Looks like you're aiming to give more consistency between the storyline and what the game actually presents.
A suggestion about this: non-magic armors, helmets, and shield should also break eventually. They are made of the same tainted iron as other weapons, after all.
It's a good idea but isn't there like a mod that covers that already? Like unfinished business or the tweakpack?
It does and I know you're already having an epic load of work but I think it fits nicely and there are some people (cof me cof) who has the philosophy: the fewer mods, the better. Avoids conflicts and such.
BUT it is just a suggestion. And a redundant one if we consider a third-party mod. Maybe some excessive perfectionism or even an OCD strike, who knows.
As someone who works on mods, I can certainly appreciate the time and effort you're putting into this Elminster. My next play through is waiting on the release of this mod, but by no means rush. Greatly looking forward to it!
Yea honestly do your next playthrough if you are waiting for this. I've got school, then I'm on vacation for a few weeks. I'm not planning on working on this next until September.
I'm presently starting chapter 5 in my current run, so this would definitely be in the next run (which will be a while, since I'm doing a trilogy run). However, I absolutely love this idea for a number of reasons. Chiefly, I always thought it felt a bit odd that the whole place was on the cusp of war, but everyone wandered around like it was a typical Tuesday. However, I also love it because it will change things up, and having played the game so many times, I find it almost impossible not to metagame.
This sounds very intriguing. Big props to you for already getting so much done. I look forward to the result, even if you were to scratch some parts. I would be happy to help test things later when possible. Anyway, you do well to focus on your real life priorities. I say that as I should be studying for exams myself
Even if you finished this a few years later than you planned, rest assured I will enjoy the hell out if it in my retirement days
Alas most BIG mods that go on for years tend to almost always die. Especially when the person in charge is no longer in high school or college. Having a job eats time away much more than even exam periods.
IMO there are only two available options.
1) elminster finds a successor (best for some modder with some reknown and some accomplishments) to finish this project by providing said person with notes that will help finishing the mod according to his vision AND perhaps acting as an "editor" of sorts to give the stamp of approval after checking the final version.
Though if elminster does not mind then said modder could simply finish it in whatever way he/she would deem it best according to his/hers own creative vision.
2) elminster can also simply release the mod with stuff that was unfinished being actually cut. That way if the mod was 70% finished it would be possible for people to actually enjoy it even if all the stuff that was originally meant to happen...did not actually happen. After all it would be a waste if so much effort was completely in vain. In fact even an alpha or a demo would be better than that.
The scope was clearly too big.
It might also depend if elminster got the most problems with the writing part or the programming part. A full fledged burnout coupled with 0% free time clearly would mean that nothing will come out of it while just some programming issues could be solved perhaps with some help.
Alas most BIG mods that go on for years tend to almost always die. Especially when the person in charge is no longer in high school or college. Having a job eats time away much more than even exam periods.
Swing and a miss.
IMO there are only two available options.
1) elminster finds a successor (best for some modder with some reknown and some accomplishments) to finish this project by providing said person with notes that will help finishing the mod according to his vision AND perhaps acting as an "editor" of sorts to give the stamp of approval after checking the final version.
Though if elminster does not mind then said modder could simply finish it in whatever way he/she would deem it best according to his/hers own creative vision.
2) elminster can also simply release the mod with stuff that was unfinished being actually cut. That way if the mod was 70% finished it would be possible for people to actually enjoy it even if all the stuff that was originally meant to happen...did not actually happen. After all it would be a waste if so much effort was completely in vain. In fact even an alpha or a demo would be better than that.
Option #3. As this was a passion project I was creating more than anything out of my love of the game and for self improvement, I can just not release any of it.
I'm not interested in releasing it to be modded by someone else.
The scope was clearly too big.
Nope. I planned out years ago and cut back on the scope for this reason years ago. You can literally see in this very thread (and a similar BG2EE thread) me rejecting ideas from people for scope reasons. I have a very good idea of how much work would be required to complete this project and as it happens I have other passions and priorities at the moment. Since I'm not planning on getting into video game development professionally this was always a passion project for me.
Anyways, I'm not going to rope people like @Cahir along who have been very supportive of this from the very beginning. Odds are it will be released when its released, but that may be in a few years time. It also may never happen frankly. I can't predict the future. I'd like to get it finished but it's just not a priority at the moment for me. There also frankly any big release date pushing me to get it finished before a given time.
Hi @elminster I know the chances are slim, but have you changed your mind about finishing Eve of War. Just checking, maybe the situation has changed since your last post here.
@elminster
What about releasing what you have and encouraging community members to finish this mod?
Thankee!
@Endarire, elminster explicitly wrote this is not not an option literally two posts above... He does not want his mod to be altered by other modders in any way. I'm not asking for this. I'm simply just checking in, if something changed and maybe there is a chance it'll be released at some point. That's all it is with my question.
Yea like I said before it may happen or it may not happen. I poked at it a bit since then but it is a low priority for me. Either way, if it does get release we're talking something that is years away.
How about this. When I complete my tutorial on creating a kit I'll re-assess how much work would be required to get this finished.
I'll see what I can do then and then look at the feasibility of releasing it into the community for people to work on. But if I do this I'll be scrubbing my hands of it. It'll be free for anyone to make their own changes as they see fit.
Even in its current state there is a lot that is finished with it. So even just running it as it is would give you something.
How about this. When I complete my tutorial on creating a kit I'll re-assess how much work would be required to get this finished.
I'll see what I can do then and then look at the feasibility of releasing it into the community for people to work on. But if I do this I'll be scrubbing my hands of it. It'll be free for anyone to make their own changes as they see fit.
Even in its current state there is a lot that is finished with it. So even just running it as it is would give you something.
I wouldn't even dream about it, yes that sounds great! I'm sure there is so much content there already that would satisfy the needs of many players. Thank you ?
Alright so I went through, fixed some stuff up, and will fix more up and cut some other stuff. After that I'll post the mod somewhere and people can start trying it out/giving feedback/volunteering on it. It'll probably be posted sometime next week but we'll see.
I know people use Github but (even though I've posted mods there myself) I never feel like I know what I'm doing with it. But I assume that is the best way to share it in a way that would allow people to contribute to it.
I also would like a list of features you wanted to include in the full scope of this mod (series) but which were cut for reasons of scope/time/energy/etc. This list is easily includable in the README.MD file on your GitHub repo.
Thankee again for sharing your work with the public!
Another thing I want to add is that this is a mod whose content rolls out slowly.
So for instance, if you were to travel to Beregost in Chapter 1 you'll only see a small number of changes in Beregost itself. Move ahead to chapter 2 and you'll see some people training for the town watch. Then in chapter 3 the town watch is much larger.
By chapter 5 Flaming Fist members are patrolling the streets. What they say to you however will be influenced by the events that have happened (they have random dialog). So for instance, if you killed Bassilus or haven't killed him yet they'll have different dialog about him.
Same with Ragefast and Ramazith in Baldur's Gate. If you talk to a Flaming Fist member in Beregost they might comment on their murders. By chapter 6 they might say something about the raid on the Iron Throne. In chapter 7 there is a chance they'll recognize you if you talk to them and haven't gone through the ceremony yet.
So there are going to be things you'll notice right away. But I also didn't want the changes to be too in-your-face.
Another thing I want to add is that this is a mod whose content rolls out slowly.
So for instance, if you were to travel to Beregost in Chapter 1 you'll only see a small number of changes in Beregost itself. Move ahead to chapter 2 and you'll see some people training for the town watch. Then in chapter 3 the town watch is much larger.
By chapter 5 Flaming Fist members are patrolling the streets. What they say to you however will be influenced by the events that have happened (they have random dialog). So for instance, if you killed Bassilus or haven't killed him yet they'll have different dialog about him.
Same with Ragefast and Ramazith in Baldur's Gate. If you talk to a Flaming Fist member in Beregost they might comment on their murders. By chapter 6 they might say something about the raid on the Iron Throne. In chapter 7 there is a chance they'll recognize you if you talk to them and haven't gone through the ceremony yet.
So there are going to be things you'll notice right away. But I also didn't want the changes to be too in-your-face.
This is exactly why I'm so pumped up for this mod to happen. While there are quite a few quality mods out there, that are very fun to play, very few blend in fully with the main game to give you a feeling of playing original game with a bug content patch. Eve of War gives the same vibe from the looks of it, but even more. It's like playing original game on steroids.
There are definitely things you will notice right away. Like the Inn in Nashkel having a name, being run by a unique character, and the same with the store there.
Also Bassilus has a journal on him and if you walk around with it you will have a pretty noticeable condition. But that is also part of a totally optional quest and (if you talk to him about it) Kelddath will take it from you for safekeeping (until you are strong enough to address the quest involving it).
There is a chunk of main content that I didn't break down into components. Just because its all interrelated and I wouldn't even know where to begin to pull out each thread. But all the Rough World content, most (and I think actually all) of the joinable NPC's, all the Siege of Dragonspear content, etc is partitioned off so you can just install those.
Actually, it looks like the Nashkel PnP editions are a separate component
There is a chunk of main content that I didn't break down into components. Just because its all interrelated and I wouldn't even know where to begin to pull out each thread. But all the Rough World content, most (and I think actually all) of the joinable NPC's, all the Siege of Dragonspear content, etc is partitioned off so you can just install those.
Actually, it looks like the Nashkel PnP editions are a separate component
I think this is perfectly fine. There is no point to chunk the main part of the mod for dozens of separate components. I think the arrangement you've made is sensible. I, for one, am extremely picky when it comes to installing additional NPC mods, so having the choice here is great (that doesn't mean I won't like NPCs offered by Eve of War, of course )
Yea I looked it over and it looks like Yeorg is a separate component. So all the joinable NPC's should be separate from the main mod. He was the only one I wasn't sure about.
Alright so I picked some more at it. I'll post a link for it tomorrow and people can check it out then.
I cut out some stuff that never worked and simplified the beregost alcohol quest.
I think the biggest thing that needs to be done is the Siege of Dragonspear follow up. Which is mostly just probably adding some NPCs and even more refugees in the event that stuff hits the fan (and that only happens if you kill Duke Eltan and frame it on the Shadow Thieves).
I've got a point system where different settlements nearby get more points based on how many refugees they can take in. Baldur's Gate is 4 points, the Friendly Arm Inn is 2, and Gullykin and Ulgoth's Beard are each one.
The severity of what unfolds depends on the state of everything at the start of Siege of Dragonspear. Like what treaties you acquired from these settlements.
Comments
A suggestion about this: non-magic armors, helmets, and shield should also break eventually. They are made of the same tainted iron as other weapons, after all.
It does and I know you're already having an epic load of work but I think it fits nicely and there are some people (cof me cof) who has the philosophy: the fewer mods, the better. Avoids conflicts and such.
BUT it is just a suggestion. And a redundant one if we consider a third-party mod. Maybe some excessive perfectionism or even an OCD strike, who knows.
I'm definitely rooting for you to finish this!
Even if you finished this a few years later than you planned, rest assured I will enjoy the hell out if it in my retirement days
Alas most BIG mods that go on for years tend to almost always die. Especially when the person in charge is no longer in high school or college. Having a job eats time away much more than even exam periods.
IMO there are only two available options.
1) elminster finds a successor (best for some modder with some reknown and some accomplishments) to finish this project by providing said person with notes that will help finishing the mod according to his vision AND perhaps acting as an "editor" of sorts to give the stamp of approval after checking the final version.
Though if elminster does not mind then said modder could simply finish it in whatever way he/she would deem it best according to his/hers own creative vision.
2) elminster can also simply release the mod with stuff that was unfinished being actually cut. That way if the mod was 70% finished it would be possible for people to actually enjoy it even if all the stuff that was originally meant to happen...did not actually happen. After all it would be a waste if so much effort was completely in vain. In fact even an alpha or a demo would be better than that.
The scope was clearly too big.
It might also depend if elminster got the most problems with the writing part or the programming part. A full fledged burnout coupled with 0% free time clearly would mean that nothing will come out of it while just some programming issues could be solved perhaps with some help.
Swing and a miss.
Option #3. As this was a passion project I was creating more than anything out of my love of the game and for self improvement, I can just not release any of it.
I'm not interested in releasing it to be modded by someone else.
Nope. I planned out years ago and cut back on the scope for this reason years ago. You can literally see in this very thread (and a similar BG2EE thread) me rejecting ideas from people for scope reasons. I have a very good idea of how much work would be required to complete this project and as it happens I have other passions and priorities at the moment. Since I'm not planning on getting into video game development professionally this was always a passion project for me.
Anyways, I'm not going to rope people like @Cahir along who have been very supportive of this from the very beginning. Odds are it will be released when its released, but that may be in a few years time. It also may never happen frankly. I can't predict the future. I'd like to get it finished but it's just not a priority at the moment for me. There also frankly any big release date pushing me to get it finished before a given time.
What about releasing what you have and encouraging community members to finish this mod?
Thankee!
@Endarire, elminster explicitly wrote this is not not an option literally two posts above... He does not want his mod to be altered by other modders in any way. I'm not asking for this. I'm simply just checking in, if something changed and maybe there is a chance it'll be released at some point. That's all it is with my question.
I'll see what I can do then and then look at the feasibility of releasing it into the community for people to work on. But if I do this I'll be scrubbing my hands of it. It'll be free for anyone to make their own changes as they see fit.
Even in its current state there is a lot that is finished with it. So even just running it as it is would give you something.
I wouldn't even dream about it, yes that sounds great! I'm sure there is so much content there already that would satisfy the needs of many players. Thank you ?
Thankee!
I know people use Github but (even though I've posted mods there myself) I never feel like I know what I'm doing with it. But I assume that is the best way to share it in a way that would allow people to contribute to it.
GitHub is the best place for coders to contribute to projects. It also has an air of professionalism about it.
This is my basic guide for GitHub use.
This is the Gibberlings3 beginner's tutorial for GitHub use. Some of posters in that thread (like Camdawg and Argent and Jastey) have much experience with GitHub and Infinity Engine modding.
I also would like a list of features you wanted to include in the full scope of this mod (series) but which were cut for reasons of scope/time/energy/etc. This list is easily includable in the README.MD file on your GitHub repo.
Thankee again for sharing your work with the public!
So for instance, if you were to travel to Beregost in Chapter 1 you'll only see a small number of changes in Beregost itself. Move ahead to chapter 2 and you'll see some people training for the town watch. Then in chapter 3 the town watch is much larger.
By chapter 5 Flaming Fist members are patrolling the streets. What they say to you however will be influenced by the events that have happened (they have random dialog). So for instance, if you killed Bassilus or haven't killed him yet they'll have different dialog about him.
Same with Ragefast and Ramazith in Baldur's Gate. If you talk to a Flaming Fist member in Beregost they might comment on their murders. By chapter 6 they might say something about the raid on the Iron Throne. In chapter 7 there is a chance they'll recognize you if you talk to them and haven't gone through the ceremony yet.
So there are going to be things you'll notice right away. But I also didn't want the changes to be too in-your-face.
This is exactly why I'm so pumped up for this mod to happen. While there are quite a few quality mods out there, that are very fun to play, very few blend in fully with the main game to give you a feeling of playing original game with a bug content patch. Eve of War gives the same vibe from the looks of it, but even more. It's like playing original game on steroids.
Also Bassilus has a journal on him and if you walk around with it you will have a pretty noticeable condition. But that is also part of a totally optional quest and (if you talk to him about it) Kelddath will take it from you for safekeeping (until you are strong enough to address the quest involving it).
There is a chunk of main content that I didn't break down into components. Just because its all interrelated and I wouldn't even know where to begin to pull out each thread. But all the Rough World content, most (and I think actually all) of the joinable NPC's, all the Siege of Dragonspear content, etc is partitioned off so you can just install those.
Actually, it looks like the Nashkel PnP editions are a separate component
I think this is perfectly fine. There is no point to chunk the main part of the mod for dozens of separate components. I think the arrangement you've made is sensible. I, for one, am extremely picky when it comes to installing additional NPC mods, so having the choice here is great (that doesn't mean I won't like NPCs offered by Eve of War, of course
I cut out some stuff that never worked and simplified the beregost alcohol quest.
I think the biggest thing that needs to be done is the Siege of Dragonspear follow up. Which is mostly just probably adding some NPCs and even more refugees in the event that stuff hits the fan (and that only happens if you kill Duke Eltan and frame it on the Shadow Thieves).
I've got a point system where different settlements nearby get more points based on how many refugees they can take in. Baldur's Gate is 4 points, the Friendly Arm Inn is 2, and Gullykin and Ulgoth's Beard are each one.
The severity of what unfolds depends on the state of everything at the start of Siege of Dragonspear. Like what treaties you acquired from these settlements.