IceBlinkEngine.com

August Update I have a new version of the Hearkenwold campaign available to download, build 203.5 https://neverwintervault.org/project/iceblink/module/hearkenwold As before, this includes the latest version of IceBlink 203. Anyone who has already been using this build need only copy over the module...

May Update More like end of May update, but the good news is I am nearing completion of new content that will soon be added to the module. I am working on a new location, an infernal Salamander Temple. The area is annexed to an already existing dungeon. Anyone who has played the module far enough, ...

It has been for a while since I updated the Hearkenwold campaign. I finally finished the city of Saldanus, which is the next destination for continuing the adventure. The content is designed to test higher level characters, and the new module file is available to download here: https://neverwinterva...

I just saw this... pretty amazing. Good to see more IceBlink development!

March 2025 Update First update of the new year, and I think I have some good news. I have been steadily working to finish up the new content that will continue the Hearkenwold campaign. At the same time, since last July, I have been converting the new content into the Knights of the Chalice 2 engin...

July Update Just a quick post, to mention the release schedule for the next version of Hearkenwold is going to be pushed back a little. Had some things come up last month that took me away from time in the toolset. The module is still very much near completion. But I am also going to start working ...

June Update The next version of the Hearkenwold campaign is almost ready, I am hoping to have the module available to download by the end of this month. With the focus of the adventure turning toward the city of Sadanus, I've wrapped up the sewers and now I am finishing work on the last interior ma...

it's not working. please help Hi sorry for the late reply. Do you have the most current version from the neverwintervault here: https://neverwintervault.org/project/iceblink/module/hearkenwold The download file contained IceBlink version 203. Once it is placed in your documents folder, you just hav...

May Update So close, I'm almost there. I spent last month working on the Saldanus sewers, which will be a sprawling dungeon of interconnected maps. I only have a few last encounters to finish, but I also need to return to areas in the city above. Hopefully everything for this adventure will be comp...

April Update I am excited to share some work on the Saldanus Sewers, which will be an extensive area that complements the city's multi-map exploration. It's interesting that I had not yet included any sewer maps anywhere in the Hearkenwold module, since it is a pretty standard environment encounter...

March Update This year seems to be flying by fast. It's another month, and I am about to begin work on a sprawling sewer system constructed underneath the city of Saldanus. The adventure is the next destination of the Hearkenwold campaign, which I am hoping to have ready for a new release by the en...

February Update During this short month I am working on the interior locations in the city of Saldanus. This is going to be the module's focus in the next version of the Hearkenwold campaign. Last time, I talked about a bell tower. And here is an inn available for the party to visit. It is called T...

January Update It is a New Year for Hearkenwold, and I am continuing work in the coastal city of Saldanus, with expectation of releasing updated versions of the module for both IceBlink and Knights of the Chalice 2, later in 2024. By now, the party is probably thinking why did they even come to thi...

I was stuck indoors yesterday due to stormy weather, and decided to record another video from Hearkenwold in the Knights of the Chalice 2 engine. This shows an encounter with orcs at a desert oasis. Dorateen had a bit of a rough time in this battle, but got the last laugh. https://www.youtube.com/wa...

December Update Heading into the end of another year, I am continuing the work on Saldanus, the city adventure that will be the focus of the next version of the module. At the moment, I am setting up encounters outside on the streets of town, which the party can freely wander and engage with. The i...

November Update As I mentioned previously, I am working on a new location in the IceBlink engine as a continuation of the Hearkenwold campaign. This is the port city of Saldanus, known for its rich resources and wealth. Anyone who has played through the module in its present form all the way to the...

As a special treat for Halloween, I have a new video of Hearkenwold from Knights of the Chalice 2, that shows a haunting encounter aboard a sailing vessel. Recently, we had new sound effects added for sea waves and wood creaking, which fit perfectly with this location. https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

October Update I was able to release the updated version of Hearkenwold as an Adventure Module for Knights of the Chalice 2, at the end of last week. If anyone is interested playing the campaign for KotC2, it is available here: https://www.nexusmods.com/knightsofthechalice2/mods/5 Here is a screens...

Can you message me the Lost Guardians sponsor name? Hey Articulatemis, I sent a message to you with the information. Just a head's up, later on, I did include a couple of places in the module where the sponsor names are listed. I recognize that players might have missed the name from the initial di...

So good to see an IceBlink engine game on a platform for distribution. Best of luck!

September Update I am trying to finish up the most recent Hearkenwold conversion into the Knights of the Chalice 2 module. I only have a couple of areas remaining to work on: the boat adventure aboard the Crimson Cutlass, and content on the region known as the Wild Plateau. There are some loose end...

August Update I have been continuing work on converting the most recent Hearkenwold content in IceBlink, into the Knights of the Chalice 2 engine. One of the new areas that I have gone on about is allowing the party to travel the River Astar by boat. This would mean switching the party leader into ...

It's always great to get a little more animated props. Like how in IceBlink we have waves for water tiles, and also flame.

July Update I am back working in the Knights of the Chalice 2 Module Editor, for the purpose of converting the most recent IceBlink content into that module. Looking back, I see that I did previously post progress in the other toolset here, and hopefully this should only take me about three months ...

I have just posted the latest version of the Hearkenwold module, now available to download. The file can be found here: https://neverwintervault.org/project/iceblink/module/hearkenwold As always, if anyone has an existing saved game in progress, the Hearkenwold saves folder can be copied over and pl...

I have just posted the lates version of the Hearkenwold module, now available to download. The file can be found here: https://neverwintervault.org/project/iceblink/module/hearkenwold As always, if anyone has an existing saved game in progress, the Hearkenwold saves folder can be copied over and pla...

June Update I should have the updated module ready in a couple of weeks. A few final things to take care of, and play through for testing. In the meantime, here is a video of the party sailing on the River Astar. The characters have already aquired a suitable boat, and the video picks up with the p...

cartons wrote: ↑Thu May 18, 2023 8:04 pm I'll be there, cap'n!

Aye, hopefully the journey will meet expectations. I'm just finishing a few last things in the module, and aiming for a mid to late June release.

May Update If nautical nonsense be something you wish, then this should be a good update. I have completed work on a new location/adventure that will involve a voyage aboard The Crimson Cutlass. A mighty sailing vessel that can be found docked along the shores of the Sea of Venum. If an experienced...

April Update Last month, I continued with an area that is designed for higher level characters, awaiting players who are able to follow the main adventure path this far. I do enjoy world building and expanding the larger game map, and can now introduce a region called The Wild Plateau. Its more sch...

March Update Last month was short but I was still able to finish off that Psionic adventure, which I had started at the end of last year. What I like about this particular content is that it serves dual purposes. The location could be somewhere for the party to explore, fight monsters and find trea...

I have the next monthly update for Hearkenwold coming out this weekend. But in the meantime, I just uploaded a new video for the Knights of the Chalice 2 version. The most recent build 1.57 added weather effects (rain, leaves falling, snow, etc.) and water animations. These elements are showcased as...

Sounds good. I have been looking forward to seeing an update about Pescua. Will definitely check out the module when you have it ready.

Thanks! Great to hear back from you. There is shaping up to be quite a bit of desert content, as this is an area the party has to contend with. It is fun working on thematic locations like this one.

February Update For the next part of the Hearkenwold campaign, I wanted to create the destination of a desert town called Sinestra. This is actually referenced vaguely, much earlier in the module, if the party has visited the Asherim content. One of the NPCs makes reference to a trading town with c...

Thanks, cartons! Just a quick summary of how I am handling the Gith in Hearkenwold, they are half human/half demons from another dimension. Full demons use them as bounty hunters, and on rare occasions will send them into the world for some nefarious mission. And yes, those scrags are a real piece o...

I posted a new video from the Hearkenwold version in Knights of the Chalice 2. The latest update introduced a new feature, an additional combat maneuver that lets you attempt to throw an enemy. But first you have to make a successful grapple check. And then that character has to succeed a second che...

Happy New Year from Hearkenwold I did more work on the Psionicist adventure, as well as river encounters, during the last month. I've almost finished both, but there are still some details I will need to return to. One thing I added is a new location the player can find, if the party choses to get ...

Thanks! I probably should have gone more into some of the different gaming influences, but I think I rambled on long enough. I'm glad you enjoyed the read. Ten years have gone by fast! Looking forward to the next...

If anyone is interested, I have uploaded a video of Hearkenwold from the Knights of the Chalice 2 version. This encounter comes from the recent Edinmoor adventure, also present in the IceBlink module. Here, the battle map uses a Fog terrain feature that limits movement. Notably, the tactical five fo...

(First two parts of this retrospective are on the previous page.) Part 3: The Last Five Years and Beyond Starting the new year in 2017, I prepared to work on what I would call Chapter III of the module. This would include the Fortress Relmfur and surrounding outdoor areas, as well as the city of Ska...

Part 2: Early Stages of Development Looking back at the actual construction of the module, the IceBlink engine has undergone many changes and versions over the past decade. Hearkenwold was started before we even had a tilemap maker, and when tile and token sizes were 50 x 50. Without many art assets...

December Update For this month’s update, I decided to write a retrospective covering the ten years I’ve been working on Hearkenwold. Part 1: Design Blueprint This module is a project that goes back to the earliest Alpha build immediately following the successful Kickstarter for the Iceblink engine ...

slowdive, I was able to watch yesterday's stream of Raventhal a few hours afterward. It was great to see the 3D view in the iceblink basic version. Looked like a lot of fun with the fans following along.

Sounds good! I can't believe it has been ten years already, but that's right. The Kickstarter for IceBlink was funded back in November 2012.

Will you be adding new psionic spells/traits? Thanks! Unfortunately, at this time, I had not planned on new psionic spells or traits, although given the release schedule, I can probably work something in. I have to give that some thought. In the gameworld, Psionicists are wizards who have more of a...

November Update For the past few weeks, I have been working on the new Psionicist adventure that will be built into the Hearkenwold campaign. I had hoped to have this knocked out in a month, but I fell a little behind schedule. The plan is to finish up this month and then I will return to the wilde...

October Update I have a big update to share, as I've started work on the continuation of the Hearkenwold module in IceBlink. In planning out the next version to be released, I have three primary objectives: 1. I need to continue the main adventure past the climactic encounter the module presently b...

Pongo wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 3:54 pm I did consider doubling down on Glooomwood

I imagine that's how an NPC might say the name, trying to make it sound spooky for dramatic effect:

"Beware the Glooomwood!"

Outstanding! I love seeing fantasy maps, and the background lore that goes with it. Nice sepia tone for the colors, I think. The island and its history appear quite inviting... for trouble.

The section of the game world sounds huge. Should be excellent for exploration.

Great work, I like the room, very atmospheric and the dragon crest, too. I read about Craiyon last week in a post on the Codex. It's a nifty tool. Definitely can be a time saver, and should generate some memorable art.

Still looking forward to playing your module!

Thanks! Regarding conversations, the text itself is a simple matter of copy/pasting from one program to the other. But there are some things that require manual input, such as the conditionals for characters like [Intelligence] or [Dwarf] need to be inserted by hand, then there are variables needing...

Post by zach_holbrook » Mon Sep 05, 2022 8:55 pm The end of the summer is here, and I'm pleased to report that Malkin is nearly finished (content wise anyway). I have a week or two of writing left -- this is mostly to tie up side quests and write epilogues. (Malkin has five distinct endings, and ea...

I have been doing some coding on the weekends as time permits and streaming coding sessions on Sunday afternoons when I can. I caught some of the coding stream on youtube. Always interesting to see. It's a good idea, I've often wondered what it would be like to make a video of building a module, th...

September Update I just released a new version of Hearkenwold for Knights of the Chalice 2, which now includes the Edinmoor adventure. I also took the opportunity to make a lot of fixes and improvements based on feedback I have received. If anyone is has KotC2, the module can be downloaded here: ht...

Thank you, Pongo, I appreciate the feedback. I think the different character dialogue choices are a big part of the experience. Some times, they are just one-off comments, which help give a little personality to a party member. And in more drawn-out conversations, these options can lead to varied re...

Thanks, slowdive. I should mention that of course, all this content is in the IceBlink version of the module already. It is interesting that the IceBlink counterpart of the mages also have web, stinking cloud and fireball in their spell selection. Or at least they should. I will make sure to check t...

August Update I am in the middle of finishing up the Edinmoor conversion into the Knights of the Chalice 2 engine, and just uploaded a new video to give a peek at some of the upcoming content. Here, the party is making their way through a Villa/Estate of a minstrel, and run into some of his unfrien...

Looks great! That tileset works so perfect for a skeleton infested tomb.

I also like the idea of slowly revealing information to the player, letting them "work out what's going on", as you put it. This will be a lot of fun.

The conversation layout is an option in the main menu, under Display Options. It can be toggled between the two by the player, at any point during the game. It also affects the big image narration screen as well. Regarding progress, if I wanted to be optimistic, I think I could finish by the end of ...

July Update After the recent release of Edinmoor in Hearkenwold, I have been working on building this new content into the Knights of the Chalice 2 version of the module. I've got nearly all the maps loaded into the campaign. Now I just need to finish conversations, and encounters, which of course ...

Thanks, Pongo and slowdive. The moment build 204 becomes available and I have a chance to test it, I will release a new version of the module, even if it does not add any new content. Right now, I am working on the KotC2 Edinmoor conversion, and plan to finish by end of summer. Then I will be workin...

June Update I have a new version of Hearkenwold available to download. This now contains the Edinmoor adventure as part of the campaign. https://neverwintervault.org/project/iceblink/module/hearkenwold This still uses version 203 of IceBlink, so players with the engine already downloaded only need ...

Everything looks so smooth! I like the new layout of the journal and the character sheet, that was impressive. One thought: when pulling up item information, would it be possible for the information box to open in the center of the screen, instead of on the right side? It would mean covering the cha...

How is your project coming along? I look forward to playing another IceBlink module, and it's a great chance to learn from other builders. This one sounds like exactly what I enjoy in an RPG. No pressure!

Thanks, Pongo! I'm working on the final level of the dungeon. Most of the conversations are finished. Just a few more fights/encounters, and I should be good to go.

Looking forward to see more examples of Unity IceBlink.

I think we had an IceBlink 2 version at some point. IBU could work, almost reminds me of an academic institution.

May Update I am in the middle of finishing up the Edinmoor adventure, which will soon be incorporated into the Hearkenwold campaign. The final dungeon is being built, and if the party can escape, I'll have a few NPCs they can converse with and get some additional dialogue. At that point, it is just...

Looks interesting. I suppose there would be a way to set the fog of war distance on a map?

I'm excited about the idea. Personally, I prefer the pixelated textures to the realistic ones. I think once you introduce any higher resolution graphics into an otherwise pixelated environment it creates a clash. Also, the pixels help maintain that old school charm of IceBlink. I do like the Talespi...

That works, it sounded good!

I enjoyed this episode a lot. The fight with the goblin mages was fun. When Trumpkin was trying on the boots, I couldn't tell if you were checking the modifiers added up correctly. Dwarves get a +2 strength bonus. So his hammer is + 2, and +2 for being a dwarf. That was the +4 before even equipping ...

slowdive wrote: ↑Sun Apr 03, 2022 3:07 pm I posted episode 13 last night:
https://youtu.be/UMTdYnkVu-E

Hey, slowdive, when I went to watch the video I can only see the introduction image. I can hear your commentary throughout as you are playing, but no video. It just stays on the static Hearkenwold castle picture.

Poll Question: In my streams, do you like having the d20 screen up to see the needed roll and the outcome or do you prefer the faster paced combat by skipping the d20 screen (asking for a friend :lol: )? When I first saw the d20 screen, I thought it was neat. It definitely fits with creating a pen ...

Thanks, Pongo. I was testing yesterday, and there are some fights I think can get pretty challenging. As is the nature of an open design, a big factor is the level of the party when they enter this area. No shame in characters finding themselves in over their heads and running off to come back later.

Great to see the continuation of this stream. The party will start to run into some more dangerous enemies from this point, that was a fun battle against the hellhounds. Trumpkin's well-timed critical hits really helped.

Thanks, slowdive! I like the shadow effect of the raised tiles, because on a 2d map, it helps distinguish walls from floors. However, the height mapping does have collision, and when you make bridges or balconies, players have to access those higher (or lower) tiles via a ramp or stairs. The one sma...

April Update I must have been motivated last month, because I was able to get a lot done in the recreation of Edinmoor as part of the Hearkenwold campaign. This includes two maps of mountain wilderness as well as the second dungeon featured in the adventure. I am starting on the concluding areas, b...

Knights of the Chalice 2 releases officially on Steam and gog this Friday, March 25.

I have uploaded one more video to showcase the Hearkenwold adventure module. An encounter in the Dwarven Halls of Hamhock, when the party stumbles across a group of conspiring monsters.

https://youtu.be/MzrRohMFl1Y

Just a quick thought: could you make a custom spell just for this instance that will be attached to the onScoringHit tag, one that will do the exact amount of damage as the zombie's hit points?

How did it work in the Eldarin Stone? I thought you first used exploding zombies in that module. Was it a custom script that you might need to import?

Good catch.

I've been using the Trigger Events to add a conversation that will fire immediately after a combat encounter.

: TriggerEvents.jpg (88.19 KiB) Viewed 61327 times

Thanks, Pongo. I think I have used Low Constitution the most as a way to simulate cowardly (or let's just say cautious ) party members. In a few places, I have Low Intelligence options, because that's always fun. Oh, and lots of Low Charisma choices for characters who want to mouth off at NPCS or ac...

I'm going to focus now on just getting a build ready to publish. I'm cutting all the Chp2 content for the minute and focussing on making Chp1 a better experience Sounds like a good plan. The Chapter 2 content, you will then add back in after the build is published? In other words, not scrapping com...

March Update I have been doing more work on bringing the Edinmoor adventure into the Hearkenwold campaign. I think I mentioned in the previous update, that the module was built around three dungeons, with outdoor locations between. Last month, I completed the first dungeon and now I am starting on ...

Very, very nice! I love the screenshots, I was looking forward these. Environmental hazards on a map are always a fun thing to throw at the player. And those swamp dragons should be a worthy challenge. I'll say it again, the technique you use to give walls some depth on that map is outstanding. Ever...

Thanks Pongo! The hook horrors are part of maps that were added around the time I started on the guild quests, so it was a somewhat later build. Definitely an unpleasant surprise for a young party. slowdive, hopefully it will be a risk reward type thing. There might be some early opportunities for c...

February Update As promised, I've been busy working to convert the Edinmoor module I made for NWN2 into new content available in Hearkenwold. I had started building Edinmoor shortly after finishing the Storm of Zehir expansion, and one of main objectives was to dig into the new party chat style con...

Thanks, slowdive. All good here.

The key to how that encounter plays out comes down to initiative and party positioning. Some of the gnolls can cast web and stinking cloud, and if they can get those off before the player has a chance to move, it is pretty much game over.

I'm in the middle of a blizzard today, so I decided to upload a new video of Hearkenwold in Knights of the Chalice 2. This one is from the paladin guild adventure, where the party will run into a rival party of gnolls. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ald_amEnrM I will post an IceBlink update about ...

Good to hear. I'm looking forward to meeting these lizardmen. And the graveyard sounds appropriately intriguing. Do you have a master world map that you use when connecting all the areas?

Thanks! Edinmoor it is, then. One final consideration for me was that the keep of Edinmoor functions as a settlement of sorts, with merchants to interact with and new leads for the player to follow, or not, if they choose.

Good memory, slowdive. I had been playing around with a turn-based mod for NWN2 and was attempting to use it in what would have been a sequel called "Sons of Edinmoor", but that project didn't get too far. Another consideration is for the past few weeks I had been testing battles against m...

January Update It's a new year, and I've just posted the latest version of Hearkenwold for Knights of the Chalice 2 on the nexus page. https://www.nexusmods.com/knightsofthechalice2/mods/5 This brings both modules now into alignment. And here are a couple of more screenshots showcasing higher level...

Pongo wrote: ↑Sat Dec 25, 2021 8:59 pm Nice! 1989 was a good year for RPGs - which one was it Dorateen?

Might & Magic II. And then Pool of Radiance shortly thereafter. That started a run of playing some amazing cRPGs throughout the early to mid nineties.

Hope they enjoy their presents. The first computer role playing game I got was on Christmas '89. And lots of fond memories playing D&D this time of year.

Merry Christmas from Hearkenwold! Here is an animated gif showing the snow weather effect, just outside the Halls of Hamhock.

Starting to really come down out there. They better let us in.

cartons wrote: ↑Fri Dec 17, 2021 2:42 pm I'll go ahead and jump in.

You should be able to copy the Hearkenwold saves folder into the newest module and continue with those characters, if you want. Unless you want to start with a new party.

I've been itching to replay this over the holiday. Are we still expecting a definitive version to land within a few weeks, Dorateen? Hi cartons, the IceBlink version that is available now greatly expands the module. It advances the narrative past the events in Skardale and guild quests, and adds ne...

Prayer looks like a great addition for my cleric, I don't remember that from last time. Its nice to try out two weapon fighting as well! Yes, I added a number of new spells including Prayer. I perhaps should have made it available later, but then I guess the trade off is your character can only cho...

Is everything done manually in the conversion? Is KotC2 tile based or are the maps a single image? I would say it is a manual process, with a lot of copy and pasting. Yes, the maps also use a single image. The dimensions of tiles are 64 x 64. If you recall, the IceBlink tilemap maker used those sam...

December Update Here's just a few more screenshots of the conversion work I'm doing for Hearkenwold in the KotC2 editor. Again this exact content is currently present in the IceBlink version available for download. These screens are all taken from exploration of the dangerous Khrystos Caverns. http...

Yes, I like the way this adventure is shaping up. A good amount of optional content, and secrets for players to explore. The development process, working through various concepts, is also very interesting to read about. I look forward to seeing more as we get closer to the new year. Unless I'm mista...

Interesting. A skill check would be perfect, but I don't think there is one for saving throws. As a work around, could you set the conditional to check for the character's wisdom score? That might be too binary for what you are looking for. That is, if the selected PC is above WIS 15 (for example), ...

Are you using the gaCastSpell script as an action on a PC line in the conversation? I know the game will check for reflex saving throws when using an offensive spell this way. But I never tried with a spell that has a will save. Also, is the spell being cast at the end of a conversation, or is it in...

I like Layout 2. Something about the character portraits lining up on the right of the screen. Maybe along the top was obscuring too much of the view, but on the side it looks better. I can't think of many cRPGs I have played with portraits on the top, except for showing initiative order in combat. ...

I thought the interface "clutter" was due to making IBBasic available for smaller screen platforms like tablets and phones? The full PC IceBlink engine I think looks fine, but that would not be possible for basic. Seems there was always going to be a tradeoff between what you can practical...

It's funny how certain mannerisms will creep into descriptive text. A little repetition/exaggeration is OK I think especially where most of the "action" takes place in a text window, it helps the reader visualize the scene. Camp of lizardmen sounds great, I wonder if they will be immediate...

I just watched the latest stream, episode 11, and enjoyed watching your party work their way through Khyn. I'm guessing the wizard in the battle had trouble to target characters because the table in the middle blocked line of sight. Although it's curious he didn't move into a better position.

Yeah, I finished releasing IBbasic v1.0.17 and it can be found at the NW Vault for PC, Google Play for android, and Apple App Store for iOS (and should work on M1 macs).

Congratulations on the big release! Look forward to seeing some projects for IBBasic.

I think that is a good change regarding effects, I guess that has to do with debuffs that would end on a round but the character would not lose the status until their next turn. Should be better now. The AC bonus sounds right. I do like the tactical considerations, and seems a fair tradeoff between ...

For IceBlink basic, if you can include the other modifiers, that would probably be good. Gives player incentive to boost their saving throws through items and such.

Interesting. If I could share a few thoughts on the idea: Sleep in IceBlink has for a while been the only mass/AoE debuff spell. It is very useful for crowd control, and with the limited spell selection, often a wizard had to choose between mage bolt or sleep for their first spell choice. The spell ...

Take your time, feel free to enjoy the exploration! Some good battles in that episode, including the goblin swarm. Perfect to show off area of effect spells like your wizard's Ice Storm.

I have added a new video to showcase some of the content that will be in the next version of Hearkenwold for Knights of the Chalice 2. Of course, this is already part of the latest IceBlink build that is available for download. Here, the party is making their way through the Ephghan Plains, when the...

Episode 9 is up with some good progress and new quest.

https://youtu.be/6yFG0PvCO-U

That was great. It is still fun watching how this party makes their way through the adventure. Thanks for playing!

Nice, trailer gives a great overview of the IBBasic capabilities. And I always loved that music from the Raventhal.

Nice episode. I was glad to see the trio of trolls can still be a bit of a challenge, but nothing your party can't handle!

Interesting to hear about the design development, and how ideas or narratives evolve. From everything you have described so far, it sounds like it will be a fun adventure.

Have you added extra content like dialogue options for the additional races/classes etc available in KotC A few here and there, but it is still mostly built around the core IceBlink races and class. If a player wants to use more exotic party members like half salamanders and psychic warriors, they ...

He just released version 1.19 to backers last week. In the update he said the official release could be December, or January at the "latest". The developer did call the first module Augury of Chaos "content complete", so he is just preparing to get it on steam/GoG for the release...

Halloween Update This update will suffice for November as well. Since I have begun working on the conversion of the latest build of Hearkenwold into the Knights of the Chalice 2 engine, I just want to post some initial screens. I am going to try to finish by the end of this year so that I can retur...

Very instructive stream. It's helpful to see the different calculations that are factored into each enemy move.

Interesting to have a closer look at the caster AI in episode 6. It worked out good that you had a couple of battles with spellcasters to observe their behavior. The repetitive casting of bless is something I look forward to being addressed when the new AI is working as intended.

Nice work with episode 5. I thought the wolf fights were pretty fun. I like the way you waited for the monsters to group together, to maximize AOE coverage from the Ice Storm spell. Regarding the crows and that lightning misfire, I remember this was an issue when line effect spells were first introd...

I wouldn't go through the trouble. It would have been interesting to experiment with, and even I only intended to start with indoor/dungeon areas for a 3d view. Better to focus on changes that will benefit all builders/players.

I definitely see the value in adding this additional strategic layer to positioning. And I think you mentioned it would apply to enemies, too? That should be interesting and it will be worth seeing the AC bonus setting in action.

I enjoyed watching your exploration of Witchlight in episode 4. The new weather animation, combined with the somber music, contributes a lot to the atmosphere. And there is a sense of moving through an unsafe place with the characters afflicted with the reoccurring damage. Looking forward to the nex...

The way it works is that a PC (or creature) gets a bonus to their AC for each ally that is in an adjacent square to them. I enjoy party mobility in tactical combat, so as a player I'm not likely to keep a character on adjacent ally square without reason. Having said that, if there is an AC bonus fo...

Do you think it is something in the latest builds? I had been testing a lot in 200, and then upgraded to 203 at the end just before I posted the module. I don't recall seeing attack modifiers not being applied. But then, I was also running higher level characters, and it is probably more noticeable ...

Good stuff. I've been enjoying the let's play streams of the first three episodes. It is always interesting to see how different parties measure up, and how you approach the adventure.

I wonder if short swords should be considered light weapons and maybe finesse as well? Since I make a bunch of short swords available to a starting party, I did not want to introduce weapons with special properties right away. Rather, I would like the characters to acquire their first finesse/light...

Thanks! I tried the two weapon fighting, but did not use it much. I had not noticed if modifiers are being applied correctly. Just had a chance to watch the full stream. Very fun episode, I enjoyed the battle when your party first enters the cave. Always nice to see characters making smart use of re...

Good start to the adventure, your party looks quite capable. I noticed on its turn, the spider did not cast web. Is that because your characters moved in to melee range? Regarding the 3d view backdrops, that looks like the way to go. I imagine it is even easier for indoor/dungeon maps where a builde...

Perfect!

Very nice. Even though the mini map can be toggled on and off, is it possible to make it a little smaller? I feel as a separate UI element, it should not overlap the main adventuring window so much, although I know screen real estate is limited.

Otherwise, looks great!

Hi slowdive,

I would very much be interested in seeing the 3D mode in IceBlink, especially as a viewport display. I do not have experience with the IBbasic version of those modules, but from the screenshots it looked pretty cool.

I enjoyed the dice rolling simulation in Solasta as well. Look forward to seeing it implemented for IceBlink.

Definitely, having time to think about your project and plan quests/encounters/plot ideas is still important development time.

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

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.

I love the idea of an encumbrance system, so that sounds good to me. I suppose it is easier to handle as party-wide, rather than individual characters just for items equipped? I guess it will incentivize players to drop unneeded items, like those extra suits of armor. On that note, do you think this...

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/iceblink/module/hearkenwold When I last left off, it was in August of 2020, and I had just completed the sixth guild adventure, the one f...

10 saves is nice. Would it be possible to fit the text for the Server save into the farme of the button? Maybe all lowercase letters, if that would help fit? Other than that, looks good.

, but my initial thought is that passive traits could be double counted. It looks like one of the two routines looks at bonuses from equipped items and taits and the other just looks at traits (but they get added together so could double the trait bonus) You are absolutely right. I just looked at t...

Right, there probably isn't. The character has 283 spell points, and the equipped item would have pushed him over 300. When the additional sp were not gained, the first thought I had was it must be capped. But it's likely a conflict with the trait.

Today I learned that the maximum spell points for a character is capped at 300. At least, I think that is what happened, when I tried to equip an item that would push the spell points over 300, and it not work. But it did give the new spell points to another character who had a lower total. Is there...

I'm excited to use the new caster AI, so count me in on wanting to replace the old general caster AI with the new version.

Hey, slowdive, video looks good. Very cool to see casters move and then take an action. Just a head's up, I don't think the Silence spell I copied over from Proving Grounds is working properly. I tested on an enemy creature, and it showed the Silence effect, but she still was able to cast a spell. I...

Now I really need to add that Silence spell before 204 drops.

I just had a chance to watch the video, interesting stuff. The most satisfying thing to me is seeing a variety of spells, and less repeating castings of the same buff. Makes magic using enemies so much more dangerous. Also, I think a key to an engaging battle is one where the player has to react to ...

Excited to see these new intelligent, and deadlier spellcasters.

Great detail, Pongo. The living world project that youngneil1 put together gives a lot of interesting options for a dynamic map, nice to see it in action. I love the way you do the walls to give it that psuedo-3d look. And the purple skull flashing arch is very cool.

Small request, slowdive. If you have time, could you look into the Dimension Door spell that you have packaged with Proving Grounds, and how it works for enemy casters? I gave it to a magic using monster, and it did cast the spell, but the effect did not apply. He did not move to the new point locat...

I think this might predate build 203. A while ago, I noticed the damage adder did not seem to be applied, or that monsters with it wer doing low amounts of damage. I stopped using that property, and just lump it all into the base damage. So an ogre who does 1d6 + 5, I would just make 11. Your golem'...

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...

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 upd...

September Update I am nearing completion of the next version of the Hearkenwold campaign, which will include all the new updates and areas. Last month I was working on the wilderness maps, featuring new points of interest between the Dwarf Village of Hamhock and the town of Burdun. These include: A...

slowdive wrote: ↑Sat Aug 28, 2021 12:06 am I agree, it will definitely make the casters more challenging and threatening.

A good reason to use the new Silence spell!

I think that might have been a display glitch. Notice the pages jumped from 1 to 6, and the yellow frame carried over. I was testing just now, and when I went into the party inventory, the yellow frame did not appear on the top row of items. On the other hand, I think I have seen that behaviour befo...

Thanks, I like having the weather animations. I think it adds to the sense of adventure, braving the outdoors. Some of the settings include lightning strikes, which can be quite dramatic.

I was testing build 203, and decided to upload a new IceBlink video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxtbtckZZ-4 This one shows some of the weather effects as the party is exploring the wilderness and runs into a potential problem that needed to be eliminated. The content is a preview of the continu...

Sounds good! That's an outstanding attention to detail for the underlying systems. Look forward to playing this module.

-check before casting spell that the effect is not already on the target and is not stackable (don't bless twice or put to sleep if already asleep). -if a PC is immune to a spell such as sleep, let the caster try once, but allow them to learn that the PC is immune and then don't try again. -decide ...

Just for fun, I uploaded a video of when I made part of Hearkenwold in the FRUA engine. That was around 2015, so this is the first time I recorded anything from that design. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3r8If5s7Gw This is the same encounter as the fight against the mummy and wraiths in the KOTC2...

Thanks, always nice to read about people enjoying the module. What I'm wrestling with right now is balance for higher level characters in an open world design. I think this goes for both systems, although KotC2 does give the player many tools (the different classes and abilities) to grow quite power...

or does the engine not use a standard calendar (maybe all the months are 28 days long?). I'm pretty sure this is it. The calendar is based on a 28 day month. I tried to find an old post with youngneilone discussing the world time setting, and the calculations to get the game to start on an exact ye...

Looks good, a nice selection of animal types for rangers/druids to play with.

I find it pretty straightforward. I have the Party Chat Style checked under the Conversation Properties. For each race/class/attribute conditional always use -1 in the Parameter 1, this is what designates the specific character to be recognized. And to avoid the scenario where certain character type...

August Update It's the first of the month, and I have some new progress to report. I've been working on the Khrystos Caverns over the past several weeks, and it is just about finished. I'm happy with the way it turned out and it offers a nice tie-in with the Halls of Hamhock adventure. As I mention...

So far, I really like the way you've structured the module. Sounds like a fair degree of openness from the start.

As slowdive mentioned, the name of the png file needs to go in the Effect spriteFilename.

This looks and sounds great, slowdive. Just wanted to make sure, the new system would not interfere with existing scripts and effects used in the PC version to summon creatures? It was a bit limited, and I would probably switch over at some point to the new way you are setting up summons. But for no...

Can you show me the script inputs you are using? It seems that it was failing when trying to convert a string to an integer for either parm2, parm3, or parm4. https://pasteboard.co/Kbt8TTr.png "Woo" is the resref for the creature, followed by x,y,no. of turns. I think I have the same setu...

Regarding the two weapon defense, this screenshot is the Effects list from the Proving Grounds Module. I couldn't find the effect for "Two Weapon Defense" to attached to the traits. I'd create these in the module, but how exactly would the AC modifier work when wielding a weapon in the off...

Pongo wrote: ↑Mon Jul 05, 2021 7:45 am the shadows on the wall tiles make them crisp and clearly differentiated.

Thanks, Pongo! The shadows are from the height mapping system in the toolset. On these 2D images, they are a big help to separate wall tiles and floor tiles. But it only works on the adventure maps, not on combat maps.

What I ended up doing is this: Thief and Ranger characters get Two Weapon Fighting (L1) at level 2 and Two Weapon Fighting (L2) at level 4. They are are earliest, because I think these archetypes fit the concept of dual wielding most. Fighters get the feats at levels 4 and 6, respectively. And Palad...

slowdive wrote: ↑Sat Jul 03, 2021 5:04 pm I was talking more about finesse weapons. Finesse weapons use dexterity instead of strength for the attack roll modifier.

Yes! I went through the weapon list yesterday and set all daggers and rapiers to light and finesse. Those will make great off hand weapons now.

Thanks, yes I have the two weapon fighting trait in. I still need to do the finesse trait and light weapon properties. I'm sure it will be no trouble, I just need to get around to it.

July Update Last month, I was working extensively on the underground dungeon complex that will be the Khrystos Caverns. To give a little background lore, this is the cave system that the Dwarves of Hamhock excavated hundreds of years ago. They set up a mining colony here, not far from their Mountai...

Ah, I remember the exploding zombies from the Eldarin Stone. All this sounds very good, facing enemies with dangerous ability. One idea for towns, how about just a side quest associated with a particular location. That might help give some flavor, something players will attach to visiting that town....

Thanks, slowdive! I will check it out this weekend.

edit: I just wanted to confirm, the issue has been fixed. No more exceptions and the force rest script runs, with higher level party.

Thanks, I am back in now under the old account. So it was DorateenIceblink had a short run of just one post.

Glad you enjoyed the videos. I'll be posting an update for Hearkenwold in Iceblink next weekend.

Thanks! It's not critical at the moment, but it does mean the higher level party I have been testing with is unable to rest.

There is a slight glitch in version 200 with the uses per day feature introduced for traits. Even though I have this set to false for all traits, the game still tries to run the arrays upon every new day or the ga_ForceRest script. The problem is that the Number of Uses per day array is for levels 1...

slowdive, I started porting over some of the spells and graphics from the Proving Grounds module. I have Bull Strength working, for example, but it shows a BLANK image on top of the character when it is applied. What fx graphic am I missing? edit: Got it, in the Effect for Bulls Strength, the sprite...

That studded leather armor looks sweet!

you've captured the fun of lower level adventuring and exploring really well. When I finally get to see the king it's going to be pretty satisfying - I'll feel like I earned it! Thanks, Pongo. Low level D&D is something I enjoy, so it is fun building up those areas. It is interesting that after...

Thank you, slowdive and cartons. Hard to say yet what final levels will be obtained. The most advanced character I have is a level 10 thief with 18,185 experience. This is after completing all the guild quests. It takes 22,000 xp to reach the next level. So I think for other characters, it will prob...

June Update This is an important update as I have been working on the continuation of Hearkenwold in the IceBlink engine after a slight detour to make the module available for Knights of the Chalice 2. The last thing I been building was the separate guild adventures available to the corresponding p...

It took me a little time to figure it out too, but the script works fine. I also recall needing to use all three parameters for answers to get it to trigger properly.

Pongo, have a look at the screenshot below, this is where I use the ManualKeyboardInput script to prompt the player for the name of guild sponsors, which essentially acts as a password. You would create 2 NPC nodes. The top one is for giving the correct answer, and you attach the script as a conditi...

Sounds good. I think the thief is a valuable part of the classic D&D party combination, so it's always appreciated when content is made to play to their strengths.

I forgot if this was mentioned, the critical hit multipliers that were introduced in build 199 for IceBlink, is that asymmetrical in the sense that enemies can land critical hits on the player too? If not, it is a feature that should be implemented at some point.

cartons wrote: ↑Sun May 16, 2021 2:35 am
I'm trying to launch a conversation after an encounter.

I also set up post-encounter conversations the way slowdive described. Use the trigger properties, and put the conversation in the event right after the combat event.

That was pretty easy. I added the "autumn" weather to the properties of a new area, and have a nice fog rolling in from the west with raindrops falling on the halfling's head. I can't wait to try the winter season in mountain areas, as well as the desert setting on the Asherim maps. https:...

Thanks! I'm going to play with this tomorrow.

The conversations were probably the most tedious part of this conversion. A lot of cutting and pasting. I can probably make a conversion tool (like I did for NWN1 and NWN2) that converts the IB conversations to KotC2 format. I would just need to figure out the KotC file format and then it should be...

Where are the weather effects added again? Is it in the module properties, or is it on the area properties level. I forget if this was something that only works using the tile maps, or if it would work on preloaded map images.

Pongo, are you working with the same selection of custom spells from the Eldarin Stone for this project?

I think the best solution is awarding the player the same XP for avoiding combat. It depends on how many fights you end up with. In a scenario where an area is combat heavy, then bypassing an encounter can be it's own reward.

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