MMORPG

More progress on Newfallen. I’ve been getting some recent good reviews on Befallen as it exists now, which is puzzling. Maybe it’s because I joined Scribe’s Enclave. But it gives me pause about totally ripping out all the old stuff. I think people liked the adventuring party on the second level best, so I’ll be sure to keep them. Roofed up the entry hall. I added some arches to separate it from the main room. The original Befallen did not have them, but it adds so much to the look that I think people will agree that the original ought to have had them. ...

[gallery ids=“11328,11327”] At +Todd Edwards /Winin’s suggestion, moved my dungeon inside, built inside the largest empty cave room. Now, making an entire dungeon that fits into one room is more of a challenge than I was looking for… but I can snake a hallway into another cavern if I really need it. Anyway, now that Newfallen is inside, I have control over lighting. There’s nothing more that sets the mood for a dungeon than lighting, and not working on lighting is one of the more common beginner foundry mistakes. For instance, see my original Befallen, where I had no clue. Anything you let the foundry do FOR you, like lighting or adding room decoration, just means your quest will look just like someone else’s quest. ...

[gallery ids=“11332,11333,11334,11335”] More work on “Newfallen”. Added some walls so I could see how the map was looking. There will be a few more rooms. This is an outdoor map (yay for horses in dungeons!) but I want it lit like an indoor map. This is tough because the dungeon ceiling pieces are one-sided, and light from the sky shines right through. I put an opaque rock over the entrance, but rocks like that ruin the minimap (remember, sparkly is useless in custom maps, players will need the minimap). ...

My first foundry quest, Crypt of Befallen, was confused, poorly plotted, etc – all the same mistakes I see made by every first time author. It’s embarrassing to have that quest be the entry point to my Adventures in Norrath campaign. I’m sketching ideas for a remake with an entirely custom map, no pre-built rooms. I’m building this version in mid-air so I can have actual drops to the second and third floors. The old story, such as it was, will be discarded. I’ll still keep the concepts of other adventurers camping bits of the dungeon in. The current villain, Mezzinia, will be tossed out and replaced with a dark elf villain to connect with the plot running through the next three adventures and finally culminating in my next new quest, Bloody Kithicor. ...

It was suggested that, these days, it might not be a bad idea to make a little video about your new Foundry quests. I thought this was an incredible idea. So I made one for Crushbone’s Revenge…. [embed]

Team Spode completed the Necropolis: Relics of Urgrund last night for the first time as a league, though I think most of the heroes of Team Spode had done it in pickup raids before (not me). The raid is kind of muddled; it all looks just as brown and dull as this screen shot. There are ancient “New Gods” weapons scattered around; DPS who can use those weapons grab them and use them at specific times to stop the bosses from powering up and using punishing attacks. I don’t think we did this very well, but the DPS who joined the raid had enough power to do the burninating and we got through it. ...

This is not a screenshot from the Neverwinter quest. This is from one of my EQ2 quests. Lanys hard adds actually made hard Extended the Janitor a little. By request, flirt option for Pham first meeting. Changed Josylyn fight to be a little harder Don’t require the player to accept Bealu to make use of the Priest of Discord’s power. Clerics apparently have a problem with this :) Change out the volume gate in the corrupted bear pen to one that actually works and fits in better with the fence. ...

[gallery ids=“11279,11280,11281,11282”] In retrospect, we should have chosen this week to review Christmas-themed foundries, of which there are a few. Opportunity lost. Maybe next week?** Temple of the Elements** by @marrowyn** The Cult of the Dragon is up to their new tricks again. Tiamat has risen, and her minions are fanning out through Faerûn, looking for sources of new power for the Scaléd Queen, coming at last to the ancient Temple of the Elements. Tiamat will surely appreciate the additional elemental powers the temple can grant. ...

Hey, hey, magical sleigh. I didn’t get this last year because I was saving up for the Frost Mimic. It’s been a full day since I released Crushbone’s Revenge into the world. I’ve gotten a little feedback, most of it good, some with stuff I need to address. I was kinda hoping, of course, that it would catch on fire, but it didn’t. Probably because the average playtime is creeping up toward AN HOUR. It was supposed to be a HALF HOUR QUEST. Holy crap. I am UNABLE to make a quick foundry with story and action good for the daily foundry quest. ...

Now, this IS relevant to EverQuest. I think I’m just about finished with Crushbone’s Revenge, the sort of sequel to Tempest in a Freepot. You’re on a mission to save Retlon Brenclog, a gnome who was last seen in Crushbone. But you uncover something much darker on your quest, and a gnome isn’t all you save. [gallery ids=“11217,11219,11222,11220,11221,11218”] The next step is optional, but it’s usually a good idea to get other foundry authors to weigh in on your quest before you make it widely available. This is semi-baked in, because you have to get five reviews before it goes live to everyone. Lucky me, I have four already, and need just one more. The unlucky bit is that I’ve been honestly reviewing people’s foundries for a few months now, and… some authors might want to be a little brutally honest with me. ...