33 replies to this topic

[Miss Sakaki]

Often when Feuille and I have Modding Discussions, it becomes something like "wouldn't it be cool if we made that guy from Feuille's story! With a romance! And cake! And stuff!" and then Nathaniel happens. Or "wouldn't it be cool if we made a nice self-contained, non-romanceable NPC pair - with a curse! And areas! And stuff!" and then two years later we're playtesting the Luxley Family. However, this is somewhat different.

We (pardon the royal we, but like our other projects it's very much a joint effort) had the idea of incorporating letter-writing into BGII. A gnome in the Government District would offer to send a letter to anyone you like (within reason - Spellhold is a big no-no; you'd get your money back). You could choose who to send it to from a list, and choose what sort of tone you want to write, too. Like, if the Windspear Hills quest is done but you haven't killed Firkraag, you could do:

"I'd like to send a threatening letter to Jierdan Firkraag, please, saying that I'll come and squash him just as soon as I've got enough XP"

After X amount of time, you could return to the gnome and he'd give you a letter from Firkraag saying something like:

"Bring it, dude. You suck, and I'm not even going to break my claws when I kill you."

...buuut with a little more of that good ol' Firkraag wit.

We were thinking that you could try to contact NPCs from BG1 and ask how they're doing, or send well wishes to Logan Coprith after the Trademeet quest is done, or send "how are things" messages to your strongholds. You could even send gifts to your loved ones if you'd separated from them, and once you got them back in the party they would comment.

Also, NPCs in your party could ask to send letters to loved ones or their families. For instance, Imoen could ask if she could send a crate of beer to Winthrop, or Jan could ask to sign up to Gnomish Inventors Monthly, or whatever. Then after X amount of time, when you return they could receive something - a present, or a letter which you could then read.

So! If you like the idea, please say so. If you don't, say so even more (and please say why). If you have any ideas at all about which in-game NPCs you'd like to write to, what you'd like to send them (tasteful, please - no bras to Anomen or anything like that) or what you think party NPCs would like to send or receive, then please reply to this thread!

[Solar's Harper]

I like it.
Definetly plenty of comediac and serious like content potential in such an idea.
And not to mention it'd offer insights into NPCs that we don't see all *that* often in banters or dialog for the non-joinable NPCs.

And I'll say this now, the cross-mod content is bound to be explosively huge in measurement, qutie the ambitious idea Miss Sakaki.
Just about that Winthrop idea though, when

Spoiler

Sarevok tore Candlekeep apart and replaced a lot of its residents with doppleganglers, it is very likely that no one was left alive if they were copied.

Anyways thats only a theory, who knows the truth for sure, but one thing is certain, is that we never hear from them again. Ever.

Anyways, good thinking. So this one has my support, without question.

[berelinde]

I love this idea so much I can't even tell you how much I love it! It really does lend an element of continuity to the game, that the party of <CHARNAME> isn't existing in a vacuum, that the rest of Faerun is going about their lives, still caring about the PC, if they did in the first place, but busy with their own issues. Who knows? Maybe Branwen finally won her renown back home in the Moonshaes, or maybe Kagain is doing time for bumping off a competitor. Maybe Shar-Teel is happily leading her own band of all-woman mercenaries. Maybe turnips are having a very profitable year...

Very nice!

Edit: You know, I never went back to Candlekeep to check. I wonder what you'd find. By the way, in PnP D&D, dopplegangers don't always kill the people they impersonate. With the PC stuck in the catacombs, you'd never know. It is certain that Gorion was dead before the dopplegangers came, so there was no living Gorion to observe. I'm pretty sure Elminster wasn't killed, because you bump into him again in BG2, if you've got Jaheira in your party.

Edited by berelinde, 11 September 2007 - 03:27 AM.

[Feuille]

Spoiler

That's a very good point; thanks! Oh, that was so darn depressing when it happened! Others *have* brought Winthrop back, though we probably won't now we remember that - ie, Kelsey's epilogues.

We're glad both of you like the idea! There will definitely be both comic and serious parts - and yes, the expansion of both the PCs and NPCs was what attracted us to the idea.

We were saying what a pity it was that so many BGI characters turn up again or die, because it certainly puts a crimp on sending stuff to them!

ETA: I'm really going to have to read through BGI stuff to remind myself about them! It's been such a long time...

Edited by Feuille, 11 September 2007 - 03:27 AM.

[Solar's Harper]

Well as I said before there is no way to a definite answer, unless the answer is provided from a non-mod perspective, since mods generally are about expanding on things that were never included, or told to the full extent the original game should have done.
(though again, that is another ambigious statement, that requires more than one answer )

Anyways, it I think it would've made sense, if

Spoiler

Sarevok did have the doppleganglers kill those they were to impersonate. While I would argue that it'd be impossible to impersonate all current visitors or residents at Candlekeep at the time and kill them all so they wouldn't spoil the party before the trap is set. It is still plausable that some, including Winthrop were killed, to strike a blow regardless if <CHARNAME> perieshed or not before leaving Candlekeep. And the fact that residents such as he, would be the most suspicious of Sarevok's plans makes it twice as possible in my opinion.

Anyways, this could get OT and end up growing into a huge debate, so I'll rest my case there.

[berelinde]

Spoiler

Don't think he'd bother, to be honest. It might serve him just as well to have the various people continue as they were, doing their old jobs, ignorant of the trick he pulled on the PC. After all, Candlekeep is the receptacle of much lore, so it's likely he'd think he might want to go back some day, to see what else the prophecies had to say about him. It would make more sense for him not to go back to a ghost town.

[Tassadar88]

Whew, this most certainly *DOES* sound promising

I like the one with the strongholds - it would make it better for a player with his stronghold located a bit far off - mostly

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Imnesvalle

I mean, but the

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de´Arnise

keep as well. I do believe the

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Druid Grove

would not be best suited for this, as characters of this class - I dont know, I somehow feel that personal contact with the place would mean much more than the correspondence. As for the other two, however, it could be a good way to find out whether ther are any active waiting quests (apparently) and the time for the letter to arrive could be calculated by multiplying the travel time to the respective location by 1,5 (there and back, and we suppose that the runner is faster than the party)
And as for the rest - plenty of opportuinty coming from here

[Kellen]

Not to add to the pile of "I like"s but I Like!

Perhaps instead of going back to the letter sender he can send a runner to you with a reply. It's pretty much the same thing as sending one out with your letter. Just a thought.

[jcompton]

Please combine this with Romantic Encounters. I think even when <CHARNAME> isn't around to give

Spoiler

Hendak

a

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handjob

, <PRO_HESHE> should be able to send a

Spoiler

letter

promising to do so at some later

Spoiler

date

.

[Feuille]

I'm really pleased at the positive reception!

@ Kellen: we've given the runner vs pickup dilemma a lot of thought, and we've decided to have letter pick-up instead. That way, you can have many things waiting for you at once, for your party NPCs as well, and not have multiple people turning up. It's also for our peace of mind! (After Luxley SoA bugtesting, neither of us want to see the back end of a complex script ever again!)

ETA: Thank you, jcompton. Your comment warms the cockles of my heart.

Edited by Feuille, 11 September 2007 - 06:23 AM.

[Miss Sakaki]

Yeah, we wouldn't put in stuff that could be contradicted by BG1 canon, so Winthrop's a no-no. Branwen etc, though - they're fair game, I think.

Please combine this with Romantic Encounters. I think even when <CHARNAME> isn't around to give

Spoiler

Hendak

a

Spoiler

handjob

, <PRO_HESHE> should be able to send a

Spoiler

letter

promising to do so at some later

Spoiler

date

.

ZOMG crossmod content!

[Solar's Harper]

Ok letsee how well this list for playable NPCs from BG1 goes...

Alora - Still alive
Ajantis -

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Dies at Windspear Hills, killed by <CHARNAME>

Coran -

Spoiler

Possibly alive after werewolf encounter, game doesn't care.

Branwen - Still alive
Xan - Still alive, though he is doomed
Xzar -

Spoiler

Killed by the Harpers.

Montaroum -

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Same as necro boy above

Dyhanier -

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Deceased, Irenicus is to blame.

Khalid -

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Same as D.

Yeslick - Still alive
Kaigan - Still alive
Faldorn -

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Killed by <CHARNAME> for her actions at Trademeet's druid grove.

Jaheria - Still alive, and with you unless removed from party. YAY!
Minsc - Same as before, tho the big fella can't go where she can.
Imoen -

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Lil sis, and much more, always alive and with you except when fate tears you cruelly apart.

Safanna -

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Killed because of trying to betray Coran.

Wouldn't return a call anyways.
Skie - Brat is still alive.
Eldoth - Alive when I last saw him, dead when I see him next I promise.
Garrick -

Spoiler

Ran off with some bridesmaid.

Well, tis as far as I can remember, this helpful?

[berelinde]

Quayle: ran off to the circus
Shar-Teel: still alive, somewhere
Viconia: waiting for you in the Government District
Kivan: presumably went off to join Deheriana, but available as a mod by Domi
Tiax: Spellhold
Edwin: found work in Athkatla

[Tempest]

Ajantis is also going to be alive, well, and ready to rejoin Charname as a mod sometime in the [hopefully] near future.

[Tassadar88]

Actually, isn´t Garrick the one unsuccesfully wooing the lady in front of the Order of the Radiant heart?

[Solar's Harper]

Yeah, but it is said at the time of the encounter with the paladins and that gnome, when he isn't present he ran off with another woman. Though it is natural that he isn't the one in charge of steering, if you catch my drift.

[Jarno Mikkola]

I like.

And a few ideas, and I like the idea of challenging someone via letter or etc., as with Firkraag, after you have cleared the area, one could go back to town and send him a challenge, after which it could have different kinds of responces based on what you send! You could bribe someone, kill someone for a friend, frame, steal... And as the rewords go, one could get his hair full of assasins, traders, betrayers...

[Unmei]

I love this idea, its really great! I don't have much to add that others haven't said already except...

You should DEFINITELY be able to send Anomen a bra, but ONLY if you're not romancing him! Then you should be able to make fun of him mercilessly!

"Anomen! You must be engaging in most unknightly behaivor! What kind of disreputable women are you fraternizing with?"



I can just picture him deny deny deny, while charname sends him undergarments in increasing proportions, until he finally catches charname in the act! Then he gets so mad he leaves the party, then comes crawling back the next day. Good times...

[Miss Sakaki]

Ajantis as an NPC? Awesome, totally awesome. As is the BGI NPC list - thank you B and Solar's Harper!

edit: erm, that was Feuille, not me. That's what comes of stealing her laptop to post earlier!

Edited by Miss Sakaki, 11 September 2007 - 03:33 PM.

[Kaeloree]

As I've said, I really like this idea - I can't wait to see it implemented, and some of the options available...