The Redcap Snatchers

hustin1

Author: @hustin1
Title: The Redcap Snatchers
Short code: NW-DPUTABC6X
Type: Story-based dungeon crawl

My first Foundry! Someone has been attacking the redcaps, and no one knows who it is. The Elves report that whoever is behind it has been throwing around some serious magic and that has them concerned enough to want to investigate.

Combat: moderate, but variable (none at first but steadily increases over time). Designed for challenging solo play but should also be fun for two. Author's notes included in the first map provide some extra tips. Some encounters are designed to be quite challenging, as if the foes actually put thought into how to be the victors. Stay on your toes!

There's a difficulty slider for the final map. Someone makes a cameo appearance

Humor: Some humor, but hopefully in tune with what one might expect from a Sharandar-type quest.

Play time: Estimating 45 minutes, but there is a lot of optional dialogue that can make it take longer. If you just want a speed run, this isn't for you! This quest is intended for players who like to explore.

Total of three maps, with the final two being very detailed (read: long loading times). I hope people enjoy them as much as I did making them.

I've got so much to learn; if anyone could offer any advice or feedback, that would be a great help!

Some screenshots:

hustin1

Many thanks to the kind folks who have tried it so far! I think I've worked out the kinks since first posting it -- it's amazing how differently the live server treats things like mob placement than the Foundry server. Hopefully v1.07 is good to go!

group5e

Great job Thia! Had a blast running your foundry.

ulviel

Hi! I've played it again today, but couldn't finish (I had connection issues), still, I have to say that:
SHIVER YOUR --
Oh. Never mind.

Gotta love redcaps. Is there any chance for one of them as a companion NPC in the future updates?

hustin1

ulviel wrote: »

Hi! I've played it again today, but couldn't finish (I had connection issues), still, I have to say that:
SHIVER YOUR --
Oh. Never mind.

Gotta love redcaps. Is there any chance for one of them as a companion NPC in the future updates?

I originally had Narf follow you around and fight, but it created some problems:

- If he fought he couldn't be unkillable. While on the one hand it makes sense so as to avoid exploiting, it also makes it hard to use him in the story. I decided that he was more important as part of the story than as a "companion". I'd love to revisit the idea for a sequel, though.

- When you make an NPC fight for you, you have to create it as a "costume" over a human NPC. So if Narf fought on your side, for example, he could only do so as a human fighter, wizard, etc. and not as his native species. It looked strange seeing Narf wielding a kite shield and axe, and that was another reason why it just didn't seem worth it. The Foundry *really* needs to offer us a great deal more flexibility.

That was actually a typo in 1.09 (grin). It should have read "Oh, never mind." (comma instead of a period). I did mention that I was a spelling and grammar perfectionist It's fixed in 1.10.

Edit: Actually, looking at it, I like "Oh. Never mind." more...

My favorite one of the "new" lines is Nuni's

I added a bunch of detail to the final map in v1.10, and now it's right up against the 1700 asset limit. I can't do any more to it without getting rid of something. The issue there is that the unique look is a wallset-in-a-wallset and uses an enormous amount of assets in the process. A 40-foot-long Thayan wall section in addition to a 20-foot-long one would have been a godsend!

Drat. Publishing it failed last night. Trying it again...

ulviel

I'll check it again tomorrow then.

I was thinking more about a non-fighting NPC following you.

melinden

I played with my level 60 DC. I’m glad you are using material from the Feywild. It seems a forgotten module in Neverwinter although it is pretty important in the Forgotten Realms. I hope you continue this, I would like to find out what else is happening.

Detailed notes:

Redcap Village:

-I enjoy seeing old NPCs again, so I like that you have Triste great us. Maybe she could have a dialogue option to discuss (remind players) the events in the Witch Fen?
-I made sure to use my Redcap Powie companion. Maybe Maggie can convince them we come in peace.
-the map looks great but I think we have a few more details to help it look like the Feywild Maps. I was thinking those giant flowers and mushrooms. Also those big archway branches are in there.
-the Witherer who is looking for Teelu is positioned in such a way that his Contact diamond is in the building above him. Maybe just moving him out a bit toward the edge would get it out of there.
-since Redcaps use guard spiders, maybe some dead guard spiders would be an additional touch. With sad spider keeper, of course.

The Feydark:

-the cave map is beautiful, it is really a struggle for Authors to make them look interesting. You have done a great job.

Goblin Complex:

-another excellent, inventive map. I especially like the murder holes for the archers
-phew, I had to get some help from a friend who was playing at the same time to get past the door, that is a devious one. Adding a small hint might help, maybe just an odd torch in the right area?
-the redcaps are partially fallen through their round prison cages, maybe an invisible block to put under them would help?

hustin1

Those are wonderful suggestions for the village! I've started making it look a bit more like the Feywild but it will take some time to complete. I also found that setting spider NPC's to "dead body" doesn't actually result in dead spiders, so I had to go with plan B -- fire. Poor spiders. Poor spider keeper.

I have invisible blocks under the elevated cages to hold the redcaps in, do you mean those, or the ones on the ground? (or both?) I'll take a look at them regardless. I'll have to think about a visual cue for getting through the door without giving it away. Part of the problem is that it's already 1700 assets so I'll have to get rid of something to add something.

hustin1

Thanks again for those suggestions; last night I posted v.1.23, which makes the redcap village look a lot more like it's in the Feywild. I might do some more to it later on once I put some thought into it.

reiwulf

Just played it, loved it a lot!
the maps were very well done and they were beautiful. also loved the way you designed the last map with the corridors, it didn't feel like a foundry map, very well used assets.
I felt like a regular level in another game, that's great on my book!
I'd like to ask you to also test my quest "the castle gates" in case you haven't already, I think we share our love for map design.

darkestdays9

The Redcap Snatchers
Author: @hustin1
Title: The Redcap Snatchers
Short code: NW-DPUTABC6X
Type: Story-based dungeon crawl

PROS
I enjoyed every minute of the quest the maps were immersive especially the Feydark map. The lighting used with the wisps brought out the colors of the dungeon really nice.
The story was really well written I enjoyed the first map the most it had a since of humor and purpose.

CONS
Goblin complex archer rooms could use a bit of light.
I got lost around were I collected the water jugs that stayed there after I collected them maybe a bit of clue as were to go next in that area.

SUGGESTIONS
Maybe a possible visual effect upon choosing help on difficulty setting for the Goblin Complex.
Ambient sound or light near the first secret door area its kind of hard to find if you're lost.
Make jugs of water disappear when collected.

The Feydark map in this is brilliant. Thanks for all the hard work.

hustin1

reiwulf wrote: »

Just played it, loved it a lot!
the maps were very well done and they were beautiful. also loved the way you designed the last map with the corridors, it didn't feel like a foundry map, very well used assets.
I felt like a regular level in another game, that's great on my book!
I'd like to ask you to also test my quest "the castle gates" in case you haven't already, I think we share our love for map design.

I just finished The Castle Gates. Wow, that was terrific! You clearly put a ton of effort into the map. I'm not sure what I liked the most -- maybe the extra areas you could explore, though I also liked the overall creepy ambiance. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't go into the windmills, perhaps there could be something really interesting in there?

I'm looking forward to entering the castle. It sure looked impressive from the outside.

There was only one bug that I saw: When you defeat Cornelius, the corpse doesn't vanish when he appears to talk to you. I guess you could make it disappear or maybe try playing with the "fight to submission" setting? I haven't used that feature so I'm not sure. There were a few minor typos or grammar issues in the dialogue here and there, but otherwise the story was solid.

Thanks for checking out my quest. I was really going for a totally unique look in the Goblin Complex, especially since the ones who built it really aren't goblins (hint, hint!). I'm going to have to devise something even creepier if I can for the next installment, but I also want to have some measure of semi-lighthearted redcap humor if possible. There's a lot more that I had wanted to do were it not for the asset limit, so I'll have to be imaginative next time.

hustin1

I've got a new version currently publishing that hopefully addresses some of the issues that were uncovered in tonight's stream:

- Added a sentence to the author's notes about the graphics postprocessing setting. I'm not particularly happy with what it does to the last two maps: it makes them too dark and less colorful in my opinion. Anyway, only added a note to it that I think they look better with it off.

- Added a proper-looking entrance to the village map

- Lit up the entrance to that one pesky passageway that everyone always seems to miss

- Changed the way the first prison entrance works -- it's not interactable until you enter the prison through the correct entrance, at which point it's always openable. It actually had been set to require the Jailor's Key, but maybe the problem was that both entrances required the same key? At least this way only one entrance will, now.