Take a Real Stroll Around the Tower! (Early Access Open Beta Download)

[Axatax]

I played BST in my latest playthrough and thought this mod was enjoyable and *very* professionally done.  I didn't encounter any bugs whatsoever with this mod.  I have some very nit-picky recommendations, understanding this is beta software and incomplete --

The first quest the PC is likely to encounter is the crypt.  I was confused WRT exactly what I was supposed to do here.  I wasn't sure if I was supposed to kill everything (or not).  The dialogs and log entry hints at how this encounter should be handed, but I just wasn't sure.  I was expecting a Demogorgon-like enemy but ended up hacking a bunch of generic skeletons (I appreciate all the arrows).

Exactly what the Sea Tower *is*, should probably be explained somewhere.  Maybe a character at the entry way, similar to how the tour guide operates in Durlag's Tower, or maybe some books on shelves, or something at the Balduran statue that gives a condensed history of the tower and why it exists.  If I wasn't up on Forgotten Realms lore, this area would probably be perplexing.

The map view is too busy with too many "tacks".  I don't think every staircase and entryway to each tower on the wall needs to be identified individually.

The backgrounds also tend to look somewhat blurry.  I assume probably everyone has newer and better monitors than I do (I have a triplet of 12+ year old Dell monitors that I run at 1024x768) and this might not be obvious on 4K displays or whatnot, but it shows on low-end displays like this.  I'm essentially blind so I don't bother with buying good monitors, and I run the game fully "zoomed in", by the mouse wheel, which is probably how the game looked in 1990-whatever at 640x480.

Anyhow, this is just some *very* nit-picky criticisms of an excellent mod with a lot of potential.  This mod caused no problems with the game overall which is very refreshing.

 

 

Edited September 23, 2021 by Axatax

[jastey]

@Axatax thank you for the kind words and the feedback!

1 hour ago, Axatax said:

the crypt.  I was confused WRT exactly what I was supposed to do here.

The crypt will be reworked. There will be more to fight and the actual quest will make more sense.

1 hour ago, Axatax said:

Exactly what the Sea Tower *is*, should probably be explained somewhere.

Thanks for the idea. The commander could also have a line about what the tower is for.

1 hour ago, Axatax said:

The map view is too busy with too many "tacks".  I don't think every staircase and entryway to each tower on the wall needs to be identified individually.

It was the only way to let players know what the towers' names are. I agree that there is a lot of map points but I tend to leaving them in.

1 hour ago, Axatax said:

The backgrounds also tend to look somewhat blurry.

Interesting. I fear there is nothing we can do about it realistically, though.

[jastey]

3 minutes ago, jastey said:

It was the only way to let players know what the towers' names are.

Which is not true of course; we are also considering giving the buildings  ingame name fields.

[Axatax]

Quote

It was the only way to let players know what the towers' names are. I agree that there is a lot of map points but I tend to leaving them in.

The names of the towers are good - it supports game lore.  but each description also had something along the lines of "door" or "stairs" to the tower, right next to them, which might be redundant (I don't recall exactly how these were named).

Edited September 23, 2021 by Axatax

[jastey]

@Axatax These are the map point names. Were you referring to something else?

Spoiler

@20 = ~Temple of Selune~
@21 = ~Barracks~
@22 = ~Armorer~
@23 = ~Fletcher~
@24 = ~Balduran's Seatower~
@25 = ~Halfslinger~
@31 = ~Temple of Ilmater~
@33 = ~Tannery~
@34 = ~Catacombs~
@35 = ~Seatower Inn~
@36 = ~Dragon Tower~
@39 = ~Treasury~
@40 = ~Chionthar Tower~
@41 = ~Traitor's Tower~
@42 = ~Chain Tower~
@43 = ~Dradeel's Tower~
@44 = ~South Harbour Tower~
@45 = ~Harbour Tower~
@46 = ~East Tower~
@50 = ~Seatower Well~
@51 = ~Seatower Beacon~

 

[Axatax]

I was thinking about a way to introduce the player to the history of the tower.  Ultima VII is a game that's very mechanically similar to BG.  In U7, There's a museum in the "main" city of Britania, that has exhibits and artifacts dealing with the hero's past deeds and the history of the realm.  A "Balduran Museum" doesn't seem like something that would be out of place in the tower (and a target to steal something from, if inclined, like the Balduran items from BG2).  Maybe even a reward for donating Balduran's logbook from the island to the museum (otherwise useless)

Edited September 23, 2021 by Axatax

[jastey]

6 hours ago, Axatax said:

Maybe even a reward for donating Balduran's logbook from the island to the museum (otherwise useless)

Adding a museum might be beyond the scope (area art is more or less finished), but we did think about adding a character that will buy all "Balduran" items to be found in the game. Especially Balduran's butter knife really needs a purpose.

[Isewein]

It could be an eccentric collector who wants to build his own little museum (off-screen) - and then should anyone ever come around to doing the area art for it it could become reality. 

Edited September 25, 2021 by Isewein

[Axatax]

9 hours ago, Isewein said:

It could be an eccentric collector who wants to build his own little museum (off-screen) - and then should anyone ever come around to doing the area art for it it could become reality. 

I think this is a good way to handle this.

[Lauriel]

On 9/23/2021 at 7:08 PM, jastey said:

Balduran's butter knife really needs a purpose.

Funny, I had just recently come up with a purpose for it - for my Eltan mod.  No biggie.  I can always put in another item so it doesn't conflict.

[Axatax]

4 minutes ago, Lauriel said:

Funny, I had just recently come up with a purpose for it - for my Eltan mod.  No biggie.  I can always put in another item so it doesn't conflict.

There are cooks and a kitchen in BST, so...

Edited September 25, 2021 by Axatax

[jastey]

On 9/25/2021 at 11:20 AM, Lauriel said:

with a purpose for it - for my Eltan mod.  No biggie.  I can always put in another item so it doesn't conflict.

Oh, it won't be obligatory to seel the items to whoever wants them inside th tower. It will be a way to get rid of them if the player choses, but it's more of an offer. bgqe also introduces a possibility to sell Balduran's Logbook to Aldeth Sashenstar, for example. The player then can decide.

Thanks for the ideas, everyone.

[Guest 311stylee]

I installed vEAOB.5 many months ago and finally made it to the Seatower area.  Everything I've seen so far has been fun, and it feels like it fits right in with the rest of the game.  I had only one issue that I feel is important, as everything else I'm sure will be fixed/finished if not already: 

I arrived to the sea tower area at night, and it was really difficult to tell the difference between the ground and the walls of the buildings.  Not only was it quite dark but they also have very similar textures (different types of grey stones).  Maybe this has already been changed, but maybe you guys could consider doing something like the Gnoll Stronghold fortress, where the ground is significantly smoother and a different color than its walls. 

Keep up the good work and good luck on the rest of the mod!

[jastey]

On 9/25/2021 at 11:25 AM, Axatax said:

There are cooks and a kitchen in BST, so...

Completely missed this! The thought is hilarious. The cook is, let's say, rather direct in her way of speaking. I guess she'd gave the PC a mouthful if they'd offer her the old rusty knife for her kitchen work.

[jastey]

311stylee: Thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately, the graphic art is kind of completed. I'm not a graphic artist, and @Yovaneth retired. Unless we notice that it's a real nuisance to walk the place at night I fear the area graphics will stay as they are. Thanks for the feedback nontheless.