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New Map and Mod Screenshots

Attached below (I hope they've attached) are screenshots from a siegelet and accompanying mod I've been working on for quite some time now. The story takes place back during the war between the Utraean Empire and the Empire of Stars. I've gotten most of the terrain down (with the exception of a few bonus regions) and plan on having a relative open world, as much as the engine will allow. The end product will hopefully be a somewhat less linear version of dungeon siege, with monsters that level with the player( s ) so that one can enjoy any part of the map at anytime. Of course, there will be restrictions on this, as some areas will be too hard for newbie characters, so there will probably be a staggered leveling of monsters eventually, but that means modifying my code for each variant, which will in turn take time. While this project will not be finished anytime soon (I'm thinking winter of 2018, or spring of 2019, at best), I figured I might as well share some screenshots for you guys. Once the map is finished I can share some gameplay as well and perhaps release an 'alpha' at some point.

Less linear is a great feature and those screenshots look interesting. What sort of plot does your story have?

Thanks for sharing.

So cool! And I thought the days of new DS1 maps were long gone. Looking forward to your updates Dungeon Siege Fanatic!

So the map itself will take place during the fall of the Utraean Empire and the massive retreat that was ordered by the Utraean King (Jherkal XIV?) during the beginning of the fall of the Empire. I am trying to keep the story as cannonical as possible and am using the lore within the Dungeon Siege games, along with Lone Knight's compilation of Dungeon Siege history. The story takes place on a small(ish) island off the coast of mainland Aranna, probably off of the Utraean Peninsula, or on the coast of around Arhok, though I have not really decided, nor does it matter all that much in the big scheme of things. The story does, however, take place after the annhiliation of the Sea Elves, so while elves will most likely not be in the game, the player will stumble across some ruins if they look hard enough. Regardless, it is somewhere in the Utraean Isles, or in the Sea of Mists, or somewhere near there at least.

As the Utraeans are retreating, the Empire of Stars are gaining some ground and have send a landing party to investigate the island, as it is close to mainland Aranna and poses a risk to the Empire. The player character, without giving too much away, will explore the island, and be able to witness, and perhaps take part in, the conflict between the Utraeans and Empire of Stars, along with the Zaurask, Hassat, and Goblin uprisings.

Ultimately I hope to allow the player to choose a side in the conflict, though that will require a great deal of time to formulate all the SKRIT and triggers that go with that, though I have a rough idea of how to do it.
To me it seems that the history of both Empires is full of misdeeds, such as slavery and slaughter, so if the player character will choose a side, I hope to implement some forms of unavoidable consequences in the map.

Additionally, the story itself is not grounded, and modifications and suggestions are totally allowed, if not encouraged. If you guys have any suggestions as to adding things in, or changing something, or some clarity on a certain area, I'm totally open to it. Just lemme know and I'll see if I can incorporate it into the story. Also if you guys notice any cannonical errors, give me a heads up and I'll try my best to fix them.

Lastly, this map is a freaking huge project, at least for me, and I've been working on the story and map for years now. At first I tried a completly open world map, but that did not work out in the slightest, as either my computer, or the Dungeon Siege Engine, was too low power to keep from crashing constantly. While I've almost finished the terrain, there are still some regions that have to come together, and it will take a little bit to get them completed.

Thanks for the positivity and encouragement guys, and happy siegeing!!

I like the fact that you are using LoneKnight's collection of Data. I also like Kathy's comment that less linear is better. You might wish to look at iryan's Legends of Utrae 3.2 for ideas as well. Being an elf of the mainland forests I am happy to see the sea elves gone. Smile
Elf

1) A very big dungeon with a lot of ugly spiders
2) A castle with a crazy (mad) king... to kill, him and his army. And save the princess (a beautiful elve (blonde)) who become partner (archer with natural magic)
3) Some sets like DS LOA

That's all
Thanks for sharing your siegelet soon

Ulyss wrote:
1) A very big dungeon with a lot of ugly spiders
2) A castle with a crazy (mad) king... to kill, him and his army. And save the princess (a beautiful elve (blonde)) who become partner (archer with natural magic)
3) Some sets like DS LOA

That's all
Thanks for sharing your siegelet soon

Suggestion 2 A castle with an insane Insane dwarf Dwarf king and his partner the beautiful elf Elf who is an archer with demented Combat magic (flying flaming bunny slippers) defeat the bunny slipper army and cure the insane dwarf and elf.

You could add some characters based on some of the modders who have provided you with ideas and knowledge. For example you could name one of the inn keepers on the map LoneKnight.

Elf

Make that Flying purple People Eater bunny Slippers Shock Tongue Big smile

Innocent Insane Dwarf

Love the suggestions guys! Keep 'em comin'. The giant dungeon with spiders shouldn't be too hard to incorporate, so I'll definitely add that. The mad dwarf king will be a little harder story wise, but I'll try my best. Seeing as the story centers around the fall of the Utraeans, there will be plenty of escaped mutated monsters (perhaps including spiders) running around the island. As far as the purple people eater goes, I'll once again try my best but no promises. Coming with that will be some new gear, not much, but some, and sets are already in the works.

As for adding people who have given me suggestions, I plan to add all you guys who have suggested something so far, no matter how crazy it might be. Be warned though, you guys might not be on the main paths. For some of you, in order to find yourselves, you're gonna need to really explore the map Wink .

Smile

Dungeon Siege Fanatic wrote:
Love the suggestions guys! Keep 'em comin'. The giant dungeon with spiders shouldn't be too hard to incorporate, so I'll definitely add that. The mad dwarf king will be a little harder story wise, but I'll try my best. Seeing as the story centers around the fall of the Utraeans, there will be plenty of escaped mutated monsters (perhaps including spiders) running around the island. As far as the purple people eater goes, I'll once again try my best but no promises. Coming with that will be some new gear, not much, but some, and sets are already in the works.

As for adding people who have given me suggestions, I plan to add all you guys who have suggested something so far, no matter how crazy it might be. Be warned though, you guys might not be on the main paths. For some of you, in order to find yourselves, you're gonna need to really explore the map Wink .

I always explore the all the paths playing dungeon siege and when riding my bicycle. No point in taking the same path every day. Elf

bare_elf wrote:

Suggestion 2 A castle with an insane Insane dwarf Dwarf king and his partner the beautiful elf Elf who is an archer with demented Combat magic (flying flaming bunny slippers) defeat the bunny slipper army and cure the insane dwarf and elf.

None shall defeat the Bunny Slipper Army... My boon companion, the killer bunny of Caerbannog awaits you all with nasty big pointy teeth. Getting you to soil your armor is just a bonus, imo.

So DS Fanatic--
I would be interested in your progress, please keep us posted. I've got some modding fever going on myself, but I get too distracted to actually complete anything.

Interesting things on side paths make the game great

Insane Dwarf

bare_elf wrote:
You could add some characters based on some of the modders who have provided you with ideas and knowledge. For example you could name one of the inn keepers on the map LoneKnight.:elf:

Outside of DS, who else knows "A Lonely Knight", the inn in New Sorpigal?

kathycf wrote:
None shall defeat the Bunny Slipper Army... My boon companion, the killer bunny of Caerbannog awaits you all with nasty big pointy teeth. Getting you to soil your armor is just a bonus, imo.

"Holy hand grenades, Batman!"

Well, in a little update, I've almost finished the terrain for the map (I'm calling it 'The Island'). Just a few bonus places here and there. Now all I have to do is everything else! I've gotta scale my custom monsters to various levels, run tests to make sure the leveling works correctly, incorporate all the shops, and filler characters in the towns and settlements, populate all the bonus areas, add the story elements, write the conversations, write the lore... whew, that's not even the half of it.

BUT, now that I've got the terrain basically loaded, I just have to place things. No more node-door connections and god awful stitching. Once again guys, keep the suggestions coming. It's quite easy to add a bonus area, so I can do my best to incorporate your ideas, no matter how crazy they might be...

Dungeon Siege Fanatic wrote:
...
BUT, now that I've got the terrain basically loaded, I just have to place things. No more node-door connections and god awful stitching. Once again guys, keep the suggestions coming. It's quite easy to add a bonus area, so I can do my best to incorporate your ideas, no matter how crazy they might be...

Maybe an npc who gives the player some sort of riddle or puzzle quest. Nothing too obscure or hard to do and then when the riddle is solved, the player gets a reward. A special weapon or armor or maybe one of those hard to find spells. Nothing too fancy.

I'm kind of thinking about one of the beginning quests in Legends of Utrae. The player starts off to the Crypt and finds assorted breadcrumb clues along the path, leading to Shalindra. There is another quest in Meren to find a pirate's chest.

I remember years ago doing this one quest in the "Swamp of Sorrows" in WoW which was kind of similar. You picked up an item which started the quest with a riddle that led to the next clue. It led to some different areas and at the end one got...ergh, I think it was an inventory bag? (Yup, a 14 slot one, which back then was a big deal to a pack rat like me.)

Ah, I found it, Cortello's Riddle. This quest was back in classic wow and thus not available anymore.

Anyway, I'm not suggesting anything as involved as that, considering all the other work you are doing. Something less complicated but still fun.

RSimpkinuk57 wrote:

"Holy hand grenades, Batman!"

There is that, but it took forever for them to get to three. Plus, don't you need a bishop or two? By then the interlopers will be defeated and Victory shall be mine!

(It's 2 AM, I think I have a right to be goofy). Big smile Insane

In KoE in the Ice caves you have those three side temples with the pressure plates that give access to a treasure.

a lost temple of the lescanza might be nice

(and cathy.. I am a bishop of both the church of the sub-genius and the Church of Monty Python and shall bring forth the Holy tuna Crazy Tongue

Dwarf Insane

I don't know if you're planning on using any player races besides human, but given the theme of your mod it might be fun to have the option of playing a Utraean. Maybe toss in some different content depending on which race you play.

I love the suggestions guys, keep 'em rollin' in! I'm gonna need plenty of side quests to populate the map with, so the more the merrier!

I definitely am going to use Utraeans as a race. However, it might be a little too complicated to make different outcomes or plot points based on your character choice. I can try with some things, such as some guards are nicer, or you can use displacers, but I do definitely like the idea. The question is can I implement it with my limited modding skills... regardless, I will try my best.

As for the puzzle quests, that sounds like a fun bit. Perhaps a piece of parchment will take you off the path somewhere into a little bonus area. There you'll be able to find a piece to a set or something. Maybe you have to solve all the riddles to find all the set pieces, somewhat like the Trial of Gallus parchment found in Utraean Peninsula. There is going to be another side faction of jewel thieves on the island, with little jewel and gem crates hidden here and there. Perhaps the player can find various parchments with riddles on them that lead to some hidden caches dotted around the map.

Now on the subject of an ancient temple of Lescanza, I can implement something like that, but story-wise I'm not sure the Lescanza people made it that far out of the Northern Reaches. HOWEVER, after doing a little bit of reading, it is stated in LoneKnight's compilation that not much is actually known about Aranna before the Empire of Stars came around, so I can probably make something work. Now I don't mean to say there won't be ancient temples. After all,

Also, I'm working on making the map more freeroam, which means you can travel between regions with some ease, based on the map layout. I've got it sketched out on paper, and I plan on making an actual uploadable map at some point so that you guys can see it and travel to regions accordingly based on said map, with the monsters respawning and each time reading the characters skills and choosing a leveled template accordingly, with base skills for each area of course, making it so that a level 1 character can't stumble into the desert and go through the dunes without a scratch. Hopefully this will make for a more fluid free roam style where the player can actually play it like an actual map, with one region leading to the next, and housing various connected regions, while still maintaining a somewhat clear route of progression. Additionally if the player gets bored of the above ground scenery, there will be a subterranean cave system which connects regions and dungeons/crypts/sanctuaries/temples/caves/etc from all over the Island. However, the caves WILL be more of challenge, meant for more leveled players. (Don't forget, I plan to make this a multiplayer friendly map, so that means up to 8 of y'all can run around together, or explore separately in a multiplayer game... randomly running into eachother might be cool).

Lastly, I plan on adding all you guys in, in various positions around the map. I don't know if LoneKnight is still around, or wants/cares about giving input on what their character in game, but I plan on making an actual wandering knight, much like Therg the Historian in LoA, who runs around documenting history, probably to be recording history in a bonus area, with a bunch of goodies to give you if you find him. I was planning on making most you guys shopkeepers, travelers, adventurers, quest givers, inn owners, possible hires, etc, either associated with your recommendations, or found wandering the world or in a town or camp (Except for you Klandank, I might have to throw hands if you wanna be anything other than a friendly krug... jk). However, seriously, if any of you have preferences as to what you want your profession, race, etc to be in game, just lemme know. Heck, I could even make you guys ancient monuments or magic gravestones if you want. If you wanna be a main character in the story line, I can totally weave you into the narrative, or not, it's totally your call, as it is your character after all. On the flip side though, if you want it to be a surprise, that's totally cool, and I'm totally happy with that as well.

And of course, keep the suggestions coming guys! I'll be sure to respond and keep you guys updated whenever I can!

Happy Siegeing!!!

Loss of records is why we have only recently re-learned that the ancient Phoenicians had trade with South America and an Egyptian expedition reached Australia (they finally found actual artifacts)
and the Norse explorer/trader/raiders did maraud into the Med.

I am THE Mad Dwarven Fist Of Stone Wink

Insane Dwarf

If you plan to use Utraeans as playable characters. KathyCF and I both have skins for them Both for LoA and DS2. Their armor is also unique and I could design some outfits for them if you like. I also have some unique weapons that could be adapted for your mod. All of my weapons and most of my armor is progressive. They get more powerful as the characters do. I can post a few examples of the templates if you would like.
Elf

Yeah that would be cool! I’m pretty sure LoA has playable Utraean characters, but as far as the armor and weapons, that would be cool. For the Utraeans I would need to figure out how to determine your race in skirt and allat if I wanted different outcomes for quests and stuff. That would be complicated (I think) and I haven’t really experimented with that. I have tried to make custom weapons and armor, and for some reason, the np stores compound more errors the more custom weapons there are, and I’m not quite sure how to do a workaround for that.

Dungeon Siege Fanatic wrote:
Yeah that would be cool! I’m pretty sure LoA has playable Utraean characters, but as far as the armor and weapons, that would be cool. For the Utraeans I would need to figure out how to determine your race in skirt and allat if I wanted different outcomes for quests and stuff. That would be complicated (I think) and I haven’t really experimented with that. I have tried to make custom weapons and armor, and for some reason, the np stores compound more errors the more custom weapons there are, and I’m not quite sure how to do a workaround for that.

In DS1 Adepts, some hireable characters were dependant on the gender of the hero. I'm sure this could be extended to look for race as well and also quests. It's all controlled in the actor's job_talk.skrit found in world\ai\jobs\actors\good folder. It may require the presence of ikkyo_loa.dll by Ikkyo which is also used in DS1 Revived. Both mods also have a lot of custom weapons, armor and spells.

Dungeon Siege Fanatic wrote:
For the Utraeans I would need to figure out how to determine your race in skirt.

There’s a race_limited.skrit by Xaa in the Circle of Lorent mod that you could look at for inspiration. It determines race by template name. It has the added bonus of also being able to determine gender, if the template name ends with “boy” or “girl” like farmboy and farmgirl. (It might be specifically copyrighted, as I remember some of the stuff in Lorent was.)

In addition to new custom gear mentioned by bare_elf, you could differentiate the play experience by giving Utraeans different strengths and weaknesses from humans. In my own compilation mod I’ve customized the races by, among other things, altering mana and health recovery rates, base speed, and starting skills, and giving some of them innate enchantments (applied with enchantment_manager.skrit as per rock beasts). If you used ikkyo.dsdll as suggested earlier by Iryan (not sure if it’s open use?) then you could also use the ChangeBaseSkillLevel skrit function provided by that dsdll to alter a race’s skills by a certain percentage.

For quite some time I've been talking about wanting to make a fan-made expansion. At least this confirms someone else is thinking something similar. I have a few mods I've made that I think Dungeon Siege in general could use. One of them colors potion names, so they're easier to distinguish without having to read "Mana" or "Health". While not enormously necessary, it does make it considerably easier to differentiate the differences without specifically having to read them, plus it adds a bit of color to the drops of each monster.

This minor touch adds a slight modernization that I feel notably improves the overall feel of Dungeon Siege. If you're interested, just download it from Nexusmods (and it might also be on here, I forget), and implement it as you wish.

Sorry I’ve taken a while, I’ve been kinda busy.
I do wish to make my mod compatible with most other mods out there, which means incorporating other mods is totally up to you guys on your own playthroughs. That being said, I may incorporate some others ideas, but I want to try and keep my mod and map as mod-friendly as possible, just to allow you guys to incorporate your own stuff to add your own feel for playthroughs. I would eventually like to add some kind of different skills for different races thing, but as far as the first couple stages of the map go, I want to make the SKRIT coding as low maintenance as possible at first, just so I can fine tune aspects in the map and mod. I don’t mean to say it won’t happen, because I definitely plan on it, but I just want to let you know in the meantime.
Coming off that point, I would like to release an “alpha” at some point in the near future, just to be able to fine tune the leveled monster spawning. No quests, chapters, or the like, but merely to get input from you guys and perhaps change around some aspects of the base map itself. If any of you guys would be willing to do a quick playthrough of just killing monsters and running through areas for testing and balancing purposes, it would be super helpful, just to take time away from me testing each individual aspect of it, thus giving me more time to mod. However, I completely understand if you guys veto this, as it can be pretty annoying sometimes.
Regardless, do lemme know if you’ve got any more suggestions you’d like to add in, not only is it fun to add them in, but it’s also fun to hear what you guys come up with.

Happy Siegeing!

I'd be happy to help, Fanatic! Hope things are going well.

Awesome, great to hear! I’ll let you know when the map will be ready for some quick testing.
Thanks again!

I can spend some time roaming around your map. I will also try to run it w/ some different mods just to see what happens.

As soon as you are ready I'm ready. Smile Smile Smile Smile
Elf

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