Hearkenwold

[slowdive]

Looks great (minus the 11 attacks part )! Looking forward to the October-ish release date. Which version of IB will be packaged with it? Is Hearkenwold at a good place for me to start a Let's Play? So far, when I stream a play through, I often find engine bugs and they are recorded so I can make a note to go back and fix them

[Dorateen]

Thanks, slowdive. I have been mostly testing on build 200, which has been pretty stable. But I will probably post the module with the latest build, 203.

The version currently available to download doesn't have the weather effects and new spells yet, so it would probably be better to wait for the update next month. I want playing it to feel fresh, especially going through the existing content again.

[slowdive]

That sounds like a plan, I'll wait for the next update before starting a Let's Play. I still need to finish up the General Caster AI in IBbasic and add it to IB as well. I also hope to have some of the bug fixes on the todo list done as well by the end of the month.

[Pongo]

The Khrystos caverns sound great - I love a big dungeon map. Look forward to exploring them, and dodging the Wyndlass - those eleven attacks do some proper damage!

[Dorateen]

Thanks, Pongo. I'm pleased with the way the Khrystos Caves turned out. It's one of those dungeons made up of interconnected maps, so the player never sees the whole layout in one glance. That might be a little disorientating at first, but is designed to create the sense of being lost while exploring underground tunnels.

Funny story about the Wyndlass. First time I recall fighting one was in Death Knights of Krynn. I don't remember if they were in other gold box games. But that thing scarred our party for life, just thinking about its never ending attacks on a character.

[Dorateen]

October Update

Finally, I have the next part of the Hearkenwold campaign available for download! The file can be found here:

https://neverwintervault.org/project/ic ... earkenwold

When I last left off, it was in August of 2020, and I had just completed the sixth guild adventure, the one for wizards. Now players can advance the main narrative arc once events in Skardale have transpired, and as long as one party member belongs to a guild. This will open up new, dangerous areas on the map. But there are also new wilderness locations, ranging between the Dwarf Village and the town of Burdun. The Khrystos Caverns can be discovered, awaiting exploration by a daring band of heroes. In particular, this dungeon was designed for a range of 5th to 8th level characters. Some things lurk in the darkness that are best left undisturbed by weaker parties.

On the engine side, this update includes the weather effects that are animated on outdoor maps. There are some new spells, new weapons and items, and of course new monsters to fight.

Here is one example of an encounter with the characters:



I also have an updated image of the overworld map, showing how the individual maps connect together. Some of the new areas are only accessible after the council with the King. However, there are other new places the player can reach before those events.



Next week, I am going to start back on the conversion of the new content into the Knights of the Chalice 2 module. I anticipate that will take a few months. The updates will continue as the module progresses further.

[slowdive]

This is great! I am almost finished adding the last parts to IBbasic from my todo list and then I will focus on IB. I will want to add some of the IBbasic features to IB before I start my Let's Play of hearkenwold like the new Caster AI, more save slots, d20 screen, and maybe the encumbrance system with option to place items in containers.

[Dorateen]

Thanks, slowdive. Sounds good. I'll want to catch any bugs that might come up in the meantime, and when there's a new IceBlink build I will post that to the Vault.

[Pongo]

Awesome, well done! Good excuse for a proper replay. This time with a party that doesn't just consist of dwarves. I have a few updates of content to catch up on this time, my last full playthrough was about two years ago I think.

[Dorateen]

Thanks, Pongo. I am hoping that a new run will feel like a fresh experience for anyone who played the content previously.