Break out your Bow...

On my 3rd web host at this point. Somehow I always get mixed up with the shitty ones like 000webhost.com. Seriously, worst customer service I have ever dealt with.

Let's just say they pulled down my site, with no warning or explanation, and refuse to say anything but "TOS violation". Now being the sort of fellow that I am.. I read their TOS over 3 bloody times before I uploaded anything, much less pulled down the site from my previous host, so I knew there was nothing I did that would violate TOS.

Anyway, New host, playing at being a bit less open about things now too. I think I'm gonna keep this a private party, so I know who's interested and who's involved. Anyway, map's back up I'm working on forums, and going to be saving ALL information as text documents now(000 Screwed me out of roughly a years worth of writing and planning).

I've gotten in a tentative Arcane Archer imbuing system, and Probably gonna try and knock out Archer, and AA classes for the next test build.

Archer will be just that, Any race, Any class, 2 or 3 BAB and a bow focus feat needed I think.
Will gain the +1AB/dam that AA use to, as well as Seeker arrow(Minus the idiotic spiral), and hail of arrows, both of which will be on a recharge timer.
Additionally, it'll get "fletching" which boils down to some math details. Any arrows that have a gold cost below a threshold value(calculated off of class level) Won't run out. Simple as that.

Arcane Archer, will better live up to its name. It will gain +1 magical damage(per 2 class levels) to any equipped arrow. The ability to imbue several combat spells onto arrows, and a caster level increase.
This boils down to say.. an 8 wizard, 12 AA
Having 4 caster levels from wizard(normal)
And 3 caster level's from AA(4 class levels = 1 caster level).

That's 7 caster levels, where a pure wizard would have 10. Weaker caster than a pure caster, Weaker BAB than a pure warrior. But a nifty mix of the two.

Additionally, I've got a new notion in mind. Archer, AA, and Ranger(I think), and possibly Jester(harper scout) will get access to a pair of new feats related to entrenching a position.

Right now, Entrench will take 1+1d2 rounds, and create a barricade in front of the user(I'll probably make it target able later) To keep this useful, my plan is to allow for 1 barricade per 4 levels. At max level you can throw down 10 in 20-30 rounds(2-3 minutes real time) and build yourself a nice little fort. Of course the barriers can be bashed down, and any player who can put 'em up, can take 'em down. Take them down instantly in fact.

Let's face it, range units in NWN get screw in about every way possible. You can't run and shoot easily, you run out of arrows constantly, Heck with it! I want to give rage shooters, and rangers some love back, and allow them to control the combat area some. We'll see how it plays out, but its a novel idea, and I really think its a good one.

After all, any idiot in the woods can drag some fallen tree limbs and rig up a place where its hard to be flanked. I know, I'm just such an idiot.

Still working with NWN1

Someone asked me the other day, why I was still working with NWN1. I confess, I sat there, and tilted my head like a dog trying to put its ear in position to listen better.

It took a second to put the question into terms that made sense to whit: "Why haven't you moved onto a newer game?" That one, I could answer. The difference lies in the spectrum of answer. Dane Cook, I believe it is, has a joke in his stand up involving a some sort of sandwich.

Rarely ordering this kind, he had no idea what was on it by default, and started telling the waitress what he wanted on it. I understand that, simpler to list the 4 or 5 things you want on it. This being a joke and all, the waitress asked him to list the things he didn't want on it instead. "OK, I don't want a cat's paw on my sandwich. I don't want a sheriff's badge on my sandwich. I don't want motor oil on my sandwich."

Bass Ackwards way of stating what should be, and what shouldn't be on the sandwich 'eh? Anyway back to NWN.

"Why are you still working with NWN?" has so many answers that its nonsensical to even try and answer. "Because I can't make classes for Pacman. Because I dislike like no clerics in Dragon Age. Because I had a dream where merlin told me to. Because the Halo toolset sucks(and it doesn't have classes)."

"Why haven't you moved onto a newer game?" Oh, ok, that's better, and simpler. "Because after all these years of experience, I can make NWN sing A Capella, Oh and NWN has a massive range of CC, and still gets more added on a regular basis. That, and the little fact that all its graphical shiney's don't push graphics cards and the like."

I mean, not to be unkind, but I have played 5 FPS halo games now, and not once did I pay any particular attention to the water. Meanwhile, Mass Effects Hammerhead hover-tank had be constantly paying attention to Lava, and acid and the like. I think you could honestly remove half the VFX from NWN, and I wouldn't mind.

True, graphics are damned nice, but no matter the level of detail, so long as I'm looking at a screen, I won't be immersed. When we have 3d holography draping the area around us when we're playing.. that's when I'll care if the bloom, and source lights and all look perfect.

NWN's graphics are adequate. Most all of the recent content pushes them from that threshold upto "Good", if not beyond.

Now with all that said, yes I am still working in NWN. Mostly on classes at the moment, and a bit on web stuff. I have my Knight base class, and my Warlock, and both handle about as I want them to. I won't share details here, not yet.. But I will share.. a world map. The set up for that was less than you think. A bit of writing PHP code to display it, and a nifty little app on the vault to generate up minimap's from existing area's.

Example:



That was done for a prefab with CTP babylon. But the point is, I can make changes to the maps, save module, Run App, upload images.. and the big world map, will adjust exactly that quick. Talk about awesome. Thus far, I lined up most of the edge borders and the like that way.

Anyway, enough babble for now.. More later perhaps.