematic designers were into at Obsidian. Or, for all I know, they didn't have cinematic designers. Just regular technical designers that could make cut-scenes... Hmm, I need to check the credits, me thinks...

Actually, the only thing needed to make me happy with NWN2 cut-scenes is for Obsidian to fix the damn SetCutsceneMode method. Right now, when you use it, nothing happens, when it is supposed to hide the GUI. You can still script camera movements and whatnot, it's just that the player would still have access to the GUI! It's madness, I tells ya! If this was fixed, I would be pro NWN2.

Finally *gets ready to dodge rotten food*, I was talking to fellow Ossian member, Luke "Alazander" Scull, and he was suggesting I look into Dragon Age. I haven't done much research on it, so hell, for all I know, it could come out this year! And for whatever reason, I would think it would be better than NWN2. If not for anything else, because they spent more than 2 years working on it:)

Till tomorrow...

Okay, so I decided to give up on dealing with the cut-scenes for now. Instead, I will do what I should have done beforehand: Convert all my custom scripts, and make sure they still work. Once that is confirmed, I will update them to fit with NWN2 (i.e. VFX's). This includes the scripts that run my LR, BOB, Passive Ability, and Unison Ability systems. No matter what chapter I do next, these are scripts that will have to be used, so might as well get them in now, while I decided on how to proceed.

In other news, it looks like Maximus will be starting the voting process for the 2006 Module of the Year all over again. For more details check here...

So, for all of you who initially voted for me, THANKS! Unfortunately, it looks like you will have to drop that vote again:( But, I would really appreciate! The poll will open tomorrow, so don't forget!

Till tomorrow...

So, today was a long day indeed. I did a bunch of work on my other project, and then, started doing some research on NWN2.

So, as much as I try, I still cannot make cut-scenes work the way they used to. It is quite possible the most annoying thing about the game. I can deal with toolset crahses, and the sort. But my god, can I PLEASE rotate the camera at will!

To be honest, I am really hoping Obsidian comes to their senses, and fixes this. Most people don't have a problem with it, because when it comes down to it, NWN2 cut-scenes, or as I like to call them, glorified conversations with dynamic cameras, are simpler for the average builder to use. With the ease of use, people like me lose the flexibility. Ah, such is life...

Till tomorrow...

Will keep this short, as I don't really feel like talking about anything. Long story short, my girlfriend was involved in a car accident this morning, because of a TON of snow that is hitting the north east part of our country.

Now, she's OKAY! Just shaken up, really. The car is totaled, which obviously sucks, but she is okay, and that is what really matters.

She is getting in some much needed rest, which is what gave me the time to write this, but as expected, I don't really have much to talk about today.

Till tomorrow...

I never thought in a million years that I would ever go to a karaoke bar, but here I was last night, sitting in one...

It was made bearable by the fact that my company ordered an open bar and tons of food for the 3 hours we were there. Then, afterwards, we won't a couple blocks to another bar, where our Executive Game Producer whipped out his trust credit card and claimed he was going to pay for everything. Who was I to argue? :)

As the night went on, the usual conversations kept coming up from random drunk people...

"Leonard, you're a game designer, not an application programmer, what the hell are you still doing here!". Yeah, something along those lines, just many different variations of it. I obviously have a pretty good plan, but it is just something that I am not willing to share with just anyone, so I have to just nod my head, and agree with them, knowing that things won't always be like this. We'll see...

Till tomorrow...

So, for those that missed yesterday's update, checkout this page. It is the beginning of a newly revamped media section of this game. In reality, this was something I would have liked to have done before I released Cry The Beloved, but you all know how stressed I was, so...

Anyway, better late than never. So, as you can see, there are a total of 17 tracks so far, out of a total of 70. When picking these tracks, I tried to get a pretty good sample, instead of going with all Nobuo Uematesu tracks, for instance. I am still torn if I am just literally going to add all the tracks, or just a little bit more (like 20 more or so).

I'm tempted to put all of them up there, for the simple fact that I have already gotten some e-mails from people who are delighted to be able to listen to Rose of Eternity music whenever the feel like it. Speaking of which, I have to say, THANK YOU to all the people who continue to come to the website, making these updates worth writing.

You all know I'm a stats whore, so I have this utility that comes with the package I use to host this website, which shows me detailed statistics for everything related to the website, including daily visit, hits per page, top entry pages, top exit pages, etc. I would have thought my visits would have dropped way down during my abscence, but they actually didn't. I'm just sorry people kept coming here, only to find out that I went another day with posting an update:( Well, I hope to amend that...

So, after I finish putting up all the tracks I want, I will make an actual link to the page from the front page of the website. The main music page will no doubt have me rambling on and on about what music means to me, how it inspires me, yada yada yada. You know, that stuff that you all have heard so many times you probably want to have me destroyed everytime I mention it:)

After I am happy with that, I will attempt to put up a wallpaper download section, so everyone can enjoy the lovely work of Olaia Ferrando. Again, there have been many requests about this, so I just need to get off my lazy ass and do it!

Finally, and I know this is crazy, I would like to get some in game movies up. More specifically, some of the cooler looking cut-scenes, such as the intro cut-scene, the epilogues cut-scenes, etc. This will be harder, as I will have to obviously record the movies in game with FRAPS, then try to convert to a decent file size, and then pick which player I would use (i.e. WMP). We'll see...

As you can see, I really just want to make this website more than just a place people can come to to read about what is going on in my life. I want people to be able to get fulled drowned in everything Rose of Eternity:)

Till tomorrow...

P.S. If anyone has any requests for music, just shoot me an e-mail at gamecoder@optonline.net

Wow, so where to begin... As I mentioned in yesterday's update, I have been hard at work on a project which I am obviously not allowed to talk about. All I can say is that I am a technical/cinematic designer with Ossian Studios, and that in itself should say enough.

And as I tried to stress yesterday, this does not mean I am abandoning Rose of Eternity. I mean, I haven't even decided which chapter I will release next (that is another story!), so instead of rushing it, in the meantime, I am honing my skills even more with said Ossian project.

The reason I really want to stress it is so that people really understand that I am not going anywhere. I received many emails from concerned folks who hadn't heard a peep out of me in over a month.

I guess it make sense... I go from writing an update everyday since August 2005 to absolutely nothing in over a month. I would be concerned too:) That said, I think it was something that I needed... It is no secret that I was REALLY burnt out after finishing Cry The Beloved. Heh, just thinking about it makes me cringe. But, even afterwards, I attempted to keep this blog going. Then, more than a month ago, there was just so many other things going on in my life, that Rose of Eternity *had* to really take a break.

For one, I was reconnecting with friends I hadn't seen in a while. I mean, I had seen them sporadically over the past 2 years, but it was never for long, since I was always so busy with my games. I honestly missed how much fun I could have with all of my old friends. It was like I was discovering it all over again, as cheesy as it sounds, but it is what it is:)

Oh yeah, I work out a lot now... As in, I have a personal trainer... So, long story short, my girlfriend wants to become a forensic photographer, and that entails actually enlisting in a police academy for a short while. Even worse, there is this agility test that you have to take in order to get in. Well, she didn't have that much time to train for it, so she failed by (just by a little bit!). So we have this friend who works out all the time, and also has aspirations of being a personal trainer, and since she needed to get in better shape for her next test, she suggested that we have our friend train her. Also, at this time, I was trying to make a conscious effort to change my lifestyle, and in particular, the my health and fitness. So, we both ended up going to the gym with our friend and his girlfriend, and now, out of no where, it is like one of the most important things in my life.

For those that don't know, while working on Rose of Eternity as a whole for 30 months, I literally sat in my computer chair working on it anytime I wasn't at work. I was eating twinkees and hostess cup cakes and McDonalds and all sorts of food that just isn't healthy. I ended up putting on a little more weight than I would have liked, so I I knew it was something I wanted to change. Well, let me tell you... I feel the best I have felt since 1997 when I was on the high school football team. I already dropped 10 lbs, and that was just from eating healthy alone! I repeat, I am not dieting! I am just not eating an overbundance of snacks that aren't good for me, and already, I am seeing results. When I am not lifting weights, I run at the gym a lot as well, though I am sure I am not good enough to be on Alex Hugie Hugon's cross country team yet:)

There are also other minor things I have been taking care of, like getting back into the habit of going to the dentist regularly, going to the doctor, etc. Yeah, these are things I should have stayed on top of, but I'll be the first to admit, Rose of Eternity came before everything up until 5 months ago.

Oh well, I learned from my mistakes, and move on. The fact is, I feel the best I have ever felt in the past 10 years, and even better for you fans out there, the itch to release something is back ever more than before the last time I mentioned. This time however, I don't have the time constraints (i.e. NWN2 coming) to pressure me. Ah yes, change is good...

Till tomorrow...

UPDATE - I have added a new feature to this website, although I haven't had time to properly integrate it. It will basically be a page talking about the music of Rose of Eternity, as well as allowing people to listen to various tracks from the game.

So, for now, just go to this page. If you have any suggestions, let me know, and also, I would like to know if anyone has any issues with the pages. Thanks, and much more to come!

Not that anyone reads these things anymore, but I'm back! *Dodges rotten fruit and vegetables*.

Yes, I know I was very bad with updating things after the release of Cry The Beloved, but I really dropped the ball these past 4-5 weeks. I will now offer up a pitiful excuse...

So, I usually make these updates on the train ride into work, and FTP the changes to my website's file repository. Well, for whatever reason, I wasn't able to use SmartFTP to do this a few weeks back, and never really put forth an effort to see why. Why, you ask?

In a nutshell, I have been BUSY AS ALL FREAKING HELL!!!

What have I been doing? Sadly, I am not at liberty to say:( I can say that I am a technical/cinematic designer with Ossian Studios working away on a project, but as expected, I cannot say anymore. Oh, and to be perfectly, 100%, crystal clear, this does not mean in anyway that I am stopping with my ongoing work with Rose of Eternity. Not in any way... Period... In fact, as I write this, I am listening to some new music I was so lucky to have received yesterday, which will fit perfectly into my next game. So, as always, the brainstorming is constant...

And with that, I will get back to work, with hopes of actually updating this thing daily again (ah the good old days!).

Till tomorrow (hopefully!)...