Hello all,
As an experiment/proof of concept/support of server proposal I have taken the assets of the OAS2, removed the exterior areas and made a new exterior at 1/4 scale as a "travel" area to link them together. I've used Acadius Lost's scripts he wrote for Exodus to scale your PC up and down as it moves from "real" areas to the travel area. There are an awful lot of new questions and systems to write before this is usable, but I would appreciate any feedback on whether you think this is a good way of getting the sense of scale of the old ALFA back while also cutting right back on the size of mods.
It's currently running and accepting logons:
Gamespy PW Story (it may not be visible in the list, so IP Address is 62.121.26.57:5121): ALFA Travel Test
Password: ALFA standard
PWC File: here
I'll have to check to confirm this when I get home, but if Teric has built this on the base of the OAS2 he last uploaded, it shouldn't require any hak files. The only clientside file needed to join the module should be the PWC file, which stores walkmesh information locally on your computer.
Once you've downloaded the PWC file, unpack it (they are usually archived using WinRAR or 7-zip, just as ALFA's haks have traditionally been), and put the file (usually named like the module, plus the .pwc extension) into your /documents/(username)/Neverwinter Nights 2/pwc/ folder.
If the file is incorrect or not installed in the right place, you will receive a "Error Loading Module" when you try to log in with a PC. If instead, you receive a "You have been Booted" error, it means the module's database isn't connected properly.
Had a look around this evening- beautiful work- I feel the scope of the area more completely with the travel map in place. First impressions of it were that the towns, trees, etc seemed to "big" while on the travel map- perhaps from more intent to scale meaningfully to the PC, rather than to the map and terrain- this has the mixed effect of making points of interest easy to spot from great distance.
If anything, I'd suggest going smaller, both on the PC and on the cities/structures/trees - it's already at a point where you can't really zoom in on yourself, so the exact relative scale ceases to have much meaning- it's more about making the details (keeps, towns, etc) "feel" like they fit in with their surroundings.
I found the large unwalkable areas around the points of interest somewhat jarring, having to circle around to find the glowing AT- it wouldn't be too hard to surround an area of interest with hidden triggers that accomplish the same end, perhaps even ATing to one of several entry points depending on the direction of approach. If we used code from the Seamless ATs I developed early on, we could even allow a PC to back out of the interest area before being jumped to it if that was desired.
Random encounters would be ideal as well, to make the area feel alive- some false alarms, passing caravans, even surprise statics (wagon broken down in the road, with something sighted in the distance)- all of these could be generated semi-randomly off such a map base. The previous exteriors developed could easily be used as the encounter areas with a bit of adaption- road areas for encounters on the road, moor areas for off the road.
All in all, a promising start and well worth a look for people trying to get a sense of how the supermaps would work- I recommend crossing the bridge and reentering the travel map on the other side to get a better sense of the area, the initial stretch (Soubar to the bridge) doesn't do the map justice.
Is it my imagination, or is the Forest of Wyrms not linked in this supermap?
Great work, definitely gets the mind going on ideas.
Marklos wrote:I'm hosting the OAS2 for now. Let me know how it's running.
When will OAS2 be unpassworded?
“In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.” - Open Message to the Executive Branch.
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