What do you like about SP Modules?

[Legacy_Luspr]

               

Jenna WSI wrote...

Luspr wrote...
And (most importantly, perhaps) being able to play them whenever I want rather than wandering around an almost deserted PW because of the time zone I'm in.

I don't get it. Isn't the SP mod just as deserted? Not sure how SP mod being empty is okay but a PW that's almost empty is not? If it tells a story you enjoy, who cares?

Once again Mr. Leroux covered my thoughts pretty well, so yes, the main issue would be that in my experience PWs do not have the story telling aspect that SP mods have (not without a DM or other players I mean), and this is probably by necessity. Not only that, but PWs rarely in my experience (again) have areas where combat is balanced for single adventurers, whereas SP mods much more often do (or provide well fleshed out hirelings to accompany the PC). So there tends to be a problem with logging into a PW but not really being able to do much.

To be clear my experience of PWs is extremely limited (I have tried yours, though briefly). It is limited because of my inability to devote a lot of time to playing on them, and also because of my time zone I don't tend to see them at busy times, and therefore it is much harder to make a connection with any other players which are important in tempting me to come back. Not only that, but even on RP servers the few times I have become involved in a group adventure it almost always involved headlong dashing through a dungeon with folks who had done it many times before and I didn't even have time to stop and admire the scenary (or even pick up any items)  However, we're maybe getting off the design track now (maybe...).
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Jenna WSI]

               Yeah, sounds like a player issue. No matter how detailed you make it if a player doesn't feel like stopping to smell the roses, it's not gonna happen. We're in the middle of completely remaking WSI so things will be changing quite alot. Single players will have more to do and an easier time surviving.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_jmlzemaggo]

               I just read some around you and your WSI, and I should say people like you make me feel ashamed not playing multi, as your 'World Serpent Inn' feels like such a fragrant and welcoming kitchen.
Good luck with your work.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Omega27]

               For me i love a good story, if im playing and i have no clue whats the objective or the point. I grow very bored and get very frustrated with the game.
I like simple but not predictable game play. Being able to explore a dungeon, with out it being so typical.
Like stated before me, i love captivating enviroments ( i do believe this field i do well in).
It dosnt really bother me to big , but i  do sometimes like custom content, only dislike on it is if i dont know how to get all the content in order to play. (-.-)
I like a lot of fighting , wit fair leveling.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Aldatariel Calentaur]

               I like having different options in dialogs or when it comes about on how to solve a quest, interaction with NPC's/things and the feeling that there's something to gain. I'm very fond of the feeling that I have to "earn" all the good things, for me too many XP or too fast progress is almost as bad as nothing at all. I also love the opportunity to use my PC's feats and skills (like a PC with animal empathy can speak with them, instead of killing NPC to get an item from him, you might just steal it, persuade him, intimidate him, bribe him, cast a spell, what ever. I like it when NPC's/henchmen really react to my PC's deeds (like, a paladin NPC won't be too friendly any more if the PC is acting chaotic evil all the time).

I find it frustrating when I lose all my stuff over and over again, even though I didn't do anything wrong. Please, not more than once! Same for too many fakes and empty promises (I've come to really hate words like "later", "tomorrow" or "next week" as they sometimes mean "after the game is over".) Bad things might happen to the PC or other people, but not too often, please ... or give the PC an opportunity to avoid it at least. I get bored when the quests are too repetitive or I have to walk through huge, almost empty areas for hours. If there's a lot of walking back and forth it's a good idea to make it possible for the PC to teleport to a place where he/she has already been.

OK, that was more general ... I know that it is almost impossible to realize all of this in a module ...
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Aldatariel Calentaur, 19 mai 2011 - 10:48 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_TSMDude]

               

Elhanan wrote...

Jenna WSI wrote...

I'm curious, is this because of a personal religious belief or something, or just the way you like a game designed?

Both, I guess. It would be difficult to seperate my personal beliefs from the games I choose to play, and the decisions I make within them. While I can role-play a variety of characters that have different personalities from my own, I try and adhere to my belief system when playing any of them, and do not wish to choose lines I hold to be offensive, repugnant, and disrespectful.

I also contend that common cursing used in a fantasy setting often seems somewhat anacronistic; much prefer the language to match the environment of the character, and not that of the Player.

I can and do curse with the best of them when not in earshot of youngsters or building anything with a hammer and nail. Yet I agree whole heartedly wit this.

When Conan cursed his mighty CROM! I understood it wa shis way of saying CRAP! or what not. Same with the Smurfs.  In that light here is some swear words that I offer as written on our forums;

SWEARING
General exclamations
--------------------
“By the hells!”
“Hellfire!”
“By the fiery gates of Gehenna!”
“Gods above 'n' fiends below!”
“Shyte!” [Generally seen as a better variant of “S***”]
“Damn / Damnation!”
"Dark" or "Dark and empty" [roughly equivalent to "crap"; prevalent in Sembia]
“Dented shields and broken swords!” [curse, esp. used by warriors and military folk]

Personal abuse - men
--------------------
“****son” [questions someone's parentage, but a general term of abuse]
“Knave”
“Orcwit” [fool, idiot]
“Orcsnack” [a green recruit]
“Badblood” [a troublemaker]
“Troll dung” [abusive, esp. used by dwarves]

Personal abuse - women
----------------------
“She-goat”
“Harpy”
“Harlot”
Divine oaths
------------
“(by) Auril's kiss!” [A sudden realization of something terrible; a cold slap in the face.]
“(by) Bane's Black Blood.”
“(by) Beshaba's (bad) breath!” [normally used to indicate bad luck, or to curse an unfortunate event]
“By the combined crotches of all Beshaba's chosen!”
“(by) Clangeddin's stones!”
“Cyric's Sword!” [Curse and double entendre. It is generally frowned upon and considered bad luck to mention the Dark Sun's name.]
“Gond's Gears!” [A curse, something unnecessarily complicated and unlikely to work.]
“(by) Hanali’s Golden Heart!” [polite exclamation, used esp. by elven nobles]
“Helm's Haemorrhoids!” [Irreverent, to deride a necessary but unappealling task.]
“Ilmater's patience!” [When someone is timewasting, also “You'd try the patience of Ilmater himself!”]
“By the (Crying) God's Tears!” [Polite exclamation; Ilmateri normally omit “Crying”]
“By the light of Lathander.” [Normally a blessing, but also an exclamation.]
“By the last sunrise!” [Oath used by priests of Lathander, the Morninglord.]
“Leira's Lamentation(s).” [Something that is not what it seems, particularly feigned grief. A double entendre when spoken because Lliira (Our Lady of Joy) is pronounced the same way as Leira (Lady of the Mists).]
“Loviatar's Caress.” [Something that hurts, also “Loviatar's Lash”, for those less given to subtlety.]
“(by) Moradin's hairy pair!”
“Mystra's Miracles!” [An exclamation of surprise, as when something happens by unexpected magic.]
“May the Wandering God's heel tread lightly on you.”
“(by the) clanging stones of the Wanderer!” [i.e. Shaundakul]
“By the Six rods of Shakazakh”
“Great Stinking Balls of Tempus!” [A battle cry]
“Talos' teeth!”

Regional oaths (alphabetically)
-------------------------------
[Cormyr] “Keep your Peace Knot tied.” [i.e. calm down]
[Cormyr] “A hero must move.”
[Cormyr] “(you've) the reach of Gondegal!” [said to someone attempting something they cannot hope to achieve. Derived from the saying “Gondegal's reach was longer than his blade”, of the Lost King's brief rule over Arabel.]
[the Dales, Western Heartlands] “In the East, perhaps!” [untrue, absurd, as of a fanciful story or unlikely tale.]
[the Dales] “Mind the barn when it’s full, not empty. “ [i.e. don’t waste time on something that doesn’t need done.]
[the Dales] “Zhent deal” [a double-cross.]
[Mulmaster] “Fear and loyalty are the same word.”
[Thay] “Tamm's cold hands!”
[The North] “Klauth”, [“vicious”, as in “Don't go near him early of mornings; he's apt to be a right Klauth until he's had a mug or two.” or: “Blood and bodies everywhere...it looked as though old Klauth himself had come calling!” or the shorter variant: “Regular Klauth work!”, used to describe butchery. These all derive from the nasty brutality of the great red wyrm Klauth.]
[Zhentil Keep] “Rewarded like Zhentar.” [“Betrayed.”]
[Zhentil Keep] “For god, keep and master.” [traditional salute of the Zhentarim. The keep refers to Zhentil Keep, ‘master’ to whoever is its leader, be it Fzoul or Manshoon, and 'god’ to Bane or Cyric.]

Planar oaths
------------
[I haven't included these, as you'd need your character to have a pretty improbable reason for knowing them. However, there's an *excellent* list at: http://www.mimir.net/cant/cant2.html ]

RACIAL SPEECH[/u]
Orcish
------
“Ashdautas Vrasubatlat.” [“Someday I will kill you”, a standard Orcish greeting]
“Nar Udautas.” [“Not today”, the standard reply]

“Amal shufar, at rrug.” [“Where there's a whip, there's a way.”]
“Mirdautas vras.” [“It is a good day to kill”]
“Zanbaur.” [“Elfson”]

Dwarven
-------
“Axe high, friend, I go” [Dwarven farewell]
“May your axe be ever bright” [Dwarven farewell]
“I go” {Dwarven farewell – not impolite, often used by merchants]

“sargh” [orc, or orc-filth. Abusive term.]
“By my beard!” [The speaker is being VERY serious.]
“His beard is long.” or “...longer than his years.” [indicates wisdom]
“no-beard” or “shorthair” [meant as an insult to any race; particularly grave to another dwarf]
“You stand tall among us.” [complimentary; the actual height of the person in question is irrelevant - it's impossible for a dwarf to use this ironically.]
“His axe is sharp.” [said of a good strategic thinker.]
“Under the Mountain.” [Safe, well protected.]
“Open to the sky.” [Unsafe, unprotected. Also an insult, i.e. someone is a liability.]
“Gordul!” [“Gods look on!”]
“Calass.” [a thief]
“dur Authalar” [“the people”, only really used by wild dwarves]
“Fair as the Holy Hammer!” [Effectively means “Unfair”, “Unjust”; when addressed directly to a person (“Soft with the Holy Hammer!”) it means “Calm down”, or “Ease off”. The Holy Hammer are a dwarven group dedicated to the survival and improvement of the dwarven race and the lot of the dwarves. The dubious means (including murder and intimidation) by which they go about this noble-sounding end results in an expression which means the reverse of what one might expect.]
“Sandstone!” [Serious exclamation; literally stone too soft and crumbling to be workable.]
"As wild as a night in Wildstar." [Bawdy: Wildstar is an underground town of gold dwarves]
"For the arduke." [A battle-cry. The arduke is a title of the clan's chieftain used among the gold dwarves]

Elven
-----
“Shardae” [“Winds blow.” A neutral elven greeting indicating that chance has brought you together.]
“Sweet water and light laughter until next” [elven farewell, becoming adopted by nobles across the Heartlands]
“Vedui” [greeting; see “Vendui” below]
“Vendui” [Drow *only* - greeting. Surface elves will *not* be impressed if you use this to them]
“Aluve” [Drow *only* - “I/we leave you”.]

“Est eionivan ei tie Myotha.” [“Until the stones forget.” A green elven curse, pronounced in all seriousness on those who have done some great harm to the People. Based on the idea that all things have an anima or spirit which the People can speak with and that the stones have the longest memories.]
“Nadorhuan(rim)” [“Cowardly dog(s)”]
“Mereth en draugrim” [“Feast of wolves”, i.e. a slain enemy]
“Andodulin” [“Gate bird”, i.e. a slain enemy]
“Auta miqula orqu” [“Go kiss an orc”]
“Lasta lalaithamin” [“Listen to my laughter”, dismissive]
“Antolle ulua sulrim” [“Much wind pours from your mouth”]
“Utinu en lokirim” [“Son of snakes”, i.e. a dishonest person]
“Lle naa haran e' nausalle” [“You are king in your imagination”, to a pompous person]
“Amin feuya ten' lle” [“You disgust me”]
“Lle holma ve' edan” [“You smell like a human”]
“Dolle naa lost” [“Your head is empty”]

Gnomish
-------
“Forges warm, friend” [Gnomish farewell]

“(to) set the gears in motion.” [Getting things started, often with the mechanistic gnomish mentality that all things work like machines.]
“(he) always casts a shadow.” [Mild or medium insult. Suggestive of the inability to hide *in* the shadows or use illusions to avoid detection.]

Halfling
--------
“Good morning, and good day after that! Don't let anything curl your hair!” [Halfling greeting, to which is sometimes added, “'Ware the Big Folk, and mind the goblins too!”]
“Gods smile (upon you)!” [Halfling greeting to the impatient other races.]
“Brandobaris watch over your shadows.” [Hin farewell]

GREETINGS and SAYINGS[/u]
Hello and goodbye
-----------------
“Well met” [Most often used greeting, especially between races or to those about whom you are unsure.]
“Well again” [Used between business associates or acquaintances]
“Again.” [Hostile greeting. Abbreviated from “Well again.”]
“Olore” [Equivalent to 'well met', used by travelers in the Inner Sea lands, especially around the Sea of Fallen Stars.]
“Until swords part” [Warriors' farewell throughout the Realms.]
“Until next, may your sword be ever wet, and your arse dry” [the Pirates of the Inner Sea]
“Alavairthae!” [A Thayan farewell, particularly among the Red Wizards. Means “May your skill prevail!”.]
“Amarast!” [“Fare well until next we meet!”, used by the sailors of the South.]
“Braeunk vhos trolkh!” [Hobgoblin: “If you die while I'm gone, do it quietly.” Also implies the unspoken addendum: “because I wouldn't want to miss the fun.”]
“Tantam.” [Greeting used by merchants of all sorts in the North.]
“Oakfather keep the earth firm beneath your feet and the sun warm on your face ‘till next we meet.” [Also: “Rillifane...”, “Eldath…”, etc., and abbreviated to “Firm earth, warm sun ‘till next.” Farewell common amongst followers of most nature deities]

Sayings
-------
“That hound won't hunt.” [Indicates a poorly thought-out idea or ill-judged plan. Mildly insulting.]
"Watch thy step, or your gold will soon be gilding Gondegal's throne!" [Warning expression. "Gondegal's throne" refers to anything likely to be a money-sink.]
“(you'd) sell slaves in Silverymoon.” [to do something that violates local law/custom in a particularly outrageous and obvious way and then say: “I didn't know any better.”]
“(caught) between the Dragon and the Desert.” [between a rock and a hard place - to face two equally unattractive possibilities.]
“No more Firewine for the Barbarian.” [said of someone going too far with a jest or a plan. “firewine” can be replaced by “jhuild”, and “the Barbarian” by whoever it applies to.]
“Fool's Gold”, or “To take Fool's Gold.” [An adventurer's watchword meaning to take on an adventure so dangerous that only the god Torm (The True, the Foolish) would attempt it.]

Bawdiness and Innuendo
---------------------
"Huff, to" [To have sex]
“Satyr’s pleasure” [The act of love]


I hope someone elses finds them of use as well.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Luspr]

               Out of interest Jenna, how much SP do you treat yourself to?
               
               

               
            

[Legacy__six]

               The point regarding profanity is an interesting one. I actually tend to advocate a certain extent of swearing for similar period-accuracy reasons. Whilst the same words would not have been used, the emotion can't really be conveyed unless you substitute with words a modern audience would be accustomed to. Mind you, I've yet to drop an F or C in my module's writing, so I guess even my debauched self respects tastefulness. Still, literal bull s*** was a far more common sight for medieval peasants than it is for us now. Since it's fantasy, bloody hells are pretty likely too.

I try to just write the way english people speak. Half the time I pretty much just write how I speak, with varying degrees of politeness and dialect differences identifying different characters. So personally, I enjoy when characters sound like characters, and not quest giving machines.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Pstemarie]

               I tend to prefer SP modules with well-developed NPCs. As _Six pointed out, its not much fun when NPCs are little more than walking "quest-givers". Furthermore, I HATE how most SP modules handle merchants. Usually they are just a store and lack any depth. I have all too often seen SP merchant conversations run like like this:

Merchant: "What can I get you?"
PC Response 1: "Let me see your goods."
PC Response 2: Done.

If anything merchants should be a fountain of information about the area they are in - and maybe even those beyond. Most historical medieval merchants, although not necessarily well-traveled, talked to just about everyone throughout the day. It was part of their sales strategy - get to know the locals and earn their trust so you can turn a better profit from them.

Granted not all merchants need to be well-developed, but at least give some depth to the ones you know the PCs will be interacting with on a regular basis. In fact, it may even be prudent to tag frequent PC buyers so they get a better discount than casual customers.

As for the profanity. With young children running around I play when they are not around or in bed so its not really an issue. However, modules that drop frequent F-bombs and C-bombs (*ahem* The Witcher 2 *ahem*) become rather tiresome after a time.
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Pstemarie, 21 mai 2011 - 01:10 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_werelynx]

               A good advice for the builders: don't overuse the standard Bioware tilesets, after few modules looking the same they go to be really boring. Try new tilesets haks or overrides like ChicQ
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Quillmaster]

               A good point raised by Pstemarie.  I too prefer my merchants to have a little more depth, something I believe I've covered to a degree in my current project, for example:

Have the merchant react to race.  I have a merchant specialising in missile weapons, who will address a Dwarf with "Let me guess... you're after a crossbow right?"

Have different versions of the shop called under different circumstances.  I have a blacksmith who asks if you want to look at weapons or armour.  If the PC responds that they want to see both so they can budget better, the blacksmith responds that he is unwilling to do so because of a recent robbery... que quest branch of conversation.

Make use of the on exit script of the shop to fire an individual conversation.  I have a merchant useing this technique who goes on to say "I couldn't help notice what caught your eye.  I take it you are an adventurer?"

Make use of nearby NPCs in the conversation.  I have a bartender state he has the best rooms in town, then an NPC cut in with "Ha!  He has the ONLY rooms in town!"

Everyone should have a little personality, no matter how mundane their role in the bigger picture.

On a seperate note, music and sound can do wonders adding to atmosphere if well chosen.  I even have a scene where the music in a tavern stops and the musicians leave when the PC mentions something of concern, closely followed by the bartender complaining that the PC will scare away his customers.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Luspr]

                Alright, stop showing off '>

Seriously, sounds very good.

I have also tended to make my merchants have some personality and varying options based on plot stats, race, gender and other variables
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Luspr, 22 mai 2011 - 07:00 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_Omega27]

               Aw man i have so much to learn on module building lol. Ive never really touched nor tried to edit merchant conversations really. The thought has crossed my mind  to create a PC that joins the party thats also a traveling sells-men. That way on your adventures, its like your trading goods with each other. Cant remember exactly what happen to that idea '>