Building 101 - Area Design
I thought I'd take a few down the path of how an area design leaves my mind and becomes part of the building process, which I hope to offer every Sunday until the area is complete.
LOCATION and REASON
This evening I'm going to create a swamp that will offer the player character enough to do and also pull them into the very reason for being there in the first place. As this is one of the first areas of a quest, it requires that jolt of input to shape what it is we want the player to experience.
What information the player gathers before heading off here, is that a few villagers have been turned to stone as they venture deeper into the swamp to find a rare type of fish that offers a lot of gold on the open market. Due to its high demand, villagers take the risk of heading into the swamp to find them.
As more and more villagers fail to return and those that do return speak of finding friends and family members as stone statues in the swamp, the talk in the village soon changes from finding rare fish to what villager was found as a stone statue. Soon, none of the villagers even want to risk going near the swamp in fear of becoming a stone statue themselves.
Sadly, without the income from the rare fish, the villagers are struggling to keep a roof over their heads. Local crops just can't compete.
So, like any player looking for some adventure, it offers the player character something to do, either as a side quest or part of a greater plot.
One should never exist without the other when creating an area. Each and every area you create needs to have a purpose for existing, otherwise don't bother spending the time it will take to design it.
THE AREA
Welcome to a generic 6x6 (width x length) layout. For the sake of saving time, I've already plotted out its general design, adding in two small hills in the bottom left and top right of the map, along with some raised ground, all nestled between a dark layer of swampy water. Some trees do dot the landscape but they're part of the area tile itself. Placeables have yet to be added to this current area.
Pretty simple, for the most part. Now I try to keep an area pretty small because I don't like the idea, as a player, running around through empty space. So, when I do build an area, I do my best to offer the player something to do in every corner. That's my number one rule because wasting the time of the player is never, ever a good thing.
TIDBITS
In the behind the scene information, the village is south of this area, so the player will be entering on the bottom left in this area.
The water current, although never an issue in any area built with water, is moving from the bottom left to the top right. This is handy information if you use a boat to transition from one area to the next. Does one paddle with the current or against it?
In the weeks to follow, I'll detail the hot spots of the area, sound placement, as well as lighting and placeables.
| Area Design I | 08.30.09 |
| Companions | 08.19.09 |
In death they roam. . . For those who brought along a companion from Almraiven and then through Shadewood, they fought and died along side of you in battle. Fate of the Auren offers a total of three companions based on choices made in Almraiven and Shadewood and two new companions one can find in the Land of the Dead. The former are found through a specific side-quest associated to the companion you traveled with in Almraiven and Shadewood while the latter come across as spirits you meet during your adventure. In the Land of the Dead, they roam. Annex | Falis Goodmane | Shayla Shay | Ahlias Nox | Chaj-ja Annex [Druid Female (Grower)]  "The very eyes of this Human Female pierce right through you as she catches you watching her and memories swirl of a previous existence within your mind. There is a feeling of calm that suddenly washes over you and the smell of flowers seem near. Her hair shimmers in the moonlight and the old black and cyan robe she once wore is now stitched in earthly shades and colors."Annex is a result from completing the Darwien's Disappearance quest in Almraiven. You saved Darwien but also had to kill Falis for not saving his sister Wundra. A Druid that comes with an animal companion named Patterfoot, Annex is the most difficult of the three companions to attain. Her journey with you through Shadewood was a helpful one for it took place in her true element, where she brought forth a different view of what was happening in the wood. Dying at your side, her spirit now exists in the Land of the Dead. Falis Goodmane [Fighter Male, (Dancer)]  "The very glare directed toward you from this muscular Human Male is cold. Crisp blue eyes that once captured your gaze now leave you feeling empty and lost. Blood stains his light colored hair while torn cloth and stitch hug scars and deep wounds that cut right into his very soul."Falis is a result from completing Wundra's Wonder quest in Almraiven. You helped find his sister and saved her from the Werefolk who had her locked up in the sewers. Falis specializes in the quarterstaff and is very quick on his feet but does not have any experience in adventure travel. His problem with bugs was made perfectly clear during your journey through Shadewood but as the end drew near, his focus in protecting you outgrew that fear. Dying at your side, his spirit now exists in the Land of the Dead. Shayla Shay [Sorcerer Female, (Guardian)]  "The projected memory of this Human Female is not what you recall from your previous existence. Eyes that were once cyan color are now black and the staff she once held does not have the same weave as it did before. The staff pulsates blue, shifting in size and design as if alive."Shayla is a result from completing the Something in the Works quest in Almraiven. You helped find her sister and save her from the slave traders who had her locked up and ready to be shipped out. Shayla also experienced fighting Blackend Souls and knows first hand what the Darkness did in the depths below Almraiven. Her knowledge of this continued in Shadewood as the two of you moved to unlock the mystery of the wood. It is where she also came to terms with the very man who was responsible for the capture of her sister Kira. Shayla comes with an intelligent staff named Nala that she is bound to by magical means and both died at your side. Her spirit now exists in the Land of the Dead. Ahlias Nox [Ranger Male, (Wilder)]  "The wary eyes of this Human Male watch you from where he stands. A green and brown cloak, stained with mud and soot along the edge, drapes over his large frame. A long sword carried by the man hangs off his left hip by a crude loop made of rope while a bow string hugs his chest from the shortbow slung over his shoulder. Dark browns, shades of tan and a touch of green lace in and out of the fabric of his cloth and stitch."Ahlias Nox is from a distant projection where the very edge of the Emptiness meets the realm. His travels south got him caught between the Darkness that had begun to swallow the Land of the Dead and if not for small pockets, his spirit would have been consumed by shadow and filth. He now travels northward toward Twyll, his home, where he hopes to rest his spirit and relax. Chaj-ja [Fighter Female, (Hunter)]  "Chaj-ja's large golden reptilian eyes dance wildly as if expecting an attack at anytime. Many of the multiple horns at the back of her head are cracked or have been snapped off. She's a renowned warrior of the Chah-kra Tribe, hunting and killing numerous Stoneless that dwell deep in Bramblewood Moor." Chaj-ja is very ignorant when it comes to projections outside of Bramblewood Moor, the projection she has existed in since arriving to the Land of the Dead. Existing in a festering bog, Chaj-ja is quite content with hunting and fishing but becomes drawn to the realm beyond after hearing stories and reading books on the subject. She is clumsy out of her element and makes a lot of noise when she moves about on land, stomping and walking into things without much effort. At first sight, spirits see her as a Troll but her large blinking eyes and twitching ears soon put an end to that. |
| 20° 48' N 156° 20' W | 07.18.09 |
There and Back Again. . .
It's been a busy July! Out of the entire month, I've been at work for a total of TEN days. This week has flown by and as well as it should have considering that I just returned from Edmonton and I'm off again for two weeks. I'm not going to give you more details about flying but in its defence, the flight to Edmonton and back was uneventful :)
If you're interested in checking out the events that unfolded for the Dragon Age event, check the links below.
Jay Watamaniuk's Thoughts
Fernando Melo's Three Part Commentary
GameSpy's First Editorial
GameSpy's Second Editorial
Aloha!
| 53° 34' N 113° 31' W | 06.26.09 |
Departures. . .
So I signed an NDA in December 2008.
Since the last update, I'm happy to announce that Shadewood won Module of the Year 2008 (Vault Award), Best Dramtic Module and Veteran Author Award (AME Award), Almraiven passed the 10,000 download mark and
I'm flying out to Edmonton in eleven days to meet the good old fashioned men and women of BioWare.
I hate flying too. 737-700 (winglets) plane. I type that because at first I thought it read "wingless" but I guess that's just my fear of being in the air and not in control. Sure, they say statistics show the odds of getting in an accident in a car is higher then flying. I'm not sure about you but driving at 60 km/h, (Canadian, eh?), doesn't sound so deadly as say, falling from the sky at 500 km/h while the men and women around you scream and children look at you with a questioning look of "what's going on?" when the plane is flipping and twirling through the air as you attempt to grab the oxygen mask which keeps slapping your face just before the plane explodes on impact.
Last October I flew from Toronto to Montreal for work and it's about an hour in the sky. You're up and then you're down. It wasn't so bad, after asking for two vomit bags while on the plane. To add to all of that, I had the middle seat in the row.
The year before that I flew out to Calgary. Never unbuckled the seat belt, had nothing to drink or eat and looked straight ahead while holding on to the arm rests. I was so nervous that I left my boarding pass at the bar. Could have been the beer though. 
Summer is here, hot, sticky and humid, so building has really slowed down. I do my best, when I can, to pick and poke at the module, playing it to keep the story in my mind fresh as well as to come up with new ideas. Progress is always slow at this time of the year for me and is no different compared to the time I spent building Almraiven and Shadewood during the summer months. Canada Day is just around the corner, so Happy Birthday Canada!
I've been told my igloo in Edmonton has been reserved. HA! Good fun!
| Clouds | 06.01.09 |
I see shapes in the clouds. . .
I've ventured to the realm of skyboxes for the first time, custom ones that is. Do players really need to see a sky when the isometric view of a camera offers more visibility around the character? My own personal playing style is not done by dropping the camera behind my character but perhaps it's popular with some.
It's been fun learning a little about a side of the game I've never customized before. In Almraiven, the skybox was always available when outside in the streets. Shadewood offered it in a few choice places outside of the wood and both used Bioware default skybox settings. Even then, the only time I really took notice of it was when it was time to take screen shots, otherwise the camera angle I prefer never showed the sky.
Is it really worth the effort and additional size to a hakpak when it's all said and done or is it just a nice backdrop for those screen shots. In comparison, the earlier shots posted offered no skybox, which created a more darker and sinister view of the Land of the Dead.
Here are some shots with custom skyboxes enabled.
| Dunroot Hollow | 03.21.09 |
A spirit's thought. . .
I've seen a good number of strange places during my time in the Land of the Dead but I've yet to come across anything as strange as Dunroot Hollow.
Nestled along the border of Felwood does Dunroot Hollow reside. It's quite the journey for some spirits but well worth it if you're the adventurous kind.
Mushrooms twist around everything, growing upward to bask in the warm air above, breathing in the moist humidity which give birth to their enormous size.
Those trees that happen to grow tall enough, eventually lose the fight to the larger and more aggressive fungi.
Stranger yet are those who dwell here, burrowing into the very earth to make homes for themselves, harvesting the wide variety of abundant mushrooms which grow all around.
Like the mushrooms, Spring has Sprung!
| Twyll | 03.07.09 |
All Twylled Out!
From one idea to the next, the Land of the Dead begins to take fold based on the overall thought projection spirits bring to the realm. Each memory is accessed by the Well of Souls and becomes a projection that shape and create the Land of the Dead.
This beginning has allowed the third installment of the series to offer more creative areas and an open flow compared to Almraiven and Shadewood. The dead that roam the realm come from many other places of existence and not just the Forgotten Realms itself.
Welcome to Twyll, a projection from one of these other realms, situated on the very edge of an endless Void but still traveled across nevertheless. Such travel is made possible by airships that ride the thermal winds of the Void. These airships ride the vertical geostrophic wind to its peak, then launch outward, floating their way to the next one until they are caught in the jet stream located in the upper portion of the troposphere.
With the destruction of the portal in Shadewood, the Darkness that lingered in these parts has fled, allowing passage in the Void to resume. Captains of these airships are not very keen on testing the Void and many airships remain docked in port, nestled between aging trees, jagged cliffs and illuminated rope lines.
