Yet Another Review Trading Thread (YARTT)

seanc84 · May 2013

There might be an issue with my quest preventing completion... although it could just be a Foundry quest bug. Just a heads up before you try to run it.

Hey, everyone...

So in an effort to get more than 2 reviews (good reviews, at that!) from people I've asked directly, I'm starting yet another review trading thread of my very own. I'm mostly looking to review 15 min.+ quests that don't have many reviews yet to at least get them to the point where they count for doing the daily Foundry quest. But I enjoy running quests of any length to see what people are capable of putting together.

You can find details about my quest here or the link in my signature. (Code is NW-DEU18DHO6 or search by author seanc84) Feel free to add any feedback here as well.

Once I (hopefully) get some responses, I'll update this post to keep track of my review status. I can run quests in the evening (around 6:00pm my time... 2200 GMT) since I work during the day.

Thanks!

=== Finished Reviews! (Please read and play these!) ===

cuddlesmacheese - Stake and Eggs (NW-DEH9MMOCA)* - Reviewed here!
slaidz - A Nobleman's Request (NW-DIYMYKKVY)* - Reviewed here!
jkpark - A Friendly Reminder (NW-DAQN7H5GO)* - Reviewed here! (5 stars!)
kyeo138 (@Drexorn) - Those Steamy Neverwinter Nights (NW-DI8PEGHIB)* - Reviewed here!
eulerdmoogle - A Small Dwarvish Grudge (NW-DUI8A8I7R)* - Reviewed here!
maddriver - Path to the Underworld (NW-DA4N8EOZD)* - Reviewed here! (5 stars!)
Elimgarak83 - The Bones of Xunvrae (NWS-DNNZST5FJ)* - Reviewed here! (5 stars if you ignore the typos!)
savagehenrry - Land of the Sloths (NW-DSAT5DENS)* Reviewed here!
todocaldo - Easy Coin... Right? (NW-DFGF2UXQH)* Reviewed here! (5 stars!)

=== Reviews I was unable to complete! ===

notaurious - Invoking the Old God (NW-DJC4R9H3R)* - Attempted here!

=== Reviews to do ===

ganker3 - Cult of the Dragons (NW-DSTLFFQ5K)
lemonkingi - Sinister Manor - An Invitation (NW-DLZZGA446)
zelrant - The Epic: Secrets of Shiganshina (NW-DFJR2DOH6)
fistantalius - Dark Caverns
voivodak - The Fear That Freeze (NW-DNUZSYEEY)
crimsonconcepts - Emberpaths Planning (NW-DGU6CYPV4)
bmoseley83 (@voyager4383) - Phantoms (NW-DKKJKFAA8)
boomba66 - Where Has Justice Gone? (NW-DSNZVHDYL)
@RanmaRanma - The Thawking (NW-DORADB5YR)*
TripsOfThrymr - A Strange Merchant (NW-DAK2BFO2X)

cuddlesmacheese · May 2013

I will play yours.

Please have a look at "Stake and Eggs" NW-DEH9MMOCA

I would appreciate it.

slaidz · May 2013

Name - A Nobleman's Request
code : NW-DIYMYKKVY
Duration: 15 minutes

I'd appreciate it if you played through and let me know what you think. I'll play yours in a bit.

cuddlesmacheese · May 2013

I wasn't able to complete the quest. I was able to get the key for the final door but it said I needed a stone. I searched all over and the only thing I couldn't read was the religion scroll (no skill). It looked good. A little bit of a maze and a bunch of back tracking. I liked the jumping to get into the crypt.

seanc84 · May 2013

Hm... that seems weird. There shouldn't be any stones that you need.

The Religion dialog option for the scroll is just for some lore information and isn't required for the quest. There's only a few things that you should have to interact with to finish:
- The open sarcophagus has a body in it with a key.
- That key opens a small bedroom with a book that you have to read. This gives you the name of the antagonist.
- The scroll in the cave room with the crystals that tells you who the ghost is.

Thanks for trying the quest though... sorry you weren't able to finish it. I'll give yours a try when I get home.

jkpark · May 2013

Howdy.

Details of my quest are in my signature. I probably won't have time to play yours tonight. It's dinner making time already, yikes. But I'll give it a run through tomorrow.

cuddlesmacheese · May 2013

I did all the things you mentioned. I was able to talk to the ghost and give him his name. I even had the key. It just said, you need a stone to unlock the door.

seanc84 · May 2013

Wow... guess I have some work to do tonight. I don't even remember adding anything like that... maybe I did it in my sleep or something. I'll have to give you a max tip for having to go through the entire thing and get stuck at that point. I feel bad now.

kyeo138 · May 2013

Hi, here's my feedback as I play through it.

1. First thoughts, I really like the dialog. Makes me realize I need to work on mine

2. I like the patrolling spiders, the move at the right speed

3. The jumping puzzle to get in is genius, very gw2-ish. Loved it

4. I like the waypoint text that conveys feelings (dread, etc...)

5. good job on the variety of the different paths.

6. Some of the combat got a bit tough (red wizards & bone monstrosity) but i was still able to solo ok.

7. I liked running through the caverns, didn't feel boring at all

8. I got a little stuck after finding the key in the sarcophagus, then the key and scroll in the caves. I just walked around for about 15min in the caves, until I came back to the other side and found a bedroom with zombies and a book in it. I thought I had come by this way already. So maybe a tiny bit more guidance/hint would be nice. Not much though, I like that you have to explore. Maybe just have the ghost point towards the east/west side of the tower instead of just south, depending on which piece you're missing? Just a suggestion

9. Mindflayer dialog/encounter w/book was great!

10. So I read the book, but the ghost still points south. I'm still missing something but not sure where. I went and clicked on all the sarcophagi again, retraced all my steps. 15min later i found another small room I thought I went in already

11. So I was making this much harder than I should've. It took me about an hour, but if I did it again probably 15-20min at most.

12. The last bass was great, about the right difficulty. I survived, my companion didn't.

Great quest, love the environment and story. This is good storytelling through more than just dialog.

Would love it if you checked out mine as well. It's a 15min or so quest, and painfully childish compared to this one

Shortcode: NW-DI8PEGHIB
Name: Those Steamy Neverwinter Nights
Handle: @Drexorn

seanc84 · May 2013

Wow.. thanks for the lengthy feedback! Glad you enjoyed it. It's weird that you were able to complete it but it told cuddles he needed to find a stone of some sort. I know a guildie had issues with doors in another quest that no one else had, so maybe there are some bugs out there? Still... sounds like I could add a few things to make it more clear where to go. Exploring's fun... getting lost might not be. :P

Looking forward to trying yours out!

ganker3 · May 2013

Check my Foundry if you can. I'll play and review one made by you.

Quest Name: Cult of the Dragons
Short Code: NW-DSTLFFQ5K
Duration: 10-20 minutes.

eulerdmoogle · May 2013

Ok, I'll trade reviews.

My mission: A small dwarvish grudge. NW-DUI8A8I7R
Solo Mission
Combat and story, some humor.

slaidz · May 2013

Just finished it up and it was enjoyable throughout until I get stuck with finding the final key. I looked through the caverns twice, the ruins twice, and so on. I read all the scrolls and such, but I didn't put two and two together until quite a bit later.

Overall, 4/5. Good job bro.

seanc84 · May 2013

slaidz wrote: »

Just finished it up and it was enjoyable throughout until I get stuck with finding the final key. I looked through the caverns twice, the ruins twice, and so on. I read all the scrolls and such, but I didn't put two and two together until quite a bit later.

Overall, 4/5. Good job bro.

Thanks for the feedback... it's sounding like I need to make it a little more clear about what to do to finish that objective.

ganker3 · May 2013

I forgot to mention that of course I'll play your foundry

maddriver · May 2013

Great quest you have there, Sean. I reviewed in-game and on the quests' thread - http://nw-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?226942-Into-the-Mind-s-Eye-Chapter-1-The-Ruins-of-Webcrag&p=3171361&viewfull=1#post3171361

The quest I'd like to trade is called Path to the Underworld. It is the first chapter of the Ignum campaign.
Suggestions and constructive criticism would be very welcome.
NW-DA4N8EOZD
@krtr

~Cheers

seanc84 · May 2013

Ok... home from work, drink in hand, quest updated... time to do some reviews!

First off, Stake and Eggs by @cuddlesmacheese (NW-DEH9MMOCA)

Ok, any quest with a dog is great by default. Also, I like the tie in to Neverwinter lore... just a small thing but it gives it some flavor.

I like that you started off with some simple combat encounters... nothing too tough to get the ball rolling. Lots of detail in the caves too.

Ok, wow, the broodmother fight was very difficult. My healer companion went down several times, and if I didn't have stealth I wouldn't have been able to finish it. I still had to use 3 or 4 potions. Are there a couple encounters stacked here or is that all one?

Really cool transition from the mines to the crypt! I thought it was going to be a simple clear-the-mines quest so this was a nice surprise.

The door leading into the big circular room from the crypt has a gap at the top (I ran into this exact same problem). I used some rocks to cover it up... not sure if there's anything that looks better for a crypt setting. Compared to the spider boss, the last fight in the crypt was kind of anticlimactic. :P

So... did all those spider eggs I destroyed do anything? Other than give me a personal sense of satisfaction at taking revenge on the unborn spawn of my enemies.

Overall I thought it was really good! A pretty straightforward but fun dungeon crawl with a nifty story to go along with it. Only complaint was the spider boss fight being a little tough for my liking.

Aaaaand looks like it bugged out and didn't give me the review page. Time to run through again!

lemonkingi · May 2013

I'll check yours out shortly until then here's mine:
Sinister Manor - An Invitation
Short Code: NW-DLZZGA446
http://nw-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?234012-Sinister-Manor-An-Invitaton

seanc84 · May 2013

Ok, next up is...

A Nobleman's Request by @Senatis (NW-DIYMYKKVY)

Geralt made me laugh. :P

Pretty tough first encounter... my cleric companion almost went down... but it was manageable.

The map looks pretty cool... maybe one suggestion is to have the encounters patrol a little. They look kinda bored standing in one spot. :P You also might want to mix up the encounter types. I see a bunch of groups all with an enforcer and two archers. The enforcers are pretty annoying to kill... not looking forward to having to clear a path to my objective.

"Way to the South Lake courtyard" - not sure what this objective means.

Yay, more dogs!

The inside of the house looks cool... but as I keep fighting I'm thinking that you need more varied encounters. Some without enforcers would be nice.

Hooooly bejeezus that end fight was a pain. I lost track of how many times my cleric hireling went down due to all the AOEs. At least it was a different mob type - that part was cool, I admit.

Overall, the story was interesting, but the sheer number of combat encounters with the same mobs and the difficulty of the fights kinda wore me down. Tone the combat down a little and this would be a great quest!

seanc84 · May 2013

A Friendly Reminder by @jkpark (NW-DAQN7H5GO)

This Veretir guy has a pretty cool-looking house, topped only by his snazzy looks. I'm really liking the detail in this quest... NPCs, room decorations... really well-done.

Wow... Rowley's manor has some epic music!

This was a great quest! Kept me interested through the whole thing, and I'm really looking forward to another one. Really shows what you can do with a story-driven quest with minimal (and very effective) combat. This review's on the shorter side, but that's because there's not much else to say other than play this quest!

Hey - I was your 20th play. Now that it's eligible, this is one I wouldn't mind running for the daily Foundry!

jkpark · May 2013

seanc84 wrote: »

A Friendly Reminder by @jkpark (NW-DAQN7H5GO)

This Veretir guy has a pretty cool-looking house, topped only by his snazzy looks. I'm really liking the detail in this quest... NPCs, room decorations... really well-done.

Wow... Rowley's manor has some epic music!

This was a great quest! Kept me interested through the whole thing, and I'm really looking forward to another one. Really shows what you can do with a story-driven quest with minimal (and very effective) combat. This review's on the shorter side, but that's because there's not much else to say other than play this quest!

Hey - I was your 20th play. Now that it's eligible, this is one I wouldn't mind running for the daily Foundry!

So glad you enjoyed it.

And yay, finally eligible! It seems the quest is finally polished enough. I can focus properly on the sequel.

I shall play yours shortly!

Edit: Of course, there's maintenance when I try to log on to do your review. >.> Afterwards!

eulerdmoogle · May 2013

I just finished your mission. Random thoughts:

1) A jumping puzzle. That's different. It did kinda bug me that the moss covered spire didn't look like it was something I could realistically jump on to, but it was a nice touch.
2) In the crypt you have a problem with things continuing to sparkle long after they've served their purpose. You might want to turn that off.
3) I almost gave up on the mission after wandering around for ages no knowing what to do next. There's exploration, and then there's pointless padding and obtuse quest goals. Your quest wanders into the latter.

In the end I can't really recommend your mission to anyone. You've got a great start on a good mission, but much of the Webcrag Ruins is just too dull. Lots of backtracking without enough story to carry it along. I'm still confident that you can turn this around and make it a better mission.

seanc84 · May 2013

Thanks for the honest feedback, eulerdmoogle. I've added so many hints as to where to go that backtracking really shouldn't be necessary if you read the dialogs. Not sure what else I can add to point people the right way without coming out and saying "Hey! Click me!" I'll see if any ideas come to mind, though.

Got one quest to run before yours... if I don't get to it tonight I should have some time later tomorrow.

seanc84 · May 2013

Those Steamy Neverwinter Nights by @Drexorn (NW-DI8PEGHIB)

They really need to add more NPCs you can talk to in the public maps... this Nobleman Burkhard guy betrayed me in another quest.

(You have a typo in his dialog, btw: "disturbings sounds".

One suggestion about the brothel... I can walk right past Gruush and open the door. You could put an invisible wall in front of the door with some kind of flavor dialog that disappears when this quest component is complete.

I... er... I mean my friend likes the atmosphere in the brothel. I hope no one's prude enough to report it.

You have a couple traps that are too low to disable. Not sure if that was intentional... but it doesn't help that they're also invisible for non-rogues. Also, it's weird that I could continue in the opposite direction, not find any mobs, then find it packed after killing Syryn (?) for the second time. There's a lot of stuff I have to kill, too.

Haha... there's an enemy beating on Syryn #3.

You can use the teleporter in Gruush's room before you kill him... was kinda odd. I like that the end takes place back in the trashed brothel.

Overall I thought it was pretty good... maybe bit too hack-and-slashy for my own personal taste, but there was a suitable story to hold it together. Maybe a bit more polish around the edges that I mentioned to finish it off.

zelrant · May 2013

Hey, let's trade reviews. Here's mine:

NW-DFJR2DOH6 - The Epic: Secrets of Shiganshina
Recommended Players: 1
Est. Playtime: 10-20mins (depending on the choice you'll make at one point)
Features:
-Lots of dialogue
-Cameo appearances of characters from different games, and anime. (I won't spoil them, check my quest to find out!

)

Thanks in advance!

jkpark · May 2013

Finally found time to review your quest.

The first map you travel to is well designed. I absolutely loved the little jumping puzzle. It's a nice touch and a pleasant diversion.

Really enjoyed the amount of exploration and interactive elements you have on your map. It felt like a proper dungeon crawl. I would maybe suggest removing the glowing path from the second map. Most people would be inclined to follow it and miss a lot of the other areas. I found it a little confusing sometimes as well, when I got turned around after a fight. The illithids were a surprising challenge as the difficulty stepped up quite a bit from previous fights. Took me off-guard a bit, which isn't a bad thing. :P

The final battle was a little challenging, but not excessively so. I did notice that some of the dialogue options were greyed out at the end, which I'm assuming means I was lacking an item. But I picked up both keys. And didn't see anything else to pick up, so unsure of the requirements meant for those dialogue options.

The reward chest at the end cuts into the table in the room.

Overall, it's a good quest, with a decent story that is well-written. I enjoyed this one. With some tweaking, it'll be excellent. Well done.

fistantalius · May 2013

Quest Name: Dark Caverns
Author: @fistantalius
Duration: 48 minutes

seanc84 · May 2013

jkpark wrote: »

Overall, it's a good quest, with a decent story that is well-written. I enjoyed this one. With some tweaking, it'll be excellent. Well done.

Thanks for the feedback! Definitely some good suggestions in there... I'm assuming to remove the trail I just set all the objectives to "None?" I'm wondering if that's the source of confusion for people getting lost... I had thought that I might as well leave it enabled to make the people who use it happy, but maybe that's a bad idea.

And yeah - there are some dialog options that depend on having certain skills. Those are mostly just for some Forgotten Realms lore flavor text.

Thanks again!

jkpark · May 2013

Yep, just set it to none, and the glowing path won't show up.

Ah, certain skills, was it? It usually says the skill (ie; religion or thievery) if it's a skill that's missing instead of an item, and as there was no skill listed, I assumed the latter.

voivodak · May 2013

My quest is in signature if you want play and review it

I'll play yours for sure

notaurious · May 2013

Going to play yours now. Please check out mine.

Memnon: Invoking the old god
Code: NW-DJC4R9H3R

I think it will take the average player about 15 mins due to the encounters. It takes me about 10, and I fully know what to expect and how to handle it. Thanks!! I will post my full review to your quest post.

Yet Another Review Trading Thread (YARTT)

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