The Worlds of Zen

Its Alive!

2008-02-10T03:00:00.000-04:00

I got it working. Windows is installed. All my drivers for the various hardware parts are installed. It is running super cool. After try NWN2 for about 15 minutes the processor was still only at 26c and the graphics card that used to run at a straight 70c is running at about 49c. I did have a few little hiccups getting it to work but it wasn't to hard to figure out. More about that later. Here are some pics of it in action.

The DVD burner/drive I cannibalized from my old computer has a rounded front which prevents me from closing the upper door but I will eventually replace it with another. Also the floppy drive I cannibalized from an even older computer didn't work but I only put it in in case I ever had to flash the bios. That can be done from a usb drive anyway. Bottom line is it works and its way faster than my last one. Plus I made it myself.

Some shots of my new rig.

2008-02-07T05:03:00.000-04:00

Here are the pictures of my new WIP.

First the case alone.

The case has a duct so the cpu fan can pull in fresh cool air from outside the case.
Here is what I got to yesterday.

As you can see the mother board is assembled and all the PCI/PCI xpress cards are installed.

I got a cooler specifically to cool the graphics card and hope to be able to overclock it at least a little. It runs really hot not overclocked, around 70C, so it still might not be possible. I will post more pics as I take them. Hopefully this weekend I will get to see how it handles NWN2.

Here is an extra shot with some of the case fans attached.

Also you can see the harddrive in its detachable tray to the right bottom. Cables are still a mess but after I figure out how to hook up everything I need I will clean them up and get them out of the way.

Today in the Obits

2008-02-07T04:37:00.001-04:00

Well the bad news first. My computer is dead. The bios will not fire no matter what I do. I tried everything I could find on the internet and it dead. I hope the harddrive is still good because the last time I saved my mod progress to disk was in December.
The good news is that all is not lost. I am now building my first computer. This will take up my time for a few weeks but I will post progress as it comes. I have already received all the parts except a new copy of windows that should be here on Friday. Since my old computer likely failed due to overheating, I am taking precautions to prevent this. (5 system fans set up to create a positive air pressure inside the case to keep dust out.)

Here are the specs so far. Take in mind I am not rich and cannot afford to by the latest tech but I think I have made some good choices.
Processor: AMD 64 X2 5400 @ 2.8 GHz
Ram: 2 Gigs of Corsair with built in heat sinks
Graphics Card: for now I am recycling my old x1600 pro but will be upgrading to something better, likely an X1950 Pro, in a few months.
Case: An Ultra Alluminus, easy to build on with a detachable mother board tray.
600Watt power supply.
250 gig Western Digital Sata II harddrive, with 3gbs transfer rate.

I have already the mobo, processor, heatsinks, ram, power supply, and harddrive installed but am still working on configuring all the power cables to not block to much airflow. Hopefully by sat it will be running. I will post some pictures as soon as I am able to get the cam to load them on my girlfriends computer. Wish me luck.

World Map Coming Along Good

2007-12-16T13:52:00.000-04:00

Well I am getting better at adding in details. This is what I have done so far. Still haven't figured out how to save a closer zoom so you probably can't see it in the same detail I can in CC3 but here it is.
More later.

First look at Isorropia World Map

2007-12-16T00:52:00.000-04:00

Today I received CC3 Campaign Cartographer as a gift from my girlfriend. Though I am far from mastering its use I have managed to create a rough outline of Isorropia. I started filling in terrain and had problems so this picture is of just the shape of the landmasses. More to come in a day or two.
After filling in some detailed terrain in the area where the first module is taking place I tried to highlight, copy, and paste the area into a new map so that I could begin learning how to make a world map using the toolset but the highlighted square became part of the map and copypaste did nothing. I think that I used the wrong tool and the square was actually a drawing tool and not a highlighter. This is what I got and I can't figure out how to get rid of it.
I am pretty happy with the shape of the continents so I think I will keep working off the original map until I get better at adding in the details.

Welcome to Isorropia

2007-11-20T22:37:00.000-04:00

So I haven't been posting for a long time. Life has been taking up too much of my time for modding for a while now. Also I realized that while I have what I feel like are good ideas for an interesting new fantasy world, many things are undefined and the places I have been creating where just invented as I was working in the toolset. So over the summer and fall I stepped back and have worked on simply designing the world where my campaign will take place.
First of all my world didn't have a name. Now it does. Isorropia. I also decided that using the forgotten realms pantheon of gods just didn't fit in the story I have in mind so right now I am working on creating a completely new system of deities. Isorropia while isolated from the planes now was not always in the past. At some point in the past the creator of Isorropia was punished by some greater power and the walls between it and the other existences broke down allowing, though not always by choice, beings from other worlds to enter Isorropia. The nature and hierarchy of the deities and other greater beings will be one of the themes explore in this campaign.
Before beginning designing any more areas in the tool set I want at least have a rough design of each area and its place in the world on paper. I am now working on actually drawing out the world map which once done I will either redo or scan in to the computer. I haven't really thrown out anything I made before but when I look at the first areas I made now I see so many ways to improve them that its easier to make new ones so I suspect in the end I will redo most of what I have done so far except for the the custom history books that don't mention deities.
Since this campaign will be starting at low levels, probably 1st or 2nd, there will be many lower level enemies to fight but I don't want to just send you hunting kobolds on your neighbors farm so I am trying to create some lower level villains who have their own plots for you to thwart along the path of the main story that may not be really connected to the main "enemy". It will be like side quest that also have their own small arcs in the story. I have several of these created already and will post some screenshots when I get back to my computer.
So that what I have been up to. I plan on being more frequent with posts from now on.

Busy

2007-05-05T22:25:00.001-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything here lately. Work and real life has been keeping me busy; thus, I haven't had much time to work on my mod. I have been picking away at details but haven't yet put together another test mod to walk through and take sceenshots. Work may be slow for a while until real life slows down some but I haven't quit and don't plan on it.

1.05 Installed

2007-04-19T22:02:00.000-04:00

I have now installed the 1.05 final patch. It worked fine. The toolset opens and seems to be working normal. Course in my paranoia I have backed up all progress at this point on a cd just in case. I have done alot of work on random items and filling in interiors lately while waiting for this patch and now I am ready to start planting some trees. I just need to figure out exactly how to have them automatically cut from the walkmesh because some of the more forested areas would take forever otherwise. Hopefully everything will continue to go smoothly.
Each time I learn a new part of the mod making process I am amazed at how much time each little detail can take. I have probably spent two weeks just writing item descriptions and books for the campaign and still have many more to go. Also if you haven't yet checked out Adam Millers Dark Waters you should. His new build eliminated the only bug I had and its good. I can't wait for part 2.

1.05?

2007-04-11T22:15:00.000-04:00

I have been out of town for a few days and returned to what I was hoping for 1.05 released. So I loaded up NWN2 and ran the auto-patcher only to find that the patch was gone. I went to the forums and its been pulled because the toolset won't run under it! I guess I am glad they pulled it because that would have sucked but I am afraid I am going to or already have done things that the next patch may break so until the patch comes out I am going to detail areas. Also I am looking for someplace I can keep older screenshots so viewers don't have to go back to the older posts to see them. Any suggestions would be welcome and thanks in advance for any you give. I am sorry that the screenshots I promised aren't up yet but I really want to start putting in the trees but don't want to have to cut them out of the walkmesh and I know 1.05 will break the plug-ins that automate that process so once again I will say it will be soon. If I had know that 1.05 was going to be in beta for a month I would have started already but it should be ready soon. Course so will be Dark Waters chapter 1 and thats may steal some development time for a few days but I will keep plugging away.

Update on Progress

2007-04-03T21:01:00.000-04:00

I have learned how to create custom items now. I have spent a few days making writing some of the in-game books. It takes along time to create all the history books but once they are done I will be able to use them throughout the mod so it will be another large chunk out of the way. I have had some problems getting a script to work that updates the journal once the inventory of an item is disturbed so I am going to try to simply connect the script to the item directly. Hopefully this works better and I will have learned another of the required skills I outlined for myself to make my campaign. I will post some more screenshots soon.

What Made the Republic Work?

2007-03-30T01:23:00.000-04:00

Some may wonder how the Republic was able to eliminate poverty. Using a technology call Mechanically Assisted Spell Casting or M.A.S.C. Masc works by storing basic magical energy channeled by a wizard or sorcerer in a device called a magical capacitor and using machines to complete the casting so that anyone can have access to powerful magics. Normal wands or Rods store specifically tagged magic for the casting of specific spells. The masc breakthrough allows one to store magical energy before it is tagged allowing it to be used for multiple applications. The Masc device that eliminated poverty in the Republic of Corant was the Conjuration Cubicle which allows non-magically inclined to conjure specific objects such as food using stored magical energy. This technology broke down when Illephor sanctioned the use of all Masc technology for the creation of the Spire.

Working Title for My Campaign

2007-03-30T00:45:00.000-04:00

I have come up with a working title for my campaign. Midnight or Eternity. With what I have outlined so far of the story it will have six chapters:
Chapter 1: Intro and Prologue
Chapter 2: On the Road
Chapter 3: The Mysterious Mountains
Chapter 4: Slavery
Chapter 5: Journey to the Spire
Chapter 6: The Spire, A Choice
The Campaign Title and the Chapter titles will likely change many times before release. Haven't had much chance to work on the mod and the next week is going to be a busy one at work so I'll probably not get much done but I will keep plugging away. I have been trying to figure out how to get Windmill animations to turn on and off with little success so far. Any suggestions are welcomed.

My 1st Working Conversation

2007-03-27T23:33:00.000-04:00

I wrote my first conversation tonight and was able to get it to work in the game successfully. I even was able to attach a journal entry to it starting the first quest in what will become a long branching tree of them. This is a big step for me as a first time modder and I am very excited about it. Here are some screen shots. So I know the first quest sounds kind of lame but I am making it for a reason. It will require me to implement branching journal entries that come together in the end which is something that will be required for the more non-linear parts of my story. Like I said I have designed the first chapter to require me to learn all the skills I will need to make the rest of the story and this is a big first step for me. Hopefully everything else will go this smoothly.

New Direction

2007-03-25T02:48:00.000-04:00

I have decided to create a small introductory mod to my campaign in order to introduce the background story as well as allow me to learn the scripting, cut-scene, and conversation writing skills that will be required for the campaign. This first mod will be combat light, with few role playing choices but will feature an introduction to the first main mystery of the campaign. What makes a 10,000 year old benevolent founder of the largest free republic in history, a republic that eliminated poverty and lead all its citizens to prosperity, turn into a violent dictator? You'll have to play it to find out.

Background Story

2007-03-25T02:06:00.000-04:00

Your father was once a Paladin who worked closely with the Once existing Free Republic of Corant. The Republic was founded over 1000 years ago and was governed by a council of elected members of the major races dwelling within its borders including; elves, dwarfs, halflings, humans, gnomes, and even a few communities of half-orcs though the half-orcs rarely reached high enough population to gain a seat on the council.
Every ten years the council elected one member to act as head of the government though in all the years of the Republics existence the office had only been held by one elf: Archmage Illephor Nethium. Illephor is the oldest elf in known existence and is believed to be around 10,000 years old. He help to found the republic and brought peace and prosperity to half the world.
100 years ago all that changed. A great storm fell upon the northern mountains. At its height huge bolts of lightning arced across the sky from many directions towards the highest mountain in the range setting a colossal forest fire that burned down all the trees on the whole mountainside. Then the fire simply stopped leaving a barren wasteland covering the whole mountain while trees nearby the mountain were not burned.
It was then that Illephor began acting strangely. He began meeting with an obscure order of elven monks. He gave them police like powers and began to send them on missions to investigate locals all over the world. He drafted many citizens into a workforce to create a huge structure in the center of the republic, a spire stretching clear to the sky. The huge drain on resources that this project caused brought back something that citizens of the republic had not known since the creation of mechanically assisted spell casting: poverty. This lead to unrest but when questioned Illephor only said, "Trust in me. Its for your own good."
As the unrest grew to proportions that threatened the construction of the spire he finally reacted by sending the elven monks in to disband the council and declare martial law. The senators, who were some of the most powerful people on the planet didn't react to kindly to being disbanded and open fighting erupted between them and the elven monks. The monks won and the Empire was born.
Illephor wasted no time using as much force as possible to bring his subjects back in line. Those who did not comply received a visit from an elven monk that "ended" the protest. He began rounding up people and taking them away to work on special projects from which they never returned.
During this time your father was sent on a mission along with one of the monks named Asendi to the base of the northern mountains. They investigated a cavern that lead deep into the earth were they came upon a battle being fought between a small squad of drow and unknown attackers. During the fight your father found a strange crystal and tucked it away for safe keeping. This journey into the mountains took hims several years and he and Asendi had became friends. Your father admired the elf's devotion to order though sometimes found his methods to be cruel.
Upon returning to the homelands your father found his beloved republic was no more. He discovered that Illephor and the elven monks were using magic to capture citizens souls to use as a power source for the tower. He decided the only thing he could do was to get his wife and child and leave. When he arrived at his house he found Asendi waiting for him standing over his dead wife. He wounded Asendi and escaped with his child, the PC, heading back towards the mountains to hide.
The northern part of the empire rebelled and Illephor has been unable to reconquer it. Your father has taken up residence in the southern part of the rebel lands were his skills are sometimes required to help defend the a nearby rebel fort from incursions by the empire.
He has built a small farm and trades with passing caravans along with the people of the nearby town.
The story will begin with you being sent to town to deliver supplies to a merchant.

My First Mod

2007-03-16T01:56:00.000-04:00

The first mod in my series will feature exploring a range of mountains in an attempt to find an alternate route from one town to another. Without giving away too much here are some early screen shots of the first outdoor area. I haven't added trees yet as I am going to have to either cut each one individually out of the area walk-mesh or find a plug-in that does it for me and due to the recent release of the 1.05 beta patch I anticipate that some of the plug-ins will no longer work right so I am waiting for the full 1.05 patch to be released before starting to put trees in the areas. Also some of these shots are from before I began putting in grass but they still give a feel for my area design.
The one problem I am having is with the draw distance because sometimes you can see the sky then as you walk forward a huge mountain appears out of the sky and blocks it. I am hoping there is a way to use fog to block the sky out or perhaps just using the horizon pieces will do it but they don't look all that great yet and always appear at the same height no matter how high you climb in the area.
Later I will post more on the backround story to this world and give more screen-shots as they come.

1st Post: The Purpose of this Blog

2007-03-16T01:40:00.000-04:00

I am creating this blog to allow me to easily show others the progress of a mod I am making for NWN2. So far all I have done is to work on making indoor and outdoor areas. This is the first time I have ever attempted anything of this magnitude and I have a lot to learn. Because I don't wish to be constrained completely by the pre-existing histories of other fantasy worlds I have chosen to set my first mod in a custom world of my own creation. Though I could invent new deities for this setting that would mean learning to edit the 2da files and people playing this mod as divine classes might have problems taking there characters to other modules so I am using the deities of the forgotten realms. What this means in game is that my custom world will be a side plane to Aber-Toril. This means that the same magic and deities govern this plane as Toril and that it is possible to travel to Aber-Toril from my world; however, I am introducing a constraint that it is impossible for normal life forms to travel from one of these side planes to other planes not connected to Toril without first traveling to Toril. I am planning this feature to be part of the story eventually but cannot reveal that part without giving away many things about my campaign.