RELEASED: Descent into Darkness

[Kaz-Keith]

Built for the 2017 March 1-Week Challenge

Completed 2017 April 5:

kaz1dnd.DSN: Descent into Darkness : is a story module that takes place in the Greyhawk campaign world and was built as an homage to the glory of Dungeon & Dragons' storied past.  You play a single character, within a party of characters, and you control only your own actions during gameplay.

I've uploaded the files to the fruadragon repository, and have had a few requests to post early links just in case

I will be updating the module .zip with any corrections and fixes.

Game documentation has been built into the module itself.  Simply play it... the title screen instructs to LOAD GAME SAVE -A-, which is all you need to do to get started!   Enjoy.

fyi:

* the art should be viewed from within the editor only, as expanded palettes have been incorporated in many instances (viewing via Toolbox will appear incorrect)

* automaps are enabled so feel free to swap between it if you want an overhead perspective


kaz1dnd.txt

kaz1dnd.zip


*edit: added fyi
*edit: updated fixed .zip

[Jadefang]

A few bugs I found while playing:

-Dungeon 05 at (11,10) facing west and (12,9) facing north, probably not fixable since you're near the event limit, but the scene entrance text/music plays when stepping from those otherwise nonsensical directions
-Dungeon 08 at (9,9) and (10,9) have walls set to Open that lead to a stuck room
-After the battle with the Bonestorm, the NPCs are not removed from party
-The battle with the Frost Man has the monsters dropping their equipment at the end of the fight
-Dungeon 15 at (21,17): It is possible to approach this transfer module from the north in some instances, resulting in the party confusedly facing the reverse direction after the transition
-(Not completely sure) Dungeon 08 at (13,14): Not sure if the item it refers to is the one from the event directly north of it, but after collecting that item, the event here still refers to said item

[Kaz-Keith]

 hey Jadefang   Thanks much for the bug report - an updated .zip for the .dsn is on the file archive

 
I should add this here:  this design uses A LOT of text/music and hitting the return button. I've gone ahead and preset the text speed on the default character/game to the fastest so that the text loads the fastest.  if you hit the return button fast as you go, some of the 'events' will pile up in memory and they will regurgitate when another low-impact event (like a one-line text description or a single musical effect is played) fires.  the majority of these were due to 'incompleted' return-to-event functions of question lists but I found even while playing through that simply hitting the return key through events to get past them the quicker causes this to occur.

[Mechanaut]

I found a transfer bug, but I did not see the cell coordinates.  It is in the great hall that Wizard demands that the party remain in the hall "until we find what we are looking for".
Eventually I found a large stairway up that leads to a landing with another stair, and a door into an rest location.  The upward stairs in this room deposit the party outside of the map at their destination.

*Update:  The cell is 2,16 North; and leads to 1,18 North [same map&floor].

[Kaz-Keith]

 Wowsers took me a long time to figure out where this was... okay this has been repaired and updated, cheers Mechanaut!

[Mechanaut]

Cheers.


*I cannot find the updated design. The link in the OP says "file removed". I do not find it on Rosedragon either.

[Donnie Ewald]

http://frua.rosedragon.org/pc/modules/k/kaz1dnd.txt
http://frua.rosedragon.org/pc/modules/k/kaz1dnd.zip

[Mechanaut]

Thanks. 

**Is it recommended to begin a new game, or would just the minor change to the stairs not be affecting the state of the map?

[SPOILER ALERT]

__________
The reason I ask, is that I've been in this same hall long enough to have crossed every accessible tile in it twice, and I've not found whatever it is that Harflint is looking for; in order to be able to leave.  The new stairs destination ultimately leads to a locked gate with no further egress.

And so I began to wonder if an event is not triggering as it should... How could I know?
__________

[Kaz-Keith]

**Is it recommended to begin a new game, or would just the minor change to the stairs not be affecting the state of the map?

The stairs merely lead back up to zone(s) that you've already been in and really would have no need plot-wise to retread... but yes, even with the fix eventually your regression is blocked.

As to the puzzle in the great hall, I've sent you your answer privately 

[Mechanaut]

I think I've found another stair-well bug; same map as that great hall.





Incidentally, the party stayed listed for some time after an encounter. I was able to inspect their character sheets, and even changed all of Harflint's memorized spells —not that it affected anything in combat.  I did have him cast Enlarge on my PC though.  [size=78%] [/size]




[spoiler-alert]




...They stayed listed[/size] in the roster after the bone-storm; possibly until the next combat.[size=78%]

[Kaz-Keith]

I think I've found another stair-well bug; same map as that great hall.
Incidentally, the party stayed listed for some time after an encounter.

That stairwell leads nowhere, yes.

The party bug was reported in this thread by Jadefang, 6 Apr and repaired/uploaded then.  Thank you.

[Dorateen]

Kaz-Kieth, I just started this adventure. Enjoying the music, art work and storytelling, as well as the Greyhawk lore. Lots of winks to the foundations of the hobby itself, which I appreciate.

Reached the ruins, and made it to the first safe spot to rest.

[Kaz-Keith]

Kaz-Kieth, I just started this adventure. Enjoying the music, art work and storytelling, as well as the Greyhawk lore. Lots of winks to the foundations of the hobby itself, which I appreciate.

Reached the ruins, and made it to the first safe spot to rest.

Glad you are enjoying yourself

I took much inspiration from actual recallings and retellings of old campaign days-at-table, and most recently from this webcomic that, I felt, embraced the ideals I tried to convey:  https://castlegreyhawk.blogspot.com/2012/03/page-1.html

Game on, friend

[Kaz-Keith]

Bugfix 18/4/17 uploaded to rosedragon repository

[Olivier Leroux]

Hey Keith, I played through this fantastic adventure yesterday and I made a few playtesting notes that I'll attach below, concerning a few minor typos and potential bugs I found. I hope you can read them like this, if not I could also send them to you via PM or something (WARNING to everyone else: they might contain spoilers!).