And now for something completely different.

Something wicked this way comes.

Monsters - Round 2

I'vve already discussed monsters before, but a good topic bears repeating. Right? Well, maybe not, but I think I'll discuss it again this week. What I'd like to do instead of focusing on the general design of monsters--which can be somewhat dry--that I'd discuss individual instances of the types of foes the player will more than likely encounter. So, without further ado:

Naga constructed Automatons:

The Gilded Golems featured above are dangerously powerful creatures--you call that a knife? This is a knife!--that would gladly take any opportunity to hack a foe into pieces. Yikes! The best best would be to soften them up. And I do mean literally. Their gold plating, so elegantly wrought by the Naga designers, can be melted off with sufficient fire. This makes them easier to defeat, which is nice, and it makes them not quite as elegant(a Naga is spinning in its grave, I assure you).

The Naga in the back of the picture is an Undorian Viper. These are attempts by the Nagas to fuse mechanical parts with a living creature. There are several varieties of Undorian creatures the player will encounter, and they are all exceptionally dangerous. They must be treated with extreme caution. That said, they are still vulnerable to the over-bearing opulence of Naga craftsmen.

However, not all Naga-crafted automatons are golems or things to that respect. They are frequently experimenting with various magical effects, and their ruins are littered with such "failed" creations. Care should be taken to carefully observe these objects so as to not become a pile of dust. You've been warned!

I'd also like the chance to showcase a track created by Goran Bastinac. This track is for any and all battles within a Naga Ruin. It is suitably dangerous, I think, and links nicely with the previously showcased Naga Ruins ambient track.

Blastoderms and Dendus-Kadahs:

Blastoderms are quite nearly the apex predator of the Julak Swamp. They possess a hide which is, quite literally, immune to all types of magic, and they have a matching ferocity. They are terrifyingly dangerous and ought to be given a wide berth(especially if one were to be silly enough to disturb a nesting chamber; poor Calad made his last bad decision).

However, their magical nature does have an interesting side effect. If a Blastoderm dies while in the Julak Swamp, their body is infected with the water of the bog. It is imbued with the magic and then re-animates the creature as a dangerous, mindless plant monster. Dendus-Kadahs are pestilent creatures, and their vicious bites are nearly enough to kill any creature instantly. They are best avoided at all costs.

Ahrimans:

Ahrimans are cursed, unnatural horrors that are the product of magical experiments gone horribly awry. They possess considerable intellect, and only close on their foes when all other options are exhausted. Their most terrifying ability consists of their death curse. When enacted upon a living creature, death slowly squeezes the soul out of the body(visually represented by the slowly deteriorating, floating skulls). If this curse is not removed, the creature will be snuffed out instantly and their soul forever the Ahriman's possession.

As these are Undead creatures, you might expect to hear their musical track nearby.

Julaks:

The name-sake of the Julak swamp, these awesome predatory serpents scour the swamp lands searching for any and all prey. All creatures of the swamp fear them, and nothing approaches them with anything less than reverence and terror.

These serpents fight by unleashing a blast of concentrated acid upon their prey which is capable of tearing skin straight from the bone. The acid is so volatile that, upon contact with the air, it will creature a caustic cloud that slowly kills anything within it. Leaving the cloud is the only way to survive. Additionally, Julaks are capable of augmenting their normal vocalizations to something of a howl of madness. The Julak's eyes will change hue, and then the beast can induce madness in any creature unfortunate enough to hear the blast. Those poor souls afflicted by this are easy pickings for the Julak.

Julaks are dangerous, but they are still, fundamentally, animals. They are wont to finding a particular territory and then staying there(preferring that towards fighting constantly with rival serpents). Due to this, the location Julaks live in might be avoided somewhat easily and battles avoided. However, a discerning adventurer might use the Julak to their advantage: if caught in a bind, it might be preferable to risk death by the hand of the serpent and lure other foolish prey items near the beast.

I should also like to take the chance to showcase another track by Goran Bastinac. This is for the battle with Julaks. It starts fast, as the creatures burst from the water suddenly, and then gives way the slow march towards the player's demise. Realistically, there isn't much hope if a Julak is challenged without proper gear and tactics.

Until next week, friends.

Happenings

It's been a while. Dear reader(s), it really has been. Many of you are no doubt wondering: hey, wasn't there a June release? Wasn't there supposed to be some word from you? Well, I have to say I'm not good with introductions; I mean, take this opening paragraph for instance! What's going on here? I'll tel you what: read through the whole of it and it might make sense. No guarantees, but I guess I'll try if you try.

I found a curious item today. While cleaning for a romantic weekend with the significant other, I discovered a sheet of paper giving me a "List of things to complete on Shagret". This was an amazing little artifact to find! The notes were nothing at all referring to what the project was. I think they're interesting(like a mention of a werewolf; what was I doing?) I was fitfully nostalgic. It was like staring back through photo albums, your mind distantly aware of the events but oddly, dimly it may not have ever happened to you. Had this list happened? Had I wanted to do this? I'm not sure. I've been with this project for so long. It's become a part of me(the worse half, let's say).

But, I think people have gotten the impression I've been ignored this little project. Nothing is further from the truth! These little sheets of paper are quite common; common enough, let's say, that I found more than one in my dustbin whirlwind. Then why haven't I been talking about it here? Truth is, I've been waiting on a key piece of CC for some time and, it seems, I won't be getting it. This realization has made it somewhat difficult to say goodbye to several parts of the mod which depended upon its inclusion. My ideas, such that they were for the mod, cannot really go forward now. Those notes which were relevant now appear like quaint artifacts. I wish it could have happened, but it really can't. I need to plan differently. This means there must be some cuts.

And that's something I never really wanted to get into here. It is the truth, however. I generally like to remain silent on my own goings on, but that's how things are now. I feel like, going forward, I ought to be slightly more open about what's going on(I mean, my girlfriend has seen the final boss; why can't I talk with my fans and like minded modders?) It is odd even thinking about it.

Okay, here's a promise for you: someone outside my intimate circle will have Shagret in a month's time. A beta? An alpha? Hell if I know, but someone will play it. And I've got another for you: regular updates. They help me focus, and I need some help finishing things up. I'm prone towards depression and harsh views towards my own work and achievements(minor such that they are). I feel like people seeing what I'm working on, sans some great CC which is now sorely missed, would go very well towards re-invigorating my (somewhat) waning spirit.

Those of you volunteered to play-test: watch your PM boxes and emails. You will be seeing something in the next month. Until next week, friends.

Shagret - Temporarily Delayed

I've moved the release of Shagret back from the start of June to the end of the month. Why? Some personal things have come up--the good kind, I assure you--and I find myself unable to stay in front of the computer as much anymore.

Also, if you're interested in being a Beta-Tester for Shagret when it nears in on release, please either let me know in the comments or PM me on the Bioware Social Boards. I will listen to every comment I receive and aim to make my "little" project as polished as it possibly can.

(And for those involved in the Community Project I'm working on, don't think this has impacted that. Things will be progressing smoothly with that as well.)

Here are some screenshots of progress. I hope you like them.

Thank you for your patience. This has been a long journey, and I hope it comes to a close soon enough.

Shagret

I'm happy to announce a definitive release date for this prodigious project I have hefted upon myself. Shagret Release: June, 2011. I mean to stick to this release date, and will make sure that it is met with all due speed. It is far, far away--past the grip of winter, and spring(perchance love?)--but it will be kept to. However, leaving it there seems wrong. I think, considering this post, I ought to go into slightly more detail.

What is Shagret?

This is a story with many starts, and none are adequate to suffice. The PC can't see all sides, neither can the numerous characters you meet. It will not make sense the first play through, and perhaps not the second, but the story is one constructed that there is "meaning", but not in black and white(or grey, or chartreuse either). You must see it from multiple perspectives, and I hope my story offers an interesting way of video game storytelling. The truth is that in time, even devils have their stories to share.

What does it offer?

Story-oriented adventure with a plethora of new enemies to fight. This is in a custom setting, and the whole universe is completely of my imagination. Thusly, I have a great amount of flexibility in terms of the story, environment and characterization. I am not bound by "the weave" or some other such things(though I do hope my universe does not come off as boundlessly cliche).

Although I would hope that people enjoy my story for what it is--a story that needs re-telling to acquire sense--I do cater to the more "rough and tumble" adventurers out there. You want dangerous foes? You got them. You want dungeons to crawl around in? You got them. RPGs, as I see them, ought to allow flexibility, and so I wish to allow this. There are monsters to slay, and I'm quite sure you're up to the task.

Companions?

6. Expect over 60 thousand words of dialog from them, and perhaps 200 thousand in the campaign as a whole. Your companions have a mind of their own, so don't expect them to want to go spelunking in the "cavern of death" or some other such nonsense. They will, and *do*, leave you.

Total Length?

Depends on how you want to play the game. Realistically, the game can be "over" in ten minutes. I suspect, however, that most players will find their first run to be somewhere between 7-12 hours. There are many different ways to go about the game, though, so it is misleading to say anything more than that. You have more choices than you think.

Custom Content?

NWN2 seems to delight in excess, and I am no stranger to such things. I am proud to announce that my custom music score(43 tracks) is now complete. Coupled with that, there are several brand new, fresh to NWN2 creatures which will be feature in the campaign. Here and now, I can say that the first portrait in the video below, Syue the spirit fox, will be met by the PC(thanks Hellfire!)

I'm happy to also show two tracks for the first time. The portraits featured within are from Bolero(thanks!), and are of three characters you'll meet in the game.

Syue and Euun. Thanks Enrico!

This track wanders sympathetically through the halls of memory. Perhaps, in time, its meaning will become more clear, its purpose more apparent.

Listrum, the Wolf Goddess. Thanks Clarkycat!(compare this track with the one featured before)

You can kill anything in the campaign. Even a Goddess. I wanted a track that, simultaneously, was "heroic", and yet struck back at the false heroism being enacted. This, it seems to me, does an excellent job: a hero deluded with their own excess, striking out in vain.

Thank you for reading. I really, deeply appreciate the time and effort other modders put into their projects; whether you be making a small fishing village or a dragon's den, animating a golem or painting a fence, I thank you. I am, by nature, a perfectionist that never can reach perfection, so I enjoy seeing other people's projects and comments. I know I would not be here writing this post if it were not for the boundless support from you, relatively faceless and formless, community members. Without you, there would be nothing to see here. It might be some time brewing, coalescing--I know this--but do not worry. The show is not over; I'd wager it's just getting started.

How much is too much?

When constructing a story, how much information is too much? Let's say my story is set in the United States in present day--need I mention the Revolutionary War? Does it add anything to the story? One might say that it implicitly adds something to the story, as a reader might have certain impressions of the United States that stem from that war. However, I cannot imagine these beliefs to be very strong in of themselves, and so they ought not to influence the story too much.

Now, why am I bringing this up? Because, really, many fantasy stories get bogged down in the particular events of their story, becoming nearly fetishistic in their love of historical dates and time. It is important, yes, when crafting a 'new' world that it is believable and all, but we don't need to know everything that happened in it. The character that are currently in the story and their relationship with the PC are more important than the 'Taming of the Grey Hounds in ~1339.gh'. Sometimes, it's better to do more with less.

Again, let's take the example of a novel set in the modern United States. There isn't some long-winded discussion, usually, about the Civil War, the Progressive Movement and McCarthyism. Why should there be? The story is about Jim's relationship with his estranged son(for example), and bringing in other, irrelevant facts distracts from the story at hand. History has its place, and an important one at that, but it must be sidelined in many cases to get a coherent, and relatively brief, story to the reader/player.

Quick and Dirty Area Design Tutorial

The Idea:

This post is designed to give you the basic tools necessary to make a visually appealing area with minimal effort. I'm going to tell you how I do things, and you can adjust as necessary. Now, mind you, these tips aren't going to make your areas "come to life" instantly; rather, you might now have some additional tools and a general thought process on how to make an area.

This tutorial is for interior areas. On the surface, these might seem to be far easier than an exterior, but there is a certain mindset that is necessary for interior design. There's no texturing, but that means there is added weight on the usage of placeables and other decorations. If you skimp here, the player will instantly become aware of the relatively repetitive textures of interior design. Care must be taken here.

Part 1: That dark feeling.

You've now created an interior area(say, 5x5) for the final section of your goblin mine. The big boss needs a home, after all, and so you need to make sure the area is a functional battlefield as well as possess some degree of visual flair(nothing to win awards by, mind you, but enough to avoid rolling eyes from the player).

Above is the dark, dark void all new areas start with. Wipe your brow, and grab a drink(if that's your poison), and hunker down(preferably with a good playlist and/or cat).

Part 2: So, uh, let's make a dungeon.

When I design areas, I sort of go by whim. "Oh, I like the look of this", or "Maybe there needs to be a hole here." I don't have anything in mind yet, so I'm just dabbing away. I remember a painting instructor telling me many years ago: early on, the picture hasn't shown itself yet, but if look hard enough it'll show itself. Areas are just the same. Right now, there isn't anything there. Later, after we've poked it with some sticks for a while, it'll come to life(hopefully not a zombie).

Basically, just put down tiles that feel right rather than anything else. If you have a grid based dungeon already written--well, that's great! I can see you've already surpassed the teacher(meet me after class). If you don't have a strict idea, don't feel like you need one. The picture will make itself clear.

Part 3: Who turned off the lights?!

This is a goblin cave, as I said above, in that generic-fantasy world where temperate climate is everywhere and chainmail bikinis keep form and function without chaffing(one can dream). So, it's going to be a brownish hue--lucky for us, the default lighting settings for an area have a brown hue to them. What I do, when starting a new area, is to shut off directional lighting and reduce the ground/sky light value by half. This makes the area very dark, but that's the style I like. Your mileage may vary, but hear me out on this. I can explain my thinking.

Part 4: The Focal Point

Now, for an area to have some oomph to it, there should be something special about how it looks. Somethings that draws the player's eye: something that makes them go "wow". This can be a difficult part of design, but it makes the area feel like an aesthetic whole rather than just stuff thrown together. Start to develop an idea of where the area will be going.

For this, we have a bonfire(did I say they should go "wow"?--well, maybe I was too forceful). I figure goblins want to have some light and, more importantly, some well cooked food, so a bonfire helps on several levels. Also, it's natural light: and I always appreciate that. Notice, too, I put some tan interior fog over it. This acts as 'smoke' and makes it easier for the player to see; always a good combination.

Furthermore, consider this post over at the Left 4 Dead blog. Specifically, the mention of how light guides the player. The player will look at things which have light, and so you can indirectly suggest where the player should go without telling them. This is very useful in mods that don't want to have a great deal of dialog, for instance.

Part 5: Leading the way

Now, as I said before, this is an area for a goblin king. So, it can be sort of dirty, but at the same time it can have some "refinement". As such, I thought some floor mats near the fire, some meat cooking, and a throne near the back were a good idea. The mats add a texture difference(less monotony), the meat provides "realism", and the throne continues with the original theme of a goblin king. I've now created another point in the area while continuing with my theme. I think I'd like to go over there and make some changes.

Part 6: Too Subtle Allusions

When I moved over to the throne, for some reason I could not get the image of Jabba's palace out of my mind. He tortured people and had fun--really, living the good life. So, I thought that some torture devices(of different sizes) near the throne was a good idea. They could be used to intimidate potential rivals, scare new prisoners, and for all I know he has a goblin Carrie Fisher in a gold bikini(okay, there's been far too much bikini discussion in this post...I know, I know). Basically, I've started adding some 'character' to this boss with these small placeable additions.

Part 7: Continue the Theme

With Jabba on the mind, I thought a cage nearby would be a good idea(maybe the end of a quest). Again, this makes the guy 'intimidating'. To further this, I added some skull piles/masks at the throne. After all, why not? It helps the goblin character out a bit, and it spices things up. And, of course, I added a corpse over the fire--goblins are pretty evil.

Part 8: Content

Wait a second! If this is going to be the site of a great battle, don't there need to be...uh, enemies? Good point. We were getting ahead of ourselves here. What do goblins like? Wargs. Oh, wait, excuse me. Worgs(real original D&D). So, let's say the goblin king has a favorite worg and keeps it with him. Let's put some posts in the ground that prisoners could be tied to(gruesome, really) and let the beast have dominion over them. I tuck this into the corner, as I'm sure this puppy wouldn't play nice with strangers.

Part 9: Filling in the Gaps

While putting the dog in the corner, I realized this cave was missing rocks. Of all things, rocks. So, I took the time to put some rocks around the area, making sure to leave enough room for battles to take place in and such. I varied their height to make sure that they look visually distinct, while still conveying their rock-ness. They help to make the area feel less like a tileset and more like a semi-vibrant, distinct area.

Part 10: Further Considerations

Isn't there supposed to be treasure here, too? Okay, you got me. So, keeping with the theme of the goblin, I thought he might want to have some of the spoils of victory nearby. It seems plausible, anyways. I throw some crates near him--making sure they're broken open, of course--and place some garbage at their feet. This makes it awfully grungy, and allows for some treasure during/after the battle. The colors, also, don't contrast much, so it won't distract the player.

Part 11: Them Darn Goblins

If we've got treasure here, then there need to be more goblins stationed here. So, I have an empty corner nearby(the only one left), so I fill it in with some guards and weapon racks. Notice, also, I put a light source on them. The player will know, then, that these foes are in the corner. Rather than having them lurking in the dark, the player will be aware of what's going on. Players shouldn't feel like the design of the area is hindering their play; it's just not fun.

Part 12: Nearing the End

Notice, in my first picture, I put down a hole. Why? Well, I thought there might be some water down here. Maybe it doesn't make sense--but, then again, I'm making a goblin cave, so a certain degree of creative license is to be expected. I think water looks right, and it gives me an excuse to put roots on the wall(which, again, matches visually without distracting the player). The light source is entirely optional(there's no gameplay reason for the light here). I thought it looked nice, so I kept it. That's not a really good reason, but it's the only honest one.

Part 13: A Final Decoration

One last section is left, so I decided to throw down a pillar. Why? It makes sense, and makes the cave seem more 'lived in'. I've always thought that goblins were sort of clumsy, so they might even need a support brace to keep the room up and not crumbling. It doesn't add gameplay, but it's better than just putting rocks in.

Part 14: Darkness...Again

I like making areas dark, as rule, so I just darkened things again. With that all done, you can see that that the area retains consistency in design, color and functionality. It won't win awards, but this area would be entirely acceptable for a final room in your goblin town.

The one aspect of this tutorial I want to stress is this: designing areas is best thought of as designing subsections of a larger, cohesive whole. It's like writing paragraphs in a paper. They can't survive on their own, but they collectively work together to make the area complete. The worg could be removed, but something would be lost by doing so. The subsections complete one another. I'm making this sound far more serious than it ought to, but I think my point comes through(I hope so anyways, as I don't feel I'm a particularly effective instructor).

UIs

This week, I just wanted to talk a bit about some of the UIs I have in Shagret. None of this is very fancy, and I think they go a long way towards spicing things up. At the very least, they provide distinction(which I think is very important in a modding game like NWN2, as it sometimes can seem like I've seen everything before).

My mod starts--relatively speaking, anyways--with the player finding themselves strapped to a Naga torture device. That's about the third worst thing you can find when waking up(oh, yes, I've made a list). They don't like the answers you give--they're a picky bunch--and so you have to fight through this. Now, originally, this was through conversation, but I realized that it was, well, boring. There was no feeling of urgency, danger or anything. Torture can't really be combat, either, so I was in something of a bind. Hench, the idea to create a custom UI to handle things and route the necessary scripts through it. After a bit of figuring, brotherly hello, and a healthy dose of Google searches on .xml coding, I had a working 'torture UI.'

During the torture scene, the player has to click the "resist" button to, well, resist. Your constitution score is factored into this as well as the in-game difficulty. Rest assured, you do not "lose" if you hit 0%. As a matter of fact, there are about 6 different ways this scene can go...

Looks painful. I wonder...if you had the chance, would you exact revenge on the Nagas?

Now, UIs need not be excuses for exciting(!) new gameplay opportunities. Rather, they can be used to allow the player access to information that they probably want to know(for whatever reason that might be). Frequently, when I'm playing, I want to know "how many creatures have I killed" or things like this. Maybe for bragging rights, maybe just because I'm a curious person. I don't judge your own reasons(except if you keep checking to see how many doors you've unlocked: you're probably a pervert). Because of this, I've implemented a stats page for the player to look at.

This shows where to access the stats page. This is a simple and elegant solution, I think.

Red Shards? What are those? I promise you, Shagret requires no collecting.

Font/etc might change--though, really, black font looks horrible in game for some reason--but this is the base idea. The player can check in at any point and see how they're doing with their stats. Simple and straightforward: always nice.

Addendum:

I'd also like to point those curious to a previous post I made on this subject(featuring a lovely new conversation UI). A little bit of change can go a long way, I think.

The Fred has released several lovely UIs on NWVault. At the very least, they're worth looking at. .Xml is not too difficult, really, and I think it can make projects interesting and, well, a pleasure to experience. If you have different 'things' in your mod, people will like you for it(mind you, I'm no expert, just a guy with some screenshots every week or so).

Next week, I hope to have that area design tutorial done. If not that, I want to talk about visual effects and maybe provide a tutorial on them. Until then, have fun!

Monsters

I love monsters. I love making them. I love reading about them. I love meeting them(though not for dinner). No matter the focus of an RPG, encounters are going to be an important part of whether or not people think it's good. You might write a great story, but if you force the player to slog through area after area of "Goblin Fighters", then there's going to be some animosity coming through via the review. Therefore--though it might go without saying--enemies need to be varied. More importantly, the enemies should find some way to compliment one another. This is interesting, first of all, and requires that the player does more than "Attack Nearest" and go to victory. If you put in a little more effort, your players will thank you in spades.

Achieving this can be pretty simple, really. But it always surprises me how often it's not true. Putting some archers on a fortification can make things far more interesting, or maybe the troop of Gnolls has somehow got a golem under their control. Varying the nature of the opponents you fight and their placement is such a simple way of getting more out of your "action" sequences. I don't profess to be a master, but I do know that this is not done as often as it ought to.

To illustrate, I'll be showcasing a custom creature of mine. This is not a matter of genius on my part, but rather how some small alterations to the game can, hopefully, make for more dynamic and interesting combat situations.

Naga Ruin

I have a fair amount of ruins, but players will feel something different here. There's something unfriendly company just around the next corner.

Vampire Hounds

These dark, feral-eyed hounds drink death. If they are near enemies that die, the hounds become more ferocious with each new soul they devour. Although dangerous to begin with, they can quickly become a threat far greater than a PC is capable of dealing with. This forces the player to prioritize, importantly, and avoid using mass damage spells(killing a zombified lizardfolk might seem like a good idea, but not if it benefits the other undead nearby).

This is not a particularly detailed opponent, really, but rather something that requires attention from the player. You can't just chop through the opponents as they come. Requiring the player to deal with encounters on an encounter by encounter basis will, first of all, be more enjoyable for them, but also let them remember specific sequences. If I can't remember a dungeon room, then it was probably boring. That might be too harsh, I grant you, but it's generally how I design things.

In honor of those hounds--and the other horrible, special undead you're going to see in the dark places of the earth--I'm happy to showcase a music track by Deflektor. Normally, the music for Shagret has a "natural" feeling to it(flutes, exotic instruments and such); for the undead, they had to have music that stood out, made their presence felt. I think this track does a good job at that, and I hope you enjoy it(I know I do, and not the least for it reminding me of the wonderful music from Heroes of Might and Magic 3).

Next week, I'll talk about some UIs I've created. And, lest you worry, there has been some work done on an area design tutorial. It's a "quick and dirty" guide on how to make good looking areas without a huge investment of time. Until then, happy modding!

Environments

Area design discussions are sure to upset some people. I mean, who likes to make areas? It's time consuming and, on a certain level, a game can play fine without them. Visuals are nothing more than eye candy, for the most part, as they rarely factor into the mechanics of the level(example: I have to go kill an Orc Chief. The fact that the cave is dry/orange more than likely means nothing in terms of the gameplay). So, then, I can understand to a certain degree why there's some animosity from builders on the subject.

Of course, that small amount of eye candy can go a long way(Misery Stone, for instance, marvelously enhances its adventure via visuals). Ideally, the visuals of an area help to provide context for your actions and, perhaps, additional motivation('man, look what cruel monsters these Illithid are!') Our adventures take place in a particular environment and, assuming we can, the areas can then become part of the story, stitching a sort of subtext for the player to understand. How did these ruins come to be? Why is this cave like that? Should I be worried about that growling behind me?

In Shagret, I have spent a large(read: inordinate) amount of time on making sure areas, no matter how banal, are unique. They must have something visually interesting about them and, importantly, not feel redundant. This can be very difficult, as I'm sure you fellow modders know. Below are two caves I made that I feel comfortable showing off.

Court of the Purple Queen: An eerily calm room.

A sudden shift in colors can change the perception of the player. The pinkish hues above will no doubt give pause, and perhaps call for more searching. No doubt there is something strange here.

Submerged Cavern: You feel something move against your leg.

This is the RWS Deep Chasm tileset but modified with the SOZ moss cave textures. I was very impressed with the tileset while going through Legacy of White Plume Mountain, and realized I had to use it. For my purposes, I needed a swampy environment. The results, I believe, speak for themselves(boy, I wish I had some galoshes right about now).

Next week, I hope to talk about some of the monsters you'll meet in these strange locations. Until then, keep your dreams close and your ideals closer.

PS:

For those reading this, is there any interest in an area design tutorial? I know I've received positive comments towards my areas, and I do have some advice on technical design. If there's demand, I'm sure I can throw something together.