Monday, September 22, 2008

Status: Companionship

I'm not yet in the UK, but I've still got a computer at my disposal, albeit not my own. That said, I've still been able to work within the toolset in recent times, even though I can't actually run the game itself. While this is not conducive to many aspect of modding, it still enables me to do dialog and scripting, which I have been doing with great enthusiasm. Unfortunately, not being in a situation to my work illustrate with any screenshots, this post will be somewhat text-centric, but given that's been my work environment, it seems somewhat appropriate.

The bulk of work in question has been related to completing the conversations for the second companion within Fate of a City. To give you an indication of the depth and effort that has been put into these characters, I'll give some word statistics (which may scare some of you). At the current time, the current word count of the module is just shy of 140,000 words, with approximately 30,000 words dedicated to the various interjections, comments, and conversations of the two companions within Fate of a City. So while I wanted to include more party members so as to offer greater diversity and choice... I'm sure you can understand that the amount of work required to bring them to life so they wouldn't feel bland in comparison to the existing characters is no simple matter. So without further ado, here's an introduction to the second companion available within the walls of Darthall...

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Veolus Wend

Veolus is a priest who typically inspires very strong reactions to those that meet him, and those feelings are almost always negative, as his chosen deity is Bane. He is unyielding in his determination and ruthless in the pursuit of his goals. However, as to what they might be, Veolus is not forthcoming, as his service to the church is not a topic he cares to discuss.

Despite his faith, Veolus will ally with any who will tolerate his views, provided he thinks they are capable enough. However, if ostracised too much, Veolus would be more than happy to turn on previous friends, for any perceived enemy of the Black Hand is a target for divine retribution by his hand.
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Hopefully I'll add a couple of screenshots at a later date, though Veolus has already appeared in a few times in previous screenshot galleries.

This has represented a significant portion of the remaining work for Fate of a City, which means that the complete alpha version should be ready sooner rather than later. Then it comes down to testing the finished product... I only hope that phase goes as smoothly as it did for my Amstralloween contribution to BouncyRock's project! :)

1 comment:

Lance Botelle (Bard of Althéa) said...

That's a good word count. :)

I agree with your quality v quantity and intend to go the same way if I can do it.

Regarding computer purchases, I would recommend buying online for some of the best deals (Dabs or Novatech). However, if you want High Street (which is generally better for immediate customer service), then PC World can be reasonable if you know what to look for. They may be slightly dearer than online though.

Lance.