[WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW]
Hi All,
Below is fantastic feedback from MagicalMaster ("MM" for the sake of brevity in the response). It includes spoilers, so only read if you don't care about spoilers, or are close to completion.
MM - Got a 200 point shift towards Good at the beginning?
Bort - This is because of how the game handles the various factions. Certain scripted moments, and certain behavior overall required this alignment adjustment in 2003. I'm not sure if it is required now, and something I could look into in a future update. Alignment isn't utilized much in the current build of Small Village Woes (SVW), so it's something that hasn't taken priority.
MM - Killed wolves at the start -- intentional? Guards also didn't fight back against the wolves -- intentional?
Bort - Wolves attacking is intentional, yes. Guards not fighting back might be because of how they're 'stationed.' I'll check on this.
MM - Whole town is dark. Some of the buildings are insanely dark. Like extremely difficult to see dark that involves spamming the tab key. So dark it's not enjoyable.
Bort - Honestly, I love how dark it is. Now, that being said, I also understand where items, doors, and points of focus are placed in the module better than anyone. I'm a firm believer that there's a middle ground in every solid note, and this is definitely something to consider. I already have some ideas of where I can place 'anchoring' points of light in the darkest areas in the game, which might actually make the darkest points more spooky because of it. Definitely noted, however. Thanks!
MM - Don't call something a bag of holding if it isn't actually a bag of holding.
Bort - Noted. I actually intended to raise the price of these 'bags that hold more stuff' ( 
'> ), so this is a great reminder.
MM - After buying a non-bag of holding bag of holding Billy asked if I wanted more *scrolls*
Bort - Whoops! I must have missed that one in my notes, as I had originally jotted that down. The sound effect that also happens when you buy that bag from Billy, if I remember correctly, is a 'paper' sound. I'll look at this.
MM - Apparently I cannot adjust companion armor? I have a fighter wearing Leather armor and a cleric wearing clothing.
Bort - This is part of an issue that I think may have also affected other elements of the custom henchmen script used. More on this below...
MM - I'm running around just looting everything, especially Gungafruits for healing power. Intended?
Bort - Yeah. I'm an oldish school video game RPGer. I've played videogames since the Intellivision, as many of us have, but one of my favorite games was from the 16-bit Genesis days. Shining Force is a favorite of mine. I say all of this to mention that certain elements of 'looting' not being challenged by the in-game world is something I'm willing to accept right now. Even in 2002 when NWN game came out, I remember module makers creating elaborate 'Jail' systems and whatnot. They were interesting systems, but something I was never interested to put into SVW. Maybe some day. As it is, looting is encouraged in this world, for sure.
MM - Specifically told Lynn to ONLY use her ranged weapon but she keeps switching to her dagger in melee. Which is a bad idea for her at the moment.
Bort - Curious. I have not experienced this. I'll have to examine that.
MM - At this point, at least, Lynn seems remarkably weaker than the fighter henchman (fighting zombies beneath Fred's house). Yes, her turn undead is nice, but she doesn't use it wisely and it runs out quickly at which point she's insiting on meleeing with a 1d4 damage dagger at 2 AB.
Bort - She is indeed weaker. Where Lynn can help heal you, use her turn undead spell, and use various ranged weapons, she faces the problem of being fragile. Drumble is the tank. The purpose for these contrasting opening-level henchmen is to support balancing off the character you decide to create on entry of the module. I tried to use their opening narrative when you meet either henchmen at the beginning as an opportunity to clue the player into how they would best assist a specific PC type.
MM - I also am out of bullets for my sling. Are we supposed to wander out into the forest PRIOR to fighting the zombies? That seemed like a stupid idea but I'm thinking it's necessary at this point.
Bort - [SPOILER] It's definitely possible, although feigned as being 'dangerous' by the in-game characters to wander into the woods. The woods, in reality, aren't very dangerous. There are dangerous places within the woods, certainly, (Lenny's Lodge, Spider Cave) but the woods themselves are relatively open for navigating for the specific purpose of purchasing weapons, if need be. This all being said, the sling and bullets for the sling could be more available in the Small Village, I definitely agree. Will look at this further.
MM - So I wander into the forest and VERY carefully force Lynn to follow me until we're surrounded by undead, perfect for a Turn Undead. Then she refuses to cast it. We just rested and she's only used it once so I *know* she still has it.
Bort - Again, I've never experienced her not using her turn undead if rested. I'll have to look into this.
MM - Can we please get rid of Lynn's Called Shot? She constantly uses it and just keeps missing due to the -4 AB.
Bort - Ha! I meant to take that out. Another note of my own that I didn't follow. Cripes that must be annoying. Her having called shot was an accident to begin with when I started to update SVW a couple of months ago. She did not have that ability in the original release in 2003. Definitely will remove it.
MM - Also, how does Lynn only have 5 Concentration at level 3? Should be 6 from skill plus one from constitution = 7.
Bort - Definitely will fix this.
MM - Now she's stuck "partcasting." Starts casting a spell and then stops, no interruption or failure, just stops. She's been doing this for several rounds and thus is now near death and probably about to die. She's not doing ANYTHING useful.
Bort - You clearly had a very curious time with Lynn. I've played this game a lot. I mean, a LOT. And I've not experienced what you've just went through. Now, that being said, I think in the 1.69 update of the NWN game engine, something happened to the custom henchmen script (which I did not code myself). I feel like there are elements of response in the script that are now lagging or broken. They don't necessarily break the game, but they do make the henchmen less functional overall. Unfortunately, I don't have the coding knowledge to fix this custom henchmen scripting, again, which I did not create. I'll have to consider how this gets worked out in a future update.
MM - Managed to break her out of her rut by telling her to follow...but despite being told to follow she keeps trying to stop and heal herself. Kept spamming the button, then she healed herself, then finally cast Turn Undead and killed 4 zombies following us.
Bort - Again, very curious.
MM - Selling one item in inventory (Men's clothing) sold three of them at once. Wasn't a problem this time but I could see it being a problem.
Bort - This is purposeful. At the time, creating a text-based merchant system made for a lot of in-game purchasing customization that simply wasn't possible with the default NWN merchant system back in the day. Admittedly, there's good and bad to be had from what I've done with SVW. One of the elements I tried to spend some time on was in how quickly certain transaction could be made. (You'll notice buying health potions and scrolls allows for the player to simply purchase another right away if they'd care to.) Selling your "Men's Clothing" sells all items at once, because it truly is the baseline of protection for armor in the game. At no point, I figured, is a player going to want to keep extra articles of clothing around. If you're wearing this kind of article of clothing, the system won't sell the item that the player is wearing, only the extras he/she is carrying. Again, good with the bad...
MM - Saying you want to sell Willy's kits results in an UNRECOGNIZED TOKEN bit.
Bort - Aha! Definitely will fix.
MM - Trying to sell undead stuff to Willy makes him say you should talk to him, but you cannot since he's "making" the armor.
Bort - Mmmhmm. I should just have the armor/weapon conversation deal with telling you what you need to do, you're entirely right. Willy is stuck in an action when he's blacksmithing, and you just have to wait for him to stop being 'busy.' He eventually will talk to you, but I can definitely see how this could be confusing. Will attend to this.
MM - Why is a Katana 100g while a Bastard Sword is 125g? Exact same stats/feats/etc, just different look.
Bort - Error on my part. Will fix.
MM - No Dwarven Waraxe or whip available
Bort - These weapons were not available in NWN back when I originally released this module. In a future update, they could be added.
MM - FYI -- Tower Shields weigh 45 pounds now, not 19.4
Bort - Another change it would seem over the years! 
'>
MM - You're charging 20g for 25 bolts? Seriously? That's 1g a shot.
Bort - Definitely lop-sided. Will change.
MM - Equipped Lynn with a Katana + Tower Shield, though she had to actually enter combat before she would equip the Tower Shield. Stripped her of her other items.
Bort - Another curious lag of the henchmen system it would seem.
MM - Lynn has a Katana/Shield and has been told to use her NON-ranged weapons...and she's running AWAY from the bear. Which is what she did for her RANGED behavior but makes zero sense with melee weapons.
Bort - Curious...
MM - Her called shot is driving me bonkers. Seriously.
Bort - I can imagine! '>
MM - Upon speaking to the witch of the woods, she wants to eat the undead parts apparently, but saying you want information first just ends the conversation suddenly. If that's intended it doesn't seem that way.
Bort - Definitely will fix.
MM - After you confirm being a sorcerer she agrees to reduce her "bargening" by 50%. When looking at, say, the scroll of Magical Missile...she has two versions and doesn't tell you what the actual caster level on each one is. Presumably they're different ones? Upon testing, turns out they are identical -- one of them simply costs half as much due to "affiliation." Why show the other one at all, then, at that point? Makes people think they're two different items.
Bort - This is a bug in the "character class discount" that she gives. You shouldn't be able to see the larger price point. Will fix.
MM - Along these lines, 24g for a guaranteed 35 damage > 20 for 25 shots with a heavy crossbow. 7 of those would have to hit just to roughly break even and that's much less likely with low AB. If you'd prefer sorcerers/wizards don't use ranged weapons and instead only use magic missile scrolls that's fine, but that's what this promotes.
Bort - Definitely. Will fix.
MM - Also, 12g for a 5d6 AoE Fireball seems awfully good.
Bort - Definitely. Will fix.
MM - She doesn't tell you what she'll pay for the undead parts.
Bort - Good point! Will fix.
MM - Apparently you're just supposed to take the stuff in the two chests next to the witch?
Bort - Ha! I'll have the Witch say something to 'allow' the player to take her stuff.
MM - It won't let me sell the longsword, greataxe, or women's clothing (leather armor) to Willy. I could sell men's clothing, the helmet, shield, and armor. Ideally I'd have Lynn EQUIP the armor (ANY ARMOR) but that doesn't seem possible.
Bort - Did you try selling the weapons at the weapon rack? Or did you try selling the weapons at the armor rack? Regarding Lynn not equipping better armor. I've have to look into that.
MM - All right, church won't take the zombie stuff, time to visit gravedigger again. Nope, back to witch to sell the zombie stuff.
Bort - The Witch is the only person who will purchase undead parts. She should buy them without issue to the player. I've never had an issue selling the undead parts to the Witch. Curious.
MM - Also, Appraise seems to have no affect on anything -- intended? Might be worth mentioning that.
Bort - I don't believe 'appraise' was a feature in NWN original release.
MM - Lots of typos on scroll list, by the way -- no such thing as "Vampiretic Touch" for example, it's "Vampiric Touch." Typos in other parts of the conversation, not sure how worried you are about those.
Bort - I hate typos, so keep'em coming. Thanks!
MM - Scroll of Utter Death gives Circle of Death when it should give Finger of Death.
Bort - Interesting. Thanks!
MM - The zombies continually respawning in the forest gets annoying -- and it's also a massive source of XP which you probably don't want.
Bort - I actually did intend to have the Forest Zombies respawn more often than any other area for the sake of players having a place to grind out to higher levels in case they're lagging behind. That being said, I can elongate the encounter refresh rate for sure. I hadn't experienced someone running back and forth as much as you have yet. Thanks!
MM - Ah-ha! If I tell her to switch to her (non-existent) ranged weapons and THEN tell her to charge in with melee weapons, she doesn't try to run away.
Bort - Will try to make this more practical in the conversation options with the henchmen.
MM - So, uh, if I tell Lynn to give me her equipment to adjust (which consists of a katana and tower shield) she does NOT give me back the tower shield. Which is problematic since I'm trying to replace her current tower shield with a tower shield +1 and carrying both at once will encumber her.
Bort - Curious. Will look into this.
MM - Though that "solution" worked, Lynn also keeps telling me she's switching to her imaginary ranged weapon and then back to melee despite never actually switching.
Bort - Curious once more.
MM - It really may worth giving the zombies Improved Unarmed Strike so melee characters don't keep getting free attacks.
Bort - Great idea.
MM - Zombie kids/wife don't have "standard" undead immunities if you care.
Bort - Definitely do. Thanks!
MM - Fighting my way back out of the crypt and hit level 4, though cleric didn't level up -- does she not keep up with you?
Bort - To my knowledge, henchmen do not level up.
MM - Buying potions of Medium health from the witch claims you're ACTUALLY buying potions of Light health.
Bort - Will fix.
Mm - Er...what the hell? Scroll of "Utter Death" killed Lynn even though Circle of Death ONLY hits enemies. What's going on?
Bort - That's a fine question. Will look into this.
MM - The spider cave is nonsense. The apparently infinite zombies were bad enough, but spiders too? In addition, after Lynn died to the Utter Death spell she immediately resurrected OUT of my party and I couldn't get her to run AWAY from the endless spiders. I did find the ring, though. How am I supposed to identify it, though?
Bort - [SPOILER] You identify the ring by using the feat "Identify," or by giving it to Lynn. The Ring of Light is more or less an Easter Egg. There are actually two instances of it in the game. The other instance is in the village, which you find out about if you create a Ranger class and 'talk' to the various farm animals in the game, or if you examine the farm animals (as any class) and read their descriptions to tie it all together. It's a more difficult Easter Egg to find than the Spider Cave, but more accessible early on if you're very observant. The Spider Cave is most certainly nonsense. '> Most players, I had experienced, don't put up with it long enough to find the ring. I admit, it's completely nonsensical, but you are rewarded for exploration in the end. No where does the module suggest going into the Webbed Cave is a good idea, or relevant to story progression. I wanted to reward players for sticking it through, as it's something many players won't do. The Lynn aspect of the above note is again, very curious.
MM - Willy claims the ring is a Ring of Light...somehow he knows that, but it's still not identified. The witch doesn't say anything about it. Neither of them will buy the Spider Scales either -- not a reagent for the witch?
Bort - Ah, the Spider Scales. I had meant to remove them from this update. Thanks. Also, Willy knows all. I'll look into re-framing the context of his knowledge though to purchase the ring.
MM - Apparently AFTER buying an item an option for the Ring of Light comes up...but again, *you* ask about the ring of light even though it's not IDed.
Bort - Hmmm, selling the ring should be an option right away. I'll look into this.
MM - "We have wonderful scrolls at your disposEl!" should be disposAl
Bort - Thanks!
MM - Ground out level 5 in the spider cave so I could get some Lore and the spell Identify to ID the ring.
Bort - Good thinking! Level 5, wow. Usually, only by the very end of the module do most people reach level 5. But again, I wanted to give players the option of areas to grind if they wanted to raise their character's level. I'm all about giving players options when it comes to leveling.
MM - When attacking the encampment, I picked off the archers to the side and the bridge guard at the gate from a distance. Then, as I ran closer, apparently the DEAD guard closed the gate and yelled for the DEAD archers to fire.
Bort - Great find. Thanks. Will fix. (Also, good strategy!)
MM - During the fight with the half orc king Lynn started talking about how "Oh I'm sorry sir, but I'm with this other fellow!" for some reason. And the king didn't fight us, he simply kept trying to sit back down on his throne continuously.
Bort - Very strange on the Lynn part. That would mean somehow another character was trying to engage her. Must be something having to do with the King trying to repeat his behavior of sitting down. Likely something to do with his OnSpawn script. Thanks! Will look into this.
MM - The module guide claims Billy or Bailey will say where the Priest went but neither did.
Bort - Thanks. I need to remove that from the module guide.
MM - Am I supposed to ditch Lynn for this new elf or something as a "henchperson?"
Bort - The choice is yours!
MM - Lynn died again and instantly came back to life again.
Bort - So very strange. I've never seen a 'henchperson' do that before. I'm beginning to think that an earlier issue compounded other behavioral problems with the henchmen scripts.
MM - After Lynn died, speaking to her gives the intro dialogue each time -- can't talk to her about anything else.
Bort - Now this IS something I had experienced, but very infrequently, and is one of the bugs that I'm not entirely sure how to correct, frankly. It happens only after a 'henchperson' dies multiple times.
MM - Got a stack overflow error on the priest's transform at the end
Bort - Hmmm. Thanks! Probably too many effects firing at once during his transformation.
MM - Mobs have way too much HP in general for a caster -- I brought 50 Call Lightning Scrolls and about 30-40 Magic Missile scrolls to the village after killing the king and still ran out during the Black Demon pair. I could have afforded more, technically speaking, but I had no idea I'd conceivably need that many. Mainly a problem during the endless Zombies in Fred's Manor, the Half Orc Camp, and back in the Crypt with the Demons.
Bort - Nice observation. Something I'll have to work on balancing out.
MM - Overall it was fun though I suspect it would have been far more enjoyable as a melee character using the fighter henchmen as a companion. Atmosphere was amazing at times though sometimes so dark it was annoying to figure out where you were going.
Bort - Thanks! I think the module has aged pretty well over 10+ years. Although, there definitely seems to be a few bugs, particularly with the henchmen scripts, that were created over various NWN updates. That seems to be the area with the most need. The henchmen scripts definitely seems to degrade if the henchmen dies multiple times. I've noticed right-clicking and using the default henchmen behavior calls seem to clear out the degenerative custom scripts. I'm not sure how much I'm going to be able to correct this specific issue.
Torch usage is certainly a native element of the game, and highly encouraged when a dark area calls for it. I would suggest that using a spell-casting PC with a melee henchmen would be your best bet for variety. Or the other way around. Balance is definitely key in this module and, I believe, where a player will get the most 'fun' out of it.
Again, THANK YOU so much, MagicalMaster for your feedback. If you happen to consider anything else, or would even like to followup on some of my replies to your feedback, please feel free to send it my way. I could only be so lucky to get this kind of feedback on a regular basis in an effort to improve the module. It, clearly, won't ever be perfect, but I can always keep making it better.
Sincerely,
Bort
