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[MOD] The Gorgon’s Eye (Thieves Guild in Beregost)

TotalMilk9TotalMilk9 Member Posts: 76
edited December 2023 in BG:EE Mods
Here is the official release of The Gorgon's Eye mod for BG:EE.
Download from GitHub

Mod Overview
The Gorgon's Eye is a content mod for BG:EE and EET that adds an underground thieves den into the town of Beregost. It contains new quests, characters, stores and items. The area can be accessed immediately after leaving Candlekeep and is open to all players, excluding those with a lawful-good alignment.

After enlisting in the Gorgon's Eye, you'll find yourself undertaking tasks that align with the operations of a typical thieves guild. You'll be expected to engage in activities such as theft, extortion, smuggling, bounty hunting, and assassination. However, it's worth noting that there are some satisfying options for good and neutral-aligned players. If at any point you find the guild's ways aren't to your liking, you have the option to switch allegiances and aid the City Watch in a raid against the Gorgon's Eye.

The component "Add more pickpocketable items" will distribute random treasure to generic npcs. (Commoners, nobles, etc.)

Introduction
Within the shadow-veiled alleys of Beregost, a new undercurrent of danger has begun to rise.

Once a member of the elusive Shadow Thieves, Baldwin "The Butcher" Glendale found himself ensnared in a web of betrayal, leading to his banishment from the brotherhood he had long served. In a cold and calculated response, he exacted his revenge, mercilessly eliminating those who had turned against him. With the blood of his former comrades still fresh on his hands, he vanished into the night, seeking refuge in the town of Beregost, where he would lay plans for his new reign of terror: the Gorgon's Eye.

Under his ruthless command, he swiftly united the local pickpockets and cutthroats, building a vast network of contacts and spies, their influence creeping through the streets like a poison. As his enveloping shadow spread over Beregost, the city's heart beat with fear and defiance. The citizens, tired of cowering in the darkness cast by this new threat, rose to action. The City Watch, a militia birthed from the courage and desperation of the townsfolk, emerged as a beacon of resistance. Funded and sanctioned by the formidable Flaming Fist, they stand ready to clash with the growing might of the Gorgon's Eye.

Above the immediate fray, a more ominous threat still looms. The Shadow Thieves, lurking just beyond sight, are biding their time, and waiting to unleash their own sinister retribution. As Baldwin and the City Watch vie for control, this specter of the past threatens to plunge Beregost into an even deeper abyss of chaos and darkness. A confrontation is inevitable, and the streets will bear witness to a clash of hidden blades and dark ambitions.

In the midst of this brewing storm, Baldwin eyes a singular path to ascendancy. The Kerykeion, a fabled artifact shrouded in ancient power, emerges as his beacon of salvation. With a secured path to power now within his sights, Baldwin is openly recruiting for his cause, seeking adventures and those with ambitious desires to join the ranks of his guild. As they rally to his banner for the promise of power and wealth, will they prove strong enough to grasp the elusive might of the Kerykeion, or will they merely become pawns in Baldwin's dark designs?

In this game of shadows and intrigue, only the most cunning will prevail.
Post edited by TotalMilk9 on
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Comments

  • Ludwig_IILudwig_II Member Posts: 369
    Sounds promising. Good luck. I look forward to playing it when it’s ready
  • TotalMilk9TotalMilk9 Member Posts: 76
    Ludwig_II wrote: »
    Sounds promising. Good luck. I look forward to playing it when it’s ready

    Thanks for the interest! It’s definitely going to be pretty small but should be some fun content for people who like playing thieves.

  • ThrasymachusThrasymachus Member Posts: 873
    Cool! I look forward to learning more -- and hopefully playing through it some day.
  • EndarireEndarire Member Posts: 1,512
    I appreciate your sharing of your progress!

    These are some of my requests and concerns regarding this mod, not knowing much about it:

    -Please make it EET compatible! I have been known around here for asking mod authors if their mods are EET compatible because that's my preferred way to play modern BG.

    -You mentioned a thief guild in Beregost. How does this interact with existing structures? I was concerned because of cross-mod compatibility since other mods may be using the same structures you intend to use for your mod but for different purposes. If it's simply adding NPCs - like to an inn or the outskirts of town at night - then that's likely OK.

    -Does this mod add a fence who'll buy stolen goods? I'd greatly like the option for that pre-BG city!

    -Adding a vendor to sell containers (gem bags, keyrings, scroll cases, wand cases, etc.) would be very handy!

    -Once you have a version ready for the public, I recommend releasing it on Gibberlings3 and GitHub.

    Enjoy!
  • TotalMilk9TotalMilk9 Member Posts: 76
    Endarire wrote: »
    I appreciate your sharing of your progress!

    These are some of my requests and concerns regarding this mod, not knowing much about it:

    -Please make it EET compatible! I have been known around here for asking mod authors if their mods are EET compatible because that's my preferred way to play modern BG.

    -You mentioned a thief guild in Beregost. How does this interact with existing structures? I was concerned because of cross-mod compatibility since other mods may be using the same structures you intend to use for your mod but for different purposes. If it's simply adding NPCs - like to an inn or the outskirts of town at night - then that's likely OK.

    -Does this mod add a fence who'll buy stolen goods? I'd greatly like the option for that pre-BG city!

    -Adding a vendor to sell containers (gem bags, keyrings, scroll cases, wand cases, etc.) would be very handy!

    -Once you have a version ready for the public, I recommend releasing it on Gibberlings3 and GitHub.

    Enjoy!


    I exclusively play using EET so it’s definitely going to be compatible.

    The guild is going to be in its own area that’s accessible from a passageway that is outside in Beregost, so it won’t interfere with any other mods that use any generic homes or anything. At least this is how I have it planned for right now.

    There is a fence who buys stolen items and he will also be able to do some item upgrades which I forgot to mention. Mostly from using new items that I’m adding but also from regular items in bgee. I kept the Thalantyr item upgrade in mind too so none of my upgrades will interfere with his.

    Thanks for the feedback! I do appreciate it.


  • StummvonBordwehrStummvonBordwehr Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 1,342
    Sounds awesome.
  • jasteyjastey Member Posts: 2,669
    Are you planning on making own areas? There is a magnificent tutorial from Yovaneth here. It might be a little tiny bit outdated in case the tool was updated in the meantime, but it should still show the crucial steps and how not to blow the project in the middle of the time. This is for the technical side, so area graphics are assumed to be ready.
  • TotalMilk9TotalMilk9 Member Posts: 76
    jastey wrote: »
    Are you planning on making own areas? There is a magnificent tutorial from Yovaneth here. It might be a little tiny bit outdated in case the tool was updated in the meantime, but it should still show the crucial steps and how not to blow the project in the middle of the time. This is for the technical side, so area graphics are assumed to be ready.

    I wasn’t planning to because I wanted to keep it on the simpler side. I have absolutely no background in programming or with modding anything before this and I already feel out of my depth at times. I was just going use an existing area layout, but I haven’t looked through them yet to see what would be a good fit.
  • jasteyjastey Member Posts: 2,669
    Yes, that's a sensible approach.
  • TotalMilk9TotalMilk9 Member Posts: 76
    TotalMilk9 wrote: »
    I’m pretty confident I’ll be finished with it in about a month.

    Lol.

    There is no way I'm going to be finished with this by the end of the month. I just keep learning new things and adding to it. I'm thinking about making a joinable NPC now and I may even take a swing at trying to make a custom area. Originally I just wanted to rush out a small mod but now I'm going to take my time and really flesh it out.

    I don't really have much of an update yet besides that I finished writing out the ending. The main quests are done and playable but some parts are in rough shape. Most of my time lately has just been working on refining everything section by section. So far though everything has been going pretty smoothly.
  • jasteyjastey Member Posts: 2,669
    My advice: finish the quest part of the mod and release it. You can add a joinable NPC later or make them a separate mod any time. From my experience: a joinable NPC is a mod of its own workwise if done right (and with done right I mean player expectations like x dialogues with PC, banters with other NPCs, own quest).
    I'm not telling you how to write your mod, I'm talking out of experience as someone who saw too many ambitious projects die or never get completed.
  • TotalMilk9TotalMilk9 Member Posts: 76
    Ok that seems like a reasonable way to do it. I haven’t even looked into how to make a proper npc yet anyway. I’ll just stick to the quests and story then until I get it finished up.
  • EndarireEndarire Member Posts: 1,512
    I also recommend starting small with the quest stuff and releasing that so people can enjoy your work and sometimes help you find and fix bugs. Other stuff can be added in a future release. "Feature creep" can be very real!
  • TotalMilk9TotalMilk9 Member Posts: 76
    Good points. I will keep it in mind to not to go too overboard before my first release.
  • MothorMothor Member Posts: 244
    I agree with Jastey.

    I remember waaaaay to many mods which started small but then the author came up with more and more cool features making the mod quite big and said mod exceeding either the modders skills or motivation to see it finished resulting in nothing ever being released.

    Especially in the case of when it happened to be the first mod due to not realizing how much work even little stuff can take.

    Another piece of advice: Back up all that you have done on another separate HD drive or somewhere else. Otherwise if a malfunction/crash happens...its all over. Often including any remaining motivation.
  • TotalMilk9TotalMilk9 Member Posts: 76
    Thanks for the insight. I probably would have been all over the place without these responses so thanks for taking the time.

    My plan now is to get the main quest line and the side quests that go along with it to a completed playable state. Then I’ll work on other stuff I want to add separately like an npc, new areas, item upgrades, more quest givers.
    Mothor wrote: »
    Another piece of advice: Back up all that you have done on another separate HD drive or somewhere else. Otherwise if a malfunction/crash happens...its all over. Often including any remaining motivation.

    Thanks for the reminder it’s been a while since I’ve made a backup for it.
  • UlkeshUlkesh Member Posts: 207
    The quest mod into npc mod made me remember this one: https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/46446/the-enemy-within-a-new-mod-coming-work-in-progress/p3

    Started as a quest mod, ended with npc being "realized", finished with no release.
  • EndarireEndarire Member Posts: 1,512
    I recommend backing up your code on GitHub, since you can upload ('push') many versions there in a publicly accessible place.
  • TotalMilk9TotalMilk9 Member Posts: 76
    It's been a little over a month since my last update so I wanted to share some progress in case anyone is interested.

    I'm actually almost finished with this mod, there is just a lot of small fine tuning that I need to complete. Things like general dialog improvements as well as new item and quest descriptions. I also still need to look into how to recolor a few BAMs and add new music to certain events. There is also a working item upgrade but I need to go back and better tweak the items and ingredients.

    Other than that I don't have much to do. I've successfully played through it from start to finish and everything seems to work. You can access the guild through a secret passage behind Feldpost's Inn. Right now it's a total of 18 quests that are all pretty much thief/bounty hunting related. I really tried hard to add a "good" path for all of the quests as well. For instance you might receive a bounty/assassination quest where you can help the person instead of killing them.

    At then end of the story you have the option of becoming the guildmaster where you can sort of direct their movements to receive differing amounts of gold every week, similar to the bg2 stronghold. I'm still working on this part though. I've added the dialog choices but haven't worked in the rewards yet or how it will work. I eventually want to add more quests after you take it over but I won't be doing that on the first release.

    Honestly, I am losing some steam as I get farther along but I'm still working on it in some capacity almost daily. I don't see how it could take me longer than another month to finish.
  • EndarireEndarire Member Posts: 1,512
    @TotalMilk9
    Thankee! Our family appreciates the update!

    Where it's logical, did you also add nonviolent quest resolutions? You mentioned helping someone instead of killing them as an example, but how widespread is that for your quests? This isn't vital to me, but one of my gaming buddies just loved nonviolent solutions, even if it meant charming and bribing everything to victory.
  • bonewhiteglorybonewhiteglory Member Posts: 19
    I'm very happy to hear this update, and I look forward to playing it whenever it's released! <3
  • ThrasymachusThrasymachus Member Posts: 873
    Thanks for the update. Looking forward to this! B)
  • TotalMilk9TotalMilk9 Member Posts: 76
    Endarire wrote: »
    @TotalMilk9
    Thankee! Our family appreciates the update!

    Where it's logical, did you also add nonviolent quest resolutions? You mentioned helping someone instead of killing them as an example, but how widespread is that for your quests? This isn't vital to me, but one of my gaming buddies just loved nonviolent solutions, even if it meant charming and bribing everything to victory.

    Yes, most of the side quests have different ways that you can complete them. Some dialog choices will also be dependent on your ability scores as well.
  • TotalMilk9TotalMilk9 Member Posts: 76
    This mod is now ready for its official release! You can download it here.
  • EndarireEndarire Member Posts: 1,512
    If this mod is EET compatible, post a link to it here and have it added to the EET mod compatibility list.
  • TotalMilk9TotalMilk9 Member Posts: 76
    It's not compatible in the correct way yet, so I'm going to wait until I give it actual native support before submitting a request.
  • PeakMTPeakMT Member Posts: 1
    I haven't finished playing through yet but have found this mod to be of high quality and wanted to thank you for the release.
  • TotalMilk9TotalMilk9 Member Posts: 76
    Thank you, that means a lot! Let me know if you run into any issues.
  • TotalMilk9TotalMilk9 Member Posts: 76
    Thanks to @GraionDilach this mod is now EET compatible with native support!

    I've also made lots of dialog enhancements, bugfixes and added 2 new quests. They can be started by talking to the Gamesmen and Courtesan officers after progressing through certain points in the mod's story.

    For translators, this mod is now fully traified thanks to @JohnBob!
  • bonewhiteglorybonewhiteglory Member Posts: 19
    edited September 2022
    Congratulations on the release!! I guess my new BG run starts now, I'm very excited to check this mod out <3
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