Trail of the Imaskarcana – A Mere Expedition!

essenti · August 2014

Published and working as intended.

Campaign: Trail of the Imaskarcana (NWS-DMFG77QOF)

A Mere Expedition!
(NW-DIAAPG3S4) by @deiterate

House Davinbon is seeking brave explorers for an expedition into the Mere of Dead Men. Applicants will provide their own provisions and equipment. Pay negotiable. Inquire with Tarro of House Davinbon in Neverwinter.

Latest Version is 1.5.9

-A Hack and Slash quest with a bit of Story
-Quickly skim the dialogs using option 1
-15-30 minutes average duration
-Two difficulty settings: Low combat (Easy) and Moderate combat (Hard)
-Starts in Neverwinter--the Davinbon Estate is northeast of Protector’s Enclave
-Completely custom maps
-Hidden encounters and extras to explore
-Scripted Boss-like finale
-This is the first quest in the Trail of the Imaskarcana campaign

Please let me know what you think of the quest, or if you discover any errors/bugs. Comments and critiques welcome!

Version 1.5.9
-Updated several encounters for better balance at high level with the 50% hit point increase on mobs.

Version 1.5.8
-More social aggro fixes

Version 1.5.7
-Reconstructed other hidden encounters to avoid social aggro causing glitches in optional quest-lines

Version 1.5.6
-Adjusted a few dialogues to better indicate player actions to complete objectives

Version 1.5.5
-Minor adjustments and lighting fixes.

Version 1.5.4
-Streamlined the boss-like finale
(this should avoid social aggro problems that break the last objective)

Version 1.5.3
-Fixed several spelling errors discovered by @Locksheon
-Fixed a broken dialog for a ghost discovered by @Locksheon

Version 1.5.2
-Boss finale is working again after mod 5 broke it badly
-Altered several hidden encounters to account for mod 6 higher aggro range
-Many minor asset adjustments
-A few minor grammar and spelling corrections

Version 1.4.4-Fixed a stray NPC in the mere of dead men
-Added a few breadcrumbs for explorers in the swamp
-Minor grammar corrections

Version 1.4.2
-Added another optional quest item pickup point
-Gilizan now aids in the defense of his village on hard mode

Version 1.4.0
-Renamed some objectives to make progress clearer

Version 1.3.9
-Added a waypoint to avoid sparkle path misdirection
-Minor dialog adjustments

Version 1.3.8
-A few added details

Version 1.3.7
-Adjusted walk speeds of some NPCs

bardaaron · September 2014

Is that an upside-down rest point? Clever way to get rid of the campfire if that's the case. This looks like a neat adventure. I will have to give it a run here soon.

essenti · September 2014

bardaaron wrote: »

Is that an upside-down rest point? Clever way to get rid of the campfire if that's the case. This looks like a neat adventure. I will have to give it a run here soon.

It is a rest point, but it's sunk below the terrain until the fire is hidden. The smoke is still visible, however. Thank you for your interest and I hope you enjoy running through it as much as I did building it! If you see any other features in the quest that you'd like to know more about, let me know, I'm happy to share my authoring techniques.

kendaricv · September 2014

This is a really impressive piece of work. I've enjoyed my playthrough immensely and am eagerly awaiting part 2.
One thing that irked me slightly was the fact that the Gilazan spoke without hissing, which to me felt odd for a lizardman.

essenti · September 2014

kendaricv wrote: »

This is a really impressive piece of work. I've enjoyed my playthrough immensely and am eagerly awaiting part 2.
One thing that irked me slightly was the fact that the Gilazan spoke without hissing, which to me felt odd for a lizardman.

Part 2 is still under construction, but it was actually the first quest I started, so it does have quite a bit of work done on it already. I'll see what I can do to make Gilazan's speech a bit more lizardly. Thank you for the playthrough and feedback!

UPDATE: Unfortunately, the Lizardfolk hissing sounds are attached to the randomized battlecry, and includes phrases that would make no sense for Gilazan...

zshikara · September 2014

The mere of dead men huh? Does this have any references to Neverwinter Nights 2 in it perhaps?

essenti · September 2014

zshikara wrote: »

The mere of dead men huh? Does this have any references to Neverwinter Nights 2 in it perhaps?

I crafted the story for this quest and the unique locations using only Forgotten Realms lore as a guide. Any references to Neverwinter Nights 2 would be coincidental. I chose the Mere as a location that was near to Neverwinter and a reasonable launching point for the campaign.

cookiesaddict · September 2014

Wow! The maps are amazing. I liked the plenty of optional content. Difficulty choice is also a good addition. Great job! *5starred+maxtipped*

essenti · September 2014

cookiesaddict wrote: »

Wow! The maps are amazing. I liked the plenty of optional content. Difficulty choice is also a good addition. Great job! *5starred+maxtipped*

Thank you for playing through the quest and I'm glad you enjoyed it!

I've discovered several minor bugs while running through the quest to gauge the run time for daily speed runners. I've fixed the ones I've found in the latest version, though I'm sure there are still more.

I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to improve the quest? Are there parts that could be expanded, shortened, or removed to make the quest better? Are the mobs too difficult on easy mode, to easy on hard? I've received a lot of excellent reviews, though those who have rated it 3 or 4 stars haven't mentioned what could make the quest better.

Thanks again to all who have played this quest and helped me get it to the point it's currently at!

grimah · September 2014

I am so glad i gave this quest a try. This is your first quest? because if it is, you possess all the attributes an author would want.

The attention to detail is top notch, i can tell you polished it to a shine i noticed the small things as i walked through the map. All your technical mechanics are smooth and tightly done which is a rare thing to see. The dialogue, costumes, pacing and story. well its all good stuff here but i think you already know this.

1. There are two things that i saw could use an improvement though. The first swamp map had alot of area to explore but all i found was some zombies and ghosts, i was hoping there would be something more worthwhile. If you want exploration you should have nuggets of infomation, items or interactions to reward the player.

2. Try and change all your disappear when dialog prompt on those npcs, it pushes players out of the immersion when that happens, even if you keep the dialog short or nothing at all. I would suggest making a kill trigger with encounters (if you have any left) to make them disappear after a short duration. Or just not make them disappear if the NPC is just going to stand/sit there.

It is quests like these that I am so glad to find, hope you get some exposure and this quest is not lost to the void like so many others

If you want some critical feedback just send me ingame mail with questions or /w me.

pandora1x · September 2014

Posting so I remember this quest later.

Thanks for making this :]

reiwulf · September 2014

Wow, the maps look impressive, I'll definitely give this a try when I can!

essenti · September 2014

Thanks for the great responses, feedback, suggestions, and interest in my quest!

It was temporarily withdrawn after I inadvertently deleted the timer / trigger room in the last map... It took me a little time to rebuild the interlinked timers and triggers that make the finale work, but it appears to be back in working order, and now takes takes fewer encounters and properly accounts for the player using the full combat area.

If anyone discovers any bugs in the quest, be sure to send me an in-game mail or PM! Thanks!

essenti · September 2014

I've finally tracked down and removed a nasty timer bug that sometimes prevented quest completion. For anyone who reached the end of the quest and were unable to complete it, I sincerely apologize! Thankfully, Waryur brought this to my attention, and the bug has been painstakingly tracked down and quashed.

For future reference for other authors, using Submission encounter behavior allows mobs associated with that encounter to teleport out of their kill rooms at great distances (150+ feet)

reiwulf · September 2014

I'm so glad I tried this, it has become easily one of my top 3 favorite quests in the foundry, everything about it was great, lots of options, lots of hidden stuff, lots of story bits, a difficulty slider, great great GREAT maps, costumes, events, it has everything I like. Congratulations!
One question, how did you do the underwater scene? I LOVED that part!

essenti · September 2014

reiwulf wrote: »

I'm so glad I tried this, it has become easily one of my top 3 favorite quests in the foundry, everything about it was great, lots of options, lots of hidden stuff, lots of story bits, a difficulty slider, great great GREAT maps, costumes, events, it has everything I like. Congratulations!

Thank you for the play-through and review, I'm really glad you enjoyed this quest! I'm still making subtle adjustments to this first quest while I work on the second one. For instance, @criss11 informed me that it's possible to knock an objective enemy off of a platform in the last combat, which was by design. Unfortunately, it turns out that there is too much geometry just above the death plane, so the encounter mob can get stuck and the object can only be completed by exiting the quest and using the overworld map to come back in. I've added invisible walls in version 1.3.0 to prevent knocking the boss into the pit for now, but hopefully I will be able to clean it up so that knocking enemies into the pit is still a viable tactic in the future.

reiwulf wrote: »

One question, how did you do the underwater scene? I LOVED that part!

The underwater scene required several effects to pull off in addition to two timers. There are 3 water layers used, two of which are flipped 180 so they are upside-down. At the top of the water that the player jumps into, there are two water planes, one facing upward and the other facing downwards, both of these have their clipping turned off using Inverted Ifs and Visible If requiring an unattainable item. So those water planes are visible--since the player does NOT have the item--and their collision is turned off.

The last water plane, which is flipped upside-down, is sunk just below the floor at the rocky bottom. This gives the players feet that swishing look when they walk or jump around while "underwater."

FX Used:
FX - Bioluminescent Fish (glowing fish)
FX - Hanging Mist (blue-green mist)
FX - Magical Distortion Wall (wavy water distortion effect)
Skyfade - Interior Fog Green Heavy (greenish tinting)
Volume Slow Fall (for the swimming-like hopping around)

I have a large waypoint sunk deep below the floor, with the top edge just below the top water surface. This triggers the appearance of the distorion walls, skyfade, and hanging mist. because those effects extend way too far. At the portal exit, I have a second waypoint to turn them off again. I also have that second portal end butted up against an invisible wall, so when the player exits, they can't go back through the portal again. The invisible wall and portal have to be aligned fairly precisely for that to work.

The timers are used for the drowning victim, who will drown if you are unable to rescue them in time. I use a platform that is just above the death plane in a hidden room. The platform is at a 20 degree angle with one end that dips into the death plane. The timer encounter mob uses a one way patrol that ends where the platform dips below the death plane. This works well for longer timers that you still want to be fairly precise.

I hope I've explained all that clearly... If not, feel free to ask here or in-game. Thanks again for the review!

reiwulf · September 2014

Wow, you just blew my mind, I know all of those tricks but never though about using them that way together, the effect is impressive, congratulations again! You say this is your first foundry? I'm nothing short of amazed.
Also again, good work on the maps, I'm a very visual guy and if I don't like the maps, it's very likely I won't stay to give the story a shot. But your were really well made, what assets did you use for the wooden stairs at the end? I think the steps are the bottle shelf, right?

gornonthecob · October 2014

This is an incredible quest! Please tell me you've submitted it for featuring!

Check your inbox. I've sent you a message!

what assets did you use for the wooden stairs at the end?

Those are table legs. Very clever use of them too!

essenti · October 2014

gornonthecob wrote: »

This is an incredible quest! Please tell me you've submitted it for featuring!

Check your inbox. I've sent you a message!

Those are table legs. Very clever use of them too!

Thank you for the play through and review! I haven't submitted it for featuring yet, there are still a few more exploration bits I want to add before I do.

The banister for the manor house stairs is Bar Detail 01, repeated and copied multiple times in the 2D editor. Most of the manor house was created back in open beta, before we had free camera mode, and the ability to add details in 3D. It was built as a palette of areas I created to use as base maps for the rest of the Trail of the Imaskarcana campaign.

Thanks again to everyone who has played through this quest and given me so much good feedback and helped me track down technical glitches. I am very fortunate that we have such a helpful and thoughtful foundry community!

eldarth · October 2014

You should add those details about how to do underwater, and the 20degree path into the deathplane into the advanced wiki.

zahinder · October 2014

Really nice job. Very enjoyable, great maps, and impressive work capturing the underwater effect in such a localized way.

bardaaron · October 2014

I am currently working on a quest of my own that involves the Mere of Dead Men, so I shall have to play through this one very soon, for research purposes. Maybe now that I've started on that, I'll actually push ahead and make time for this one. So far though, all of my Foundry time (editing time not included) is being spent on the contest entries.

caelumaresh · October 2014

As you (deiterate) and i agreed ingame, i have a review for your foundry:

I loved it. After first walktrough i did not spot anything that needs improvement so far. Not too difficult combat (yet challenging for me. I loved that. Good details, nice story. A nice job mate.

essenti · May 2015

I have finally ironed out all the bugs that the new higher aggression range of encounters was causing post mod 6 release. Thankfully, the imp portals are back, so my original boss-like finale has been reinstated. I have made several minor adjustments to the quest as well. Everything seems to be in working order.

If you find any problems with the new version 1.5.2 please let me know. I will do my best to fix them right away.

essenti · May 2015

There is now a play-through stream for this quest provided by Locksheon/Gornonthecob here.

Locksheon hits on all but one of the side-objectives hidden in this quest. It is a rather long play-through, though the actual average playtime for this quest is about 27 minutes, it can take significantly longer if you take the time to explore the maps and complete the side-objectives.

My sincere thanks to Locksheon for streaming this! While you are there, you should definitely check out his other streams, there is a lot of foundry quest streams in there that everyone should try!

omni181 · May 2015

essenti wrote: »

I have finally ironed out all the bugs that the new higher aggression range of encounters was causing post mod 6 release. Thankfully, the imp portals are back, so my original boss-like finale has been reinstated. I have made several minor adjustments to the quest as well. Everything seems to be in working order.

If you find any problems with the new version 1.5.2 please let me know. I will do my best to fix them right away.

Using version 1.5.3 and I got to what I think is the end boss. I killed all the orbs and the abomination, but the quest is stuck at 1/2 Stop the Ritual. There's nothing left in the room to kill. =( New player here, level 14 warlock.

essenti · May 2015

omni181 wrote: »

Using version 1.5.3 and I got to what I think is the end boss. I killed all the orbs and the abomination, but the quest is stuck at 1/2 Stop the Ritual. There's nothing left in the room to kill. =( New player here, level 14 warlock.

This is a bug with the increased aggro range on mobs that occurs with module 6 changes. If you leave the quest (with the exit button on the lower left of the mini-map), you can come back to just the final boss map again by using the world map from any zone exit. Exiting and coming back will reset the boss fight to try it again.

I am working on pushing the hidden encounters farther away so they aren't teleporting into areas that causes the quest to break like this. I should have it resolved in version 1.5.4 once I publish it. Thanks for letting me know!

EDIT: Version 2.5.5 is up. I have removed all guards that were used to kill hidden trigger encounters and streamlined the process of detecting and awarding completion of "Stopping the Ritual" to ensure that the mod 6 increased social aggression does not break the quest.

mosby1 · May 2015

Absolutely fantastic quest! The environments were excellent, the overall story was involving, the side-quests were terrific (I really like the underwater one). Kind of challenging combat for a poorly geared 68 TR solo, but not as hard as most (many I can't finish).

Can't wait to go back into this one and find a few of the things that I missed!

bobj021960 · July 2017

Loving the quest so far but I am having a problem in the temple. It says to destroy the orbs. I destroyed 2 and the guardians and nothing happens. I exited as you suggested and reentered. Orbs were gone but the guardians were there. killed them again and still nothing.

ganthorin · August 2017

Same here, I've played through twice and get stuck at the end. kill two orbs, the the two baddies, but then nothing else can be done. what am i missing?

iandarksword · August 2017

I'm not completely certain @essenti is still active, but I tagged them to bring their attention to this post. If not, then a "bug" may exist in the quest for some time.