Now, with the fluff out of the way, here's the bad news. To be ready for action the module will need some serious community effort.
1. MONEY
We need Hialmar to start a Waterdeep fund, because we need a kickass computer to run this module. It will need a fast dual-core CPU, 4GB of RAM and a RAID array, coupled with an a-grade broadband link.
2. AREA LANDSCAPER
While I could do this I want to move on and work some other projects, Moonsea, TSM and Cold Lands, and at a more even pace. Each of the 18 areas require significant terrain shaping, texturing and mapping. I have done the streets, buildings and walls, not the landscape. And while the city texturing is done, there is lots of landscape texturing to do.
3. MULTIPLE AREA DECORATORS
There are 18 areas to decorate with trees, placeables and color. Placeables need to be converted and wrapped in walkmesh cutters. There's nothing technically difficult about this task, but it requires a strong aesthetic, canonical awareness and persistence.
4. NPC DESIGNER
A canon fiend needs to take on this role. There is a plugin that replicates the NWN1 NPC creation process, so there's no tech threat here.
5. TESTERS
Waterdeep will need a small army of willing testers. There's a test tool to that allows players to teleport, run fast, make error reports to a log file on the host machine in real time, screenshot taker and a host of other tools, made by Barry the Hatchet. Great testing tool and vital for Waterdeep. I'll leave it to cipher to implement if he wants.
http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=NW ... ail&id=101
6. INTERIOR EVOLUTION
Exceptions are obvious (sewers, castles, dungeons and inns, or any place players will spend long periods of time), but in the main, I do not recommend building interiors for this module (and I mean shops really, or any place PCs spend short periods of time). Load times from interior to exterior make it an unwise practice and will surely deter many of Waterdeep's potential players.
A conservative estimate on a fast machine for a load time entering an exterior is 30 seconds. A worst case scenario is 90, maybe 2 minutes with NPCs.
The solution is simple....the Rampart placeables exist that allow building interiors to be made and placed in exterior areas. In the interests of players, I strongly urge the development of such locations placed in exterior areas.
Currently the module comes in at 1GB. I'm uploading the module now cipher and will PM you the address once it's ready.
Finally, welcome to Waterdeep. I love this place, and it's been a real pleasure designing and building its foundations.
